“Life right now” posts give me poetic license to just ramble. There’s no particular theme to it all. There’s no dramatic crescendo – so sorry to leave you hanging if that’s what you came here looking for. It’s more a bit like being on the couch with me, with feet folded under our bums, one hand animatedly gesturing and echoing my words, whilst the other hand caressing a wine glass, or mug of coffee (depending on how tired I am) – and the mind just flows forth with mutterings of…well, our life right now. Our highs, lows, laughs and ponderings. Hope you stay a while for them…I promise I make a great cuppa, or will only serve the best wine. So pull in and get comfy!
I don’t know about you, but I’m in a complete and utter time warp right now. All that Easter-ing has wrecked me. I write this not knowing what day it actually is. In fact, I just posted an Instagram, backspacing and retyping “Sundaze” Lord knows how many times, because I couldn’t figure out where in the weekend we were. It’s like Easter, in my head, should be on a day of it’s own, right in between Saturday and Sunday. I better get it straight, though, lest I miss that rather important board meeting come Tuesday morning. Or is it Wednesday? Hmmm…
But I digress.
Mind you, it wrecked me in a good way. But until I recover from it well enough to share it with you, here’s a bit of a peek into our life right now:
Despite the recent weeks of toddler struggles (see here) and sheer exhaustion (see here), we’ve managed to keep chugging along with smiles on our faces. Tired eyes, yes – that’s a given for any parent- but satisfied colgate-esque smiles nonetheless. And it’s genuine smiles, people. Not the false ones plucked on a parent’s face for public appearances. No, it’s the real, “life is challenging, but oh so damn sweet too” kind of smiles! You know the ones? Just like over the weekends in the morning, when the kids wake up too early, and for those first few seconds, with eyes still closed and slightly in denial, you cuss and hope it was just a false start. But once they’re all loaded up into you bed…You look across the littles, and then at your partner on the other end…..and you just glaze over from the sweetness of the sight. *sigh*I could just stare at it and breathe it in all morning – if it wasn’t for the little elbow in my ribs, or the tiny feet kicking my face (pic of pax feet), of course. Not to mention the endless orders being placed for Beetbix (Weetbix), bacon and toast & more milkies!
But glorified waitressing aside, someone needs to find a way to bottle up those feels, packaged and ready to be given to anyone who’s in need of a love-filled-rush-induced smile. I would totally use it…especially at those times when I feel like my crazy-mom-o-meter dial is tipping towards dangerous levels…I would strap that baby on like a mask and go all Darth Vader on it.
But crazy is kind of like the new normal for any parent – it’s always in question isn’t it? And recently, I think I finally point a finger on the source of most of mine. In fact, I’m pretty much sure it forms the basis of all our recent tiredness and our shrunken thresholds for toddler meltdowns and obscure shit:
Parker-Grace’s Bowel Movements.
Yes. You read that correctly. But how? I hear you ask. “huh?” you echo back. Well, as you know, madam has toilet/potty trained herself. And I mean she did everything out of her own. Like everything. Right down to scratching in her sister’s cupboard and getting herself a panty. Always the cutest ones, mind you. Yes, I know, I’m totally up for the laziest mom awards. And I could point out several reasons why I am this paralyzed about toilet training, like I did here, but stripped to it’s bare bones, then yeah, I probably am just lazy. I simply just can’t do one more thing on my mom-to-do list. Shoot me.
But, despite myself, she’s been doing great. Except that she’s like really really thorough in it. And this is where the rub lies. Madam will not go sleep lest her bowels have been completely vacated. So never mind the fact that their sleep routine is on point, taking us about 30 min to get them both into bed promptly (anytime between 7pm and 8pm) – I know, right? Can I get a high-five; But now, if our beasty’s poop factory has not yet shipped out its last load for the day, no one in the Porter abode is sleeping.
This includes her big sister, who has cottoned on to the fact that, oh dear me, we don’t actually HAVE to listen to mom and dad about this bedtime thing.hmmm…the doors to rebellion have been flung wide open for her, thanks to little sister over there on the loo. The things they learn from each other.
So now, not only do we have to contend with small beasty singing at the top of her lungs across the halls while she, as she puts it: “Drops that poo” ; We now also have the eldest beasty following suit, and offers to sing duet from the other side of the house. Great. Tuneless bathroom warbling, now in stereo for our listening pleasure.
And it’s not like we’re just sitting back and relaxing while she’s #droppingthat. oh noo – that would be far too easy. It’s more like a wrist-slashing dance of wiping bums, putting to bed, being summoned again to cart her back to the loo, followed by us pleading for her to just finish up. Then, repeat.
This dance can go on seemingly forever…often till about ten at night. Her current record is 11pm. All while Mike and I lay there in defeat, eyeballing each other as to who’s turn it is to go wipe her butt, and our minds searching for our own swift death. So clearly, none of us are living our best lives right now, and it would then make sense then as to why I’m not dealing as well recently.Even fighting off the flu this past Easter weekend – yay.
But let’s change lenses to Silver lining wide angle, shall we? She’s potty trained, people! Almost pretty much a nappy-free home for now. Almost. And that’s enough to make any parent smile!
St. Patrick’s day
Then, in other news, St. Paddy’s came and went, just as quickly as our green hot cakes were made and devoured.

She’ll gladly serve you those hot cakes (flapjacks) that she helped make, alright. But expect them to be half eaten by the time it reaches you. You’ve been warned. #hostesswiththemostess
Star gazing
This has become a much loved little family activity of ours thanks to the awesome summer weather we had. And when Mugzy (Morgan-Lee) spotted the telescope at one of our buds’ place recently, it’s all she spoke about at home. Fortunately, we have some absolutely cool friends who make things happen.
Things like unplanned/spontaneous pop-ins where I take over their oven, my kids wreck their lounge by unpacking all the toys that their kid ever owned, and then get them to push them bikes till their backs want to cave in, but they keep going anyhow. So, wait, correction: they are awesome friends.
In fact, Mikey and I are blessed enough to have a handful of really awesome friends. Trouble is, we don’t get to see any of them nearly often enough. And it’s something that’s actually really been troubling me for some time now. Having dear friends are an absolute blessing, and part of the many facets of the wheel of life that form part of that elusive “balancing act”. Definitely something I believe we need to be sure to nurture and tend to.
But easier said than done, right? There is just not enough time at all, always more things to be done, and other priorities that need tending. And so the guilt creeps up for yet another ball that’s being dropped. But, as we all know, guilt does you no service. So instead I’m choosing to prioritize friends a bit more for now. Because the thing is, I’m always tired. And with a challenging full time job, a home to tend to, and children in tow, that’s pretty unlikely to change.
In fact, it’s a joke my hubby often makes of me: Remember this scene with Hulk letting Cap in on his secret? Well, according to my hubby, my version is, “you wanna know my secret for still getting things done?”
So, I might as well just go out in any case. And turns out that this impromptu little pop-in, which turned into a soul-filling all-nighter, was well more needed than an early night in.
Camped out on the deck, under the cool autumn night sky, snuggled under blankies, with good conversation about life and future plans flowing faster than that bottle of red. Friends and their tiny offspring happily, if not sleepily, sipping at life’s cup of simple pleasures.
It also meant Mugzy got her telescope obsession fulfilled- even if she only spent all of five minutes on it and moved onto the blocks.
Also, I just can’t seem to shake my dorkish need for my literal interpretation of every little event. Like our star gazing night with the kids…so we had to have star shaped cookies – obviously.
My bud was wondering where the easter bunny cookie cutters were, but eventually hubby and I let her in this slightly OCD twitch that I have with crafts and baking. She just poured the wine,nodded and let me get on with things in her kitchen.
Lapping up last of summer
Not a day goes by without the girls asking if we can go swim, but unfortuntely/fortunately the Autumn fairies have descended upon us, so that’s just not going to happen. And as such the girls are just not taking the end of summer too well. But, at least we’re still able to squeeze in alfresco dinners on the beach, bury our toes in the sand, shriek at the icy waves crashing around our ankles and take in gorgeous West Coast sunsets. And we’ll take every such warm, windless glorious ends to the day that the weather gods have to offer, before we go into full hibernation again.
Out of the mouths of babes:
There have been some real gems recently, if only I could remember them all. Some I’ve out right laughed at, others I’ve had to muffle, poker-face it up and then crumble in laughter as I share it with Mikey later in the evening, others are just too cute and interesting. So, for those that I can remember:
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Their morning cereal, “Weetbix” is pronounced “Beetbix”. This is an oldie, but neither Mike nor I are in any hurry to correct Parker-Grace, it’s just too damn cute. In fact, everytime she gets it right, we try to convince her of it’s rebranding 🙂
Morgan-Lee as a smally also used to call it Beetbix as well, and unfortunately cottoned on too quickly for our liking. So we’re trying to keep this one going with Pax as long as possible.
Va-jay-jay talk: Now, it’s a sad to think about this, but it’s become very necessary to teach your children the proper name for their private bits. (Unfortunately their testament can be diminished in legal court cases (of sexual abuse) should they not refer to their bits by their accurate “labels”. Like I said, very sad.) Hence, I’ve recently been helping Parker-Grace along as well. Whenever she would say “Nookie”, I would reply with “yes, it’s a nookie or a vagina. What’s it called?”
Morgan-Lee is always listening in and, of course, I made sure she knew the correct word “vagina” well before she went to crèche for obvious reasons, years ago. I then left it at that because I felt she had it. So it was pretty suprising to me the other night when I overheard her very confidently correct Parker-Grace with, “that’s right, Parky, it’s ‘Nookies for China’ ”. I nearly peed my pants. Nookies for China it is then.
On being big sister: It’s no mystery that Mike and I would like more kids one day (see here), so now and again we chat to Mugz and Pugz about a life with another baby in the house. Morgy melted very easily into her role as big sister, so it’s never suprising that she’s over the moon about the idea of it.
Parky on the other hand – not so much. She’s pretty definite in her answer, whenever any of us ask if she wants to be a big sister – it’s a flat out “no”.
Morgy too has just one word for us when we ask her, “how do you think Parky will be as a big sister?” Then without even looking up she answers: “Jealous”. Oh boy. Out of the mouths of babes, indeed.
Then there’s Pax’s singing, her crazy charm powers that gets her out of trouble countless times, and Morgy’s adventurous ways, and so much more, but let’s quit while I’m still ahead here. Am I still ahead? I can honestly go on for days about it. But I won’t. ‘Cause you and I have to get back to those mounting to-do lists and get through all those “priorities” for the day. So let’s get to it.
By the way, if you are just as lost as I am in this maze of days since this long weekend: It’s Tuesday morning, and I’m off for that meeting now.
So, as you can see, there’s plenty of reasons for our current colgate smiles right now, not to mention, only four more sleeps till the weekend!! Happy short week, folks! X
Happy short week to you too! I love the stars obsession – little science based obsessions are just great
Yes!! Im also loving the stars obsession of my girl and that both do enjoy just chilling looking up at the stars- i had daydreamed about that when it was still just hubby and me!
PS. And also yes on science based activities! Have you seen our slime experiments?:)
I though Easter weekends was for relaxing, well at least for some of us. Very insightful read, will def bookmark this one for when I have kids.
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