A day with my favourite girls

Mathilda's Market, turned into Paddington Markets, turned into Oxford Street shopping, turned into very late lunch here.

There was lots of chatter, giggles, eye rolling and shoe trying (the littliest one no less!). No tantrums, no "come on Mum", no bored husbands. Just lovely browsing, some smart buying, good coffee and our little Miss who loved every moment of her day with the girls.

Missy insisted that someone try this shoe on. Every time I chose a sensible flat she would push a brighter, flashier, more inappropriate for a busy mummy-ier, shoe towards me. She was not letting up on this multi-pastel stilleto and was relieved when it was slipped onto her very own foot. If her passion for shoes stays strong she just may inherit her Aunt's divine collection.

Who can deny a little girl her cupcake? Even if it was a very adult, orange polenta sweet treat.

Doing it for the laughs.

George

When I was turning 13, my parents gave me 3 tickets to my first concert. I choose 2 very excited friends and, dressed head to toe in white and fluro, we saw these 2 lads. Our hearts fluttered as we danced and sang and felt like every song was being sung to us. I remember it was Andrew Ridgely's birthday and the entire audience sang Happy Birthday to him. I also remember standing around outside the gates, screaming, as we waited for the boys to leave the venue. Our vigil paid off when our heroes not only stopped but got out of their limos to say hello and sign autographs. Do stars still do that today?

Fast forward 25 years. This time I was the lucky recipient of a paid ticket from a friend. We danced and sang but this time we knew that every song was most definitely not being sung to us. There were a few WHAM! songs thrown in to satisfy the remnants of our collective teenage desires and a few gay anthems to keep the rest of the audience happy. Our man could still swivel his butt and grooved his way through the best of our favourite tunes. The thirty-somethings in the audience went home to their sleeping children with songs in their heads wondering at all the amazing things that have led them to this place 25 years later.

images via here and here.

The Magic of time out

A magical born-free moment yesterday. A chance to put on a pretty dress and take to the town with some girls to celebrate a birthday. 6 mummies with a combined knowledge of about a 100 years. One had young adults, one had teenagers. Three of us had toddlers. We had a 7 week bub with us who was an angel and of course the birthday girl who is a few weeks off having her second. Reason enough to make hay.

We had a giggle, shared stories and chewed the fat about some serious stuff. Tea was poured from silver pots and we ate off pretty china plates. When the food arrived it looked like this.
Tiny bite-sized, mouthfuls of deliciousness.

No mess to clean up. Mouths to wipe. Children to shush. Not a babicino in sight.

Motherhood is magical but those moments when you step away and take some time out, have their own magic.

A kid in a lolly shop

Bought ridiculous amounts of deliciousness today. One of my favourite shoes stores was having an end of season, we can't store any of these shoes so everything must go, sale. At 80% off prices what was a girl to do? Many, many reasons to justify my spending spree today.

A. It was the last day of my years leave from my real job and last day of school holidays.

B. Am going back to work next week and am a little distressed at leaving the kidlins, so a some new foot candy might just cheer me up on those crazy, busy days when I am wading through my sleep deprivation.

C. It's my birthday next week and there is always a moratorium on spending on or near your birthday. Actually, after spending copious amounts of money today at said shop, I was offered a VIP card and when filling in the form noticed that, as of next week, I will have moved into the next tick- a-box. That is reason enough for new shoes!

I started with an armful and short-listed to these. Ignore all price tags. These darlings were down to $22 or $26.

Black peep-toe flats to replace my black mary-janes that are falling apart.

Mushroom patent leather. You don't see that around too often.

Pink and cream patents. I couldn't leave these behind.

Something for autumn and spring.

Something for winter

And these gorgeous strappy's to make me feel just a little bit special on those days when I'm feeling mumsy.

Mum, watch me fly!

The kidlins were at childcare today so the adults of this house ran a little amok cramming in some civilised adult time before work next week. A swim for some laps (very liberating to just arrive with a towel and our goggles), coffee with girlfriends (not a babycino in sight) and a long lunch with another friend. She and I covered more topics than we would in a week of playdate catch ups and had conversations that had a beginning and an end. Bliss.

This afternoon it was the kids turn to run amok.

Doing things they are not permissable under normal circumstances.

Fearlessly flying. Each time moving the bean bag just a little further away from the lounge.

Missy thought its was great fun and and laughed herself silly.

All the encouragement a little boy needed to do it again.

Amazing what they can get away with when there is a sniff of mother-guilt in the air.

A day without children

Today was the first day in 11 months that Tools and I have had without our children. We arrived at our coffee shop after dropping the kids at childcare and the baristas let out a cheer for us and our snatch of freedom.

Each of us had promised ourselves a few things for this longed for day. Sitting on the lounge watching a dvd, a mooch down our high street ducking in and out of the shops at leisure, an hour in a resturant eating lunch, a nap to bank some precious sleep. It seemed like alot to fit into one day. The heat was on our side. Perfect indoors, dvd watching, nap taking conditions. We managed lunch. Two courses! We had to move tables mid meal as a family with 3 children under 4 turned up and sat right next to us. We couldn't face those sounds quite yet. We still had an hour until we had to fetch ours.

We had some good conversations and reconnected. We promised to do this more often and to try set up "date night" to catch up with each other properly. Idealistic, but we need to be good to ourselves if we are to be good to those in our care.

Good news is that we can do it all again next Thursday.

PS. Kids went brilliantly at childcare. Missy had a great first day with her new carers and the Rooster had a marvellous time catching up with his buddies that he had missed over the christmas break.

A born free moment

An unexpected coffee with friends today. Child-free. 40 minutes of uninterupted chat washed down with a great flat white. A born free moment. I could hear the music in my ears as I was driving away from the house. Ahhh....its the little things that keep you going.