Category Archives: Sisters

Grateful for Sleepovers and Besties

Since I’ve added an extra day into my work days I have struggled to find time to catch up with my friends and subsequently my Muddy Kids have also missed out with only a small amount of spare time to fit in a long list of things. These school holidays thought I’ve tried to make a conscious effort to let my Muddy Kids get some quality friend time in. We’ve had sleepovers and play dates and netball clinics. All things that would normally have to slip by the wayside.

It has been so delightful for my two big Muddy Girls to go on a sleepover together and see how much fun they had, my wonderful friend made snow globes with them and let them watch a movie and have a spa. We had the Muddy Pixie’s bestie over for a play and they had so much fun playing in the wool shed, jumping on the wool bales and playing hide and seek in the sheds. We even braved the world of having a friend for a sleepover and it was lots of fun. Not only has it kept the kids entertained and they are falling into bed exhausted each night but the smiles on their faces and the joy it brings me lets me know it’s worth the effort.

So this week I am grateful for my Muddy Kids friends for being so special and bringing such lovely friendships into their lives.

Linking up over at Village Voices for 52 Weeks of Grateful, hosted by the lovely Bron.

When friends come to play

I have been promising my Muddy Pixie for a while now that she can have one of her ‘best friends’ over for a play date. Finally I got myself into gear and organised it. It was set to be a great day, she bought her bike and her swimmers and her mutual love of craft. It didn’t take long for things to turn pear-shaped.

You see, what I hadn’t counted on was that my Muddy Organiser also considers this little girl her friend and they would start fighting for her attention, for who got to ride their bike next to her, or sit next to her for morning tea and lunch and who got her to play their game of choice.

I tried reasoning with both of my Muddy girls, I pleaded with my Muddy Organiser to just give the Pixie and her friend a little bit of time (even a few minutes), but it didn’t stop the tears and the distress.

By the end of the day I was exhausted from keeping the peace, dancing then craft seemed to heal all wounds and keep us occupied for a good 90 minutes before we changed activities and then the day was over.

I am really not sure how to broach the play date in the future, it’s not a problem we’ve had before when we’ve had friends over to play. Maybe I try to lessen the numbers and organise activities elsewhere for one or the other, or maybe I just have to let them at it and they’ll sort it out.

How do you handle this kind of thing? Or is it something that only happens in our house?

Grateful For Sisters

I am an only child, my mum said ‘a smart woman never forgets the pain of childbirth’ and decided that one was enough for her. Mum said I only ever asked once for a brother or sister, other than that I was content. Happy to play with close family friends who were like sisters and then I have my BFF who is like my sister from another mother. I never wanted, I had good friends and a loving family.

Then I married into a large family (well large by my only child standards), Muddy Hubby has 2 sisters and 1 brother. Just before I got married my 2 sister-in-laws gifted me with a lovely photo frame with the heading ‘Sisters’ on it, they made it quite clear that they didn’t wanted to be treated as ‘sister-in-laws’ they wanted to be ‘sisters‘. I have never forgotten and it has always been that way, we have talked and fought and cried and laughed together.

Last year my Muddy brother-in-law got married, he married the most wonderful girl and we enveloped her into our family fold as another ‘sister‘ despite the fact that she already had two sisters of her own. This week I am so grateful for all of my sisters. I was in desperate need of a babysitter so I could go to Boot camp this week and one of my sisters stepped in. We’re throwing a big party here today and surprisingly it has so far been stress free. We have divided up the tasks amongst ourselves, cake with one sister, lunch with another and venue, dessert and lolly bags with me. All sorted thanks to my wonderful sisters.

It is only in the last few years as my parents begin to age a little and I have had children of my own that I have had a real yearning for my own sister, someone to share the load with and confide in. My sister-in-laws have been so wonderful in stepping in to fill this void that I only get an occasional pang for a sister of my own blood. For now though I am very grateful for my BFF (sister from another mother) and my ‘Sisters’ and their helpfulness that gets me through a week with a little less stress and some time for boot camp.

My Hen’s night when I look soooo young and was gifted with two ‘Sisters’

October 2011 where we got an updated photo for my ‘Sisters’ frame.
Photo Courtesy Pink Bug Photography

Linking up with Maxabella at Village Voices for 52 Weeks of Grateful.

First This, Then That……

This week has passed in a kind of surreal haze. I seem to have been on a physical and emotional rollercoaster trying to keep up with it all and I have no doubt that when my head hits the pillow tonight it will be lights out for a solid sleep. I know that when you have ‘firsts’ it’s always a big thing, but somehow this week has been action packed with them. We have ridden this roller coaster of firsts as a family, revelling in the little things and being able to share them together as a family.

This week has made me realize just how lucky we are, tired but lucky! I will post more details, especially on Bootcamp, later, but for now here’s some snapshots of our week.