We're back!

Editing to add my stitching hours the last few days -

Sunday 9th Jan - 4hrs - Carol Snowman
Monday 10th Jan - 3hrs - Carol Snowman
Tuesday 11th Jan - none (gasp!)
Today (12th Jan) - 2hrs Carol Snowman and 2hrs Lighthouse Kit

I still haven't quite decided whether I want this to be a stitching only blog ... or whether anybody would be interested in my hum-drum life of being a Mum with five kids. I'll give a quick run down, in case anyone is in the least bit interested :)

I'm 36yo (as of Sunday just gone) - I was basically born and raised in the area I now live (Kapiti Coast of New Zealand), no.4 of eight children (5 sisters, 2 brothers) - I had a pretty easy going, normal childhood. Most of my siblings still live locally, including one of my older sisters who lives about 10min walk away - with her five children ... very conveniently her two younger boys are about the same age as my three older boys - so they have a lot of fun together :)

We have five children - David is 13.5, going off to High School in a few weeks - he has hit pretty typical teenage behaviour traits - but on the whole is a good, easygoing, intelligent "nice" kid. Josh is 10.5, he is the intellectual type - quiet, loves to read ... reminds me a lot of myself at that age. Cameron is 9yo - very sporty, and a very able sportsman, also does really well at school - in fact is one of the lucky people that seems to be able to try his hand at anything and do it well. Rhiannon is 6yo - first girl and as girlie as you could get, with a bit of toughness that having three big brothers gives you to go with it though. Charlotte is our 3yo whirlwind, she is an incredibly able child - very physical (walked at 9mths and hasn't stopped since), but with "very able" comes very demanding - she's been a real eye-opener for me ;)

Back to now ... we're just come back from a few days away in the Hawkes Bay - the sunny part of NZ, where it rained the whole day first day we were there, we still managed to keep busy all day though - Aquarium, Marineland and some indoor pools saw to that. Yesterday we spent the day at Splash Planet, a water park - which was fun also ... although I have to admit to looking forward to the time where ALL the kids are big enough to look after themselves and I can just sit and read while keeping an eye on them, rather than pool hopping with Miss 3yo and 6yo.

I did manage to stitch in the evenings - I've nearly finished an ornament. I'll finish that tonight and then finish off the 3hrs left of the five hours of the Lighthouse Kit ... and then FINALLY I'll start the first part of Christmas Mystery II.