Shambolic Living

Monday Morning Photo – Flight

By 6 Comments

OK you can stop checking your calendars even with the time difference to Australia we are well passed Monday (it's actually Wednesday).  However computer issues have stopped me posting since Friday, finally back on track today. I had planned to write a highly entertaining, creative post to welcome myself back to the online world but instead I've … [Read more...]

This is What Happens When I Try To Be A Responsible Parent

By 17 Comments

It is clear that for 90 per cent of the time I'm flying blind with this parenting gig. Look we've survived 15 years, everyone is still here, there are only a few physical scars (Princess Child had a habit of throwing herself into activities with a little more vigour than her coordination development allowed; hence front teeth damaged on slippery … [Read more...]

School Photo Day

By 8 Comments

It's school photo day at Shambles Manor. Which means it's the morning I look at my child and curse myself for  not organising a hair cut. I'm not good with hair. I can't do buns or plaits and I sometimes struggle with the basic of ponytails. Who decided I should give birth to girls? Obviously I don't have the necessary credentials to raise … [Read more...]

Monday Morning Photo – Tranquil

By 4 Comments

Photo by David Fitzpatrick Hope your weekend was/is fantastic. We have one team through to the finals of soccer - so still at least one cold Friday night game ahead. The days though are starting to hint at spring. Slightly warmer. We are all looking forward to summer. Here's to a week of tranquility for us all. … [Read more...]

TV In The Bedroom Yes or No?

By 10 Comments

I'm sure if we had gone to counselling before the wedding there would have much time spent on whether we were on agreement on the big issues. Do you want children? Will the children be raised in a religion? How will you handle finances? Will somebody stay at home with the kids or not? However, in the end we just muddled our way through the big … [Read more...]

If you want to publish a book … you’ve got to WRITE

By 9 Comments

It is 10.54 am on my day off from my real-world job. When I decided to work part-time the aim was to spend my day off writing. Get a book published. Uncover that latent dream from underneath the grown-up world responsibilities of kids, mortgage, bills and ... well you know the drill. This morning I was determined. My only responsibility was … [Read more...]

Eight Things I’m Dreading About My Daughter Starting High School

By 19 Comments

We are heading into the tail end of the year (how fast are the months flying by?). It's one of those years with a "chapter closing". You know the type, a life stage when you do things for "the last time", when you know you won't be going back. Next year my youngest child heads off to high school. So for the next few months we will be saying … [Read more...]

Grey stairs.
Father with two daughters.