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Is really quite easy!

Happy New Year’s Resolutions

Call me old-fashioned, but I love a fresh start.  And here are my resolutions for the year:

* NOT TO WRITE ANY BOOKS!!!!

* To READ more lots and lots of books

* To slow down, slowly, surely and steadily

* Take more exercise, a LOT more

* To stay at the same weight all year, maybe drop a little, NO WEIGHT PUT ON

* Get the bairns eating a wider variety of healthy grub

* Cook more, and more varied meals

* Put lots of time and effort into readjusting to a more typical family life when IMOM comes home for good.

* To support the three books I have written, keep websites up to date, blog a little, don’t get obsessed

To track it all, here on this blog and check in monthly to see how we are going

Five Ways To Be A Helpful Guest – When Staying With A Large Family

Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.

Benjamin Franklin

So wrong, Benjamin!!

Guests can be an asset to a busy household and here’s how.

My Mum and my Aunty Heather have been home for a week now. They are freezing back in Scotland and England where they live.

Their three week visit to us went really, really well, not a cross word was spoken.

Mum and Heather are very well brought up young ladies. Their parents, my Granny and Grandpa, did an excellent job at training them up. I must do same with my kids.

Mum and Heather were exemplary guests and I thought I’d just put together a wee list of the things they did that made their visit a pleasure and not a chore.

Without really planning it, the two of them became so helpful around the house. 

Our guests were still a pleasure to have around after three weeks. But that’s because they made our lives easier and they kept us entertained too.

Also Aunty Heather is a great cook, especially of vegetarian Indian curries.

Five Ways To Be A Helpful Guest 

1. Stay out of the way whilst the morning rush happens

Unless you’ve been asked to help out on some specific tasks, just steer clear of the kitchen and family areas.

If you can’t help out with the “I can’t find my tie,” “I forgot to do my homework.” “We’ve run out of vegemite,’ morning nightmare scenarios, it’s better not to clutter up the house.

2. Learn where everything goes in the kitchen

You’ll be spending a LOT of time washing up dishes and putting them away. Pretentd it’s a memory game and learn off by heart where everything lives. As soon as is humanely possible.

3. Cook for the family – whatever their whims

Don’t just offer to make a meal, buy the ingredients and get on with it. It can be nerve-wracking to start cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen but if you give yourself some time and buy everything you need, you can do it!

It can be quite overwhelming for hosts to have to prepare even larger meals when they have guests staying. Parents in a large family will love you so much for relieving them of dinner duties.

4. Take over the washing and folding

But never the putting away!  Run through how the family does the washing early )and take notes.) Some families NEVER mix whites and colours (me!) and others just chuck everything in together joyfully. Learn what’s what and then stick to it.

The relentless washing cycle can be the bete noir of large families so if guests can relieve that burden during their stay, you’ll be asked back for sure!

NB Check how the socks are folded or put together… and do as the family does.

5, Tell The Children Stories

If, like us, your family are emigrants, the children might be missing out on much of their family’s oral history. Tell them tales of when you were young, tell them about your aunts and uncles and grandparents, about life during the Second World War, about what you ate and the pets you had.

You might never know the impact these stories have beyond keeping the kids spellbound (and silent) for a few minutes at a time. But they will sink in and become part of that kid’s sense of self.

And just for fun, here are a couple of holiday snaps.

Come back, Mum and Heather!

I’m trying to persuade them to move in and be our honorary au pairs.

Can you add any tips about what works well when you have guests staying?

Cheers

Seana xx

Beach House Makeover Inspiration – Wood Panelling Painted White

So our quest to makeover our Jervis Bay beach house is starting to come together.

See photos of the ‘before’ version here, and see what we bought on a big shopping trip to Ikea here.

This week, painters have been in and I’ll pop down to see how it looks soon.

But in the meantime, here are some photos from a friend’s house. I was so THRILLED when I walked into her place. The house is entirely wood panelled and it’s all painted white. I think it looks fantastic.

I was over in Auckland visiting Helen to celebrate her 50th birthday at the end of January. Helen knows a whole heap of party people and threw a fantastic fiesta.

And I fell in love with her house too.

Helen and I were at boarding school together in Scotland, just a few years ago.

Our paths crossed many times since then, in Sydney in the late 80’s, in Glasgow where we both lived for a few years, and in Singapore too.

Is there anything better than a good friend who you’ve known for a long time?

Yes – one who has some cool stuff in her house.

LOVE this bedroom and the cool colours of the linen.

Love this outdoor furniture too. Duly noted. But I think it’ll take a while to pay the painters’ bill. Maybe then we can start looking at groovy outdoor furniture.

So thank you to Helen for the white house interior inspiration.

And for that excellent weekend getaway with no family.

The chance to be a party person myself!

Cheers

Seana xx

Our Beach House Restyle 

A Beach House Restyle – Help!

A Trip To Ikea

Inspiration – Wood panelling Painted White

Calm Strong Kind :

My weekly diary to record how I’m doing on my  Do Less and Stay Calm goals for 2015.  A way of keeping myself accountable.

I drove for hours and hours and hours over two days this week and had one of those lightning strike mental moments.

End of term, some big changes coming in our family, exams, assignments… lots of emotions running high amongst the little kids and the young men.

‘Calm, strong and kind’ that’s what I need to be…. strong because they need a rock when their own emotions are wild, calm and kind because that’s what works.

So I made a visual to remind myself on Canva, and then found and downloaded this one below too.

Because swimming in the ocean really does help me stay sane.

The two shots below were taken last Sunday early morning when swimming at Manly with the Bold and the Beautiful swim group.

Everyone is welcome.

Have to admit that I fiddled with the colour of the photo below. But the colour is just how it FEELS to me.

Last Sunday, I saw stingrays and fiddler rays and lots of fish and even a couple of baby dusky whaler sharks – harmless.

If you ever have a question about swimming in Sydney, do ask. If you can get to the north and fancy a dip one day, get in touch and let’s go swimming together.

Here’s to staying calm in the midst of chaos. I’m very proud to report that I have done so a couple of times this week and it feels as good as losing my cool feels bad.

Take it easy

Calm Strong Kind :

How To Cope When You’re Just Not Coping

Jeez, don’t ask me!!

Actually and seriously, I do have something to say on the subject of not coping, an area I have plenty of experience in.

This post is brought to you by all the people who’ve ever said to me and other mums of kids with additional needs kids/twins, triplets and more/ FIFO husbands/babies and toddlets etc etc

‘I don’t know how you cope?’

We don’t!!

AMBA NSW, The Carrington Hotel Katoomba, + Plans Going Awry

Well, the PLAN had been to write a good, long post about that grande old dame, the Carrington Hotel in Katoomba.

I stayed there last Friday night, as a guest of the NSW Branch of the Australian Multiple Birth Club, whose seminar was on the Saturday.  I gave a talk on ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder and Multiples’ because, yes, having twins, triplets etc is one of the risk factors for ASD.

Anyway, the PLAN was to drive up to Katoomba on Friday morning, finish the slides for the talk at leisure, swan around a few bookshops, have tea and scones and take heaps of photos of the hotel and learn all about it.

But like all good plans, this one had a fatal flaw.

It didn’t work

Thursday night saw me inspecting a painful lump on Teen16’s coccyx. Friday was spend at the GPs, and then we went straight to see a surgeon. An operation is booked for tomorrow.

Poor Teen16 has a pilonidal sinus, what I’d always called an ingrowing hair, but now know is not that at all.

The poor lad was in agony, and was started on antibiotics and painkillers straight away.

By the time we got home it was after 4pm and we all needed to take a deep breath. Thanks goodness for Bethany au pair. Thank goodness for painkillers that work.

Thank goodness for a strong cup of tea and a secreted 100g bar of dark chocolate. Comfort eating has its place!

Anyway, I made sure Teen16 was OK, kissed them all goodbye and drove up to Katoomba in the dark, getting there in time to grab something to eat in the Grand Dining Room then spent the rest of the night furiously finishing the Powerpoint slides.

I did try to take photos next day using my DSLR. Popped off quite a few... then realised there was no memory stick... it was still stuck into the photo printer in Sydney.

But I hope these few photos taken on the iPhone can give you an idea about this remarkable old style hotel. The ceilings are amazingly high. The rooms are straight out of the 1800’s (except with reverse cycle aircon!) The electric blankets work a treat.

I just loved the old-fashioned (because it is genuinely old) ensuite bathroom. Look at that sink!

And I am in love with all the plumbing on the shower – love it. The shower was hugely powerful too, I nearly got washed down the plug hole. Fantastic!

Early on Saturday I had breakfast (continental is included in room rate and was plentiful, cooked breakfast costs extra) and then found the function room.

It’s at this stage that my tummy started turning somersaults.

So I walked around as the PA system was being set up, repeating my anti-nerves mantra.

‘You’ve done this before, you’ve got things to say, you can do this.’

‘I’ve done this before, I’ve got things to say, I can do this.’

Checking out all the raffle prizes was a great distraction, as was buying loads of tickets!

The NSW AMBA Seminar in full swing; great bunch of people doing great work for multiple families, all volunteers too.

I talked for AN HOUR about what autism spectrum disorder is, and what it isn’t, about our family journey and about what is known about autism in multiples.  Twin studies are really important for unravelling the gene/environment interplay and great strides ahead are being made.

Being a bit worried about GiantTeen16, I did get all emotional at certain points. Didn’t burst into tears as such, but felt quite weepy. Appropriate, I think.

And there’s no more loving or kind or accepting a bunch of parents than the mums and dads of twins, triplets and more. It was a privilege to meet them and to be involved.

Here’s the one slide that says it all for me.

We parents of children with any sort of additional need just want our kids to be taken as they are and treated as individuals.

We love that, we need it and so do the children.

So there you go, an overnight stay that turned out to be a big emotional trip.

I whipped home after lunch and got stuck straight back into the chaos of family life. As we all do.

PS I do love the Carrington, check out prices and availability if you fancy a stay right here.

How’s your week looking so far?

Any plans going awry yet?

Do any plans ever go according to plan when we have children?

Take it easy,

Scottish Stories – Sunshine + Rain, Laughter + Tears

Typical Scottish April weather we’ve been having here. Maybe a wee bit nippier than usual.

There’s sunshine when it’s raining, then lowering grey skies, then wee blue patches. Always changeable, very breezy.

You need to be prepared for all possibilities, and go nowhere without a waterproof, a hat, scarf and gloves.

Life’s like that too, isn’t it?  Changeable.

Scottish Stories – A Muddy Walk To See The Lambs

So it struck me as we walked along this muddy farm track, that my wee lass has never really spent much time in mud.

What fun she’s missed!

A lovely cousin of mine has a house that was originally an old farm steading. We visited one day and went for a walk to see the lambs.

Scottish Stories – The Knitting Knapper Strikes Again

It was all Minnie The Minx’s idea. She’d seen some knitting needles in a shop and was keen to have a go.

AND we were heading to Scotland. Minnie is left-handed and so is my big sister.

‘Aunty Mairi can teach you to knit!’ I said. I like that passing-the-buck school of mothering, don’t you?