Geez, it’s been a while. I’ve missed writing these little posts, and tonight is just about dipping my toe back in to write something. Anything. I am sad to say that my heart (and head) haven’t found much inspiration to bang on the keys.

We recently had a wonderful overseas trip with the boys. We did some awesomely fun stuff, and it certainly was the trip of a lifetime. Because the trip was so memorable, I’ve been pressuring myself to write comedic and witty blog posts about our holiday times, and in doing so, it appears I’ve psyched myself out of writing and haven’t put together any aforementioned comedic and witty posts. In  fact, writing became about achieving – It was suddenly a chore; anything I put together wasn’t nearly good enough.

As if being a parent to two beautifully energetic kidlets wasn’t pressure enough, I’ve gone and set my own creative outlet up for failure. And if there’s anything that I’m good at doing when I’m feeling pressured…it’s avoidance. Well, it could possibly be framed more as procrastination. I’d say I’ve avoided writing my posts as I was procrastinating with other areas of my life.

Anyway, I’ve got just enough here to be confident (read: I’m sleepy) enough to press PUBLISH. Sure, there isn’t too much content, but tonight was more about saying hello and moving back into this space. So, Hello! Space! It’s nice to be acquainted with you once more.

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Giggles Magoo has spoken about missing out on one of his “MUST DO Holiday Bucket List” items… he had very much wanted to find snow in Switzerland, mostly so we could do battle with snowballs. His dream of a snowball fight was really only to throw a snow ball at me in retribution for a snowball-to-face incident 2 years ago. Geez, this kid doesn’t hold onto much, does he?! Unfortunately, as we were visiting Switzerland in Summer, his dream was not realised, so when there was a bit of a rumour that a little snow was going to hit the Oberon Plateau last Wednesday we knew an adventure was on the cards for Family Day. Grimace seemed particularly happy to spend the day hunting out some of the magical white stuff, so we made the plan to hit the road, early. I hadn’t really thought it through though, obviously: not only did we commit to the daunting task of leaving the house by 6am, I was going to get hit with some snow, square in my noggin! I can now see why Grimace was so keen for it!

At least Giggles Magoo did his best to get us up and out the door to hunt down the snow… He was awake at 4:30am (a completely unrelated wake-up to snow-chasing, but I’m going to run with the fact it was his enthusiasm that aroused him from the sleepy state he should have been in. Somehow pretending he was being helpful makes that 4:30am wake up easier). We packed our warmest winter woollies, some delicious snacks and were pulling out of the driveway at 6am. Only to get 100m up the road to remember I’d forgotten to pack gloves for the kids… Back home we went.

Once 6:15am rolled around, we finally found ourselves on the Great Western Highway, heading up the hill. With the assistance of the wonderfully informative website Blackheath Weather, our GPS was set to Mount Trickett (between Oberon and Jenolan Caves). Due to the elevation (roughly 1300m), apparently Mount Trickett will provide the best opportunity to sight snow (thank you for that sage advice). 

Driving up over the mountains, down Victoria Pass and then onto the turn off for Oberon, it felt like our hope of the Great White Blanket was beyond us – there was no sign of any snow, ice or rain and we were having to explain to an exasperated Giggles Magoo that the weather was not something we could control and maybe we weren’t going to be lucky enough to spot any on this trip either… It was like the universe wanted to make liars of us as parents, it is winter afterall. Just after the “we can’t control the weather” chat, we rounded the corner only to find a roadside FULL OF SNOW! I’m not sure who was more excited, Giggles Magoo or I?! “I told you we’d see snow mum” he added, quite knowingly.

We found a spot to park the car and explore the little snow that had settled. The gum trees smattered with snow made for a magical setting, making my heart sing. We were even able to scrape together enough snow for multiple snow ball fights. It was a lovely thing to listen to each of the delighted squeals as discoveries were made, especially the snow-covered Kangaroo poo.

Whilst it was a far cry from a “dumping” of snow, it was just the right amount to justify our 2hr trip and made for a VERY happy Moody household. The scenery, the smells, the cool crisp air and doing it all with those I love the most.

After we’d had enough snow play (read: wet and cold), we jumped back in the car to warm up and went for a spin out to Kanangra Walls (you know, just a 30km dirt road side-track). I can’t remember the last time I’d visited this particular region of the Blue Mountains National Park, so I was pretty keen to check it out – and from the pics below I’m sure you’ll be able to see why.

The car park to Kanangra Walls Lookout track is marked as a 30min return walk (Grade: Easy and very accessible) although I think even Little Mate walked it faster than that (and that included a lot of running the wrong way games). Much to the delight of the boys, we were greeted by a local Swamp Wallaby, spotted an abundance of bird life and met a couple who were about to do the three-day Cox’s River hike – I thought they were crazy for doing it in the middle of winter, but they assured me that winter makes the best time to do it…no snakes! I take their point.

Reaching the lookout, I was completely blown away – a little by the wind, a little by there not being any fences but mostly that Little Mate had no fear at the edge.   You’ll notice he doesn’t feature in too many photos here…we were both too focused on safety!

As Giggles Magoo and I were sitting on what felt like the edge of the earth (Grimace was helping Little Mate to learn about caution), we heard the unique screech of a flock of Black Cockatoos through the valley. I couldn’t help but sit in complete awe as they flew right by us. These birds are just exquisite and a clear favourite animal of mine; I love their elegance in the air, the unique call they throw each other’s way and their mysterious colours. I could watch and listen to these birds for hours and hours on end.

Having spent the morning watching little snowflakes fall from the sky, then have the Great Big Outdoors completely take my breath away, it won’t surprise you when I say I was feeling completely and utterly in love with the beauty of life. One of the grown-up things I’ve discovered is just how complicated, rushed and disconnecting day-to-day life can be. Taking the opportunity to observe some cold weather and a flock of birds effortlessly soar through a valley means I’ve re-discovered the beauty of the unplanned moment. I’d say our snow-chasing day has burrowed into the very depths of my identity, my soul and provided nourishment, without really even knowing it was needed. I felt connected to the land, to those birds and to my family…even if one of said family members was doing his best to fall off the cliff-face.

We ended our adventure with a late lunch visit to Anoymous in Blackheath, because well, what’s a little soul nourishment without delicious food and an endless supply of coffee? I highly recommend the shareboard!

Leaving home so early on Wednesday morning, I did not anticipate the opportunity for reflection the day would provide. I love the unique opportunities that present in life; now to remember to keep space to let them occur.

So, we headed away. Overseas, on holidays, for 5 whole weeks. We left behind the impending Australian Winter, and made our way North for the impending Summer throughout Eastern Canada, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. It was awesome. 

Before going away, I’d made a blogging plan. In my mind, I was going to blog after we’d visited each city and make sure our wonderful trip was documented somewhere, other than the pictures on my phone that I’d hastily show to anyone with a mild enthusiasm for our getaway. In my enthusiasm for planning, I accidentally discounted a few things, that of course would disrupt ANY motivation I had to write whilst away: 

1. Travelling with kids is hard (fun, but hard)
2. I’m lazy 
3. You need internet

So, enter new plan… write about it in hindsight and post some pics of our trip to make you jealous (or plan your own outrageous family holiday). 

Over the coming weeks/ months/ years (in all reality, the latter should be the expectation) I’ll relive our holiday through here, hopefully with a little less of the travel chaos that a family of four inflicts. 

To start things off, here’s a picture of Little Mate, Giggles Magoo and Grimace (im)patiently waiting for one of our gazillion flights. What dudes ❤ 

I can’t wait to share it all with you x 

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 

Hello hot cross buns, hello chocolate, and most importantly…hello 4 day long weekend. We decided to take advantage and head for the hills.  Cue Gimace, into the garage, transferring all the camping gear into the car…Theverymoodyhousehold with (along with Aunty @atlasandtracks) headed up the mountain to camp for two nights in the autumnal heaven that is The Megalong Valley, Blue Mountains. 

Warm and sunny days, bookended by clear, crisp mornings/nights; Beautiful grassy camping area, populated by kangaroos and an abundance of birdlife; an awesome remote location, conveniently rather close to home (meant Grimace could meet us there after work). It all sounds rather perfect!

The boys, Aunty @atlasandtracks and I headed up Saturday morning, with approximately one -zillion stops on  the way (for all those “forgotten” items). The traffic was madness and we were itching to nab a spot at Dunphys camp site – unable to book, we were feeling intimidated by the chance at missing a spot on the busiest weekend of the year. We arrived at just the right moment and were able to snag a spot with just enough flat for our tents and a little fire pit. 

For those of you who’ve been camping with kidlets, you’ll know the chaos and effort you have to endure to get a camp site set up… well, I’d love to say that my angels bucked that trend and made it easy to get set up, but that wouldn’t be quite true. Their “helpfulness” was at times helpful, and others just plain soul destroying. Nonetheless, we got our tents set up, beds assembled, houseload of packed things unpacked, dinner on to cook and Aunty @atlasandtracks collected enough wood to get the fire raging. 

Sitting around the fire that night, we promised ourselves we would enjoy the serenity of camping the next day (we also dubbed the term Two-oist; referring to the mistake of attempting to reason with a two year old). Well, wouldn’t you know it – day 2 felt even crazier when it started nicely at 6am: Giggles Magoo loudly discovered the Easter Bunny/Bilby had no trouble finding our remote location and Little Mate decided to serenade a tent filled with a no-doubt sleeping couple, just to give them that special start to their day. Chocolate was the fare of the day, interspersed with candy from an American family camping just over from us. Giggles Magoo assumed his position in their family when he realised all the chocolate had disappeared from ours, which left Little Mate a playmate down, meaning he reserved those sugar meltdowns for his number one lady…me. 

After a few cuddles, a coffee and the idea of an adventure (read: head back up the hill into Blackheath to collect some supplies: food, water and gas…you know, all the essential things you’d probably take in abundance) we were all ready to face the day again. Up in Blackheath we found the boys’ Gra and Grumps, and we all paid a visit to the magical Loganbrae Apple Orchard. The spiced apple juice, the deliciously crunchy apples and the view set.the perfect scene for us to regather our sanity and brave the rest of trip.

Back at the camp ground, Giggles Magoo’s motley crew of camping buddies grew exponentially and he ran around enjoying the freedom little boys dream of: stick fighting super-heroic ninjas. It was really sweet to see how social he can be, but also his imagination at play. It was even sweeter to see Little Mate getting the confidence to join in at times with the big boys. 

Waking up on Monday morning wasn’t as dramatic as the previous morning, and the gentle start to the morning meant I delayed all feelings of pack-down blues until after our delicious bbq breakfast. Pack down continues to be the hardest thing about any trip, however I feel this one went pretty well, helping me to focus on gratitudes from the trip, rather than inconveniences because of the trip. It also helped that Grimace, Aunty @atlasandtracks And I were able to rotate supervision/meeting needs of those young’uns.

Whilst we didn’t get to explore any of the walks around the campsite, I feel like a had a good dose of nature – I’m feeling reconnected to land, disconnected from the digital world and closer than ever to my family. Sitting around a fire or waiting for the water to boil are just a few of the moments I will savour from the trip.

The weekend spent camping was wonderfully chaotic, with a few Lord of the Flies type moments, but then some equally lovely and soul nourishing memories. And I’m ready to do it all again ❤ 

For anyone interested in canmping at Dunphys, probably around 2hrs out of Sydney, I can highly recommend it. Do your best googling for more reviews, or check out Little Green Nomad’s review

Yesterday marked 9 years since Grimace and I tied the knot. I still don’t believe I’m old enough to have been married 9 years…I still think of myself as 25 and that the wedding was just last year. Alas, I’m getting further and further away from age 25, as I suppose the calender cannot lie. 

12 April 2008 was a glorious day in Mudgee – prime NSW wine country. The autumn sky was a pristine blue and the falling leaves were various bright colours. The morning and evening were quite cool, but there was considerable heat through the day. 

I don’t really remember too many other minor details from the day – Mostly, I recall an overall buzz of excitement; that and the scene was set for us to make the vows…promise I remember that bit! 

At the time, the wedding felt like THE most important thing to have taken place in my life (it probably still is), but all those details Grimace and I worked so hard to plan, barely register now – I could not tell you what food we served at the reception, what time it all took place or what bugged me about the accommodation we stayed at. 

What I can tell you is: we felt incredibly happy, the food and wine were amaze, our friends and family made us feel super special, the music was remarkable and that Mudgee was a beautiful place to have it all happen. It’s these things that seem to continue to resonate in my life with Grimace – all the day-to-day planning a family needs is sometimes overwhelming in the moment, but we eventually survive, and find all the happy moments from that experience to remember how solid we are. Family, friendships, food, music and adventuring – we do always seem to come out on top (eventually).

It may not always be glamorous or endearing Grimace, but I love finding these happy moments with you by my side.  

Here’s to the next nine, and beyond xx 

I have recently found myself reading to the boys that old Dr Seuss classic One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish , Blue Fish – I find these rhyming books to be very catchy and I start thinking about my world in the very rhythm and patterns as in the book. 

The rhyming has sort of inspired me to write a poem about my adventure yesterday – as it was a day out of the office for me, and the boys were at the day care centre, I took myself off for a walk in the local bush. I was feeling overwhelmed, resentful and crammed by life – the constant work/family balancing act, the party planning I so stupidly keep committing to (although, the joy that each kid had at these laid-back parties makes it all worthwhile) and a general sense of disconnect to Grimace… and then there were all the chores. I need a moment, I thought! 

I headed to Florabella Pass (entrance at Ross cres, Blaxland) to make my way along the track to the Plateau Pde/Bridge rd exit (Blaxland), with a little street walk back to the beginning to make it a round walk. 

The sun was shining and I finished the walk in a much better state of mind. The peace within the bush is always a revelation for me; a reminder about the importance of taking time out from our busy society to engage with our land.

So, here goes (I think this is my second ever poem), remember to keep it to the rhythm that so often appears in Dr Seuss books:
A walk is a wondrous thing.

A walk is a beaut-i-ful place to go.

A bushwalk gives me time to slow.

The bush makes me want to sing. 

Tomorrow, I will wake up with a 4 (very nearly 5) year old, and a two year old. I relished all the cuddles I was given today, not wanting to rush anything further about this one year old… 

He is equal amounts of empathy, fire and brimstone, love, anger, affection, independence, frustration and cheeky comedian. 

A mere two minute reflection on my life (at 11:30pm) since Little Mate belatedly made his way into the world, my world, undoubtedly highlights the perfect little soul he is, and the amazing amount his presence has forced me to learn about me, the world and my family. I am aware of the cliched nature of my next statement, however, he has changed my life. Yeah, yeah, Giggles Magoo changed my life too – that’s the very nature of kids! But his presence has challenged me in  a way I was completely not expecting… whether it’s him, or the fact that he is my second dependent, or perhaps a combination of both; I am now a believer in my abilities. My strength as an adult, a woman and a mother has been highlighted by having this little guy in my life. 

To celebrate him and his impact on our life, I’ve been baking, and oops, breaking (see if you can spot the broken below): 

… And his birthday party cake is still to come! 

Wishing Little Mate the happiest of birthdays, may you continue to shine brightly each of your days x 

The total clarity in which a child can cite a fact (true or completely made up) is something of a parenting highlight for me. There is something so affable in the child’s assumption that what they’ve said is obviously 100% correct, and that entertaining thoughts of other possibilities is just. not. possible. 

Saturday morning, Giggles Magoo to me – “did you know Henri Matisse was the first person ever to paint with scissors”. Say what?! How does a preschooler know that? 

I also rather like the stories that are recited back to me or Grimace that have been told in such earnest by Giggles Magoo to a grandparent/ teacher/ friend/ family friend, that the event or activity Must have occurred – the convincing way in which the story is delivered is marvelous. 

For example, that time a daycare educator bizarrely quizzed Grimace on whether Giggles Magoo had seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens…of course not, Grimace’s answer… afterall, he’s a pre-schooler! The educator humorously recounted all the facts Giggles Magoo had sprouted about the movie, what he and Grimace did when they were at the cinema and the fact he had been so clear and convincing of the story: “dad and I went to see the new Star Wars; yeah, yesterday <eagerley nodding>. We drove the blue car and parked in the underground car park. We even got popcorn (popcorn whispered, excitedly). Dad always let’s me see star wars”. 

He will still, to this day, say to me “Remember that time when me and dad watched star wars” … no buddy, I don’t, but the conviction in your story is inspirational! (I’m sure this trait won’t be so marvelous at age 16 when the scenarios are a little more calamitous)

His most recent claim: It is going to rain for 9 weeks (!!!!!!!)

Now, if you’re in Sydney, you’re probably going to agree with this prediction. In fact, you probably feel like it’s just going to rain forever. And ever. And ever.

So, in support of this ridiculous and outlandish claim from Giggles Magoo, which also feels like it might just turn out to be right, I’ve returned my ears to listen to  Dan Andriano in the emergency room – It’s Gonna Rain All Day check it out… it just might help those umbrella blues.

I really like Dan’s voice and the sombre, yet hopeful nature of the song. The acoustic aspects of this song quite suit the brooding me when the sky continuously dumps… you don’t want to do anything; you don’t want the hassle. But then again, you don’t want to be trapped inside and held hostage to the weather.  The song makes me think literally about the weather, but also provides an opportunity to reflect on the state of play in my world. The rain can be so refreshing if you let it… enough rambling from me though…I’m quite partial to anything he is party to – think slapstick, The Falcon, Alkaline Trio.

Side note – Did anyone else completely irrationally lose it about the rain over the weekend?? Pulling out clean clothes from my cupboard, only to have them feel wet. “WHEN WILL THE HORRORS END?!?!?!” >>>>> My weather app seems to think this weekend, which won’t be 9 weeks, but then again, it won’t matter to Giggles Magoo… he’ll regail anyone who will listen with stories of the epic adventures that played out, absolutely caused by the 9 weeks of rain. 

Happy Tuesday xx