One Word

So here we are,  halfway through January with Christmas a distant memory.

It makes me sad somewhat that Christmas is over, and now it's full steam ahead into another year.

Last year for us was manic, I'd say the busiest year we have had.  With the kids school, sports, theatre, extra activities, Graduation and Prom for our eldest, milestone birthday parties, as well as our work, it didn't seem like we had a lot of spare time.

This year, however, is going to be different.  Our whole family dynamic is changing. Miss D (aged 18) is leaving the nest.  She has another two weeks at home, then she's off to University on the other side of the country.

It's an exciting time for us all, though bittersweet.

I find myself almost grieving for the past, for the sweet memories of when my three were little.  These memories seem so distant, and yes, it is a form of grief, to want what I had, what I experienced in those early years.

I almost long for the days when we had so much time.

I consider it a flaw to some extent, my habit of revisiting past memories, and dwelling on them.  They make me happy but at the same time, make me ache for a more simple life.

While I have been thinking about this, I've been deciding on my One Word for the year.  What word could I choose, to guide me forward in a positive way?

I've decided my One Word is

Time

Life will be different for us this year, and I want to make the most out of every moment.

Make time for the things I love, and for the people in my life.

Make time to just be, time for me.

Make time to appreciate the beauty in where I live, to exercise and to keep healthy.

Make time to dream, to plan for the future.

Make time to revisit memories, but to keep them in a happy place.

Time is precious and I don't want to waste it.  

Do you have a Word for your year?

Farmers Wifey xo

Linking up with Denyse for Life This Week

Not Long Enough

18 years is not long enough.

In the blink of an eye, you are ready to leave the nest. Where has the time gone?

18 years is not long enough for me to teach you everything you need to know...about everything. 

Didn't we have time?

On your first day of Kindergarten, I never gave one thought to THIS time right now, we had years and years.

And now here we are.

18 years is not long enough to do everything we need to do.

And now we have one month before your new adventure starts.

I wish we had more time.

I'm not ready.

I've never really been ready, to be truthful, but what Mother is ever ready for her child to move on. 

On your first day of Kindergarten, the apron strings loosened just a bit, and have continued through the years, until a few final strands remain. I'll keep those attached for now.

18 years is just not long enough.

I have so much to tell you.

Think about this....

Be safe, be kind. To yourself.

Exercise for your mind, body and spirit.

Do what you love, and enjoy life.

Embrace this new beginning, you have an amazing adventure ahead.

Take photos but live in the moment.

Drink water.

Get enough sleep.

Answer your phone.

Make new friends but don't forget your old ones.

Make the most out of every day.

Because time is short....I know.

Be happy.

There is so much more.

18 years is just not long enough.

 Love Mummy

Linking up with Denyse for Life This Week

The Heat Is On, or was.

It's a glorious 26 degrees here today and I've spent the most part of my day out on the verandah. Brushing down some webs from the eaves, and drinking tea, just enjoying our Central Queensland Winter.

The nights have been cool but the best thing about where we live is that the winter days are just so beautiful. If the wind stays away, the air is fresh and the sky clear.

I actually found a post from February that I didn't share, which I wrote in the middle of a heatwave, and sitting here today on the most perfect Tuesday, I can't believe it was so humid back then. I can definitely remember how it felt though.........


February 2018

We are currently sweltering through a heatwave here in Central Queensland.  It's all everyone talks about - the weather. I got in my car the other day after work and it was 42 degrees outside, I mean seriously, I know February is usually hot but the humidity is killing me!

I drove down to the bus stop this afternoon to meet the kids off the school bus, and I wore knickers and a singlet sans bra.  It's just too hot to even wear clothes. Then I worried that the bus driver would want to tell me something and I'd have to get out of the car and give everyone a fright.  Luckily that didn't happen and I kept my dignity intact.

Honestly, it's all everyone talks about!

I don't handle the heat very well, I usually end up with a headache in the afternoon, along with frazzled hair and a general unkempt appearance I don't care, it's too damn hot.

It really zaps my energy, this heat, but the humidity is ridiculous.  We are quite used to high temperatures at this time of year, maybe high 30s or early 40s, but when the humidity is 91% it makes me very cranky.

And sweaty.

I really must stop talking about the weather, I've turned into one of those people who can't talk about anything else!

Don't even talk about trying to put on any makeup, it just slides right down off my face. I shouldn't really complain, we do live in a beautiful part of the world, and the winters here are just glorious. We had a storm this afternoon which looked interesting on the weather site but it fizzled out and although we haven't had any rain as yet, I think it has cooled down....just a bit.

Anyway, it was Valentine's Day on Wednesday and The Hubbster surprised me with a bottle of wine and a dozen red roses. Oh my, they are divine.  Or were.  Here they are Wednesday.

And here they are today.  Yep, they've given up because they also hate this weather too.

Bastards.

The wine is cold though.  I'll drink that tonight, possibly while sitting in the pool because it's so hot to do anything else. And I can tell you that our house, our cool Queenslander, built for the Queensland summer, is definitely NOT COOL.  It's that hot. The kids can't sleep at night, it's about then they start acting ugly.

How's the weather where you are?  Not that I'm talking about it anymore, it's all everyone talks about.

Farmers Wifey xo

Balance

I was thinking the other day how, at times, I can be super lazy, well that's a bit harsh maybe, but give me a choice between getting shit done, or reading my favourite magazine with cake and tea, you can guess what I'd choose.

But things need to be done, the house has to be run, the kids kept fed, watered and dressed and driven to the right place on time, so I've been trying to find that balance, and I feel pretty good about it at the moment.

Because I'm working part time, in a fabulous job that I love, I'm really trying to make the most of my home time... organisation is the key people! I usually tend to the daily grind in the mornings, ie washing, cleaning, cooking, sorting, paying bills and getting organised so I can enjoy the afternoons doing something I love.

When I'm home alone, I really enjoy the silence, to be honest, but when The Hubbster and kids come home, it's usually chaotic, noisy and crazy, and everyone talks at the same time and my head spins, but that is what a family is about, so I am embracing these times because as the years go on, the dynamics of our family will shift.

In fact, I try to think of what life was like BK (Before Kids) and I really can't remember what it was like to be responsible for just me.  To have the freedom to make choices and take risks, perhaps, with no consequence to anyone else but myself. I travelled alone because I could, and at times worked full time AND part time because I didn't have a house full of kids to come home to and look after.

But during these times, there was always that longing, in the back of my mind, that I needed to, and wanted to get married and have a family, it was almost like a calling and as many of my friends during my 20's married and started their families, I really wondered if it would ever happen to me.

Well it did.  I was a late starter, getting married at 32, and having my babies at 33, 35 and 37. And so it began, the period known as AF (After Kids or All Crazy) because at times that's how it is! This has truly been the most important, happy, frustrating but joyous time of my life. From being a new mother with a newborn, a 2 year old and a 4 year old, to now, having the three of them in high school.

It has been a challenge, because as much as I think I'm doing a great job of being a mum, there have been times where I think I've failed miserably.   I can be really hard on myself, but after talking with other mothers, I don't think I'm alone. Whether it be issues about money, lack of time, responsibility or just the day to day slog we all go through, being a mother/parent is hard work.

But rewarding.  Oh so cliche, but so true.

So here I am, in the middle of the busiest time of mine, and my children's lives, trying to find that balance, enjoying the moment as it is fleeting, and trying to do a good job of raising these country kids  I still have goals but at the moment they are dreams for the next chapter which will come all too soon.

How do YOU have balance in your life?

Farmers Wifey xo

One Word

I've been thinking about the word I want to choose for the year ahead, a word to guide me in a positive way in 2018.

It's already February and I'm just getting onto this, so I definitely won't be choosing punctuality as I'm late already! But February is a month to breathe, the kids are back at school, the book lists and uniforms are sorted, and the craziness of Christmas really does seem like a distant memory.  Which actually makes me kind of sad.

So I had a look back at past One Word entries,which included Discover, Organise, and possibly even Inspire. Having turned the big 50 last year, I've been taking stock of my life and thinking carefully about what I want to achieve this year.

I have chosen EMBRACE.

Embrace life, be appreciative and grateful for what I have. To be there, in the moment for my family. To be happy and do things that I enjoy, instead of writing them on a To Do List, for when I actually have time.  MAKE time, because life is short, there will never be another today.

I've already started to make little changes, and I can see the difference already.  I've simplified my online time to do only the things that give me joy, I've removed my name from time wasting email lists, grouped together my favourite blogs, so I can easily access and read them because they make me happy, and I've simplified my facebook friends list.

Little changes, here and there, but all adding up to a more simplified, organised, happy life. There is so much more, but I won't write it down, I'll just do it.

Embrace.  I love the sound of it.

Farmers Wifey xo