David Houselhof Gets A Facelift Part 3

Ya'll ready for this?!

Presenting our beautiful new floors and kitchen. We couldn't be happier with how it turned out. It feels like a completely different house. 

Matte white subway tiles with black grout. New sink, mixer and Smeg dishwasher. 

New Smeg oven (which I'm in love with) & Samsung fridge, new kickers on all the kitchen cabinets. We are still deciding whether we change the cabinet handles to black. The ones we like are out of stock till July so we'll see what happens.

Audrey is loving having all her toys back and was very excited to pick her own special rug for her play area.
Now that the floors are done we can FINALLY look at getting a couch for this space to make it more homely... Only taken 4 years! 

We are all super happy to be back to 'normal' in the house, and to have the boys back home. It was a long 3 weeks without them here. Gordon was quick to vomit on the new floors.... dickhead!

Pin It

David Houselhof Gets A Facelift Part 2

I'm a little bit slow with my part 2 update as it's been a full on couple of weeks. 

The first week was all of our floors (ALL FOUR LAYERS OF THEM) getting ripped up and our new hardwood floorboards laid. 

Week 2 we had lots of bits and pieces done. The plan was to have everything done before the floors were sanded and polished and then the last thing would be to install the dishwasher and the fridge. 

We upgraded our sink and mixer. Installed new downlights and removed this awful spitlight that was in the kitchen. We ran power to our kitchen island and a water line ready for our new fridge. 

BJ and I also spent many nights prepping and painting the new skirting boards. 

The new oven was also installed and then wrapped for safety while other work was being done. 

The tiler was meant to show up on 3 different occasions and stuffed us around a little bit so the tiles unfortunately were not completed prior to the floors being done which delayed our finish date a little bit more. 

These photos are super amazing I know

Late night painting of skirting is not the funniest thing in the world

At the end of week 2 we packed our little family up and moved out of the house for 4 days while the floors were sanded and polished. 

Pin It

David Houselhof Gets A Facelift

Firstly.... It's been awhile!

6.30am Monday morning I frantically raced around the house as quietly as I could, moving a few more things before the builders rock up and the chaos began.
BJ and I have been wanting to replace the oven and redo our floors since we bought the house and we couldn’t do one without the other if we wanted it to look mint at the end so after I found my dream oven on sale our dreams of renovating very quickly became reality. We decided if we were going to do these two things we should do everything else kitchen related done as well. Did I mention that when I found my dream oven on sale I also found my dream fridge on sale? Both with cashback offers as well and long story short, I needed a dishwasher that would match and in the end the cashbacks paid for the new dishwasher.

Day 1 - The first layer of floors and part of the second was ripped up. We had 4 layers for those playing at home. The kitchen island and the dishwasher were also ripped out

Day 2 - More flooring got ripped up. We could see some of the sub floor. The skirting boards all came off and so did the kitchen wall tiles

Day 3 - the last of the flooring was finally ripped up and the subfloor was prepped

Day 4 - the new hardwood started getting laid. The old oven and stove were ripped out. The kitchen stone benchtop got cut to fit the new oven and sink and I sold our old dishwasher

Day 5 - A whole day of laying the new floor

Day 6 - There back, back, back again! Finished off laying the floor today and putting on all the new skirting boards

Next week we have a lot less dust and a lot less noise. The plumber, electrician and tiler will all be out to do there part. In the evenings BJ and I will be painting all of the skirting boards before the dust gets turned up to 11 and the floors get sanded the following week.


Pin It

What The Flock - Audrey's Three!

This week Audrey celebrated her 3rd birthday and it's been a full week of festivities. 

It was a really fun one this year. I've been looking forward to the year that Audrey picks the theme for her party and she didn't disappoint when she picked a FLAMINGO PARTY!

I got her to decide about 3 months ago so I could get started on planning and prepping everything. Which has meant that for the last 3 months she's told us that 'tomorrow is her birthday' and we've had to explain that she was wrong.

It's been a full on year with the shop and i've been single parenting it a lot because of BJ's hours and i've been feeling really guilty about Aude having to spend a lot of time at home while i'm working my two jobs so I wanted to throw her a really fun party. I needed as much time as possible to make this party happen.

Audrey made a list of who she wanted to invite and I did the rest. I designed the invitations, made the decorations, the snacks and the cake of course. 

I design all of our invitations and I had a lot of fun with this one. Really happy with how it turned out. 

Once the invitation was out of the way I planned out all the other decorations and started bringing them to life. The thing I actually slacked on this year was the cake. I usually have a very detailed plan of what i'm going to make with drawings and even test cakes but this year I just had a vague idea of what I wanted to do. I whipped together the topper the week before her party and the rest of the cake I threw together the day before. 

I also managed to find a few minutes to chuck together some cute cookies. 

I was really proud of the paper garland I made for the wall. I honestly wasn't sure how it was going to turn out but I spent ages with my silhouette curio cutting out all the leaves and flowers and am really happy with the final result. It's been hanging up for 2 weeks now because I didn't want to have to do EVERYTHING on the day of the party. And it may be up for another 3 hahaha.

On top of the decorations we had a couple of games. Flamingo ring toss and Pass the parcel. Wasn't sure how Pass the parcel was going to go with a bunch of 3 year olds but it was a total success. And lastly, I couldn't resist in getting a giant inflatable flamingo for the kids to go nuts on. Surprisingly, it didn't pop and it was a huge hit.
Best $20 ever spent!

xx

Pin It

7 Years. 6 Months. 12 Kilos.

It's not that I haven't written anything in awhile its more that I just haven't been able to complete any of the posts I started writing. 

The last few months have been fucking insane!! Crazy!! Lot's of highs!

It's been nearly 5 years since I wore it and just as long since I last looked at it. Last night I whipped that bad boy out and threw it on. I couldn't zip it up myself which had me feeling a little disappointed but then BJ swooped in and saved the day. 

I haven't posted anything in the last 6 months, but SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED!!!


Since my last post, we went on our first family holiday. A week in Loch Sport, just the 3 of us and it was perfect. A chance to get away from it all and relax a little which is something I don't get to do often as I'm always working.

BJ quit his job of 7 years which he hated AND we started our own business! 

There have being some lows over the last 6 months too but I'm really trying to focus on the highs and keep a positive headspace.

2017 was a life changing year! We have taken a massive risk with BJ quitting his job and putting everything we have into starting a business and that's put a lot of added stress onto our lives. There has been lots of long hours, sleepless nights and very little family time but we are making it work. Doing everything we can to succeed and really build a better future for ourselves.

2017 was also the year and I decided to finally pull my finger out and be healthier. 

When I was pregnant with Audrey I was sooo sick that I lost an enormous amount of weight over the 9 months. I couldn't eat most things, I went to hospital at one point because I couldn't keep anything down and so after giving birth I went a little silly. After 9 months of not being able to enjoy all the foods I loved, I splurged a lot and that I managed to gain the weight back pretty damn quick. 

I got to a point that I was miserable. I hated looking in the mirror. Hating all my clothes and just wanting to hide all day in my hoodie and trackies. I kept going to kmart and just buy their $8 relaxed tees, a little bigger each time to hide my shame.

I finally made the decision to get healthy. I got on a strict meal plan, cut out 90% of my sugar intake and put a total ban on fast food. Apart from my clinical pilates class I didn't really commit to any exercise. I work two full time jobs and have a 2 1/2 year old so finding time to exercise is not easy and I didn't want to send my body into shock with too much change all at once. But in 12 months I've lost over 12kg!!

This week I had an urge to try on my wedding dress. Curious to see if it would fit.

It fit!! Perfectly!! It's a miracle!!

In the last 5 years soo much has changed. My body is completely different. I've had a kid! Things aren't where they used to be. But it still fits!

I was really excited that it fit and even more excited that when I had it on and I looked in the mirror I thought to myself 'If I was to get married right now, I would pick the same dress'. 

There are lots of things I'd change about my wedding day, but my dress definitely isn't one of them and that makes me really happy.

But the best part about trying my dress on, was seeing the look on BJ's face. I could see straight into his heart. I don't think he's ever looked at me like that. With THAT much love in his eyes.

I think I might try it on again in 5 years and see how it fits then.

This year I have some goals that I hope to achieve both personally and for the business.

I want to bake more - for myself and other people.

Continue working towards my weight goal.

Grow our business and really make it something amazing.

and make BJ and my relationship EVEN stronger.

We are 3 months into 2018 and things can only get better from here!!!

xx

Pin It

Audrey's 2nd Birthday!

How the hell is she two already?!

We had a fun afternoon on Sunday celebrating Audrey's birthday with friends and family (and Uncle Slick Bone). Audrey is obsessed with rainbows and believes in marriage equality, so we thought a colourful party would be perfect.

I love a good party theme and enjoy any opportunity to get creative.

I almost gave up on making the rainbow balloon for the wall because it was absolute hell to put assemble and used up all my tape to keep it together but I'm so glad it was a success in the end as it was perfect for photos.

This was the first rainbow layer cake that I've attempted and I'm soo happy with how it turned out in the end. It wasn't perfect but it was pretty damn good... and tasted delicious!!

As well as the cake I made some really cute hand piped gingerbread cookies, rainbow jelly, meringues, super cute fairy bread and lots of other tasty, sugary treats.

I also made the adorable little scalloped popcorn boxes, the flamingos party hats AND a giant lollipop piñata. Because what two year old doesn't want a piñata?!

In those two hours Audrey had more sugar then she's had in her two years of life and she handled the sugar crash really well.

I can't wait till next year when I ask her what kind of birthday party she wants to have and she tells me a theme.

#Voteyes

Pin It

Four

What I like about our anniversary is that it's just for us. It's not a family event and it's not about Audrey... We can do whatever we want, or we can do nothing.

I had to count it out but this year is 12 years together, 4 years married. You'd think I'd be able to remember that off the top of my head but really it's not something that's important to us. We know we've been together for a long fucking time so the exact number of years really doesn't matter.

BJ and I aren't your typical couple. We don't buy Anniversary presents, spend lots of money or go away for the weekend. We might go out to dinner or have takeaway but that's about it. I wouldn't care if I was cooking dinner, as long as it was just us (and now Audrey) hanging out together.

This year our Anniversary was pre-celebrated days earlier. When I say 'pre-celebrated' I mean we went out to lunch while BJ was off work sick and while at lunch I said 'This can be for our Anniversary!'.

We went to The Smokery in Lilydale for some delicious smoked meat. I highly recommend it. It was fucking delicious!

Now as some of you know BJ and my wedding Anniversary shares the same date as the day we started going out. And since our wedding each year BJ has created a 'mixed tape' for our Anniversary and we take an annual photo for the cover.

This years one has fallen a bit between the cracks with soo much other stuff going on this year so I only got it yesterday but like all the others, I love it!

A 1000 Times - Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam
Upon A Hill - Foxygen
Wedding in Finistere - Jens Lekman
City Music - Kevin Morby
One More Lone Song - Mac DeMarco
Wild Once - Laura Marling
Kids In The Street - Justin Townes Earle

Love Is All - The Tallest Man On Earth
Mamah Borthwick (A Sketch) - Conor Oberst
Could Never Be Heaven - Brand New
Paradise - John Prine

If you want to check out our previous playlists you can find them here

Pin It

Zoo Adventure

I have been planning this trip to the zoo for a while. We've had to reschedule a few times due to everyone getting sick, but FINALLY this weekend we got there. 

BJ and I have had a busy couple of days, so the early start Saturday morning was not ideal but we wanted to get in there early. 

On the way we picked up my niece, Kaia who has just celebrated her 11th birthday and into the city we went. 

It is such a short drive to get to the zoo now, not like when we were little. 

First thing we did when we got in was get the camera out, only to find that the battery didn't charge. I was sooo disappointed! I'd plugged it in the night before and left it to charge till morning. What the hell man?!

I very quickly got over that when I saw a sign that said 'free ranging lemurs'..... yes please!!!!

It was soo cool to see them up close and roaming wherever they pleased. They had these cute little huts and when you looked inside you would just see a massive pile of them all balled up together sleeping.

From there the day only got better. Audrey finally got to see a hippo, which is the animal she was talking about for the whole drive. It was a little bit of a let down because he has his butt to us and she couldn't see what it was. But that's ok because she got to see sooo many other cool animals. 

Watching her face when she finally spots one in their enclosure was the best. 

The animals were out to put on a show. The tiger came right up to the glass, the orangutans were playing peek-a-boo, the elephant was playing with his ball and the tapirs were doing whatever tapirs do.

There were only a few that couldn't be spotted in their enclosure.

Through all the monkey enclosures Audrey would wave at each monkey and say 'helllooo' then kiss the glass every time she saw one. It was soo entertaining (and quite unhygienic)

We went around a corner and there was this weird lady parked in front of a window watching the spider monkeys. I got really excited because one was albino and I said 'look Audrey that one is white' and the lady responds 'That's the female!!' 

I smiled and continued my conversation with Audrey. 'Wow, look! What's that one eating, Audrey?' And the lady replies 'He WAS eating corn before!!!'

I named that lady 'The Queen of the Zoo'. (We saw her several times that day.)

The highlight of the day was watching Audrey's reaction to the seals and the stingrays. She loves watching them swim around and when we went above ground one of the seals jumped out of the water and she thought it was the greatest thing ever!!!

In the butterfly enclosure I FINALLY had a butterfly land on me, but BJ wasn't fast enough with his camera to get a photo.

Audrey did soo much walking.... and eating. She was really good and only had a few moments where she lost it, mostly because she was exhausted. 

While we were at the giant tortoises, one of the tortoises started climbing on the other. It was standing up on the side of the tortoise which looks really funny. This strange woman comes up with her kids (who were maybe a little older than Audrey) and starts telling them about how 'When Charles Darwin first saw a giant tortoise he thought he could ride them'... then she looked up and saw the tortoise climbing up on the other one and in the same breath says 'oh and that tortoise is climbing on top of the other tortoise!! Let's go kids!!' 

I thought she was joking and I laughed sooo hard... but no, she was serious which made me laugh even harder and she did not appreciate that. 

She walked off in a hurry while the kids cried about not getting to see the tortoise. 

I probably shouldn't have laughed at her but it was just too funny. I mean it's a tortoise, they aren't the fastest animals so even if it was climbing up to get it's mate on, that wasn't going to happen for a loooooooooooooooooooooooong time.

 
So I named that lady 'The Prude of the Zoo'.

7 years ago we took Kaia to the zoo. She was nearly 4 at the time and it was fun to go back with her and remember all the things we did that day. The best memory of that trip was that Kaia was a map nazi. No one else was allowed to touch or even look at the map. She was sooo interested in the map that she didn't pay attention to the animals and eventually we had to make the map disappear.

We decide to re-take a couple of photos from that trip with Kaia and I just love them.

At the end of our adventure we went into the gift shop to let Audrey pick a toy. We walked out with a hippo and a tapir toy and she's spent the rest of the weekend feeding them and telling Gordon & Cooper that they are hers. 

It was such a fun day and I can't wait to do it again. Next time we plan to go to Werribee Open Range Zoo.  

Pin It

Welcome to Twin Peaks

This is what BJ posted yesterday before we started watching the revived new season of Twin Peaks.

In 2001, I was thirteen and had gone on the weekly trip to the video shop with Dad to hire out that weekends movies, Dad usually got a couple of new releases and I'd hire about seven weeklies.

On the shelf, I saw a shitload of VHS spines staring out at me, a forest, a girls head and the words TWIN PEAKS. I read the label and learned it was a TV series, I had nothing else to do, so I hired five tapes. That weekend, much to my fathers annoyance, we made several trips to the video shop as I chewed through tape after tape. Devouring the entire series (and an R rated movie, still not sure why dad allowed that) in a weekend.
When we had a kid, we decided to name her Audrey, an ode to our favourite character.
This obsession runs weirdly deep.
Nothing has had such an impact on me before or since.
See you in the trees.

In 2008, Megan and I plotted an entire six month trip around attending the Twin Peaks festival in Snoqualmie. I'd shared my love of Twin Peaks and we'd both become fanatics.

We returned home and bought a chihuahua, we named him Special Agent Dale Cooper. A few years later we bought another chihuahua and named him FBI Regional Bureau Chief Gordon Cole.

There is nothing like the world of Twin Peaks, from the absurdist humour, the bizarre characters, the stark imagery, all the while maintaining a menacing, seething, ululating terror that frightens the shit out of me.

I haven't waited 25 years as a lot of people have, but I've been waiting for 16 years for tonight. I can't wait to see where this goes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We have such a love for this show. It was so exciting to see it return to the screen last night and it did not disappoint. 

We celebrated the way we do for any show we love that has a revival or series finale... with a viewing party that includes lots of themed decorations, treats and often outfits. 

For Twin Peaks we had lots of pictures of Bob lurking around the house, delicious pies, coffee as black as midnight on a moonless night, a donut display that would impress Lucy & of course, a damn fine looking log cake. 

P.S: If you don't understand that last photo or the log cake, then you aren't fans of the show and are missing out... seriously! Go watch it already!!

Pin It

Help Needed!

I am not one to ask for help. 

I don't like being let down and I would rather figure things out myself and make it work somehow then ask for help and be disappointed. 

It's happened too many times to count and it just makes everything worse.

I have been sick for the last 2 months. I've had four courses of antibiotic, multiple appointments and I've hit so many walls through that time. I've struggled with trying to work full time, be a mother, keep my house clean, organise/plan our bathroom renovation, all while attempting to make time for myself to rest and get better without feeling guilty or pressured.

This week my doctor sent me to get a chest x-ray to make sure nothing was being missed and I just found out it's come back clear. They swabbed my throat and confirmed that i have a respiratory virus and my only option is to just wait it out. 

I just have to deal with feeling like shit until I don't feel shitty anymore. And somehow I still have to keep on top of everything else when all I want to do is lie in bed.

Yesterday I hit another wall...hard! 

I was done! I wanted to quit my job, crawl up in my bed with a block of chocolate and cry forever. And in that moment I asked BJ for help.

Today he was able to work from home which allowed me to have some support with Audrey and lifted the weight off my shoulders a bit.

Audrey was so excited to have him home today. She didn't want me to do anything. BJ had to change the nappies, get her food and work whilst she sat on his lap. He got a little glimpse of what it's like for me every day. 

People often respond with 'You're lucky!' when I tell them I work from home. But what they don't realised is that it means I never get to 'leave work'. I live at my work. And i'm expected to drop everything when something needs to be done. 

I wonder if work is the reason why i'm so sick. 

Pin It

Eighteen

I just can't wrap my head around the fact that my nephew Chris is going to be 18 in a week!!!

Where the hell did the time go?!

When he's not around, I still picture him as the little 3 year old that moved into our home and liked climbing into cupboards and hiding sandwiches in the heater vents. My world was changed forever that year that he came to live with us. It look the worst thing ever to happen for Chris to get given the best chance at life and I'm so thankful for the past 18 years. 

But he is not that little kid anymore. He's a giant. He towers over everyone he meets. He's turned into a male. Stinky feet, so much hair and grunts to answer you. A typical male. 

He can eat more tacos in one sitting than anyone I know. Wolf down a piece of cake in 10 seconds flat. Knows how to tell you what he wants or how he feels without using any words. He can walk on stilts and has NO fear. 

From the moment he came to live with us I was responsible for him. Looked after him while nana worked. Watched The Wiggles, Cars and The Simpsons Movie more times then I could count. Taught him sign language and how to fist bump from an early age. I bought him his first suit. Baked him many a birthday cake. I helped raise this kid. 

Despite everything he has been through he is the most amazing kid person. I'm so proud of the man that he has become. 

He's just got me feeling super old right now.

Pin It

Gig Life

It has been almost 2 years since I last went to a gig. We use to go to so many but the reduced after we bought out first home and has now become a rare treat since having Audrey.

The last gig I went to was Conor Oberst at the Twilight Zoo in 2015. I was almost 13 weeks pregnant, sick as a dog and we'd just announce that we were having a baby earlier that day. I really shouldn't have gone but I didn't want to miss the chance to picnic in the zoo amongst the animals listening to Conor live.

The forecast said that it was going to rain that night so we were prepared with umbrellas and rain ponchos.

We arrived and got a nice spot on the grass with a few friends we were meeting there and other friends that we bumped into. We set ourselves up, got some drinks and hot food and for a moment I forgot that I had been soo sick for the last 7 weeks.

After the first performer played Conor comes up on stage. Honestly, I could count the number of songs he played on one hand before the lightening started and the clouds rolled in. The venue organisers told him that they had to cancel and send everyone home and Conor got up on stage and told us the bad news himself. He felt bad and wasn't happy about the whole thing.

We packed up all of our staff and started walking towards the exits. Not 2 minutes into our walk the storm hit. Everyone was saturated instantly. Running and screaming through the zoo we all tried to get out quickly. Umbrellas were breaking left and right... Only one of ours survived.

We jumped in the car and laughed sooo hard. What an experience!! How many people can say that has happened to them?!

That was one of the few times during my pregnancy where I actually forgot I was sick. It's one of my fondest pregnancy memories.

We had tickets to another gig during my pregnancy (which were purchased before I was pregnant) and I decided to sell my ticket because I knew that I wouldn't have survived it. I was going to be about 6 months pregnant at an all standing loud, rough, sold out gig. Even if I was feeling well I wouldn't have risked the crowd while pregnant.

So I haven't been to another gig since the zoo. After having Audrey I wasn't something that I wanted to do during her first year. I wanted to be home for her every night. But when The Front Bottoms announced that they were coming back to Melbourne, we decided to get tickets. Their show was the last gig that I got to attend in its entirety.

They are one of my favourite bands to see live and I'm excited to go out and have an Audrey-free night. To sing along with a sold out crowd who all love them as much as us.

PS: I don't care how many times I've shared this video on Facebook. It's one of my favs. It's also a song that Audrey loves because I use to sing it to her a nap time.

xx

Smorgy

Pin It

2017 Is Here

Facebook has been overflowing with people wishing 2016 would fuck off and now it has.... thanks to a wonderful thing called time.

2016 had a lot of highs and lows for everyone.

In 2016 we celebrated Audrey's 1st birthday. Something I still haven't blogged about because I'm super slack. Audrey's birthday gave me an excuse to get creative. I worked on my baking skills and did things I've never done before with icing. I had a lot of fun (though it was stressful at times) planning and preparing for her fiesta.

Audrey also had lots of development milestones including walking, first words and first shit in the bath. I turned 30 which I don't think is all that exciting but other people seem to think so.

Both BJ and I had a lot of work stress that weighed us down and took it toll. BJ also had a car accident and we ALL got gastro... fun times!!

But I decided the first week into 2017 that 2017 of the year for me!

This year I'm making time for me, doing things for me, and putting myself first a bit more.

As of February Audrey will be going to child care 3 days a week. I'm separating work days and 'mum' days. As 2016 went on and Audrey grew I found it harder and harder to juggle everything and my mental state at times were pretty bad. I didn't have a way to escape. The decision to send her to childcare for three days a week was not easy for me. It involved a pro's and con's list and a lot of tears.

At first, I felt like I was being selfish, I was a bad mum. But then I realised that it will make me a better mum. Because on the days that she is home I will actually take off my work hat and just be a mum, which is something I've not been able to do since she was born. I've always had to just wear all the hats and hope they don't fall.

In my days without Audrey, I am going to make some time for me. Not just for appointments or food shopping but to do things that make me happy like bake and craft.

I generally don't bother setting goals for a year because I find they never get achieved but this year I've decided to do a few monthly challenges starting this month we a 30-day challenge to learn the techniques needed to be able to do calligraphy. I'm on day two (because I started late) and I love that I have something that requires me to shut my brain off, put down my phone, look away from screens, grab a pen and just go for it.

I've also decided that I'm going to look after myself physically, not just mentally. I'm going to spend more time strengthing my core to reduce my constant back problems which will again help me to become a better mum.

Some other things I would like to achieve this year are more family adventures and a little family holiday somewhere. I'm also going to push BJ a little more to look after himself and take some time to spend with his mates and write more often.

I would love to say that Fork This is going to get back to its regular weekly postings but honestly, it's just one of those things that got a little too hard. The episodes will hopefully continue to be uploaded as often as we can.

I'm also looking forward to blogging more frequently. I enjoy doing this. I do it for me. I honestly don't think anyone really reads it or cares but it makes me feel good so I'm going to keep doing it until I don't enjoy it anymore.

xx
Smorgy

Pin It

Working Mum

I often make myself feel bad about not taking Audrey out to the park or sitting on the floor for ages playing with her until I remind myself that I work full time... weather Audrey is home or at Child Care.

Audrey currently goes to Child Care one day a week but I work EVERY day.

I took about 6 days off when Audrey was born. But if you ask BJ I didn’t even take that long because I still checked emails and took calls.

I am lucky enough to be able to work from home but it does have its disadvantages. I am expected to be able to do things at the drop of a hat and because there is always work to do I never really give myself a break. If Audrey’s napping I’m working, she’s wake I’m working, BJ goes out one night I’m working.

I don’t feel bad about working. I am providing for my family and that is important to me. Even if the money weren’t needed I would still want to work because I don’t want to be a ‘stay at home’ mum. I don’t want the title of ‘Audrey’s mum’ to be the only thing that defines me.

I don’t have anything against stay at home mums. That’s just not for me.

But when I see on social media people having lunch at the park with their kids I do have those moments where I feel a little guilty. Like I should be doing more, I should be trying harder. But again I remind myself that my situation is different and that’s ok.

I also remind myself that Audrey is not missing out, she is not deprived of anything. She is loved and looked after. Plus she is a happy kid. I work this hard for her. To give her the best I possibly can. And from me working she has learnt to be very independent and that makes me happy.

She is not sitting watching a screen all day, she is not in any devices like a jolly jumpers while I work. She is playing with her toys and learning. Being independent has helped this kid learn some amazing things. If there is a milestone to hit, she’s done it... and in most cases, months earlier then expected.

We have had a routine since day one. It was necessary for me to be able to get all my work done around Audrey’s needs. Specific nap, bottle, meal and bath times. I can plan my whole week because I know that between ‘these times’ Audrey will be napping and between ‘these times’ she needs to be awake so that she will go down without any issues at bedtime.

Audrey is not one to sleep in the car or pram these days so to make life easier, I avoid putting us in situations where she’s going to miss a nap.

Though our routine has had to change several times as Audrey’s grown, we work hard to figure out the what works best for Audrey with her new routine and then we stick to it because that’s how this household runs smoothly and how we keep everyone happy.

We are reaching the point where Audrey is going to transition to one nap a day and honestly I’m not ready for the transitioning part of this change but I know that once we get her into a routine she will do great.

I guess I just wanted to write this to remind myself that I’m doing an ok job. 

Scratch that… I’m doing a great fucking job!!

And so are all the other working mums out there!! We all deserve a night out! (Kid free of course) 

We did do some drawing time this week... It's not a trip to the park but it's something

Pin It