for my mum

My sisters and I danced together for ten years. With each other, and against each other. We lived and breathed it, six days a week. I wouldn't dare guess the amount of hours my mum spent working on costumes, props and other guff.  How many trips she did backwards and forwards between home and dance. For many years we were all in different classes, with different class times. I can't believe she didn't throw a party when we all finally ended up in the same class. Just one drop off, one pick up. And then when I got my licence - no pick up or drop off! When Mum had to work weekends, Dad would take us away for eisteddfods. He wedged a broom handle from one side of the tarago roof, to the other. He would meticulously pack and hang all our costumes and necessities. He does everything meticulously. He couldn't see out of the rear window. He would sit in the auditorium day in, day out. He would always give constructive criticism. By then end, he was pretty good at knowing what was decent and what was rubbish, sometimes better than the judge. Some of my fondest memories of a teenage me, involved dancing. It taught me discipline and respect. It gave me confidence and friendship.

My tiny dancer has it in her blood. She's been dancing around since she could walk. She's nearing the end of her first year of dance class. I can't wait to see her on stage. It's a little early to see the discipline and respect, but I'm sure I'll see the confidence and friendship.

Thanks for letting us dance, mum. Thanks for the effort, the patience, the support, the driving. And thanks for being such a good judge, dad.

grateful

So my good intentions to continue with all things grateful fell by the wayside pretty quickly. But it was kept company by the truckload of other things that fell with it, when pneumonia crept into my calm and peaceful, pre-Christmas home. What a shitty house guest. It outstayed it's welcome and invited all it's bastard mates to sleep over. Way to promptly wreck my beautiful, sparkly, festive ambiance I had going.

So we haven't gotten off to the greatest start in 2012. But hey, it can only get better from here!

Maxabella has something different in store this year so make sure you check in with her to get yourself sorted with all the new linky business in the coming week.

To kick off the new year, this week I am grateful for my mum. Without her, this week I would have lost my sanity. Really. Our household is still not back to good health. I would say today was a good day and we are back to average health. Woo hoo! The problem with children getting really sick, is that their tiny bodies take a long time to recover and during which time, their bruised immune systems let in all the other bugs that are flying around, so much more easily. After Ruby got pneumonia, it was only a matter of time before the other two dropped. And the hubby. Mum has to keep ploughing through though. Sick or not.

Weeks of caring for ill children, very little, broken sleep, and feeling rubbish yourself, makes for a cranky mama, with zero patience. Fun times. My mum had been calling every evening to see how the day had been, if there had been any improvement with the littlies. She lives in Queensland, so there are a lot of phone calls and skyping. Thank God for Skype. We are blessed to be able to visit all the time, and last year she and dad made lots of trips down here. I must have sounded pretty average last Sunday morning when she called because she phoned back an hour later to say she was arriving that night! Paul came in and told me when I was in the shower with Cole. I cried. Happy, exhausted tears. Mum works full time and I had expected her to stay for two or three days and head home. Nope, she has stayed all week! She flies home tomorrow night (to the open arms of my poor, lonely dad).

She is one of those mums that gets in there and does what is needed. No questions asked. She knows the way I like things done and she does them. The kids adore her (even if Cole was sulking when she arrived because pa wasn't with her..) and whether they are sick or not, I love to see their relationship blossom every time they are together. Above all that, she really did save me from a mini breakdown this week. That's definitely where I was headed. If I had been getting some sleep, I think I would have felt more in control, but Mr E is cutting two more teeth and feeding right through the night so sleep is totally foreign to me at the moment. You know everything seems worse on a crappy night's/week's/month's sleep.

I think we have turned a corner the last forty eight hours and things are on the up. Only another week and we will be at mum and dad's blowing all the germs away for good, with daily ocean dips and that glorious sea air.

So while I am always grateful for my wonderful mum, this week I am a gazillion times more grateful for her. Love you mum.

{The sassy redhead starts linking again next week.}