And here I find myself again… weeks have passed since I last made time to bang on about something or other. Sorry about that, but then again I’m sure you’ll all understand.  There is lots of news and newsworthy items to catch you up on, but I might just skip that tedium, and just tell you about what’s coming up on my radar… CANADA! SWITZERLAND! GERMANY! NIECES! NEPHEWS! SIBLINGS! ADVENTURES! HORRIFIC 15HR FLIGHTS! 

If you can’t tell, I’m stupendously excited.  We’re heading north for some #theverymoodyhousehold adventuring. With a single day of work standing between me and that passport scan (just doesn’t hold the same romantic notion as the old passport stamp, does it?), the overbearing thoughts of packing have reached peak heights. Refer below… and I might add, these items are just for the boys and what I consider bare minimum for a 5 weeke international trip where we’ll be washing wherever possible… Grimace and I are yet to attempt any packing! 

Anyway, my incredible list making ability is coming into play…  I’ve made the following lists, and I’m sure I’ll only add to these lists in the coming days: 

• General Packing Items list
• Kid item and clothes specific list
• Family toiletries packing list 
• My packing list
• Carry-on packing list
• A “to-buy” list
• A general to do list (eg. Activate global roaming data pack, put kombuca SCOBY into hibernation, washing and nappies all washed and hung etc) <whilst typing this out, I’ve just thought of 4 more things to add > 😝
• Casual run-sheet for departure day (Just to make sure all 4 bodies get on that flight bound for Canada, with the house in some sort of state not resembling a battle zone). 

So, hopefully the next you hear from me, I’ll be posting fun travel-with-kids facts!

Now, where did I put those lists? And the pen… 

Yes, it is true… they do grow up! Directly contradicting the doubts you have in those first few days/weeks/months/years of parenting the first offspring, you won’t “ruin them forever”, providing you attempt to meet all their basic needs (think nutitional and emotional nourishment). 

On the weekend, I found myself a parent of a five year old. Man, five years old. Immediately it feels as though Giggles Magoo is one foot out the door and into the evil clutches of the wider world, far far away from the infant years we were surely just in. I was lamenting to my sister that I’ve already noticed a big change in him, and our interactions. What I probably mean is, it’s finally dawned on me that my tiny human is now a fully functioning member of society – sure, I mean, he’s not ready to be thrown out onto the street to fend for himself…but, he does own an OPAL card to use on the Sydney public transport network, along with a wallet to keep it in. That’s responsibility +++!

Back in the early days of being the newby mother to Giggles Magoo, I remember existing in a weird space-time continuum, that is only understood by new parents. The long, tedious drawn-out days, that actually fly by and you find yourself so busy and preoccupied with creating fun and memories (or actually just surviving) that you can’t believe the calendar says July, because it was February, just yesterday.

Anyway, enough lamenting the lost time…it is actually far from lost; my boy is a happy, healthy, intelligent, comical genius. We’ve spent plenty of amazing (and equally un-amazing) time together, creating a bond thay no other Mumma-Moody or Giggles Magoo could possibly have (get it? There is no other Mumma-Moody or Giggles Magoo connection thay could possibly exist…we are the only one! It was always going to be successful, why would I doubt the success of us so early on??). 

 I’d always thought it should be a big celebration to mark 5 years (not meaning to construe his birthday to be about me, but…) so in true #theverymoodyhousehold fashion, we celebrated in a big way – 40 of his nearest and dearest buddies attended a park and they all ran around screaming and having a ball 😨 

I’d love to share some birthday pics to keep this post mildly entertaining for you, but of course I was so flat out with party prep and party hosting I depressingly forgot to get any pictures. So instead, here is a beautiful vista from a beautiful autumn day in the world heritage national park. Probably seems random, but we’ve spent a significant part of the last 5 years adventuring around the Blue Mountains, and it sort of sums up how I’m feeling about reaching the five year milestone – impressed to have reached it, but a little bit tired when thinking about everything you have to do to get there: 

Happy birthday Giggles Magoo, you incredible human being xx