Mummyfried

As the sun begins to dip toward the horizon on my two-year journey with the School Parents and Guardians Committee, I find myself navigating a sea of nostalgia and frustration. It's been quite the adventure, filled with highs and lows that have left their mark on my heart. I stepped into the role of secretary (despite my lack of Greek) with lofty ambitions of revolutionizing our local school community with global best practices. Little did I know the whirlwind of emotions and experiences that awaited me. Perhaps it’s the exhaustion, the perimenopausal rollercoaster, or the stress from work, but this school, nestled in the sunny coastal suburbs of Athens with just 200 students, has become more than just a place of education for my kids—it’s my second home - a place to rest. Balancing the desires of my children has been like walking a tightrope with fire underneath. One demands my participation at every turn, while the other wishes for invisibility at the school gates. It's a del...

For those who do not know me, I am not particularly comfortable around animals. I selectively pet dogs and avoid cats like the plague. I think household pets are seriously smarter than what we give them credit for. Find a good docile attentive owner - and the ideal lifestyle is created. This gives any human like me, watching from afar hope to be reincarnated into a household pet. Birds are as close to my heart as my love of hard labor on a summer’s day. Fish are to be eaten, or left to navigate the planet's plastic polluted waters. They definitely should not crammed into a small round fishbowl or not flushed down the toilet when they die. We live in a dog-friendly and dog-loving leafy area, decorated with an enormous sprinkle of dogshit. This means I walk around the area with a not-so-happy or light spring in my step.  My discomfort goes further. I simply can’t deal with houses that smell like animal. Despite the above, I often find myself in the distasteful position of having cats...

Last night Mr Lucky and I had programming fall out.  The girls quietly moved into the toy room adjacent to the lounge-room and played quietly. A live political debate was on last night, inconveniently at the same time that 'I am Cait' was on TV. I won't go into detail as to who wanted to watch what. It goes without saying that I wanted to watch the more important, intellectually challenging, 'I must watch this to be better informed, it affects everyone globally' program. We began our own intellectual debate, introducing valid arguments such as... 'I am ironing in front of the TV now, please help me get through unprecedented and painful experience by allowing my brain to be simultaneously stimulated' to 'but I haven't had a moments peace today... the girls are happily entertaining themselves and do not need constant supervision - let me have just a little down time' Strong, valid, emotive arguments.  We are both Sagittarians, you know ...

Last week Mr Lucky and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. We didn't do anything remarkable to mark the occasion.  We went out to our favorite restaurant for dinner with the kids. It was nice but nothing to rave about. We generally break tradition - rarely giving each other gifts appropriate for the number of years we are married. Thankfully. Buying lace for Mr Lucky would have been interesting. As a side note, I only know we should have exchanged a lace gift - as I researched it for this particular blog. Otherwise I would have remained in the dark. Thirteen years have flown. In those years we have moved three countries, produced two beautiful children, have each fought illnesses we probably both wondered quietly if we would ever get healthy again, So here we are. Certainly not at the end of our separate and combined adventures in life. I can't remember what we did or how we celebrated each and every anniversary. Last year we had both kids so sick - we ...

I confess quite easily to having a few phobias.  They're nothing to be proud of, they're things that need to be worked through. I am a germaphobiac.. If I was a more confident person, I would happily wear surgical gloves and masks on public transport, I would have all public toilets cleaned before my use. Anti bacterial hand gel and wipes are in my close circle of friends. I suffer from TOTPAS (you will need to read a previous blog entitled TOTPAS and Balloons   to learn more about this serious ailment). I would prefer to be under anesthetic when visiting the dentist (so much so that I obsessively clean my teeth to avoid ever needing to visit. I hate taking my cherubs to the doctor to be immunised. I find it incredibly stressful so much so that Mr Lucy normally does the honors and I sit in reception my arms open wide waiting to console and cuddle. It was The Baby and Little Miss' immunisation day yesterday.  I was so worked up about this double whammy that Litt...

Mr Lucky and I met and fell in love in Greece nearly nineteen years ago.  We hold a village in Thrace responsible. It is a small friendly village largely untouched by the outside world.  A few nature lovers looking for an eco friendly holiday come here to relax, fall in love with the countryside or take ride bikes, go horse riding or trek. Called Tychero, a direct translation means lucky but mix it up a little as a turn of phrase it also means fate. We returned to Tychero with our two mini me’s (my girls) to find Tychero largely unchanged. Sure, the  financial crisis has hit it hard, empty shops and a few residents appearing a little frazzled. But this current look is reminiscent of any Greek village, town or city. The village and it’s inhabitants continue to retain it’s beauty, warmth, and charm. We decided last minute to drive to Tychero.  We booked the hotel the night before. We hadn't had contact with anyone in the village for close to twenty years. ...

A friend and I recently exchanged war stories about our families.  We slowly, tentatively revealed our scars.  I think she showed me all of hers. I couldn’t. Mine are far too deep, too many to show all at once. I glossed over some recent incidences, the last ones that prompted me to yell ‘Enough’ for that final time. She didn’t say much. She is a great believer that people come into and out of our lives for a reason.  So too do all experiences, good and bad. Sometimes I think she is an earth angel. Here to bring support, guidance and honesty.  Other times I think she is just a good new friend. Either way, I am happy she is in my life.  ‘You were simply born into the wrong family’ she said. What a revelation. Honestly. I had never thought about it that way. I agreed and realised that is the simplest, nicest and most honest way to describe my relationship with my family. I don’t share their life values. I don’t agree with their rules, judgments and lif...

‘Even after so many years, you’re all loved up’ a friend once yelled at me. Her accusation resonated for some time. Should I feel guilty? Happy? What prompted her to say such a thing with such contempt?  When I asked, she said she could just tell that we got along well and she wanted the same thing.  I didn’t know how to answer that. Mr Lucky and I are loved up. We are very different in many ways, and at the same time quite similar. We still are individuals in our own right.  And yes, of course it’s not always a  given, we work at it. Well, Mr Lucky is truly a patient man.  He often waits for me to remove my foot from my mouth, only to shake his head in disbelief as I replace it with the other.   He is not perfect either. He shakes his head when I swap feet. That is wrong. Because we arrived in Greece as an already made family as opposed to a growing one (which is what we were in the UK), not many ask how long we’ve been together, or where we met etc....

As February rolls in, I can’t help but think this year is starting to gain momentum. I am determined to keep hold of most of my New Year Resolutions (I am losing the ‘get fit’ & ‘eat healthy’ resolutions. They were boring anyhow).  I am still on track with celebrating even the little things. To keep this going, I need to do key dates differently. Put on the party hats people, this is the month of love. Valentine’s Day and Little Miss’ birthday are both in February. Don’t panic, this is not a love story blog about me and Mr. Lucky. It’s too soon for another blog about how brilliant Little Miss is.  I haven’t written about The Baby, yet. Don’t stop reading, today is not that day either. It is a blog about love though. The blog is dedicated to a group of women that I love. Friends old and new. Individuals that have allowed me to throw my head back, open my mouth and show off my one filling as I laugh and laugh and feel alive. They are responsible for the additi...