No more Babble

I think it's been pretty obvious for a while, that my blog hasn't been high on my list of priorities. Which is sort of true. I still spend so much time writing posts in my head and wondering what new ideas I can come up with. I love to write, I love to blog. But…

Girl in chaos

This is my girl through and through. She lives in her own frenetically paced bubble. Yesterday when she jumped out of the car I just had to snap this pic - it's so her. In the seven minute drive from school to home she managed to pull everything out of her bag and then scramble…

Beautiful Heart

My daughter is without doubt, the biggest challenge of my life so far. I love her dearly - each and every part of her that makes her ... well, ... her. But boy oh boy is my intelligent, highly emotional, stroppy, strong-willed girl a challenge to every bit of patience that I have. She was the…

Making memories

Yesterday someone pointed something out to me. Something really important. Something that I thought was a slightly funny but inconsequential moment, was actually potentially significant. Bear with me... Yesterday on the school run I had fractious kids - I blame Monday! I was pre-coffee and not really up for the noise levels that six kids, mostly boys, can produce (I also pick…

Not the last bullying post (Part 2)

Yesterday I was going to post an update on Nat after her hideous time last year being bullied, and how bullying is out of our lives. Sadly, bullying is not out of our lives. So yesterday I posted an update on Nat (yay, it's a happy story!) and now the stuff I'm not so happy…

True story

It was one of those if you don't laugh, you cry moments at 3 o'clock this morning. I heard PollyCat jump in the window and as soon as she ran into my room, I knew she'd brought me something. That meow, and psycho kitty dancing meant a cockroach, a bird, or a mouse. Oh yay,…

Not the last bullying post (Part One)

Background: For those of you who weren’t with me last year, we had quite the saga with our youngest child, Nat, being bullied at school. Long story short, she’s now at a different school. If you want to read the back story, you can read Bullying Sucks, and Bullying Still Sucks. Here I was, all…

Prowess – I am / You are ENOUGH

Yesterday I posted about being enough. I am enough. You are enough. Even on the days when we feel like we don't measure up WE ARE ENOUGH. This morning a friend posted this story on her Facebook feed. This friend has the most amazingly beautiful heart and I'm almost always inspired by what she posts.…

I’m not enough

I can't be all things to all people. I'm always letting someone down. I know that. On some level, I know that trying to be what everyone else wants/needs is a pursuit that will never end well. I also know that I probably place more of those pressures on myself than anyone else. But don't we all…

Our technology take down

Have you ever noticed you were watching something on TV that you weren't really interested in ... but there wasn't anything else on? Or you get to bed only to think you'll just check your Facebook page ... one ... more ... time? Or get sick of the kids fighting over who has had a longer…

Full moon madness (nothing spooky here!)

Yesterday my good friend text me to remind me there's a full moon on Friday. That's two days from now. She always gets in touch early in the week to warn me it's coming up. Why? Yeah fair question. Do I have some strange moonlight dance ritual I need to fulfil each month? Oh no. So…

It’s been so long it’s a new year!

Hello hello hello my lovely blog world. Happy New Year!!! I have been so super busy since school finished for the summer on 12 December but I have constantly missed the world of blog. I've been away from home (still am) and traveling without a laptop which has forced some serious down time. What can…

Bullying still sucks

Regular readers of Abbie's Babble might be aware of our struggles this year with bullying (my seven-year old daughter has been bullied over the last few months). Unfortunately, things have hit an all-time low and I felt forced to remove my girl from school for the rest of the year (our school year finishes in 10…

When being yourself equals trouble

Over the weekend I had a great chat with my daughter, quite possibly, the best so far. We had a two-hour road trip and we talked. And we talked. The. whole. time. I can't speak for Nat, but for me, that was so good for my soul. I feel like we totally connected and were both…

To my strong-willed, passionate, very loved, almost-8-year-old daughter

Dear Nat You have had a rough time lately and I want to encourage you. I want to tell you that you are amazing. I want you to know that even though we do most definitely have our challenges, we are going to work it out. I want to tell you (again and forever) just how…

Just put the screen down

I'm really starting to annoy myself. Do you constantly find yourself checking for new activity on your blogs, tweetbooks, facetags, instapins and hashmails? 😉 I do. I can hardly wander past my phone without checking the notifications some days. If I'm sitting "watching" the kids at sport, you'll probably find me on my screen a lot. Over at…

Thankful Thursday (November 5)

I LOVE: Being a mum - this is a privilege for me. I love looking after my family, teaching and nurturing, providing a safe and loving home for them. Meeting their needs, while definitely challenging, is enjoyable for me. Yes, sometimes when I collapse on the couch at the end of the day, when the washing…

Remember the golden rule

We have a golden rule in our home. Well, we have a few. But this one, I wish was a universal thing. For our family, we take a Biblical stance. But I'm pretty sure it spans across all religions in some form. Really, it's just common sense. I believe the world would be a better place if we could…

On the happiness trail … why I quit my job

Last Monday I let my employer know I would not be accepting their offer to extend my contract to the end of 2015. And it felt great! Why would I give away a perfectly good job you may ask? A job that wasn't unpleasant, that offered good hours allowing me to drop my kids to…

Bullying sucks

I never thought that my daughter would be bullied. She's feisty and confident. She'd stand up to someone twice her age and size ... or so I thought. But I was wrong because at the moment another seven-year-old girl is making her life miserable. My Nat is being bullied. From a mamma's point of view,…

Thankful Thursday (October 16)

So much to be thankful for. Always. But especially when I haven't written it here for a few weeks. So here goes, in no particular order, just bullet points today... Two weeks school holidays with my family, only a couple of days where I had all four kids to myself but we made the most…

The first Foodie Friday

When it comes to food choices, I tend to follow my gut (no pun intended!). I'm naturally drawn to healthy options ... give me sushi over McDonalds any day. I do take my role as Guardian of the Pantry for my family quite seriously as I want to raise an active and healthy family. I…

Me and my girl

This weekend Nat and I had an action packed weekend as we headed down to the city (Wellington for those of you who know NZ) to see a show. The show was The Sound of Music - I was super excited to introduce Nat to the story and the songs. I was about the same age…

Thankful Thursday (September 18)

It amazes me how complex we humans are - that I can feel so many conflicting emotions all at once but somehow, manage to compartmentalize, so that the bad does not overcome the good. I have so much to be thankful for, I'm walking in a state of perpetual gratitude at the moment. With that,…

Where abbiesbabble is at

Today Wordpress told me I have now published 100 posts. I have 154 people following me. That's not bad in four months - little numbers for most of you I know but for me, I'm happy. I didn't do this to get followers but I have to admit, I love it when I know someone new has read…