Oh I Do Like To Be Beside the Seaside...

It was one of those magical Winter days, all sunshine.

Darling le Husband and I gave each other a knowing look:

"Let's escape".

We pried the children away from the laptop and television (sadly, they have inherited their mother's addiction) and rounded up the 3 Barbie scooters.

With sunshine as glorious as this, it was too good to waste in front of a screen full of pixels.

Daddy with his Beach Bunnies

Katrushki in the Sun

Twin Bookends

Barefoot and carefree

"Mummy, the water is tickling my toes!"

"Can we do this every day?!"

Ahoy, there!

We collected some shells to remember the day

It was a very good day.

What do you like to do to chase the Winter Blues away?

Under the Winter Sun: or : Good Things Happen When You Run Away from Laundry

It was a morning just like any other manic school morning.
Day in, day out. The same.
Always the same.
A frenzy of locating boots, library books, permission slips, slicing bananas, burning the toast, plaiting braids, settling arguments, wiping away tears.
The walk to school was brisk, hurried.
Through the school gates, "Bye darlings. Kiss, kiss. Have a great day. Mummy loves you".

I turned my heels to return home.
I paused.
Home.
What was awaiting me?
Unmade beds, dirty dishes, mountains of laundry, floors littered with toys.
Bugger that!

Time to get out of the Routine Rut and have a spontaneous adventure.

I was On The Run.
Running Away from Domestic Drudgery.
Having a Spontaneous Adventure.
And loving every single thrilling moment of it.

First stop, coffee.
Aaaaah!
With a deliciously hot latte in hand I let my soul guide me.
It followed the rays of the sun and led me to the glistening horizon of the sea.
The Beach.
If there is a place on earth that can cure any of my soul's ills, it is the beach.
I am blessed, blessed, blessed to be living 5 mins walk away from it.

I breathed in the salty sea air. Rejoicing in Rejuvination.

I made my way to the pier, seagulls dancing overhead.
I heard a most beautiful voice chanting in the wind.
A man dressed in a yellow fisherman's hooded jacket was standing on the pier, his arms outstretched, the sun's rays making his face glow golden. He was oblivious to me as I timidly and respectfully walked past him. I did not want to disturb. He sang to the sun. I could make out some Spanish words. Was it a lament? An ode? It was beautiful. I found myself tearing up. I wanted to know his story. The mysterious singing stranger dressed in yellow singing to the Sun. I walked on as his soulful chant was carried by the wind.

The sun's rays glistened on the water like jewels, they were the diamonds of my day.

A little empty boat rocked gently. I imagined laying in it and napping, like a baby in a cradle.

A self-portrait, of sorts.

Serenity

Suede winter boots amongst shells and sand

I left my mark by the Sea, just as it had left its beautiful mark on me.

When was the last time you had a spontaneous adventure?

I'm linking up with the gorgeous Jess from Diary of a SAHM for 'I Blog On Tuesdays', yee-ha!

The Twin Thing

Best friends

 Sharing a treat

Sharing a kiss

Always holding hands

Sharing a Little Sister

Even when they fight, they always work it out.

Twin Style.

I'm linking up with the wonderful Trish of My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday.

Will the Real WhoaMamma Please Stand Up...

There is a scene from Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland' where Absolom the pipe-smoking caterpillar turns to the bewildered Alice and asks:

"Whoooooooooooooooooo .... are youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...?"

Alice, in a state of confusion, replies:

"I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed several times since then."

Ah Alice, I know the feeling.

Sometimes I feel like I am a thousand souls leading a thousand lives.

Nothing and everything.

The product of hundreds and thousands of years of love-making from my ancestors. Their DNA weaving a tapestry in my veins. All these people in my blood-line came together and now... I am Here.

I am as ancient as the ruins in Athens yet I'm just beginning.

I am Mummy. A beacon and an example to my girls.

I am Agapi, the Wife. My love unconditional and my support unwavering.

I am Big Sister Jess who parents and guides my sweet, precious siblings.

A Daughter and Granddaughter of migrants who will carry on the legacies and family traditions.

A friend for Life.

A smile to let you know you make me happy.

A shoulder to cry on.

A hug of gratitude.

The first lips to kiss you good morning, the last lips to kiss you goodnight.

The girl who wants to dig for treasure.

The woman dressed in black that wants to paint the town (and her shoes, lips and nails) red.

I am equal parts kick-ass and demure.

I am a little bit o' this:

With a dash of this:

and, maybe, just a hint of this:

I want to glisten, yet I hide.

I like quiet yet I want to scream.

I'd like to laze in a hammock and sprint up a mountain.

I love to sing but close my mouth if there's an audience.

I am the People Pleaser and the Do-Gooder.

I Make Things Happen.

I am undying in my loyalty and my love has no bounds.

I am lazy like a cat but can be fierce as a lion.

Romantic daydreamer.

Kinky vixen.

Beware of the Quiet Ones.

I want to go crazy and dance.

I long for adventure but want to take them alone.

I'd offer you anything I have if you need it more.

I am a cherry in a bowl of bananas.

I'm a Keeper of Secrets and a bearer of Truths.

I come alive when inspired.

Sometimes my Spirit feels too grand for my body.

I'm the licker of cake-bowls and picker of flowers.

Child-like.

I will stare at rainbows till they disappear like ghosts in the golden sky.

I am a journey and I'm enjoying the ride.

Who are You?

I am linking up with my blog-crush Edenland as part of her Fresh Horses Brigade. Giddy-up!

The Day of the Mamma

The Sunday that just passed was undoubtedly my best Mother's Day ever.

Nothing beats being showered in love and cuddles and the constant parade of lovingly handmade cards and gifts.

The twins had a Mother's Day fundraising stall at school where they purchased me $4 gifts.

Twin A bought me silverplated dessert spoons with tiny seashells on the end. She couldn't wait till Sunday to present them to me, so she ripped open the packet and promptly christened a tub of chocolate yoghurt with one of the lucky spoons.

Twin B surprised me with a boxed set of makeup. The turquoise eyeshadow and hot pink lip gloss will come in handy when I dress up as a Fairy Queen this weekend for Katrushki's birthday.

Katrushki made me a lovely artwork with her handprint and more gold glitter than a Lady Gaga concert.

Darling Mr WhoaMamma surprised me with a beautiful bunch of flowers that beautify my kitchen as well as my soul.

We took my mother, grandmother, aunt and cousins for a family lunch at a favourite Greek restaurant.

Red wine + seafood = One Very Happy Whoa Mamma!

It was great not to worry about washing, cleaning and cooking for a day.

My real joy came from just BEING with my loved ones. No other distractions or duties.

They had my total attention, and I had theirs.

The next day, it was back to reality.

But the strength to carry on came from this beautiful card from Twin B:

"Dear Mummy,

I love you because I love you,

and that is why I love you."

Love doesn't need a reason.

The One About Elvis's Side-Burns

It was 1987.
I had just turned 11.
It was Saturday night and my siblings and I were eager to watch a kid's movie.
But not tonight.
Dad had dibs on the television.
He grabbed a blank video cassette (remember them?), unwrapped it from its plastic and excitedly fed it into the mouth of the VCR.
He was like an excited little boy.

"But Da-ad, we really want to watch the movie!" moaned my sister. But it was of no use.
We were no match for Elvis.

It was the 10th anniversary of Elvis's death and all the TV channels were in Elvis over-drive.
There was no escaping it.

I knew who Elvis was. My father was a big fan and had a large Elvis music and book collection.
I'd seen a few of his cheesy films that played on the weekend tv matinees. He could sing. He could dance. Women would throw him their underpants.

"Oooo.. it's starting!" exclaimed my excited father.

Click. Record.

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Elvis: The 1968 Comeback Special.

Oh, my.

Have you seen it?

Forget about the 1950's coiffed pretty-boy Elvis,

or the1970's puffy, bloated rhinestoned-bedazzled caped jumpsuited Elvis.

The Elvis that shakes my pelvis is the 1968 model with tight black leather suit, leather cuff, jet black hair and slick sideburns you just want to run your fingers over.

The voice. Swoon.

The moves. Swoon.

The curled-lip smile. Swoon heaven!

Hello? Black leather?

Life changed for me that day.
Hormones kicked in and that was the beginning of me changing from an innocent girl into the black-leather-loving woman I am today.

Have you lived the Elvis '68 Comeback Special experience?
Do you like Elvis?


I'm linking up with the fabulous Jess from Diary of a SAHM for 'I Blog On Tuesdays!'

My Best and Worst Mothering Moments: brought to you by Facebook

The Year: 2008

I walked into the room and saw my little sister tapping away at her laptop.
"What are you doing? We're going to be late!" I screeched. We were heading out for a shopping day. Hubby was going to look after the babies. I was desperate for a latte and I had the Urge to Splurge.
"Just a minute. I'm writing on Nat's wall and we'll go."
"Her 'wall'? What? Are you demented? What is that?"
"It's called Facebook. We write each other messages".
"What messages? Didn't you just get off the phone with her? Why don't you just speak like normal people? What a load of sh........."

Fastward 1 year later.

The Year: 2009

Mamma with a new laptop.
Apple MacBook. Swoon.
Little sister in Barcelona. Husband's family all in Greece.
Husband at work all day. Mamma home alone with three energetic toddlers.
Cut off from civilization.
Lonely.
Need an escape.
Open Facebook account.
My justification is it's a means to communicate with my sister and I could upload and share lots photos of the kidlets for all relatives overseas to delight in.

And so, it begins...

Farmville, Vampire Wars, cyber cocktails, waking up at 6am to harvest cyber cornfields, slaying virtual vampires, winning tokens, reconnecting with primary school/high school/university/work friends (and strangers).

Facebook.
You had me at 'Log In'.

I was hooked. The babies would crawl about my feet, sucking on toys, shoes, remote controls and I'd be tap, tap, tapping. Click, click, clicking. Scroll, scroll, scrolling. Hours of 'refresh feed'. The Wiggles dvd's would be on repeat to entertain my babies. 'Hot Potato' and 'Toot-Toot-Chugga-Chugga Big Red Car' were the soundtrack to my cyber-addiction.

Before my husband would return home late at night, I'd delete the history on my laptop. I didn't want him to see just how much time I was spending on the computer. The fact that the house was always in disarray wasn't a giveaway?

My Worst Mothering Moment.


I was toilet training the twins. They were watching The Wiggles (again) and I was having a 'Gwyneth-Paltrow-in-Sliding-Doors' moment, stalking looking at Facebook photos of an ex-paramour and his new family,and pondering what life may have been like if Fate had taken me in a different direction. (By the way, Fate & Instinct could not have been kinder to me, so grateful for the life and precious family that I have).
"Mummy", called out Twin A, "mummy, wee-wee coming".
"Ok, sweetie. Mummy's coming". Tap, tap. Click, click.
"Mummy. Toilet mummy. Wee-wee".
"Yes, darling. Just a minute. Mummy's coming". Click, scroll, refresh.
"Muuuuuuummmmmmmmyyyyyyy!!!!!"
"YES!!!! I'M COOOOOOOOMINGGGGG!!!" Click. Click.
I enter the lounge room and find little Twin A watching The Wiggles and standing in a giant puddle of wee.
"Sorry, Mummy. Wee-wee came".
I had never felt so sick or repulsed in all my life. Bad Mother. Worst Mother in the World. Selfish, deluded Mother.
I picked her up and squeezed her.
"Mummy's sorry. Mummy's so very sorry, for everything."
I cleaned her up and scooped up the rest of the girls. I spent the rest of the day hugging and kissing them, reading to them, playing with them, singing to them, inhaling their scent, tickling them just so that I could hear their joyous laugh.

I had hit rock bottom as a mamma but it was the wake up call I needed.

What was the allure of Facebook?

A sense of connection? A sense of friendship and camaraderie? A sense of belonging? Feeling that I hadn't been forgotten? I was so caught up in sharing moments in other people's lives, I was forgetting to create my own.


Best Mothering Moments


Believe it or not, Facebook has helped me become a better mother.
Through blogging and Facebook I have discovered so many wonderful, supportive groups and communities  that have connected me with other fabulous mothers who tread the tricky, yet terrific, yellowbrick road of Motherhood. These life-enhancing sites include Kidspot, Mums Lounge, JustB, Circle of Moms, MamaBake, Mums Helping Mums Network, Lovely Living, The Imperfect Mum, The Organised Housewife, Stay At Home Mum and Planning With Kids, just to name a fabulous few.

And don't get me started on all the fabulous Mamma's who blog.
Saved. My. Sanity.

Motherhood can be hard. It can be lonely. Many of us constantly question if we are doing the right things by our kids. Many of us feel isolated. Many of us need help but don't feel comfortable asking for it. These pages and forums are a great way to connect, share, find information and ask questions.

Two ladies that have phenomenally impacted my life as a woman and mother (more than they'll ever know) are Kirri White from Happy Mums at Home and Nathalie Brown from Easy Peasy Kids. Their consistently positive messages have made me a happier woman and a more vibrant, engaging, joyous mother to my kids. I guarantee they have the means of turning your darkest day into sparkling, shimmering brightness.

Although I'm still engaging with social media (blogging/Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter/Instagram anyone?), I look for experiences that enhance my life in a positive way through inspiration, motivation (and a little humour!) ;)

And when my kids call out to me and say "Mummy, you know, we're more important than the computer", they're absolutely right. Time to switch off and turn the Mamma Lovin' up high.

Are you a social media addict? Has the internet impacted your role as a Mother?