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Hey Kids, Mummy’s Home!

July 10, 2013 By Janine 4 Comments

Remember when the kids where little and you would arrive home and they would screech with joy and run down the hallway to leap into your arms? Doesn't happen so much once they are teenagers. In fact your arrival home is usually greeted by a deathly silence, and you have to go SEARCHING for the bodies. You eventually unearth one under a doona on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family, Humour Tagged With: Family, unemployed mum

Weekend Notes – 2/6/2013

June 2, 2013 By Janine 3 Comments

  What's Been Happening? Oohh it's cold, windy and raining today.  We've also had a couple of foggy mornings this week. Winter has made it's arrival known. It's hot chocolate weather. Earlier this week we had a visit from a Koala in the tree near our back deck. He gave me once chance to get a shot of his face, then proceeded … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Weekend Notes Tagged With: Family, reading, risotto

Laugh Out Loud Moments

October 11, 2012 By Janine 6 Comments

Remember I set a challenge to have more fun a couple of weeks ago? Well somewhere between the driving and the arguing we did manage to have a few laugh out loud moments. Have you managed to have some laugh out loud moments lately? Do share.   … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family, Humour Tagged With: Family, Having fun, laugh-out-loud

We May Not Be Cut Out For a Five Star Life – and other Tales From The Road

October 9, 2012 By Janine 17 Comments

2,500 kilometres. 3 states. 4 stopovers. When I first started blogging I wrote a post about my guilt over not having had any family holidays for a long time (it's been about four years), I'm over the guilt, we are never leaving the house again. Note to parents of young children, don't waste money and energy on giving them experiences to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family, Family Living Tagged With: Family, Holiday, Road Trip

Music to Travel By

September 29, 2012 By Janine 1 Comment

We have survived our nine hour journey and are now reverting back to beanies, scarves and gloves in the still-winter weather at the bottom of the Snowy Mountains. The car ride was uneventful. The highlight being my serenading the family through a collection of my favorite hits. The you-beaut techno gadget which was supposed to play the iPods … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family, Humour Tagged With: Family, humour., road trips

Ten Things You Need To Know About Going On Holidays

September 25, 2012 By Janine 5 Comments

It's been a while since we actually went away during the holidays. Firstly, we live in a holiday destination, secondly do you know how much it costs to take a family of four ANYWHERE? It's school holidays now and we are doing the trip to visit family on the other side of the State. That means taking to the highway for a 9 hour trip, in a car … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family, Humour Tagged With: Family, holidays, humour., road trips

Are We Having Fun Yet?

September 21, 2012 By Janine 12 Comments

When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried? Has it been a while? I've been thinking about the concept of fun this week. Firstly, going through the photo albums of the kids when they were younger, I was struck by their huge smiles. They simply looked joyous in every shot. A little bit of that is lost as they get older. Maybe they are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: Family, Fun, Laughter, Life Experience

What will they say about me when I’m dead?

September 19, 2012 By Janine 21 Comments

It's the one event of your life over which you have no control. While you may be the main attraction you are no longer in a position to direct activities, control the audience or influence the speeches. Your funeral is left in the hands of those you leave behind. Don't panic, I'm not leaving this earth anytime soon, I'm not even sick, well … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family, Humour Tagged With: Eulogy, Family, Family Living, funeral, humour., Life Experience

Just Keep Swimming

September 18, 2012 By Janine 6 Comments

I thought about writing a to do list this morning but was too frightened to see how many things would be on it. Instead my Mummy brain is clogged with 101 things that need to be done with absolutely no idea how I will fit them all in. So I ditch the attempt to complete a practical activity that would at least knock an item or two off the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family, Family Living Tagged With: Dream Life, Family, Family Living

Random Thoughts on a Sunday Morning – And Some Blog Lovin’

September 16, 2012 By Janine 8 Comments

This morning I'm struggling to craft a coherent post, so instead of a single topic, considered and well thought out, you will get a random collection of the out-of-context thoughts of a tired, emotionally challenged woman who is trying to come to terms with the fact the coffee that gets her started in the morning may be contributing to the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blogging, Life Tagged With: David Fitzpatrick, Family, Photographs., Port Macquarie

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Janine Fitzpatrick is a personal blogger with an untidy house, imperfect children and no celebrity friends.

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Weekend Notes

WATCHINGI went to see Fiona O'Loughlin last night. She's the comedian who survived alcoholism, a two week coma from not realising, in her drunken state, that the heater in the dive she was living in was leaking carbon monoxide.  Then went on to spend … [Read More...]

Weekend Notes

Watching We headed to the movies this weekend and saw the latest Spike Lee film, BlacKkKlansman. It's the story of the first black cop in the Colorado Springs police force, Ron Stallworth, who in the late 70's managed to infiltrate the Ku Klux … [Read More...]

Sleepless

So I've been awake since 3.00am. In that time I've signed the family up for an organizing app which can run a joint calendar, shared shopping and to-do lists and has downloaded a series of recipes that are supposed to make my "what's for dinner" … [Read More...]

Grey stairs.

The Widow Goes On A Date

The last time I went on a first date Bob Hawke was Prime Minister, Liam Hemsworth was being born, Madonna was singing Vogue on the radio, Macaulay Culkin was being left Home Alone and Kevin Costner was Dancing with Wolves. It was a long time ago … [Read More...]

Father with two daughters.

Another Father’s Day

Hi Simon, How's things going up there? Did you have a beer with your Dad for Father's Dad? We blatantly ignored the day here. Just pretended it wasn't happening. We still think about you every day. I didn't post anything on Facebook because it … [Read More...]

Daisy flowers

Hellooo Again

  Hi, I'm just here unwrapping the dust covers, brushing down the spiderwebs and sweeping up the left-over dreams of my tiny little space on the internet. I know I've been gone almost 12-months. I'm not even sure how that happened. A … [Read More...]

A messy scrapbooking desk

Milestone Moments

Hey Simon, Despite my best intentions to ignore the milestones they keep on happening, with or without you. We celebrated your Mum's 80th birthday back in August. A rushed trip of some 1,850 kilometres all up with just four days to do the 9 hour … [Read More...]

Weekend Notes

What have you been up to this weekend? Watching  We caught Home Again in the cinema. It's the latest Reese Witherspoon film.  It's a fun little comedy. Reese plays Alice a just-turned 40 divorcing mum of two. At her birthday drinks she … [Read More...]

Picture of a beach.

Weekend Notes

  As the weekend draws to a close here's a little of what caught my eye in the last 48 hours. Watching Saw Battle of the Sexes the new Emma Stone movie about the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Oh what a time … [Read More...]

A Bag of chips, wine, chocolate, lemonade and magazine. A parody of a bug out bag for the apocalypse.

Could You Survive The Apocalypse?

South Koreans are buying "survival bags" and turning to YouTube for tips on making it through a nuclear blast. The New York Times is writing articles on How To Survive The Apocalypse and the doomsday preppers are starting to look like the smart ones. … [Read More...]

chocolate and wine

Home Alone: The Empty Nest

The empty nest looms in my near future. One more year before the youngest heads out into the world without my micromanaging her every move. I can feel the rotor blades on my helicopter starting to slow.   I heard a whisper of what may … [Read More...]

Weekend Notes

It's a long weekend here in Australia.  So it's been a lazy time. Perfect for some catch-up TV, movies and reading.   Watching I've been enjoying Doctor Doctor it was shot in my old hometown of Mudgee and gosh it's looking … [Read More...]

iVillage

Janine Fitzpatrick is a personal blogger with an untidy house, imperfect children and no celebrity friends. Read More…

Grey stairs.
Father with two daughters.

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