Polly Dolly - Behind The Mask

So Thursday means its time again  for another Polly Dolly, brought to you by the ever amazing Dani over at Danimezza. This week Dani is playing it all mysterious, and wants to know what Polly would wear to a ....

To me the word " masquerade " instantly invokes an old school kind of glamour, a sense of mystery and keeping things hidden that is missing from todays " polite society " ( can you tell i've been reading too many books set in genteel upper class England? ) This black and gold mask is quite ornate, so Polly is going retro-glam in a gorgeous long-sleeved gown in basic black. However with its deep v neck and cut out back it allows Polly to be sexy, but still classy. Gold python peep toes have a 40's vibe, and simple jewellery keeps the focus on the mask. A slash of red lippie and black mascara to help her eyes " pop " behind her mask, a spray of her favourite night time fragrance and Polly is ready to hit the masquerade ball....

Census Night - Woo To The Hoo!

Census night - is everyone excited?!? No? No? Thats probably because the Census questions are boring.... which is why you need to do the " New Adventures in Dreamworld Alternative Census "! In the spirit of knowing all about my readers, and thus my very little community, i have composed this list of Very.Important.Questions that you all need to think about answering:


1. How much money have you spent at the petrol station on lollies/drinks/magazines you dont need?
2. Are Josh and Jenna the most annoying reality tv couple ever?
3.Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob, or are you over the age of 18 and really dont care?

4.How much did you contribute to the national economy by spending half your annual income at the Target/Big W/Kmart toy sales?
5.How many times a year does your partner do a load of washing - without being asked?

6.Would you consider the area you live in to be: City? Suburb? Rural ? And would you consider the state of your home to be: Pristine? Liveable? Post-Children Apocalyptic?
7.Have you stopped watching " Sunrise " on Channel 7 because Kochie is a major dickhead?
8. When was the last time you were able to take a shower/have a bath without a child being present?

9. How often do you have roast dinners, and is you meat of choice: Chicken?Lamb? Pork with crackling?
10. How awesome do you consider the author of this blog?

Ok, i think that should give me a good handle on you guys. Feel free to answer in the comments or to steal the questions for a post of your own!

Come Back Sunshine!

So we had a great week of sunshine and laughs last week and then this week.......back to crappy cold, wind and sleety rain. Booo! So, in an effort to keep the sunshiney spirit alive and kicking, please enjoy these photos of my boychild at one of the local parks last Wednesday. We had the park to ourselves ( just me, him, and my sister, his Aunty Pippy ) and although he needed a bit of help to climb up on the jungle gyms, he had an absolute ball....

Preparing to slide down the "dip " all by himself. You dont want to see how poor Bruce the Teddy went down ( he got a shove to the back and ended up in the dirt... )

The swings are Flynns favourite. In fact, he enjoys swinging back and forth and throwing his head back so much i couldnt get him to look at me for a photo.

Flynn is finally starting to learn that when someone points a camera at you, you look and you smile. This is his biggest and best smile so far. ( And look how his chubby cheeks make his eyes disappear... cute! )

Showing off his muscles - which are huuuuuuuuuge!

Exploring the playground on his trike. What better way to get around when there are no other kids to get in the way?

And now utilising the actual bike/trike path. He's a on a highway to... the swings probably. Or some more chips out of his snack bag.

Aww....looking like such a big boy. Cant believe there is only 4.5 months til he turns 2!

Polly Dolly - Hippie Hippie Shake

Yay - a new Polly Dolly is here! Brought to you by the very talented ( and in demand! ) Dani over at Danimezza, this week we need to get a bit chillaxed, a little bit zen, and go all...

A sweet smock dress and relaxed denim vest set the tone for the outfit. Gladiator sandals are a must, but the bead and sparkles on these ones give the outfit a boost. A head scarf to keep all that long, luxurious, hippie hair out of Polly's face, and aviator shades and sunscreen keep the Polly sunsafe. Throw the rest of her stuff in a great brown satchel and Polly is ready to hit the hippie trail!

The Start Of A Journey

So - today is exactly 3 months until my wedding. 3 measly little months - but for all the little things i have to do in the meantime, it may aswell only be three days. But this post is not about wedding preparations... no, today i want to pose a question. Some of you may or may not be able to answer it, but it is really more about me getting things off my chest and out of my headspace.


So.... how long did it take you to fall pregnant after you stopped taking the Pill? Or more to the point - how long will it take me?

Pic from here

I've found myself really starting to think - and to worry - about trying to conceive this last week or so. I know this will sound petty to the beautiful few of you who have been TTC for years, and havent yet been blessed.... but i'm trying to figure out when to stop taking the Pill to give myself the best chance of conceiving by the end of the year.

There is the notion that it takes a month or two for the hormones in the Pill to leave your system, so maybe i should stop it now - but then there is the advice i read that says you only have to miss one single, solitary little pill for your body to start ovulating, which means you could fall pregnant straight away. I tend to believe the later. Why? I was ON the Pill when i fell pregnant with Flynn. From memory i think i missed two pills one weekend ( i had gone to stay at Micks and forgot to take them with me ) and though we were "careful " i managed to fall pregnant in those two days. ( I think that is partly what upset my ex-best friend so much - she had, unbeknownst to me, been trying hard for a while to have a child with no success, and i'd done it with no intention, and at the drop of a hat ).

But thats the thing - i acknowledge that it was incredibly against the odds for me to fall pregnant after being unintentionally off the Pill for two days. I was ( even though it wasnt planned ) extremely lucky. Surely i cant be that lucky again, second time round? I cant just assume that because my body adjusted itself so quickly that time, that it will be able to do so again. I'm hoping that i can, staying on the Pill, have a period the last week in October, get married the first weekend in November, and then fall pregnant on my honeymoon, or by Christmas at the latest. Thats the dream scenario - no period craziness for my wedding and honeymoon, and pregnant within a two month window.

Am i reaching for the stars here? Am i going to be beyond devastated if it doesnt all fall into place so easily? I've been wanting another child for months now, been getting clucky ( and jealous ) for every woman i know who's fallen pregnant while i wait to fit into my wedding dress. I've watched Flynn cuddle a 4 week old baby, i've watched him stroke the babys fluffy head, and say softly " aww, baby Mum...baby ", and i've wanted for it to be us - for it to be mine and Micks baby, for it to be a baby brother or sister for my Flynny.

I guess all i can do is wait - 3 months for the wedding day ( and night! ) and who knows how long til i get two blue lines on that little plastic stick....

You Are My Sunshine

Without trying to sound too sappy - dont you just love the sun?
I've been feeling bogged down, weighed on heavily by worries and stresses for a good month or two - and after one weekend away and a few days of sunshine i'm feeling better. Lighter. Happier.

Pic from here

I can say with all certainty that the weather has definately played a part in my down-in-the-dumps mood. Some people would say that Seasonal Affective Disorder is a load of crap but i tend to think not. Not that i'm saying i would be officially diagnosed with S.A.D ( a mood disorder wherein the change in season - usually from warm to cold - affects the mood to the point of depression ) but i know that when i was living in New Jersey the long, cold, snowy winter did see me more homesick, more lonely, and more melancholy than usual. I longed for sunshine and summer, for the chance to go without sleeves, to walk on grass without shoes.... and when that warm, humid, breezy summer did come, i blossomed.

So my fingers are crossed that this mid-winter " heat wave " doesnt leave us for too long. I'm hankering for spring, for happiness, for long days that turn into nights around an outdoor dining suite with family and friends. This little sun seeker is just waiting to get her sunshine on....

How about you? Do you think S.A.D is a valid disorder, and do you ever feel adversely emotionally effected by the seasons?

Weekend Adventures In Fun

So you may have noticed that i've been missing in action from the blogosphere for few days. ( You didnt notice? Oh...ok. ) No, i havent had any mishaps like last weeks sprained ankle, nor have i given birth to anymore children ( which is what happened last time i had a prolonged absence from my blog ). No, no...nothing like that. So where have i been? I've just been on a long weekend with my beautiful boys....and having fun!


We packed our car up with what seemed like the entire contents of Flynns room ( clothes, nappies, toys, books... ) and one bag of our stuff and headed down to Sydney last Thursday lunchtime. Its at least 4 and half hours of driving, plus a half hour stop for a food/toilet break - which potentially meant a looooooooooooong trip with a toddler in the car. Lucky for us Flynn proved to be a good traveller, and only got really bored and whingey right towards the end of the trip ( although the kilometres and kilometres of roadworks across the Blue Mountains proved to be a good distraction, with all the excavators and bulldozers and trucks to draw his attention ).

Roadworks over the mountains ( pic from here )

As you do when you have a young family and not a lot of funds, you stay with family - we were very graciously hosted Mick's Aunty Kerry and his Uncle Mick ( and yes, quite often their was a bit of confusion about which " Mick " was being spoken to ). Aunty Kerry is the kind of host who cooks enough food to feed a hundred people, so i'm pretty sure i've stacked on at least 2 or 3 kilos in the last 5 days. She is also the kind of host who refuses to let you help with anything, so we end up being completely catered to for a few days, which was really nice.

What was also nice was being able to get out as a couple - Mick and I left Flynn with his great-aunt and great-uncle while we went to see Cirque Du Soleil's " Saltimbanco ".... which was awesome! We caught the train into Homebush and got to pretend we were teenage lovebirds - we held hands, and cuddled together on the train, and stopped for a coffee date before the performance. It was nice to be able to act like a couple, without having an (adorable) little person in tow. It was exactly the romantice date night i was hoping for (but didnt get ) a few weeks ago. Ah - the magic of the circus...

But its not like Mr Flynn got left out altogether. We managed to squeeze in some tenpin bowling - where Flynn got to have a turn, and where i kicked Micks arse twice; a spot of shopping at Penrith Westfield - where i scored 3 cute dresses at a great price, Mick got some much needed new hoodies, and Flynn got spoiled with books and plush " Hoot " toy; lots of running and jumping and digging and tricycle riding and playing with Mia the giant fluffy dog in Aunty Kerry's backyard; and even a shared ice cream or two. Plenty of fun stuff to keep an energetic 19 mth old amused!

And - aside from the Cirque Du Soleil - even though shopping and ten pin bowling and playing in the backyward is all stuff we can do at home... it WAS fun. It was nice to get out of town, to get away from the routine of our everyday lives and just be somewhere different for a few days. It was nice to eat bacon and eggs for breakfast instead of cereal; it was fun introducing Flynn to new experiences; it was good to catch up with family over a few drinks, and around a suprisingly warm outdoor heater. It just " was " and i enjoyed it.

Yay for Cityrail! ( Pic from here )

What about you? What did you get up to over the weekend? ( If you went to Blogopolis i'm sure you've already blogged it tho... )

P.S Please excuse the lack of original photos with this post. I did take my camera but kind of forgot to get it out most times....