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30 sweet moments only parents have

30 sweet moments only parents understand via christineknight.me

Ahhh parenting, it’s one of those amazing experiences where the highs are euphoric and the lows make you want to cry in a corner and hope it was all a bad dream. Let’s take a few moments today to celebrate all the victorious moments that can only be appreciated if you’re parent to a small human or two.

  1. When the furby’s batteries run out.
  2. When the kids are finally asleep …
  3. And there’s wine in the fridge.
  4. When the babysitter puts the kids to bed instead of you.
  5. When you have a night with friends and it’s like the kids don’t exist (except for when you pull out your phone and scroll through the pics of them looking insanely cute that day).
  6. When you have an hour to watch TV and there’s a new episode of Nashville on Hulu.
  7. When you’re out the door early!
  8. When you arrive anywhere on time and not disheveled.
  9. When you go out minus the kids and your handbag is miniscule.
  10. When you’re having a night with the ladies and can wear white pants.
  11. When you land a morning spot for your kid in nursery school.
  12. When you push the stroller to a train station and find there’s an elevator.
  13. When the kid eats their entire meal without a “That’s yucky!”
  14. When you pick up your kid from school and their lunchbox is empty.
  15. When it’s Mother’s Day or Father’s Day and the kid brings home handprint artworks from school.
  16. When you wake up the next morning and everyone is in the same bed they started the night in.
  17. When you wake up and it’s 8am, not 2am, or 4am or 6am, but 8am!
  18. Every time you drink coffee or strong black tea and the instant rush that results.
  19. When you get a pedicure and no one screams at you for an entire hour, plus you can look at your phone guilt-free the entire time.
  20. The rare times when you get something right and your kid beams at you instead of scowling. Bought the right sugar-free-but-still-tasty breakfast cereal today, yay!
  21. When your kid says “Thank you” and “Your welcome” in public and you feel like your job is done.
  22. The one night when your kid says they’ll put themselves to bed and you can go eat your dinner.
  23. When you take your kid to see a show and they stay in their seat the entire time.
  24. When you get off a long haul flight and the people in front turn around to say they didn’t even know there was a kid sitting there.
  25. When your kid’s teacher says they’ve had a great day and you feel like everything’s going to be A-okay.
  26. When your kid stands up for another at the playground, and you think your heart is going to burst with pride.
  27. When you can say without a doubt that you’re done with toilet training for good.
  28. When you celebrate your birthday doing something you want to do, like getting that pedicure.
  29. When your kid says they love you and you melt into a puddle.
  30. When your kid outs your favourite beverage and you laugh your ass off because your kid is so awesome you just can’t stand it. “I like milk, Daddy drinks coffee and Mommy likes wine!”

This article first appeared on MommyNearest.

Happy Birthday To Me! A kid-free weekend in the Hunter Valley

Hunter Valley Spicers Retreats via akissgoodnight.coThis year, there was only one thing I wanted for my birthday – a break. Mum and Dad very kindly agreed to watch Cheese for the weekend so Alec and I could have a few nights to relax. Our first kid-free weekend in three years!

Hunter Valley Spicers Retreats via akissgoodnight.co

We drove up to the Hunter Valley for the getaway. I booked us a room at the Spicers Vineyard Estate – a beautiful little retreat in Pokolbin. Our room was large, with a fireplace and spa. Our package included two breakfasts and a dinner in their restaurant, Botanica, and complimentary minibar.

Hunter Valley via akissgoodnight.co

The property is set in 25 acres of vineyard and bush, and we took a leisurely stroll around the boundary each evening at dusk. Which, by the way, is the perfect time to see the wild kangaroo families as they come out.

Hunter Valley Pokolbin Chocolate Company via akissgoodnight.co

During our stay in the Hunter we dropped by the Pokolbin Chocolate And Jam Company, the Smelly Cheese Shop, two of the Hunter Valley Chocolate Company locations and two wineries: Tempus Two and Audrey Wilkinson.

Audrey Wilkinson Winery Hunter Valley via akissgoodnight.co

I adore moscato, and chose these wineries based on their production of the sweet wine of my choice. The Audrey Wilkinson cellar door is a bit off the main track, but worth the extra drive. St up high on a hill, the view out over the wine country is spectacular.

Hunter Valley Muse Restaurant via akissgoodnight.co
Muse Restaurant

Since we were child-free, we indulged in a LOT of food, including two dinners out: Muse Restaurant on my birthday, and Restaurant Botanica the following night. Muse was the perfect restaurant for a fancy, special night out. It was like a fine dining establishment in the city. Delicious creative dishes (I had a kale risotto with winter vegetables), with a friendly, relaxed vibe.

Restaurant Botanica was more relaxed, and perfect for a Sunday night dinner. The food was simpler and perfectly prepared. After the previous day of rich, complicated food, the elegant and slightly more traditional fare at Botanica was exactly what our stomaches craved. Dessert was donuts and cinnamon ice cream. Absolutely a treat.

hunter-valley-15

The last mention on our food extravaganza is Sabor In The Hunter, a dessert bar that popped up while we were away. For lunch (!) one day, Alec and I indulged in the Medley Tasting Plate, which included Opera slice, Mini Lemon Curd meringue in a sweet pastry, Strawberry mousse & mixed berry compote topped with Strawberry, Mini Gianduja layers and a caramelised nut triangle tart. Indulgence complete.

Sabor In The Hunter via akissgoodnight.co

The really great thing about the weekend was being able to spend time with Alec and just take a breath. We talked more than we’ve talked in years, and had energy to focus on each other for the first time in what felt like forever.

Spicers Hunter Valley via akissgoodnight.co
In-room breakfast at Spicers

The three days/two nights was the longest I’ve spent away from Cheese so far. We called in regularly and spoke with her and my mum – she was absolutely happy and chirpy the whole time, running my parents off their feet while charming them simultaneously. When we arrived back home I felt like I had more energy to spend on her than I usually would, the break away really refreshing me.

So it was pretty much a perfect birthday.

Hunter Valley via akissgoodnight.co Hunter Valley via akissgoodnight.co Hunter Valley Muse Restaurant via akissgoodnight.co Hunter Valley Spicers Retreats via akissgoodnight.co Hunter Valley via akissgoodnight.co Hunter Valley Birthday via akissgoodnight.co

Reasons My Toddler Is Whining

Reasons My Toddler Is Whining via akissgoodnight.co

My mum warned me that once my child started talking, that I’d regret wanting her to talk so much as from then on, the talking never stops. Of course, I didn’t listen, and was so desperate for little Cheese to start talking. Over our summer visit to Australia, her speech finally exploded. Somethings are insanely cute, like “I love you Mummy!”, “You’re my best friend”, “Tulips are Mummy’s favourite!” (they are!), “I’ll be right back!” (so not true, she’s never right back). Others, not so cute, like “Calm down Mummy!”, or “Just stop it, Mummy!”. Ugh.

Worst of all though, is the whining. I was worried that age two would bring tantrums. Thankfully, no tantrums, but OH MY GOD, THE WHINING! Some days there are none, but some days, it’s literally non-stop all day long.

Here are today’s top whines.

She wanted to try bread in Whole Foods. I got her bread. It wasn’t big enough. “Want BIGGER BREAD!”

She wanted a bandaid on a graze on her toe. Socks and shoes went over the top. She wanted to pull her shoes and socks in the playground off to see the bandaid.

Couldn’t find Anna. Found Anna. Couldn’t find Anna’s dress. Found Anna’s dress. Couldn’t find Elsa’s dress. Found it! Can’t put either dress on. “BROKEN!!!”

Scooting was too hard. “NO MORE SCOOT!”

Breakfast was her usual favourite, Cheerios and milk, and strawberries. “DON’T LIKE CEREAL!” (Dramatic hand sweeping motion.) “DON’T LIKE BUBBIES! (Crap. Now what am I going to feed her?)

Wanted to take Anna and Elsa dolls to preschool. Told her they’d get lost so they needed to stay home. “NOOOOOOOO ANNA ELSAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!” Charges around the living room holding onto Anna and Else for dear life. Dolls need to be (lovingly) removed by force. Whining turns into crying.

A lady on the street admired her Cinderella dress. “DON’T LOOK AT MEEEEEE!”

Didn’t want to push the button to call the elevator, so I pushed it instead. “BUT I WANTED TO PUSH ITTTTTTTTT!”

I gave her Cheddar Bunnies and she wanted Gold Fish. THEY’RE THE SAME THING!

She did a poo in her nappy and I tried to change it. “DON’T TOUCH ME DON’T TOUCH ME DON’T TOUCH MEEEEE!!!!”

Toddlers, yay! Now someone please pass me the wine.

New Year’s Resolutions: Three Months In

New Year's Resolutions: Three Months In

A good friend asked me to post about how I was going with my New Year’s Resolutions a few months in. I’d like to say that it’s a roaring success and life is now perfect, but that would just be lie now, wouldn’t it?

All I can say is that I’m doing the best I can do, every day. Some days go better than others. Some days are wonderful and I feel great about myself at the end. Some are a complete disaster and I wish I could have a do-over.

The main thing is I’m really trying to be a better person. And there’s been progress!

The most obvious is how my relationship with little E has improved. I’ve been making a huge effort to be present for her during our time together, and she’s turned into a huge mummy’s girl. So many hugs and kisses, saying “you’re my best friend Mummy!” and insanely cute things like this that help me want to do even better.