{family} where has this year gone!?

It has been quite some time since I did a post...I honestly cant tell you where the hours in the day are going! It baffles me how quick each day is over before I even get the chance to realise it began!

An update on our grocery situation:

We gave the monthly shopping a go for 2 months! It was hard work! The first time, I did it all on my own, managed to fit everything in one shopping trolley and I would say all in all it was a success! We spent under $500 for the month and I thought that was great! There wasnt much wasted produce in our home, and freezing essentials like milk worked out well. We realised that cheese has a really long shelf life as did margarine so we didnt have to freeze those! We did, however, really struggle to fit everything in our freezer! We have quite a large chest freezer as well as a small compartment in a fridge/freezer in our garage. It still wasnt enough space!

The second month in, I had to call Matt to come down and help out as we needed 2 trolleys worth! We spent ALOT more this month, closer to $800! And it was just becoming a nuisance! We werent having extravagant meals at all and we just didnt see the point in doing a monthly shop anymore for all the effort and stress it entailed! 

Since then, we have been doing fortnightly shops and it is working out much better! I can go along with Miss Placid, get it done in a manageable amount of time - we can have alot more fresh fruit and veg too which is great! For awhile we were concerned we were spending too much but it works out that we are spending about $400 per fortnight...which i dont think is too bad when you add in nappies, formula, dog food, etc.

An update on the fam:

Miss Placid is now 10.5 months old and coming along in leaps and bounds! She has now got her first teeth: the two front bottom ones! Very cute! She also started to crawl on her hands and knees in the last few weeks (as opposed to just commando crawling), as well as pull herself up to stand on furniture and walk around it. We were in ED with her earlier this week as she developed an all over body rash (which i initially thought was chicken pox), had a fever and some a scary vomitting episode! It turns out it was nothing more than a viral infection and should pass soon. She is alot better but still a bit out of sorts.

Matt was also unwell with what we suspect was gastro last week, which left him very poorly! He went to play indoor soccer and rolled his ankle, damaging the tendons/ligaments in his right ankle! So he too has been out of action and in alot of pain!

As for me, I have been run down with a flu and am hoping it will pass and Miss Placid wont catch it! We have had our fair share of flus this year!!! I think Miss Placid's total is 4 and counting in her short 10 months of life!

Other than all that doom and gloom, we are fairing well! Our rental property is still up for sale and we are hoping it goes soon as paying 2 mortgages on 1 income is not fun! ha! I have begun a mothers group at our local church which is also really exciting! It is only small in numbers at the moment but we are looking forward to seeing it grow and expand over the months! Miss Placid has just been accepted into a Playgroup (which we were on a waiting list for for a few months!) so we will be attending that 1 day a week also! She loves interacting with other children and playing with toys that arent her own so I think she is going to love it!

We are a very busy family and it is rare to have more than 1 day wholly at home per week! Which is exhausting - but we have seemed to get used to it now!

Motherhood is getting easier, but still has its challenges! I do find it hard to know exactly what to do to entertain Miss Placid each day! I feel she gets quite bored and frustrated when we are at home. We swap the toys that are out over each fortnight or so, but it doesnt make much of a difference! We attempt to read her books (and will persist with it!) but she loses interest pretty quickly and just wants to eat the pages! hehe! Little minx! Feeding also gets a little stressful in terms of knowing exactly what to prepare for her each day! It was much easier in the earlier months when a straight veggie or fruit puree was enough! We had our first sole finger food lunch today - i think the floor ended up wearing more than what Miss Placid consumed! 

What activities/games do you or did you play with your babes when you had days at home? What did your meal plans look like for your kids?

Would love to hear your feedback! :)

Much love

Daughter of the King

x

{family} saving on groceries



As the effects of being on one income begin to kick in, we have been looking at ways as a family to save money in every area we can! When it comes to being frugal with your money, groceries is one aspect of your budgeted money that you can save money on quite easily.

A friend told me about a great website: Stay at Home Mum which has fantastic ideas on how to save money and survive on one income. After having a quick browse on the site, and reading that this lady does her grocery shop monthly, I thought I would see if we could make that work for us too.  This woman, being over east, has Aldi which she shops at - which is a huge discount store where you can buy in bulk and save alot on groceries amongst other things. Unfortunately, Perth doesnt have an Aldi but I can still look around for bargains.

It took some time, but I started by going through my fridge and pantry and making an inventory of the things that we already had. From there, I researched different recipes I could make to utilise these ingredients, so as not to waste anything. For example, we had some left over polenta in quinoa in the cupboard, so I did a google search for Quinoa and Polenta recipes and came up with a couple that are going to be used this month.  I then needed to make up the rest of the meals.  There was no flashy meals, just the basics. Before, we used to eat rather extravagently - I love looking up recipes and trying new things, but it can get expensive! We would eat Salmon, Lamb Chops, Roasts, Steaks....alot! Being on a budget we had to get back to the basics- what we grew up on with our familys! Spaghetti bolognaise, Tuna casserole, Fish and Salad, Sausage and Mash etc. 

After I had my meals list, I went onto the Coles Online website to do up a grocery list.  When Miss D was younger, I used to get my groceries home delivered through Coles a bit.  It really helped me out as it meant I didnt have to juggle having a small baby at the shops with me (whilst Mr O worked). But it was a luxury.  And it is $10 (for delivery) that we could easily save.  I didnt put my fresh fruit/vegetables into the coles shopping list as I know that I can get them much cheaper at the Spud Shed.  When I was doing up the list on the Coles website, I sort all my search items by Unit Price - this means, I can see what is the cheapest/best value product. This helps out alot as it saves me having to look at all the price tags in the produce aisles to find which one is best value for money! There are so many different options out there sometimes it can be hard to sort through - but this function online does it for you which is great!

Once I had my list, I printed it off and went down to Coles the next morning - first thing! As I went through the aisles and started picking up my items, I was noticing that the prices I had on my online shopping list were more expensive than the actual produce I was picking up - same brands and all! I made a note of the price differences on my shopping list to compare when I got home...and I was shocked!  After going through it all, I realised that I made a saving of $12.72 just by shopping at Coles myself, rather than getting it home delivered. This saving wasnt becausee things were on special or anything - these were the stock standard everyday prices at Coles - just online, for some cheeky reason - they have the 'standard price' as a couple of cents more! It certainly adds up! I also saved $10 by not getting it delivered, and saved another $11.89 by realising once I got in the store that some things were on special - eg. I picked up a carton of cream for 50c, and 3 x cartons of eggs for $9.00. So all up, I saved $34.61 by shopping at Coles rather than online! Crazy hey! The total spent at Coles was $365.26 and this included groceries for our monthly meals, Dog food for a month, along with extra items we were low on in the pantry (ie. $20 for a 4L olive oil, $18 for a large coffee tin etc).

I cooked up a HUGE batch of cookies from this recipe off the SAHM website and made different variations of them by adding different things we had in the pantry. These cookies cost less than $5 to make and I got 230 cookies out of it! I have frozen most of them to use through the month when we need them - they are DELICIOUS and again, are saving us money on buying cookies from the shops!

At the Spud Shed, I spent $60 getting fresh fruit and vegetables for us and our meals, but also enough to puree up for Miss D too. And we spent $100 for a month worth of Formula and $46 for 1 month worth of nappies.

All in all, I think we have done quite well. I was concerned about getting enough fresh fruit and vegetables to last us a month, but things like potatoes and onions tend to last a long time, and we bought a heap of frozen vegetables too to get us through and add to our meals. As for things like milk, cheese and yoghurt, we bought enough for the month and have frozen them to get out and defrost as we need.

Much love

Daughter of the King
x



{family} there be changes a coming

So, our family is about to enter the world of living on one income - scary times!  As of next month, we will be short approximately $3,000 per month, which means, we have a lot of careful consideration to do when it comes to budgeting and living. We wont be able to live by the same carefree means we have in the past, and as such, are looking for any ways we can stretch our money to make it count!

First things first for us is nappies....we have been using Huggies with Miss Placid since birth, but those babies are $33 per box and we go through roughly 200 nappies a month! Crazy huh! After a bit of research, Im going to go with the Snugglers, which you can get at Big W for just under $20 a box....big saving there!

Ive also decided I can save on baby wipes by using face wash cloths when I am at home. These are easy washed and reusable, and I can just use the disposable wipes when I am out at the shops!

Because my hair is currently dark, I can probably get by stretching out my hair appointments now. I used to go 6 weekly when I was blonde, so i think as long as I am dark, I can probably stretch these out to 3 monthly appointments (or more) instead!

We are thinking about setting a limit with our groceries (yet to be decided on the amount) and buying monthly. Once we have spent the grocery money, that will be it - so it will take careful planning to make sure our meals stretch out and last that long.

As for keeping gas, electricity and water down, Im not really sure how we will make a huge difference to these bills. I guess just limiting the use of lights, switching off at the wall, limiting our shower times and making the most of using the washing machine - ie only using when it is a full load.

There will be much more having people over for coffees instead of heading out for coffees and I will have to watch my fuel closely, making the most out of my trips as I tend to drive around alot! I have no idea how to make birthdays and Christmas presents work, but perhaps I will have to get a little more creative on that front! We are also considering downsizing our home and moving to an area, a little closer up the freeway, but not too far from Mr O's work.

It is quite a daunting road ahead of us, and if we were completely honest, we aren't sure how we are going to get through it! But, we do know that we have a good, and faithful God, and he doesn't let us get in over our heads more than we can manage.  We put our faith and trust in Him with our finances and are praying for and seeking His wisdom and guidance through these times.

I would absolutely love to hear from all you mummas out there who have travelled this road before us, to hear how you got by and the little things you did to stretch your dollars further! 

Much love

Daughter of the King
x

{obedience} disconnecting to reconnect

You may remember back here where I decided to give up Facebook for the month of March.  I wasn't very successful...I did manage not to post anything on Facebook for the entire month, or respond to anyone on there, but I did give in and check it most days after the first week!

After this experience, I quickly realised how much of an addictive thing Facebook had become in my life.  I felt the urge to check it...all the time...and this was unhealthy.  I also hated the fact that it took away my time as a 'mother' to Miss Placid and I started becoming a bit absent. As she would be playing, it was very easy to just sit beside her and scroll through the news feeds, seeing what everyone was up to.  I really believe God was doing a work in me to make me understand that Facebook was somewhat a disease I needed to rid myself of. It wasn't a hard decision, and sometime in the beginning of April I deleted our account and haven't looked back.

However, it didn't take me long to find something to replace Facebook in my life....and it was called 'Instagram'.  Another social media app where you post pictures of whatever you please. People can follow you, and you can follow others. You can comment on peoples pictures and hash tag them into a category for the world to see.  At first, I didn't see it as a problem at all. I only had close friends or family following me and I was really just using it to put pictures of Miss Placid up for them to see.  But then, my followers started increasing, people I didn't even know were wanting to 'follow' me and my pictures...and you know what....it felt good. It was nice seeing that number of people go up and I would look forward to checking in to see what new comments people had put on my pictures and if anyone new was following me.

I caught up with a beautiful girlfriend during the week, one who has been through an extremely tough time this last year.  She lost her first born, a beautiful baby girl, at birth.  She is absolutely amazing, and the fact that she has remained steadfast in her faith, relying on Gods goodness and faithfulness in such a traumatic situation, is testament to her beautiful relationship with Christ.  We got chatting about social media, and how she also is no longer on Facebook and how she doesn't miss it either.  She was saying her friends are always asking her to come back on so that she can not 'miss out' on anything! Its funny how quickly people forget that you can still be a part of someone's life without living vicariously through Facebook or social media! We discussed how you end up following and having so many people follow you that aren't necessarily great friends, just acquaintances.... but they end up knowing every intricate detail of your life and what you have been up to!  I remember going to a gathering a couple of months back and people who i didnt even know came up to Miss Placid and I and said "Oh, this is Miss Placid - i feel like I know her already!!" It was pretty confronting and scary really!  

We also spoke about how Instagram and Facebook becomes such a pin up board for the perfect life and it can be quite a selfish feat.  You end up comparing yourself to the lives other people are 'living'....or the lives you believe they are living through the select images and posts they put up! People appear to have such perfect lives on there....it is easy to feel quite complacent with your own and with the things you do during the week! That, along with looking forward to seeing what people have to say about your pictures or your posts and comments, for me, I began to realise was quite a vain thing.

This last week, I again am feeling the heart of God give me a gentle nudge.  What am i really using this app for? How much time am I spending on it as opposed to spending time with my daughter or time spent with God? I quickly felt shame and have realised that again, I need to make some changes.  I do love instagram for the fact of sharing photos of Miss Placid with my family, so I will be cutting it right back to have only family and friends that live away that will be able to follow my photos on Instagram.  I will only be posting photos of Miss Placid, and the occasional shot of me or Mr O with her as a family {In time, I may even get rid of it totally, and just stick to the good old fashioned emails to close family and friends!} There is no need to be posting pictures of what I am eating for lunch, of selfish 'selfie' shots of myself, just so I can get 'approval' from others as to how I look. My approval should be coming from only one person, and that is God himself.  I shouldn't be glorifying myself the way I have been. 

1 Timothy 2:9 (NIV) says "I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. 

 I also like how this is worded in the Message:

1 Timothy 2:9 

"And i want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it"

This isn't for everyone, and a lot of people don't struggle with addictions to social media the way I have in the past...but this is something that i have been convicted by in my spirit and in my life and it is time for me to stop conforming and start transforming my life the way God wants me to live it!

I am sure there may be other things that may pop up as temptations to distract me as I go through this journey to being a more present mumma, wife and daughter of Christ, but I know that with his strength, and if i continue to listen to his gentle nudgings, I will stay on the straight and narrow.

Much love

Daughter of the King
x

P.S. If there is anyone that is really going to miss seeing Miss Placid on Instagram, and doesnt receive my 'monthly' Miss Placid updates by email, but would like to stay in touch that way, send me an email and I will add you to the mailing list. 

{motherhood} through the darkness, there is light...

Today, DD1 and I said farewell to an amazing lady - someone who has helped us out immensely over the past 3 months. Someone who has been more of a friend to me than some of the friends I have had for years. She will be greatly missed, on a 'work relationship' level...but I also know i have gained a friend for life in her.

Before DD1 came into our lives, people were asking me if I was prepared to be a mother. Of course I was. I was married to the love of my life and in love, we were blessed to be able to create a life together, one that we would bring up in the best way possible, to the best of our knowledge. We would figure it out along the way! A few people towards the end of my pregnancy asked if I was aware of Post Natal Depression (PND) and what that entailed.  I was aware of it, i had heard of it, but I was adamant it wasn't going to be an 'issue' for me. I was a positive person with a positive outlook on life. I looked at motherhood as an exciting adventure - I was gaining a new little best friend who would keep me company through the day and love me unconditionally.  PND was for those that were already struggling in life, weren't happy or had struggled with depression in the past. No way...not me.

I was so wrong.

I have since learnt that depression, in any form, isn't something you can choose to have or not have. It.........................................just.........................................happens. And it happened to me.

When DD1 was born, I thought i had it all under control. Motherhood seemed to come easy to me. I waltzed out of the hospital, babe in arm, and I was happy and complete. We went out for dinner that night to my mother-in-laws house and people were amazed at how quickly I was up and at it! 

It didn't take long for everything to come crashing down.

About 5 days in, things became real. The bucket loads of advice and information I had taken in about how to raise DD1 - how to feed her, hold her, how long she should be sleeping, how often she should be feeding, whether she should be using a dummy (etc, etc) - caught up with me and I started doubting my ability as a mother. I had some extremely dark moments, and at times, I was wishing I had never chosen to be a mother.  I couldn't do it, I was a failure and was not cut out for this job! It was (and is) a tough job and I really struggled. I tried to hold it together in public, but when I was alone at home with DD1, I broke down. I was curled up in a ball, sobbing....heartbroken and struggling. 

It was my mother who prompted me to go and seek some help from a Dr and have a chat to her about PND. Even at that point, I was denying it. I just thought i must have been exhausted and tired, but there was more to it than that. On a chemical and hormonal level, I was depressed. The Dr diagnosed me with mild PND and sent me on my way with advice to get out more and have a break from DD1 whenever possible.

I managed to go and see my Child Health Nurse seeking some help with getting DD1 to sleep - as I believed that I was only feeling this way because she wouldn't sleep (well, not for as long as everyone was saying she should be!) She decided to come out to my house to help me out (for free) as we couldn't afford to trudge off to a sleep school! Upon coming to our house and spending an hour with me to see what it took for me to get DD1 to sleep, and how exhausted, stressed and upset I was, she offered me a golden ticket---there was a service that was available to women struggling with PND, a service that entailed an "in-home carer" to come out to your house, for up to 13 weeks, to help you out, and it was Government funded! She said that I should think about it and if I wanted to go ahead with it, to call her back the next day and she will set it up for me.  You don't think i was up early, calling that Child Health Nurse at the crack of dawn that following day!

And that's where Tracey comes in.  

Tracey was the lady assigned to help me out with DD1. I was asked what days and hours I wanted her to come, and because of the state I was in, I asked for as much time with her as possible!!! She has been with me 3 days a week for 6.5 hours each day for the past 13 weeks. I refer to her as my angel as I honestly believe she was sent to me for a reason...to get me through a really rough and dark time.

She has been an amazing source of encouragement in her time with me. She helped me realise that I am an amazing mother to DD1, that I am doing a fantastic job and that I am doing everything right. She offered her advice where necessary and gave me some really helpful hints along the way. She came with me to appointments and helped me build up the courage to do things that I was too scared to try on my own with DD1 - eg: using my shopping trolley cover for the first time! Its a tricky thing to put on you know! ;)  There are years between Tracey and I, but you would never have known that.  For the most part, she was simply a friend. She would come and share a cuppa with me, and just hang out. She was someone I could rely on, and for that, I am eternally grateful as PND really shows you who your friends are!

I'm really going to miss having her around, but I am also really looking forward to starting a new chapter and continuing on with our relationship - which will evolve into more of a friendship now.  I am not ashamed of my depression. I am speaking out about it in the hope that it may encourage others that are struggling to know that they are not alone, and that they don't have to struggle on their own. There is help out there. Some people didn't know how to handle me, or how to act around me, especially when I had Tracey around - and that is ok, it can be hard to know what to do or say - but the best advice I have is to not shy away from anyone struggling! Make a point to be present - make an effort, really 'ASK' if they are ok. Rock up their place with coffee and cake, even if they 'arent up for it'...they will appreciate it!.
Through it all I believe I have always continued to be the same person, I just needed a friend to hold me up as I stumbled through the beginnings of motherhood.

I hope that one day I can help someone else in the same way Tracey has helped me.

If you know someone that is struggling with PND, or if you are yourself and you would like some more information on help that is available, please feel free to contact me, or your local Child Health Nurse for some more information.  

Psalm 56:12-13

I am under vows to you, O God; I will present my thank offerings to you.  For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

Much love

Daughter of the King

x

{faith} Down by the seaside

Today I took my little girl down to the seaside, for the very first time.

It had been a long day at home and we were both getting a bit bored, so I packed up the car with a blanket and hat and off we drove.  I am so glad we live close to the sea!

Miss Placid was just awestruck by the ocean. As we were walking down the sand dune to the beach, she could hear the waves and she was intrigued. Her little eyes were darting around madly, trying to figure out what it was that was making such a noise!

After I set up our blanket I sat her up, facing the ocean. She sat so still, for what seemed an eternity - taking it all in. I popped her little hat on, took of her socks and walked her over to the shoreline. As I bent down to stand her up in the sand, she was a little unsure, uneasy. She wanted to know what this new sensation and feeling was - what was this rough stuff under her feet, and why did her toes suddenly feel so cold! She would be looking out to the sea and the waves, then would quickly glance back at me and lean into me for reassurance. When she realised I was by her side and that she was safe, she eased up a little more and began to enjoy it.

After we got home, and i reflected on our little adventure, it made me realise just how much Miss Placid's first experience with the ocean was what it is like when we are uncertain of things in life. We are uneasy, we approach them sometimes with eagerness and sometimes with fear. But one thing i know for sure is that I have my God and saviour there by my side - just as i was beside Miss Placid - to hold my hand, to comfort me and to reassure me that every little thing will be ok.  If I fall down, he will help get me back up again. If it gets to much, he will carry me when it seems I can no longer go on.

God, you're my refuge. I trust in you and I'm safe! That's right - he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you - under them you're perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm.  Fear nothing - not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day. Not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon.  Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left; no harm will even graze you. You'll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance...Yes, because God's your refuge, the High God your very own home, Evil cant get close to you, harm cant get through the door. He ordered his angels to guard wherever you go. If you stumble, they'll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You'll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path.

Psalm 91:1-13 (Message)

Much love

Daughter of the King
x

{motherhood} Mum knows best

One of the hardest lessons I have learnt since becoming a mother is to relax. Babies are all different. They shouldn't be compared. They shouldn't be moulded into categories. They are individuals. What works for one, wont necessarily work for the other.

Seems pretty common sense right? Yes. But...something happens when you become a parent. You second guess your heart and your common sense. People come at you from every which angle saying "Oh, your baby should be sleeping this much", "shame, she isn't sleeping through yet, by 4 months they should be", "they really should be awake for 2 hours at a time", "oh is she not rolling yet?", "she should be drinking this much at each feed", "she shouldn't still be feeding 3 hourly at this age". There are a billion and one books out there with baby routines in them that depict what your child should be doing at each monthly milestone.

I am a huge believer in routines. I like them for me. I like to know whats happening when and what my week is going to consist of, but my baby does not fit a mould. She likes to feed 3 hourly. She will still wake at 3am in the morning for a feed. She likes to start her day at 6, not 7am. She still happily sleeps for 40 minutes at a time through the day and she will stay awake for as long as she likes, sometimes 2 hours, sometimes 1 and a half hours, sometimes more. She isn't rolling yet, but she is happy and content. She rarely finishes a bottle and doesn't have the recommended amount the tins suggest for her age.

This....is....OK!

Parenting is a tough gig. You want what is best for your child and you want to be the best parent you can be. If routines work for your baby - that is fantastic! But if they don't, don't stress about it! Our babies are only little for a short amount of time and instead of worrying about how long they are sleeping and staying awake, we should simply be enjoying them!

For months I stressed...The world was telling me my baby should be sleeping for 2 hours in the morning and at lunch, so i would sit in her room beside her cot, for 2 hours, constantly trying to keep her asleep for that 2 hours. I would keep putting the dummy back in and try to "ssh" her back to sleep. She would resist but I kept persisting, thinking that she should be sleeping when she wanted to play.  

 As parents I think there needs to be more encouragement than criticism. We need to support each other and respect each others decisions and we need to understand that no two babies are the same. 

I found motherhood so stressful, and nothing like what I imagined it would be. Because of stressing so much about what Miss Placid should be doing, I missed out on simply just enjoying her through the earlier months and instead developed mild depression. I swore black and blue I didn't want any more children as it was just too stressful.  

It may have taken me 5 months to figure this out, but I am glad i did. I now look forward to continuing to expand our family when the time is right. As a mother, you know what is best for your child. Listen to your heart and do what works for you and your children - it may be what everyone else says to, but if it is not, that is OK! You know your baby best!

Much love

Daughter of the King
x

{Things I'm loving}

 Im linking up with Paisley Jade with her "Things im Loving"

Here are thing Things Im Loving for this week....

Pinterest: Enough said really....If you dont know what this amazing site is....GO CHECK IT OUT NOW! But be warned, you wont be able to tear yourself away from the computer for hours! Dont tell your husbands I told you about it!

Coffee: Addicted at the moment. Found a yummy instant coffee that we enjoy here in our household. Its no Nespresso coffee, but it does the trick after a restless sleep! Mmm...Nespresso...one day!

My new iPhone and its pretty cover: Its about time i got one...im a bit behind with the times but better late than never! And my pretty little cover matches my pretty little wallet and my pretty new jeans from Asos! :)

Totally loving the colour turquoise: as stated above!

 

Asos deliveries: Yahoo! Im so freakin excited our Asos delivery came!! I got my pretty turquoise jeans, white jeans, grey top and orange shoes! Im sending the shoes back as they are the wrong size but everything else is DELISH! The jeans are the COMFIEST i have ever had!

Miss Placid's new happy attitude and squeals: she is rockin some serious coos, raspberries, giggles and mega cute smiles! She is like a different child this last week...it blows my mind how quickly they change! Loving her!

Hand-me-downs from the little sister: scored this cute little skirt and little shawl/jacket which i think will go quite nicely with my new white jeans!!

And lastly....

Cookies and cream chocolate: this stuff is seriously evil (for my waistline) but it is so very, very addictive! So addictive to the point that for our next Monthly give up, we are considering giving up sugar for the month of April! Oh dear.....
{its so good, i didnt even get a chance to take a photo of it....it was gone just like that!!}

Much love

Daughter of the King
x

Autumn is here {we think}

So it finally seems as though Autumn has arrived here in Perth, Western Australia! We have had a long, hot summer, with some crazy storms and wet days in there too - but so far, Autumn for us has consisted of a rather long heat wave with temperatures getting up to 41 degrees!

This is no fun when you dont have air-con in your home! **Cue spending time at the folks house and hanging out at shopping centres to escape the heat!**

The heat has also meant i havent been brave enough to venture out for walks with Miss Placid in the pram. Also, partly due to the fact I have this fear that she will start a tanty when im a good 20 mins or so from getting back home!

Mr O finished his shifts yesterday so we decided we would take an evening stroll down to the park and see if we could get Miss Placid used to her pram again!

It was about a quarter to five. The sun was still up but a cool breeze was blowing. The leaves from all the gorgeous trees in our estate had started to turn brown and were lining the footpaths where we walked!

The colours that were out were amazing! I couldnt believe the bright green grass and the clear blue sky! Just amazing - God is amazing....

Simple pleasures like this seem to slow the pace of life down...just a little. Enough for us to pause and enjoy our little bundle of joy as she explored new scenery and views!

Miss Placid has been such a happy little bunny since we started her on formula. I didnt want to have to do it, but my milk supply had dropped so much I couldnt sustain her anymore. Im thankful I can still give her at least 1 feed in the morning from me....I cherish that time while it lasts!

 

Society for some reason seems to put breastfeeding on such a pedalstool..it almost seems frowned upon when people find out your baby is on formula.  I dont know why that is. I think, as long as your baby is healthy, thriving and happy - and you are as well, then it cant be such a bad thing!

She has certainly captured our hearts...

As Mr O and I spoke, we were even toyed with the idea of expanding our family of 3 to a family of 4....my oh my - we are obviously sleep deprived and delirious!

The cheeky monkey seemed to enjoy the pram ride, for the most part. She was throwing these cheeky smiles at me and giggling as we walked. She even fell asleep on the way back (dummyless!!).

 

Anyhow, I hope you are all having a wonderful week!! I am having a lazy day at home with Miss Placid today in preparation for our usual crazy, busy weekends!

Much love

Daughter of the King
x

Weekend in review!

Sooo far behind on my blogging - where are the days going! My oh my.....

I have got to get better at whipping out my camera to take shots of things! I think getting a nice new camera will do the trick there ;) Hoping to get a Canon this year! Cant wait! Anyhow...back on track - here was our weekend in pics!

Saturday saw Miss Placid and I just chilling out at home. We managed to get out to do some groceries (and escape our hot house!) for a few hours then we waited for Daddy to come home so we could walk 2 doors up to have dinner with some good friends!

I wish i had taken photos of all the delicious food we had! There was marinated lamb ribs, marinated chicken, steak, lamb on skewers, potato bake and salads! Yum! And for dessert there was mini raspberry pavlovas, coconut cake, macadamia and caramel tart and banana cake! DELISH!

Miss Placid and Ryder were very well behaved and slept in the theatre room - Ryder had his portacot, and we just wheeled Miss Placid's bassinet across the road! Would have been funny watching us carry her...asleep...in her bassinet back home across the road!

Matt had to work again on Sunday, and it was going to be a scorcher here in Perth - 41 degrees! So, we packed up the car and Miss Placid and I set off to spend the day (and night) at mum and dads house. Dad was in Rottnest for the day so it was just mum, my sisters, Miss Placid and I. We chilled out (literally in their Devine Aircon!) and went for a swim in the pool in the afternoon! The water was FREEZING - so i wasnt sure if Miss Placid would like it. She had been in a pool once before, but it was a heated pool. She actually seemed quite content in there with me (even after i dunked her face...accidentally...in the water!)

We had a mega pooplosion (wish i had caught it on camera) - which Miss Placid thought was hilarious! 

It....went....everywhere!! 

Had to bath her in the laundry sink just to clean her up! Crazy child... The rest of the evening consisted of us all enjoying dinner (yummy butter chicken mum whipped up in her thermomix....fancy!) and watching a movie together (just married - LOVE it!!) :)

Monday morning Miss Placid and I set off further North to catch up with a good friend, Leah, and her girls Coco and Savannah before heading back on the hour and a half trip home!

The weeks are just zooming past - this weekends 'weekend in review' will be here before i know it!

Hope you all had lovely weekends too and stayed cool! :)

Much love

Daughter of the King
x