Ha ha ! has it really been 12 months, and the more things change, the more they stay the same.

still finding it really difficult to save for a holiday (our second in a year) still stressing about how we are going to pay for it (as usual) and all the associated stresses that go with it.

Thank God for my camera, my stress valve.

Loving taking pictures right now.

What is wrong with this ?

I don't know how many times I have been unable to log into my blog , no excuse I know, but it has been frightfully busy here.
I am leaving tomorrow night, and will try and find time to blog most days of our trip.
Stay tuned..............

ohhhh woe is me

I hate to be a sad sack, but gosh I am sooo anxious and stressed right now..I am not going to moan about it, because it is just everyday stress, and the monotony of life that is getting to me.
It has been a long hard slog, saving annd paying for our holiday, and although it will be completely worth it, it as been so long that I haven't been spoilt, that it is making me flat.
Comments from others that we are "lucky" to be having a holiday, just give me the shits really, if they only knew how hard it has been.
Car needs new brake pads urgently, on top of the bloody hot water system, it is always the way isn't it ?

Now on to this holiday.. I haven't updated the blogland on the final itinerary.
So here it is.
Flying Tiger to Melbourne, we are staying in Prahran, spending our first day catching up with my wonderful Victorian EB friends.
On the second day we are off to Sovereign Hill in Ballarat, then back to Melbourne for the Fremantle Vs St Kilda match at The Telstra Dome.
The next day we leave Melbourne for Corryong. We are taking the Great Alpine road from bairnsdale, having Lunch at Maccas for our Second daughters birthday.
We are not sure of the exact route once we get to Omeo, it will depend on the conditions, but we are stopping in Corryong for the night. Corryong is the resting place of the real Man from Snowy River, and there is a museum there that we hope to check out. We are having a birthday dinner in the restaurant of our accommodation.
We then head off to Thredbo, via Jindabyne where we have to collect our discounted Ski Hire. Travel agent providore met the owner at the travel expo.
We are staying in a 3bd loft lodge in woodridge with a spa bath and an open fire. Walking distance to the kids club, and lifts.
5 days of skiing and also of using the heated swimming pool in Thredbo. We have bought our own snow wear, which the kids are excited to wear.
Leaving Thredbo after 5 days we head towards Sydney via Mittagong, where my cousin lives. We will be entering Sydney via Wollongong, and staying in a cabin in a holiday park in the southern suburbs, only k's away from where I grew up.
Sydney will consist of lots of catching up with firends and family, a day trip to the blue mountains, Australia v France in the Rugby, My fair lady the musical (My Big girl and I)and on the final night NSW v QLD in the decider, State of origin 3 !!!
6 days in sydney then we hop on a plane to Hervey Bay QLD, where we will then drive to Noosa via Maryborough and Gympie.
6 days relaxing on the shores of the Noosa River with my dad and my brother, fishing and BBQing, pure bliss !.
Will be popping into Australia Zoo again.
Then to Brisbane for a week, where the man of the house has a reunion, and we will meet up with our friends also travelling from Perth.
a day trip to Movie World is also Planned.

On the last weekend of the holiday we will be spending some time with some of my other wonderful friends from EB.
Then Home, no doubt broke and exhausted.
Now I know it will be worth it, but how to get myself through the stress of the pre holiday period ?
Now that is the big question.

Oh, Alas ! I missed so much !

This is a special blog, it has been a week, I had forgotten my password and no time, no time to do the whole reset my password thingy.
I should have though, as it has been a momentous week, highlighted by the birthday of my first Born.

Let me tell you something about him.
Firstly, one can't help but notice he is very handsome. Blessed with gigantic hazel eyes, long eyelashes, gorgeous full lips, and beguiling dimples in each cheek, fortunately or unfortunately for him, this will long be the thing most people remember him by.
Born as two devastating cyclones moved down the WA coast, reeking havoc only days after he was born, and named only 12 hours before him, it is not unusual for him to be described as a human cyclone, but in a manner of affection.
The first thing you noticed about him as a newborn was his lips, they were huge, and definitely required some growth on his part to fit them.
As a baby, I would be stopped everywhere by people staring at him for ages, he got comments wherever he went about his looks.
My mother told me, on me explaining the people in the shops, that "every mother thinks tier baby is the most beautiful looking baby in the world", she was eating her words , however, when she overheard some people in Myer coming back to tell their other relatives, to "come and look at this AMAZING looking baby".
There is more to my son than his looks though, and if you can get past the purely skin deep, you will see a treasure of immeasurable worth.
Deeply empathetic, he feels things deeply, particularly other's pain. I often have mothers coming to me to tell them how he has assisted their child at school when they were upset.
He has a very strong sense of justice, he shows outrage at things he thinks are wrong.
Trees being cut down, people committing crime, and some political judgements all attract his attention.
He is a media buff, watches the news with great interest, and has a love for history.
He enjoys the cut and thrust of politics, including working from sun up to sun down in the federal election to help his mum and dad's friend get elected.
He is a very capable sportsman, exceptionally good at the rugby codes, and better than average at most other sports.
He is strong and confident, has a large vocabulary, and revels in public speaking.
He is not a boy easily ignored.
He still enjoys a cuddle with his parents, and we treasure every moment with him.
He has taught me more than any other person I know, he made me a parent, he has challenged me and delighted me, and brought an enormous amount of joy into my life.
Happy Birthday to my 9 year old.

Has it been that long already ?

Sheesh, what a blur of a week.
What on earth did I do ?, did I achieve ?. I know weeks like this must be taken in a large family mum's stride but for goodness sake, I am also a results oriented person, so damn it !, I expect outcomes baby !.

Let me think, hmmm...the stand out for me this week was spying my boy's infatuation whilst I was at the school for St Pats day.
She is tall, very tall, taller than him. She has a long neck and dark hair, and the most impressive feature was a funky little hat that she wore as part of her St Pat's day outfit..Perfect !.
I was very impressed, she looked like a girl I would like. Doubt I will ever meet her, but at least I know he s on the right track.
Think I would have been a bit flawed if he like the blonde "girl next door" type.
But the elegant, sophisticated brunette will keep his mother happy, (as if I have any say in it ! HA !). I can dream.
The school gave me the willies this week with thier level of communication, I think they think being a mind reader is part of being a parent these days, actually no, being a parent means being an expert in all matters legal.
Duty of care, public liability, police clearances,working with children checks, allergies etc, being a parent is a legal minefield these days. Lucky I am married to a Lawyer to be (if he ever finishes his damn degree !)
Gee I am scatty tonight, if you think this is bad, you should see my house, it is clothing audit time, an awful time of the year.
Clothes strewn from one end of the house to the other.
Tomorrow, I might be able to describe it, for now, I am out of cerebral RAM.

Enduring Exhaustion

Gosh I whinge a lot about being exhausted, but I guess the mere fact I blog mostly after midnight every night might skew that statistic somewhat.
Busy weekend, 3 parties on Saturday, one for Audrey at 9am, one at 3pm at the same place (weird)for Antonia, and a 40th for which I had to travel alone due to a baby sitting mix up.

The 40th was lovely, I really enjoyed the company of the small numbered gathered guests. My friend has a knack of befriending very interesting, but genuine and lovely people, from all walks of life, it is a credit to her as a person, and it was a befitting night.

I subsequently sent the providore to cricket with my boy, and my baby. It was the last game of the season and they had a little picnic afterwards.
Then in the afternoon the boy, and the man went to the rugby with my son's friend and his dad as a birthday treat. His birthday is in 10 days.
So all in all, 5 separate appointments /functions for us this weekend, gosh, what will it be like when the little ones are older !.
Some more photo's gave me a relaxing weekend's artisitc entertainment.
Holiday planning is getting to fine tuning stage, and we have hit a hire car hump. Our usual company Hertz, have a car, but won't allow us to take it to Thredbo. Avis are out of cars, and Thrifty want to charge us an extra $800 *ouch*, we will see what the mastermind can do to fix this little quandary (that is me in case you didn't know).
Night

Sleepy Time

Is it really worth blogging most days for continuity's sake ?, or is it better to blog only when you have something profound to say.
I don't know the answer, suffice to say I may learn as time goes on, and I look back and cringe at the monotonous tone of some of my late night ramblings.
So my boy has a girl .
He came to me late last night and asked me to make him a bracelet, it took me a moment or two to realise he wanted it for someone else. Strange, as he has never shown an interest in the opposite sex, but I guess he is growing up now at nearly 9.
He says her name is Daisy, and she is new to the school.
I whipped up a pearl bracelet today, he preferred pearls, and he is very pleased with it, and it is in his bag to be gifted tomorrow.
I couldn't pry too many other details out of him about her, but perhaps in time, he will feel more comfortable telling me.
It was an honour to make the bracelet for him to give to her, a truly wonderful moment as a parent.