Its only the beginning ......

I have you singing the song now don't I? I know , I know, you'll thank me later. Its been in my head since I started thinking about this post!

On Sunday, when I was getting all emotional over our precious little 3 year olds going to Kindergarten this week for THREE FULL DAYS, I made a statement to my husband.
Whether it was to justify to myself , that my tears were warranted , or whether it was to wipe the smirk off his face as he stared at me crying hysterically. You see, he likes to laugh at me when I am crying over silly things. Men, meh!

The simple words "They don't need me anymore , I am redundant" slipped out of my mouth before I even had a chance to think about the meaning of them. The reason behind them. And just how quickly it sprang to my mind.

I kinda got to thinking, in a very Carrie Bradshaw way. Complete with conversations with my inner self and everything.
Am I redundant?

Now that these 2 little people are at school for a few days a week, every week. Spending more time with their teachers on those days than me. Do they need me like they always have done? Like they have , right up until 8:10am on Monday morning?

Thankfully, my inner voice was kind. Yes, of course they do!!
Just because they are big Kindy kids, doesn't mean I am any less important. Doesn't mean they need , nor want me any less.
In fact, I think my role is a little more valuable now. They are going to rely and depend on me for much much more than they have for the past 3 and a half years of their little lives. Just like Stella has and does! (Could there be more to what I have been doing all these years? Surely not!!)
I am not only their Mum, I am all those boring things to them too - their organiser, maid, cook, cleaner, chauffeur , personal assistant etc.
But most importantly, I am their strength. I am the person they will turn to for advice. To answer their never ending barrage of questions. To give them a cuddle when they come home and tell me of that naughty kid in the playground that teased them.
I will have to pick them up when they are down, to dust them off and send them back out to do it all again. And hopefully they will grow and learn from each incidence. It will break my heart and make it ache to think that it is happening to my little baby, but that is life. Life can be cruel and we all need to learn by our own mistakes.
I am no longer their safety net. I can no longer control their surroundings and situations. I can no longer be with them each and every minute to protect them from the kids or people that will try and put them down.
And that is what scares me.
When I thought about it. That is what I was crying over.

Not the thought of them at school. Not the thought of them in their school uniforms (although that is totally gorgeous too!). Not the thought of having a few days without them ( its sad now but I know I will learn to love it!).
But more the fact that I am not redundant. This is only the beginning.....

I have been there and done it before. I have a daughter in Year 1 as well. And that is what made me so emotional.
Seeing her blossom and develop. To change and mature. Its overwhelming. And now we get the privilege of seeing it all happen with Max and Lacey.

My job is far from over. It is only the beginning ........
Every year in the lives of our children are important. And luckily, there are many many more to come.
Kids adjust to the change of environments and routines more than adults, it may take me a while but I will get there .
And every step of the way, I will be here. Just for when they need me , because I am lucky to be their Mum.

Mothers Day

So Sunday was Mothers Day, in case you didn't notice or you have been living under a rock!

I hope that all the lovely Mum's out there had a wonderful day!
I know I certainly did! And for all those that didn't, I am sorry. Your man folk need a swift kick up the be-hind or I hope that next years is an improvement!

This year I wanted to do a few more handmade gifts, seeing as though the kids are older and are a little more understanding of what is happening and also from a budget point of view.

Plus what Nanna or Grandma doesn't love a bit of finger print love from the grandies?

We made these cute bookmarks using the printables created by Bianca at 'A Little Delightful' seen HERE.  I love using Printables, and Bianca makes them so easy to use and super gorgeous too!

 I just got the kids to stamp their finger prints in a flower pattern, drew a stem and leaves and centre to the flowers. Them laminated , punched a hole in the top and tied some ribbon to finish.
Cute!

For my Mother in Law, we kept things simple and went with a pot of Chysanthemum'. But I wanted to jazzy it up a bit! When I went food shopping the other day, my local Woolworth's had these cute plastic faux terracotta pots on sale for $1.25, and I knew they would be perfect.
My first thought was paint but being plastic it would just scratch off, so we did some hand prints with paint, I cut around them, laminated and re cut and glued them to the outside of the pot!!
Nannies little pile (minus her canvas) with the interview ( as below) and picture drawn by Stella rolled up with ribbon.

Stella and I also did interviews about My Mum and Me, and the pics are pretty cute too! I also laminated these for safe keeping! The printable is also by A Little Delightful, and available HERE.

And as a cute finishing touch, the kids also did some paint hand prints on these canvas; ( $6 for set of 3 different sizes from Crazy Clarkes) and I added a card stock pot and leaves , then spray a sealer over the top (something I had in the cupboard)

 

So there you have our cute , handmade with love gifts for our precious Mums.

I had a beautiful day with  my wonderful day with my family. My husband made me a yummy cooked breakfast, the kids had the biggest , proudest faces on when giving me my pressies ( a bag of scrapbooking supplies, a bunch of flowers and some yummy choccies) and Stella was able to finally give me the beautiful beaded necklace and bracelet she had made at school and kept a secret (well sort of !!) and a cute big hand print and picture of her!
I am a spoilt and very lucky Mum!!
 And now for some pics , unfortunately its near on impossible to get a good shot, or any for that matter, of our 4 kids together. Max hates photos that he is made to be in and they never co ordinate!!

See me lovely necklace?

The best of a bad bunch of pics, its the moment and thought that counts!! My cherubs

My oldest and youngest! 2 peas in a pod these 2!! They are so similar in every way, completely gorgeous!!

           And my Mum, Sister and I at our yummy morning tea!! A rare photograph!

And the pics that stole my heart! The love my children have for their Grandma ( My Mum) is truly amazing!! They love her and she loves them just as much!

My Mum is the most selfless, caring, thoughtful and hard working person I know and will ever meet in my lifetime! She has taught me how to love , to be a good mother and I know that if I am only a fraction of the mother she is, my kids will be happy.
She is my best friend, second only to my husband, and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't speak to her or think of her. She supports to no end, even when I have crazy ideas and push myself to the extremes, she encourages, and in the end, she is always there to pick up the pieces, give me a cuddle and prop me up for another round of "Liz's Crazy Ideas".
She has worked hard for her family all her life, given up so much so that we could have so much, and for that I will be eternally grateful.
Happy Mothers Day to My wonderful Mum, she is honestly the BEST and I couldn't live without her!! Love you Mum!!

A belated Happy Mothers Day to all the Mummy's out there, we are a blessed bunch. A lot of people aren't as lucky to be given the gift of motherhood, so we are so very lucky. Enjoy and embrace it xo