Cruising

For quiet a while now mum has wanted to take us on a cruise. She has been on a few herself, one with my Grandmother and my Aunts, and has lasting memories from them. With her 70th birthday approaching it was a great excuse to finally do it. We chose to go on a 4 night cruise to Moreton Island, just enough time to give us a taste of cruising and since it is not out of Austalian waters getting passports for everyone wasn't an issue. 

The time between booking the cruise and the date flew and before we knew it we were boarding with mixed feelings of excitement and nerves. With the exception of mum, none of us have been on a cruise before and we weren't quiet sure what to expect, so the logistics of managing a large group of mixed ages and just the general everyday cruising life took us a bit to get used to. Once everyone found their way around the ship and knew what to expect from the day to day activities we soon were doing our own individual things and mostly meeting up for meals and the nightly shows. Eating in the restaurant rather then the buffet was the best decision we made, they catered for some of our special diets and with the large group and smaller children it was so much more relaxed. The kids, enjoyed their respective kids clubs, Jay especially loved the gaming consoles, Ivy the crafting sessions and the older girls enjoyed meeting up with other young adults to chat to, rather then hanging out with us "oldies". Jasmine, too old to join in with the others, found her own solace by reading her book in a quiet area away from us all.

Unfortunately the weather was not favorable. The seas were rough and the weather was a times quiet overcast and windy, so that meant we couldn't get off the ship and explore Morton Island. We were all disappointed, Ivy was looking forward to whale watching, but no one can control the weather and we just had to make the most of it. The rough seas did provide a bit of entertainment though. Watching everyone moved from one side of the dance floor to the other and listening to the band members reactions on the Friday night was quiet funny, and trying to learn Bollywood dancing, while the ship is swaying from side to side makes it a lot harder for someone, that would be me, who is uncoordinated. (shoes off was the only option). Mind you I think years of attending a performing arts school rubbed of on Jas, she was great at it!

Overall the cruise was great, we all got to spend time together experiencing something we hadn't ever had an opportunity before to do. We surprised mum with a birthday cake on the last night, Jye got to play the drums with the band, the girls wore black to the white party, Jas and I got to have some adult time together at the late night comedy show, we got to show our skills (or lack of) at trivia, we won nothing at bingo, the kids got to fly paper aeroplanes from the balcony, we enjoyed relaxing around the pool but most importantly NO ONE GOT TOO SEASICK that it made the cruise unbearable. A few off us did feel unwell at times (it took us a day to realise that Ivy's sooking was because she felt off) and we went through a few packets of travel calm, but considering at least 5 of us can suffer from travel sickness this was a big achievement. To be honest I felt sicker the few days after on dry land then while on the ship.

Would I go another cruise? Probably, The Melbourne cup cruise (without small children) looks inviting!!

Mumma Bear

xxxx

Bush play day

About a month ago I came across some information about a bush play day that was being organised by the Dudley sustainable group. Even though Dudley is not local to us the kids were keen to go.. say the words bush and play to Ivy and she has her bag pack and is in the car quick smart! There was quiet a large group, many were locals who knew each other, and after a short introduction about community supported the free play for children in nature the kids were let loose on the reserve. The group had set up "stations" that had some equipment to help foster play but didn't included instructions or rules on how they could be used. Straight away Jay and Ivy spotted some lengths of rope and began to make rope swings, after a while other children were lining up to have a go. In another space they had some tools for them to use, Jay enjoyed using the whittler to make a spear although he found it a bit blunter then his pocket knife! while Ivy had a go at the saw and binoculars. After toasting some marshmallows and having some scones for afternoon tea we took a walk along the sensory trail which included cryptic clues to introduce us to the local flora and fauna. the kids and I really enjoy the afternoon and hope there will be more gatherings like this in the future.

Mumma Bear

I'm back... and getting rid of stuff.

So I am back!!!!

Its been a hectic few weeks ( month and a half!).

While we were away in NZ we received noticed that we had to move .... again. ( the joys of renting!) Upon landing it gave us 3 weeks to find a place, attended the inspection, be accepted and move. To say we were cutting it close is a understatement, we have had to  move quick before but this was pushing it to the limit. Luckily we found a suitable house and secured it within a week and a bit so that gave us the rest of the time to pack up and shift!!!. 

I miss the deck and lake views from the old house.

In the end the move went well, except the lap top (which you couldn't put on your lap cause the battery was dead) didn't survive. We had pushed it as far as it would go. Half the keys didn't work, the power cord was dodgy and it would randomly shut down for no apparent reason. We needed another one. Finally after coming to terms with this and getting some cash together, I went out a purchased a new lap top! (which doesn't need to be plugged in so it is literally a "lap top!"). Nothing special and cheap, but will do the job.

So, before, during and after this move I realised that we have too much stuff! Every move, we throw out or donate things we don't need, I don't shop much so I am wondering where it all comes from and why do we need it? To other people it may seem that we don't have a real lot. Recently a visiting electrician described me as minamilistic, but little does he know that I can  hide a lot of things if I have enough cupboard space and a large garage!.

 Anyway all this thinking has made me decide that I am going to start to cull some of our stuff. There are many theories on how to do this, but I am going to make it simple. I am going to have two boxes one marked "throw  out" and one "donate or sell" and I'm am going to try to contribute to the boxes every day. 

So far have put it three things, two books and a bag of odd socks!

Maybe I should have started with the old lap top...

Mumma Bear.

Ps: Feel free to contribute to the boxes kids!