Polly Dolly - In (The) Navy

Thirsday has rolled around again, which means its Polly Dolly time! ( As brough to you by the ever gorgeous Dani over at Danimezza ). This week, Dani must be feeling a little "blue " because she wants to see how Polly wears....

Polly has gone a little retro and matched this cute, striped, 50's style dress with red polka dot wedges. Cats eye sunglasses keep with the retro styling and the gold locket keeps the stripes/dots combo the focus. A bit of red lipgloss, neautral eyes behind the sunnies and layers of her favourite "day" fragrance and Polly is ready for her day!
How would you do navy stripes?

Happy Birthday!

....to my very handsome, kind of crazy, but insanely loveable husband Mick!

Unfortunately its a weekday which means he has to work, but i'm looking forward to having him home tonight and sharing birthday dinner and dessert with him. I'm doing a pork and pear tray bake ( pork rashers and pears in a maple syrup marinade, oven baked ) and a dessert i'm calling a Layered Dessert Brownie ( chopped up brownies layered in a tall glass with raspberries, homemade custard , chocolate sauce and coconut ). There is no birthday cake because, again unfortunately, poor Mick has to work later than normal on his birthday, so we are inviting the family around on Sunday morning to do a belated birthday celebration.

I was also hoping to suprise both my boys by putting up our Christmas tree while Flynn had his nap this afternoon - however, after going out to the shed (in the rain! ) to bring all the Christmas stuff back inside i discovered we are missing half our tree! Methinks my stupid wonderful husband may have accidentally thrown some of it out when he did a clean up earlier this year... bah humbug to that!

Ah well - hopefully my hubby is enjoying his birthday at work as much as he can, and i can do the tree tomorrow while Flynn sleeps. After all, its bad luck to put it up before December 1st anyway, isnt it?

How Much? This Much....

I posted a few pics last week of Flynn getting his giggle on, playing outside under our sprinkler. That seems to be what Aussie kids do - we're a country of water babies, and our kids love play in, and around, water.

Unfortunately this means there is a lot of drowning risks for our little ones too, especially when they're not being properly supervised. We all know about the dangers of swimming at the beach or in backyard pools, but just 15ml is enough for a small child to drown in. Just " this much ", as we might put it.
"This Much " is an apt name , then, for a new campaign aimed at educating Australians about the risk of childhood drowning. About being vigilant not just when at the pool or beach, but when our kids are in the bath or playing with a bucket under the backyard hose. Being able to hear them is not quite good enough - we need to be watching them too.

You can join the campaign - just like celebrity supporters such as David Wenham, Georgie Gardner and Amanda - by checking out the Facebook page or watch the video below and spread the message:

Mothers Helper

I read a very interesting article in this months Madison magazine, about mothers using alcohol as a coping mechanism to make it through the day. It seemed, to the author, that there is a growing number of mums who use the reward of a glass of wine at the end of the day as a way to make through the muck and mire that can be day-to-day child-rearing.


Baby's screaming and the toddler is drawing on the walls? Its ok, i can have a wine soon. No-ones done any homework, dinner is nowhere near ready and 3 kids still need to have a bath? No worries, i can crack open a nice red as soon as they're asleep.

I guess what the question the article was posing is a) when did this become the stressed-out mummy norm? and b) is it really acceptable, and where do we draw the line?

I am not a big drinker at all - yes i got myself merrily sloshed at my recent wedding, and shared a bottle of wine with my new husband a few nights on our honeymoon, but before that the most i'd had to drink in over a year was 3 glasses of wine at my hens party. Despite doing the typical teenage thing and getting drunk at the pub of a weekend ( which i gave up pretty early on - kept up the clubbing, but spent my nights dancing with a can of Coke in my hand ), i've never really understood the compulsion to drink. Maybe its because i'm yet to find a bevvie that just really hits the palate so well that i MUST have it, but i dont "get" the need for a wine/beer/Breezer after a long day. Especially when this need becomes not one glass a few nights a week but 3 or 4 glasses EVERY night.

I dont want you to think i'm passing judgment - unless this compulsion becomes full-blown alcoholism i dont see anything wrong with a tipple or two, i just dont "get " it. Kind of the same way my mum doesnt "get " blogging, or my brother doesnt understand my very real and deep love for " That 70's Show ".

Maybe i'm boring, but my preferred form of escapsim after a stressful day of Flynn-related craziness is to relax with a book, to escape into someone elses life for a half hour or so, and forget about the massive tantrum thats just been thrown or how many dirty nappies i've changed that day.

So is it just me - is a drink after the kids bedtime the best way to relax? Is there something i'm missing?

Coming Up Next

So - you might have heard but if you havent, two of my favourite bloggers are pregnant. The gorgeous Holly from Good Golly Miss Holly! and the beautiful Ames from Tutu Ames are both growing cute little baby-buns in their ovens and i couldnt be happier for them ( its funny how you can feel so happy for people you dont actually "know" ). Hopefully, i'll be next to the join them.

Because, yes - as happy as i am for both these beautiful ladies, i'm also just the teeny, tiniest bit jealous. I wants me another baby, and i want it now! Its no secret, I've mentioned the desire for a second child numerous times here on the blog. Mick and I have been married for 3 weeks tomorrow and , at the risk of being TMI, we started trying the day after the wedding. ( We would have started trying on the wedding night but, truthfully, who has energy left for that kind of thing after the wedding ? ) But....no luck yet.

My fingers are crossed our time will be soon. We've already started talking to Flynn about the possibility of another baby, and though he doesnt really understand, he does tell me " Bruvva mum. Baby bruvva. " Its the cutests thing - i cant wait to see how he'd actually be as a big brother. Fantastic, i'm sure. But, for now, its a wait and see. So whilst i loko forward to hearing all about Holly and Ames adventures in pregnancy, i cant wait to blog again about my own...

Polly Dolly - Drive Me Crazy

So Thursday - and what have we here? Another Polly Dolly challenge, devised by the gorgeous Dani over at Danimezza. This week, after road testing a new Volvo for the week, Dani has gone a bit car crazy, and wants to know what Polly would wear when she's off for a....

Polly is off for a romantic drive with her new husband ( wink, wink, nudge, nudge! ) and she's doing it 70's style. I'm a bit obsessed with leopard print at the moment so i've given her a 70's style maxi dress in a not-too-overwhelming leopard print, and paired with some wedges and a gorgeous pair of over-sized sunnies. A scarf is necessary to stop her hair blowing in the wind whilst they zip along in their (rented, of course... ) luxury convertible, as is the sunscreen. Sunburn is so not chic!

Bring On The Sun!

So the lovely Suger did a post a few days ago about how much she was enjoying the slow ride into summer, and about how when she left Sydney for Queensland she took the sun and the warmth with her. Well, Miss Suger - i want it back!

You cant do this in the cold...

Its only been four days but i am tired of the rain and am longing for the sun we had last week. I want to go the park with my mothers group and let our littlies run around in the sunshine, instead of having to take them to the indoor playground again. I want go be able to wear one of the cute dresses i bought on our honeymoon instead of having to rug up in one of Mick's big hoodies ( yep, it was that chilly today! ). And Flynn has been saying " Outside Mum. I want sprinkler! " for the last four days straight - he's not even 2 yet and already he has the "bug ", that seemingl Aussie knack to be outside and preferably with water during the warmer months.

.... or this! Bring back summer!

So, Suger and/or whoever else may be responsible for taking the sunshine and the warmth and replacing it with a very crappy psuedo-winter - give it back! I need my sunshine and i need it now!

By Any Other Name

I had my first day back at work today after 3 weeks off and do you know what i realised? Holy mackerel there are a lot of places where i'm going to have to change my name! I've already had to email two seperate departments in my organisation and they're happy to change it from my maiden name to married name without a marriage certificate - but for all the other official type stuff ( bank/RTA/Centrelink ) I'll have to wait.

Truth be told, i really dont want to wait, I'm excited about having a new name. Funnily enough , a few of my friends expressed suprise that i was going to change to Micks surname - i've always been a bit of an independent/girl power type of woman ( to the point where i told Mick if he was ever going to  propose he was NOT to ask my father for permission - i'm not an object to be handed off ! ) and they had assumed i would just keep my own name. But, despite my firm belief in having my own identity as a woman, i'd never even thought about NOT changing my name. Why? Changing my name, to me, is another symbol of our unity as a couple. I'm not saying you cant be united with different surnames - if that works for you then great - but for me i couldnt wait to be " Mrs Amy F ", wife of Mick F and, equally importantly .... mother to Flynn F.

I know that there are lots of mums out there who have different names to their offspring - i mean, so did i for the first 22 months of Flynn's life - but changing my name feels like making our little family unit really complete. Not complete in the sense that we wont be adding to it ( fingers crossed! ) but complete in that we're all one and the same now, all bound together for everyone to see.

Sure i may not be overly fussed to share the same name as my FIL ( hell, thats a whole other post .... ) but i'm Mick's wife and i'm Flynn's mum and i'm happy and proud for everyone to so obviously know it!

Polly Dolly - Purple Princess AND Gym Junkie

So - i think we all know that Thursdays around here mean my participation in Polly Dolly, the most awesome fashion challenge ever  ( as set every week by the gorgeous Dani, from Danimezza ). This week, however, there is double the challenge because Dani did a Polly Dolly post on Tuesday aswell as today. So - challenge #1: Dani would like to know how we'd dress Miss Polly in the colour....

 

I absolutely fell in love with this gorgeous feathered mini! I kept everything else pared down, so the outfit didnt get too overwhelming - a fitted white blouse, purple heels, a sweet Marc Jacobs necklace and colour-matched clutch. Pair a sleek high bun, a soft mauve eye and a spritz of my favourite nighttime fragrance and Polly makes a beautiful purple princess...

Which brings us to challenge #2: after a big night out in her gorgeous purple mini, what would Polly wear to hit the...

If she were anything like me when i was a gym junkie ( i was a 6 days a week girl, but when i got pregnant i had to stop going because i couldnt afford the membership. I miss it! ) she'd wear 3/4 length yoga pants, an exercise tank for ease of movement and a good sports bra. Water and tunes are essential for the treadmill, and her onw yoga mat so she cool down in comfort ( or hit yoga class after her run ). A Powerade to restore the electrolytes and then Polly is ready to hit the showers!

Best.Wedding.Ever.

So...Saturday the 5th of November... best.day.ever. In the history of days. Yes, i'm happy to say that my wedding went off without a hitch ( ok, the only thing that went even close to wrong is that my guestbook wasnt ready on time, so we didnt have it at the reception. Absolutely not a problem, in the scheme of things... ) and despite my usual ability to put so much expectation on an event that i end up disappointed... i wasnt. I loved it! All of it - the hair and the makeup pampering, the ceremony, the photos and the reception was the best party i've been to in forever.

And i can say with complete honesty, i wasnt nervous. My photography, who is a goood friend of mine, asked halfway through the day if i was starting to get nervous and i said " No, i dont feel nervous, and you know why? Because everything just feels so right. " Hell, even my hair stylist said i was the most relaxed, upbeat, no stress bride she's ever seen and joked that she should invite me back whenever she has to deal with a bridezilla, just so they can see how it is possible to NOT turn into a monster on your wedding day!

I loved every aspect to my day - my hair was absolutely the way i had hoped it would look ( hot rolled into loose curls and then pinned low and to the side a little to make like a messy, romantic bun type thing ); my makeup, which i wasnt totally in love with at the trial, totally came together when we changed the colour of lippie and i felt gooooooooooorgeous; my dress fit perfectly and my shoes were comfy; the ceremony was sweet and romantic and it was ok that i broke into a giggle when i stumbled on the words a bit; the photo session was fun and casual enough that i felt i could be natural and not all posed and fake; and, like i said, the reception totally rocked!

Just for those who were curious ( if any ), we didnt exactly script our own vows. What i did do, however, is read through a lot of examples and take out what i loved from each of them, and cobbled them into one set of vows that would work for us. Which, if your interested, ended up as this:

I call upon the persons here present

to witness that I, Amy take you, Michael
to be my lawful wedded husband.
Michael – all that i am, and all that i have,
i offer to you, in love and in joy.
I promise to be there when you need me,
to fill your days with sunshine,
to comfort you and to encourage you,
and to hold you close to my heart,
long enough to last a lifetime.

We had a cocktail style reception and, i'm glad to say, we didnt run out of food! In fact, we had a tonne left over that we were too full to eat ( but i'd rather have too much than not enough ) plus our wedding cake ( which i looooooooooved! ) and our guests only used up half the bar tab we had allowed, so everyone left satisfied. And, despite the tradition being the bride and groom leave first, Mick and i ended up being the last to leave, just before midnight, because we were having such a good time!

Of course, there will be more wedding photos at some point when theyre done, and maybe a honeymoon rundown, but for now, the only other thing i can say is - best.damn.wedding.EVER!

Introducing The New Mrs F!

Which, of course would be me... i'm back ladies and gentleman, as a married lady and (almost) with a new name. I know i havent posted for a bit over a week but, of course, after the actual wedding day Mick and i flitted off our honeymoon to the Gold Coast, living Flynn at home with Grandma and Poppy.

I will post in more detail shortly, but for now, i thought it might be nice to make my blogging comeback with a brief hello and a sneak peek of our wedding photos ( if your friends with me on Facebook you can see a few more that our photographer has posted ). So for now, i'll head off to fold some more clean washing, you can check out the few littlew piccies and i'll promise a more in depth post tomorrow!

(This one is one of my favourites that i've seen thus far... )

Polly Dolly - Rock'n'Stroller

Why hello there Thursday - and hi there Polly Dolly! Brought to you by the gorgeous Dani at Danimezza this week is my last Polly Dolly as an unmarried woman ( 2 sleeps to go! ) and Dani would like to know how Polly styles herself when she's out and about with a...

Now, my Flynn is at the point where he thinks he's too big for a stroller - he hates being in there, so more often than not he walks into the shops with me and then he gets popped in a shopping trolley. However, this is what i would wear if we were out and strolling about - i've gone with a  maxi skirt ( i have one very similar only mine is khaki and black stripes... ) and plain tank, and some cute sandals for comfort. A necklace jazzes up the simplicity of the tank, and the sunnies keep me sunsafe. A touch of make up, pack everything else in a cute nappy bag, chuck that in the bottom of the stroller and baby and me are ready to roll! Umm...er...stroll!

The Final Hurdle

Good.Bloody.Gravy.

I've had no trouble organising and planning my wedding over the last 9-ish months and now, with only 4 sleeps to go, we've got a potential problem in getting the money for our bar tab organised before Saturday. Four.Sleeps.People. Four sleeps - and it looks like i'm going to lose at least one of them worrying whether things will work out.

To the selfish, lazy, lying butthole ( who will not be named but you can figure it out if you know anything about wedding tradition and bar tabs... ) - pull your bloody finger out, stop making crap up because we dont bloody believe you, and try not let me or Mick down again. I said "try" but i dont think you'll be able to follow through on that one ( you know, as per usual ).

Otherwise you WILL be dealing with one stroppy bride come Saturday evening!