night fever

I am going out on saturday night. I am going to boogie. Dance like it is the 90s, or even a bit of 80s styling. I think I might suck a little on the dance floor, but hey the ugly lights are off and there will be that many waving arms and legs no one will notice me.

I have no idea what I am going to wear. I don't really go out too much. I do the dinner thing, and usually do the nanna styling by crawling into bed before midnight. I might even have to go shopping for something new. A new little number to rock the night away. I don't really drink so it will be all about having a laugh and a great night with awesome friends. But I am not going to drive.

I don't do makeup. I have to admit the only mascara I own is from a freebie off the front of a magazine, which might possibly be about 3 years old. Yes I think I clearly suck at this whole female thing. I may even pop into DJs, (aka department store), in their makeup section and get a free makeover. They might give me sexy eyes. I didn't even know what sexy eyes were until one of my friends rocked the eyes this morning. They were the whole "wow" factor. I am thinking I need a "wow" factor.

Maybe I will just go as little old me, and rock it me style; saturday night fever.

to cleanse again

I like random. Random is good. To write about things that are totally irrelevant to normal life. Or maybe it is not so irrelevant the things I talk about. It is things that are in everyday life that I love to soak up. I love to watch and analyse other people's lives. To wonder what they do. To wonder what makes them truly tick. To know if they are happy. Truly happy. To know what they eat. What do they put on their table each night. I know random. I told you I like random. I guess to know what other people put on the table makes it easier to think about what you might put on your own table. I am sure most of you would admit that you rotate between the same meals each week. It might be seasonable, but it is the same food.

I know for me it is the same each night with little tweaking. I am a sucker for salad in summer, and sometimes I might even add a bit of brown rice to mix it up a little, but the ingredients that go in with the rice is the same as if I was eating rocket. I would love to be that creative person in the kitchen, but I am not. I was brought up by a mother that could throw anything together and make an awesome bubble and squeak. Oh yes my mum was English. Well more Australian as she immigrated here when she was 7. I loved her meals. It was very much your meat and three vege each night, but she did things to these meat and vege that made it such a lovely meal. I am not sure if it was the fact we all sat and ate dinner together, or it was the honey she would put on the carrots, but whatever it was she made awesome things out of ordinary food. {I actually believe it was the fact she created a lovely family conversation over the food we were eating. I don't think it would matter what we ate. Wow I miss her}.

I cook for myself each night. For me it is about yummy food, and a meal that is quick and easy to put together. I work a lot in the evenings and need it to be easy, and a meal that is also easy to eat in front of my computer. Because I get stuck in my ways with food I am doing another cleanse with Nat from the Pagoda Tree. The first cleanse changed my life. It truly did. I was fighting my eating disorder, and it changed the way I looked at food. I am the happiest I have ever been in my whole life. I personally believe that eating right, and Nat showing me how you can change the way you look at life in general has contributed to my inner happiness. I have continued to eat like I did in the cleanse with introducing certain foods, like the coffee. I know not a food, but come on, that one is important. I am now drinking soy, and have not gone back to full cream milk. My taste buds have changed. I do not crave chocolate. I know I am crazy being a woman and having no craving for chocolate. I crave raisins and dates....!

For me I have not eaten badly over the christmas holidays, or through summer. I am doing this cleanse to continue my inner well being, to discover new recipes, and to continue to be happy. Nat is amazing. Seriously I cannot believe how lucky I am to have such an awesome friend, and someone that is very good at what she does. I cannot thank her enough for what she has done for me. Check out Nat's new cleanse, and join me this time around, or again for those who did last time. I cannot wait to share some of the awesome food we are eating! And to mix up my weekly recipes.

not the cool kid {mum} in the playground

It is time to be honest. Time to admit I think I am sucking at this whole school mum thing. I really thought I was going to rock it. I was going to walk all over it. I was going to be this mum that went to P&C meetings, and also volunteered in the school canteen. I was going to car pool with other mums, and be all over the lunchbox thing.

But no.... I was late to pick Keely up on her second day. I had to wake Taj up from his sleep, and I was in the middle of working my butt off in that time I had to work it off. (Keely is finishing kindy at 2 for the next two weeks, and it cuts right into Taj's sleep and the whole work thing I have going on). I turned up with Taj in just a nappy, and I had bare-feet. The only mum with no shoes on! I offered to car pool with another mum, and then realised that I cannot fit another seat in my car, and that also Keely is dropped off to school by her father. I am so not the cool school mum!

I obviously will work out a routine for the next 2 weeks, or maybe I will just drown in the mum and school thing. When it changes to finishing at 3 I am sure I will cruise through and work it out. But until then you can picture me drowning in the ocean with those arms wiggling in the air. And to have a little more of a laugh, picture me in my knee high socks and orange salts with my crazy granny glasses on. (Not sure if you can save me on this one Sophie)!

And just so you know I have only just started washing Keely's school uniforms for tomorrow morning. The weather has changed, (picture buckets of water falling from the sky), and I have a feeling they may not dry. I completely forgot that the mum and school thing happens on the weekend, and you need to prep for the week ahead.

For now I will say I am not the cool kid in the playground, but I sure hope that one day I will be!

accepting defeat

It is ok to cry. It is ok to say that today you cannot do anymore. It is ok to stare at the dishes in the sink and completely loose it. I had one of those moments on wednesday. There was too much going on in my head. I had a list too long of 'to do's' for one person to handle. I do wish I was a write it down list person but I am not. I put it all up there, in that head of mine. But it overloaded and even the thought of washing the dishes was too much for me. The thought of doing anything that was in my head was too much. I was even too busy to help my daughter hang up her school dress for her first day of Kindy. And that was enough to make me feel like a defeated mum. A bad mother.

There are moments where I know I personally have to believe that I am awesome. That I can do this. I can raise these little people, and I can be successful at the same time. And then there are times when I have to put that hand up and ask my friends for help. That is what I did. I actually waved both hands around like some poor person drowning in the ocean.

I put my hands down, and I washed the dishes. The list is starting to fall into place.

We all have our days, our moments, and for me it is accepting that they will come, and luckily go. And to not be afraid to ask my friends for help. {thank you Sophie x}

Happy weekend! Flick Friday for me. I have gone back to a chick flick.; not sure why I do this to myself!

keely's first day at kindy {big school}

The first day of school is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for mum. I thought I would be fine. I thought I would be able to stop those tears from filling my eyes. I thought wrong. As soon as the principal started to talk about their buddies and how we find them, the tears came. Keely was at my feet completely happy and excited for her first day. She did not see her mum turn to a puddle.

One word sums it up for me, and that is, proud. I don't think I have ever been more proud of her than today. Keely smiled from the moment she woke up this morning until the moment I kissed her goodnight as she went with her father late this afternoon. There is no doubt she will be a great student. Any child that loves to step into those shiny black shoes will do great things with their lives. And if she wears that smile and is happy, she could do anything for her mum to be proud.

Rock on Keely! x

beach style

There is no complaining in this home. We are sweating it out in full summer style. Water is being consumed like it is liquid gold, and I am beginning to look like a piece of summer fruit. Beach weather is here, and I personally could not be happier.

And when one looks as awesome as this lady does, there should be no complaining. She bought her awesome swimming cap in Russia, and she not only wore it with style, she also rolled around in the crashing waves on her stomach. A lady full of personality that was more than happy for me to photograph her moment on the beach. I do hope I can roll around in the shore line when I am her age, and do it with such grace and style.

Happy summer!

saltwater sandals with little pinwheel style

Saltwater Sandals are awesome. They have changed the way I look at a pair of sandals. Gone the day that they were the uncool thing to wear. Havianas have moved out of my wardrobe and now it is drowning with a handful of Saltwater Sandal colours. Ok maybe a little bit more than a handful of colours.

I was wondering what I will wear in winter. How will I go from my salts to my connies. I love my converse shoes, but the salts have become an obsession, a comfortable obsession. I will wear my salts. I will put on those long socks, like your grandfather wears, pull them up, and rock the salts.

Socks with sandals is cool. Orange salts with sandals is even cooler!

What is even cooler is when you discover something becomes rare. Something you could be sporting will only be seen on you.

If you want to rock a pair of orange salts then you could be one of the lucky ones to be rare like me, or more like random like me! Pull those socks up, because I have a few pairs of orange sandals to sell through the blog, and only on the blog. They are not being made anymore, and this is all that is left! Comment below with the size you would like, and email me with your details. First in best dressed this winter. There is only one of each size available. {hayley@littlepinwheel.com.au}

little people: US9 (AUS8) 16.5cm, US10 (AUS9) 19.5cm, US11 (AUS10) 18.5cm, US12 (AUS11) 19.5cm, US13 (AUS12) 20.5cm

youth: US1 21.5cm, US2 22cm

adults (aka mummies): 5/W7, 6/W8, 7/W9

How will you wear your salts in winter?

{for the record the children's sandals are $65, and ladies $79, with $8 express postage in australia, and international postage will be advised}