+ a trip to the chiropractor +

One of the joys (or difficulties depending how you look at it) of moving to a new city where you know basically no one is finding all new doctors, dentists, chiropractors and hairdressers with no word of mouth. I asked down at the local health food shop a couple of months ago about a chiropractor and was referred to Dr Timothy Watt.

I had to take Jamin yesterday after he started having some problems with regressing in his toilet training. I had heard from another parent that if a little boys coccyx is in the wrong position it can affect them receiving the message or urge that they need to go to the toilet. Dr Tim said that Jamin needed some serious adjusting. He did a great job because we have gone back to normal today with no accidents!

What I was really impressed with was the kids adjusting room. Jamin was pretty impressed as well and had a great time. Who would have thought that a trip to the chiropractor would be so much fun?!

The adjustment table that Dr Tim made himself into a submarine. Very fun!

A cool shaky skateboard that helps the joints to get back in synch.

Who knows? but it was fun too!

+ He's Home +

Danny has made it back safe & sound after the long (but childless & therefore relaxing) flight from Australia.

He received a wholehearted greeting from almost 3 year old Jamin, complete with a running across the airport and jumping into his arms cuddle.

It was very sweet!

Jamin seems to now be at the age where he can understand the comings and goings of the visitors we have over here. He is starting to really get into the excitement of arrivals and the sadness of goodbyes.

Danny said that he really missed his boys and they have changed so much in the 10 days he's been gone. We missed him too...

+ here's to independance +

We bought this bike rack about a month ago after Danny assured me it would make our new bike-filled life a lot easier. As he had the 'Bike-Man' title in our family I never showed much of an interest in it's attachment to the car. I figured if & when I needed it, Danny would just do his thing & off we would go... Except he's not here right now & I wanted to do a bit of bike transportation myself. So after a bit of skype coaching, phonecalls, texting of pictures & reading of the manual I did get it attached to the car. Let me tell you... it's a lot heavier than it looks! I threw the chariot, helmets and Jamin's skuut bike into our volumous car, knowing that Danny would disapprove of my messy packing, & took off for Park City to visit a Australian friend who moved with us for RME.

It was a great afternoon & as I was driving the 1/2 hour trip home I was struck that I was driving alone along an American highway on a Thursday night with a car full of little boys & bikes. A little bizarre but I also felt really proud of myself that I had it in me to travel halfway across the world & still be able to make life work for me & the boys when Danny wasn't around.

I find that I spend a lot of time doubting myself - that I can cope without Danny to lead the way, that I do have the depth within myself to reach down and grab whatever it is that I need to get through what I am facing. But in the last year I have found that there is a lot more depth & resiliancy & bravery than I thought I had.

...and you know what? That makes me feel pretty proud of myself.

* a trip to the aquarium *

Yesterday was a bit of a rough day emotionally. You know those days when you actually don't speak to any other adults & feel like you just might go crazy? Well it wasn't quite that bad but close...

So this morning when the boys woke up earlier than I would have liked and began the day in tears I was counting on Mummy's Group to provide a bit of welcome distraction and conversation... until it was cancelled.

So what was I to do? Stay home, feel sorry for myself and be a grumpy mum... or get out of the house and do something fun. I chose the latter and we had the best morning at the aquarium!

It is a 5 minute drive away, very cheap (kids under 3 free & adults only $9!), and great for kids of any age (a huge plus when you have very little ones).

Here are some pictures of our fantastic morning!

Looking for Nemo & Marlin & Dory

Me & my little one

There were about 5 stingrays in this pool that you can reach down & touch.

They kinda feel rubbery. Amazing!

Of course - Jamin & Kael got pretty wet.

I love this shot - two peas in a pod

(as Jamin would say after we explained the saying to him a couple of weeks ago. cute huh?)

Looking at the kid height tanks & feeling excited he's a big boy now

Having words with the grumpy fish

The touch & feel tank

Very interested in the sea snakes hissing at him.

I love that he is starting to interact with the world around him. So fun!

The new penguin exhibit!

It was so exciting to watch them dive in & out of the pool, waddle around & make funny cooing noises. Photos were a bit difficult due to the condensation on the glass.

Funny fact for the day: a colony of penguins is also called a waddle!

So that was our very fun, adventurous morning out. I have decided at $43 for an annual family membership we are definately going to make the most of the aquarium this year. Going to be a great winter's day activity.

< what i've been reading >

A number of years ago I read the memoir by Ayaan Hirsi Ali 'Infidel' and found it to be one of those books which stretch and enlighten you in ways you can never imagine. You can read a short biography of Hirsi Ali here which gives a excellent background on her amazing life story.

I found this second book to be just as disconcerting as the first, giving me a personal take on the current state of Islam and its affect on the everyday family, woman and child. A review of her second book 'Nomad' that you can find here describes her writing style perfectly in stating that "she writes with a clear eye for detail and narrative flair of a novelist". Even though I did finish the book feeling very informed I didn't feel like I had read a paper or textbook, rather a letter from a friend about her worries and concerns about a really important topic in our world at this time.

You may also be interested in the AHA Foundation, which Hirsi Ali started in 2007 as a charitable organisation to help protect and defend the rights of women in the West against militant Islam. She is an amazing woman who is doing something to change both the larger culture and personal lives of women and children - something I find overwhelmingly inspiring!

:: my kitchen helper ::

Over the last month or so I have gained a new helper in the kitchen.

This is a very welcome step in Jamin's development because although at times it can be more difficult for me to have a 'helper' I have a dream that by the time he is 8 or so he will be able to cook a whole meal by himself.

There are a few parenting resources that I use that break down the process of training your kids to be able to do all of the household jobs by the time they reach their mid teens. Obviously this is a long and ongoing process of training but just imagine that! Your kids being able to help around the house and contribute with a willing and happy heart.

Belinda Letchford writes a great blog about all things parenting that has amazing insights and tips. You can find a blog post about Kids in the Kitchen Cooking Dinner that I found really helpful in breaking down the concept to the basics.

Mel Hayde also has an amazing book called Terrific Toddlers that I cannot recommend highly enough. It has a great section on starting to implement chores with your kids along with a multitude of other great tips, parenting ideas and beliefs.

So slowly slowly I am working toward these big goals.

Here is what Jamin is doing at the moment...

Baking assistant - we made apple pie which was delicious!

Putting away our esky from our shopping home delivery.

Unpacking the fruit into the fruit bowl.

Getting his own water from the fridge tap. This one is very exciting!

And yes... he is wearing a skirt. Who am I to keep a twirly skirt from a boy who loves all things dressing up, music and dancing.

So for now we will keep going with the little things and working on having a great attitude towards chores. So far so good :)

how to be alone

in the spirit of this week of solo parenting -

how to be alone

a you tube video that celebrates being alone without loneliness

beautifully put together

:: happy day ::

Today was my first day with two healthy and happy boys for what feels like forever but was probably more like 3 weeks.

Kael is actually sitting and playing on his own happily!

We also made the 1/2 hour drive out to Park City for Curtis's 4th Birthday party. It was a beautiful drive and a very fun party.

Jamin had to climb up and touch the party balloon at the top of the hill.

The magnificent 'Utah' inspired cake.

Curtis opening his present from us - a dinosaur book which was an instant hit!

It was a good day.

a quick trip home

Danny leaves for Australia this afternoon so I will be solo parenting for the next 10 days.

He has strategic planning meetings for work most of the week and will use the weekends to catch up with family and the multiple new babies that have been born since we left 4 months ago.

I am feeling somewhat envious of his trip although in reality it will mean jetlag, busy meetings and lots of people wanting time with him. He does get to experience the peace of a plane flight without kids. He can eat, watch movies and even sleep!

None of this for him this trip. One bag is all he's got!

I am not sure how I am going to go being left behind with the boys. One part of me knows that there is no sane reason to attempt to go with him but I feel sad to miss out on seeing friends, babies and beloved family members. My heart will certainly be going with him.

Will keep you updated on how the week is going but in the meantime if anyone has any tips for staying sane and emotionally together with a travelling husband let me know. I could use all the help I can get right now! I have done it lots of time before but always made the most of my family living just down the road. This time I am in a new country with only a handful of very new friends. A little overwhelming but I will just take it one day at a time...

driving test

This morning I did something that I had been dreading since we decided to move to Utah. I took a driving test for a Utah Drivers License. I have these memories that are filled with emotions and pictures... of a cool Toowoomba morning, feeling young and very nervous, sitting in a car with an old guy who had the power to grant me freedom. So obviously when thinking of having to do another driving test that all came flooding back to me.

But you know what? It was easy!

I think that the difference this time was that I have about 12 years driving experience now as compared to the 6 months first time round. I even had the whole driving on the other side of the road thing down as we have been here for 4 months now and it has mostly become 2nd nature.

So I am a happy and relieved girl right now. I even rewarded myself with some of my favourite bagels which I think deserve a blog feature all of their own at a later date.

Hooray for me!

In case your wondering... the actual card takes about 3 weeks in the mail.

Guess some things move slowly around here...

If you're clever you might have noticed that I am not actually driving the car in the first picture! It's the only picture of me in a car that I had :)

Be kind...

Be kind,

for everyone is facing

a great battle...

Philo

It is about the easiest thing in the world to judge someone else for what they are or are not doing. I find myself doing this and am trying to continually remember that everyone is doing the best that they can within a situation. Whether that be parenting, relationships, choices, family.... whatever.

I really do believe that when I choose to love and accept instead of judging and criticising everyone feels better for it. Although judgement allows me to feel better than someone for a time, it also means that I have distanced myself from walking closely with that person. I am choosing to not find out more of where they are coming from. It means that we cannot have a interesting and enlightening conversation about our ideas and views. It means that we are separate with little hope of connection. And I don't know about you but for me connection is a beautiful thing.

So... this is what I am working on right now in my life.

Choosing to believe that people really are doing their best with what they are facing and choosing not to judge but to listen and look and ask.

share with me... what are your thoughts?

< what i've been reading >

There is nothing better than randomly picking up a book from a shelf at the library and it turning out to be 5 stars. That was the case with...

Greyhound by Steffan Piper

It's a beautifully written story about a young boy who comes from a dysfunctional home who is put on a bus on his own to travel across America to his grandparents home. He meets all sorts of characters along the way, all of whom are introduced so richly that you feel very close to them by the end of the story. It is one of the few books that I have read that made me want to contact the author to say what a great job he had done (of course, with life happening, I didn't get around to it...).

So if you like to read, go hunting to find this one. It's worth the read!

:: spotlight on kindy ::

Jamin's Kindy took photos of us on his 1st day to add to their "Apple photo tree" in the entrance way. It's a great way to feel a part of the school & for the kids to settle in.

Can you spot us?

Here we are!

Yuba Lake

Our trip to Yuba Lake can be summed up using a few words...

uneasy - danny & I are really struggling to feel at ease having this big thing in our life. It is just a bit too much compared to what we are used to. This weekend didn't do much to dispel the feeling of uneasiness.

lack of sleep - our boys are not known for their good sleeping habits & in a new environment this normally gets worse. This weekend was no exception with Jamin awake until 10pm and Kael awake at 3am & 4am & 6am. Daytime sleeps were not much better with both boys needing help and then waking about 30 minutes later screaming about having sore ears. It was at this point Danny & I made the prudent decision to bail a night early as sick kids & being away from home and Dr's are not a good combination.

beautiful photos
The best thing about the whole weekend were these beautiful photos we took down at the lake. I guess that was the point of the whole expedition - to get out and experience some of this beautiful place...

a grey nomads dream...

Yesterday heralded the arrival of our newly purchased 28ft caravan (hereafter referred to in americanese as 'trailer' to lessen my acute embarrassment). It was just a little bigger than we expected, dwarfing our already super sized Landrover D3. What can I say? We are embracing the culture in which we find ourselves...?

It just squeezed in beside the house.

Danny did a magnificent job of backing it in first time!

So... are you interested in hearing our rationalisation for this addition of this behemoth to our lives? Okay well here goes -

• They are cheap here. We paid $16 000 on the road, they are $80 000 + in Australia.
• We have two little boys who need to have proper sleeps during the day or everyone goes crazy.
• We want to get out and see as much of this beautiful place that we can while we are here and just couldn't see a more cost effective way to do it.
• It's not quite as embarrassing as in Australia. It doesn't seem to be just a grey nomad's thing here, every second family has one and campgrounds cater to families.

Jamin has been super excited about our 'trailer' coming and after it arrived he wanted all of us to have dinner in it. What can we say... we were just a little bit excited too.

It was a good thermomix lasagne too!

The boys testing out the beds.

We have already booked our first weekend away to Yuba Lake State Park which is about an hour and a half away. Looks like a nice spot for our first ever run with the trailer.

We also plan to head up to Canada for 10 days in September with my sister for my cousin's wedding. Should be beautiful!

a bit of old & new

This week we received a letter in the mail from Jamin's friend Oliver in Toowoomba. It's been hard for all of us leaving behind some special friends so the fact that Jamin and Oliver can keep in touch via old school snail mail is really exciting.

Jamin immediately recreated Oli's picture by adding the spider and aeroplane stickers that Karly put in as his birthday present. I like to think of it as a collaborative approach to art.

The finished product which is now hanging on his wall.

Jamin and Kael also like to keep in touch with their various cousins via Skype. Jamin & Isaiah have their own little conversations about Isaiah coming over on a big plane and getting to watch dvd's. Ava & Eden like to talk about what they've been doing lately. And all the cousins like to show each other toys that they have been playing with or made lately.

It really is pretty amazing that we have this form of free communication to keep in touch with friends and family and it makes it a lot easier for the kids to remember people who they might otherwise have forgotten with the distance.