Day 244

I was supposed to come back yesterday to update my blog again.. but you are probably lucky I didn't. Yesterday.Was.Hard. Really really HARD. One of those days where being a parent is exhausting and you just want to hide away for some peace and quiet before you lose your mind.

I think I felt every emotion possible. Overwhelmed, impatient, upset, stressed, anxious, angry, lost, teary.. you get the picture. It wasn't a good day.

But let me back up a minute to fill you in on how my night ended... or as I like to think of it 'the night that saved my sanity'.

Background story is that Valerie's husband Sonny had wanted to organise a special treat for Val, to spoil her for all the hard work she does (what a guy huh?!). So he called me earlier in the week to say that he had booked Val in for a massage and then made a reservation at Chatters Restaurant and would I surprise her by being her dinner date? Oh Sonny didn't even need to ask, a night out with Val? I'm there! So Sonny told Val that morning to get be ready to go to a massage, then head to the restaurant where someone would be waiting for her. (Of course, the cheeky Val tried to get it out of me during the day while we were texting each other!)...

I know Sonny organised the treat for Val, but seriously, it was also a life saver for me, a huge treat and was something I desperately needed. Val and I ... I can't explain, it was what we both needed. A true, real, deep conversation, over a beautiful meal (ohhh my satay vegetables..too good!), Sonny couldn't have planned the whole thing any better! Thank you Sonny for not only being such a gorgeous husband to my wonderful friend, but for including me in the special surprise... it saved my sanity... truly!!!

Don't worry! I saved the cup!

Fast forward to today... after a great, productive chat with Val over dinner, I decided I needed to get on and make some changes around the house to help things run a little smoother. Especially now that Jacob is so active and getting into everything and me finding it really hard to keep on top of things. Bottom line - I can't handle clutter and mess, it makes my mind cluttered and messy and therefore I become miserable. I needed some order and quickly!

First thing I tackled was the shelves in the kitchen. To be honest I can't believe I let them get so crazy. Time to de-clutter!

We took a trip to K-Mart bright and early, and I picked up this 'Family' sign for $9. I chose the word Family, as I need the reminder for when things get the best of me, that my Family is what is most important.

I used some of the spray paint that I had left over from spraying the wedding Photo Frames...

The finished result! I bought the water bottles for $2 each, the splash of colour in the corner of the kitchen really brightens the place up.

Next issue to tackle - the boys play area. Before, all their toys were in baskets and open containers, which meant that often they'd come up and tip them out and move on. Leaving a huge mess every day and it was exhausting trying to keep on top of it. So I bought these containers (again from K-Mart, $19) and set the rules that the boys can play with the toys inside, but the drawers can't be taken out and moved around the house and once they have finished, they must put them away before they get the next lot of toys out. I had a little giggle to myself when I overheard Sam explaining the rules to Jacob, very seriously and making sure Jakey adhered to the rules!

Oh and the play pen.. let me explain that. It's simply to keep the other toys in one area, a place for quiet time (Sam loves it, he climbs in and lays on the pillows to look at his books), and the other reason it's there is when I need to vacuum and mop.. my little baby goes in there so I can actually GET IT DONE! I tested it out today, sanity saving.. that's all I'll say! Big thumbs up!

Thirdly, I love cushions....So I bought some green ones to add to the collection.

And lastly, outside. I had the alphabet map and a large container of toys out here before, and every day they would be all over the patio (it's not that big but still!), and it was just so cluttered and messy allll the time. So more de-cluttering! I packed away the mat and the toys, let's face it the boys have plenty of toys inside, they won't miss a few more (plus they DO have a whole wilderness to play in!). And left outside just for bikes etc. A lot easier to keep under control.

After all that, I needed this....

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Now finally, my lovely husband. He came home yesterday to a wife that was extremely highly strung, on edge, stressed out and about to snap. I decided today that he needed a treat to come home to, to let him know how much I appreciate him. So I made some Hommus, cut up some carrots and because I didn't have any crackers - I made a substitute. 

Rosemary & Parmesan Crackers


Too easy. I got a sheet of Shortcrust pastry and pasted it with milk.

Sprinkled on some dried Rosemary...

and grated on some Parmesan..

 Into the oven at 200, for as long as it takes to slightly brown....

It's so yummy that you don't even need dip to go with it, it's just as beautiful on it's own.

Now I'm off to have my 'Friday night unwind' glass of wine and cook some home made pizzas for dinner.

Happy weekend all! xxxx