My Place & Yours

Each week I am a big fan of playing along with Dani over at Hello Owl in a game she calls My Place & Yours. Basically she gives us a theme and then we show her different parts of our houses etc. You then link up your post with hers and you can also click on other blogger links and find some new reads along the way.

This weeks theme is books which I am loving! I am a bookworm, I won't deny it. I love love love reading and coincidentally have spent my free time this week reading books - and spending less of my nights on the internet. I'm finding it's helping me relax but it's also getting me into bed earlier....

I must also confess that I am a speed reader.... I can't help but skim the text for interesting parts. I also reread a lot of my books again. B hates that I buy so many books -he thinks I should join a library but I hate having time constraints and I also forget to return them and end up paying cashola for fines!

Being a teacher - I am really conscious of instilling a love of literacy in the little man way before he goes to school. Reading books to children and sharing in the experiencing of texts with them is so important from a young age, it really saddens me when I get students who don't even know which way books go, or how to turn pages etc :( ...

That being said here are my pics :)

 The pile of books in my bedroom I'm currently working my way through

 B's current read.......

 The little man's book collection - He's only 4 months old :)

 More of my messy books

 My teaching books

Yes I love books :) - what does your book collection look like?
Please share and join in with us!!
xx

Best way to avoid paying bills

I decided to get organised and pay a stack of bills this morning...It should have been done on the weekend but honestly I couldn't be bothered! 

Anyway so I get said stack of bills, the laptop and pen and then at this point of course my little man wakes... 

So after I sort him out I come back and see this........................

Guess the bills weren't meant to be paid today :)

xx

Being a working Mumma

Wow. Back to reality and man it is hard. I knew it would be a little more stressful but...Wow!
So I ended up working two days this week as a CRT (Casual Relief Teacher). One at my school and one at a school 5 mins from home. I have to say that even working from 8:30-3:30 I am exhausted.

Work is different now. It's a totally different experience. When I'm not doing hands on teaching I'm thinking about the little man and the things I'm missing. Then when I do have a lunch and snack break I'm expressing. So I end up spending most of the day holed up in a classroom. It's a bit of an anticlimax to returning to adult conversation. I was literally in the staffroom for 10 minutes today - to put expressed milk in the fridge and to pee :)

I enjoyed the teaching though - especially with the kids from my school as it is a cohort of students that I taught for two years, so they know me and I know them and there was no real 'challenging' behaviour from any of them! But expressing in the breaks is hard work. I'm really hoping that by the time I go back 3 days per week that little man has dropped one or two feeds and is on some more solids because I don't think I could handle doing this forever!

The hardest part I think - getting home and not being able to switch off and chill out like I am used to doing after work. Little man wants to play, dinner wants to be cooked, nappies to wash, bottles to sterilise, house to tidy ahhhhhhhhhhhh it never really ends!

So awesome walking in the door to my happy little man and his massive smiles! God I love that kid :) Lights up my life! Makes it alot easier knowing that his is being an angel for his Gma while Mumma is at work! Two days again next week and that should pay my car rego/insurance :) I'm thinking of the moola!!

xx

Wordless Wednesday

I'm playing along here

 

 Sitting in Daddy's boat for the first time.

xx

Going back to work....

When I first found out I was pregnant, I had a plan.
I felt as though I needed to work out straight away where my dates would sit (Due date, Maternity Leave dates, 2011 Term dates) because being a teacher I knew that I would financially NEED to work at some point. So I sat down with B and we discussed what the options would be and came up with the following.

• I would try to work until the end of Term Three 2010 (My maternity leave was supposed to start two and a half weeks prior to this)
• If I did work until the end of Term Three - My mat leave would last us until after Xmas :)
• I'd go back to work part time at the start of Term 2, 2011 when our little man was 6 months old.
• We'd hopefully be able to have our mums look after him for a couple of those days - and he'd go to the childcare centre near my work for the remaining days.
• I'd try and pick up some CRT (casual relief teaching) during first term to cover some bills (and my ever growing shopping addiction!)

This way I felt as though I was able to dictate the terms of my returning to work - I wanted to go back before it was financially a necessity if you know what I mean. I'd still get to have my days with the little man, but also be financially secure enough to live our lives the way we want to! Holidays, dinners out! etc.

So anywho the time to return is creeping up on me! I am starting to feel a bit anxious - maybe even guilty. I don't want to leave my baby - but at the same time I think I'll enjoy the adult interaction. I don't know how to feel!

My MIL is going to be looking after the little man on Wednesday whilst I do a day of CRT (Casual Releif Teaching). I'm kinda excited that I am going to be teaching - my first day since early September. I'm looking forwad to doing what I have now made as my career. I have been told that I'll be teaching grade two - which is my favourite year level :) So there are positives to the day!

I know the little man will probably be fine. That too makes me sad. I love the smiles I get each day - the selfish moments that I have with him all to myself - the things that only we share. I don't really want anyone else to have those moments with him :( I know that it is selfish but........

I don't really know how I am going to cope - It's only 8 mintues from home so that is reassuring. I know that the money will come in handy. It will be enjoyable to interact in a professional capacity.

Those are the facts - but I'm going to be missing my little man all day long - but looking forward to all the snuggles and smiles that I will get when I return home...

xx

My place & yours

Another edition of my place and yours - playing along with Danielle over at Hello Owl

"This week I'd like to you to search deep into your home as I ask you ..where do you keep your tooth brush?"

My toothbrush huh - Well I'm not sure if I'm the only one out there but........ I have two! Shocking I know!!!

This one is kept in my shower - I bought these cool little travel holders and used them when I was in Thailand and now I just keep it in there permanently. They are awesome because they can suction to mirrors/tiles etc and they keep the toothbrush covered and clean when you chuck it in an travel bag!
I like to multitask so hence the toothbrush being in the shower :)

My second toothbrush is kept in my top drawer in the ensuite. Believe it or not this is a somewhat organised drawer. I only cleaned it out about 2 weeks ago! Anyway obviously you can see where the toothbrush is carefully chucked on top of the other bathroom necessities I keep!


Where do you keep yours?? Share your link on Hello Owl and find some other cool blogs there too!

xx

Random :)

 

I was commenting on someone elses blog post this morning and this was my word verification :) 

I thought it was random - random and 'cule'....

Have a great day!! 

xx

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

In our house Valentines Day is celebrated on the 14th of March. This is because the 14th February is B's birthday :) He decided fairly early on in our relationship that we would separate the two days - this way we have two celebrations (I also think it is because Roses are cheaper in March!! - and B. is a frugal man).

So my day went something like this - went to the plaza and bought some prawns, oysters and several other ingredients to make B. for dinner. Then came home and in between all the other mummy tasks I completed, I sat our little man in his bumbo (if you don't know what that is click the link!) on the kitchen bench and prepared Oysters kilpatrick, marinated the prawns and whipped up some chocolate mousse for dessert - all whilst entertaining him :) I was quite proud of my efforts!

So when B got home we hung out together as a family - Little man gave his card to Daddy and we ate our entree of oysters while listen to the romantical echoes of Hi-5.....

Then bath/feed/bed for the little one - and we indulged in pasta la prawns and some champagne - Deliciously whipped up by me!

To top off our night we had the chocolate mousse pictured below - and yes I did make it in baby bowls! - While we watched last nights episode of The Biggest Loser on our IQ.

A fantastic night spent with my wonderful man. So here I am posting this and then signing off for Valentines Day :)

Hope you all had a wonderful day.

xx

Fitness Procrastination - moving forward!

I have honestly felt like going for a run most days this week. "Great" you say..... well not so much as I haven't done it once! I am not really a big runner - never have been. I've always played competitive sports like netball, basketball and competed in the school athletics where I was always within the top three over short distances. I once decided to join an athletics club with a friend but quit after two weeks or so.

Before I got pregnant I completed a 6.5km 'fun run' with a friend down in Apollo Bay (Great Ocean Road). I had vowed to get fit and do lots of runs leading up to it but when push came to shove I literally only went once or twice and only for a max of 3kms. I completed the 6.5km run in 48mins I think - some of which entailed me walking up a freaking ginormous hill! I'll link the run here so you can see the track - big mistake to think the 6.5km would be easier to do - The steepness of that hill took a lot out of most competitors!

I have no idea where this sudden urge to run has come from, but I feel as though I really should get into gear and do it. I'm contemplating entering a few 'fun runs' this year as some sort of motivation to help me build up my running stamina and also because runs like the Mothers Day Classic  are a cause close to my heart.

So I'm thinking that I will try to use my blog as a diary to keep a record of my progress - seeing if I can post the runs that I do - slowly building up the distances, particularly because I am not feeling so fit post-baby. I probably should ease into it ;)

So here I go venturing out into the world of running :) Wish me luck!!!!

xx

It's the small things in life.

I've always heard people use the saying 'It's the small things in life'.......

Now that I have a gorgeous little man filling up my days I am finally understanding what that saying means. There are so many aspects of our lives that we can be grateful for and I know that I for one - have been sort of oblivious until now

Here are some 'small things' that have bought a smile or some joy into my life this week :)

• My little man waking at 4am, but being content and happy to chatter away to himself in his cot, sometimes even going back to sleep. I never thought I'd be happy to be woken at 4am, but listening to his sweet little babbles and giggles is sooooooooo cute!
• Little man's squeals if joy when I call to him as I walk down the hall - so cute that he knows I'm coming to get him out of bed!
• I read a book! I know this doesn't seem like much - but I LOVE reading and since having a baby in October it something that I haven't been able to find time to do!
• Filming the little man on my iPhone and then showing him the video and seeing him watch it, Intrigued and then laughing and smiling at himself!
• Listening to B talk to the little man through the baby monitor - It's so sweet how much he loves him!
• Little man laughing everytime we say dadadadadad to him. He thinks it's so funny.
• Having time to do some Suduko - It was so good to actually use my brain in a strategic way!
• Realising how much my life has changed over the past four months - and how selfless I have become in my new role

I'm sure there are more things - but I feel like I've been a bit too focussed on my little man! Well if there is something small that has bough some happiness to you this week I'd love to hear about it! What has made you smile?

xx

My place & yours!

Well it seems I've been a slacko blogger lately - truth be told B. went back to work this week so looking after the little man has been more time consuming than usual. I had quite gotten used to having sleepins :) I promise to give myself a kick and get writing tomorrow......

Anyway again I'm joining in the game over at Hello Owl - with this weeks theme being STRIPES!!.

So basically the idea is to search your house and find the stripes you have!

Here we go

 My own Arm :)

 Dirtiest mop ever - must remember to wash that tomorrow!

 The blind in our bedroom

The little man in his PJ's!

So what does your house have in store for us! Join in the game and search for some stripes!

Xx

My place & yours

I'm joining in with Danielle over at helloowl and posting a pic of my place.

The theme this week is - second draw in the kitchen

After seeing Danielle's pic though - I realise I need to have a bit of a cleanout! 

Anyways here is my extremely cluttered 2nd kitchen drawer!

As I look at this photo I can see many things that I can't even remember the last time I used!

So here we go! If you want to join in click on the above link and head over to Helloowl :)

xx