Love, bubs and life on our little farm

We have lived here 4.5 years and in that time, we have always meant to just head West and explore. Funnily enough, rather than doing it when we were a childfree couple, we end up loading the two kids under three into the car and doing it now.

So with picnic bags packed and layers of warm clothes, we headed West... and loved every minute. From enjoying the huge dams, rolling hills and paddocks of crops to climbing the Border Ranges and stopping at the very top to bushwalk and "enjoy" a picnic at a lovely spot that unfortunately was 12 degrees (I was the only one freezing as per usual!). We soaked up a true country town - where pretty much everything was shut being a Sunday, eating lunch in a cafe where service was slow and steady and the people at the neighbouring tables chatted to us, walking the streets whilst Elka licked an ice-cream cone bought for the genuine 1980's price of $1.50.

So I woke up yesterday in a great mood – the kids had let me sleep in until 7am, bliss. I love my Fridays at home, playing with the girls, taking them to storytime at the library, catching up with friends and generally recuperating from a busy week and preparing for family time on the weekend. I was feeling all maternal and fuzzy as I cuddled a snuggly pj clad Bronte as she drank her morning milk. I idly opened my email on the ipad and with a sinking heart noticed an email from the Chief Scientist of my laboratory. I get a lot of work emails on my days off and they are invariably because things are going wrong, or people need advice on techniques and results. Normally resulting in me trying to pacify two ratty kids as I desperately type technical answers or race outside to stand in the driveway where I can get mobile reception to talk.

So I scanned this email, collecting my inner strength to deal with the drama, particularly as I noted it was CC’ed to my boss’s boss. Imagine my delight when I realised it was a lovely email complimenting me on some interstate work that I had done for a hospital. My boss had been specifically approached at a conference by the Dr who requested the work and he wanted to compliment me to my boss about. So big pat on the back for me!

It left me with the strange feeling that I get – when my life as a mum and life as a career woman collide. The small things in both jobs that are so rewarding but so different in such direct comparison. Sometimes I do feel like two people, and the transition between my work and non-work days can be a bit bumpy.

So sometimes it is nice to feel like you are doing OK at both at the same time!

Its a funny day isn't it - alot of sadness for so many that have empty arms or long to have their Mum back.

I had some lovely moments - Jase asked Elka to give me a sleep-in and would you know it - it worked! I woke at 7am and realised that I hadn't had a little visitor at 6am like normal and instead she was lying in her room singing songs and waiting patiently for Jase to tell her to bring in the present that was hidden in her cupboard. I also woke to a beautiful card that Bronte had "made" at daycare by my bedside (Elka couldn't help herself and gave me hers days ago!). I was spoiled with beautiful flowers and a pamper package and taken for a perfect picnic at one of my favourite places, lying under the snow gums watching Elka play and Bronte explore.

I don't fit the mothers day sterotype very well though - I am not a fan of breakfast in bed and don't like cooked breakfasts. So Jase wrangled the kids whilst I had my bowl of cereal and got to drink my milo while it was still warm - that was treat enough! And then, all I wanted was to be left alone so I got to ride the horses, wash one horses skanky tail that has Queensland itch in it and take out my gloves and axe to weed the paddocks of fireweed and cut saplings down. Yes really - I love the peace in the paddocks with the kookaburras calling, the lorikeets darting around and searching for a glimpse of the wallabies in the underbrush. Hard to forget that I am a mother though, when everytime I got close to the house, there were little faces pressed up against the glass waving out at me desperately. Nice to be needed though isn't it!

My mothers day was cut short however, by Jase flying out for a work trip. Hate seeing him go away and miss out on the girls at the best of times but even harder to have him leave on a family day like that. So I finished the afternoon playing with the girls alone and cooking my own dinner before doing the dinner/bath/bed rush, cleaned the house, ironed and marked some uni assignments.

But compared to the pain and loss I have read on other blogs and people that have been in my thoughts today, I would not dare to complain. I got to read my little ones bedtime stories tonight, cuddle them and sneak back in the dark to tuck them in listening to their sweet breathing. Best gift for a mother ever.

xo

So I often get comments such as "I don't know how do you do it" and so on. By "it" I think people mean have a career I am passionate about as a Senior Infectious Disease Scientist in Public Health, have a husband with a demanding profession and also live on property, compete my horses and have two young kids.

I don't really have a clever response - I mean we all do what we choose to in life and I simply choose to do what I mentioned above. I do admittedly have a hard time being still or relaxing which helps me fit a fair bit into the day. I sat down on our main lounge setting today and I realised how strange it felt to sit on it during daylight hours - I just don't sit during the day and even Elka looked at me a little strangely!

My work days whiz by in a flash and I actually think I am often more tired on my days at home with the girls. I just love my job - I love the unexpected nature of what diseases are going to turn up in hospitals that day, what outbreaks need source tracking and the thrill (highs and lows) of running research projects and preparing grants and publications. It has gotten a lot more complicated as I have been made head of a laboratory which means I am now a manager of other scientists. I am still part time (with no backfill on my non-work days) and now I am managing full time staff - yep that makes me a little crazy busy at the best of times! I bring work home with me and try to clear out a lot of computer work on my "days off" (any stay at home mum will know that they are not real days off!).

But a typical work day goes something like this

5.30am - our alarm goes off. Jase kindly feeds the chickens, ducks, cats and horses (taking my competition horse's night rug off). I rush into some clothes, make-up and hair - despite being a scientist in a secure lab in a lab coat, I believe strongly in looking professional, probably more so because I am young in comparison to the other managing level staff and want to remind them that I am worthy of respect.

6am - I wake the girls, pack their lunches, give them milk and then breakfast, whilst shoving mouthfuls of cereal in as I run past my bowl. With defiant optimism I make myself a herbal tea, which never has more than two sips taken from it. Defuse the toddler delay tactics, dress the kids, wrestle Bronte into her hearing aids, brush their teeth, do Elka's hair and hustle them out of the house, hastily trying to get a chance to give Jase a kiss goodbye.

7am - leave our farm. En route sing songs with the girls, play word games and hand Elka books to "read stories" to Bronte. I try to make the commute quality time with them since it so long.

7.45am - take the girls into daycare (I use a centre close to my work so I can get to them quickly if they are sick or anything). Spend 5 or so minutes with each of them settling them in.

8am - drive the 2 mins to work, play "Get Smart" swiping through no less than 4 different doors to get into my desk in the lab.

8am-4.30pm - rush around like a crazy fool doing my job which these days is a split between laboratory work, management duties and reporting results at a statewide and national level. Stressful, fun, challenging and some days I seriously weigh up if I can justify the time to swipe out two doors and walk the 6 minute round trip to get to the ladies toilets (and some days I can't, seriously, that was a killer when pregnant).

4.45pm - pick up the girls, chatting to the daycare staff about the happenings in the day.

5.30pm - arrive home, unload the girls and all related paraphernalia. Try to convince them that they can let me out of their sight for 5 minutes so that I can race outside to mix up the horses hard feed and rug them, lock the chickens up for the night, feed the ducks and collect eggs. Come inside and get screamed at simultaneously by starving cats and a Bronte wanting dinner.

6pm - try to feed Bronte something resembling a balanced meal whilst trying to cook dinner, feeling bad that unlike "good mothers" that have meals on the table by bloody 5.30pm, my toddler has to wait for dinner until late. Stare longingly into the dark looking for Jase's car lights. Somehow every single night manage to mistime cooking and the kids baths so that it is maximum stress for all and dinner invariably gets in someway burned/overcooked or cold.

7pm - try to eat food while still warm at the same time as putting Bronte down for sleep and convince a tired Elka that she needs to eat more than just the carrots, corn and broccoli off her plate (my weird child adores vegies - we have found ourselves saying things like "No eat a bite of chicken before you have more vegetables!")

7.30pm - books are read,Elka is tucked in and left to stay in her room, for either sleep or quiet play,we don't mind as long as she stays in there!

8pm+ - Kitchen is cleaned, house is tidied. Jase retires to the study to continue working, I use the laptop for emailing/facebooking before dragging out the exercise bike for a quick workout, finishing with some pilates. Cuddle up in bed to do some scientific reading and writing.

11pm - Jase finished and comes to bed and we finally have some time to chat and catch up, such nice time and muchly needed as much as it cuts into the precious sleep hours!

And repeat with the horrible alarm waking us in the dark of 5.30am...

Sometimes work cuts into the nights also - Jase tries to do one daycare pick up a week so I can stay late at work (and he can get a taste of the joys of getting home with two girls, feeding all the animals and trying to cook dinner/get kids to bed hehe). But he also tends to have work functions at night, teleconferences from either home or his city office or interstate trips which obviously changes the routine. I sometimes have a scientific talk/meeting at night or do some lecturing and I do go interstate for work conferences and training courses...

All this of course leaves me with the more "mum" duties to concentrate on on my two days off from work - we don;t do anything official like classes etc as I tend to like to be flexible for my horse specialist appointments and Bronte's medical/speech appointments that I book on those days but I do take the girls to the library storytime where I meet some mummy friends and go for coffee or morning tea afterwards.

I also fit in the smaller farm jobs on these days but then the weekends are when we get the bigger stuff done - gardening in our large gardens, cleaning out chicken sheds, manure pick-up from the paddocks, fencing, sapling clearing and visiting the produce store to get feed. And we try to take the girls somewhere nice - even if it is just a big park visit or a picnic. I aim to get the horses exercised every weekend and I tend to only go to a horse event/competition every 4-6 weeks as they take up most of the weekend and leave me terribly tired for Mondays. We make sure we cook a nice dinner on Saturday "date" night and have a relaxing couple of glasses of wine. And we have at least one breakfast or lunch as a family out on our deck just soaking up the view. Sometimes its the little things that make all hecticness a little less crazy.

And that's "how we do it"

Feel free to do a post about your typical day,would love to see how others do it :)

well 13 of them I think it was in total... we used the long weekend to start restoring our nice wooden post and rail fences that had to be pulled down for the house extension. And by "we" I mean Jase did all the outside work, while I cared for the girls inside feeling like death warmed up with yet another chest infection.

Unlike a lot of people, our garden yards have to be fenced with fencing that is suitable for not only keeping little kids in and away from the dams but will also keep horses out.... so some of our yards are skirted with horse fencing that we finish with dog wire to contain the kids and also keep foxes out from getting into the chicken coop.

And unlike a lot of people, I wouldn't have anything else. I love post and rail fencing and watching my horses stand looking over the rails. Quaint and country - perfect!

And I love my hubby from the city for learning how to build it from scratch himself and make it so straight and nice. (I won't mention how much more there is to go!)

Its been quite a long time since I wrote an update on my girls.... so indulge me while I record just how fast my little ones are growing up! I am sure no one but me really wants to read this but I love revisting my old posts on them.

Elka
is almost done being a 2 year old - in under two months she will turn three. It has been a tough ride, she has been a tricky toddler, shocking all my Mummy friends with her ability to undermine punishment and complete resistance to being intimidated by authority. But she has (for now) passed through the tempest and we are enjoying the calm on the other side. This trickiness has been based in her sheer smarts - she is confident, well spoken (Bronte's speech pathologist was blown away by her use of language) and too smart for (my) her own good! She isn't a big tantrum thrower anymore (not that they were huge ones anyway) and tends to get over not getting her own way pretty quickly. We use 1,2,3 consequence for punishment generally as time out just doesn't work for her.

She can count to over twenty now, count backwards, read written arabic numbers 1-10 and much to our surprise can now answer basic arithrmetic such as 2+1. She can read the entire alphabet, recite it happily and can now write E and M and has just started writing her name very legibly. She can draw basic shapes and can identify all of them, she also understands colours and shades. Her colouring in has improved a lot in the last few months - she is very good at staying in/around the lines and goes to pains to make sure that she uses the "right" colours for things.

I love watching and being forced to join in with her pretend games - she loves being a "Mum that goes to work" or a "Doctor" or "Vet", she often loves to act out medical type appointments that we have been to, so we get a lot of ear specialist play acting. She will also demand to swap roles with us so that she can be Mum or Dad and we can be the whinging toddler - its a crack up as she turns back on us all the phrases we use on her. She tells long pretend tales, where she stands deadpan, gesticulating and rolling her eyes as she throws everything into it. She is also obsessed with making up her own songs, which although are great, are also infuriating as she demands that I sing along and changes the words every verse so I have no chance!

She is a lovely big sister - she cares for Bronte very well now. She actually often draws our attention to things that we haven't noticed, such as Bronte having a small piece of broken plastic in her mouth.

She has been toilet trained for about 8 months and is currently moving out of nappies at night now. She has worn undies to bed for about 5 nights now and is doing great. She is a great sleeper although has had a few nights where she calls out for a light to be on (we live rural and obviously have no street lights etc so the house is very dark at night). She dropped her day sleep just after she turned 2 (when Bronte was born - lucky me!) so now she only grabs a nap in the car if we are out and she just has quiet time in front of DVD in the middle of the day instead.

She is a good eater - loves vegetables especially brocolli and carrots. She adores pasta dishes and will eat sushi every day if she could. She always makes the sushi serving people laugh as she stands there asking for "nari rolls" (inari) and will destroy two of them and a full tuna roll for lunch quite happily.

She can put her own CD's on the CD player, change DVD's, take herself to the toilet, put on her own helmet and ride her big girl bike and can now swing on a swing by herself. She starts school 5 days a week next year (gulp!) - she is going to a private school that she had to take an interview to get into (testing the pen grip of a two year old - intimidating much?!) and despite being the youngest in her year due to her bday being in June she is more than ready (its pre-prep here in QLD,which will actually be referred to as kindergarten according to the new National curriculum). She CANT wait,wants to go now and even asked if she could have a school bag cake for her bday party hehe. I love all of this independence but also make sure that I don't forget that she is still little (as she reminded me the other day "I am only two, Mum!") and ensure she still gets cuddles in my lap and lots of kisses and giggles.


Bronte
has just turned 11 months and is well and truly on the move. She is taking steps - Jase and I were both there for her first step which was no mean feat as it was in the month that we were almost constantly interstate! She can walk holding just one of our hands. She loves to ride her Smart Trike and we can push for ages around the park paths with her holding on one handed (too cool for both hands apparently!). It does draw some attention as she is still so little but is determined to be just like her big sister on her bike.

Her speech is developing well despite her hearing loss. She says Mum,Dad, Bird,Brroom (for car noise) and is starting to mimic our words if we ask her to repeat things. The speech pathologist spends an hour with her every two weeks and is very pleased with her progress which is apparently perfect for a normal 11 month olds development, a real relief.

She is clapping and claps if other people do or if we sing a clapping song. She is also pointing and loves to point out her or your nose if asked too - very cute! She is also waving and blowing kisses.

What I am most pleased about currently is that she is nodding and shaking her head.. in context. I love it!! I loved this stage with Elka too - its their first real sophisticated communication. I can ask her if she wants water/food/a bike ride/nappy change/sleep and she will nod or shake her head. Bliss not having to play guess work with her.

She is so different to Elka at the same age - doesn't like books,in fact would prefer to slide around the floor on them than read them! Doesn't like swings (seriously what kid doesn;t like swings!) instead adores slippery slides. Really she just wants to be a three year old - she adores copying her older sister and is learning so much more than she would otherwise. She already holds textas or crayons and scribbles them on paper sitting next to Elka doing colouring (oh so cute!). Unfortunately her adoration results in endless frustration for Elka who cannot play any game or toy without Bronte being in the middle of it trying to join in!

Today she amazed me by taking pieces of bread from me that I was feeding to the ducks and started throwing them herself. Gosh they take it all in don't they and then all of a sudden it comes back out as clear comprehension!

She has been sick a lot this last month just like me and is on her third dose of antibiotics. The GP and I are extremely cautious with any nasal congestion as we don't want her ears to become infected and have any damage to the eardrums as poor Bronte does not need any further difficulties with hearing.

She is a big smoocher and gives cuddles on demand which melts my heart. However, she is pretty intense - she knows how to get her sister in trouble by "dobbing" with fake crying, is quite mummy clingy and very quiet and takes everything in and then gets very determined at trying to achieve what she wants. I do quake in my boots a little at what toddlerhood will bring us, particularly with the difficulty of hearing aids thrown in there.

But when they are both squishing me by climbing into my lap and my arms are so full, I wouldn't have it any other way!

So this is actually a stash of shopping from a few weeks ago. How good are the current deals in the shops!? I am trying so hard to not buy too much at the moment as we have made the decision to "live simpler" and try to stop being quite so much the yuppy consumers - its a slippery slope once you start earning good incomes and we are endeavouring to stay grounded and avoid complacency in our budgeting. There are some big costs to still to go on the farm - we have to finish landscaping,building fences and fixing up our driveway and carport area and we have plans for a big overseas trip in 2013 and also a second layer of deck with a pool still to build. So time to buckle down and concentrate on our big goals.

Ironically, it is quite easy to "live simply" when you have just bought a stash of great winter Portmans clothes (including some great biker jeans that I adore!), cute new shoes (including these fantastic new boots below which are cute and super comfy!) and you have just ordered yourself a gorgeous new designer handbag ;) so the test will come in the next few months when I am trying to resist new scarves, cuddly wrap cardigans and cute tweed skirts for work.


Wish me luck!

Not sure what you are planning to do Friday evening but in case you havent heard (!) there is a royal wedding happening. And pro-republic as I am, I still am fascinated by the Royal family - just as I am by the Danish Royal family and so on. So although I understand that many people want to hide under their pillow and hum loudly until the media decides to find something else to obsess over, I am very much looking forward to settling in to watch every slow, stilted moment.

I can remember quite clearly being allowed to stay up with my Mum at the grand old age of five for Fergies wedding (I was too young for Diana's) and I loved every minute of watching a princess in the making (hmm no comment on how the marriage went!). So Elka is going to stay up and watch with us. I am cooking an orange spiced rice pudding and we have a yummy bottle of dessert wine picked out and I can't wait to setttle in on the lounge and watch the fanciness.

Do you have plans?

Might be the third glass of red wine I have had tonight and the fact that Bronte is obsessed wtih grapes at the moment but I liked this.

From here thanks to Tina Fey's book Bossypants:

Tina Fey’s prayer for her daughter

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.

Not big Easter celebraters here - not religious and we dont eat much chocolate. So we have the obligatory purchases for the kids and some lollies and plastic eggs to set up a scavanger hunt with the family and we are simply heading to our beach house on the Tweed Coast to relax and have swims and walks on the beach. Jase and I don't buy each other anything as it just sits in the fridge or pantry for months afterwards... so instead we are just hvaing dinner out at our favourite resort where there is a great kids play area so we can have a wine in relative peace. My parents and brother are joining us on the Sunday for the scavanger hunt and a roast lunch. Should be low key and nice.

I am looking forward to the time off - we have a lot of farm work to get through when we aren't at the beach... life has been dominated by work and work trips for the last month or so and its about time we dedicated some time to our other "job" of looking after farm animals, paddocks and fences. I have a long list of jobs!

But I did spoil Jase in the current Oroton online sale, buying him a gorgeous chocolate leather briefcase he has had his eye on for awhile. His leather work case I bought him in Florence Italy has finally died so its perfect timing. And this little number just had to be bought for me at the same time ;)



Its exactly what I have been searching for in a new handbag for the last 5 months or so and it was marked down by $380, how could I resist!

So happy easter to me! The bubbly is chilling in the fridge, Jase is on his way home for an early afternoon and the deck is looking perfect for watching the suns rays grow dark gold through the gum trees while the girls play on the grass. Bliss, I mightn't be religious but I know I am blessed.

May you and yours be happy and loved this holiday weekend xoxo

The lovely Chelle over at Gee You're Brave has inspired me to play along with Meet Me Monday.


Questions:

1. Caesar Salad or Garden Salad?
2. Will you be watching the Royal Wedding on April 29th?
3. Last thing you spent lots of money on?
4. Window seat or aisle seat?
5. Do you know your blood type?



1. Caesar Salad or Garden Salad?
A garden salad with baby tomatoes, fetta and olives (OK so really a Greek salad!)

2. Will you be watching the Royal Wedding on April 29th?
Yes! I hate all the press hype but deep down I can't wait! I find Catherine intriguing and I am fascinated about what she is taking on as her life. I also love her fashion sense and can't wait to see her dress - I am hoping for elaborately understated and elegant if such a look exists.

I can still remember being allowed to get up late at nigth to watch Fergies royal wedding with my Mum and my teddy. It was very special and I am happy for Elka to stay up and watch this royal wedding with me.

3. Last thing you spent lots of money on?
Ohh gosh that is tough because scarily enough I spend lots of money all the time! (own horses - you will understand!) Last things i bought were over $200 worth of new rugs for my competition horse and a night in a 5 star hotel for Jase's bday last Friday night, oh and a very delicious romantic 3 course dinner out in Broadbeach that night for him. All very worthy big spends!

4. Window seat or aisle seat?
Window seat as most flights out of Brisbane actually end up flying (very high up) over our rural area and I am always straining to see our place!

5. Do you know your blood type?
Yep thanks to having two kids, I am O+. I am keen to get into donating blood now that I am no longer breastfeeding but keep missing the blood van at my work... its on my to do list!

As a molecular biologist, I often marvel at my kids from a genetic point of view. The lovely shuffle and mix up of my genes and Jase's genes that have by random created such wonderful little individuals. How one looks so much like Jase and one so much like me and yet be so similar to the other parent or so completely different to everyone in another way.

My mother sent me this quote the other day and its just beautiful in the way it reminds you that you are so unique and special and nobody will ever again be just as you are.

"At bottom, every man knows perfectly well that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time." -Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900)

After eight days of living out of a suitcase, flying a thousand kilometeres and then driving a 1400 kilometer road trip, I couldn't be happier to be in my beautiful home with my gorgeous little girls tucked up in bed and my lovely hubby watching sport in the lounge room. I am a big believer in taking a little space to make yourself a better mother, and I think nothing makes your heart swell with love like seeing your childrens faces so achingly familiar but made extra dear by their absence from your day. I am thoroughly enjoyed my time for my career and my getaway with a friend. And I love that I am refreshed as a mum and a wife and have had time to step back and reflect on how I want to be and behave.

I have direction and inspiration and also appreciation for how blessed our life is here with our relationships and golden sun filtering through the gum trees. I am so thankful that my parents are such amazing babysitters that I can leave the girls and know that they are having the most wonderful time (Elka didn't want to come home!)

On the light side, Bronte is so close to takingng her first steps! It's so gorgeous to watch her excitement at figuring out this whole walking thing.

Oh and after being on the road for so long, I have to say I am in love with dry shampoo! Its brilliant! Ad it also adds texture and volume to your hair, I am sold! Saved me a few times on this busy trip!

Now to return to work, appointments for Bronte and to prepare for Jase's 30th, its going to be a fun week!

So I am an infectious diseases scientist and I have spent the last four days at a Communicable Diseases Conference, listening to our national experts. The swine flu pandemic was discussed in detail so that we can learn and improve from it, we learnt that the massive amounts of Australians that love to visit Bali are bringing back lots of exotic diseases for us to deal with here more than ever and we looked at our vaccine successes and failures.

But there was a clear consensus that we need a national centre for disease control, much like the American Centre for Disease Control. It would provide standardization, central coordination and communication. There would be some clear advantages. However the governement made it pretty clear in it's response that because the majority of it's health funding is required by chronic disease, most caused by the obese population (hypertension, heart attacks, diabetes etc), that the infectious diseases area should just be happy with the status quo.

Very frustrating.

So our population is eating and not exercising itself into chronic disease. What I find frustrating was that even at the conference, highly intelligent health professionals that should know better were overweight and stuffing themselves from the buffet tables at morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea, ignoring the bowls of fruit and fresh sanwiches and diving into the cupcakes, slices and pastry savories. The same people that want the government to spend more on infectious diseases aren't doing anything to lessen their own obese load on the health system, so that spending might be able to change.

Perhaps the battle should start at home, health professionals..

Life has been full and distracting and I haven't had the energy to lift the lid on the laptop and type anything.

But tonight I have a glass of wine and a quiet bedroom to sit and reflect and update.

First of all - check out Miss B on the move and into everything! Gosh can't believe she is 10months old and I have to start planning her first birthday!


We have been primarily fixated on hosting our combined 30th birthday party. Which was lovely - we were blessed with special old friends who put in the effort to fly interstate to celebrate with us. The weather was great, our extension the perfect place to host a party and everything went smoothly. It was fantastic to celebrate and strange in some ways to have so many new and old friends all there at once.Once I got Bronte to sleep and some of the millions of kids had left, I got to relax with plenty of bubbly and enjoy the antics of karoke (from everyone else). I paid for the lack of sleep the next day but was oh so worth it.

This was quickly followed by a crazy week at work, Jase heading off for most of the week on an interstate trip and me juggling the two girls including Miss B with a throat infection. I decided to head down to the family beach house, which sounded like a great idea but proved to a fair effort as unlike a lot of people, having a farm full of animals, you have to make sure all the animals are stocked with feed, water and safe beds if you are leaving them. All good and well except when you are juggling two kids, inclduing a sick clingy little one and also have all of their junk to pack (seriously how much stuff do kids need for a trip away! And you need pack almost as much for one night away as you do for a week!). But I made it.. and it rained and rained and rained. So we did some pretty damp shell collecting on the shore, played in the park with a towel to dry everything off and spent more than our fair share of time shopping (post on purchases to come).

We have enjoyed one lovely sunny peaceful day back here at the farm with Jase, before I have to drag my sick sorry self (thanks Miss B!) down to Canberra tomorrow for a four day work trip. Jase gets to discover the joys of being the spouse stuck at home trying to work and look after the girls whilst the other partner is wining and dining on a work trip. I get back Wednesday night and then have to load the kids into the car on Thursday and drive them the 2 hours to my parents to leave them for Friday-Sunday whilst I drive the 5 hours to Tamworth to visit my best friend. Which of course I am very much looking forward to - we have a girls night planned as well as some hours in shops. At the same time, Jase is back in Sydney for another trip.

After the 7 hours of road trip on the Sunday, I have the joys of work to look forward to, but the end of that week will be fun as the Friday is Jase's 30th Birthday and the girls and I have some pretty big (surprise) plans for him. He has the day off work and has no idea what he is in for (and no clues here since I know he reads!). Then his parents arrive on the Saturday to spend the weekend..

I am looking forward to the weekend after that, as it is the Easter long weekend and we have no major plans besides the beach house, so we can finally spend some relaxed time together as a family.

Busy times in this household. Hope your April is going to be a good one!