{The Grateful Project} Day 18: getting educated

Woah! How did I get so behind yet again? Time management really is not my strong point. And I chose to go back to study? Again? With two kids? And whilst trying to run a household and a business? Really!?! 

just your average Saturday night activities

Yes! Yes I did and even though it is hard work trying to manage it all, im so glad I did and im so grateful to have the opportunity. 

For as long as I can remember, it has been my dream to be an Interior Designer, long before The Block made it cool! Many days during my childhood were spent rearranging the furniture or going over house plans in the Sunday paper, drawing up room sketches and pouring over the gorgeous homes in my stash of design mags. I loved art and design and I wanted to make a career out of it. 

But when you are 18, and you have just moved out of home to live with your boyfriend, and you really need money to pay for boring things like a mortgage and groceries, well you will take any job you can get and any dreams you have of a glamorous design career get left by the wayside. 

So I worked in a chinese restaurant, then a pharmacy, then for an airline, then in jewellery sales and finally, in marketing. Then I had kids. And somewhere in there, right before leaving my marketing job and having our first child, the husband started his little earthmoving business. And that is what I do now. Kind of. (Im not very good at keeping on top of it all...whoops!)

But in all of that, something was missing. None of it was what I wanted to do, all of those jobs were what I felt I had to do. I started feeling resentful and full of regret for not pursuing my dreams and instead, being responsible. urgh. 

So, one day I randomly decided to do a bit of googling on interior design courses. And then I just applied. And then I told my husband. And he tried to be supportive. But he is kind of pissed about all the wasted money on HECS from my last attempt at a tertiary education that I never finished (hello incomplete Bachelor of Management Marketing) . But this time will be different. Finally, at the age of 28, I am realising my dream (apart from the other dream of you know, having two gorgeous kids and an awesome husband). This is what I have always wanted to do.

research

Im so grateful to be an interior design student. So much so that all the boring things about being a student really arent that boring to me. I love going to Tafe. I love all of my classes and I really enjoy doing my homework. Im so excited about the future and what it holds. Whether or not ill be a successful interior designer or not, at least I have given it a go. And I will always know I tried. 

No regrets here.

Lisa xx

{The Grateful Project} Day 17- Friends

Friends. Thank god you can choose them. I have some of the best, if I don't say so myself. And oh my, I am so incredibly grateful to have them all in my life.

I have my 'mum friends' who I've met since having children. We all had babies around the same time and now we hang out and the kiddos play whilst we have coffee and share our horror stories. Every now and then we are lucky enough to go out and catch-up without children and instead, wine. Now that is always a fun time to be had! 

'mothers group'

Then there are my 'single and child-less' friends although most of them aren't single anymore and a few now have kids, even step-kids. They are the ones that know the latest pubs and clubs to go to, the ones in the latest fashions, smashing it in the career fields and generally having the time of their lives. jealous? me, never! Ok maybe a little bit but I wouldn't trade places with them. I still get to go out every now and then but I have my kids everyday and that beats any club or corporate ladder.

party time!

Fiji, one thousand years ago

There are our couple friends. Most of whom we have known since we got-together, nearly 13 years ago! We've gone through weddings and divorces, babies and miscarriages. We've been through alot together and you know they will always have your back, and you theirs. 

Our very dear friends wedding, 4 years ago

two of my closet friends on our Melbourne trip last year

I have alot of friends and Im grateful for every.single.one of them. I don't get to spend time with any of them anywhere near enough but we are all busy and they get that. Im so grateful to have friends that organise stuff though because without those friends, I probably wouldn't see anyone-ever.

Sunday brunch dates with these chicks

 Thank you ladies. 

Lisa xx

{The Grateful Project} Days 10-16: Time

I had every intention of doing a separate post for each day of the last week. But the more I thought about all the posts I wanted to write, the more I realised that each moment I have been grateful for, all comes down to the same thing...time.

I'm feeling so grateful right now, to time. 

Right now, time is on my side, on my family's side. The kiddos are still so young and even though time is constantly ticking, right now they are here with me. And I am here with them. 

coffee dates with the little lady

turning boxes of wine into works of art

still little enough to squash side-by-side in the trolley

I have become so painfully aware lately how limited this time really is. Whether it is due to the little man starting kindergarten and the incredible changes I have seen in him as a result, or if its due to the recent time I have spent alone with Lila, and noticing how quickly she is growing up, I am constantly aware that this time is precious. 

I caught Marley helping Lila put on her shoes...proud mummy moment!

Last week I toured one of the schools we are considering enrolling Marley in. All too soon, I am going to be a 'school Mum'. We are going to be doing lunches and school runs and readers and after-school sports and he is going to be gone all day, five days a week. I keep thinking 'that's it', like once he starts school, its all over. 

yes it is

I have been loving mornings lately. Those blissful moments when the kids have climbed in to bed with me and we all lie there snuggling together, them watching cartoons and me stealing a few more precious minutes of sleep. Already we are at a stage of having to be somewhere every morning by a certain time but its still pretty casual. Casual in the way that its not a big deal if we run a few minutes late to swimming lessons or to kindergarten. Next year were going to have to be on a.....schedule!

so relax!

I am grateful to still be at home. All too soon, it will be time for me to return to work. And that is exciting, scary and sad. I will not only be a 'school mum' then but a 'working school mum'.

always, always choose the kids

Right now Im just grateful for the kisses and cuddles and tickle fights. Im taking more time when I go to check in on them before I go to bed, just to soak up a little more of the adorable that is a sleeping child. 

Im finding that im willing them to come in to our room and hop in to bed with us, just so I can fall asleep with them tucked safely in my arms. 


All I want to do right now is just be where they are. I just can not get enough of them and that is a wonderful feeling.  


Lisa xx

{The Grateful Project} Day 9-Dates with the little man

{I am well aware it has been over a week since my last post. It has also been precisely a week since we went over our GB allowance with our new Internet plan and they slowed our speed to an excruciatingly sloooooooooowww speed to the point that it was pointless even trying to use the Internet. I gave in last night and doubled our allowance, a girl cant deal with this no internet thing!}

Day 9

So it was last Friday (Day 9) that I finally got a chance to spend some much needed quality time with the little man. It doesn't happen anywhere near often enough. Partly because there is this other little person around all the time and partly because Marley is such a daddy's boy that usually they go off and do their boy thing while the little lady and I do our girl things (like this time).

But last Friday, I finally had an opportunity to spend some time just with him. We went to the movies, we had lunch, we had coffee (he had a babycino), we even went shopping. 

our valentines present from the little man

He soaked it all up {I love watching him watching everything}. He asked questions. We talked. 

We talked about his new kindergarten and the friends he had made there, we talked about what he is going to be when he grows up (his latest is either a 'fireman' or a 'dad'), we hung out. It was awesome. 

Im grateful for days like this. I know all too well, that they are limited. One day, he will be able to think of nothing worse then going to the movies and shopping with his mother. So im going to enjoy these days while I have them.

ok so I caved and bought him some new cars. How could I resist?

Lisa xx

{The Grateful Project} Day 8-A clean laundry!

Today, what I am feeling so terribly grateful for, is that I finally cleaned my laundry! 

This is exciting stuff people! But the shameful thing is that it only took me just over an hour to clean, leading me to question myself as to why it took me so damn long to get around to doing it..???

Anyway, it is done now and its ready for its mini-makeover. As soon as I can decide on what exactly I'm going to do with it. 

The dreaded floor....

Oh that's right, we have black and white tiles in our laundry

Underneath all that crap, is a white bench top....

Ah, there it is

Just random crap filling precious cupboard space

Finally, a space to put the washing baskets

I was terrified of what was lurking under the sink....

Now a space for the dog food and a basket for all the vacuum cleaner and steam mop bits and pieces

This is all part of my ongoing endeavour to get organised. It doesn't come naturally to me. I hate mess and chaos, yet am surrounded by it constantly. I get started on a room or an area, and then I get distrac....ooo something shiny!

This time feels different though. I have read pretty much everything there is to read about getting organised, speed cleaning, time management so the know-how is there, I just need to get on with the actual doing of it. 

So inspired by Modern Parents Messy Kids: Project Organise Your Entire Life, I thought I would start with the laundry and, wow does it feel good to walk past that room and see the floor!


Lisa xx

{The Grateful Project} Days 6 and 7: My little man

We had a bit of a nasty encounter yesterday. Without going in to too much detail, it was the sort of situation where one is forced into defending their child and their parenting all at once. 

Apparently Marley had grabbed a little girls arm. She didn't cry or protest, but her mother happened to see it whilst I was looking away. Apparently that incident makes my child a 'bully' and me a 'neglectful parent' who cant watch her kids. 

Its not the first time Marley has been involved in an incident in a playground. And its not always Marley that is being the 'bully', often it is he who is the unfortunate victim. Its not ideal, but it is life and when you take your child to a place where they will interact with other children, it is pretty much a given that some kind of incident will occur. Most parents seem to understand this. 

We all try and watch our kids and teach them as best we can the right way to act in social situations, but no one can watch their child every single second, we do have to blink! 

And when you are the parent of two children, you have to watch both of them, which means looking away from one to look at the other. 

I don't take her 'neglectful' comments too personally. I know I'm not a neglectful parent but when someone threatens my child or bullies them, I suddenly feel this lioness instinct rise up inside me, and god help anyone trying to hurt my cub! 

Thankfully, I kept my cool and decided to leave. There was so much I wanted to say to her though. Apart from the abuse I wanted to hurl her way, I wanted to tell her that she had Marley all wrong! Yes he had acted a bit rough and that behaviour is not acceptable,  but there was so much more to him than just being a typical boisterous boy.

I wanted to tell her how smart and funny he is. And how incredibly sweet he can be to me and to his sister. He is so loving and affectionate and can be so gentle. He is friendly and polite and thoughtful. There is so much more to him than 'that kid that grabbed my daughters arm'. 

first day of kindy

camera shy??

hanging out with George

BMX bandit

He is never boring, always intense, often unpredictable and constantly questioning and challenging. There are days he makes me want to pull my hair out and yell and scream. And then there are the days when I cant get enough of him and all I want to do is lavish him with kisses and cuddles and tickle fights. 

Everyday I am grateful to have this little guy in my life. 

Lisa xx

{The Grateful Project} Day 5: Costly little reminders

So today I got home to discover a GINORMOUS very unexpected bill just casually sitting there in my letterbox. Its absolutely my most favourite thing ever. Totally. I'm not joking not even a little bit. Actually yes, im completely joking because no one in the history of the world would ever consider 'ginormous unexpected bills' as their most favourite thing!

Anywaaaaaaaaaaaaay

So I got a little stressed (as you would expect) and I got a little angry with myself. I was all like 'self, seriously, get organised already!'

There is nothing I can do about the bill. It has to be paid. But there is something I can do about making sure I know when they are coming. So its time to get all grown up and sort my sh*t out-for realz this time. 

Im grateful for this (painfully expensive) yet very timely kick-oneself-up-thy-butt reminder. Its time to get organised!



Lisa xx

{The Grateful Project} Day 4: Lazy summer nights

pretty summer sunsets at Aldinga Beach

You may notice this post is one day late. That's because last night I was here /\, enjoying this view with friends, family and about 3000 tourists. Ok maybe a slight exaggeration, it was more like 2999. 

So grateful to live 2 minutes from this. I can come here whenever I want but I don't get here anywhere near enough. 

Now I just need to overcome my immense fear of sharks and learn me some surfin' moves, and Id be all set....

Lisa xx

{The Grateful Project} Day 3:Girls night in

Tonight, I'm grateful for a night in at home, just me and my mini-me. 

While the boys are off doing manly things (Monster Trucks-can you get manlier than that!?!?), me and the little lady had a little mani/pedi sesh whilst watching the latest Tinkerbell. seriously.

pink AND sparkles!

This is my idea of a Saturday night! Im such a loser! But I love it!!

Lisa xx

{The Grateful Project} Day 2: Life's little lessons-Loving my children

This morning I received a phone call.

It is one I've had many times before. And every time it brings all these 'mother issues' up which I hate to think of.

I prefer to live in my bubble and not think of icky, feel-sorry-for-myself things like that. 

So today, im grateful that the way I was 'brought' up has made me the kind of mother I am today. No matter how crazy my kids make me, the spirited little delights that they are, they are, and always will be, the absolute most important people in my life. 

My kids are everything to me.

I assume most people feel the same way, but every now and then, I get a nasty little reminder that to some people (that I happen to be related to), this is not the case. Not.even.close. 

I cant imagine an event in my life more important than caring for my children.

I cant imagine another person being more important to me than they are.

I cant imagine not being there for them or being apart of their lives.

I cant imagine living around the corner from them, but not seeing them or speaking to them for months.

I am grateful that my kids will never ever doubt my love for them or how much I care for them or that I would go to the ends of the earth for them, for I tell them every.single.day. 

my sleeping beauties

So, today, Im grateful that despite having grown up with a very different 'parenting style', Im different. 

Im not perfect, far from it. 

But I love my kids with total and complete passion, so much so that I am consumed by thoughts of them constantly.

How to parent them.

How to care for them.

Am I doing things the right way? 

Am I feeding them properly?

Am I doing enough activities with them? 

Are they having fun?

If nothing else, I am totally and completely madly in love with my kids, and they know that.

And that my friends,makes me feel incredibly grateful. 

What little life lessons are you most grateful for?

Lisa xx

{The Grateful Project} Day 1: The Husband

Today, on this first day of {The Grateful Project} and as it so happens to be Valentines Day, I am grateful for my husband Paul. 

The husband.

I am grateful my parents finally made the decision to move back home to Adelaide, after much pestering on my part.

I am grateful for, on my very first day of my new school, walking into that classroom 13 years ago, and sitting next to that girl, who happened to be dating this other guy who just happened to be cousins with this other guy named Paul. 

I am grateful that Paul chose me.

I am grateful that after so many loser boyfriends, Paul was actually a nice guy. 

I am grateful that he asked me to move in with him, to the house that he had worked so hard and saved so much to have. 

I am grateful that he asked me to marry him and Im grateful he made me wait as long as he did, for I really was not ready before then. 

Im grateful that he really wanted to have kids. 

Im grateful that he is such a good father.

Im grateful that he works so hard.

Im grateful that we are still together.

Im grateful that we can fight and argue and I can yell and scream, and be really mad at him, and know that he will still be here.

Im grateful that he puts up with me, messy, unorganised, fiesty me.

Im grateful to have had the same Valentine for 13 years. 

Who are you most grateful for?

Lisa xx