R’s Saturday off

We were shocked when we realised the piggy banks that we bought the kids were so small! Luckily they still loved them and have been talking about saving up.

Thankful that I still get to walk the girls to school every now and then. We enjoy our walks a lot! This is them and a pink bottlebrush tree, the more common ones are red!

Close up taken by Saitaoha.

It was Teacher’s Day so we bought some flowers for the kids’ teachers. I think Saitaomei’s teacher Mrs H is amazing and so hardworking, she was also Saitaoha’s teacher.

I was glad that I could still walk the girls to school, I’m hoping that even when work gears up I will still have good work life balance which allows me to be more involved in their school life and also give my parents a break! R works every Saturday but has one Saturday off every three weeks, we always look forward to that Saturday because it means ample family time.

Every now and then R and I like to have a home cooked steak and red wine meal. It was a relaxing Friday night just chatting and laughing about work and the kids.

Spending the Saturday with my sister’s family. It’s almost 🎃 Halloween, not that we celebrate it but the decorations are fun.

I love going to Broadway Fair and Nedlands in general because it reminds me of my uni days. There were hard days during uni but I think of my uni friends and housemates fondly. This place just brings a smile to my face !

Jo and my fav chicken chop and fried rice with sambal egg. Why does it still taste good after a decade ?! I don’t miss my uni days or even my uni friends, but I have an affection for them and my university memories have a special place in my heart.

We had Koko Black for afternoon tea, my hot chocolate with orange was lovely.

Sigh Sunday tomorrow already, but the work week promises to be good so I’m feeling ok about it. That itself is also refreshing.

New people

Who could predict I would one day own steel capped work boots ? One month in, I wonder how long I will last in this sector ? Will it chew me up and spit me out? Or will I grow to embrace and love this sector, as much as I did my previous sector ?

I can’t pretend that I don’t miss my old sector and what it stands for. Some people just think of their job as work, something that they go through 9-5 and clock off at the end of the day. I realise now that I was lucky in that I did love my sector and was proud to be there.

The new role, team and sector is fascinating. I don’t love it but I’m intrigued and I really do love learning something new. I didn’t even know I had that side to me. This need to not be bored and to be constantly challenged. I thought I wanted a mundane 9-5 job, maybe not haha. But I’ve realised that if I find myself losing myself and my family to work like I did in the past, I will probably start looking for another job.

I love being able to be with her during the weekends, just solely being with her, work phone left at home. I love being able to chat with Ah ma, cook with her, no worries about work or thinking about how to solve the next crisis.

They’ve lucky children because Gung gung’s garden is their magical playground. Today they planted flowers and strawberry plants in their new garden box, let’s see whether they bear fruit.

Grateful for our club, being able to widen our social circle and get to know new people and make friends, not through the internet, but actually in person, at our age.

Happy that there’s still Sunday with the family and my darling girls. The one thing that beats Saturday nights are Friday nights !

Reflection

My bus rides to and fro work are usually a time of reflection, I have many memories of wiping away tears on the bus during the very stressful work period, it wasn’t the stress as much as the feelings of despair and helplessness.

Days of working till late hours and waiting at the bus stop in the darkness. I hope I never go back to those days again, even though it’s busy in my new job, I am making a conscious effort to switch off after work and not checking my phone or switching on the laptop.

The commute to work is shorter because of the closer proximity of the new workplace. So I don’t have much time to reflect or mull about the day ahead. The moment I step out of the bus I want to quickly get in the office and start work straight away. That’s a good sign right ?

Frozen

Frozen musical

The kids had a lovely night at the Frozen musical but konked out in the car on the way home.

Meanwhile it’s 10.45pm and I should be joining them in bed but I’m preparing R’s work lunch bentos and also our picnic lunch tomorrow. Many times I look at our messy house and my many undone house chores and I really think I’m such a terrible mum and wife. But at times like this I think I’m not that bad after all. I should stop beating myself up all the time.

3 weeks

I didn’t take any time off this school holidays due to starting the new job. Luckily I think the kids still managed to have fun. They always have a blast with their cousins, but the grandparents must be very tired.

Luckily my sister and mum brought the girls to the zoo during a weekday. I think their favourite part of the day was probably snacks from the vending machine!

Three weeks in, I am still enjoying the job even though slightly overwhelmed at the new things I need to learn. There’s also this feeling of wanting to prove myself, but I bring this on myself. It’s a bittersweet feeling, I love learning about new things but I also don’t like feeling like I don’t know anything. I think I will feel more settled maybe six months in. I miss my old sector and the familiarity of it, for now, I think once I’ve learned enough, I might return one day.

Weekends are still the best! We have a jam packed activity filled weekend ahead, I’m going to make the most of it 🙂