goodbye winter...

It's not that I don't like Winter, but it's so lovely to be welcoming Spring & it's warmer days & all the prospects of new beginnings that it has to offer...

But before I go jumping the gun and moving onto Spring, we still have approximately 3 hours left, to give thanks and reflect on the wonderment (hmmm word? not sure) of Winter...

So my personal list of absolute gratitude is this;

Thank You for;

• cold crisp days
• a red nose
• numb fingers & toes
• walks along the beach at it's best
• huge swells
• rain
• daffodils
• super cute gumboots
• and colorful umbrellas
• snuggles on the couch with my babes
• outside fires
• and crackling logs
• warm gooey delicious marshmallows
• my lambswool slippers
• delightful knitted vests & jumpers
• scrumptious slow cooked meals
• puddings of all flavours
• puddles
• mud
• long hot baths
• listening to the rain on the tin
• oranges
• inside fires
• snuggles
• snuggles
• and more snuggles
• and all the things I've missed but loved

Now on your way and let Spring do it's thing! We shall be seeing you again next year...

MH xx

dreamer...

I guess I should clarify this first off, to avoid the risk of sounding ungrateful. Yes, we have just built a new home, and it's ever so comfortable, and more than a roof over our heads. But here is the thing, my idea & I do believe that it is fast becoming my darling husbands (I should say DH, , but you know what that could be mistaken for??? and with a wish list so long, we would not want to offend).

Anyway, as I was saying, I dream of a white weatherboard homestead with huge surrounding verandas, a porch swing, rolling pastures looking out onto the ocean, a huge white kitchen & I mean huge, with a porcelain inset sink and lovely chrome old style taps and light fittings, and window seats, and a mudroom, because with 4 children you need that....

There will be fruit trees and cows, sheep, chickens (more than two), and a Veggie patch to die for! It will be white, white, white, did I mention that I like white? We currently have white walls and kitchen now and even just a few white items is hard to keep busy hands off...

I don't quite know the location of our dream home, but I am not thinking snow... so I guess that rules out a few places...

Well now I see no other option than to indulge your visual sense with some pics...

The dreamer xx



I have just stumbled across this and it was love at first sight, you might like to check it out too! http://porchlightinteriors.blogspot.com/2010/03/tea-on-verandah.html

I think that's enough dreaming for now

MamaHick xx

the girls need a new home...

Fluffy & Coco are growing at a huge rate of knots, and they need a new home. I am thinking of something gorgeous & primped and all things chateau, but my husband has other ideas... So the discussion continues. He is thinking wire cage and let them out each day to help fertilise the garden ( I am thinking fertilise the deck, washing, table, chairs, me if I stopped long enough) I love the thought of having them rome, and this is what is currently happening, but they are totally chaos, eating my plants and pooping everywhere.

So my thoughts were something like this...

Nothing flash, just a chicken coupe made by yours truly & darling husband, he is ever so handy, it would be such a waste to let all his wonderful skills go to waste.

I want fruit trees & Veggies, & a Water tank, and to do up the Pirate Ship (pics to come) &, &, &.... oh my, the list goes on & on..

For now, we shall just discuss, but secretly deep down, I know that he always wants to please me.

We will need apples, so there will definitely be an apple tree...

Cabbage, well not the favourite of the kids, but look at this superb sculpture!

Mandarines are a must too, high up on the list...

Oh I am a dreamer... I cannot wait to get stuck into "The Patch".

Watch this space to see how the discussion pans out and for progressive pics.

I am still watching...

I am loving all this sunny sunshine that we have been so blessed with. I am watching too. I can see the early signs of Spring on the trees & I can smell it in the air. I have been closely inspecting the new grass that I am so very impatiently dreaming of walking on barefooted!!! I have been observing our home too to see what we love and where we need to primp!

One thing that I will be glad to be rid of is the nasty coldy fluey bugs that are floating around in the cold Winter air. I love Winter for all it brings don't get me wrong, but I like to feel the warmth of the sun on my bones. I think that perhaps my sad little bubba maybe feeling a little under the weather at the moment, so we have been sharing lots a cuddles (lucky me), I hope it passes soon, so my wonderfully happy boy returns!

OK, so here is the grass progress...................

So this is what 1 week & 6 days is bringing us....

I know that it is bringing me joy!!

I have also captured a few little corners from our home that I love, for one reason or another...

Peace & Warmth

MamaHick xx

Do you see what I see?

OK, so it's not much, but this teensy bit of green is making me one very happy Mama right now.... As much as the kids are loving feeling and wearing this sandy black earth (god love em') my walls and floors are not!! Argggghhhhh.... well it's probably not Arrrrrggghhh worthy, but it kind of driving me a tad nuts! My poor bubba boy had never felt the grass of our yard, and my kids do love the outdoors, so this is not right and must be changed! OK, so I did a little research and discovered what grass we would need, that being one called Emerald Kikuyu, apparently it's tolerant to everything and needs no water once established, so sounds good to me. The picture is the grass seed after 1 week and 4 days, and I promise that I am passionate enough to blog about it's progress... because there is nothing better than watching the grass grow... hmmmm we'll see. So watch this space and see my grass grow! I cannot wait to walk barefoot through the lush green grass and see the kids running and playing in the warm summer sun.... ahhhh day dreaming the night away!
Peace out XO

Random Rambles...

Yooo Hooooo, yes I am still here, although even I had thought that perhaps I may have dissappeared off the face of the earth!!! I have been baking.... well not in the literal sense, but baking in the glorious sunshine that we have been so blessed with for the past week.. Actually not really sure that you can call umpdeem (probably not a word) trips to tyhe clothes line baking... but if so, consider me golden!!!

I have been blogging in my head, many times in fact, but what good is that, hey..
I have also been painting and projecting and painting until my elbows and wrists ache!!!! My poor old bones just cannot take the strain these days..

Kids have all been pretty good, with the occasional lingering winter snots, sore throats and lung wrenching coiughs, but we seem to have finally come to the end of that...

I have been thinking of Christmas, and how the distance between one to the next keeps on getting shorter. And the fact that this years feast a la feast is at our home... Good golly Miss Molly how ever will I feed them all, the family that is... I must say though, that it is lovely being surrounded by the entire heard. The craziness of 11 children aged from 16yrs to 15months, all buzzing about with the excitement of the fabulous Santa and all his gifts, and the enormity of  the day and night that precede and follow!
Then there is the question of what to get???? what to get to eat? what to get to decorate? what to get to give??? and the list goes on & on!

I have been watching too!!! Intently might I add!! One week and one day ago we decided that with the unusually warm end to Winter, that we would sow our lawn seed, in the hope that the kids would have a lovely grassy spot to sit, play, cartwheel, or whatever during the Summer months... I cannot yet see one blade, and it scares me!!! I need green!! Lovely luscious grass to lay in, to walk in, because lets face it, there is nothing better than walking bare foot in the grass... hmmmmm I love GRASS!!!

I have been thinking craft too and something fun to make for Summer for the kids to play in and around, but I will not spoil the surprise... I will try (no promises peeps) to capture the crafting on the NIKON!!!!!

I also hear bubs awake, so it's off I go to get me son shine!!!

Goodbye Winter ~ Hello Spring xo

oh baby it's cold out there.... oh baby you'll freeze out there....

Dadda takes the reins.... probably be better to say helm I guess, but no real words for today, just pics.

Enjoy, we did X

honey I'm home...

I have a sneaking suspicion that my darling husband secretly believes that I swan around all day drinking cuppa's, chatting to girl friends on the phone, taking the occasional snooze, painting my nails, reading mags & watching random crap on daytime television.
And I guess that he is right, to a certain extent, because that is exactly what I would do ~ once I have b/f the baby, let the dog out before he pees all over the house,  fed 4 children their breakfast, cleaned the highchair (1^st time), swept the kitchen floor (1st time), un-stacked the dishwasher (here comes the pattern..... 1st time), washed the concrete off the table (not really but have you ever left weat bix for an hour on the table???? Man 'o' Man, you could build houses with that stuff), hunted down dirty socks from under the couch (hey Claye), put the first load of washing on, soaked the really stained stuff (almost all the kids stuff) in a bucket with the nearest laundry soaky product that my bleary eyes could find, let Max back in, rescued the stuff from Dusty's mouth off the floor, yelled at the bigger kids to get ready for school (ba ha ha ha 1st time), then made their lunches, checked that their bags are packed, strapped Dusty into the carseat, run around like a headless chook for a few minutes, yelled again at the bigger kids (2nd time), get everyone into the car, make sure all 7,000 have their seat belts on (yes they have multiplied, what's it to ya?), back out of the driveway, drive back in the driveway (Claye, can you seriously forget your shoes????), back out again, wrangle the roundabouts, reverse park at school, throw some kids out (most of the time not literally), home again, home again, feed baby a snack, clean the highchair (2^nd time), read a story to Tully, hung out the washing, wiped a small vomit up from the carpet, put Dusty to bed for a sleep, folded the washing, tidied kid’s play area, make sure the kids are all booked in for random medical procedures, thought about a sudden idea to make me millions, new load of washing on, answered the phone to said husband to see how my day was (hmm checking in), phone wakes Dusty, b/f said baby, drag out assortment of things that keep him happy, it's more food for someone, make a trip to the supermarket to pick up milk and something for dinner, unpacked the shopping, yep nothing still for dinner (the reason I needed to go today), removed Dusty from the pantry for the 28th time, is that other small boy still here?, yep, and the whole roll of toilet paper does not go in at once, and will block the toilet, send found small boy to time out, 4 minutes should do it (I wish), remind baby that dog food is not a nutritious staple at his age, remove him from the bathroom where he has been jamming his chubby fingers in the cupboard , back in the car to collect school aged kids, cook dinner, feed small people, clean the highchair (3^rd time), bathe kids, dress kids, do reader with Claye, listen to Lilla read, throw a boob at the baby, put him to bed, re-settle baby, re-settle baby, re-settle baby (he is consistent at least), greet darling husband, feed him ( and no, not boobs) eat too, tidy up dishes, get bigger kids into bed, yell at bigger kids to GET TO BED!!, argue about who's older & what time is suitable for 8 year olds versus 6 year olds,  take deep breathes, put the dishwasher on, talk to darling about his day, love him, possibly grab a hard earned shower, crawl into bed.

Please forgive me if I have left something out, because what on earth am I talking about anyway!!!!!!!!

Just line up those cuppas with the mags, I'll have a tim tam thanks,  & take a message for those phone calls, I think there will be some spare time tomorrow, or perhaps I'll just re-heat the cuppa I made at 7am this morning!!

Love you XO

you can have your cake and eat it too, you just need to choose the right cake!

Well I guess as a Mama of 4, I certainly know about the cost of raising and entertaining a family. And there really is no better time to let you in on a few ways that you too can give loads of fun and activities for the kids keeping you and them sane over the school holidays when the weather is only good for those with webbed feet! Yes mine are wide, but not webbed!

OK, so today was a great example of fun on a shoestring! 2 X Mamas, 1 X Dadda, and 6 X kiddies looking for adventure. So where do you go for free to amuse the kids for a few hours?????? I know you are all saying something in your heads, & if you said Bunnings, well then you would be absolutely correct! Over the school holidays, Bunnings offer free craft for kids roughly twice a week. Today we lucked into Boat Making and Painting!! And the kids LOVED it.... So did the parents, we all got to help and chat, and help and chat, so win win I say.

Of course there is also a Playground at Bunnings, and I believe that the entry there is free!! So you could possibly be thinking, "WOW, tight bottom", or you could be thinking "Smart". I will let you decide what I am, because I don't care..
So of course the kids and adults need feeding, so a treat was in order for the kids and they were wanting McDonalds of course (they do have the biggest sign & adds on TV, so they must be great).

Aldi was where we hit and purchased the following not so healthy option, but a great occasional treat;
1 x Bag of Straight Cut Fries $1.99
1 x Curly Fries $2.99
2 x Box Party Pies (only 1.5 required) $3.99
Banana Lollies $0.99
Snakes $0.99
Ice Creams $0.99
Coffee's & Water provided by Mama Hick
And to top off all the health!!!!!! Ice Creams $3.49
So that's about $19.40, making each persons share roughly $2.10, much, much, much cheaper than any take away place! and the fun and laughter that came from our table was contagious!!! Plus there was leftovers, and they were far to full at dinner, so an apple was suffice..

Kids really needn't cost you a fortune, there is dirt outside, sticks make shovels and leaves make shelters for match box cars, and any side of a shoe can make a motorbike track!!! Well that's what my boys tell me.....
There are loads of shopping centres, Libraries, Bunnings, & other Council run activities to get your kids out and about, so use them, you might just have a blast!!
We all had a wonderful day, and the kids are totally thrilled with the boats they made... in fact they are already asking when they can go back to do mosaicing (that can not seriously be a word, or is it?)... How could any Mama say no?
Please if you know of any other wonderful things to see and do, when the indoors gets a bit "la dee da", let me know!
From this Mama to that Mama XO Peace

I've got it....

I am going to be a professional!!! A professional Mama!! Is that possible? Well maybe I'll give it a shot and let you know how that goes. XX

the reality...

OK, so really, at half past midnight, any normal existing human would be fast asleep! But not I, you see for the last few months, I have been struggling with my decision to return to work or stay at home and be an even fuller time Mama, because I think that all Mama's either working and being paid, or working, and not earning a pretty penny, are still full time. You know what I mean anyway, there is no real break from being Mama!!
This may shock and horrify you, but me decision to resign bought upon a very heavy heart.....
I had been working paid part time, throughout all of my babies. Not immediately, but before they were 2 years old, I had always returned to paid work on a part time basis....
This time, with my husbands job and shift work and 4 young children the logistics and the increasing cost of shoddy childcare were all seeming a little more than we could bare. Most women I am sure would be wrapped at the fact that they would not have to throw the glad rags on and head to the office, but not I.
Well I do not know what it is that is really bothering me. I am thinking that maybe in a way I am worried about losing the old me, the one who contributed to the household financially, who had a life outside these four walls, mind you they are lovely walls, but restrictive just the same. It's such a hard decision to make and one made by millions of Mama's all over the globe I am sure, but now the decision was with me.
I feel pressure to be there all the time by my children, and the washing that seems to be breeding in the laundry is always beckoning, and dinner will always be needing to be prepared, and someone will always need "sumfing to eat", and the floor will always be sticky, and the walls be decorated with tiny hand prints, and my job will be to make sure that the entire world will be OK, and cleaned, watered & fed. Well maybe not the whole world, but it sure can feel like it at times. I do like reading other peoples blogs, but most of them seem to be dreamy and whimsical, and make being a Mama, a never ending supply of wonderment and joy.... Do they really feel the same as me??? I think the reality is probably the same for almost everyone. Please don't think that I do not like being Mama Hick for one tiny minuscule second, cos' that's entirely not true, but when it came to giving up something that allowed me to be me, just me, I suddenly feel a little lost.
It's funny, well not ha ha ha funny, but as soon as I had actually resigned, I began rummaging through the craft box, and eyeing people's hard rubbish for the next awaiting project! I found two by the way, and creative inspiration is something I do have a little of. Well actually probably more like about 5 new projects, but I am sure there will be time for them soon enough. I also went mad listing things on eBay, even the kids were saying "Mummo" (of all names, I seem to be getting this more often than not, but we will chat about that in a minute) are you walking around looking for things to sell? To which I honestly should have replied "yes", but for the sake of not making them feel insecure, I told them "no darling, I have lost something". Dirty big fibber!!!
Is it just me?, see there I go again, feeling like the only soul on the planet, or do other Mama's feel like sometimes being a Mama is not enough? Before you dial the last digit to DHS, I am not wanting to get rid of the kidlets or anything like that, but I would like something that says "me", that's all, "me". I guess the next few weeks I will be soul searching, and looking for that "thing".
OK, so only my children, could turn Mama, which they have generally all called me for years, into "Mummo". I bet you did not even know that you could 'Boganise', the word Mum, but Al ey luh yah!!!! my darlings have.
So I guess the one good thing, cos' there is always one good thing, there just has to be, is the extra cash that I have earned off eBay. Patting my own back, cos' no other crazies are up at this hour, well at least I hope they all sleep soundly all night long.... all night long, all night, 'o' all night, cos everyone you meet is just dancing in the street, all night long...................
OH MY..... on that note, I must get my few hours in.. nighty night, sleepy tight... MWAH X

it goes so fast it blurs...

I watch him before me every day, and I am sure there is something new and wonderful that he can do... He works so quietly, well most of the time, exploring and trying new things, it's frustrating too, because his squeals and red face tell me so. He calls me Mamba, and he really does, because I believe that if babies have instinct to cry, then smiling and talking and all the other magic that happens must also be somewhat instinctive... I love it when he follows me around the house with his cute little commando crawl, which I am sure will be the only type of crawl he will do! OK, so you will probably not believe it, but just as I typed that, he moved in a true 2 hands and 2 knee motion... See magic!! He smiled and straight away looked up to me to see that I saw it... (think lovingly of our darling boy) I cannot really believe that it has been almost 9 1/2 months since he changed our lives with his birth... He has a face now that he flashes at Mama and Dadad and we call it his Toosie face.... Pics will follow because I could not even begin to describe it... Well it's boob time for bubba and then a nice big sleep (huh hmmm)!

And that my friends is "Toosie face"