What better way to celebrate your 92nd birthday

Than with butterfly cupcakes

Happy Birthday to one of my favourite people on the planet

Love you Nanna x

The last few days of school holidays saw us squeezing in all the stuff I’m promised the girls we’d do

That I didn’t really want to do

And had been putting off

Leaving me 4 days to do it all

Fucking idiot

We started with rock-climbing Thursday and then moved onto a play date at MacDonalds

I know, all the parents right now just involuntarily shuddered

MacDonald’s playground? During the school holidays? On a fucking FRIDAY?!?

Fucking idiot

If you ever want to see the worst of human nature – from hygiene to parenting

That place is where you’ll find it, in one closed in, germ loaded, trans fat filled building

Then we moved on to iceskating on Saturday

No children were harmed in the fun making process, but there’s a Mummy with sore legs and ears. Yep, I said EARS. The fuck?

Sunday was rollerskating

At a rink that doesn’t give a fuck that it’s 2012. It was built in the sixties and convinced that it’s 70′s decor is the shit and ahead of the curve

Dudes, I actually busted out laughing when we walked in

And of course, fell in love with the place

Except for some arsehole there who, I shit you not, threw a roller-skate at his (maybe 6 year old) daughter, because she said her feet hurt and she didn’t want to skate anymore

I looked straight at him, put my phone to my ear and mouthed the words *DCFS, MOTHERFUCKER

I didn’t see him after that. he was probably outside, cutting the brake lines on my car

The highlight of the afternoon was seeing just how easy it was to embarrass our kids

Diamond and I had a couple’s skate to Skater Boy  (think, ‘You’re the One That I Want’ done to Avril Lavigne. Oh yes we did)

Magoo went a special shade of purple, and Macaroni hid in the toilet ’til the song was over

Today, they couldn’t get out of the house fast enough to go back to school

And now I have no one to play with

I see you in the kitchen putting your hand up, Diamond.

* DCFS = Department of Children and Family Services

Here’s a random montage of some  pics from 2011 – I let the computer pick which ones to use

And yes, there are a lot missing – just like the hard drive they’re on. Fuck

Apologies in advance to friends, old and new, if you don’t see your pic here. Blame the drunk chick operating the computer technology gizmo thingies

They’re all in skewiff order, and looking at them makes me smile

And makes me want to take a nap

The Chicago Blizzard of 2011, Queensland Tour, Victoria Tour, Chicago show, Mum & Dad’s visit, New York, Japan, New Zealand, Melbourne, Granites, solo WA & Northern Territory shows, Las Vegas, Sugarland concert, Sydney tour, Bahamas, Perth with the kids, Christmas…

Some a blurry, some are not. But all of them remind me of what an amazing year it’s been.

JENNY TALIA 2011 in pictures from jenny talia on Vimeo.

I knew I was in for a special Christmas when I was given my Nanna’s beautiful red wine glasses

The perfect addition to our table Christmas Day