Cross Roads

I wrote here a little bit about the start of my career. As I mentioned by degree I am a primary school teacher although as far as teaching goes I've never really done any teaching of the conventional kind. Plenty of casual teaching in the beginning but never a class to call my own.

When I left Uni, permanent work was difficult to come by and so I decided to try my luck using my degree down other avenues. I've so far had a very fulfilling and interesting career path, my stint on a remote Cattle Station in Northern Queensland was followed by a stint in the Life Education Van - yes I was Healthy Harold for a couple of years and I had great fun travelling around the countryside educating around healthy living and alcohol and other drug use. This lead me to an unexpected career in the Mental Health/Drug and Alcohol field, which has lead me to where I am now, sitting here studying for an exam actually as I have decided to become a social worker.

For some time now I have felt unsettled, I set out to help people, to be a nurturer and to make a difference in people's lives through education. Somewhere along the way I've ended up in management and working on projects that are not directly related to people, people that need my help in some way. I want to be helping people, I feel like it is missing from my life, I no longer have job satisfaction and I figure if I have to go to work (and I do!) I may as well feel good about what I'm doing and thus the study.

But....oh lordy. My big boy starting school this year has really reminded me just how much I love school and how much I love to teach and I truly miss it. I just love taking him into school in the morning and chatting to his mates, I love helping him with his homework and hearing about how his day panned out and I realise, my career needs some major overhauling.

Here I have this fantastic qualification, just sitting there being wasted. I'm not content in my current situation and it seems that casual teachers are hard to come by.

So.....do I take that leap of faith? It means resigning from a permanent position to the uncertainty of casual teaching. Having to be organised enough to take work at a moments notice and having my carers on call too (the Grandparents so its not as difficult as it may sound.) And it has been so long since I have been in a classroom, do I still have the skills required?

But my heart flutters at the thought of going back, even just talking about it excites me, I feel like the universe is giving my calling card, now I just need to answer it?

First I have a 70 day placement to complete and of course something wonderful may come of that too, finally I am open to possibilities rather than feeling like I have to make sensible choices. And now I just feel excited about what may come from the remainder of this year.

Mojo mojo where for art thou mojo?

Hello friends, I apologise for my absence. It appears I've lost my mojo, in all aspects of my life, a sick husband, sick children and a very exhausted mum means that I just don't have it in me for anything much at the moment.

I feel sad that I have nothing to share and that I seem to have lost my enthusiasm, I know it's in here somewhere, but where?

I don't want to bore you right now when all I can really manage is to feel tired and down and that life has spiralled out of control, I suppose it happens to the best of us from time to time.

Being a mum is just plain sucky sometimes, judge me if you will, but I struggle with never having any time to myself and feeling tired and keeping up with the housework and with my children who can at times be very trying and very hard work. Oh I love them, adore them, could not breathe with out them. The whinging and fighting however? Not so much.

And soon I'm due to return to work or at least a field placement for now, but even that is testing my patience,  I organised long service leave which officially starts this Monday but still it's not organised and I'm probably bordering on harassment for the amount of times I have contacted my placement officer and asked what's going on.  I have a family and people who have offered to help, I need to arrange my life around this thing, not to mention I really don't want to waste my leave sitting around waiting to be placed, yet I seem to be the only one who is genuinely worried about this (I have to be finished by November)

And even now when I thought I could sneak off for a minute to write a whingey woe is me type post
I'm being harassed by my 3 year old. Oh woe is me.....

Stick with me kids, things can only get better, can't they?

Wife of the year....

As mentioned in my previous post, Man Flu has hit this house with a vengeance. With 3 males in my fold I can hear you all scream argghhh run for the hills and I must admit I too have had those moments.

DD has not avoided the lurgy and in an effort to get on top of it decided to take himself to the Drs on Monday to see if he could avoid being bedridden. Its seasonal the Dr said, suck it up the Dr said, and laugh I did at the verdict while I smugly thought "yes, just another very serious case of man flu"....

Yesterday arrived and DD was still not recovered, milking it for everything its worth it seemed, poor poor DD. DD decided another trip to the Dr was in order and it seems this time the Dr agreed with him, he truly is a very unwell soul. Oops. Home he came with what resembled horse tablets and a note from the Dr advising a week off work. He took himself to bed moaning and groaning and a few choice words included at the unsympathetic Dr from Monday who could have enabled him to avoid this predicament.

My guilt got the better of me and I whipped him up a pot of pumpkin soup to soothe his sick bones, in our world pumpkin soup is the answer to all and it is so easy to make at the drop of the hat.

My recipe is fairly simple, whatever pumpkin that you have (at least 1/2kg) a potato or two, an onion, a good splash of maple syrup and some stock (I like chicken but vegetable seems like the more sensible option!) salt pepper and an hour on the stove simmering away. Blend, eat.

We love it with some warm bread or toast, we don't add sour cream to ours but I'm sure you could if that is your poison.

Meanwhile I'm feeling like wife of the year, I knew he was unwell but not quite that unwell. Hopefully the pumpkin soup made up for my nonchalance.....

The dreaded lurgy

It has hit well and truly, man flu at its worst. Let me tell you this kind of man flu has nothing on the big man kind, this is man flu version 3 year old.

Ok I am sorry for the little hurricane, he has an upper respiratory infection so I have showered him with cuddles and love but it seems my smart little cookie has worked out that being sick means mum will pander, and pandering means getting what he wants, and so the demands have begun....

"Mum milk"

"mum - a movie"

"not that movie"

"I want a movie"

"Dont want that movie, I want Peppa Pig"

"More Milk"

"mum mum mum mum mum"

So much for rest and quiet...this is man Flu at its worst. Lord help me when he gets older if this is what it is like now.

This week Im loving....

Remember I told you DD felt sorry for me and bought me a jacket from Witchery that I was dribbling over?

Well here it is.

Isn't it lovely? DD wasn't so sure, he actually thought the picture was pretty ordinary, but as I told him how wonderful and delightful it was he went with my judgement and of course in the real life world agrees with me, it is fantastic!

While I really really do not love winter, at all, I do enjoy purchasing a good winter coat and a new pair of boots each year.

Guess I can check that coat off my list, now for those boots........

April

Hmmm lets look at what we did in April.

My baby girl is 10 months old and has 6 teeth. Mammoth considering Ol boy didnt even get one tooth until he was 12 months old.

I had my first school holiday experience and I have to admit it was pleasent. Lots of play dates and wearing of children out.

Little hurricane and I began a winter vegie patch:

We have broocoli, carrots, spinach and oregano so far, im also planning to put in leeks and a few more herbs, yum. Such a nice project for us to have together.

Ol boy started Rugby at the ripe old age of 6 and seems he is a chip off the old block because he loves it and already has a favouite Wallaby.

DD and I started watching season 1 of Game of Thrones, a little behind the 8 ball but we are addicted.

I finished Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. (actually now I think about it, I think I read it in March...whoops!) It was a great read, slightly disturbed but well worth a read if you were thinking about it.

I submitted yet another essay, a law one and it was possibly the hardest thing I have ever attempted. Im quite frightened to receive my marks back, please just a pass is all I need.

DD and went to a wonderful wedding and had a fabulous time, its so nice to see friends happy, and so nice that we are happy too.

DD surprised me with a jacket I was lusting after and some Peter Alexander PJ's and slippers. I went to Sydney recently and didnt buy anything for myself. He felt this was an injustice to my love of retail therapy (hey I bought things for both him and the kids so I still got my therapy) and so I got surprise packages on Monday. Still smiling, and yes Peter Alexander PJs are soooooo worth the $$ I feel sad when I take mine off in the morning.

What did you get up to in April?

The Mumma Project - Kay's Sponge

For the Mumma project last week I decided to attempt a sponge cake. There was a recipe which belonged to a friend of Mumma's called Kay. I asked my mum who Kay was and apparently they met at Craft group. I am imagining that Kay made a cracking sponge and so Mumma asked for the recipe.

The same can't be said for myself I'm afraid, mine was a little dense, however it was still quite delicious and my Ol boy and I had no problem polishing off a good part of it over the day!

I'm fairly certain that this one just requires a little practice, perhaps my egg mixture was not thick enough? Or I over mixed the batter? Didnt boil the milk enough? Sponge cakes are a true art, so Ill keep trying and in the mean time, here is my first attempt.

Kay's Sponge:
5 eggs
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 cup self raising flour - sifted
5 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons butter

Beat eggs and sugar until thick.

When eggs and sugar are ready add flour and beat with a wooden spoon.

Melt butter - add milk and boil.

Add to mixture, beat again till well mixed.

Pour into two 8" sponge pans and bake for 20 minutes in moderate oven.

Fill with whipped cream and jam and sprinkle with icing sugar.

For a first attempt Im a little proud, Im sure the CWA ladies would turn their noses up at it and I wont be entering it in the show anytime soon but still practice makes perfect and I do love a good sponge.