Chinese New Year!

Well right now we are in Sydney, dropping our daughter off for another year of boarding school.  She’s settled back in and seeing that it’s the weekend , were spending one more weekend together before we head back to Kazakhstan.

We have enjoyed our week here in Sydney in glorious weather.  I’m not looking forward to heading home to KZ.  Apparently they’ve hit minus 40 and it’s frigid!!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Well while I’m here I ‘ll do my Fave Five for this week. 

I’m thankful for many things this week,  but here’s my top 5:

1.  meeting up with a work mate from 10 years ago.  It really was great to catch up with her and it’s true these things just don’t happen.  You have to make them happen.  Thank you Idau for making time for us.

2.  Sydney city.  I just love it.  So vibrant.  so beautiful and at this time of the year just gorgeous.  And of course I have so many wonderful memories of my time here.

3.  Internet.   I never really realized how much I take my internet at home for granted.  When we travel, we make sure that the hotel or place we stay at has internet.  It is just the way we stay in touch these days.

4.  family funny moments.  this week we’ve had a few.  of course we are here to drop Renee back at school and we will miss her, but it’s the little things we do together.  the moments we are together that are precious.

5.   just thankful.  everywhere I look around I see those in need and those who appear to have it all.  really no matter where I am, I will always be better off than someone else and worse of than others.  So for right here, right now…..I’m thankful, and content..

share with us your fave five!

Happy Weekend to you all.

last week together…

today is the beginning of our last week all under the same room.

Renee is starting to pack and get ready to head back to school, and  I’m sad (I don’t think we’ll ever get use to goodbyes), but we do what we have to do.  Thankfully we’re all packing with her and heading back. 

So Let’s make it a great week and look back on these holidays with happiness.

Cause after all memories are all we really own.

Happy week.

remembering to relax…..

sometimes I get so caught up with life and find myself just going, going and going. 

And then I end up just going through the motions of life.  Probably missing those ‘moments’

Well today is Sunday. 

It’s cold outside and I’m going to relax.

Happy Sunday!

It’s Friday….

and I’m thankful.  Yes I am.  knowing that I have 2 days off and I can kind of sleep in….I’ll take it.

Well I’m jumping back into Friday’s Fave five.  I used to do this meme and it was helpful to me to be on the lookout for those little blessings throughout the week.  Because there are so many.  And here is where I will commit to document and then share my fave five’s.

Thanks Susanne for continuing to host this.  I’m sure you see people come and go (like me!) but thanks for being so faithful to this meme.

So here’s my Fave five for this week….

1.  Friends.  good friends and being able to have coffee with them and catch up.  - 3 weeks vacation is a long time to be away from friends.  and this week I was finally able to go have coffee with 2 dear friends.  YEs we blocked out our calendars and made sure we did this.  It was lovely to hear about the things that have been happening in their lives and their families.  Always a fun thing to do.

2.  My oldest daughter who is still here with us –  and whom I have been able to get a little closer too.  parenting really does go through stages. I’ve  noticed that since she left for boarding school our relationship has changed.  But one thing remains – our kids will always need us.

3.  healthy kids again.  last week I had 3 sick kids and a sick husband.  Yes 4 out of the 5 of us where sick.  This horrible cough and fever just took the better of them.  But they are all well again and things are back to normal.

4.  a good book.  I love to read (but I don’t do it enough). Anyway I just finished a Sidney Sheldon book and it was awesome.  I love the way he tells his stories.

5.  This video my Taylor Mali.  I truly enjoyed this video because I’ve had teachers who gave a damn.  Who did more that teach me cirriculum and when no one believed in me they did.  I’ve also seen these kinds of teachers teach my kids.  And I’m thankful.  I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did.

Well that’s it for this weeks Fave Five.

Thanks again Susanne.

Happy weekend everyone!

p.s – Wordpress bloggers just wanted to let you know that I’m not able to comment on your websites.  I’m trying to see why!  Hopefully I can fix it and then visit and comment on your blogs.

I hope….

you are having a good week!

We are …..well of course we had ups and downs.  Tanysha is going through something’s at school and I’m not really too sure what they are.  I’m hoping she snaps out of it soon, but then I remember that I go through those mood swings too.  She’s allowed!

But overall it great.  the kids are happy to be back at school and really do love it. I’m so thankful that it’s that way.

My husbands away in London but Renee is still here with us, so I’m happy.

Still no snow but it’s been cold.  We’re expecting it to get colder next week.  And I hope there is some snow along with the cold.  It just makes it prettier.

Thought I’d share a couple of photos re: winter here.  Our first winter here the snow was endless.(well it felt like it anyway).  Our second year, there was snow (thankfully) but not that much.  Our 3rd winter here – well it’s been pathetic. Really, this island girl wants some snow. It’s cold but no snow.  And that makes me sad.

But I’ll take whatever.  It really is all good.

Happy Thursday.

weekends are for…..

cleaning up and a whole lot of coffee!

yes I spent the weekend cleaning through the house.  going through stuff.

I ended up with 4 large bags of things to throw away, 3 boxes of things to give away and a whole lot of feeling good. (and I' haven’t even tackled upstairs yet).

And now I’m tired.

I do just have one question, for myself – how did I end up with so much stuff!

This year, 2014 – I think it’s time to simplify.

Hope you had a lovely weekend!

p.s. still no snow here, it’s weird.

you do what you have to do…..

so this was not the way I planned to start the week but what do you do when you have sick child.

you drop everything around you and attend to them.

We had a sleepless night, sponging down JJ who had a really high fever.  He woke up with his fever so I kept him home. Right now he’s feeling a little better. The fever’s gone down and he’s getting his appetite back.  which is always a good sign…..right.

we spent a good day together.  I got to hold my baby, read to him and watch a couple of movies.  which is always a good thing. 

I’m hoping that tomorrow he’ll be much better.

finally home…

and happy.