I love Farmer's Markets

Nana and I took the kids to our local Farmer's market yesterday and were totally blown away by people's enthusiasm for real, unprocessed food and natural products.

Where else can you get so many different types of products that have so much passion and love and enthusiasm injected into them. We had the most divine tasting macadamias, oranges and lettuces. It is also the place where I get the most amazing foot cream, especially after a great foot spa with Himalayan crystals.

We then went to a shopping area and had a great time in a cafe that has a secure kids playground and the best coffee I have tasted in months. The shopping area also has an organics shop that sells my favourite shampoo and conditioner. I get amazed at the wonderful country we live in, then to top it off I got to vote for who I believed would be best running our country, what a privilege. I took Z4 with me to show her what a special moment it is to be able to have a say in who runs the country and stand up and be counted for who I believe are the best people to run our beautiful country.

I am so grateful that although I go to sleep most nights listening to young hoons squealing their tires and doing burnouts, that at the end of the day they are not the majority, I have a choice to ignore their behaviour and teach my kids to respect others and themselves. We have such a responsibility to bring our children up in the way in which we want them to go. My heart aches when I hear of children killing other children in our beautiful country, it just shouldn't happen. Oh how I want to make sure it never happens again, but this is something that we all need to take responsibility for. We need to stop sending our kids mixed messages with all the good meaning in the world.

These are the values I hope to instil in my children:
Love for God
Love and Respect for themselves
Love and Respect for others
Loyalty
Honesty

Most all strength to be true to themselves and what they believe and not to be swayed by popular opinion.

Having children is one way to leave a lasting impression of all the very best parts of ourselves and to carry on who we hope we are and all we aim to be.

This morning we have a new Prime Minister, all grace and peace to his family that they may cling to the value of family and always find time to be together throughout this time of serving our nation.

The Joys of Innocence

Yesterday I looked after friends' children that are the same ages as mine (both unbelievably only days apart). Anyway, it is funny to watch them interacting and seeing how they progress, being that they are 4 and 2 year olds. The 2 year olds just got on and did their own things... One playing inside, one outside. The 4 year old girls, wanted to play together but took their time figuring out how, because one prefers being outside and the other inside.

After much deliberation, I distracted them with food, as all good child carers do and proceeded to try again getting them to play better together. It was about five minutes after this that it dawned on me that this will be a constant through their lives, learning how to get along with others. After spending the entire day together (half at our place, half at their place), the kids were so exhausted that they just crashed. All the better for us parents.

So, in honour of this I went out with a friend who also happened to be childless for a few hours. We saw a movie, had dinner and went home at the reasonable hour of 9.30pm, although she had a 2 hour car trip home that I didn't!! It seemed somehow too normal, to be out, have a good time and go home, what a relief!!!

Thank you for the laughs and normality sarahbean, you rock!

I have actually been studying today, which is what I was supposed to be doing all week but never quite got round to for an exam on Wednesday. After looking after the kids yesterday and seeing how much fun life can be not worrying about anything other that who is playing with whom, I have decided not to stress about results, just make sure I pass so as not to waste my hard-earned money!!!

I have not had a proper holiday yet (one that didn't involve sick kids or studying) but as sarahbean pointed out last night, planning for it may bring just as much relief, knowing it is coming up. So, looking forward to May/June next year, the only decision now is Vanuatu or Hawaii.....