August 2016 – Mumma Kate Goes Gardening

I found my place and it’s called ‘Our Place’

Posted on August 31, 2016August 31, 2016 by mummakate

9am – 5pm at 16 Ivanhoe Parade, Ivanhoe

Sometimes you stumble upon a little gem, maybe a rough diamond even but it just works. Our Place takes the stress out of having that caffeine hit.

We are very fortunate in the area to have plenty of cafe’s to choose from and they are all very accommodating to children but that doesn’t take any of the anxiety out of grabbing a coffee or a bite to eat when your child just wants to run around and be, a child.

Our Place has a community feel and half of the cafe is dedicated to a play area for the kids to do whatever they please. They even have an unlocked old school gaming machine which might unleash the kid in you.

All profits made from the cafe are supporting the Kids off the Kerb not for profit organisation benefiting disadvantaged and at risk teenagers. The project assists youths with training and employment opportunities giving them a pathway into paid work.

So grab a drink, relax, let the kids play away and feel good that you are helping out a worthy cause. You can’t go wrong there. As a bonus if you are in need of more energy being burned there is a playground just around the corner.

Parenthood

I see you, I see me.

Posted on August 27, 2016August 29, 2016 by mummakate

Raging energy pulses through this child’s veins. She courses through the house searching for the next thrill. Climbing is now her thing. Jumping to her first broken bone I fear is inevitable.

She screams, the frustration of not yet knowing how to articulate her feelings. How do I parent that? It’s not her fault she has passion but we are learning to breathe. To take time and understand one another. I want to keep that patience to understand her. Know why she gets angry if she doesn’t get her own way. Give her that voice that she’s not yet learnt and guide her to better choices.

One thing I want her to always keep is the passion in her expression. I fear the day when she shrugs her shoulders, throws her back pack on and walks out the door. Owning it all and leaving me in a heap. Teenage years will descend too quickly and I will be living my own Mum’s biggest threat. ‘ I hope you have a daughter of your own so that you can experience this’. She showed no malice but frustration. I had shutdown and hated authority. She was my enemy and I had worn her down over the teen years.

I’m not even sure the years of preparation as an awful teen will suffice given that twenty odd years later times have changed. A new world to lose her to and no advice from me.

I will bide my time until these years hit but ‘threenager’ is being thrust upon me rapidly. I will continue to take that breath and be kind to myself. We can only do our best in that moment of fire!

MummaKate xx

Parenthood

Avoiding the unavoidable- Choosing a guardian

Posted on August 7, 2016August 25, 2016 by mummakate

YOU will never find someone to parent your child as well as you

YOU will never find comfort in the fact that you have chosen a guardian as it means leaving your child.

YOU will never find it easy, EVER

With this in mind we have decided it’s time to get a move on things

But it’s so HARD

You have to picture your children without parents. Without you.

Death, the one thing that you strive so hard to avoid but need a contingency plan just in case.

The bottom line, as I have found is that if we don’t have a plan the decision is left up to the state. Someone that doesn’t know me, my child or our family.

Some may have an easy solution while others have complex family situations to consider.

To make our decision easier we have drawn up some areas that are important to us. This is our phase one of deciphering an incredibly hard topic, one that we have avoided for over three years.

1. Who is close to your child? Who do we trust?

2. Are they in close proximity to you or would it matter if they moved?

3. Do they want or have children?

4. Are their parenting styles and values in line with your own or similar?

5. Who is capable of taking on a child? Taking in to consideration finances, physicality and emotion.

This is a good start to narrow down a few guardians and to move away from the idea of impossibility.

In talking to a few Mums with similar aged kids there was a general consensus that the decision will never be made easy. It will also never feel right but you will at least know your wishes are formalised and known to those that you love.