Nervicited

That’s how we are all feeling in our house.

Mr H and I are not great at making big decisions. We weigh things up both ways, for weeks we consider risks, try and predict future outcomes, then we remind ourselves that we can’t predict the future and all we have is the here and now and that is what we need to work with.

So at the eleventh hour we made the phone calls and got the confirmation that we are changing to a new school.

We told the girls and watched one cartwheel around the house with happiness and the other little pale face drain to a new shade of white. The kind that makes you snuggle them up in your arms and promise that everything is going to be all right.

I can’t explain my tummy she said. I am just totally nervicited.

And she is not the only one.

We have spent the last few days frantically shopping for book list items, had uniform fittings and purchased more school shoes.

We’ve also had extra kids over to hang out and play and remind everyone that changing schools doesn’t mean losing the wonderful friends you already have.

But that one small change of school location does mean lots of changes for all of us.

But mainly, the feeling is just pure nervicitment.  

Ever felt that way?

A wharf, a winery and a warm night

Some days just need to be written down to be remembered properly, because I tend to forget things over time. The little details especially.

Early morning sunbaking.

Today we woke after a sleep in and hopped over to the pool at our motel. I wore my bathers again and the girls worked on their underwater somersault skills.

We then made our way to the wharf at Echuca and boarded a Paddle Steamer. The Pevensky was our paddler of choice, it's old and interesting, but most importantly it was headed to a winery.

We cruised down the Murray River, enjoying the very minor breeze and seeking all the shade possible until we arrived at the winery. It's a short stroll through the bush to the cellar door and restaurant. The river on one side of you, the trees on the other, the wildlife all around and days don't feel much more peaceful.

Our meals were instagram worthy and the kids desserts were a real treat. Immy ordered the DIY gingerbread and Arabella ordered the meringue clown. Mr H ordered the cheese plate. It is possible that I tried every, yes every wine in the list at the cellar door before deciding on the champagne that can't be called champagne. A good drop of bubbles.

At the completion of our long lunch we headed back to the river, the kids put their feet in the water until our taxi arrived to take us back to town.

Post lunch Taxi!

Next on our agenda was more time at the pool, because afternoons include mocktail hours and the kids didn't want to be missing out.

Mr H had a siesta, so I figured it was green smoothie time too.

Apparently all this swimming was still not enough. Mr H was keen to get to the river properly and swim like the locals. The Murray flows strong enough that if you float for a few seconds you will drift along, so it took about 3 minutes before the girls grabbed their life jackets, ran up the river and floated down the middle. An hour later and I was keen to get going.  Once I got stung by a bee I was really damn ready to get going.

Moments before my foot said hello to a bee.

Stupid bee.

So we went out for dinner. Again.

Then we got ice cream, walked to the wharf and checked out all the old things both floating in the river and around it, until the mozzies drove us away.

It was dark when we got back to our motel at 9.30pm, but hey, it's holidays, so back to the pool they went.

I decided to rest my bee stung foot, blog the day out and watch Lleyton Hewitt in the tennis.

And That's The End of the Story.

The thing you need to look for when looking for bathers

We were a good hour from home and the talk started about whether the weather would be hot enough for swimming in the outdoor pool when I realised that I had left my bathers at home.

It's been three summers since I bought new bathers, back then I went and spent a small fortune on three pairs of togs that provided me with the coverage I wanted, holding me in where I needed it most and pretty much doing the best a few skimpy bits of fabric could do.

I unhappily hit the shops yesterday wanting new bathers. Shop number one held a lovely variety of bikinis, they were stringy, with little triangles that covered even littler bits of flesh.

Shop number two reminded me that all the bathers have been sold for the summer and perhaps I should buy a running bra and some running shorts. I actually even tried them on thinking perhaps this could work. Bloody awful.

I was close to giving up, but spied the local lingerie shop and crossed my fingers, held my breath and went in to ask if they had anything.

The lady said "Yes, I do, but I am not sure they will be what you are after."

Then I spied the one thing I had been looking and praying for.

Following on from that I saw the two words which are music to my bather searching ears.

NANCY GANZ. 

I tried them on, and then another pair, and then a few more. In the end I couldn't choose which ones I loved the best.

But I grabbed a pair that just felt good.

Because that is what you need to look for. Whatever your figure, your attitude, your confidence, the thing you need when you buy new bathers is to be sure that they make you feel good. Not everyone else, not the teenager that you once were. Not the body you hope to have in six months.

You, right now.

So here they are. Me, not looking all model and marvellous like, but loving my new togs enough for a photo.

How do you do the bather shop? Any other tips?

Another Disclaimer.: Not sponsored at all. 

Beach free summer

Are you a beach lover?

I am torn between loving the ocean and the waves. The sounds of the water, the natural beauty of a beach that just can't be replicated by humans no matter how hard we try.

But I also struggle with the hot hot sand and the absence of shade. When you go to the beach it is never just a five metre stroll from the car, and you seem to have to pack so much stuff. Then there is the sand that comes home with you.

Yet again this summer I find we are heading inland to spend our days. Places where it is hot, but there are also trees to sit under, rivers to wade in, pools to dive in, wineries to dine in.

Another summer holiday and it's another inland town we are heading to.

Just like humans can't replicate the ocean and the waves, they also can't bring the peace and contentment that sitting among the trees, by a flowing river with great food at your finger tips can give.

Going inland rather than coastal means you travel to more towns, check out more cafes, visit more places and see things that others just never do.

I like it.

I like it a lot.

The beach will always be magical. It will always remind me of teenage days of coconut oil, burnt feet and skimpy bikinis. However the lakes and rivers of Australia can show off pretty nicely too, and it's time we spent some more time with them. Plus, there are ponies, lots of ponies to ride.

Are you into lakes, rivers, beaches or pools? 

Community Dress Announcement.

I have been looking for the perfect dress for sometime. I have found a few, but they just were not quite right. Too long, short, expensive. Too floral, too bright, too tight!

But, being Christmas, I was stocking up on socks and jocks and school sports stuff at Bonds when I saw a dress.

It was perfect and it was on sale. At $25 I could not leave it behind. I have since worn it as often as I can.

It whips through the wash and doesn’t need ironing. It gives the arms a little cover for those that like it and the waist belt does not require a tight squish around the Christmas pudding girth.

I was sent some slide on shoes from the team at FRANKiE4 and they team up with this dress really well. Better then that, they team up with my crappola back even better. 

After I was down and out with my back in November I was told to accept the fact that I need to wear sensible shoes from now on. I even sent my work team an email to apologise for my sensible shoe wearing faux pas that would be required from now on.

The sensible shoe issue is tricky. I am trying not to gallop into my old age wearing shoes that make me look 109 years old.  Thankfully designers like those at Frankie4 have got my back!

And it seems they also have my Mother-in-laws. Because she has been seen wearing my shoes around quite a bit too! I am going to be giving a pair away on my Instagram account, pop over this week, follow me on Instagram and see if you can get yourself a pair.

I have also found myself a few kaftan’s this summer. I just haven’t quite got the right one yet. I have one that is going to be great to wear over my bathers…except I need to get some bathers…can there be any shopping worse then bathers?

Lucky I have my Bonds bargain dress find, and the plain colour version, black included for my fellow Melbourne black garment lovers is down to just twenty bucks! 

What great fashion finds have you found this summer?

For those wondering, this is not a sponsored post. Bonds do not pay me. Nor do Frankie4, but they sent me a pair of shoes and asked me what I thought of them, I thought they were good enough to share with you.

How to do the Double Feature at the Drive In, with Kids.

The drive-in still exists and it's really worth booking in a night for you and the kids to go and check it out.

If you are like us and hardly ever see a movie of your choice then the double feature at the drive in just might be an option.

It takes very little organising and gives you a rockin' Saturday night out. OK, it might not be the biggest party of the year, but it is better then staying home, again.

We took ourselves off to the double feature and it worked really well. First up was the kid movie, Penguins of Madagascar. We set the kids up in the front seats with cushions and blankets and Mr H and I settled into the back seat. It was actually quite comfy, just a little more difficult to see the entire screen.

The back seat was perfect for us to eat all the good food without the kids even noticing.

Mr H snuck out to the diner and returned with popcorn for the kids and ice-cream and doughnuts. We were meant to share out the doughnuts, but that fake jam and sugar was too much for us and we slurped those up quite happily, not sharing.

With the front seat, the popcorn, a funny movie on and comfy cushions the kids watched their movie.

Then we swapped it all around.

The kids had a quick run around the Drive-in, watched the end of Big Hero 6 on another screen and got ready to cozy up in the back.

We re-positioned all the cushions and by 11pm when the second film started, Mr H and I took over the front seat. Within 15 minutes the kids were asleep in the back and Mr H got to watch the Hobbit in peace.

I must admit I didn't last the distance and fell asleep before the end.

At the end of the film, Mr H simply drove us all home.

The kids thought that staying out til 2 in the morning was fantastic, even if they were asleep.

Two movies for a family of four is only $45! Bargain. We really need to go more often.

We went to the Coburg Drive-In, so if you are in Melbourne, go and check it out. If you know of any other Drive-Ins, leave them in the comments so other people can check them out too.





*This is not a sponsored post. It's just sharing good stuff.

Hello 2015.

Hello 2015.

So far so good.

The New Year has been celebrated with fireworks, picnics, swimming, and visits from family and friends. I even have the school shoe shopping complete.

We have been heading to the movies lots. How expensive are movies these days? Way too much. I only go with tickets I have purchased cheap elsewhere or I buy the tickets online. I took my Mum to see Into the Woods last night. In case you didn't know, it's a musical. The entire thing. Not a song here or there, but the whole thing is in sing song tunes. I am a fan of musicals, but I wasn't expecting this. If you don't like people singing when they could be talking, you have been warned.

Until now Mr H and I have also been working. It's both easy and hard to work when lots of people are off at the beach. It's a great time to drive into work. My usual 50 minute drive was down to 22 minutes. It was like the road was all mine.

When you get to work, there is no pressure. Suppliers are not around, few people return your calls, emails get sent and the only reply you get is an out of office bounce back. People are more free to chat. We went to lunch and checked out new cafes - the ones that were open.

If you sneak a scroll through your facebook feed there are lots of people relaxing at beach houses, camping beside rivers and doing summer holiday things. But just when many of them are now heading back to the office Mr H and I have three weeks off. AT THE SAME TIME.

We haven't booked a trip anywhere. Yet. We might. Depends on the weather really. If it keeps raining then we are not going to be camping by a river. If it gets really really hot again, then we are not going to the bush where we are on fire alert the whole time.

But we need to get away somewhere, we just can't stay home for long periods of time. Three weeks would have us climbing the walls. We would end up going slightly mad.

We like to just google around and see where there is availability, where haven't we been, where would be good to check out.

We have spent the last few years trying to encourage our parents to purchase a beach house so that we could actually use it sometimes, so far they have both ignored our pleas. I think I hear whispers of "buy your own beach house" but I can't be sure.

We have three glorious weeks of just deciding each day what we are going to do. Some days we might just do nothing. Let the kids decide how many hours they want to play Sims and Minecraft while we read books, eat chocolate and lay in the sun. Who knows. It's all just part of the fun of living the unorganised life.

Have you taken any leave yet? Heading anywhere for the next few weeks? Got yourself a beach house?