A New Beginning

Well, welcome to my blog!  I never thought I'd be a blogger - I mean, who'd want to read about a housewife's life right?  But, whether people read it or not, I think it'll help me so I'm going to do it!

What's brought this on, you say?  Well, I had my son when I was 30 years old and it has been somewhat of a life-changing event.  Okay, it's completely turned my life upside-down!  And before you ask (because everyone does), no!  We're not planning to have any more kids!

The Little Big-Fella is almost 3 and he's absolutely adorable, gorgeous, funny, exceptionally entertaining, and bloody hard work.  He didn't start sleeping through until he was about 2, he still wants me to pick him up all the time (and he's almost 18kgs), and he has a strong personality (he's very much like his Dad).

I always thought being a mum for me would be like being a fish in water.  Nope.  No such luck!  It's been a hard slog and I've been really down on myself SO many times over the past 3 years.  It's affected our marriage and my previous almost-always-smiling personality has had a major overhaul.

Thus the beginning of this blog.  I'm sick of being down.  I'm sick of being cranky.  I'm sick of being a mean mum and a surly wife.  So, even though I'm not big on New Year's resolutions, I've decided that 2012 is my year to increase my happiness.  And I'm starting with gratitude.  Almost all the happy books and websites seem to include this as a top priority so I'm going to start with that.

And at the risk of overdoing the gratitude on day 1, here's today's list:

1. I'm super grateful for my family!  My grandparents, parents and all my siblings (except my sister's hubby) and nephews were here for Christmas and we had an awesome time.  I love that we get along and that mum, in particular, put so much effort into making sure we treat each other with respect and dignity.  I know it's pretty rare to be friends with everyone in your family by the time you get to my age, and I love that we are.
2. I'm grateful that the Big-Fella (my hubby) was able to be here for Christmas.  He just got a new job at the end of October and is away except for every 2nd weekend.  We thought he'd have to leave at about 1 or 2pm on Christmas Day but he didn't end up having to go until Tuesday morning.  Love it!
3. I'm grateful for my health.  I know, it's corny, but it's true.  I'm so grateful that there's no major health issues in my life.
4. I'm grateful for the beautiful weather we had today.  It was perfect for drying the washing :-D
5. I'm grateful for my house.  It's a rental and there's stuff about it that bugs the life out of me some days, but there's a mini-apartment downstairs for people to stay and we're close to the beach, and it's not too shabby for a roof over our heads.
6. I'm grateful to be an Aussie.  We really are a lucky country (despite the current political influence ;-)).

I reckon I'll leave it at that for today.  So, here's to happiness and gratitude in 2012!  Let the journey begin!