Arthur n Martha :)

'Don't know if I'm Arthur or Martha' : To be in a state of confusion

Well this is me.  Constantly.  I've never been the most decisive of people, but now, with the help of the internet and social media my mind is in a constant state of 'What the Heck??'
With so much information on anything and everything available at the touch of a button my poor, addled brain struggles to keep a firm grasp on it's own sense of self (That's not at all as deep as it sounded).

On any given day my parenting goes from 'attachment' to 'why are these strange children following me?'.  My eating ranges from organic paleo, to eat all the pies/burgers/kebabs.  Beauty swings from loving myself unconditionally, to googling the latest make up tricks and 'lose weight fast' fad (but being too lazy to act on it anyway).

Heck, you should see me trying to decide what to have for dinner on any given night! (and nope, pregnancy doesn't help one bit!)

And since my blog is supposed to be a reflection of who I am, and because I always love a bit of a bloggy makeover, Welcome to Arthur n Martha ... a tale of ... well, anything really!!! ... Jk, it's still going to be about my fam-damily and our wee adventures, with the occasional burnt meal thrown in here and there! There will also be Pinterest....a whole tonne of Pinterest...cause that's where I do my best planning and daydreaming...I'm so hugely jealous of my Pinterest wardrobe!

Every day I'm Arthur or Martha...Most days I'm both :)

Catching up :)

Finding time is hard.  And finding energy to accompany the time can be even harder.  Motivation? Pffft, what's that!?  Goals? Bahahahahahaha!

And yet here we are....in April, still functioning!  Cooking's getting done, some cleaning is too (the garden, not so much), my boys are still running around like...well, like boys, and I'm still getting up every morning and 'complaining' about the beauty of the world.

The weather is Finally starting to cool down, so melting is no longer a constant fear, and the boys are enjoying getting out into the fresh air without overheating! (My new slippers are also getting out and about now...and, yes, they're quite awesome.)

 Something I can't say I'm enjoying are the new stages my little elves have arrived at...A threenager is real folks.  It is very real.  Talking back, selective hearing, screaming matches (literal ones), nasty behaviour towards the younger (threenager worshipping) brother.

  Also real...the 2 year old copycat sibling with a good dose of the terrible twos and two year molars.  Somewhere between the full on tantrums, hitting, throwing, horrible sleep, screaming and yelling we have managed to put a stop to the biting....but that's about it.

 But don't let me fool you into thinking it's all fun and games around here.  The threenager also has a new found love of reading (His favourite is a book about the human body...fav' new catch phrase..."food turns into POOP!!")  He cuddles more, talks more, sings, dances, is more outgoing, is quick to say sorry when he's done wrong, will kiss and hug his brother better, will kiss and hug me better too (bad days happen).

 And the little has become quite the Artist!  Painting is his favourite medium, but anything that leaves a mark makes him happy.  He's still the life of any party, and works his dimples to his advantage on a regular basis.  He loves All the animals and any child smaller than he is.  He's a morning snuggler (possibly because it allows him to escape his cot), and a water baby.

My parenting technique has gone through various different stages over the last few months.  These range from 'don't sweat the small stuff' to 'holy crap the small stuff turned into bad habits' to 'yell and then cry' to 'meh, let them lick the cat'.  I confess, dealing with this short (and I do know it's only short) stage in time has not been a walk in the park for me (More like a steeplechase through the park walking 10 rabid dogs and a bunny).  Most days leave me exhausted and wondering what the heck I'm going to do with 3 of the wee delights. Probably cry.  A lot.

 And yet I'm pretty excited by the thought...and looking forward to seeing my 3 babies together....and slowly figuring it all out...one day at a time.
Sleepless nights (and days), nappy blow-outs, spit-ups, reflux, colic, wondering what to do with the new born when I need to pee...these thoughts alternately give me the chills, and bring back fond memories of the boys (Because time will always lend you rose coloured glasses when you need them).

Daylight saving is done for now and winter is slowly advancing.  I'm dreaming of cold clear days, bundled up and playing at the park, pretending to be steam-breathing dragons.  Of dreary, rainy days snuggled up in-doors building towers and watching movies.  Kids fresh out of the rain and into bubble baths.  Hot soup, casserole, chunky buttered bread....
I'm having nightmares about cabin fever and restless children.  Snotty noses, sore throats and ear infections.  Muddy floors and....actually, I'm not too concerned about muddy floors.
They'll keep.

So on we go, and I truly hope the blog can find a spot in my day/week/month to be my outlet, letting me vent and skite, discuss my lack of parenting prowess, and my occasional attempts at cooking/crafting/gardening etc.  And you know, whatever comes to mind when I'm typing! 

Hope everyone's had an Awesome start to their week! :)



Renee  :)

Baby 3 - Halfway :)

After looking at all the bump pics I took with both of my boys, I've started to feel a wee bit (or a whole lot) embarrassed by the complete lack of pics/updates/or even mentions of baby number 3!

And so here I am, 21 weeks and 2 days...trying to remember what to write about!....Aaaaand I'm coming up pretty blank! 

So for a brief mid point update...

Baby girl is looking healthy and happy and growing like a dandelion!  We're feeling  pretty awesomely blessed with this wee poppet, and her brothers are slowly warming to the idea that there will be another addition to the household!

This week my goal is to find some energy that isn't spent wrangling my boys, and use it to brush my hair and take a bump pic! (although I could save us all the hassle and just mention here that I'm huge)

So I shall be back, I promise, with an improved update and a pic or two....probably just one though!

'Til then..


Renee  :)

Family of 5! :)

Where oh where does the time go!?  All of my well thought out plans of crafting and creating (and blogging) this month have up and disappeared on a breeze! 
In particular, this breeze :)

Yup!  Number 3 will be arriving at some point in  August!!  We're pretty excited (aka terrified...what the heck do you do with 3??!)  I swear time has slowed to a standstill over the last couple of months, and I'm hanging out for that magical non existant time when I will start to feel normal again...(maybe in 6 months?)  I'm not liking my chances of the whole weekly update thing, so let's go for monthly...or maybe one for each trimester...? Yeah, that sounds do-able!  To be honest, I could've started bump photos way back in January...I keep hearing that my size is normal, and that by the 3rd baby your body just knows which shape to go...I don't have the heart to tell anyone that I had a belly before I started!
Highlights so far...Lachy asking to go and see the baby "fwoating in mummies tummy"...I wont mention his disappointment at the sight of the grainy black n white blob on the telly! 

And so aside from me lounging about feeling well and truly sorry for myself, we've really just been home bodies, soaking up the sunshine (or wilting in the heat/humidity)!

The boys have discovered the advantages to the wee slope in our back yard, and have been waddling their baby bikes up the to the top and then racing down, feet in the air, expressions wild!!

And drawing.  This deserves a whole other post, but I'm squishing it on here in case my next post is 3 years from now.... you know...
My boys have gone from having no interest in art, to drawing up a storm in the space of a couple of weeks!!  I don't understand the sudden interest, but we're running with it!! Our lounge is currently littered with crayons, chalk, white board markers and felts, and the lads are having a blast!!
Below is the very first person my monkey has ever drawn!!  So yes, I took a photo!! (As you do!!)  Proud mama much!?

And so my aim for the remainder of February, is to get dressed (especially if I have to leave the house), maybe attempt some cooking (although thank God for a husband that cooks better than me!) and maybe jump back into the swing of life and just functioning in general!

Just a word of warning...if my blog changes names or looks without warning, it's still me, I'm just showing my amazing indecisiveness!


Renee  :)

Oh hey, January!!

Just when you all thought I was going to miss January as well....

Ta-Daaaaa!!

I've been missing Ye Ole Blog, but somewhere between sweltering days and ridiculously hot nights my energy/motivation/will to focus on anything but our wee swimming pool, disappeared!

The heat has been pretty hard on the boys too, with sleep becoming harder to find as the days grow longer and warmer.  The days not spent in the wee pool, were spent indoors, out of the sun, with the doors and windows wide open and the fans on high! 

Life's been a run of swimming, paddling, wading, hose fights, lounging, shaded bush walks, watermelon, milk shakes, smoothies, ice blocks and more ice blocks!!

There's also been lemons....lots of peeled lemons...

And some tantrums in the heat too....

Yoghurts good for the skin too!

Taking his big brother responsibilities very seriously with a good story book!

Mr Independence!!   I've been retired from my sandwich making duties!

 For the last couple of days though, the temperature has dropped oh-so-slightly, leaving us with a little more energy and ability to function, and Lachy has taken full advantage of the break from the heat to turn into an independent lil dude!!  His new catch phrase is "I can do it MYSELF"
 Olly has taken the 'terrible twos' as a personal challenge, and throws tantrums like no bodies business!!  Good thing he's cute!!

And now I'm going to end this post abruptly because my computer is having some heating issues of it's own!!  I shall be back soon though, with exciting stuffs to babble on about!! 

And pics too!! :)

 

Renee  :)