Balancing it Out

I don't like getting too dirty. I don't mind if I'm working around the farm and get dirty, that I can cope with, as long as once it's done I can have a hot shower and clean up I'm fine. I can be a bit of a fussy parent at times too about the kids getting dirty, I KNOW that it''s all in fun and it helps with learning and creative play and all that, but still it's dirt! Which is why I LOVE that Muddy Hubby is the opposite, he gets dirty and doesn't even notice, comes home and goes to sit on the lounge filthy and I have to stop him before he sits down. I love that when the kids go with him it's almost guaranteed that they will come back having had a wonderful time and covered in dirt. If I go along with them I am fussing and trying to minimise the damage. Muddy Hubby on the other hand lets them go hard until they're worn out, no matter how dirty they get.

The same goes for risk taking, I am not an overly adventurous person, I always over think things and stop and hesitate before jumping into a task. Muddy Hubby again is the opposite, he whacks the kids in the bucket of the Dingo and doesn't hesitate to raise them up in the air, while I on the other hand fret about 'What if they fall out'. When he discovers an Emu nest he jumps right in and gets the kids in to check it out, while on the other hand I am having visions of angry Emus finding me in their nest and chasing me around the paddock (yes I have had this vision several times). Muddy Hubby has the confidence that the Emu has long left the nest and the few remaining eggs will not hatch and it's OK for the girls to pick them up and bring them home. He doesn't flinch when the Muddy Puzzler drops the Emu Egg on the Dining Room floor and it smashes open,while I am having a heart attack about how to clean it all up (true story)!

This balance we have evens it out for our kids. I'm sure if it was 100% up to me my kids would end up reserved, clean freaks with no sense of adventure.

Memory Lane

Source

So at the end of last week I found myself talking a nostalgic walk down memory lane. I happened to drive past one of the first houses I lived in when I moved out west for a job, over 10 years ago now. I don't often end up in that part of town but when I do I make sure I check out my old haunts. I was horrified to discover that the house, which holds such fond memories of the single, carefree life I lived was now a 'Massage Clinic'. I know it has changed owners several times but was not expecting that. I called my old flatmate who I lived in the house with and we had a good laugh about what type of massage clinic it was, and whether or not if you went for a massage it would have a 'happy ending'. We had a little catch up and I remembered all the good times we'd had living together.

Then Saturday night we went back to town for my Muddy Brother-in-law's 30th Birthday, it was held at what used to be one of my favourite restaurants when I lived in town. I found myself remembering birthdays, farewells and dinners I've had there and again got a little nostalgic.

I find that this often happens, I go for long periods without thinking about how I got to be where I am, and then through circumstances end up with several things that take me on a walk down memory lane. Sometimes I really love that jog of the memory that 'Oh so this is how I ended up where I am', then there's the memories that bring out the cringe factor 'did I really do that, what was I thinking' and trust me, there are lots of cringes!

The best bit about a walk down memory lane is knowing that no matter how I got to where I am, the most important thing is where I am now and that I'm happy. That there are no regrets. These walks down memory lane really got me thinking about memories and what you hold onto and what you let go of. One of my favourite movies is 'The Notebook' and it makes me cry every time, because she doesn't remember the love of her life, only in those rare lucid moments, I am scared that at some point I won't be able to do these walks down memory lane. For now though I am enjoying them.

Do you take walks down memory lane often, or do they catch you by surprise like they do me?

Do you like them, or cringe at them? Or are you one of those people that never look back?

Did your old house end up as a Massage Clinic too?

A Week of Gratefuls

This week has been a tough one, second week of school holidays and we've been busy busy, so to try and pick me up this week I've tried to focus each on what I'm grateful for in each day. I saw another grateful blogger do this the other week and I loved it. It has worked well for me, so this week following on from last week's grateful post:

Saturday - I was grateful for a dear friend having a girl's only 40th birthday party and I got to spend a lovely evening, child free, catching up with some lovely friends and getting to know some new ones.

Sunday - I was grateful for some time on the four wheeler shifting sheep with my Muddy Pixie, we didn't fight, she wasn't throwing tantrums, we just enjoyed being on the bike together, a rarity nowadays.

Monday - Saw me be very grateful for my Muddy Hubby taking 2 of the kids so I could race into town and do some jobs with only 2 Muddy Kids, definitely lightened the load

Tuesday - Gratefulness was in abundance that it hadn't rained yet and we could keep shearing the sheep for a bit longer

Wednesday - Ironically I was grateful for enough rain to give our crops a much needed drink

Thursday - I was grateful for having such a lovely little red head with me when my Muddy Organiser came shopping with me, we had some lovely time together with Muddy Bubby before school starts back, we ate lunch in a cafe and enjoyed being together. We even bought some new fish for the fish tank.

Friday - I am very grateful to have my Mum and Dad visiting so I can try and restore order to my house, getting some time to fold washing and put it away, do the office filing and catch up on the farm accounts.

Linking up with Maxabella at Village Voices for 52 Weeks of Grateful, head on over and check it out. What are you Grateful for This Week?

Wordless Wednesday - Wool Lovers

We've spent most of the last week and a half in and out of the shearing shed, it's a good thing my Muddy Kids love it!

Linking up with Trish at My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday, make sure you pop over and check it out!

And what do you think of my new header? Do you love it as much as I do? My wonderful, talented BFF Laura created it for me and I am eternally grateful for her help!

Mini Break Snapshots

When we headed north for a couple of nights we managed to squeeze in a few touristy things while we were away. We took the Muddy Kids fossicking for Opals, somehow I think Muddy Hubby enjoyed it just as much as they did! We checked out the Lake which is normally farming country, but because of all the rain and floods it's a lake at the moment. We did the 'Car Door Tours' to see some of the town highlights and the opal fields. It's definitely a unique town, and despite all the touristy things every time you asked the Muddy Kids what they wanted to do next their answer was always the same 'Can we go to the park?'.

Shearing Up North

At the start of last week we went shearing up North on our lease block, I took quite a few photos, here's a few to see how our two days went. Shearing starts early in the morning, the first run starts at 7:30, most shearers get to the shed about 7. The day is broken up into 4 runs 7:30 - 9:30, 30 mins morning tea, 10-12 then 1hr lunch, 1-3 then 30 mins afternoon tea, then the last run is 3:30-5. The shearers we had were each shearing between 130 - 210 sheep a day.

We got the sheep in Sunday afternoon and put some in the shed and under the shed

The Muddy Puzzler and Muddy Organiser oversaw the whole process

The sheep need to be sheded to keep them dry

We had 4 shearers, in a day and a half they shore just over 1100 sheep

Muddy Hubby Classes our wool, he likes to tell the girls what he's doing

My Muddy Puzzler likes to check it all out

At the end of a run the sheep are counted out of each shearer's pen, the shearers are paid per sheep

All the wool has to be baled up and bought home on the truck, Muddy Puzzler tries to help, the bales weigh about 190kg each

Muddy Hubby drives the truck home with all the wool bales and other shearing gear

We've started shearing back at home, we only have 3 shearers going here, but they're powering through the sheep. It's supposed to rain tomorrow which means we'll knock off when we run out of dry sheep, as the shearers won't shear them if they're wet.

Love a Good Preschool

I am a big supporter of Early Childhood Education and I'm a get involved kind of person. When we first enrolled our Muddy Organiser in Preschool I didn't hesitate to put my hand up to lend a hand and volunteer. At times the behind the scenes workings get you down, but more often than not I find it rewarding to see the enjoyment the kids and staff get out of events or fundraisers.

One of the BEST things I've been able to watch is the process towards renovating the outdoor space at preschool. It was already pretty cool with a bike track, cubby, massive sandpit, climbing equipment and a few chooks. What they've done now though is build the area into a more natural environment. There's a slide built into the hill and a climbing wall. There's going to be an 'outdoor learning area' and at the moment the Landscaper is working on improving the mud patch, so it will have donkey pumps and a bridge and all manner of get messy stuff.

I had a meeting last Thursday for the upcoming Trivia Night Fundraiser and all my Muddy Kids had an absolute blast exploring the updated area showing that it has definitely been worth the work. I feel so very lucky to have such a fantastic resource in our town, I know so many towns struggle with staffing and funding, so I am extra grateful this week for the fantastic Director, Staff and Preschool we have here in town.

Linking up with Maxabella at Village Voices for 52 Weeks of Grateful. It's definitely worth checking out, so head on over and have a look.