Category Archives: Family

Ring Trophy

The other day  I packed up the Muddy Kids and headed to Baradine! It was where it was all at! The annual Ring Trophy Carnival between the Catholic Schools from neighbouring towns, this is where they all come together, they have competitive marching down the main street, then a war cry competition and then the fun begins with races and relays, tunnel ball, captain ball, tug-o-war and then the novelty races. It is a great day, by the end of it I was busted and so were my 4 little people, just walking around the oval soaking it all in seemed to exhaust the young ones. Let alone my Muddy Organiser who marched and war-cried and played her little heart out. It was a proud Mum day as I watched her march so focused and go in the three legged race with her bestie, not caring who won, only that they worked together to stay upright.

I know there will be lots, lots more of these over the years, but I think each one will be just as heart warming and as exhausting!

The Stone Age

Each year the school puts on a concert, every student has a part to play and most have a line, there is lots of dancing and singing and it keeps the audience in fits of laughter. So much time and effort goes into these concerts each and every year. There is a theme through each year’s performance.

This year it was ‘The History of the World’ and each year took a different part of history and turned it into a fantastic performance. Year One had ‘The Stone Age’, complete with The Flintstones and lots of cave people. I am in awe of the teachers that pull all this together and also of the sewing skills of some of the parents that make costumes! I do wonder how they’ll top each year, but somehow they do!

Killing them with kindness

So 12 months after the big Fox escapade which wiped out our poultry we are starting to branch out again into other breeds. We have had a couple of plain brown chooks for a while, they were rejects from the neighbour, a testing bunch, just in case the chook yard wasn’t truly fox proof. After almost 6 months of survival we’ve used the Muddy Puzzler’s birthday as an excuse to get some Silkies. I did think we were getting chooks ready to go straight into the yard. Unfortunately I was mistaken! We now have 4 baby chickens, we put them out in a cage on the grass in the day and bring them in to a brooder box next to the hot water system to keep them warm at night.
 
The Muddy Kids are loving it, soaking up all the squishy cuddles, overfeeding them, effectively killing them with kindness, as I think they are so well fed they’ll soon have trouble walking. It is lots of fun though, and has been bringing smiles to the kids faces and lots of conversation about names (Dora, Pink cupcake icing, Thomas and Barbie Fashion Show are the current names they’ve been given). 
 

Rambling

I am into rambling this week, rambling thoughts, rambling words, just seemingly rambling through my weekly routine. The Muddy Kids and I have been pottering around the farm, all rugged up in the mornings and stripping down to T-Shirts in the middle of the day. The washing pile grows exponentially at this time of year as the kids get the bottoms of their pants wet playing outside in the mornings on the wet grass and letting the chooks out. Then out of habit when they strip off their jumpers and long sleeve tops they put them straight in the washing basket rather than wearing them again the next day.
 
Then in the evening the chill comes in and we go through the afternoon routine of homework and bath before rugging up for bed. It’s a rambling farm life here this week. What’s your week like?
 

Sounds of Laughter

I have had the rare delight of 5 straight days at home with my Muddy Kids, just getting jobs done, and spending time together. It has been so lovely. I am still running round like a mad person trying to get through my to do lists, but every so often I stop and just enjoy being at home, soaking it up before I go back to work.
 
The best bit about it – the sounds of laughter as we play, that wicked giggle when they are being cheeky and know it, the hysterical, uncontrollable laughter as they have so much fun with each other. There is nothing in the world like that sound of laughter.
 

Shiny and New

Over the weekend Muddy Hubby and I had to be on the coast, so we had two Muddy Kids with us and took some time out to take them to the beach. For me, growing up on the coast it’s not so much of a ‘wow’ thing, for Muddy Hubby and the kids though it is awesome, every, single, time! It’s like each time is the first time seeing it, stopping, just watching the sun, the sand, the waves, and the shells, my goodness the shells! It is all shiny and new.

Each time we go to the beach the Muddy Kids collect shells, hundreds of them, we go through a culling process, then a washing process, and then a mummy culling process and then we have a small collection to take back home to remember our time at the beach.

Although the beach doesn’t have the same ‘wow’ factor for me, I get such enjoyment from Muddy Hubby’s and the Muddy Kids excitement that I can’t help but get caught up in the excitement, looking at the beach through fresh eyes as if it was shiny and new.

The Coming Together of Family

 
This week we lost a very dear family member, a fabulous lady who I have countless fond memories of. It was a very sad farewell, lots of tears were shed as old stories were shared. The thing I am most grateful for, through the immense sadness, is the coming together of family. My Dad and his cousins all together in the one place for the first time in years, a lovely dinner with us all and the feeling of great comfort with just being together, all of us, sharing the burden of grief together.

The coming together of family is always so special, the shared memories, funny stories unearthed, the companionship that can only be had with family. Then the time afterwards to relish in my own little family and hope that they also have the same bond with their cousins and extended family as they grow.

I am joining in with 52 Weeks of Grateful which can be found here over at Octavia and Vicky.

Lets Do The Bus Stop

Last week Muddy Hubby and I made a very important purchase, one we had been thinking about for ages and finally bit the bullet and did – A Bus Stop Car. I had been scanning the local buy, swap and sell pages for ages and nothing seemed quite right, then the perfect vehicle appeared and we jumped in and bought it.

It definitely didn’t break the bank, but it will do the job we need it to do, going back and forth to the bus stop on our road each morning and afternoon. The bloke who owned it before us had put his own personal touches on it (including an over sized muffler) and had loved and cared for it. The Muddy Kids think it is fabulous, they’ve explored every nook and cranny and worked out what works and what doesn’t. What I like most is that they’re not climbing all over our vehicles and trashing them while we wait for the bus.

A Return to Gratefuls

I know the value of finding the Grateful in the everyday, to boost your spirit and your mood. For the last few weeks I have struggled to find the time for grateful, and it’s been quite evident, I’ve been tired and snappy and often too busy to stop and find the grateful to focus on. This week though I’m making a conscious effort to make time for gratefuls. I have stopped trying to clean and move the fish tank and do my footy tips and instead am taking time to post my gratefuls.

So this week I am grateful for:
– Being outside in the nice fresh winter air
– Bicycles and scooters and little trikes
– A fabulous OT service right here in town that is going to help me support my Muddy Pixie
– My coffee machine which gives me fuel to keep going
– Special moments in the shearing shed with my wonderful Muddy Family
– A new home for grateful at one of my favourite blogs to stop by and that grateful is keeping going
– An unexpected dinner with friends
– My Mum and Dad and the time they have spent with us and helped keep my household running
– My Muddy Hubby for boosting me when I’m down

Now that 52 Weeks of Grateful is at a new home make sure you go and check it our here. It’s always so lovely to read what people are grateful for.

July School Holidays

Around here July School Holidays mean only one thing – it’s shearing time. Every year, the first 2 weeks of July (normally coinciding with school holidays) we do our Main shearing, where we get all our ewes, lambs and rams in and shear them. We do it across 2 sheds, with 3 shearers and a team of rouseabouts – mainly family. It’s busy and exciting and exhausting. This year as the Muddy Kids are getting older they are wanting to be in the shed more, help more and learn how it all works.
 
It has been 2 weeks of juggling whose turn it is in the shed and who gets to have either the battons or the broom, and who helps in the yards and who scoops up the locks. Lots of time with Muddy Hubby, lots of negotiation, lots of team work, lots of lovely family time.