My Life in Mono...

Time for a check up

 

Summer is well and truly here.  Perfect beach weather if you ask me.  We have been outdoors most of the time this summer.  Life has been a little up and down since September.  I won't go much into personal details but it was definitely life altering.  I has made me look at how I value relationships with my husband, daughter, family and friends.  My anxiety has also rear it's ugly head a couple of times since September and I have been trying to manage it to keep it at bay.  Hence why I turn to nature by being outdoors and running a lot. 

Running.  I have decided to run my first Marathon in 2016.  Training so far has been going smoothly.  I wake up early every morning to get a run in before the day heats up and before everyone else hogs the running path. :)  You'd be surprised to see how many people are already out there running and cycling! I am not a morning person but I have learnt how to be one.  Mondays and Fridays are rest days for me and boy owh boy do I look forward to them.  I have a love hate relationship with running to be honest but mostly, I love it once I am out the door and pounding the pavement. 

My little girl will be starting school next year.  I have mixed feelings about it.  One side of me is happy because she has reached another important milestone in life.  I don't have to fork out expensive daycare fees any more.  The other side of me is sad because she is not a little girl any more.  She will be a school age child.  She will have more responsibilities in life.  She will start her formal education that will be her foundation to her life.  I am sad of letting her go into the big world but I know that she is ready.  She is ready to tackle what ever life throws at her and if she feels like she can not handle it, I will be there to hold her hand and give her a cuddle. 

How was your Christmas?  We had a quiet one this year.  One that we spent by the river.  One where we stuffed our bellies with good food and good wine. New Years will be something similar.  Most probably we will be celebrating it by the same river again and most probably with the same food and maybe a different type of wine. :)  Most probably I would start out my day with a run with some friends and then come home for a snooze.  

Every year I look back to see what I set out three things I want to achieve in the year.   2015 was the year I did not do one hence my life was a little all over the place.   So for the next year, I have set out three things I want to accomplished. 

Run a full marathon.  It has been on my bucket list for at least 3 years now and some of my running buddies have started to ask me if I am still going to do it.  As mentioned above, I have started my training for my inaugural race in April at the Bunbury 3 Waters dace so this will be the first goal on my list to be struck off.   Hopefully I am able to do it. I am scared but I know I am ready.  

Practice Gratitude ( I will start my 52 weeks of Gratitude on the blog).  This year, I realised that to get my mental health in check, I had to force myself to seek 3 things in my day that I am thankful for.  Some days it was very very hard and some days super easy.  So for 2016, I am going to practice Gratitude as they say that it is the foundation of happiness.  Instead of complaining about what is wrong with the day, I will try my best to give thanks. 

12 Dates.  This is something that I am going to work with my husband.  We have let our work and busyness take over our lives that we fail to connect and have been neglecting our relationship.  Hence this year we have been fighting and arguing a lot this year.  So once a month for 12 months, we will make time for ourselves sans the Lil' Tiger, and go out on dates.  It doesn't have to be at a fancy restaurant but we have to make it a point to connect and build our relationship once again. 

Blog wise, I will try to keep it as up to date as I can BUT I am very active on Instagram and my Facebook Page.  So please follow me on those 2 social media pages.  

Now, go forth and have a great NEW YEAR! 

New Beginnings

"The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made." - John Schaar

Two months have gone by since I last wrote.  A lot of things have happened since then.  I got a new job, my gorgeous little niece was born and lots of food have been consumed.  I learnt a lot in that short amount of time.  Learning to take things slow and not be too hard on myself.  Learning to let things go, again, and not take things for granted.  Learning to not take myself too seriously and just step back and let things unfold.  It is still an on going process.  Some days I am good, some days I don't want to get out of bed. Mostly good.  Most days I hop out of bed. 

Spring is finally here.  I think Pixel has been hanging out for a warm day.  The poor pup have been in jumpers all winter long and would probably need a summer hair cut soon.  Spring also means that I am outdoors a little more. I feel so good to be able to run outdoors again after a winter of hibernation.  It feels great that the days is a little longer and that it is not dark when I go pick up my little one after work.   

.::Stills: A Weekly Collection::.

 

//blowing bubbles on our driveway

//chalk drawing on our driveway

//Pixel checking the garden is free from snails. 

//Friday dinner.  Spicy Szechuan fish hot pot. 

//menu planning from my favourite to go cook books. 

//a little colouring before bedtime. 

 

Joining Em over at The Beetle Shack. 

Wordless Wednesday: Sleep

Flying kisses before bedtime.

"Nigh nigh mummy. See ya tomorrow."

Pretending to sleep.

Pixel making himself a comfy nest at the bottom of her bed. 

Walkies...

One thing I like about having a dog is the walks I take with it. It's just me the dog and nature. Sure sometimes we meet other dogs and their parents at the park for a run, but the walk that I have with just Pixel and I are ones that I appreciate the most. This is when I get Me time. Just me and my thoughts. Pixel walks silently beside me, just knowing that I need my space. Sometimes he grabs a stick and begs me to throw it. Sometimes, he just walks silently walks beside me and letting me have my space. 

Just me and my dog, Pixel. :) 

Play Space : Synergy Parkland

I thought I'd share some photos from when we were at the King's Park Synergy Parkland with you guys. The Lil' Tiger loves playgrounds and I think the Parkland is one of her favourite. It is a huge space and lots of room for the kids to run around. The Lil' Tiger loves it here because of the dinosaurs and the fact that it has a duck pond full of ducks.  

 

Bush walk no. 1

Last week I stumbled across a wonderful blog called Let the Children Play. It's a blog about letting children learn in an unstructured way through lots of play outdoors and in a natural setting. The main thing I love about the blog is when they go on their bush walks. I remember as a child, we often play outside from sunrise to sunset. Well, sometimes. I remember going on a lot of walks during the summer holidays, when I was a student. I use to just walk and walk and walk. I use to live in the city and the closest "bush" in the city was Kings Park. 

I wanted to share my love of walking with the Lil' Tiger so I decided I would take her on one. Last Saturday, I gathered a few supplies (water, extra sets of clothes) , Pixel and slather on Sunscreen and off we went to Kings Park. I chose one of the "bush trails" that was easy enough for me to control the dog and a toddler at the same time. 

Once we started walking, I told the Lil' Tiger all about nature and she asked questions. We saw ants crawling around, listened to Kookaburras and Magpies singing and crows crowing. I told her why the grass were all dried up and get her to touch and smell as many things possible. I showed her tree barks that fell off the tree and why it happens and we collected gum nuts for our curiosity box. 

It was a fun 2 hours of just walking and enjoying nature and being shut out from technology. It was just me, the Lil' Tiger, Pixel and nature. I loved every minute of it. I loved it so much that I want to make it a regular thing if weather permits. Now that it's Autumn and it's getting cooler, I hope to fit more bush walks with the Lil' Tiger. Just us and nature. 

{looking for skinks}

{"This way mummy" she said with confidence}

{Pixel didn't even move after that 5km walk}

Dog/cubby house...

A few weeks ago, I bought a dog house for Pixel for when we are not at home. Summer is coming and the days are getting hotter for him just to sit outside in the sun. I thought this canvas house would be ideal for him because of the meshy bit at the top that allows air flow. 

When I was putting it together, the Lil' Tiger thought it was her new cubby house. She kept saying "My house. My House". It was cute. As you can see from the photos below, she even attempted to sleep in it. It was cute and funny at the same time. She kept pushing Pixel out of his house and saying it was only for her. It was until I told her to share the house with Pixel that she allowed him to come in and have a little nap. This kept the two of them occupied for a whole hour. 

Pixel the Bichon...

Guys! Meet Pixel. He is the newest addition to the SK-R family and we are absolutely in love with this little guy. Some of you may have already known, through twitter, instagram and facebook, that we have finally found our forever dog. :) 

We wanted to wait till the Lil' Tiger turns 2 before we got a pet for her so the search started since March. :) We had to search for the perfect little addition because having a pet means that we have another life that we are responsible for. 

So here is a little back story about Pixel and how he came about to living with us....

Pixel is a Bichon Frise and is going to turn 3 in January. He is fun, energetic and LOVES playing fetch. And when I say energetic, I mean ENERGETIC. Aunty Na went for a 3km run with him last Friday and when he came home, he still wanted to play fetch with me and we played fetch for another hour or so. 

Pixel is also a very loving dog and wants to be with you all the time. Since coming to us 3 weeks ago, he has been sleeping with me and M on our bed. So now in the mornings, it gets really tight on the bed with 2 adults, 1 child and 1 dog but we fit. We fit like how a family should fit. :) Pixel also has the ability to make people fall in love with him the moment they lay eyes on him. Aunty Na's BF who is a cat person, LOVES PIXEL! He even invited Pixel over to his place to meet his cats! HAHA....

Pixel knows a range of commands like sit, stay, shake, come and insdie (on to his bed). I am trying to see if I can teach him a few more tricks or see if I can enrol him to agility classes because I know he will benefit from that. He is so smart. Pixel also doesn't shed which makes him the perfect dog for this family. He doesn't have fur but WOOL! High FIVE! 

How did he come to live with us? Well, Pixel originally lives with one of my highschool friends in Sydney. They can no longer care or keep Pixel so one day (maybe after reading one of my many facebook status updates about looking for the perfect pet) he sent me a text and asked if I wanted to adopt Pixel and I said YES! :) So after 2 weeks of planning and coordinating his flight over, Pixel came to us one sunny Friday afternoon. He was a champion. 5 hours in a crate in a plane, he was wagging his tail when he saw me as if he knew me already. It didn't take long for him to settle down in our house and now, I can not imagine our lives without him. 

The Lil' Tiger and him are already like siblings. Sometimes they love each other and sometimes they fight with each other. It is so funny  when I see the two of them arguing about a toy or who gets to sit in Pixel's bed, even though we know whose bed it is. And when they are in love with each other, no one can separate them, the Lil' Tiger gives him kisses and cuddles, it melts my heart just seeing them together. 

They say Bichons live up to 16-20 years old. I really hope he does because it means that he gets to grow up with my little girl and she will have one of the bestest friends she ever have. She will be able to take comfort in him and also maybe share a secret or two. I know I did with all my previous dogs. :) 

So for now, our household feels a little complete now. :)