Grateful for total strangers

I really need to say this, to thank the Universe for looking after me: I am so thankful and grateful for total strangers.  In the last few months of traveling, much of it solo with two little girls, I have been helped by so many complete strangers.  There are so many genuinely lovely people out there. I can not thank them all enough.

So thank you all:

• The lovely lady working at London airport passport control for letting Zoe and I in a shorter queue.
• The three lovely London airport hotel shuttle bus drivers for helping us with our luggage to get on and off their buses. 
• A kind man for helping me get Zoe and our bags to our hotel room.
• Kind lady on the London tube offering her brand new bottle of water to Abbey who was thirsty.
• So many kind people offering me and my pregnant friend Ruth their seats on the tube in London.
• Mr Motorcycle courier for pointing me in the direction of the lift at 5am in the morning at Terminal 5 Heathrow airport.  I was walking in the wrong direction.  
• People (in the same situation) offering me kind words when I was upset after we had been told quite unexpectedly that there were no staff seats available out of London.
• The lovely passengers on a few of our flights for offering to help with our bags.
• The lovely couple for staying with Abbey during the travelator mishap.
• The same couple for helping push Zoe in the stroller so I could carry and comfort an upset Abbey.
• The lovely 82 year old Great Granny sitting next to us on our flight out of Amsterdam: she kindly told me how well I travelled with my girls and she was impressed at how organised I was (it is always nice to hear kind words)
• Same lovely 82 year old Great Granny sitting next to us ordering a red wine at breakfast just before we landed in Hong Kong.  It was really 12 midnight in European time where we had just left, but boy she made me chuckle - red wine when breakfast was being served with a gorgeous sunrise streaming through the airplane windows. 

Thank you, lovely strangers.  I am ever so grateful.

Have a lovely weekend peeps.

Cat.

Our first week in Hong Kong

Wow, we have been in Hong Kong for a whole week already, how did that go so quickly?  Our flight over seems like weeks ago, some how.

I am so grateful and relieved to finally be here.  The last 7 months is behind us.  No more solo parenting for me. The Shropshire boy must be in shock, all his 3 girls back: noisy, loving, cuddles, singing, dancing, tantrums, parenting again.

In some ways, it has been a huge week.  Adjusting to life in a new country.  Adjusting to being a family again.  Swimming in the pool most days.  Or should I say, pools.  This is the view of the pools from our apartment.  Two of the pools can't be seen in this photo.  We do like the pools. A lot.

Today we visited the kinder we have enrolled Abbey in, and they have a space available, yay! (not many do)  It is a short walk away, looks to be clean and friendly and offers Chinese as part of the curriculum. Abbey was not too sure today, but I know she will love it after a few days there.  Zoe will miss her terribly (so will I)  Kinder does not start till August, so we still have time to explore Hong Kong together.

Our shipping has arrived. 51 packages in all, most of them big boxes. All for me to rummage around in and re-discover what the heck we bought with us.  I am so grateful and relieved that they all arrived.  Of course, the first boxes I unpacked where the ones containing my sewing machine and overlocker.  Second, I found two wine glasses, the Shropshire boy and I are using them right now.  The rest of the boxes can wait, there is no hurry. We need some furniture to put most things in or on first.

Tomorrow we are off exploring.  Hopefully to see some sights, drink some fancy tea and eat some local cuisine.   I am quite excited that our Hong Kong adventure has (finally) begun. 

Have a lovely weekend peeps,

Cat.

Grateful

This week I am grateful for sleep. The last few weeks I have been walking around in a daze. Like a zombie. Zoe has been up early most mornings, and some nights a few times during the night (this is not normal for her) I have also been having trouble getting to sleep at night, there has been so much going on in my head.

My mum is such a good egg, she stayed over last Saturday night, and got up to Zoe (at 5am!) and also Abbey who woke up not long after. I had an amazing nights sleep, got up at 7am, fed Zoe, had breakfast, and went back to bed for 2 more hours - I felt like a new person after all that sleep. I have been making sure I get to bed at a reasonable hour each day since, and the zombie feeling is gone. I am still tired, but not the zombie tired, there is a big difference.

I am also grateful that Chris got a last minute flight last night and arrived home this morning. So another long weekend with him. We are a family again for 3 glorious days. I am grateful he works for an airline (no, he is not a pilot!) so he is able to come home and see us often.

Finally, I am grateful for beautiful sunflowers. I bought two for us, and two for my mum last week. They inspired me to get out my proper macro lens and take some photos. I love macro photography and being able to see the world from a different angle.

Pop in and see all the lovely gratefulness over at Maxabella Loves.

Have a lovely weekend peeps. Cat

Grateful

I feel that I only survived this week with the love and support of my mum and some close friends. I am so grateful they are looking out for me at the moment. I know I sound like a broken record, but this sole parenting gig is full on.

I am so grateful that this week, one day when I could feel that I was fraying at the edges, Zoe was having another one of her *throw her whole body on the floor tantrums*. In the middle of the shopping centre. Just because she did not want to walk, she wanted to be carried. I turn a corner, and there was Nell, my best friend, out shopping with no children, looking amazing in a blue scarf the colour of her eyes, relaxed and carefree - everything I felt I was NOT at that moment. I could not have bumped into her at a better moment. She gave me a hug, distracted the girls and carried my shopping bags (I was carrying the tantrum thrower) We did our food shopping together, all the while chatting, my girls sitting in a twin shopping trolley next to each other, so well behaved and loving the attention of two mummies. I felt like a new person afterwards.

I am so grateful my friend Yvette and her two girls were kicked out of their house by tradesmen doing some work - they spent the day at our house. All the kiddies played well together, Yvette tidied up the toy room and the lounge room. We chatted over cups of tea, had fruit-o-clock, and enjoyed some chocolate cake. I even got some boxes of baby clothes sorted into sizes, Yvette folded them into boxes, and they are all labeled and organised. One more task completed. Thank you for the beautiful flowers too (pictured here)

I am grateful that my mum is always so helpful. Looking after the girls so I can run some errands, encouraging Abbey to tidy up her messes, washing my dishes - again. Reading Abbey the same book over and over. Getting Abbey ready for bed tonight so I could make a double batch of Mars Bar Slice for the kinder Garage Sale tomorrow (nice to be making this before midnight!)

Thank you lovely people. I am so grateful you helped me through this week.

Visit all the grateful peeps here.

Cat

Grateful

I am a day late, but Happy Chinese New Year to you. Yesterday I was busy with My Creative Space and checking out all the other ones. It is now the year of the rabbit.

This week I am ever so grateful for the Chinese New Year. It has meant Chris got two public holidays in Hong Kong, and he came home to Melbourne to see us. We are loving having him home. Abbey wont let him out of her sight. There have been lots of cuddles and smiles. Sunday will be difficult, when he has to leave. I am trying not to think about it.

I am grateful, that while Chris has been home playing with the girls, I have managed to get some more packing and sorting done. Some more stuff was taken to the op shop, it feels so good. There is still a long way to go until the girls and I can move to Hong Kong.

I am grateful kinder has started for Abbey - she loved her first interview session, and while I was busy talking to her teacher, she was off making two new friends - I am so proud of her. I hope to get lots of packing and sorting done while she is off at kinder.

This afternoon, I am grateful my mum was able to look after Zoe, so Chris and I could take Abbey to see Tangled the movie.

How cute are these kids training chop sticks? Of course, they have been popular with Abbey as they are pink.

So many grateful peeps over at Maxabella Loves.

Have a lovely weekend.

Cat

Grateful

Hello lovelies. It has been a while. I feel like I have lost my blogging mojo. If you see it anywhere, please send it my way. Is it really the end of January? Already? How did that happen? I have missed you all.

This week I am grateful for just getting through the week. It has been a tough one. But I survived. I am not cut out for this sole parenting - it is freaking hard work. I miss Chris. The girls miss their daddy. He misses us.

I am grateful we spent a whole week together as a family over Christmas. I am grateful we got on the same flight as him on New Years day, and spent 18 wonderful days together in Hong Kong.

Abbey, Zoe and I set up our new apartment while Chris was very busy at work. But we were together, we were a family. Coming back to Melbourne was difficult on so many levels. Some days I feel quite lost. It is just plain weird having two homes, in two different cities.

I am grateful this week I managed to pack up a few things, sort out some more boxes, throw out some more rubbish, dig up a few more weeds from our garden and add some more things to the op-shop bags. There is still a long way to go. Today, I am up for the challenge. A few days ago, I was completely overwhelmed by it all.

I am also grateful the apartment is quite well built, as we have these huge windows, with an inviting ledge, a perfect height for little people to climb up on. And climb up they did.

Do pop in and visit Maxabella loves for a whole lot of grateful.

Have a lovely week.

Cat.

Grateful

This week, I am grateful for so much. This week, I feel very loved. So many lovely friends and family have really helped me out. This sole parenting thing is hard work and exhausting. Bring on Christmas, as Chris will be home with us then. We can be a family again.

• I am grateful Chris was able to get a flight home last weekend to see Abbey's gymnastics display. He was here for one night only, but it was worth it.
• I am grateful I won this amazing giveaway. Jennie makes the most gorgeous dolls, and the purple softie I won is adorable!
• I am grateful I can sew, as I made Abbey's costume for her gymnastics display - a jelly fish skirt.
• I am grateful one of my friends Kate had Abbey over for a play date this week, so I could get a few hours of respite, do some yoga to calm my mind and she cooked dinner for us too. Abbey adores your Mia, and was talking about you for hours afterwards.
• I am grateful for this post from Tracey who got me all inspired to make some some of our own Rodolph the reindeer cookie suckers - Abbey (and I!) had lots of fun.
• I am grateful my mum looked after the girls so I could get my food shopping done, so very quickly, as I had no kids with me (thank you for pruning the roses, again)
• I am grateful this week as my step-dad Steve mowed our back lawn and completely made over over our whole front garden - it looks amazing, and is the most wonderful Christmas present we could have asked for.
• I am grateful my dear friend Yvette had us over for a catch up, let us trash her house, and she made gingerbread dough for our big girls to make some cookies. I love our chats, and discovering our never ending similar interests. I am grateful our big girls play so well together (and now our little girls join in, so cute) I am so grateful our paths crossed and we are friends.
• I am grateful for a catch up and kids play date with my dear friend Nell - it felt like ages since we had a natter. Your friendship is so easy and natural and means so much to me.
• I am grateful our local library runs an amazing kids program of story time with singing and dancing and arts and crafts. This week's session was extra special, as our librarian had arranged for Santa to visit - a very funny Santa who rides his motorbike right into the library (his number plate is also "Santa") He reads a story and tells lots of jokes, we had so much fun.

Maxabella loves land is the home for gratefulness today, pop in and visit.

Have a lovely weekend to you.

Cat

Grateful

This week, possibly for the first time in my whole life, I am grateful for wearing glasses. When chopping a chili, some juice splashed onto my face - my glasses stopped some chili juice going into my eyes.

This week I am (trying to be) grateful that Zoe caught my sore throat, her big sisters runny nose and cough and she was cutting two teeth all at the same time - it has been an exhausting week, but it could have been worse if all these ailments had been spread out over a few weeks. It looks like she is on the mend, and we hope to get some more sleep soon.

Today I am grateful for a delicious home cooked roast lunch and cake with lovely friends. Sipping champagne, relaxed conversations and watching all our girls play together - this is the life.

Pop in and visit Maxabella-land for more gratefulness.

Happy Saturday to you.

Cat.

Grateful

This week I am grateful for doing 10 minutes of yoga. 10 minutes is better than none.

This week I am grateful, again, as my mum is always so helpful, and I would be lost with out her.

This week I am grateful for going out on a "play date" (as I called it for Abbey - who is 4 years old) with my best friend Nell - just us one evening, no kids, and lots of lovely finished conversations. I am grateful our husbands looked after the (sleeping) kids.

This week I am grateful that the young man at the library waived the fine for the book we have lost. I am grateful he gave us 3 more weeks to find the book....

This week Abbey and I are grateful that her daddy took a day off work to go on Kinder duty - they both had so much fun. I am even more grateful that Chris was then home to cook our dinner (and I got a night off cooking)

Visit Maxabella land for more gratefulness.

Have a lovely weekend peeps.

Cat.