How would you be on a lifestyle reality show?

Have you ever watched lifestyle reality shows and thought ‘I can’t believe they are getting so upset when they have a camera on them’? Well I have but now due to recent experience I am wondering if I would be the same.

This morning with the mad rush of getting ready for work (which my little boy was trying to stop me from doing by clinging to me), getting the kids ready for school and Kinda and then having the builders and washing machine repair man all rock up at the same time asking questions, I was getting a little frazzled to say the least.

So what did I do but start to raise my voice at Hubby as he headed out the door to deal with the builders ‘I need to get to work, I am already late and if I don’t leave soon don’t know how I can leave work early to pick up the kids this afternoon.’

Well the level of my voice stopped Hubby in his tracks as he tried to get me to quieten down with an embarrassed ‘ the builders can hear you, tone it down.’

Of course this made it worse and I yelled ‘I don’t care!’ and then proceeded to burst into tears.

This resulted in a quick response from my daughter saying ‘Daddy, Mummy is upset’ and she came over to give me a cuddle while my little boy started kissing my face. So sweet and just what I needed. They very quickly had calmed me down and made me smile.

Would all these reactions of changed with a camera in my face, now not so sure. Renovating or building a house is very emotional.

PS I forgot to say a big thank you to Jane at Life on Baby Planet for helping me spruce up my header.

Inspiration - a step back

As those of you who have redecorated and or renovated your home would know, when you are starting out, or come to think of it in the middle of it and at the end you can get a little obsessed with detail, I am no exception to this.

It is all about the tiles at the moment and other bathroom fittings. Luckily in my case hubby and I have similar tastes but that doesn't keep us free of heated discussions as we have very different ways of going about things.

So after a tense Sunday morning last weekend with a bathroom discussion that was going nowhere we decided we needed to take a step back and get out of the house with the kids, heading into Melbourne on the train. We had a great time especially considering it was a cold Wintry day and was impressed with the new Federation Wharf, loved the old stone work backdrop to the cafe /bar there. A wander up Collins Street with it's French feel, also got me thinking and reminded me of what my inspirations are for how I want our home to be and feel.

Following this over the past week and lots of discussions over coffee with friends, I have been thinking more about the overall picture and what we want to achieve with the renovation / extension. For us it is all about lifestyle, we love Europe especially all things French, Italian's love for life, family, food and wine oh and the wonderful architecture and gardens in both places.

With this in mind I was reminded for me it is all about creating a place that is warm and welcoming, a wonderful home to hang out with friends and family in.