I was lucky to get both today, when my parents and sister came by for a visit. The days are unpredictable and lonely, not to mention the long, hard, difficult nights…
But to have them visit was the special sunshine in what was already a warm summer’s day. 🌞
And the icing on the cake? They brought so much food! Soup, sarma, meatballs, pasta, cheese pastries, rum balls and doughnuts! We have food to last days and days.
It was Valentine’s Day, the due date of our sweet boy, who we got to enjoy as he’s been with us already for 6 days. 🙏
But Hubbie did a tiny special thing for me today, that actually meant the world.
He got us some sweets to enjoy on this love-filled day, including nutella doughnuts, something I haven’t been able to enjoy during pregnancy… but now I’m on the other side!
He called me into the kitchen to show me – including the 4 roses he’d cut from our garden and arranged so beautifully.
4, for each member of our family now. 🥲🥰
Oh, I cried. It was the sweetest sentiment, so thoughtful and full of love, and it gave me all the feels.
Such a special Valentine’s Day for us. I think, the best so far. No fancy dinners, expensive presents or overpriced bouquets.
I took solace in baby girl and her friends. We had booked this doughnut decorating workshop at Rebel Donuts, a stones throw from our house, an activity I took baby girl to years ago, pre-covid.
When I have opportunity, I try to be there to take baby girl and her friends out. I’m happy to pick them up, drop them off, listen in on their conversations in the car, and let them run loose in the house when they come for a playdate.
Well all of the above was done tonight. I heard them talk about cute stuff, watched them make decorative doughnuts, and then made them pasta back at my place, the regular lunchtime menu for the trio of them.
And I have to say, with great pride… they are a good bunch. They really are. 🙏🥰
And on a Wintry Sunday, well, you just have to chill and stay home, don’t you?
Baby girl gave me one of her spa messages at midday, where I lay face down on her bed, in the warm heated room, while she gave me a light massage, patting and rubbing my back and shoulders for about 10 minutes, all to the tune of some background ‘sleeping’ tunes she found on YouTube. 😁
It was uber-relaxing, and I finished it off with the biggest laugh, all because of this…
You know how when you finish any kind of gentle spa or face or body treatment, the spa person will say something like “now, open your eyes gently, when you feel like it, take your time…”
Allowing you to slowly stretch up and move gingerly?
Well baby girl stopped the massage, walked over to her ipad, pressed stop on the music, and then said to me “It’s done.”
😆😆😆😆
Oh God, I laughed and laughed. It was actually a great way to end the relaxing session, with a big belly laugh.
And then in the afternoon, I made baked nutella-filled cinnamon doughnuts, because why not?
And following that, spent a good couple of hours (yes! 😲😲) reading, having me time, and just, chilling!
I had the most wonderful day out with baby girl. 💖💖
We haven’t been out to a shopping centre in a while, and with things to buy for upcoming functions we thought it might be a good time to start looking.
It was like everything fell into place from the get go. From easy parking, to finding 6 possible fancy dresses for her (yes, 6!) to then a variety of other things, shorts, pjs… I had to tell the retail assistant at Cotton On that baby girl was getting all the shopping, not me!
“Yes, mine is like that too!” she assured me.
But I was happy. She was happy. We went from store to store, place to place in relaxation and ease, and it was truly a joy to be spending quality time with her…
Tickling each other.
Holding hands.
Trying on oversized fur coats and laughing.
Playing hide and seek in the clothes racks.
Spraying ourselves with sample perfumes and trying on the variety of moisturisers.
It was all so special and beautiful.
The icing on the cake, or should I say the doughnut…
🤣 Coffee break at the end. What a way to ‘cap’ the day. 💞🥰💞🥰
Tonight we went to a great new place local to us, General Public.
It’s an entertainment venue that has a little bit of everything. Food and drinks of course, but then there’s the side ice-creamy and dessert bar, the doughnut store, bowling, pool tables, and arcade games! It caters for all, from those heading out for a date, families, and friends meeting up for some games.
We grabbed some food and drinks…
then doughnuts…
then dessert… (😬😬😬🤣)
And then headed up to our booked bowling lane. 😁
It was AWESOME. We had the best time.
And you know what is better than bowling on its own?
Bowling, and BOOZE.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Honestly, best night EVER. Maybe it’s because we haven’t been bowling in yonks, so it was something interesting and different, or maybe it was the ideal night in, with the weather turning all winter-y on us today… or maybe, bowling is just great.
And being out and about with loved ones, is just GREAT.
In the past, I may have said “I’m not happy, that’s not sitting right.”
But instead I said “My BODY looks happy!”
😉😉🤣🤣
Yep. Happy. Relaxed. Probably not cover girl form, but I actually don’t mind that it’s NOT.
It is holiday time, and I am just going with the flow.
Doing what I like, eating what I like… take today for example.
Coffee with baby girl at a cafe this morning.
Making sweet potato gnocchi this afternoon to freeze for later, just because I had sage in my fridge… because I’d decided I must spend 3 hours making home-made gnocchi to use up herbs for an accompanying sauce that cost a few dollars. 🤷♀️🤷♀️
Dinner tonight! Mmmm, our fave, at The Royal Hotel…
AND dessert!
So of course my body is happy! Look at all of that! 🤣
You know, all jokes aside, a happy body doesn’t necessarily mean a body that has seen indulgence after indulgence, all day every day. Rather I am talking about enjoying the moment, and listening to what your body wants and needs, like really listening…
For example this morning, my body really wanted fruit on my cereal.
Other times I’m just craving the sweet summery taste of mangos, just roughly chopped up to simply enjoy.
And then weirdly on Friday nights, I end up devouring a bowl of Doritos,only to follow it with an even bigger serve of pistachios…? 😜
It’s been a hard past few months. Let’s try enjoy this holiday season doing what we love, whatever that may be. 🙏💖
We were visiting my parents today on the other side of town.
So when baby girl said she wanted to get doughnuts from the formerly famous milkbar that put Nutella doughnuts on the map, I couldn’t say no.
Not just for memories sake. But because it’s on my parents side of town.
I will be saying yes a lot when it comes to that side of town over the next few months.
So we went. We drove off for the day from my parents house, turned left, right, right…
And we were there.
We walked in. Baby girl tried to get me to buy her an icypole, but ahem, Winter was back in Melbourne today, and I was like “noooo!”
We were there for the doughnuts.
Meanwhile there was a guy there behind the counter, smiling at our friendly disagreement. I asked for two doughnuts, and when baby girl found some lollies, I said “ok, throw them in.”
“Yeah, it’s school holidays!” he replied. “They deserve it after the year they’ve had!”
“They totally do!”
We laughed and talked back and forth, and baby girl was lively and happy too… but as we went to walk off, he picked up a lollypop from the counter, and handed it to her.
For free.
We both said “Awww!” and “Thank you!” many times. We wished each other ‘Happy Holidays’ and then off we went.
We weren’t even in the car, and I had to tell baby girl.
“Honey, that was an important lesson,” I started. “See, you were friendly and happy… and he gave you something back.”
“If you are friendly and happy, people will be friendly and happy to you.”
I explained more in the car.
“You get what you give… so if you give happy, you get happy. If you give sad, you get sad. If you give angry, you get angry.”
I think it’s quite possibly one of the most important lessons we can teach the next generation.
You get what you give. I learnt that after I was 20. Baby girl is 7… if we can get the kids started young, imagine the endless opportunities for them in this world.
carcrashgratitude 