Found tenants for our property eeek its really happening now!  No going back.  So far have sorted out cargo we decided to go with Doree Bonner.  It was between them and another small company, we decided to go with this one as it is a large company so should anything go wrong we can chase it up and they are more likely to help resolve the problem as they have a reputation to keep.  Have been doing lots of on line shopping mainly clothes for kids for the next 2 years as OZ can be a bit pricey.  So stocking up.

So the plan is we move into Brother in laws end of July, hubby hands in his notice and then I too hand in my notice and we plan around October to fly out to Sunny OZ.  Looking forward to it but also anxious of how it will all pan out.  Well there is only one way to find out and that is to try it.

We have approx 4 months left in the UK so now spending as much time with friends and family.  Planning lots of weekend trips which is nice making lovely memories to look back on.

Other news Keya is taking a few steps and now has 8 teeth!  Both kids growing up fast. 

So we have decided to put the house on rent.  We are now looking for good tenants.  Very glad we are going down this route I have always wanted to let out a property in the UK just in case things don’t work out in OZ we could return to the UK and at least still have a property, gives us a sense of security.  The plan is to then sell the property in the UK when we are ready to buy in OZ which will be sometime yet.

http://www.gibbs-gillespie.co.uk/site/pages/property-details.php?id=1247780&type=r&stype=r

I was driving home from work and saw the ‘To Let’ board outside my house and my heart sunk, really hits you when there is a board outside the house, makes it so real.  Its hard to let go of the house because both kids were born into it and I really did fall in love with this place.  However needs to be done only way to move forward.

We have now got 3 quotes for the cargo all similar prices and will need a 20ft container, just have to decide which one to go with.

Now thinking about getting a copy of all our full GP medical records to take with us to OZ handy to have details of all our health at hand.  Still lots to do but these are the steps to take in order to achieve our goal.

We celebrated Keya first birthday yesterday and had a lovely time.  All went well and she seemed to have fun too.   A pink and purple figure 1 cake went down very well.  As always was fun dressing her up for the party simple white silk dress and white headband, she looked gorgeous but the it did not remain white by the end of the evening she had cake stains over it, just as well I didn’t spend a fortune on it.  Reese also was excited for his sister party he had fun blowing out the candle and opening her presents!  Just close family were there and they all made a big effort to ensure Keya had a lovely birthday.  The food turned out very well thanks to both the mums who made it, they make it look so easy.  This time next year will be hard celebrating her birthday without all the family members, will really miss it. 

Finally got round to booking studio photo for the kids.  When I finally booked it I then panicked as I had not put no thought into what the kids will wear!  However managed to find lovely dresses for Keya and a nice shirt for Reese, although the shirt was a nightmare to iron.  Its just as well I didn’t have time to think about what they will wear as I would have ended up buying 10 outfits for Keya and only end up using 2 of the outfits.  So the day of the photo I did take 4 outfits for Keya she wore 2 of those and 3 outfits for Reese.   Well you have to be well prepared.

As Keya is crawling was difficult to keep her in one place she kept crawling off.  Both kids did well but were agitated towards the end, all in all the photo’s came out  good and I am happy with them.  Picked our favourite 10 which is hard to do but managed it. 

In other news Keya 3rd tooth has cut through, and is celebrating her first birthday on 19th May, time has gone so fast.

So where are we with the whole OZ move?  Well we are getting quotes for Cargo.  Had PPS come over the other day and turns out we would need a whole crate to cargo all our items.  Their service includes packing all our items in boxes provided by them.  All this is done in one day.  Well this really takes out the stress of packing.  So I am now waiting for 2 more quotes then will decide who to go with.  PSS quoted £4,000, that would cover all our flight ticket to OZ.

In other news we are trying to decide whether we should sell our property or put it up for rent.  Had the estate agent over today discussed their fully managed service, this would suit us as we will be abroad.  We now have to do some number crunching and see if it is worthwhile the hassle of putting the property on rent.  Tomorrow agents are taking pictures of the house ready for either sale or rent.

Yayy today is a day to remember Keya had her first taste for chapattis with potato curry and enjoyed it!  Welcome to the family meals Keya.  What joy it is to cook for the family. 

Oh my god we are going to OZ arrhhhhhggg scary!  Still hasn’t hit me and probably wont sink in even after living there for a few months!  I now have lots to do and organise.  My head is spinning.  Need to make a list to include things like what to take to OZ and what not to take.  Contact cargo get a quote.  Close bank accounts notify sky, mobile, cancel direct debits these are just a few items off the big list of things to do.  This will be a mammoth task, planning and organising will hopefully help it to be smooth move.

There is very helpful information from the following link. 

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/australia-expat-forum-expats-living-australia/3384-list-things-you-need-do-before-you-emigrate-parts-1-2-a.html

Getting married was stressful, moving houses is stressful but moving to different country, well that’s adds a whole new meaning to the word stressful!  There is a lot to learn there, for example how does their tax system work? The medicals, schools just familiarising yourself to the different system they may use.  Whereas here in the UK we know what to expect and how everything work.  It sure will be a bit of a learning curve.  Honestly sometimes I feel as though we are going to another planet.  There are some people who could quite happily travel from one place to another without battering an eyelid, I’m just not one of them.  Well you know what they say ‘never say never’ we can always return to the UK should it not workout in OZ.

So I have been on maternity leave now for around 11 months and really enjoying it.  The great thing about being at home is spending so much quality time with the kids.  Also you can plan your day and make changes to your plans last minute – this I like.  You get to meet up with other mums for coffee which is nice.  However its not easy there is always the boring stuff to do such as load/unload the dishwasher, cleaning, tidying up – several times a day etc.. and making sure dinner is on the table by the time hubby arrives home from work.  I mean, that’s the least I can do after all his just had a hard day at work in the office (she says sarcastically).  The down side is you don’t feel like you have used your brains and and days would go by when you have not had much interaction with other adults.

Working mum also has its pros and cons, I really do enjoy my work but like with anything it can sometimes become mundane and routine.  With work you have to get up certain time, leave at a certain time and be at work at a certain time – its all about time!  Should you wake up late then it has a knock on effect on everything else.  You feel like your always rushing around.  You have to smile when you get into work even when you don’t feel like it be it a rough morning or rubbish dull weather.  However the plus side is your using your brains and are being challenged, meeting new people every day (in my job anyway).  I do miss being out and about.  Being at home I am out of touch with current affairs as I used to listen to the radio every morning on my way to work.   Yes I still can listen to the radio at home but not with kids screaming, singing and talking very loudly.  Reese has a tendency to talk very loud as though I’m in a different room even when I’m right in front of him.  I put it down to enthusiasm.    So Pros and Cons with both, I would need a balance, probably to work part time so I get the best of both worlds – maybe.

Baby Keya (10 months old) is a real delight love her to bits she really makes me broody would love to have another baby just like her or Reese. She is crawling and has 2 teeth at the bottom.  She is very calm and plays happily on her own, but I think this may change when she hits the terrible 2’s! Of course she is not perfect she is a fussy eater little madam, but I love her imperfections too. I know stop it, all mums feel like this about there children. She loves hanging out with her big brother, always follows him around the room, mummy and daddy are only good for feeding her when his around. If Reese is sitting on the sofa she pulls herself up and stands and hovers around him for ages. Bless her. She is growing up so fast I want to treasure every moment of her and Reese. They will soon be teenagers and their friends will be more important than hanging out with their parents.

Reesy is my handsome boy and we have very interesting conversations with him. The way children think it’s so cute. For instance he said to me ‘mummy why does it rain? Is it because all the cars are dirty and the rain cleans the cars’ so cute.

The other day Reese came home from nursery and said ‘mummy I have a surprise for you’ with a cheeky grin and hands behind his back he then pulled out a mother’s day card with a paper rose – awwww I just melted how cute, moments like that are to really treasure

Having returned to the UK for over a month now decision has been made to go however this does sway from both myself and hubby. Really just want to make the right decision. Main issue for me is family and friends. Hubby says that we have to grasp everything new there whereas here we know how everything works in the UK from medical to tax’s etc.

Very difficult to make the decision and my mum is not happy about me going she would rather we stayed here. Feel really really bad for leaving her here and I hope she does go to India and settle there as her lifestyle would be better there but she does not feel ready to go there just yet. So I am torn between her and my hubby plus kids. Just wish I could look into the future and see if we made the right choice.

Anyway its likely that we are going so in the mean time we are ‘tarting up’ the house so when we do put it on the market it looks impeccable although the property will sell due to its size and space. Very sad to let it go.

I asked Reese who is now 4 years old whether he wants to go OZ and live there no return he said yes, I know his only little but I still think it’s important to take his view on things not that it would impact the final decision.

So if we do go lots to do and organise, it turns out that we will probably be moving houses approximately 3 times before we settle into out permanent home this really puts me off. What an upheaval for the kids and so unsettling but as hubby says need to be done for the good of the long run, he always likes to look at the bigger picture.

Other news I have been a making a new dish for a few weeks in preparation of the move, as you cannot get Indian food readily like you can here. So people tend to make food at home. I will miss the choice of food we have here in the UK. Made a Manchurian dish a few weeks ago and it turned out well. Made another dish today turned out good. Happy days!