Delayed but that's life with a toddler and a baby plus working full time I guess.


Our littlest boy turned one earlier this month and of course it wouldn't have been fair to not throw him a first party like we did with E - I swear the second kid does get a raw deal but that's for another post. Cue a guest list of 70+ and over 50 attendees including a circus of 20+ children under 10 but we love to entertain our family and friends so it was a wonderful day made even better by our amazing backyard that suits crowds and children and fun.


There was no theme and no face painter like Es but we did put up the boys' jumping castle ... although the children has more fun digging in the play yard with E's fleet of Tonka trucks. Kept food simple with a sausage sizzle, cold beers and lots of homemade finger foods the boys love including chocolate crackles - because what children's party is complete without them!


C had a great time and E was in his element running around with all of his 'big' friends (our friends' 5 year olds).

Our weekday routine has run a little like this for those interested:


I start work at 8am so I need to be out the door by 7:30am and with a toddler, a baby and a forgetful (okay, lets give it its real name, disorganised) husband to also get sorted and out the door each morning, my organisational Type A skills are in overdrive.

My 12 months of Maternity leave is over and I'm back at my desk as though I'd never left.
Well not quite, we did lose government while I was gone (coincidence you think?) but hopefully that's a temporary thing - especially if skeletons keep falling out of the Labor MPs closets.

So moving forward, I now have time to blog again - lunch breaks anyone! My first in around 12 months I tell you ... With an almost 3 year old who has a flair for the dramatic and an almost 1 year old who can't bear to not be in touching reach of mummy at all times, I'm lucky I even managed a toilet break most days let alone food.

Unlike most, I've been looking forward to my return to work. I like my job, my boss and my co-workers. It's a fun and supportive environment and allows some 'me' time which helps me to be the best mother to my boys that I can be. I'm also very lucky that my boys only need to go to daycare one day a week thanks to amazing family options courtesy of my mum and mother in law which allows the boys to see and play with their cousins weekly and spend some quality time with their grandparents.

So life with two... It's been a ride, a very crazy ride so far and things are just starting to settle down for us now.

Charlie, or Charley Bear (CB) as he's been affectionately known as by his big brother since he came home from hospi, went from dream angel baby to more demanding/high needs than E in the blink of an eye and it's only now since he is crawling and cruising that he's calmed down a little. Truly, I'm sure the kid just hates being a baby and wants to skip straight to toddler. He grunts and squeals or squawks with frustration every 2 minutes and demands to be in the middle of the action at all times. He despises sleep, it's for the weak I think he feels, just in case he misses out on anything and don't even think about trying to spoon feed him, he'll clamp his lips shut and grunt and wave his arms like a madman until you give him control. No matter who you are, if you're not mummy, the bottom lip will drop and he will let out an almighty scream until he's back in mummy's arms, with the only exceptions being grandpa and sometimes daddy... Thankfully this is slowly passing too but don't try to extend a short cuddle if you want to keep your hearing intact.

He's a beautiful little boy with the absolute cutest of smiles but there has been a lot of tears this past eleven months and honestly, I recognise now, a little post natal depression too.

I've got lots to write about and share from over the past 12 months including an enormous renovation project we've undertaken, the antics of life with 2 under 2 and what I did to survive the past year.

I'm not sure if anybody checks in here anymore but it's a great little journal and outlet for me so expect some regular posts and feel free to get in touch.

R x

Some might think I'm exaggerating when I call E the world's most spoilt toddler but I'm really not joking. This is his playroom ... And doesn't include the toys in his bedroom and the outdoor gear he has (balls, bikes, scooter, Cozy Coupe truck, sandpit, Tonka trucks, trampoline etc):


Those boxes are jam-packed with Little People sets, talking dinosaurs and giant rubber animals, cars - both wooden and die cast, crafts, puzzles and anything else you've ever seen in the boys toy section at your local store. There is also a home corner to the right beside where I took the pic from with Little Tikes BBQ, food etc and dress up boxes.

There are a handful of toys that can be packed away as they are older baby aged but there is not a lot of point given Charlie will be into them in no time and we have two of the cubes dedicated to just Lamaze pram toys and rattles. And bright side, we don't have to re-buy any age appropriate toys for our littlest guy.

Cube storage is a godsend for playrooms and helps keep it all grouped in some semblance of order and packed away neatly... its also fun for toddlers to pull out every cube and dump the contents then exclaim 'A MESS, EINY MADE A MESS' with an oh so proud smile.

As much as I love to have a clean tidy home, I find toys strewn everywhere and all over my house doesn't bother me as much as I would have expected. I think I accept that this is my life for at least the next 5-10 years with young children and I'm happy to see the gifts he is given bring E so much joy. I'd hate to pack to pack things away from him and forget about them when they were chosen with such thought and care.

Our prerequisite with future house hunting is a dedicated children's space or family room for the boys and their toys. Somewhere located centrally in the house to the kitchen that they can play in together and when they have friends over with loose supervision. I have pinned a million playrooms on Pinterest and have some fabulous ideas I can't wait to put in place but for now, this space is fun, keeps E busy and I can close the door on it if I don't feel like facing it at the end of the day.

There was jumping castles, Frozen karaoke - yes, we walked around with Let It Go in our heads, slides and more. E and his little friend H had a ball watching Nemo and checking out the life-sized Buzz Lightyear and Woody at the Toy Story zone. It was definitely busy but not crazily so and we lined up for a few attractions before calling lunch at just the time things started to get crazy.

We had some success getting both boys to sleep over lunch (at the pub of course) much to my shock (and disappointment - I would have preferred they hold off for the trip home) and headed for the car to go home. Of course the rain that had been threatening all morning finally fell and the pram rain covers were still in the car. The boys remained mostly dry although a little damp but we got soaked trying to sprint for the car.

Once strapped in and on the highway, C decided to completely lose it. He hates the car at the best of times but this was the worst and he wouldn't calm down. He actually started holding his breath which scared the life out of me and I screamed for S to pull over. We ended up taking the next exit and had to stop for half an hour to get Charlie out and settle him. Not quite the way I wanted the day to end.

It was a great day overall as I had S home on a weekend for a change so it was fun to get out as a family and spend some time with lovely friends.

I intended to start a monthly bucket list back when I started maternity leave but somehow just never got around to it so here goes now...

I always laugh and identify with the e-card that says 'woohoo it's Friday! Oh wait, I'm a mum' because weekends just aren't what they used to be... not even close.

After lots of discussion, careful consideration and consultation with specialists and with friends, we have decided to follow the recommendation to have B2 delivered by c-section.

While I don't recall E's birth as being quite the traumatic event I'm told it was (could be that I was out of my mind with the exertion of labour and no epidural), I have become quite anxious about B2's delivery and the possible likely reoccurrence of some of the complications that previously arose. Particularly as I'm told those complications are now 5 times more likely and could be even more serious this time, lead to longer term damage, the almost guaranteed need for emergency surgery I'm warned by my Ob and the need for future surgeries. With E to consider and my future of caring for two children, a c-section offers us the best controlled outcome and I am lucky enough to have plenty of family on hand to assist with the recovery.

dont get excited, this is E just an hour old

It is not a decision we made lightly, I researched like crazy, spoke to girlfriends who have experienced vaginal and surgical births and I spoke to several friends in the medical profession also including seeking the advice of a respected OBGYN who is a good friend and read my clinical notes of E's delivery.

While it has taken me awhile to come to terms with having major surgery (and a needle in my spine)
, especially after my commitment to a natural birth last time, I ultimately have never been obsessed with how my baby arrives, just that it does so safely. As my Ob told me when I was pregnant with E, you're only pregnant for one reason and that is to have a baby. There is no medal at the end for any choices you make, pregnancy and labour are a means to an end and the only prize is taking home a healthy baby.

So with all that in mind, I am comfortable with what is to come in just a few days time and I'm so excited to meet, hold and love the newest member of our little family. I also have to say that I'm pretty much bursting to know if the newest member will be pink or blue!

Stay tuned and I promise to share B2's arrival as soon as possible...

So I've been slow to update on the Thermomix but after a couple of weeks/months, I am even more in love with my TMX ... and so is S!

I've noticed a grocery saving of around $50 a fortnight (we've always had a pretty low bill thanks to meal planning) but more importantly, a massive cut in wastage of fresh produce and a much healthier diet overall with less tinned/packaged food and more whole ingredients. I have to say, we are loving the one pot clean up too!

And it's set to get even better before the week is over.

So I've officially been on maternity leave for a week and a half now. I've enjoyed a lovely Easter break with family, observed Anzac Day complete with attending a dawn service with my dad and of course all the fun parts of being a stay at home mummy including rhyme time at the local library, swimming lessons, milkshake dates and baking.