Learning

Yesterday we read the last of our books about the ocean, while sitting on the beach fishing.

Perfect? I think so.

The world is our classroom, the sky is the limit.

Two Hands Project

Just in case you haven't hear of it, you can find out what it's about by clicking HERE. In short, you pick up litter and help the environment. It only takes 2 hands and 10 minutes to make a difference. Let's be honest here, who really can not find 10 minutes out of a day? No one. 

 The beautiful Mandurah Foreshore, which is today clean thanks to 10 hands and 1 hour of the morning. 

So I've planned this day for the past week. We've been learning about the ocean and sea life this past week, so I linked it up for the kids. We talked about rubbish and where is should go, what's recyclable, what needs to be put in the garbage etc. Then we talked about what happens when it's been thrown on the ground and where it ends up... in our water ways and oceans. 

As Jaidan put it so bluntly at the park when a lady asked him why he was picking up litter. "People throw it on the ground, the rain and wind wash it into the drains and then it goes into the sea and kills the animals. People are mean". True kiddo, very true. 

We made it into a real fun learning activity too. You wouldn't think that kids would happily pick up litter would you? Mine did.We started at Mandurah Foreshore, picking up from the beach and the grass where it meets the sand, then we walked on the rocks and found all kinds of things in the rock crevices. Hats, thongs, a pair of shorts, a pillow and lots and lots of the usual plastic bottles, balloons, paper etc. With 10 hands and 1 hour we collected 5 buckets full. 

We talked about the things we found on the way to destination 2, Quarry Adventure Park in Meadow Springs. We hypothesised what we would find there and if it would be more or less than we found at the beach.

When we arrived, first we played, because you can't go to a park with 4 small kids and not let them play first :)

Then we got back to work. Elijah wasn't interested in helping so I let him just run around while the bigger boys did all the work. 4 buckets full in just 10 minutes. 

The kids were surprised that there was more at the park, as they thought there would be more at the beach. They also learnt that there was more plastic at the beach and more paper at the park. They thought this would probably be because plastic would float on the water, and paper would break up in the water. I think this is probably pretty accurate. They also realised that most of the rubbish we picked up was from take away shops like McDonalds. 

On the way home, Chase said "I think we should pick up the rubbish whenever we go to the park or the beach. We can just leave the buckets in the car so we won't forget them". I think this is a pretty good idea. 

Overall we spent 4 hours today picking up litter and learning about the environmental impact of littering. I am so proud of my boys for happily doing such a good thing. Jaidan said in the car on the way home "I think I did really well today mum, don't you?". I'm so glad he sees the good in his actions. 

Time

I used to have a decent amount of time to do as I wish each day. 

Now I barely have time to shower. The life of a mum with 4 kids at home. No more me days. 

It's been a bit of an adjustment this week. Especially when I wanted to go to the movies this week and it dawned on me that if I want to go I'll have to pay for the big 2 to come too. Eek! I've only had one moment of 'go away and leave me alone' though which I think is pretty good and very normal :) 

So what's been happening since I last had a chance to blog in peace? 

We hit the library to get a wide selection of books on the ocean. The kids asked to learn about it, so we did. Also got a massive amount of shells which they loved. We did paintings on things at the beach.

We headed to Perth for a special surprise day I'd planned. For the adventure we took the trains and busses all day. The kids thought it was so fun! We didn't have trains in Tasmania, so this is only the 3rd time they've been on a train. 

 

First stop for our special surprise day was a trip to Toys R Us for a Lego Make and Take event. They got to make a santa scene and take them home. Completely free! This was fun and educational :)

Next stop was Ellenbrook Rainbow Water Park. This is also completely free and great on a hot day, which is was. There is no accessible bodies of water, just lots of jets spurting out from all over the place, as well as some water guns. The kids had an absolute blast. There is some shade here, and there are BBQ's, so it's a great place to come for lunch or dinner with friends and family. I will say though that seating is very limited, and there was a party when we came so we had to lay on the grass under a shelter. This was okay for my sister and I but probably not for grandpa ;)

A lovely friend forwarded her unwanted popcorn maker to us. We had one in Tasmania which we lost in our house fire. As you can tell Ashton was very excited to use it. As soon as we walked in the door with it he made the first batch all on his own :) Good lessons there for him.

We did some maths with real money :) First the boys one at a time sorted the money into piles of 5s, 10s, and 20s. Then they sorted it into $1 piles with the help of a chart I made up. I coloured over each coin and added how many of that they would need to make $1. They really enjoyed this and it kept each one busy for 30 minutes.

Yesterday we went to our local Bunnings for a family Christmas party they held. The kids each got to paint a wooden Christmas tree while they were there. They also had a sausage sizzle, ice cream, fairy floss on a stick, face painting, a balloon person and a jumping castle. It was all completely free, but it was absolutely packed so we just went in and did a few things and left within half an hour. If you don't already, check out your local Bunnings as they usually hold fun free activities for kids and families :) We normally go on a weekend for their Kids DIY workshop where they make things with wood, plant things in decorated pots, make Go Karts etc. 

So we came home last night with painted wooden trees which I decided we'd decorate today. So I pulled out all the pretty stick on supplies we have, some glue and cotton tips, and away they went. This kept them busy for an HOUR and it looks great on our table. 

On other news, I'm now officially registered as a Home Educator :) 

And for our most exciting news yet! Meet our new puppy. The kids have absolutely no idea they are getting this little baby. On Christmas Eve I am going to allow them to open up a few of their presents... these will be things for the puppy wrapped up. A leash, a collar, a dog bowl and some doggy toys. I can not wait to see their faces. Then they will get to meet him :) It's going to be amazing as they've asked for a puppy for years but I have always said no as I didn't have the time or space to devote to a forever friend. He'll be 11 weeks when we pick him up. He's a Lhasa Apso cross Shitzu and he's the sweetest ball of fluff. I've met and played with his parents and his siblings and they really are a beautiful and sweet dog. I'm very excited.

And to finish off... proof that I finally got some Me Time last night.

Some days

Some days my kids are so adorable that every single person who sees them gushes over them.

Today was one of those days :)

We headed to Coles today for a few things and what should have taken 5 minutes in and out took almost an hour. We had elderly people tickling Elijah and a lovely man stopped to chat to the boys and the deli people giving the boys polony. Then when they were playing on the non moving 'give me your money' ride a lovely lady stopped and gushed about how lovely they were behaving and put in $2 for a ride for them.

It's so nice to have other people appreciate how great they are.

Probably helped that they all slept for about half an hour in the car before our shopping stop...

Animals everywhere!

Yesterday we went to Peel Zoo. I have to say, of all the zoos that I have been to I love it the most. There aren't lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) but there is so much to see and do.

Walking in you'll be greeted by the cutest and sweetest cockatoo ever, who says "hello! what you doing?". He will also do a little dance for you. 

If you aren't holding the carpet python as soon as you enter, you're in the bird aviary with parrots and lorikeets and cockatoos and Major Mitchell on your shoulder. Then you're off into the feeding area where you can get up close with kangaroos, llamas, emus, sheep, goats and deer.

If you come at the right time, you can hold a koala or pat a Tasmanian Devil.

Or if you're my kids, you can come just as the male kangaroo is a bit randy and chasing the female around the enclosure. Then you get to see them mate. I couldn't stop laughing and Elijah wanted so desperately to pat them (he had no idea what was going on). 

They also got to see a little joey in it's mummas pouch. Eli was very fond of this one and spent almost 30 minutes patting and cuddling and kissing it. Very sweet.

Today the boys and I went to the library to get some early readers and some non fiction books. Oceans, trees and vikings were the pick of the day. It's handy having a library card. You can have 10 books for 4 weeks, so we can have up to 50 library books at one time. Today I think we took about 30 :)

I started the registration process for home education today! Then I phoned the boys school and let them know. I also let child care know that I will still use them for 1 day a week as I'd cancelled it. I must say, every single person who I've told have been so supportive! Not the reaction I was expecting at all :) 

Lazy Sunday

This is what I woke up to this morning. 2 little ones in the hammock and Chase pushing it.

My immediate response was to say "Hey boys, one at a time. It's not a swing and be careful getting in and out!!". But I stopped and evaluated the situation.

They are playing nicely together.
They are learning about sharing.
They are practising their balance.
They are working together.
They are having fun.

So instead I sat down and said nothing and said a quiet thank you. My parenting really has grown to a better place this past fortnight.

Natural learning

Mainstream schooling is just what is 'normal' to me. I'm that parent who's often found saying "I can't wait for the school holidays. I hate school" and is almost always greeted with odd looks from people who think I'm crazy. Who in their right mind would want to have no time to themselves? Who in their right mind would want to have 4 kids around, 24/7? The answer is me.

I miss them while they are at school. I wish for them to come home so we can hang out. I am always wishing they were home so we could just go to the beach and hang out, or go camping midweek, or visit friends during school hours. That's me in a nut shell.

Yes, like all other parents, I feel smothered sometimes. I wish for a hot shower in peace. I wish to go to the toilet alone. I wish they would just sit down quietly and pretend they weren't there. I wish they would stop bickering, and start getting along.

This past 2 weeks my boys have been home. What started as me keeping them home to avoid them spreading gastro (which they didn't catch any way) ended with me re-evaluating everything. Home schooling is something that I've wanted to do for years. I've looked into it numerous times, but haven't had the confidence to jump in and do it. Until now. Monday, we are going to register and I am so excited.

The possibilities are endless! No more waiting until 3pm to go for a swim. No more waiting until the weekend to camp. All those craft ideas I have bookmarked we can do when I'm not completely exhausted at 4pm when we all get home.

Let me tell you a little bit about our past week and how the boys have changed in just a fortnight.

The first part of the week was spent with me sitting back and letting the boys free range. They played a lot of computer games (Reading Eggs, Friv, Minecraft, Cool Math) and watched quite a lot of ABC kids. I heard a lot of bickering about things, more than one mega tantrum involving hitting each other, and a lot of "mum I'm bored". This is normal.

Towards the end of the first week I was seeing changes in the boys. They weren't fighting as much, they were laughing a lot more, and they were even taking turns on the iPad (yes, you heard correctly). Jaidan had taken to involving all of the boys in building with the lego, and anyone who knows my children knows how short a fuse he has with the 2 and 4 year olds.

That weekend we went camping. We explored a new area, saw kangaroos and their joeys, swam, built sandcastles, and laid in the tent listening to the owls hoot. We even stopped on the side of the road to get out and watch a golden eagle soar. By the end of the second day I was in my happy place. Then came the vomit (gastro) and we packed up and left quickly, but lets not put a cloud over the sunshine.

Week 2 was the big change. At the beginning of the week Jaidan and Chase were reading together. They pulled out their sight words and I found Jaidan going through them with Chase, and encouraging him. This actually made me cry to see it, because they always fight. They sat there for around an hour and both had a pile of words. When I asked what they were, Jaidan said he'd asked Chase to try and read every word, even the hard ones. The ones he could read, he got to put in his pile. The ones he couldn't read, Jaidan helped him through them and told him the word and put them in his pile. Jaidan's pile was the practice words.  This was unguided learning through play.

A few days later, I found Jaidan trying to ride his bike. He's almost 9 years old, and we've tried over and over to get him to ride. It's always ended up in big meltdowns, often with him crying hysterically and throwing the bike and each time I can see a little piece of his self confidence has been lost. It always makes me so sad.
To see him trying on his own was amazing. So I pulled out all of our bikes into the street. We rode. Up and down, around and around. The whole time, Chase stayed with Jaidan and encouraged him. "You can do it! I know you can!" he kept on saying. And he did. He rode it all on his own without falling. So we decided we'd cycle to McDonalds and get an ice cream cone to celebrate. Aunty Tammi works there, and we really wanted to share his achievement and make a really big deal out of it. It was so nice but the most amazing part was that he fell, twice. Both time he got back up and kept on going, even when he was crying because it hurt. I was so proud of him, and I still am.

The rest of the week was spend doing various things, none of which were structured learning, and each activity saw the boys getting along better and teaching each other things.

So here we are. It's the weekend and so far today we've done nothing overly exciting. The big ones are helping tidy up and the little ones are playing Mickey Mouse clubhouse on their iPads in bed. What they are learning today, is how to just be. To be a kid, to be part of a family unit, to be brothers, to be helpful, to be kind, and to be free.

Another day, another lesson learnt.

Ask me any day what I think the right way to parent is, and I'll start ranting about how I hate Tizzie Hall, and how smacking is abusive, and how I don't believe in time outs. Which is true. That's how I roll. I believe only in positive and gentle and respectful parenting.

Then ask me how I parent, and I'll admit that it's a work in progress. Coming from a home where there was smacking, time outs and often yelling, it's a hard cycle to break. Sometimes I lose my shit and yell (possibly more often than sometimes?) and occasionally I'll smack a butt as it walks past me. Then there have been the times when I've snapped and there's been screaming, smacking, crying and sometimes even a door slammed or something thrown (oh yes, thrown. Don't ask me about the crockery incident). Immediately, I feel bad. Most of the time I'll calm down and we'll talk about it. Not always, but most of the time. I believe this is the best way to deal with moments where you lose control. It teaches them that it's not okay, but it happens and shows them the correct way to deal with it.

The other day I was so sick and tired of my 8.5 year old's bad attitude. Getting him to be kind and considerate was out of the question, and all I was getting was eye rolling and nastiness. So I sent him to his room.

I don't usually use the room thing unless it's a time out for me. I believe that sending a child who is upset/angry etc to their room doesn't teach them anything. Are they sitting in their room saying "oh I wish I hadn't of hit my brother. I shouldn't have done that and I won't do it again"? No. Chances are they are in there thinking about the 100 ways to get back at their horrible parent who they hate with a passion, or wishing they'd hit him out of sight so they could claim self defence.

This is proof it does not work.

This says "Dik haed". Next to the word mum. Nice.

Was he in his room thinking about why he should drop the bad attitude? Hell no! He was in there thinking how much of a dick head his mother was, clearly. I love how he wrote Ashton's name, because then maybe I'd think Ashton did it and not him. Nice try, but I know what 8 year old hand writing looks like and it's a lot different to 4 year old handwriting.

What he's yet to learn is I prefer the term "bitch". Plenty of life left for him to realise that though.

A new Christmas tradition.

Do you think too much emphasis is put on money items? Presents? Lollies? Trees?

I do.

I've decided I want more for my boys. You don't grow up remembering what you got for Christmas every year. You grow up remembering the fun times you had. The laughs. The closeness to loved ones.

Memories of the time we spent together, not what material items they got. For my boys, this will happen through camping.

I love camping. I love the fresh air, the beach, the fishing, the lazing in the sun, the swimming, the bush walks, sitting in a tent at night talking, exploring new areas and the excitement of it all. I'm not overly fond of the mosquitos, the snakes or the filth, but I will overlook those small issues for the greater good.

So this year, we're off. We will be spending 2 weeks together over the Christmas period.
We won't be having a tree.
We don't be having a million presents. They will get a small Santa sack present (lego), a small present from me (the start of their new collections), some snack foods for the camp out, and their trampoline when they return home.
That's all.
They won't miss out, not at all. We'll have a ball camping. No TV, no internet, no phone, nothing to distract away from our family time.

We'll explore a new part of WA every year. A new adventure to be had wherever we go. My boys will grow up knowing Christmas is family time, and that's what's important. Not how much money was spent buying them the newest computer game.

You are not alone...

Your toddler whacks you in the face.
You are not alone.

Your 4 year old curses loudly.
You are not alone.

Your child comes home from a trip to the supermarket with something that you didn't buy for them.
You are not alone.

Your toddler throws a head turning tantrum over an ice cream cone.
You are not alone.

Your child shows you up by not performing after you've bragged about something new they've learnt.
You are not alone.

Your little person says something that is so embarrassing you wish the ground would open up and swallow you.
You are not alone.

Your toddler eats nothing but toast and butter for a week, and you WHOOP when they decide to eat sugar cereal for breakfast.
You are not alone.

You leave the house with vomit down your back or weetbix in your hair.
You are not alone.

Your child escapes the house, out of a window, naked, and runs down the street.
You are not alone.

Your toddler refuses to get dressed so you leave the house with them in PJ's and gumboots.
You are not alone.

Your child who's been using the toilet for a year decides to pee in his pants in the middle of grocery shopping.
You are not alone.

You spend an hour cleaning the house for your toddler tornado to mess it up in 2 minutes.
You are not alone.

Your baby poops in their nappy just as you're pulling out the driveway to take them to day care.
You are not alone.

Your child announces that they weren't given breakfast (lies!) because someone is offering food.
You are not alone.

You leave 4 sleeping children in the car (taking all safety measures) to duck in and pay for petrol.
You are not alone.

Your child comes to you with an important story and you nod and "ahuh" while jotting something down, the words travel in one ear and out the other.
You are not alone.

You loose your toddler in a crowded supermarket, a park, a show, anywhere.
You are not alone.

Your toddler whacks some other child with a hammer toy and refuses to say sorry.
You are not alone.

You decide that you can't hack the 1 hourly feeding, so give your child a bottle of formula and lie about it.
You are not alone.

Your child crosses their arms and declares "I hate you!".
You are not alone.

You are not alone.
It doesn't make you a bad parent.
It doesn't make you lazy.
It doesn't make them brats.
It makes you human.
It makes your toddler/child a toddler/child.

Before you shake your head and think poorly of something you've seen. Stop.
Chances are a parent who's child is acting up is a parent who needs a smile, and a kind word. Chances are the toddler or child who is acting up needs support, encouragement and love to guide them to behaving in a different manner.

Don't judge. Love. Don't shake your head. Support. Don't turn your back. Encourage.

It really does take a village.

Improvements

My house is usually chaos. 90% of the time someone is wining about something, someone needs their hands and face washed, someone wants a drink, the dishwasher/washing machine/dryer is beeping at me, something needs to be cleaned up all while I'm trying to get the boys to do some kind of task. Homework or get dressed or clean up the toys etc etc.

I seem to manage constant chaos pretty well... but sometimes (okay, a bit more than I'd like to admit) I go into screaming banshee mode. I'm pretty sure that I look similar to this...

or maybe this...

In that moment, I go from calm mumma to angry mumma. I forget that the boys are just little. Easily distracted. It usually happens when I'm asking someone for the 4th or 5th time to clean up the cars or put their shoes on. Then I snap and start yelling and the jobs get done quick smart.

This is not the way I like to run my home.

I immediately feel defeated. I wonder to myself why I have to yell to get them to listen to me. It's almost always followed now by an apology for yelling and an explanation for why I did yell. As a parent you are constantly learning new things and realising mistakes you are making. This is what makes us better parents. I just hope that as I realise these things I haven't damaged the boys or I'll be a broke mumma with therapy when they are older.

A week ago I started a technology ban. The boys are no longer allowed to watch TV or play the iPad/3DS from Monday to Thursday. It was a big change for them. There was some whinging and a few tears when I would say no but they no longer ask and they have been playing together much nicer. Watching a movie the other day was a treat which was funny. They were so excited. Also I love hearing them outside playing together! Pitty about all the dirt that gets dragged through the house now but I'll take that over bickering kids.  It's really made a big difference to their attitudes and helpfulness.

A few days ago I implemented some Happy House Rules. They live on the fridge. After I'd printed off a couple of copies we sat down and had a talk about the new rules and what they meant for everyone in the home. I explained that if they chose not to follow the rules, that was their choice. However if we want to have a happy house we ALL need to make some changes. 

The rules are pretty basic things, but things we all occasionally need reminding to do.

I am pleased to say it's working. The first couple of days I'd pull them up by saying "I think you're forgetting one of our house rules" and they would go have a look and tell me which number and we'd chat about it. It seems to be getting through to them and it's good having it visual so it's a nice reminder. I also have to follow the rules.

So this morning was our first real breakthrough day. The boys all got up and Chase made all the kids breakfast, they all got dressed, the bigger 2 helping the little 2 while I showered. They helped make their school lunch and all got their shoes on. Then Chase stacked the dishwasher and Jaidan wiped the tables. Ashton was given the job of picking up any toys he could see on the floor. We left the house, on time, without me having to yell once (or think about yelling), and with half the amount of housework to do when I got home. Amazing!

I hope this continues because my stress levels today are zero and I'd like to keep them as low as possible.

The weight has been lifted!

In May I had to defer my exam. At the time, I had a lot going on. In a temporary home, dealing with insurance, no internet to study, having no possessions... it was all overwhelming. So I deferred my exam which wasn't an issue.

I fell behind in the next study period. I asked if it was possible to catch up, it was only week 5 and I was sure if I got stuck into it I would be okay. The university told me that it would be unlikely that I would catch up. They told me the unit I was doing was extremely time consuming and I should probably drop it. If I chose to continue, and couldn't catch up, I would get a fail on my record. This was really hard to hear. After a week of trying to decide what to do, I dropped the unit. 

My deferred exam is creeping up at the end of the month. So I started to get organised. Then it hit me, that in all of the madness in May I'd forgotten something. I had deferred my exam, but I hadn't finished the weekly topics. I was still 2 weeks behind! After calling the university I was told I couldn't complete the topics, and if I couldn't complete the topics, I would fail the unit regardless of my exam grades. After spending hours on the phone trying to find someone with a kind bone in their body, who wasn't just following processes, I got some good news. I would have this month to complete the topics, and study for the exam!

So this week I've had my head in a book, studying from 9am until way past bed time. But I did it. Yesterday I was so determined to nail my topic test, that I spent 9am to 2pm studying for the 5 straight hours. Then I went out for dinner last night, came home and got stuck back into it and passed without one error. I was so happy!

All on course now for passing this unit! Which is the biggest relief. I slept well last night. 

My Focus Eludes Me

Title says it all really. I am meant to be studying. I have an upcoming exam in 3 short weeks and after a short break while we moved and settled into our new house, I'm back on the study horse and can not focus! The little ones are at their day care centre, the big ones are at school, so I have no distractions (except Facebook of course).

All I see is a blur of numbers.

I'm really excited to get this part of my study over and done with, and move onto the next study period. Which, if I remember correctly, is where I start the psychology! Yay!

New Beginnings

With new beginnings comes a new blog.

A blog about me. My journey as a mother, a student, a friend, a neighbour, a sister. About my loves, lessons, downfalls, emotions, passions and opinions. A place to share my stories, share the ups and downs of life and share my thoughts.

So let's start at the beginning and work from there.

Me. I answer to Missy, Mel, mum, oi, waaaaahhhh and occasionally bitch. I'm usually found with at least 1 (but usually 4) small child attached to an arm, leg, back or neck. I will almost always have my camera around my neck. If it's not, it's within reach.
My days are spent unglamorously cleaning up poop, wiping grotty faces, wiping spills, sweeping up mess, making mud pies, creating the next Mona Lisa with finger paints, loosing at Junior Scrabble or reading about green eggs and ham.
My nights are very predictable. I am usually doing one of a few things. Reading a book, at the moment it's ones about Vampires. On the computer on Facebook, reading a blog or studying. Laying in my incredibly comfortable bed watching whatever show or movie I happened to be interested in at that moment. Occasionally, the geek in me emerges and I jump online and play a game called Lord of the Rings Online. I've never read the books, I've haven't made it past the first 30 minutes of the first movie, but I do enjoy playing the online game.

Up until June of this year I lived in cold, wet Tasmania. Beautiful, but cold, cold, cold and did I mention cold? Now I live in sunny WA. Where winter days are filled with sunshine and temperatures that would make any Tasmanian envious on a summer day.

Sad circumstances brought our little family to this beautiful part of Australia. It was a scary move, which has been full of blessings. We moved with our suitcases and 2 boxes. 1 was a vacuum cleaner, the other was full of what remained of our most cherished possessions. The small amount of photos we had left, some charred at the edges. Some school work and merit awards addressed to my children which I'd proudly kept, now covered in soot. A crystal bowl I'd received from an aunty when I turned 21. The smallest pair of rainbow coloured shoes that have been dragged through at least 10 relocations, and are now 28 years old. A few other bits and pieces that I have since thrown away. I'm still unsure why I packed some things of no importance and brought them the 3000+ km to our final destination. What was an extremely stressful and upsetting time, has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I believe everyone has a path in life, ours led us here.

We love WA! The boys are so happy here. The change in them has been amazing. They have always been fairly happy children, but they have really emerged from their shells and embraced the biggest change in their short lives to date.
J8 has always been a reserved little boy. Happy and content, loving in his own ways, but never overly affectionate in a physical way. Since our move he is snuggly, loves a cuddle and a kiss, shows more interest in his smallest brothers, and a lot more patience and love towards them when before were just pesky little midget terrorists.
C7, A3 and E2 are still as happy as ever, just more settled and really enjoying each new adventure we go on.
They are all really loving the fact that now we have family around. Before we had friends, but no family. Now we not only live in the same state as their aunty and uncle, but we only live a few blocks away! Each day is met with at least one small boy asking if we can visit their aunty and uncle, and even if we just pop in to say hi, it's often the highlight of their day.
I love it here. I love my sister and brother in law. I love my WA friends. I love the sunshine and the crazy WA rain storms. I love the atmosphere here. I love the small things, like having a Rainbow Lorikeet sit 30cm away while I'm sitting in the sunshine reading a book. I also love being able to walk down the street and not know one single person which was unheard of in the small part of Tasmania we came from.

So here is where our new beginning starts.