SMALLER THAN A RIVER

Observations

2012-03-16T19:25:00.001+10:00

The little guy's teeth.

When you don't blog for a while it's hard to know where to start.
I've been doing a whole lot of "how I want to live my life" thinking. My secret One Little Word for the year is "me". It came from the fact that I put others (mostly my kids) before myself. It's amazing how much more my word has become in terms of self development and soul searching. I feel I need to record my thoughts and this process.
Today I found out that a friend has been presented with a wonderful opportunity. It's a risk, it's a change, but it's super exciting. I feel that if presented with that same opportunity Kevin and I would likely turn it down. We are planners, thinkers and budgeters (not sure that's a word). I like who we are and that has us in a good place. But sometimes I wonder if we are holding ourselves back.
The kids are going great. We are doing the overnight underwear thing with Brian again. Lots of conversations with Kevin and one night he woke up completely dry. He told me the next night he would wear underwear, so I made him stick to it. No backing out. He did and he woke up dry. Tonight is night five and so far we have had only one accident somewhere between 3:30am and 6:25am. Pretty proud of that. He gets high fives every morning.
Simon is still loving being on his tummy. Rolling around and moving about. He has mastered dragging his mat towards him to get toys. Lately I've been putting him on the floor in his room where he can't do that. He's getting his legs and bum up so I have hope he will crawl! Ali wrote the other week about the comparison game - it's so true and I'm trying not to compare. We all get there in our own time and once you are there the worry of getting there is all forgotten. I'm pretty sure it's a girl thing. Men don't play that game.
Trying to decide whether to go the store bought or handmade route for Easter gifts for my family. I like the idea of a basket of handmade biscuits and other bits. I can't bring myself to buy much of the store made Easter products - so ridiculously expensive.
Heading to the shops again this weekend. On the list - a new rubber bathmat and clothes for Brian. I struggle to find nice ones for him. I find that boys always seem to be forgotten when it comes to clothes. They sell out fast. Graphic tees for boys often have horrible designs. I'm working on a if I like it buy it philosophy now. I already have 2 pairs of pjs for him for next summer (December, size 5s). We have missed the boat seasonally for him for the last little while so this winter I wanted to be ahead. When the winter clothes hit the stores, so did I. Brian is thin, so he needs the length in pants but a smaller waist. I find that stretchy bands are the way to go, but have only found one size 3 that will actually fit him. Everything ends up falling down to his ankles! Obviously due to kindy and being relatively new to using the toilet by himself he needs pants that pull up and down easily. It's a tough balance. Crossing my fingers we find something else this weekend.

Link Up | Tips For All Occasions

2012-02-28T10:42:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the fifth and final Birthday Celebration post. Unfortunately this one hasn't turned out quite the way I planned it, so I'm improvising! If you recall, the gift of this celebration was knowledge, shared via a range of tips from people that inspire me. And today is no different. I'm linking up to posts that share a whole range of other awesome tips. All are fairly recent finds for me so I'm looking forward to implementing them in my daily life. Some have been sent to me, others I've found and one provided me with an "Aha Moment" (it's even in the dictionary!) that has changed my thinking permanently.

As today is our last day of tips, please feel free to add any of your own tips in the comments below. I often find it's the most simple tips that we learn most from.

1. Tips For Using GIMP
There is no doubt that I'm a novice when it comes to editing photos. I'd like to be better but that's a time investment I don't have right now. Photoshop isn't a reality for us due to cost, so I use the GIMP. I find it really difficult to get help for this program, probably because it's free. Kevin sent me this link and I'm so very grateful.

2. 25 Household Tips
Something else Kevin sent me in an email - I'm still not quite sure what he was trying to tell me?! While having our fitted sheets in a folded mess bothers me I wont be ironing and folding them this perfectly anytime soon! But some of the other tips are pretty awesome.

3. Tips For Using Point & Shoot Cameras
We have two cameras, a DSLR and my point & shoot. It's kind of funny (or sad) that we spent a packet on the big camera (DSLR) but rarely use it anymore, it's just too big to fit in my handbag! Kevin bought me the point & shoot just before Brian was born. It still remains the best gift ever. The gift of giving someone the ability to capture the special moments of our family is surely priceless.

There is a clear quality difference between the images that come out of the DSLR and the point & shoot. I'm quickly learning there are many ways to get better shots out of smaller cameras. These tips are so valuable to me.

4. Who Links To Your Blog?
A little while ago I found one of my photos on another blog. It was credited but I was never asked if I was ok with it. And I'm not sure how I feel about it. Truth be told, if I was asked I probably would have said yes. It did get me wondering though. How many more of my photos are out there that I don't know about? How do I know who links back to my blog?, etc., etc. Right now I do use the Blogger stats to see who comes to my blog, but it's not very in depth and half the time I don't even know how to read it! 71 visits in one day, but I don't know where they came from.

I've shared before why I started my blog and that its evolved into a way to keep memories for my family. I'm finding more so lately that it's a bit more about avoiding spam and image use rather than documenting. Does anyone else feel like an old granny in a high tech world?

5. Tips For Kids Lunchboxes and my "Aha Moment"
I LOVED this post from Christie at Childhood 101. It came as I was preparing Brian for the start of kindy and we were testing out his lunchbox and snacks. The note from Brian's kindy said that morning tea had to be provided in a paper bag. What can I pack in a paper bag that wont leak through? So I was training him up on eating whole pieces of fruit without any assistance. He loved it, lots of conversations about seeds and pips.

The one thing I never considered is how long it takes to eat something like this. Brian is a slow eater at the best of times and the last thing I wanted was for him to sit and eat his lunch all day while others played. The best thing about this tip was that it wasn't the main focus of the post, it was a P.P.S at the end and it has changed everything for me! Thanks Christie!!

Guest Post | My Nan's Tips For The Homemaker

2012-02-21T09:38:00.001+10:00

Today's post is coming from my Nan, Mum's Mum. Nan lives in Melbourne, we live in Brisbane, so we don't get to see each other very often. One thing I love to do when visiting my Nan is just watch her. I love her nature, I love that she is so kind and caring, I love that she is thoughtful to others and nature, I love who she is. These tips are some that have stuck in my mind. They are things that my Nan has done or told me. Things I feel I need to adopt in my own life, and things I need to remember:

1. Always tie empty plastic bags in a knot.
Nan does this to eliminate the bag as a suffocation risk to children, even though there are no children in her home. She is well aware that rubbish can end up anywhere - is this not the most thoughtful thing? Protecting others just in case.

2. Reuse the water from your steamed and/or boiled vegetables.
Genius! I'm not sure why I had never thought of this before. They always say when boiling things that the nutrients end up in the water you throw out. Nan uses this water mostly in sauces like gravy. When making up a batch of baby food, use this water to thin out your puree instead of plain pre-boiled water.

3. A bread bag is a free rubbish bag.
My Nan's kitchen has always fascinated me. Mostly it's those high cupboards that go to the ceiling filled with all kinds of goodies! But on her kitchen counter are two little containers. One is for compost, the other is an open ended bread container that she lines with an empty bread bag and fills with little scraps throughout the day. This way you can empty your larger rubbish bin less often and more regularly empty this bin that gets messier quicker.

4. Next time you turn on the hot tap think about what water goes down the sink before you get your desired temperature.
Try washing out an old milk container and fill it up with the cold water that you would normally waste. You can use this to fill up the kettle, saving every drop.

5. If it's more than $1 off, buy 2.
This has long been my Nan's most famous quote. If you say this line in the company of any member of my family they can not only finish it for you but tell you who said it.

When I read this list out to Nan over the phone she laughed at this one. Nan said that these days they tend to make you buy more just to get the saving in the first place. Then she told me how just the other day she had to buy 10 cans of cat food to get the saving of 69c off per can. Nan doesn't own a cat, but she does feed and love the neighbour's cat as if it was her own. That is just my Nan to a tee!

Guest Post | 5 Things Ali Edwards Has Taught Me About Journaling

2012-02-14T09:28:00.000+10:00

During December I visit Ali Edwards blog every . single . day. Her December Daily album and posts inspire me so incredibly. Usually in January I return to just visiting Ali's blog a couple of times a week like a regular person, but not this year. I've continued to be so inspired and uplifted. The thing that has gobsmacked me so much is Ali's ability to journal. It's full of heart, truth, emotion, happiness and love. A real window to the soul.

For today's post I wanted to ask Ali 5 questions about journaling. But when I sat down to write them out I couldn't put them into words. I just wanted her to talk to me. Then I remembered that I'd read a lot of what I wanted to hear before on this post about storytelling. So today isn't quite a guest post as it is taking words (below in red) and a picture from Ali's blog, with permission:

via Ali Edwards

1. Developing a journaling voice takes time and practice.
Write and then write some more and stop worrying about what it sounds like or what someone will think when they read it. I think one of the best ways to get more comfortable with writing is to practice. It means working through the uncomfortable parts and continuing to get stories told even when you might not be completely confident in your ability. The more you write the more comfortable you will become with your own voice.

I try to let it flow from both my head and my heart and include a combination of facts and feelings. I’m also pretty connected to my subjects – I’m telling stories that matter to me and to my family.

2. Journaling doesn't need to be complicated.
Simplify the process for yourself by focusing on a single word or phase that you use to begin each sentence of your journaling. A couple of my personal favorites include “today you…” and “I want to remember…” Choosing a simple word or phase gets me in a rhythm and helps me get the memories and words out.

Use numbered or bulleted lists. This is a technique I use often to help me get the story out and on the page. No one says that the stories of your life or the lives of your family members need to be in complete paragraphs.

3. Perspective changes everything.
Before I started typing this post I thought journaling was telling the story behind the photo. The time, place and why this moment was captured. While for the most part, this is the way I like to journal, what I didn't realise is that time changes our perspective, opening up many more stories and viewpoints that we may choose to share. As the memory keeper for my family I'm learning that it's the stories that we want to remember and not just time and place.

As I was struggling to put this point into words Ali's 52 Creative Lifts (her new newsletter), in particular Week 3 | What's The Story arrived in my inbox. It was just what I needed:

Sometimes it's easy to get stuck being too literal with memory keeping. This photo matches this story or thinking that there's only one story to tell (whatever was happening in the moment). In reality each photo can be a really wonderful jumping off point to tell a variety of different stories.

Sometimes not having all the details can be a good thing:

When I look at photos from five years ago I also might not remember “in the moment” details. What I will have though, is perspective. I’ll have a whole different story to tell – maybe about how the person/the circumstance/the house/the situation has changed since then. In reality there will likely be many stories I can tell when looking at a five year old photo – potentially many, many more than if I would have tackled it in the moment because time has passed and I now have perspective.

Take those great photos you have of your kids and tell stories that will mean something to them. It’s totally possible that the story you choose to tell might not have anything at all to do with what was happening when the photo was taken and that is perfectly okay. Use the photos as jumping off points to tell some of the more meaningful stories in the lives of your kids – or take the opportunity to express how you feel about them and how they’ve grown over the last few years. There’s so much that can be said.

4. Assess what you like about other people’s writing and emulate it.
If you read a story that someone else has written – whether it’s a scrapbook page or in a newspaper – take a couple minutes to make a note to yourself and figure out why you like it. Is it something you can adopt into your own writer’s toolbox?

My approach to journaling sometimes begins with a photo and other times it’s the story that begins the process.

5. Journaling is a pretty special thing.
I love Ali's mix of handwritten and typed journaling. I made the assumption long ago that although I don't really love my handwriting it is a gift and a part of me that I'm putting into my projects. More recently I'm learning that not everything needs to be handwritten. Sometimes the story is longer and typed journaling suits best. There is a balance and I'm happy with that.

And lastly, this is the sole reason I'm doing Project Life:

... words are such a gift in addition to the photos. They infuse reality and emotion and perspective.

Guest Post | 5 Tips For Finding Bargains

2012-02-07T09:00:00.000+10:00

For today's topic I had to go straight to the best bargain hunter I know, my Sister In Law, Kerri. I had a phone conversation some months back with Kerri about some bargains she had found. Her son was sick and needed some medication (that kind the supermarket carry) but instead of being tempted by all that extra stuff at the supermarket Kerri decided to go to the chemist - straight in straight out, right?! Nope! Turns out they were clearing a whole bunch of gifty stuff out so Kerri stocked up. And on the way back to the car she found a scrapbook shop with 50% off. I love her! While I believe she has a bit of a sixth sense for finding these things I did have to ask what other techniques she employs. Here is Kerri with her first ever blog post:

1. Don't limit your bargain seeking to 'mark down trolley'. Reduced items are throughout most stores, not limited to one area.

2. Know which stores use specific coloured price stickers for reduced price items ( K-mart-Yellow, Target-Red etc).

3. Research big ticket/major purchases on-line before you leave the house. Compare similar items, read reviews and compare prices.

4. Don't ever be afraid to ask for a discount, even on already reduced items. Smile, be friendly and have fun with it.

5. At the end of each season (generally Summer & Winter) I buy my kids clothes for the following year.

And a bonus tip: I have a plastic tub ( I got marked down at woolies because one wheel was broken so I took all wheels off!) I have labelled Party Favours/Goods. Any time I find anything boy/girl related marked down I put it in tub so when it's my children's birthday's I ALWAYS have toys/gimmicks for party bags and/or party prizes.

Guest Post | 5 Tips For Photographing Food

2012-01-31T10:04:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the very first of the 5th Birthday Celebration Guest Posts. I'm super excited to introduce today's guest Erika Follansbee. I have been reading Erika's blog for over 5 years, and can recall bookmarking it on the laptop before we flew to Canada for Christmas 2006, it's been there ever since. Erika is an awesome photographer and she regularly makes me jealous with her gorgeous photos of scrumptious meals. My burning question to her, just how do you do that? Here's Erika with her 5 Tips For Photographing Food:

1. Use Macro Setting: There is nothing more disappointing than a blurry photo of a delicious looking dish. You want to really make sure it's in focus. For point and shoot cameras, simply select the "macro" function which normally looks like a little flower. This enables the camera to sharply focus on a subject very close to the lens. You'll need to hold the camera very still and allow the focus to take hold. For DSLR users, you can use a macro lens.

2. Use the Right Light: Soft, indirect light is best for food photography. I try to look for a window with light coming in from the side, but avoiding direct sunbeams. You want the food to be well-lit, but not garishly bright. If you're in your kitchen, usually the direct overhead artificial light is not flattering, so you could try to find light from a more sideways angle.

3. Angles: I find that the best angle for shooting food is usually the one where you would normally be sitting at a table in front of it. :) It just so happens that the slightly downward view that we have of our dish from a sitting position is often the most appetizing. But there are NO rules: You can experiment with shooting straight on to emphasize height of a dish, or stand up and shoot more directly down on a food to showcase a beautiful arrangement on a plate. Look for the perfect angle that really brings out delicious textures and makes you want to say "YUM, let's eat!" You always want to show texture and detail.

4. Part vs. Whole: Whether you shoot the entire plate, or just half the food is a matter of personal choice. Composition is a strong stylistic decision and there is no right or wrong answer, but the easy way to decide is to ask yourself this--what looks the most DELICIOUS?

5. Avoid clutter in the background. You always want the food to be the focus of the photo, so you don't want a bunch of random stuff in the background. You need to crop in tight enough so that there is nothing else showing, and/or use a shallow depth of field to make everything the background blurry.

Happy Birthday

2012-01-29T06:30:00.000+10:00

Today is a bit of a big deal for me. My blog is 5!

It's amazing to think that I've been blogging longer than I've had kids (which feels like forever in a good way). 5 years is half my married life. All there, recorded. You know I didn't start out blogging with the intent of recording life, dare I admit I started out to get my cards out there just like everyone else. I'm happy I didn't stick with that original goal as I like the mix and the history that this blog holds for my family. And that's pretty special to me.

So, turning 5, what does that bring? A celebration of course! A lot of thought went into exactly how to celebrate this day. Sorry to say but I ruled out a giveaway. I wanted everyone to win, including myself. And I wanted to step out of my comfort zone. Lately I've been incredibly inspired by other blogs and I've come to realise just how much I learn from them and from the people that write them. So there I found the gift - knowledge.

Every Tuesday for the next 5 weeks I'll be bringing you a super special post by an equally super special guest blogger. The guest posts will cover a range of topics with the kind of tips that you store in your mind for life. Trust me, it's going to be good!

For now, have a piece of cake to celebrate and I'll see you on Tuesday for the very first 5th Birthday Celebration Post.

Happy Birthday Smaller Than A River!

Tomorrow Is The Big Day

2012-01-23T20:23:00.002+10:00

Yes, tomorrow Brian starts Kindy and I wanted to get a few thoughts written down because as soon as you live it your perspective changes. We'll go with bullet points:

My feelings right now are nothing more than I am incredibly tired. Labels ironed on clothes and stuck on EVERYTHING else. Morning tea and lunch made. Drink bottle chilling (have confirmed our regular ice blocks fit into the mouth of the bottle). Clothes ironed, bag packed. Picture chart of the "getting ready" process affixed to inside of pantry door.
The last few days I've stopped thinking about myself in this process and realised that Brian is going through his own emotions. There have been a couple of days of no afternoon sleeps purely because he doesn't want to be away from me. There have been (and this might just be age) episodes of behaviour (involving a lot of "no, I won't do it") that I really don't like. Brian's blankie, normally reserved only for bedtime has come out of his room and been used for a myriad of things - the cutest being a table cloth for a restaurant he set up just for me. Lots of snuggles and cuddles and tears.
I woke up this morning nervous. My parent's will tell you I'm a VERY nervous person when it comes to big deals in my life. When you know your child is nervous, I'm finding this feeling much worse. But I'm dealing with it. Brian is going to love Kindy - the activities, the opportunities, the structure, the attention.
I will do my best tomorrow morning to help Brian settle in. I've decided on taking the stroller (smaller than the pram and easier than the Baby Bjorn) into the classroom so I can leave Simon and focus on Brian. He likes to know things - what happens, how it works, where things are - and that comforts him. He is excited but I did catch him chatting in his room about 30 minutes ago. He was talking about Kindy and his teacher. As we tucked him in we told him he could pretend to be Mister Maker (Kindys always have awesome art supplies). He said he would tell Mrs M that he was "regular Brian, back to normal". I had to explain it's meaning to Kevin. (After pretending to be someone he always tells you when he's back to himself).
Of course we will be doing the "first day photo" thing. I've decided to keep it super simple (for Brian's sake), a couple of shots in front of the garage (a la images from my childhood). My parent's have confirmed they are coming to visit after his second day - just to check up on their little man. I have bought special snacks for the occasion. Brian will be excited to tell them all about it. I've also told Brian that if he does a drawing it will go in "Mummy's scrapbook" - the poor child knows it's called Project Life.
And there is that Mum in me that hopes he has a great day. Makes new friends, loves playing, is super dooper excited about his special lunch (the kind we can't afford to keep up past week 1). Please no back chatting to the teachers, no telling his new potential friends what to do, no kicking off his pants in the middle of the playground and running to the toilet and no singing at the top of his lungs while the other children are trying to take their nap.

Good luck to all the new Kindy parents out there. Next year is going to be a much bigger deal isn't it?!

A Wedding Card

2012-01-19T08:51:00.000+10:00

Just in case you are wondering I am still crafting. Not as often as I'd like, but yes I'm getting in a little me time. I made this card for a wedding that Kevin and I attended at the end of October. It was such a beautiful day, every detail had meaning. There were many happy tears (maybe it was the "new baby" hormones or just maybe I'm now officially a wedding crier).

My vision for the card was quite a bit different than the finished product but the idea was the same. A lot of little red embellishments to create a heart shape, without the actual outline of a heart being drawn. I'm learning lately through playing with layers and using more embellishments just how small those elements need to be. Something I need to keep in mind when making new purchases and clearing out my stash for an upcoming scrapbooking garage sale.

Some Family Fun

2012-01-16T14:48:00.001+10:00

This past Saturday night we went out to dinner at a restaurant (please appreciate how brave that was with a 3.5 year old and a 7 month old). We had a REALLY lazy day at home, most of us sleeping for the better part of the day and we all wanted some fun family time. Food makes us happy so we were all pretty excited. We settled on a fairly popular tried and tested Chinese restaurant.

Taking the kids out for a Chinese dinner has a bit of history in my family. A very, long, WIDE history and I thought I'd share a small snippet with you today.

For the longest time, Dad's go to eat out choice has been Chinese. We moved around a lot as kids but when I was 9 we lived in a small country town. My parent's owned the local milk bar (back when milk bars were the lifeblood of the community). Leon owned the best Chinese restaurant in town (FYI - it's still there) and it just happened to be up the street from us. He knew what Dad liked and we ate there often. Needless to say that for my brother and I, eating with chopsticks quite possibly at that time came more naturally than using a knife and fork. One evening we were at Leon's and a Chinese couple at another table were pointing to us trying to show their children just how the chopstick thing was done. I'm left-handed so a young child using chopsticks with her left hand (way back then) was apparently impressive.

On Saturday I was in the other seat. Trying to teach my son to use chopsticks, really just because he was showing an interest. He's right handed, both Kevin and I are left handed - it was not easy! But Brian was happy with his own technique and the san choy bow lettuce did end up in his mouth.

It's a bit of a cross over technique that can also be hazardous to your lips!

Our enormous table!

There are certain dishes that ONE MUST HAVE when dining in this restaurant so it was rare for us to include only one of those in our order. We did the "bring it out as it's ready, share everything" deal and it was fabulous.

There is just something about this style of eating that bonds a young family.

Here Comes Kindy

2012-01-09T08:39:00.000+10:00

Well, I'm dying to bring you a whole bunch of posts, including a Christmas wrap up but we are a little busy around here of late. You see, in 15 (short) days my little man starts kindy (enter tears). Up until this point I've been incredibly excited for Brian as I know that he will love the activities and structure that come with kindy. But as the time creeps closer the emotions of losing my little sidekick for a couple of days a week kicks in. 3.5 years old is an awesome age, Brian is a huge help to me but most of all he's super fun to be around. The jokes, the tricks, the silliness, the happiness - it's very catching.

So, we have been enjoying these last days of freedom (so dramatic) and have also been trying to prepare. There are things to buy like a backpack, sheets (for nap time), library bag, fabric label tape, lunchbox and drink bottle. And there is a lot of routine creating happening too. Most of that is figuring out exactly how I will get the 3 of us out of the house ready for the day at 8:15am. Someone might be a little to into this stay at home Mum business and finally need to bring back the morning alarm for herself!

During December we had the first "opening of the lunchbox" day. I'm pretty sure the drums were playing:

Christmas jammies are completely allowed at lunch time!

Ham and chutney sandwich with fresh green beans on the side.

And yes, if you know me at all you know exactly how hard it was for me to buy a cheap simple, non-compartmentalised lunchbox. But I figure a) he's a boy and they lose things, and b) the poor child needs to be able to open his own lunchbox!

2011 - The Year That Was

2011-12-31T17:37:00.000+10:00

A couple of years ago I did a yearly recap and I'd like to repeat it for this year, so here goes:

JANUARY

We packed up our life into a couple of boxes and stacked them on the dining table as we waited for news on the floods. We were the lucky ones.
We took a much enjoyed family trip to Noosa. Hoping this coming January might reveal another little getaway for our family.

FEBRUARY

It felt like I was keeping the secret forever, but in February I finally revealed our little secret on the blog.
I sold a lot of my scrapbooking goods at a local scrapbook garage sale. It felt good to move some things I wasn't using.

MARCH

My heart was hurting for a country I love.
Still living in the Christmas aftermath, Brian and I did a LOT of shopping.

APRIL

I was addicted to a particular TV show.
I focused a lot on Easter gift buying!

MAY

My little boy became a big boy with a new bed (and room) and we ditched nappies during the daytime.
I was SERIOUSLY craving hearty nutritious food!

JUNE

3 weeks early our family became 4, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
I fell in love with the Ektorp armchair! It's worth it's weight in gold.

JULY

Kevin didn't change his leave from work so we enjoyed having him home this month.
We took a trip to Victoria to introduce Simon to the family and we yet again found that our family LOVES overnight stays in motels. We have a "dancing to the opening credits of MasterChef" video from that room. It's pretty nuts and so very us!
We made cupcakes.
My Mum retired, yay Nanny!
We had an awesome Thomas birthday party - yet to be posted about!

AUGUST

After two babies of my very own, I finally attended my first ever baby shower and won a little too much chocolate.
Brian really started to impress me with his drawings.

SEPTEMBER

We attended a Yo Gabba Gabba concert at a local shopping centre. My shy boy struggled but loved it, in the end. Thank goodness for Nanny!
Someone turned 3 months old.

OCTOBER

My little brother became a Dad. So proud to have Natalie and Samuel in our family now.
I realised just how special a screaming photo of my son was.

NOVEMBER

We attended Brian's kindy orientation. I was so excited for him to go, but as I write this I'm finding the last 23 days I have left at home with my little man are going WAY too quickly.
I did my best to be prepared for December.
My better half had his last exam EVER!
I began the mammoth task of clearing the clutter out of our home, organising and tidying. It feels good, but there is a long way to go.

DECEMBER

I learnt that as you age, birthdays (your own) get much less exciting, not due to the people around you but due to the AGING factor! I was so busy and not particularly excited that I didn't even know what day of the week my birthday fell on.
I was so very busy. Already planning my attack on Christmas for 2012.
Simon had his first visit to the city.
I relived the joy of the Rocklea Markets on a rainy Christmas Eve morning.
We had a lovely Christmas. As much as I love the season it's so much about the kids and their excitement now. 3 year olds and Christmas are just meant to be.

Hope it was a good year for you too! Best wishes for 2012 and thanks for sharing this year with me.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T14:22:00.001+10:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

As I'm about to log off the computer for the last time before Christmas I'm feeling really excited about tonight and tomorrow and the chance to spend some quality time with my family. Nothing to do, no where to be, left over dinners and hopefully a movie or two - I can't wait!

Please stay safe and have a wonderful Christmas.

Lost

2011-12-22T20:13:00.000+10:00

I'm feeling a little lost tonight. You know those days that have been so full that you are too exhausted to do anymore. And as it usually is the "doing more" is the stuff that really needs to be done.

Today we went to the Doctor (no appointment) just to get Simon weighed. Two weeks ago his weight was so low it was off the percentile chart. But he's short and chubby so it wasn't too much of a concern. I played "fatten him up" these past two weeks and one week in he had gained 70g (the Doctor would prefer 100g). Today's verdict was he's gained 130g in two weeks. Not enough.

Breastfeeding for me (with both of my kids) has been a journey, a long tough road. One that with Simon, up until about 3 weeks ago I thought I had won. It took 4 months of expressing and bottle feeding and every now and then breastfeeding attempts to, by 4.5 months be completely breastfeeding, no expressing. But my supply dropped. I'm not quite sure where along the track that happened but 3 weeks ago I knew it wasn't so great. And I toyed with stopping and formula feeding. There is some part of me that wont accept giving up, like being a real mother is breastfeeding your child. I know that's not true and I actually have the utmost respect for parents that see what they are given and make the choice to formula feed. But instead I see it as my duty to put myself through hell to keep it happening. I'm at the point where I think with a bit of expressing I can increase my supply and carry on but I'm finding it's a confidence thing too. Back at the 4.5 month mark I had confidence that I can do this and that I was feeding my baby well. Now my confidence has taken a beating and I keep thinking that my supply just can't cut it. I know every woman has a different breastfeeding story and this is just mine.

With Simon we are at (via the Doctor's advice) to continue breastfeeding and top up with formula to see if he'll take it. This morning I "gave" him a bottle with expressed milk and boy I didn't know how stubborn a 6 month old could be. We had a good 30 minute stand off and in the end I held his head, opened his mouth and shoved the bottle in and he drank it happily. Sheesh! I'll also be introducing solids more than once a day. But that's another story. Simon is surely the problem child, I can feel it already.

Also, next week we have another Doctor's appointment to get the blood results from today's tests and possibly a referral to a Paediatrician. This is the time that I just hope the only issue is my supply.

Thanks for listening.

7 more sleeps (13 if you are 3)

2011-12-18T21:51:00.000+10:00

Edited: This is serving as a good checklist so I'll update it once it's completed. A load off my shoulders!

I'm so incredibly tired but excited about what next weekend brings. We have a very busy week ahead that includes:

grocery shopping (a big deal with two kids in tow) - completed in 2 stages on 19/12
a day at a major shopping centre to find Kevin a gift (I always find him hard to buy for) - completed 20/12 and it was a MAJOR shopping centre - thanks Chermside!
hopefully a little Mummy clothes shopping (my wardrobe is so thin I'm struggling to get through the week) - shopping for Kevin I found a dress (and no my hubby does not wear dresses!), on sale $70 and I love it. It will double as my Christmas day outfit - thank goodness for the green colour option!
lots of gift wrapping - a couple more to go (24/12)
helping out a couple of elves to make a little boy's Christmas wish come true - completed over 2 nights, finished 21/12
lots of cleaning and tidying - half done as at 21/12
bon bon making (this is my 4th year making them and it's a long process as I've developed them into a tradition that can not be altered!) - almost done, Kevin is going to help me assemble them right now (24/12)
a visit to the fruit and vegetable market to get our fresh fruit for Christmas breakfast - done, by myself due to rain (24/12)
a weighing of the youngest member of our family who is so low on the charts that he doesn't even register for a percentile! He's short and chubby though so the Doctor isn't too worried. We will continue operation "put some weight on him" this week. That includes returning to expressing (every now and then) and shoving solids into him even though he still won't open his mouth properly. At least we have progressed to sucking the food down! - see this post
dreaming about getting my haircut (that was on the list but have had to scrap it as it just wont happen)

I've been quite surprised that even though I started out the month so well and ahead, that I'm really still feeling quite behind. But in all honesty still probably further ahead than usual. Hopefully I can pull it together in time. I'm aiming to be organised and ready for Christmas one year. Has anyone achieved that, ever?

A December Day In The City

2011-12-15T14:17:00.000+10:00

A big part of feeling like it's Christmas around here is a visit to the city. We did that yesterday. Brian absolutely loved it and I could see the Christmas spirit bubbling out of him.

The King George Square Tree

The Myer Windows

Lunch with Daddy at Wagamama - this is "Visit Daddy at work routine!"

Writing a letter to Santa and then posting it "down to the North Pole"

Starbucks - when one is in the city they must have Starbucks
Brooke - Toffee Nut Frappuccino
Brian - Cup of plain milk

But probably the best bit of all was Brian & Santa's conversation in David Jones. I almost had to tear the two of them apart as each was as enthusiastic as the other to talk and talk and talk. Santa made sure Brian knew the ENTIRE Christmas eve routine down pat. We need to upgrade the jolly old man from water to milk, as per his request!

Christmas Gift Ideas For Newborn to 3 Months

2011-12-09T20:00:00.000+10:00

I'm documenting this for future reference, because as soon as you don't have a baby in your house you forget the most useful items! When buying for this age group always remember they grow quickly, so if the baby you are buying for now is 3 months, best get something suitable for a 6 month old so they can grow into it.

Source

Sophie The Giraffe Teething Toy

Sophie is perfect as a toy, squeaker and teether from birth. Simon will vouch for me as it's his number 1 toy. And Toys R Us (Australia) now carries them.

Source

Sophie is not complete without the Tutim NYC Toy Sitter

When my Sister-In-Law bought Sophie for Simon, she also tracked down this toy sitter. I had never heard of it but it is pure genius. It is specifically designed to hold Sophie and the clever placement of snaps means it can also be looped to hold other toys and teethers.

Source

Dymples 2 Pack Cotton Waffle Baby Wrap

At 6 months, we are still using these for Simon. They are large at 120 x 94cm meaning you get good wear out of them. They are also stretchy which is the perfect ingredient for getting a tight wrap and consequently a sleeping baby!

Source

A Christmas Outfit

This is the Sprout Christmas Romper, available at Myer. Every child needs a Christmas outfit, t-shirt and pyjamas in my opinion, but then again I think adults should have them too (not the tacky kind)! Milk this kind of outfit for all it's worth during the holiday season.

Source

A Bubba Mat

If the child you are buying for is a first born, chances are the parent's wont yet have a corner of the living room set aside for child play. The Bubba Mat is a great place to lay your child down, have tummy time and later a general play mat.

The Bubba Mat is a great soft surface for all play and will last years. We went the cheaper route, getting black foam camp matting squares. I must say that although we can separate the squares they are much harder and not so comfortable.

Source

A 1st Christmas Ornament
The gorgeous ornament above is from Your Keepsake Company. You can purchase 1st Christmas ornaments everywhere but I love ones that include name, date of birth, weight and length. We received a Precious Moments ornament for Brian's first Christmas and I love it. Sadly, their international shipping is $63! Shipping for the ornament above (to Australia) is $16, much nicer.

Source

A Big Cuddly Teddy Bear
My Brother gave Brian a big cuddly teddy when he was born. Kids generally don't do much with teddy's until they are about 2 but I think it's priceless to have a teddy from birth. Brian's teddy is Korimco Toys brand and is big, soft, cuddly and perfect.

Source

Bright Starts (or any other brand) links

My Mother-In-Law introduced me to these when we had Brian. They are fantastic, both as a toy and as a "string" to prevent toys falling. Big W often has these on sale for $5, effectively half price.

Source

A Book of Nursery Rhymes

This is particularly ideal if the baby you are giving the book to is a first born. When Brian (our first child) was born we did a little bit of a mad scramble to find the words to songs, nursery rhymes and lullabies from our own childhood. It's great to have a comprehensive book to turn to and if it includes a CD to recall the tunes then all the better. My parent's got us The Usborne Book of Nursery Rhymes which also has a few I had never heard of before. If the baby's parents are into vintage at all then I'd scout a local secondhand store as older books in this genre are just too perfect.

Source

Uncirculated Australian Baby Coin Set (2011)

The Royal Australian Mint puts out baby coin sets each year. This is a great unique memento from the child's birth year.

FYI - I might sound like a broken record, but no I'm not affiliated or being paid by any of these companies. Just spreading the good word of mouth vibe.

Working For Me...

2011-12-05T21:49:00.000+10:00

Writing Christmas cards. This was last year's one to my Nan.

I'm finding these past few days that there are a lot of things working for me right now:

Kevin has been watching Star Wars movies every night which gives me the chance to get on the computer, do my things, journal my day and blog. Wow! It's working well. I might just need to keep the new DVDs coming!
Grocery shopping tonight, after putting Brian to bed. It worked because it's done and I'm happy about that. But I really missed Brian saying "Please scan your FlightBadge (FlyBuys) card now". He mimics the self serve registers in perfect tone. Highly embarrassing, but him to a T! We won't talk about him singing the "down, down, prices are down song" at the top of his lungs.
Being busy, and accepting that when we are out for the day I need to eat well has helped my waistline! I've lost 5kgs recently and have done nothing for it. I have cut back (a lot) on snacks and bad lunches, as well as soft drink and frozen drinks when out. I'm also loving summer for the salads and a special treat would be a Caesar Salad kit on sale at the supermarket.
So very happy that I started early for the holiday season this year. I've said I would every year and haven't. Although there is still a lot to do and I'm way behind already (our tree isn't up), I'm nearing completion on a lot of other things. Gifts are almost done, I'm more than half way through writing the Christmas cards, bon bon gifts mostly decided upon - some already purchased and we are ahead on our Advent calendar activities. Usually we are behind on those.
Others doing my legwork. Kevin is responsible for posting all of the international Christmas cards (which we have a lot of this year) and purchasing the stamps needed for all remaining cards. My poor Mother did her own legwork on her present (from us to her). Horrible isn't it! But she's saved me probably an entire day at the shops. Have you been shopping with two small children recently? There are a lot of toilet, snack, breastfeeding, lunch and sore feet complaint breaks. As well as "Can we go see Santa?" stops. Back to Mum's gift, a toiletry bag for their caravanning adventures. What happened to places selling plain regular things like a cotton toiletry bag with 2 handles and a zipper?

In all, I'm happily busy and thankful for the things working in my favour.

Day 3 (of December Daily)

2011-12-03T21:52:00.001+10:00

No photos, sorry. I'm getting things recorded and that leaves no time for uploading pictures. But I am getting it done - Yay me!

Day 3 of December Daily finds me struggling with the stories. There are so many, all worthy of recording that I can't decide which to tell. Some I might save for another day - we'll see how it plays out. This excerpt from Ali's blog is particularly ringing true today and I'm trying to look at it from 30+ year old Brian and Simon's point of view:

8. THINK ABOUT PERSPECTIVE. Consider what you wish you knew about someone in your life and how they spent their holidays. What was their perspective, what did they love most? Get those types of stories into your book. I’m continually thinking from the perspective of what I wish I knew, and what I most want my kids to know down the road.

(via Ali Edwards)

Weekends are Daddy days, so I think that is my answer for today.

Happy 1st December

2011-12-01T15:44:00.000+10:00

December Daily update:

Overlays purchased - much to my husband's horror. My (novice online) purchasing triggered a phone call from the bank saying they had blocked my credit card as they feared the transaction was fraudulent. Nice to know the bank is on the ball, even for a USD$4.19 purchase. Time to learn more about PayPal.
Overlays experimented with - I use GIMP 2 to edit (loosely) my photos. I'm such a novice that I played around a little with colouring the overlay and placing it over a photograph. All achieved but not sure I can repeat it. It's much more labour intensive than Ali's Elements video from last year.
Photos taken - advent opening and a shot of our street.
Story decided and journaling written - going with a copy of the same shot from 1st December last year.
Want to remember - Brian's relationship with Simon today. Brian has been playing the Mother, telling Simon he has two choices - stay, play and stop crying or go to bed with no milk (he did have milk). There was also some lovely conversation going on in relation to Play School and that yes indeed Simon did want to watch it with Brian. Simon loves Brian so much it's very cute to watch. Mr Mum didn't want any photos taken.
Want to remember #2 - At 3.5 years Brian is much more aware of the advent calendar. The first thing he said this morning is "Mummy, you put up your calendar". Brian has his own preschool version of a calendar (made from felt) with days of the week, months, weather, etc. We read today's task "Make Reindeer Food for your friends". After Brian's nap he asked "Is today 2?" It's going to be a LONG month!
Here is my DD journaling straight from my Word Document:

Thursday 1^st December 2011

It’s rare that I take a photo on the same dayone year apart and today I couldn’t resist that opportunity. Last year I remember being shocked atgreeting our first day of Summer with rain, but that’s how it goes in Brisbane. Today has threatened a repeat, dark anddreary all day. I’ve been waiting forthe drops to start and of course they come (albeit slowly) just after I tookthis shot at 3:20pm.

The Last Day Before December...

2011-11-30T09:06:00.001+10:00

Peace is something I'm really trying to embrace this holiday season. I'm pretty sure I can't achieve world peace, so I'm talking about the slow down and enjoy everything kind.

My basic plan for this year's preparations were:

October - Get excited about Christmas

November - Get things done

December - Enjoy

I've mostly achieved that, I'm much further ahead than in previous years. Today I'm working on wrapping up the last of my shopping lists and getting all of my ideas together. The thought of hitting the shops with two small children is not the best so I'll be armed with a detailed list!

A page from my "still in progress" 2010 December Daily

And because today is the very last day that I can talk about my plans for December Daily, here they are:

Not doing a foundation this year (clearly). It doesn't work for me and I'm ok with that.
I intend on playing around with the A5 size, as I can purchase page protectors and a binder that will give me a similar look to Ali's binder. Last year I intended on using my 8x8 sleeves and once I punched holes in the first page I kept going. So no sleeves at all. This year will be all sleeves.
As I'm not a scrapbooker I really enjoy following (copying, whatever you would like to call it) along with Ali's ideas. Even though this is my 4th year following along and I'm still yet to have a completed album I've learnt a lot. I know that sounds crazy and it kind of is, but I feel like I've come a long way in my ideas and my work. I will never show you the foundation from my first year - it's hideous!
For me, achieving a completed album in December is never going to happen. I don't print from home and the whole digital thing is pretty new to me. I'll give myself til the end of February to get it done. I'm ok with that.
I will journal everyday. And most likely come up with my story and layout for each day too.
My album cover will be the last thing I do. I have an idea about cutting off a cover and working it back together with tape. Shall be a PROJECT!, but one I'll enjoy.
I plan on buying Ali's 2011 December Daily 6x8.5 overlays and playing around with them to suit my size. Trial and error that I want to do and am kind of excited about.
I FINALLY have some pens that will allow me to write directly on the photos. They aren't Sharpie, but I'm looking forward to experimenting.
Last of all, this is a project that is worth doing. I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I've been secretly working on last years album (until Simon decided to feed every 2 hours during the day in preparation for sleeping overnight!). It's amazing to look back on those photos and those stories. December Daily is a real treasure.

Online Shopping For Toys In Australia

2011-11-24T22:12:00.000+10:00

Buying and sending this gift to my niece has convinced
me online shopping is a better deal!

I've been pretty happy to discover recently that Australia has joined the rest of the world in affordable online shopping, specifically for toys. Woo hoo!

This year, for the first time I'm ordering gifts for my interstate niece and nephew online. I can get things for the same price online (with sales) as I can with sales (because I love to buy on sale!) in retail outlets and their flat rate shipping is quite a bit cheaper than Australia Post. This is the single most reason I'm switching to online, but you have to admit with 2 young children at home it's much easier too.

So, I thought I would show you a few of the sites that are offering good prices (good bookmarks for me too):

Big W

Catalogue sales are also applicable to online goods.
Postage isn't flat rate, but they do have an online postage calculator, just enter the postcode you are shipping to.

Kmart

Standard $10 shipping to most addresses for standard items. Larger items more, smaller items less.
Add item to shopping bag and then enter postcode for shipping cost.
Kmart has really dropped their prices lately, so it's a good place to get some deals.

Target

$9 standard shipping, excluding big and bulky items.
In store sales are also available online.

Toys R Us

In store sales also available online, as well as exclusive online deals.
Sign up to get emails of sales - I find this really handy!
Standard shipping for Metro is $9, Regional is $10, Remote is $13.
Postage calculator available when you click on a product. Enter postcode for calculation.

Crazy Sales

Our overseas family love this site and buy all the boys gifts from here.
Postage calculator located on each item. Shipping charges are incredibly low.
Wide range of products and prices. Lots of good deals.
Had no issues when one item we received was missing a part. They simply shipped the missing part to us.

Myer

A new discovery for me.
Looks like in store sales are not available online, but they do have other well priced sales.
Standard shipping is free (wow), of course some exclusions apply. I'm not sure if this is a regular deal or just for the holiday period. I may well be getting my niece's gift from here.

Since I'm joining the world of online shopping, please leave any of your favourite sites in the comments and I'll be sure to check them out.

I'm Really Missing Blogging! ...

2011-11-16T21:11:00.001+10:00

... And I have A LOT of posts floating around in my head, but we have been busy:

As we speak I hope Kevin is on his way home from completing his LAST EVER exam! Woo hoo! Brian was cheering about this one too. He still has one more year of uni left, but no classes per se.
I seem to be nesting, 5 months AFTER the birth of my baby. We have SO MUCH STUFF, mostly in the way of paper, and I want it gone.
A bit of running around - to the post office (nephew's birthday present on it's way), dry cleaners (dress being cleaned for Kevin's work Christmas party), groceries (and to Aldi for the limited edition BOXED nappies at a bargain price) and the search for a plastic box that fits nicely into our linen cupboard (not yet found).
FINALLY cleared the size 2 clothes (yes) out of my 3 year old's drawers. We totally missed the timing to buy him size 3 clothes, so I used the "we will hand it down to Simon" excuse and shopped one step up from the usual Kmart/Target/Big W.
Speaking of clothing clear outs, I also emptied out my dresser drawers and "filed" away the unused (out of season and pre 2nd baby body), but still wanted clothing. Shall I admit that some things had been in those drawers, unworn for over 12 months?!
A little crafting has been going on. A couple of cards, a few tags, but mostly the desire for a clean desk. It was perfectly clean after making a wedding card recently, but then I've been secretly working on finishing up last year's December Daily (I know!) and that was the end of that!
A lot of Christmas planning, thinking and doing has been happening. We are part way through a pretty awesome present that I wanted mailed on Monday. Hoping to get it off on Friday now. Gifts are falling into place, a new advent calendar has been purchased (had to ditch the baby socks), cards have been planned since January.
And I joined Pinterest, need I say more?!

Here you go...

2011-11-09T20:09:00.000+10:00

Imagine that, a photo taken and brought to you in 6 days. We have a miracle and a recent world record!

And we are embracing the 5 month old baby drool, freshly rubbed red eyes, pyjamas in the middle of the day and the use of the point and shoot flash.

He Has The Memory Of An Elephant...

2011-11-07T13:35:00.000+10:00

Source

Reading the Woolworths brochure on Friday, Brian points to the Le Snack and says "Can we buy these to have in the city?" I can't remember the last time we had them in the pantry.

Brian was recalling this day, over a year ago when he tasted his very first Le Snack (in the city).

With a memory like that maybe I don't need to be doing this memory keeping stuff?!

Halloween Recap

2011-11-04T11:32:00.000+10:00

We don't do Halloween so much around here but I do want to record what this year meant for us. The 5th Halloween in this house, and had I decorated it would have been the 4th year of decorations. Having just come back from Melbourne, at home by myself with two kids and feeling the sickest I had in many years the only "Halloween" thing I did was empty a couple of fun size chocolates into a plastic container and sit them by the door, should anyone knock. I wasn't hopeful as to date no one had ever knocked on the door.

As we were away we missed the little Halloween quest at the local shopping centre, so Brian's only introduction to Halloween came thanks to Jimmy Giggle and Hoot the owl on ABC 4 Kids and the associated Halloween episodes of all his favourite shows they played. Clearly I should not have been in charge of two kids because I was on the couch with him while he was watching the programs and I can't recall any of them!!

In any case it gave him the basics. I let him knock on the front door, made him say "trick or treat" and I gave him a chocolate. Then I said "Happy Halloween". We repeated with me knocking on the door and him giving me the chocolate.

Later in the night we did have a knock on the door - pizza delivery. I know, I was REALLY sick! So, super keen, eager little Brian sat eating his dinner waiting for someone to knock on the door. Rat-a-tat-tat. There it was. He jumped down off his seat and ran to the door. We opened it to 3 scary looking girls. I was more concentrating on helping Brian, so I don't even know what they were dressed as. He held out the container of chocolates and they each took one. I made him say "Happy Halloween" and we were done. As we closed the door the discussion began. "They had pumpkins to put their treats in."

Grounded

2011-10-31T17:20:00.000+10:00

Saturday morning Kevin and I flew (in a plane, not a hot air balloon) to Melbourne for a wedding, leaving the kids in Brisbane with my parents. Just enough expressed feeds to get Simon through until my return at 8am on Sunday morning. As we were about to be seated at the reception we got a call from my Dad saying that all Qantas flights had been grounded. Kevin was on the phone talking, I had no idea what was going on and thought something had happened to one of the kids. Kevin told me the news. Worst case was Simon would have to be formula fed and my parents had some just in case. But I must say there is this motherly instinct that kicks in, and while I thoroughly enjoyed the reception, the other half of my mind was with my kids.

During the cab ride home (to Nan's) I got a text from Qantas telling me that my flight was cancelled. The text came at 11pm, my flight was scheduled for 7am. As soon as we got to Nan's, my lovely hubby went online, confirmed Qantas would refund cancelled flights and made a fairly no fuss booking with Virgin. It wasn't until my flight home at 12pm on Sunday that I found out how perfect his timing was. Earlier in the evening that flight didn't exist. And a little later on the tickets for that flight were A LOT more. The lady next to me paid $140 more than I did. I was so very lucky.

As I arrived at the Melbourne terminal (before my flight home), the absolute worst day to be at an airport, Kevin told me to text him once I was at the gate (just in case they booted me off the flight because it was overbooked). I said "There is no need, because if I don't make it on the flight, you will see me on the news!". Breastfeeding Mumma coming through!! Inside the queues were insane. I'm now, finally thankful for self check in and boarding pass printing! It took me a minute or two at the machine. No checked baggage and straight through security. Phew! I felt like the Queen.

Home to my babies 5 hours later than scheduled and with one expressed feed left over. What perfect timing.

Love...

2011-10-24T08:17:00.000+10:00

... being a silly Mummy. I'm wearing my childhood Big Bird hat
and Brian is wearing my brother's childhood Oscar hat.

... watching Brian play with Pepper, the most calm and gentle Dalmatian I have ever met. "You say Woof Woof and I will throw the ball for you." And the laughter when Pepper's wagging tail kept hitting him.
... the way Brian and Simon play. Simon watches EVERYTHING and Brian talks to him in such a caring way. "Are you going to watch Play School with me Simon? If you are you need to turn around, the TV is that way."
... late night (for kids = 7pm) adventures to the shops, because we can.
... a good kind of jealousy for two people we love (my parents) living their later life just how they dreamed.
... the creation of a new little family (Shane, Nat & Samuel) that we are beyond thrilled for.
... unplanned cafe lunches with my little man (Brian) and the discovery that pouring half my drink into a glass all for him means I actually get some of MY drink.
... a month that we had money left in the grocery account, now if only I could figure out how that happened.
... new stories in bed with Daddy and Brian.
... Simon's first phone call, with Daddy. He smiled when he heard his voice and tried out some baby talk.
... that Christmas is coming. Blogs are starting to post planning ideas and Ali's December Daily posts have begun. Can you smell it in the air?
... age 3. The singing, dancing, learning, playing and intelligence astounds me and makes me laugh everyday.
... those big blue eyes, chubba chops (aka big soft squishy cheeks) and huge smile that is 100% Simon.
... recording life.

A New Family Member...

2011-10-14T10:03:00.000+10:00

Actually we were lucky enough to gain two new family members when this little man surprised us all. Welcome Natalie (we love you too) and welcome...

Samuel Nicolaas

Born Sunday 9th October at 4:44am

Weighing 3380g (7 pounds, 7 ounces) and 51cm long

Is that not the cutest little family photo ever? Shane, Nat and Samuel are doing well despite the usual sleeplessness that goes with a newborn.

We live 40 minutes away so we are all excited about our little boy cousins growing up together. Just 4 months between Simon and Samuel. I can smell trouble already!

Captured

2011-10-05T05:56:00.000+10:00

I never thought a photo of my son screaming in his Great Grandmother's arms would mean so much:

It wasn't until I saw it on the computer that I realised it bared some major similarities to my favourite all time shot of my Nan and I:

The journaling reads:

Dear Nan,

I know you will kill me for putting this photo in here, but truth be known, I couldn't leave it out. It is my absolute favourite photo of you & me. It really captures a special moment in time - our first ever meeting.

What makes it even more special is I never knew this event was captured on film as this photo was hiding in an album of photos I thought were all before my time.

I love how we are completely unposed, me screaming, you in your dressing gown and both of us matching in pink.

Priceless!

It's Coming

2011-09-28T06:43:00.001+10:00

Brian admiring the tree in 2010, hand behind back and all!

The other day I asked Brian what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas. The answer: "more dinosaurs". What I didn't realise is that I started something. He now talks about Christmas and Santa almost daily. Brian even told Nanny "This is where we will put the Christmas tree in December. Come and I'll show you." I love Brian's enthusiasm for Christmas, he's always had it. Even his first Christmas when he was 6 months old he sat in awe of our tree. And every Christmas since he has known how special his "annual ornament" is, always commenting on some special aspect of it.

I love that Brian's excitement for Christmas has started already. Mine has too. Our first Christmas as a family of four. Can't wait!

Time For Me

2011-09-24T20:21:00.000+10:00

I'm taking a little time for myself. It's amazing how just a little time can recharge the batteries and leave me feeling refreshed. So right now I'm sitting here typing up a blog post and scheduling it for next week. I miss blogging, I miss documenting my family's life and I miss having the opportunity to reflect on things - something that I find comes from the process of gathering my thoughts in a written form.

Tomorrow I hope to take a little more time for myself. About 1 1/2 hours at a shopping centre. Looking for things for other people but alone and uninterrupted with my thoughts. I've always enjoyed shopping by myself, window shopping included. I enjoy watching the world go by, I enjoy being inspired by all kinds of things, I enjoy immersing myself so much in what I'm looking at that I sometimes forget how I got where I am. Shopping alone is something I used to do regularly when I worked in the city. Something I almost never do now. I'm hoping it also includes some form of cold coffee/frappe, but there is no Starbucks where I'm going.

By tomorrow afternoon I look forward to feeling like I've had some time to remember who I am. I'm letting go of some family time (something we rarely get right now) to do it, but I'm happy that I'm putting myself first for a little bit. I absolutely love being a Mum and house wife but it's all about balance.

3 Months (2 1/2 weeks late!)

2011-09-22T10:29:00.000+10:00

I started this post on 13/9 and figured it was more than time to bring it to you. The red edited parts are changes I've made today (22/9).

A happy boy at Nanny & Pop's house one day after your 3 month birthday.

Dear Simon

At 3 months I still don't have you quite figured out. You are the best of both worlds; both incredibly smiley and possibly the world's most dramatic crier. You usually do one of four things; smile, sleep, scream and vomit. I haven't weighed you since your 2 month doctor's appointment because a) I keep forgetting when we are in a chemist and b) there is no doubt you are gaining weight. Yesterday (12/09/11) I put you in a 00 onesie (a gorgeous gift from Debra and family) and lets just say that it wasn't exactly swimming on you. Edited: You were weighed on 21/9 with bib, clothes and nappy on and you were 6kg. Way to go little guy!

Your brother loves you and talks to you all the time. He comforts you when I'm not in the room and says things like "there is nothing to worry about Simon, I am here". Your screaming tenancies of late have meant that you have joined Brian and I in his bedtime routine. I layed you on his bed while we got him changed and brushed his teeth. The three of us sung Hey Di Ho together. If Brian is in the room you watch him like a hawk. Sometimes I wonder if you are learning to be as crazy as he is.

I'm sure you are smarter than you let on. I am fairly certain that you have a cry that says "wrap me up and take me to my cot". Edited: Daddy learnt this one last night while he was trying to feed you. I need to get with the program as you seem to be setting your own bedtime schedule of about 4-5pm. Most nights you will go 6 hours or more from this point without a feed. Any chance we can make your bedtime later? The other day I obliged to your "wrap me up" cries and you started closing your eyes as I began to wrap you. You are quickly outgrowing your wraps. Brian was in his until he was around 6 months old and while I'm sure we probably did the wrong thing and bent his legs up there is no doubt you will be out of them before then.

Daddy is finally starting to believe that you actually love him. Edited: Questionable after last night. There was a while there where everytime he came home you would scream at him. For the record you scream like you are dying and you go the brightest shade of beetroot known to man, and I should know because you might just get that from me (the turning red). Last night Daddy wrapped you up and you couldn't stop smiling at him. He loved it.

15 Minutes On A Saturday Night

2011-09-10T19:46:00.001+10:00

I've got 15 minutes to spare as I sit here with my 3 month old asleep in my arms. The 3 year old is fast asleep after insisting on having "breakfast" for dinner and then when he was done he insisted that he didn't have dinner (he had breakfast) and he now wanted it (dinner). I on the other hand am waiting for my scheduled pizza delivery to arrive at 8:30pm, just after Simon's next feed time ($24 for 3 pizzas on a Saturday), owh how I wish I had added in that Cola drink. I'm also waiting for my hubby to return home from work, hopefully around 9:30pm. He has an assignment due and has spent the day locked up at work, literally taped in as painters refreshed the walls around him. Can you imagine his paint fume headache? Kinda like my "just scraping by, need caffeine (and I don't usually drink the stuff)" headache!

I have been trying desperately to get up a 3 month old post on Simon. We have been plagued by illness since our return from Melbourne (in JULY!), our latest a bout of gastro that has taken each of us over 5 days to recover. So that's where I am and where I've been. Back soon!

Brian Makes Cupcakes

2011-08-25T10:21:00.001+10:00

Please excuse the lumberjack get up and desperate
need for a haircut. We are in "anything to keep warm" mode
and still doing our best to survive with a newborn in the house.

Last month (I can't believe it was that LONG ago!) Brian ~~and I~~ made cupcakes. Our last foray into cooking together was quite some time ago and involved lots of hands in the mixture and lots of eating the bananas (when they weren't $14/kg) meant for the mix, so I was a little apprehensive. I measured out all the ingredients and set them out on the table for Brian to mix in. The first ingredient, sugar, ended up being tipped into the mixing bowl - half in the bowl and half on the table because someone was a little too keen. Since then we have done a little more cooking together and I can say I'm learning to let go and Brian is learning to accept a little help.

A 3 year old's decoration perfection.
Note the piled up sprinkles between the cupcake and the wrapper!

Once the cupcakes were baked I gave Brian two of them, some icing in a bowl, sprinkles in another bowl and a child's butter knife. I left him to his own devices to ice and decorate the cupcakes as I iced the remainder. It was funny to watch him out of the corner of my eye. Once they were iced he thought it right to eat them straight away. And he learnt that if you upend the bowl of sprinkles onto the cupcakes that those little guys bounce all over the place!

He also saw fit to pretend he was on Play School and sing himself a little song:
(And NO I did not teach him to lick that knife!)

Trying To Post Something For The Grandparents

2011-08-22T12:01:00.000+10:00

Well, hello strangers! Can you tell it's a little harder to blog now that I have two boys to look after? Life is a mix of feeding, mastering the art of projectile vomit catching, expressing, a little breastfeeding, cooking, once a week grocery shopping (this is new for me!), nappy changes, toddler wrangling, attempting to get to our regular weekly outings and doing our best to beat the colds that have plagued us for the past 5 weeks. Not sure if you will believe me but I am really loving it. There is something wonderful about going to bed knowing you have two little people filling up those rooms at the other end of the house.

Simon is growing like a weed. We haven't weighed him recently, no need to as he is nice and chubby! (Particularly compared to his big brother who was always in the lower percentiles for weight). Typically I have no photographic evidence of this to bring you today - but I have made progress and am actually managing to take a few more photos here and there.

Here is a couple of oldies for you:

21st June (just over 2 weeks old) - The three of us just trying to survive while we waited for Kevin's holidays to arrive. Simon's room (thanks to "the chair") became our new living area. Given Simon's tummy issues I did everything possible to get him sleeping as close to standing up as possible!

22nd July (7 week birthday) - Simon loves to play and smile (when he's not screaming and vomiting!). In fact a smile is indication that he's finished feeding and ready to play. Brian and I broke out the good old play mat a few weeks back and this is Simon flaked out after a good play session. This is the perfect way to get them to sleep. For a while there I was letting Simon play in this at about 2am after his feed, and until I finished expressing. I think for number 2 you care less about "what you are supposed to do" and more about doing what works.

Look Out Clive, age 5

2011-08-08T06:52:00.002+10:00

You've seen Clive, age 5:

Introducing Brian, age 3:

Can you guess what it is?

He said to me "I'm going to draw a ______" and then drew that body shape in one foul swoop. I've been so impressed lately with Brian's drawings. He is making face shapes, doing two eyes, "a smiley mouth", nose, ears, etc. It's great to see his progression from lines, dots and swirls to putting those lines, dots and swirls together to create an image that actually resembles what it should. That is until he goes nuts and covers the entire thing in swirls and crazy boy drawing madness.

Edited to add: It's a fish. We are a little simple when it comes to sea creatures around here.

Cards That Go Together, Stay Together

2011-08-02T07:12:00.002+10:00

I'm in serious need of some craftiness, how about you?

Jenny wants a lift. Peter stops his car for her.

I created these two cards for my parents birthdays way back in February! My parents are still, after 31 years totally in love and I thought separate cards that worked together would be a nice idea for them.

Both pages are from an old book I had collected. Dad's name is Peter, so that was perfect for him. The girl's name wasn't Jenny, so some careful trimming and a few letter stickers later and I had her card completed. Both book pages were mounted on the same coloured card stock.

HungryBubbee Breastfeeding Covers & Burp Cloths

2011-07-27T10:27:00.000+10:00

Today I'm super excited to introduce you to my friend Kirsten and her new venture, HungryBubbee. When I found out that I was going to receive a breastfeeding/nursing cover as a gift for Simon's birth I had to ask whether Kirsten could read my mind. We were only a couple of weeks away from setting off to Melbourne and rural Victoria to visit my Grandparents. I agreed to the trip only a couple of weeks after Simon was born and truth be told I was petrified about exactly how we would manage this. How on Earth was I going to express on our travelling days (3 hour flight, followed by 3 hour car drive when I was expressing at least every 4 hours)?

She said she couldn't read my mind, but Kirsten I'm not so sure. As it turns out this was the perfect gift at the perfect time. The nursing cover measures 90cm in length, and 70cm in width and is just the right size without being too big. I spent time expressing under there in the QANTAS lounge, driving (as a passenger) between Melbourne and Ballarat (and back again) and at my Nan & Uncle's house and I never once felt uncomfortable or as if I was exposed.

The neck strap is adjustable to suit you and your specific use as this nursing cover doubles as a pram shade, blanket (for baby, or expressing/breast feeding Mums in the midst of a Melbourne winter - I can vouch for that one!) or emergency change mat cover. And it's machine washable - hallelujah! Cost for the nursing cover is $35 with free Aussie shipping. They make a great gift for a loved one or yourself. And they come packaged up so beautifully and professionally that it not only is the best gift, but looks the part too.

Kirsten's range also includes burp cloths and although I don't have one of these I do want one. When I was pregnant I saw one of Kirsten's handmade burp cloths that she was using for her own daughter and was so jealous that she had a cute looking burp cloth, and lets be honest, that she can sew! So when I heard she was adding these cloths to her collection I was kind of excited. My little man Simon is a BIG vomit box, so for us the bigger the better! I would keep our toweling nappies to use as regular burp cloths and keep these special ones for going out and as a clean cloth to hand to anyone game enough to hold our son as I wouldn't feel comfortable handing them the cloth we used when feeding him - eww. The burp cloths are backed with Bamboo Organic Terry Toweling which is super absorbent and doesn't hold any odour. They come as a pack containing 2 for $10 and are available in a range of patterns.

Here's all the info you need to find Kirsten and her lovely creations. New designs and patterns are always available and changing weekly. And I'm sure if you had something else in mind she would love the challenge, just ask.

HungryBubbee on Madeit

HungryBubbee on Facebook

You Can Find Me Here...

2011-07-19T20:07:00.000+10:00

I might be cheating with a photo that is almost a year old but I'm happy to finally be bringing you a post - I've really missed it!

The awesome sleep that followed my arrival home with Simon has returned, thank goodness. It's the kind of sleep that as soon as your head hits the pillow you are out for the count. You have crazy dreams and your sleep is so deep that you are not sure if your son's tummy pains have eased or you just slept through his cries.

We have just returned from a week away visiting my Grandparents and introducing them to Simon. My little man had his first flight at only 5 weeks! No, we weren't crazy enough to plan that. The opportunity arose for Kevin to attend a uni conference in Melbourne, so we made the most of it and took the whole family. Not an easy feat when it also involves a major road trip to rural Victoria in a short space of time. The toughest leg of the journey came when, on the second last night Simon was awake all night with tummy pains. It continued on the next night and needless to say I was happy to be leaving my Nan's house. Trying to console Simon while knowing he was waking everyone up was not an easy time. 1 hour sleep two nights in a row for me, until Kevin took over at 5:30am on the second morning to give me a couple of hours break.

So you can understand why you will find me sleeping every chance I get. Making up for lost time and preparing myself for Kevin's return to work next week. Sleep might not be as easy to come by.

It's All About The Big Boy

2011-06-22T14:32:00.000+10:00

We are focused on the party preparations...

Yes, that's a fake address.

And the phone call that lifted a huge weight from my shoulders. Brian has been offered a place at our local kindy next year. When you add your name to the waiting list there are no guarantees so I can't tell you how happy I am that he's in. We have been doing little dances and cheering all afternoon. Brian wants to know why he can't go right now.

Two Weeks On

2011-06-17T15:04:00.001+10:00

How could I not blog this photo straight away? Thank you so much Aunty Kerri for capturing this little piece of gold for our family. This was Brian's first unassisted nurse of his little brother.

How we are travelling two weeks on:

Simon is going to be a real boy boy. He's mighty feisty and I'm sure will get up and run away on me any day now!
Brian is awesome reassuring Simon whenever he whimpers that everything is ok.
Simon is our little lamb. His baaing is unbelievable.
We have had a few digestion issues the past couple of days. Not sure if it's reflux or the chili in the risotto that I ate. Now tracking what I eat to get a better picture on things.
Feeding is nothing like it was with Brian. Mainly because I'm not creating any pressure. Simon is so small that he can't breastfeed yet, despite really wanting to - I did say he's feisty. I'm expressing and bottle feeding. We have gone from 50mls on our homecoming to 70ml and today I'm starting 100ml feeds. We are trying breastfeeding again every couple of days in 5 minute bursts. I'm ever so thankful for the lactation consultation at the hospital. It was the perfect reassurance that I knew what I was doing and that I'm not going insane!
I can literally see the little guy packing on the pounds.
A friend told me that it gets easier, but I really know it's going to get harder before it gets better. Right now Simon sleeps a lot - once he's awake and more demanding of me I'll be in real trouble.
The Ektorp armchair - pure gold and worth every cent!
I've been completely blown away but the help and offers of help we have received this time around. I'm feeling like I have a lot of friends (including my parents) right now and their help has been incredible. I'm wondering how I get Dad back in my kitchen. He's revolutionised the way I look at my own utensils and fridge contents.
Sleep, when you are sleep deprived is an interesting thing. Right now my bed is the most comfortable thing in the world and the sleep I have there is DEEP. Every day/nap I wake up wondering a) where I am, b) what day of the week it is and c) why Kevin isn't next to me - mostly that's because I would swear it's morning but it's really 3pm!
Loving being able to see my toes again, being able to bend and get around is a pretty precious thing.
Always thirsty and hungry - milk production is my excuse.
Hanging out for the day I'm allowed to lift Brian and the pram - so we can go grocery shopping and to the local Westfield to pick up a few things on my list. There is only so long we can go without bread and milk.
My body is still sushi-less and mostly I'm resisting eating all those things that I previously couldn't. It could easily end up in some horrible binge. I am craving a really nice salad sandwich though.
It's finally sunk in that I'm a Mum of 2 and that my 2nd little guy has indeed arrived.

Now We Are Four

2011-06-07T13:54:00.000+10:00

Welcoming...

Simon Oliver

Born Friday 3rd June at 8:34am

Weighing 2668g (or 5lbs 14oz) and 46cm long

I have been missing in action on the blog front, although thanks to some earlier scheduling my family have been amused that I've apparently been "posting" during labour.

Simon was born just over 3 weeks early and was quite the surprise. We had planned this past weekend as our "get everything prepared" day, so when my waters broke on Friday morning Kevin had to madly pack a bag. We didn't even have nappies or a (confirmed) name!!

We are doing well, came home yesterday. Only issues are with feeding, just like Brian. My previous experience has me in good stead to get through it as long as I stay determined.

Hope to write more soon, but the reality is I'm home alone with a newborn and a toddler today! Lots to juggle and loving it. Although a little sleep thrown in the mix would be appreciated.

P.S. Kevin got me the chair. An awesome surprise when I walked into Simon's nursery for the first time yesterday. Motto: blog enough and you shall receive! Thanks babe, worth it's weight in gold already.

The Return Of The Laziest Dinner In The World!

2011-06-06T07:02:00.000+10:00

When I was pregnant with Brian I seriously restricted what I ate. In fact I don't know how I did it! Each day for lunch I ate cooked chicken or beef with vegetables and some kind of pasta, noodles or rice, sometimes bread. It was at that time that I invented "The Laziest Dinner In The World" - I had a good excuse, working full time and pregnant meant not much energy to cook dinner, let alone separate lunch meals!

At 32 weeks in pregnancy number 2 my lazy dinner made it's come back. My body was craving meat and veg with little financial and physical output on my part! Things are bad when the thought of standing up for 10 minutes in the kitchen is too much!!

This meal certainly doesn't look great and to be honest it might be better to use a casserole cut of meat, but a meal that requires 1 1/2 minutes worth of effort and passes with the hubby and toddler works for me right about now.

Here's how to make it:

Start with:

500g diced beef (next time I would try a casserole cut)
575g jar Kan Tong Stir Fry sauce (I used Sizzling Mongolian)
approx 750g frozen vegetables (I used McCain and next time would add the entire 1kg bag)
440g packet Kan Tong Hokkien noodles

Take out a large casserole dish and literally open up the packets and toss the contents into the dish. Mix it all up. Photo above is what it looks like before you put it into the oven.

Put the lid on your dish and cook at 180°C until the meat is cooked through. It took me about an hour to an hour and a half.

The end result.

Lifeline Bookfest

2011-06-03T06:28:00.001+10:00

Late last January Brian and I headed to our first ever Lifeline Bookfest. I was prepared for a long day out, but was thinking I'd be done at the Bookfest within one to two hours and we would spend the rest of the day at nearby South Bank. Wrong!

This is only 2/3 of the hall. You can see games here but the book tables pack in a LOT more! We are talking piles and piles.

This place is insane, in a good way. I walked inside turned right and decided to start along one wall. I had my head down, bum up (so to speak) searching for any and all glorious golden spines that we all know belong to The Golden Book collection. I was there for the sole purpose of finding this book for my Dad's upcoming birthday. He remembers reading it to my older brother when he was younger. Dad's name is Peter so it was extra special to him.

Source

Now, if you have ever been to the Lifeline Bookfest you'll know how crazy an idea it was to look for one single book among the 2 million books for sale! To be honest I had no idea exactly HOW BIG this fest was until I'd been there for nearly an hour.

Just to try to demonstrate the size, this is the games area. There are 3 rows of tables, all illustrated by blue arrows. The closest is row 1, and then the two arrows in the top right show rows 2 and 3!

So focused on searching out this book I didn't lift my head and look around for while after arriving. When I did I realised that the Lifeline Bookfest is arranged into three sections - High Quality, Priced and Unpriced. Here I was thinking I'd searched through all of the children's books, only to find I was only 1/3 done!

The Unpriced section was by far my favourite and really meant I could get a lot for basically nothing. We also found a lot of out of print books in this section from series that Brian loves (The Munch Bunch). It was great to be able to buy some for him. One would think that taking your child to a place like this would be a disastrous idea but I found Brian's eagle eyes worked wonders. At one time he said "Sesame Street" and pointed, I looked for 5 minutes and couldn't find it myself, so I picked him up and he pointed right to it. He's also the one that found his prized Munch Bunch books!

I spent around $7 for the day and came home with just under 30 books! I did end up finding the book I was searching for, it wasn't the Golden book but it was a Peter and The Wolf book with a read along record, all for the grand price of 20c!

One tip, apart from bringing something to help you carry your purchases home is to choose which place you want your lunch at first up. We were in one section and went to the cafe as I was hungry but all they had were pre-prepared sandwiches, not suitable for my pregnant belly. We had to exit one section and walk around and through the other section to get to the hot food cafe. You pay for your purchases in each section. If you like books and/or a bargain then this place is for you!

.................................................................................................................................................................
Lifeline Bookfest June 2011

Dates: Saturday 11th June - Tuesday 14th June
Times: 8:30am - 8:00pm (Saturday to Monday), 8:30am - 5:00pm (Tuesday)
Location: Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Merivale Street, South Brisbane
Prices: Entry is free. All items in the High Quality and Priced sections are individually priced from about $2 upwards. The Unpriced section was something ridiculous like 50c each or several for $1. My memory fails but I'm almost certain the bulk deal on children's books was 5 for $1. There are price charts up on the day.
Links: Lifeline Bookfest Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre - Bookfest Info

Setting Up A Toddler's Room

2011-06-01T14:09:00.000+10:00

Clearly there are many things to consider when setting up a toddler's room, or any room for that matter. I will always remember one thing I saw on Oprah years ago and that was to have little sections for all the things that you do in the room.

What's It's Purpose?

For us, actually for me, Brian's room is where he sleeps. For Kevin, Brian's room is "his own space". I like how Kevin is thinking into the future. As we are about to welcome a second baby into the house and our first little guy is growing up, his room will become a place for him to escape and have some time for himself. We took this into consideration when arranging the furniture. Our aim here was optimum floor space for little boy play.

As I mentioned in Brian's Big Boy Room Tour post we wanted to buy this furniture once, so we considered what Brian might need into the future. We decided on a King Single bed, a tallboy, a basic desk and a bedside table. The bookcase we also wanted wouldn't fit!

Current purpose - Sleep

Right now Brian plays in the living area so his room isn't about toys, it's about sleep and getting dressed. So his room reflects this. He is surrounded by toys he loves to sleep with, all of which are highly sentimental as they have been given by loved ones.

One thing to remember is that you set your room up to what works for you now. It doesn't by any case mean that you have to keep it this way forever. Finding what works can and really should be an evolving process. I learned that one from Ali Edwards and her craft room/office space.

Keep It Organised

Really, I guess the best tip when it comes to creating a new space is that everything should have it's place. Brian's room might be the only place in the house were everything has a place, and in the last week and half everything has stayed in it's place. Miracle!

Arrow shows "morning routine/after bath" container - spray bottle, lotion, comb, powder

Super Organiser Mum (aka Jade) has taught me that grouping like items in little containers keeps everything together. This is why we have the "morning routine" container on top of Brian's tallboy. All his drawers are organised into sections and as his clothes are little I've used some Skubb boxes from Ikea (need many more!) to keep them together. My only tip here is use a plastic container to organise items that have the potential to spill or leak. One of my Skubb boxes needs a good clean after a spillage accident.

I also have one of these boxes sitting on Brian's desk. This is where his PJ's go during the day and clothes that can be worn again before being washed wait for round two. It's working perfectly.

What Bedding Do I Get?

I also wanted to talk about bedding, mostly so I can come back to this in a year or so when I wonder exactly what quilt (doona) we bought. But also because I had a hard time choosing what to get and I hope this helps you.

Kevin and I have figured that we like to spoil Brian and ourselves through buying quality (in some instances, we do have a budget like everyone else!) and we've really done this with Brian's room. We both love the quality of Sheridan towels and bedding so I snuck out on Mother's Day, when Kevin was feeling guilty that he was studying at uni instead of pampering me, and I bought up big at a David Jones sale. Shopping on Mother's Day is purely guilt free - it was my present really.

Here's what I got:

We both choked at the price and promptly decided this will be the main set on Brian's bed and we will have a cheap alternative sheet set plus light blanket for when his regular bedding is being washed (and/or from toilet accidents).

Arrows show over hang of a Double sized quilt on a King Single bed

Of note, when you buy a King Single bed (KSB) understand that bedding is harder to find. You need a King Single sheet set, but a Double quilt and cover. At first we were worried about the size difference with the quilt but I can tell you that it works perfectly. Enough over hang on each side of the bed, without being too much. Allowing room for a pillow allows a larger than expected over hang at the foot of the bed too. Double Bed quilt covers are easier to find than King Single sheet sets! But they are out there. Big W has a King Single sheet set for $32.76, it's 100% cotton and 200 thread count and I'm considering it as Brian's alternative set.

With toilet training toddlers make sure everything is machine washable, including your quilt/doona. And your mattress protector should be waterproof. Check the backing though as we have found that the really plasticy ones take longer to dry.

We went with a light doona, bearing in mind that Brian is little and needs to move it himself. The sales lady really got me on this one as she has it for herself and finds it warm enough in Brisbane winters, despite it being a summer quilt. We are in May right now and have had it on Brian's bed since he moved into his new room, but he's been getting hot like me, so I'm interested to see how he goes as it gets colder. Right now he only needs a sheet and a light blanket, but we don't have one of those yet!

The pillow in the pictures was just for show. I've since put it away as we aren't introducing a pillow until Brian is quite a bit older. Kevin did a quick Google search on pillows for kids and turned up that around 3 to 4 years was a good age to introduce one. Of course all the info I can find now says not before age 2. Really the point of a pillow is to support your head and neck so when Brian's shoulders are wide enough we will get him one. Yes, we are big on doing the whole growth/postural support thing properly. We are totally aware that we are looking after Brian's growing body and bones.

Make It Special

The Big Boy Room/Brian Introduction, complete with Daddy fun and tickles

The most important step in setting up a toddler's room is to make it special for them. It's their space so make sure you keep that in mind. I have a "transiting your child into a new room" post coming up soon. We really found the process we took worked wonderfully, so much so that there is a lot of excitement surrounding room changes for Brian - even the thought of the baby's room has him excited. Let's hope it stays that way!

The Mammoth "Baby Update & Belly Shots" Post

2011-05-30T15:30:00.000+10:00

Well, the baby is almost here and I feel it's certainly missed out on it's fair share of blog posts. Time to remedy that with this post that has been drafted, re-drafted and re-re-drafted again and again.

In case you have forgotten the baby is due on 27th June, also Brian's 3rd birthday. We couldn't have planned it if we were silly enough to want to! That brings us to today, being 36 weeks pregnant and at the start of the 4 week countdown. Things are getting tougher, making me feel much further along, even sitting sometimes isn't fun. Both Kevin and I are betting that the baby will be one week early. He/She has already been warned not to turn up on 22nd June as that's Kevin's last exam day. My Sister In Law has put in her order for 15th June as she will be in town and is pretty eager for some tiny cuddles.

16th February - 21 weeks, 2 days.

My first belly shot this time round. Slightly late on the uptake!

On the health front I spent an afternoon (Thursday 19/5) about a week and a half ago now in hospital with high blood pressure. My Doctor has been monitoring it fairly closely as it can be sign of pre-eclampsia, something that developed at around the same 34 week mark with Brian. All hospital tests were clear, so that's a good sign. But my blood pressure remains high. Between the Doctor and a loan of my Brother's bp machine we are keeping an eye on it.

I've put on about 11kgs now and a few weeks back was beginning to worry my Doctor with weight gain. All has been steady on that front for a couple of weeks now and I've been laying off the naughty snacks and bad lunches! Favourites right now are pear and parmesan salad and Ski D'lite Wild Strawberry yoghurt. And anything anyone else cooks for me = )

I do however feel that my fitness levels are non existent and am a little worried about how that will translate when it comes to the labour. Not sure I can handle it!

30th March - 27 weeks, 2 days.

Do you see those varicose veins?

On the "to do list" front we are rather behind. Kevin said to me last night that he's really looking forward to this weekend to get stuck in to a few things around the house. Between work and uni he hasn't been here much to get those "projects" done. I must say it was nice for us to do a little impromptu grocery shop on Saturday afternoon. I can't remember the last time all three of us shopped for groceries.

I'm now on the 8:30pm bedtime routine (normally 9:30pm) and have been for about 2 weeks. I've been eating a little better, totally disregarding the grocery budget and buying what I think my body needs (and balancing that with what I have the energy to prepare!). I'm finding the two week gap between our new fruit and veggie delivery is getting too long. Need more mandarins! Driving is now "to Doctor's appointments only" and is self inflicted. Speaking of which, Doctor appointments are weekly. Brian's "big boy" car seat is in my Dad's car for the "just in case" and the "this is it" moment/s. Brian will stay in his "little boy/baby" car seat until the baby comes home from from hospital.

19th April - 30 weeks, 1 day.

Big Brother love on our way out to lunch. This felt like take 100! I've used the automatic timer on the camera for every shot and Brian would kiss my tummy and be done by the time the camera actually took the shot. My facial expression is saying "don't move your head for one more second!"

The nursery is not done at all. It's still as we left it that day when we closed the door on Brian's old room and opened the one to his big boy room. I'd like to move some furniture around, finally find a chair on ebay and fill the drawers with little clothes and nappies. I'm thinking that we will be doing all of the things we hoped to do before the baby arrives during the month of July when Kevin is off work. That also might be positive thinking as sleep might become more important during those days!

14th May - 33 weeks, 5 days.

This is my only belly shot with dry hair! Looking good clearly isn't a priority right now. We were about to head out to dinner, something we rarely do so we all decided to get a little dressed up. Including squishing pregnant feet into cute shoes.

I've really been taking the time to appreciate these last few weeks of bumps and kicks from the baby. Feet are generally on my right side now and the little one enjoys kicking the mattress or couch when I'm laying on that side. It's a pretty special experience to see my tummy jump up and down and move in all directions too.

Brian has been giving the baby lots of snuggles and kisses. He's quite particular to pull my shirt up and kiss the baby before he goes to bed. He also stands right by the Doctor imitating him as he uses the Doppler machine on my tummy. Kevin asks Brian to look after me each day and he says "Yes, Daddy". So I get lots of "tell me if you need to go to the toilet Mummy" and "does your tummy hurt?" as well as shoving tissues up my nose to wipe it even when it's totally fine and pats on my leg to show he's caring.

Life is surely going to change in the next short while. We are all looking forward to it.

2 Years & 11 Months

2011-05-27T06:31:00.001+10:00

This was the "one week in underwear" celebration cookie and boy did he love it!

Yes, my little guy that I now have to call my big boy is one month shy of his 3rd birthday!

Here's where we are sitting:

3 weeks and 2 days since we ditched nappies during the daytime (still have them at night and during naps). The total stands at 2 accidents. Pretty perfect I'd say!
Almost exactly 2 weeks since moving into a bed and not one fall. Naps have been generally shorter and he still hasn't figured out he can get out of bed (or his bedroom) by himself. The person that tells him will have some bad karma coming their way!
Brian's memory is incredible. He will forget nothing!
He has started shortening his words (coming = comin). I'm doing my best to improve this because it sounds absolutely terrible!
Brian is incredibly considerate. He will still stop himself midway down a slide if someone hasn't quite made it off the end. He says "be careful" when others are using scissors and he said "don't fall Pop" when my Dad was walking on the narrow side of the swimming pool.
The last two weeks at Playgroup have been wonderful. No crying and/or clingyness. Usually Brian would say "snuggles" and want to cuddle me for at least the first 30 minutes before warming up to play. He's really starting to feel more comfortable there with his friends.
In saying that he's totally fine with adults. I think he has a little boy crush on my brother's girlfriend! Poor Nat.
Brian has both Kevin and my bad temper. If he can't do something he shouts "I can't" and gets incredibly mad and frustrated. He's started scrunching up his face and blowing through his nose when he doesn't get his own way.
He has to know what's coming up next. What are we doing after my snack? And if after his snack he's having a nap then he wants to know what we are doing after his nap, all before he's started his snack. Brian certainly needs lots more activities to keep him entertained and I think a more rigid daily structure.
He loves TV. ABC for Kids on 2 is king for him. Although the other day he did say he would watch MasterChef with me. It was an attempt to stay up late!
Often it feels like he's much older than "almost 3". The stuff he says and the things he knows are fairly incredible. He dobbed me into Kevin a couple of nights ago - "Mummy had a choc-o-late, and it's not for you Daddy".
Favourite toys right now are Play Doh, games (Guess Who, Connect 4), any new craft activity, Thomas Take and Play combined with his tools - usually the hammer to hammer down the track and Matchbox cars.
He still loves to sing and dance.
He has started to tell me if he doesn't like a particular food. He enjoys sticking out his tongue and saying "yuk", but he's still made to eat it and he does.
When we tuck him in at night he loves it when we basically lay on him as we cuddle him, nice big snuggles!
"I will" is a common phase. As in "I will" do it instead of you doing it.
Last weekend was haircut number 4. First time with the full on Barber treatment. Paper around the neck, a few different types of clippers, spraying the hair, combing and cutting, baby powder and brush to finish off, oh and wax too. He looked so gorgeous!
The "boyness" has really been coming out for a while now. Brian loves cars, dinosaurs, watching the garbage man and touching the cocoon by the front door. He started to demand "privacy" while on the toilet and he grins, then pushes the door closed. I discovered, the day after it happened that in his "privacy" moment he had taken the full toilet roll off the holder, half dunked it in the toilet and put it back on the holder! I think that was the first time I told him what he had done was disgusting!

This was our Royal Wedding Money Shot - I can't tell you how nuts he went staying up late (about 8pm).

Hello Big Boy Room

2011-05-25T08:53:00.000+10:00

I thought we might split this into three posts - the Big Boy Room Tour, the "setting up a child's room" and the "how to transition your child into a new room". Today is the tour.

Big Boy Room Tour

Both Kevin and I are pretty big on saving and part of our philosophy is that in some areas you buy once. To do this you need to think ahead; our plan is that this furniture will last Brian until he leaves home. So we needed to think about what his needs will be in the future and what his needs are now. We opted for a King Single bed (drilled at two heights - one for toddlers and one for adults), so teenage Brian has lots of room to move and also a simple desk that will become a place for homework later on.

The Bed - excuse the wrinkled linen. After ironing one pillowcase I was done. The wrinkles fall out fairly quickly on their own.

The Desk & Tallboy

We were so incredibly happy when we stumbled upon a local timber furniture manufacturer as there is just no comparison between the imported stuff they sell in retail outlets and real timber. Martin Fine Furniture in Seventeen Mile Rocks was wonderful to deal with. Yes, you are entering a work shop when you go, so remember that. But the owner Phil is so passionate about what he does that you know you are in good hands. We went with their Raven Bedroom Range, initially it's Hoop Pine, but for a small increase in price we were able to upgrade to Tasmanian Oak, a hardwood that we hope will stand up to boyish behaviour. Although from day one Brian has been taught to respect this furniture.

On The Tallboy - A special football, tissues, box with powder/lotion/comb/spray bottle for doing hair, box with candles inside

Big Teddy (from Uncle Shane), Stripey Teddy (from Great Nan and Great Pop) and Horsie (from Grandpa and Nana)

Donald Duck (from Grandpa and Nana) and Giraffe (from my work). The red car isn't a permanent fixture, it was just along for the ride.

All the decorations at this stage are things that Brian received when he was born, so everything is very special and sentimental. Brian is allowed to sleep with 3 toys at nap time (none over night) and these toys are all on his daily rotation! We hope to add a few things to the walls shortly. They will include porcelain letters spelling out Brian's name (another birth gift), a french number print which I'm part way through creating and a little boy illustration that I hope to buy from Etsy.

The ~~Little Guy~~ Big Boy in his new room, just testing things out.

Hope you enjoyed the tour.

Bye Bye Baby Room

2011-05-23T08:56:00.001+10:00

I'm pretty proud to say that we are go on the photo front. Kevin spent a good while last night downloading photos as far back as last September! I still can't download new photos myself (on the Mac) but it really feels like Christmas with all of these photos now at my disposal.

I wanted to start with our biggest deal lately - Brian's Big Boy Room transition. Look how much he's grown:

This is Brian's first cot experience on 4th July 2008

And his last 13th May 2011 - complete with fake sleeping just for the camera!

Later this week I'll share photos of Brian's new room - officially named "Brian's Big Boy Room". We talked up the transition for months, making each step of the journey a huge big exciting experience. Brian was with us as we looked at beds, mattresses and bedding. We really involved him in the experience - so much so that if he sees a bed now (including the pretty ones in David Jones) he takes his shoes off and wants to test it out! In the end I really was so excited for Brian that I think he carried this vibe on. That's not to say I didn't have to try and hold back a little sadness as we closed the door on his old room. A week later (and if feels like much longer) he still says "My Big Boy Room" and clasps his hand over his mouth in excitement.

Hunting for these...

2011-05-19T08:32:00.000+10:00

Source

Making Memories Desktop Carousel

With the downsize of my craft room into the office I'm really trying to cull as much as I can and concentrate on keeping the basics that I use often. I've decided that in terms of storage a set of drawers, a Making Memories Desktop Carousel, a 12x12 hanging file drawer and a Clip-It-Up will fulfill most if not all of my storage needs.

The issue here is that the carousel is a discontinued line so it's impossible to find. Early in April I was doing a little Google search (for about the hundredth time) and up popped a result from FishPond, an online Aussie bookstore. I couldn't believe it, not only had I found one but it was $58.99 including shipping. I was prepared to pay up to $100 for second hand! I quickly forwarded Kevin the link asking "If this isn't a joke can I get one?" He replied a couple of minutes later with the completed order. Woo hoo!

One night almost a month later Kevin showed me an email he had received from FishPond. It was saying that they had cancelled our order as they couldn't supply the item. I was shattered. Needless to say I'm still hunting.

Source

Ikea Ektorp Armchair

I have shared with you before that I've been waiting for one of these to show up on ANY second hand website in Australia. Sadly, I'm still waiting. And getting a little anxious now as the baby is only 6 weeks away.

One did show up for sale in Brisbane. I asked Kevin to bid on it for me as I'm an Ebay novice, but in the 3 minutes it took him to access the page it had gone from $60 to just over $122. My limit is $100 as I'm using left over birthday money. Crossing my fingers and toes and still hunting on this one too.

Winter Beauty Routine

2011-05-17T09:30:00.000+10:00

I'm not one for much of a beauty routine, in fact I rarely wear makeup. Evidence in point; we went out for dinner on Saturday night (the 3 of us) and I thought I'd get a little dressed up. When we arrived home Brian looked at me and said "What's that on your eyes Mummy?" "It's make up. Girls wear it to make them feel pretty. Do I look pretty, or do I look like a clown?", I replied a little worried I'd over done it! "You look like a clown, but it makes you happy", Brian said. A giggle came from Kevin in the next room. We both enjoyed his happy interpretation of a clown.

So, despite not having much of a beauty routine I do rely on a couple of old faithfuls to get me through the winter weather. They made their re-appearance last week.

Source: Olay Australia

Olay - Active Hydrating Beauty Fluid

(or the Aussie version Moisturising Lotion)

Mum has been using this stuff for years, well before the Oil of Ulan/Oil of Olay name change. We have been trying to figure out what her car smells of for years (it's a nice smell) and I'm pretty sure it's this stuff! I love that it's light, non-greasy and doesn't sting. My face is quite sensitive. I did try the Complete Defence SPF30+ Daily Moisturising Lotion Sensitive a little while back but it stung my face. I've never had issues with this lotion and in winter I put it on every morning.

Source: Neutrogena

Neutrogena - Norwegian Formula Hand Cream

Again I've been using this stuff for years. My Mum used to have terribly dry hands in the winter and I think I've inherited it - we are talking to the point of bleeding. Ouch! I'm pretty sure it was one of the television commercials years ago that convinced me to try this stuff - something about it's origins with Norwegian fisherman. Since then I've had some on hand every winter and it's part of my nightly routine. Actually, it's my sole nightly routine! You don't need a lot and it leaves your hands nice and soft the next morning. I'm currently using the Fragrance-Free version as I picked some up from a local chemist for just over $2 a box during the summer. At first I thought the price was a joke as it's usually around $7 or so a box, so I'm now covered for all of this winter and then some!

Toilets, Beds and Photos

2011-05-11T15:21:00.000+10:00

Today we celebrated one week of Brian in underwear. Yes we did actually celebrate, with a big chocolate cookie from The Coffee Club, complete with smarties. I'm so very proud of the little guy (big boy now!), he's had no accidents all week and we have been out almost every day. When he needs to go he comes up to me all excited, counts to 10, fingers and all and says "Mummy, I need to go to the toilet". Then off we run (he runs, I waddle) to the bathroom.

I do have one question for bathroom designers, when installing a little toilet why don't you also lower the basin? We have been contributing to the insane amounts of water all over the floor in public bathrooms this week. I'm pretty sure my Mum had a one arm lift and wash technique, but I'm not trying that while I'm pregnant.

In other big boy news, Brian's bedroom set and bedding is now here. Massive thanks to my brother who dropped everything after an early morning phone call to come and help unload!! The bedding has been washed and dried and is waiting for me to put it on the bed. Saturday will be the big day, delaying a couple of days so that Daddy can be here for the big event! Brian is beyond excited and asks everyday "Where am I sleeping tonight?"

And as for photos we are still waiting for Kevin to do his thing on the Mac so I can finally share some of our 2011 photos with you. Disastrous, I know! In all fairness he's so busy that I forget what he looks like. His month off in July is looking mighty good right about now.

Our Day...

2011-05-04T14:29:00.000+10:00

Kevin sent me a text saying "It sounds like it's a good day for you". He's right, I'm not achieving a lot but I'm loving having my little man with me.

First up I caught the little monkey on top of two plastic boxes stacked on top of each other, about to climb onto his stool that he had fetched from the bathroom and placed on the very top. Where was his Mother?!

We made our first big adventure out of the house in underwear. I know we are long overdue in this department and it's not Brian that has the issue! I packed my bag with a full change of clothes for Brian, spare underwear, a HUGE packet of wipes, a small old towel and a plastic bag - just in case! Turns out I was the only one that didn't have a strong enough bladder to last the couple of hours we were out (and yes, I made it in good time to a bathroom!).

On the way home I was feeling rather naughty and decided I would get a cheeseburger at McDonald's (thank goodness for the drive through). Brian likes to be kept up to date on where we are going next and if you don't tell him the truth he'll pick you up on it. So I told him. And he told me "That's not very healthy for you Mummy".

The Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T11:00:00.000+10:00

I'm not any kind of die hard royal fan, but today Brian and I do have something planned. We will (if he's still up when the ceremony is on) take his picture in front of the TV. Sounds bizarre yes, but this is a moment in history and I think it's worth recording.

We have other historic moments recorded via photos of the TV:

There was President Obama's inauguration:

January 2009

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and our mini Canadian cheer squad:

February 2010
And no, we don't usually wear Christmas shirts all year round!

Oprah's visit to Australia (I sooo wanted to be there):

December 2010

And the first (what will become) annual viewing of The Polar Express:

24th December 2010

Clearly the royal wedding will be a bigger moment in time. I hope that in future royal historic moments Brian will be able to look back and see a picture of his little self in front of the wedding. I was 6 months old when Prince Charles and Diana married. I can only wonder what we were doing that day, what my parent's TV looked like and what nick nacks they had in the lounge room.

The Post Office

2011-04-28T07:10:00.002+10:00

The Post Office is a pretty awesome place to find some good gifts (at great prices), especially children's books. Brian got this book for Easter from my parents:

Source: Hinkler Books

Only the cover is blue and it's Written by Jeanne Willis & Illustrated by Mary Rees. (Not sure how that mix up happens?)

The story goes that Mum needed to go the Post Office and while she was at the counter paying, her friend Nola was looking through the book section and found the above beauty. The kicker is this excerpt:

... said his father, "he wants to be a computer wizard, like me, don't you son?"

"Well..." said Brian.

"Of course you do!" said his father. "I've spent an absolute mint on this new computer."

True to every word!

The story gets better. My Mum is currently visiting her Mum (my Nan) in Melbourne. Nan was really excited to pull out a book that she picked up especially for Brian. You guessed it, she had been to the Post Office too and discovered this book staring right at her!

Life Of The Almost 3 Year Old

2011-04-26T21:56:00.000+10:00

My son has finally learned to spit - as in the toothpaste into the sink (or at least that's what we were going for). He's been trying for what must be at least a year. He discovered he could do it by practising spitting on the floor in the living area. Life is tough when you get disciplined for learning a new skill!

Using Up Easter Eggs

2011-04-25T10:31:00.000+10:00

I've never really HAD to use up any Easter Eggs before, but this year Brian got a largish (for a toddler) egg from my brother. I don't like the idea of Brian eating so much chocolate just on it's own, so I've come up with the perfect solution:

Oat & Raisin Choc-Chip Cookies

Source: Taste.com

RECIPE HERE

I'll just replace the "chocolate bits" with broken up chocolate egg and call it done.

How do you use up any Easter left overs?

Just Hopping In...

2011-04-23T21:11:00.001+10:00

... to wish you all a Very Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny has already visited our house, he got in early this year! Brian is sound asleep and knows that when he wakes up the Easter Bunny would have been. His excitement this year is beyond cute. We got to see the Easter Bunny at the local shopping centre on Thursday, and this morning we saw him again at another shopping centre. Kevin was there to witness Brian's face this time and I'm so glad for that as it was pure joy and lots of waves.

We made the "leaving treats out for the Easter Bunny" a family affair tonight. I'm pretty sure that the Easter Bunny will be full by the time he makes it to your place, the carrot he had here was HUGE! We also threw in a yummy cookie and a big glass of water.

Easter Gift Ideas For Adults

2011-04-21T14:04:00.000+10:00

Not everyone buys Easter gifts for adults but in my family whoever we spend our major Easter celebration with, child or adult, everyone gets a gift. Usually it's just my parents, brother, Kevin and I, but this year we will be buying for my brother's girlfriend too - what to buy a pastry chef for Easter?!

With all Easter gifts we usually stick to a maximum of $15, but our spend is quite often between about $10 - $12. No one tell Kevin but his will be more (expensive taste).

Here we go:

Easter Gifts For Adults

1. Nostalgia

Source: Tom's Confectionery Warehouse

Source: Chilli Red

I find this works for all older age groups. Everyone likes to relive their childhood through sweets. So keep a list of your family or friend's favourite old time treats and hunt them down at Easter time.

Jelly beans from the Chemist (Mum used to buy these all the time for us) - still sold at Chemists.
Chokitos (from showbags as a youngster) - find in the candy bar aisle at the supermarket.
White Knights (my parents remember these) - also in the candy bar aisle of the supermarket.
Milko and Redskin lollies - candy bar aisle of the supermarket in large bag packs.
Sunny Boys (from showbags as a youngster) - in the supermarket icey pole aisle.
American candies (especially for Kevin) - most major shopping centres have a devoted candy store that sell a good range, Overflow sells selected American bars for $1.99 each, also Google American candy stores - there is one in Brisbane CBD.
Mixed lollies (my childhood favourite) - you can still fill your own bag from the candy stores in most shopping centres, or make up a few packs of your own by buying the cheap $1+ packs from Kmart and Big W. If you stick to the majors like Sherbies, spearmint leaves, etc. you won't notice a difference in quality.

Most major cities also have larger lolly shops like Tom's Confectionery Warehouse making this choice easier on you.

2. The "I Love My Home" type

From Libby via Flickr

Everyone knows someone that loves to decorate their home and change it with the seasons. My favourite place for seasonal, better quality home decor items is Bed, Bath and Table. Right now they have a huge range of Easter decorations and even tea towels!

Myer and David Jones are also good places to pick up a few seasonal items. The crockery department in Myer is always good with cute seasonal plates and dishes to brighten the home.

3. The "I Love Quality Chocolate" type

Source: Godiva

Hello Kevin! I can't reveal all my secrets right now but I usually do most of my shopping for Kevin at David Jones and Myer. David Jones have a chocolate counter where you can pick and choose as many truffles as you, or your budget desires. This year though I have something new in store. My tips here, are follow local food bloggers and writers like they are your best buddies. They will steer you towards the best chocolate hot spots in your city, often places you have never heard of and even special chocolate related events.

When you are spending this kind of money, or really even buying high quality, make sure your packaging, tags etc. reflect that. The last thing you want is to give a gift of awesome quality and deliver it in poor style. It's the experience here that counts.

4. "The Pastry Chef"

Source: Max Brenner

Well this category is a little new for me. I'm not sure whether to go super nice or old time favourites. I know the pastry chef I am buying for works at one Brisbane's most famous shops for all things that are good this time of year. So chances are my money can't out do what she's used to.

Maybe here we go for something a little different like a chocolate fondue set or a trip to Max Brenner. Sometimes giving "an experience" is better.

5. The "Variety" type

This is me. I love a little bit of everything, which can be pretty hard when Easter eggs are so darn expensive. My tops include birds nest eggs (the ones with the crunchy coating), one Cadbury Creme egg (I can't handle more than that), something mint filled and a few little surprises. A box of Roses chocolates is also a big hit as it's variety central. Come to think of it boxes of chocolates are probably a good choice for "The Variety Type" as you get lots of choice. Aim for boxes that include soft and hard centres. Quality Streets were always the best but I can't find those anymore.

6. The "I Don't Like Chocolate" type

Here you have two choices, stick with food related items or ditch food and go with something else.

For food items, ask yourself what they do like? Savoury items? Ice cream? Fruit? For savoury lovers you could do a mix of nuts, chips, etc. or you go a little more up market and provide a nice crusty bread alongside some meats and cheeses from a specialist deli.

Ice cream lovers - head to Baskin Robbins. The have a great range of ice creams with a few take home pack choices and will also add a couple of flavours in there for you. I have seen at Kmart a "mix your own" ice cream set ($12) that contains a marble board and some paddles to mix in your favourite items into your ice cream just like Cold Rock.

Fruit lovers - head to the local markets and pick up a few gorgeous looking in season and rare items. Arrange in a basket and your done.

Non food ideas - this is kind of a tough one as everyone is different. My brother and I received a board game once as an Easter gift and it was perfect. It brings everyone together for a night of fun.

Easter Gift Ideas For Kids

2011-04-19T17:34:00.000+10:00

So, I've been wanting to bring you a series of Easter ideas for the whole family, from toddlers to adults. I even have a heap of photos on my camera to prove it. But unfortunately unless you are sitting next to me I can't show them to you = (

As Easter is fast approaching I thought I'd still share my ideas and borrow a few photos from around the web. Here we go:

Easter Gifts For Kids

My top tips are:

1. A book and a couple of small solid eggs or a medium sized hollow egg.

Source

The Humpty Dumpty eggs above are really popular. Go with a picture book for younger kids and an easy novel for older kids.

2. A toy and a sachet of chocolate custard with straw.

Source

Loving the prices at Kmart right now. Brian is getting the Medical Kit and Chocolate Custard for Easter as well as number 3 below.

3. A small licensed egg pack that includes a product you will use later on.

Source

This was $4 at Coles. Brian LOVES Thomas and I regularly serve him sultanas and small snacks in egg cups. This will be a hit!

4. Set of shape sorter eggs in carton (from Kmart) and a Bilby finger puppet (from Darrell Lea).

This was Brian's first Easter (2009). Not sure what's up with the tilted head. At 2.5 years old he's still playing with both of these toys.

5. Easter Novelties

Source

The first image is a wind up Easter egg that we picked up at Overflow yesterday for about $2.50. Brian absolutely loves it and is able to wind it up by himself. I've found it to be hit with older boys too.

The next two images are from Spotlight. Wind up eggs, pens and an Easter jigsaw puzzle.

Discount stores, craft stores (Spotlight and Lincraft) and Kmart, Big W and Target are great places to pick up all kinds of Easter toys and even craft activities. Consider giving these gifts a few days before Easter to build excitement and extend the season.

6. Fillable Containers

Source

This is an awesome gift when you don't want to give chocolate. You can fill these little guys up with a range of things from home baked goodies, to mini sultana packets, rusks or even a small toy or two. And if you are giving them to your own child they are reusable year after year.

These particular containers are from Spotlight (about $2 each), but you can pick up a range of other fillable containers at discount stores everywhere. They are usually about $2 for a pack of two. My local store has fillable carrots (3pk), eggs (2pk), little hard plastic bags (6pk), eggs with polka dots (3pk) and so on. Be sure to check back often during the season as I've found stock changes regularly.

What are you giving to the little ones in your life this Easter?

Hoping To Be Back Soon

2011-04-19T08:33:00.000+10:00

Hi,

Just a quick check in. We have a really busy week this week so posts might be few and far between. I'm still dying to bring you some pictures and was hoping to do that this week, but it might have to wait til the Easter break.

Finding it much harder to deal with long days as the pregnancy progresses. Yesterday we had to do a trip to the shopping centre in two parts - a morning and afternoon/evening session. Thank goodness Brian is up for it.

We had a fair bit of rain yesterday so it was time to break out Brian's new shower proof jacket. He loved it, taking it off each time we left a shop and on again for outdoors. At one point I parked in a HUGE puddle and just stood there getting wet myself watching him jump and splash to his hearts content! Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me, but it was a priceless childhood moment.

Be back as soon as I can.

Brooke

Three On Friday : Addicted, Craving, Waiting

2011-04-15T15:23:00.000+10:00

Addicted...

Source

... to Euchre online at Yahoo! My Nan taught this to me as a child, so playing is second nature and lots of fun.

Craving...

Source

... a hot dog with cheese, ginger onions, sauce and mustard alongside an icy cold Coke. I had the hot dog component at the Buderium Ginger Factory a few months ago (even though I shouldn't have) and have been craving another ever since. I can fix that craving by making some at home (much to Kevin's horror) but the Coke will have to wait til after the baby.

Waiting...

Source

... for one of these to show up on any second hand site in Australia! I'm really wanting one for the baby's room, even though there may not be enough space. I'll make it fit!

Weight

2011-04-13T08:31:00.000+10:00

My favourite (can't miss an episode) show right now is The Biggest Loser. I've never ever watched a season of the show and even at the beginning I didn't watch every single episode. The Westren family though, drew me in, particularly Lara.

Source: The Biggest Loser

If you watch the show you will know that Lara was eliminated in Sunday night's episode. It kind of broke my heart.

Source: The Biggest Loser

Lara at her starting weight of 107.1 kg

Right now I'm the heaviest I've ever been, and that's probably fairly harsh seeing as I'm 29 weeks pregnant. But truth be told, before this pregnancy I was also the heaviest I've been. I wanted to document how much of an inspiration Lara has been so that after the baby is born I can set about looking after myself and getting back to a happy healthy weight.

Source: The Biggest Loser

Lara at her elimination weight of 69.7 kg

I totally admired Lara's commitment. She set out to achieve a goal and gave her absolute all, all of the time to get there. There were no complaints and no excuses. I also loved to see how her relationship with Leigh blossomed over competitiveness. I'd have to say a big part of the Westren success has also come from their trainer Shannon. He's been there for them 100% of the time, getting into their heads when it's needed and maintaining motivation with goals and varied exercises. All attributes I know I'll have to find in the exercising options I choose for myself.

And on food. Everyone in the house noticed how horrible their bodies felt after going back to bad foods they had been absent from for a period of time. I've noticed that lately too. And I'd like to remember that feeling. Fueling your body with comfort foods because you think it will make you feel good, doesn't make you feel that way at all.

On The Menu This Week

2011-04-10T13:31:00.000+10:00

Our grocery budget runs monthly starting on the 15th of the month. The last week of the budget always scares me as I have to "fit it all in". This week are using what's in the fridge, freezer and pantry so I'll have very few items to pick up and that makes me happy!

Source: My Kitchen Rules

Sunday: Roast Beef & Potato Gratin
Potato gratin recipe from My Kitchen Rules, couldn't find leek so are replacing the leek and red onions with brown onions. Wondering exactly how bad all that cream will be! Beef will be roasted with some mustard and garlic on top. Poor Kevin is working on an assignment at his office and he's if he's still there at dinner time will be eating ham and mustard sandwiches!

Monday: Roast Beef & Potato Gratin
To make my weeks easier I cook a meal that serves 4 and we have it two nights in a row. I don't find this too repetitive as I'm always trying new meals. We are not one of those families that has the same thing week in, week out or even month to month. I thank Super Food Ideas magazine for constant inspiration!

Source: Taste.com.au

Tuesday: Pear & Parmesan Salad With Chicken
Pear & Parmesan Salad recipe from Super Food Ideas. Will probably ditch the rocket and witlof as I already have everything else. Chicken will be what looks good at time of shopping - most likely seasoned roasting pieces. I shred and freeze left overs and use them in salads or pizzas, etc. later on.

Source: Taste.com.au

Wednesday: Vegetable Fritters, Steamed Broccoli & Fish
Vegetable Fritters recipe from Super Food Ideas. We'll skip all the fancy accompaniments and just have the actual fritters. Broccoli to use up what's in the fridge. I've started something new in the way of shopping for fruit and veggies and I'll share it with you as soon as I can get photos from my camera to the computer. Fish is that horrible crumbed stuff from the freezer section, I have a half box left over. Sad, but I don't have the courage to cook fresh fish!

Thursday: Avocado, Chicken & Cheese Melts
Will share pictures and recipe of this with you soon. It's easy, fresh and cheesy. Kevin will be late this night so Brian and I take it really easy.

Friday: Pizzas
Also have a yummy recipe and pictures to share of this one too (more on that another day). We'll just be putting on what's in the fridge. Probably chicken or left over beef, tomatoes, pineapple, capsicum, onion and tinned corn.

Saturday: Left Overs
I'm keeping this day free as I have a feeling the salad might last us two nights, bumping everything one day further into the week. If not, Brian and I will have some kind of left overs, possibly Chow Mein from the freezer. Kevin will be at the footy! Owh, maybe Brian and I can have a footy night complete with hot dogs - not sure they are on the toddler healthy foods list or the pregnant Mummy list though!!

Sunday: Left Overs Again
Also keeping this night free. We might be having a big lunch so a little dinner will probably be in order. Kevin will be late, group assignment meeting, poor guy is more than run off his feet lately. We have lots of reserves in the freezer and pantry.

Part 3 Of What Has Become The Friday Weekly Recap

2011-04-08T09:13:00.001+10:00

Friday's have turned into my "weekly recap blog day", so lets finish this series on a high. Brian and I have had a pretty awesome week. We haven't done a lot but the time we have spent together has been fairly cool, calm and collected. I've really found that with both of us less tired and exhausted we have enjoyed spending time together. Highlights of the week:

a successful overnight stay at Nanny & Pop's
having a friend over for a play date - even though Brian was so shy he snuggled me the whole time
a 3.5 hour nap instead of attending Playgroup - proof the little guy really is tired on Monday mornings!
sitting our chairs side by side and eating our cheese sandwiches together, with lots of snuggles in between
an adventure to pick up fish and chips for dinner - the little guy got to carry the Brian sized parcel from the shop to the car and then all the way home. As I turned a corner Brian said "ah my lunch!" as he nearly lost control of the parcel. I wasn't allowed to do that again! Brian opened up the parcel as I was getting the plates and said in the happiest voice ever "look Mummy it's chippies". He ate the fish as if it was the best thing in the world - I must say it is pretty good.
a successful and stress free mini grocery trip that included eating a snack (for Mummy) and a sandwich (for Brian) in the food court. It also included awesome service at the IGA service desk and a nice conversation with an elderly shopper. No throwing Thomas' boat (the bottom removable part of Brian's drink bottle) under the shelves this time.
a super excited little man when the fruit and veggie delivery arrived and the following vegetable naming game/lesson that ensued.

In all a pretty special week that makes me feel so lucky to be sharing it with my little guy.

First Sleep Over At 2 Years, 9 Months

2011-04-06T09:58:00.000+10:00

Monday night was Brian's first sleep over away from Kevin and I. I was nervous. We had to attend a refresher antenatal class that finished at 9pm, so this was the perfect opportunity for a trial run of what will happen when the baby comes.

Brian went to Nanny and Pop's house and was so well behaved that Dad told me he didn't even push any boundaries. It made me pretty proud to hear that. I totally respect what it must be like to be a Grandparent and think that having to discipline your Grandchild must take away from that fun.

This suitcase was full when it left the house!

I have fond memories of playing and staying at my Grandparent's when I was young, so it's exciting to know that Brian is now creating some of those memories for himself. He was even so bold as to ask for "special ice cream" after dinner. Apparently when Nanny told him she didn't have any he decided he would have "creamy yoghurt" instead. Talk about descriptive - must have had a creamy craving!

We all love that he feels so at home there. I guess that comes from visiting nearly every weekend!

Nanny dressing Brian

Tuesday was a bit of a recovery day for everyone. Dad had been waiting for Brian to wake up since 5am, but the little guy slept in til 7!

We are wondering whether we squeeze in one more overnight stay before the baby comes. Kevin and I would so love a night out, dinner and a movie if we can stay awake long enough!

P.S. Thanks Dad for taking pictures!

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[Tips For First Sleep Overs : What Worked For Us]

It's easier on everyone if the child knows the people looking after them and vice versa. And being comfortable in the babysitting environment helps.
Pack well (don't forget your son's t-shirt like I did!) and be sure to include some cuddly comforts from home. Brian has a blankie at Nanny and Pop's house, but I took his one from home just in case.
Start out short. I dropped Brian off about 4pm, leaving myself at 5:15pm and then back the next morning at 9:15am.
Make sure your carers know it's ok to discipline your child. And that you would prefer it that way. You don't want your child running all over the carer. I explained that when I discipline Brian I always tell him why I don't want him doing whatever it is he's doing. I find it helps him understand why I'm asking him to stop.
Pack some toys. My poor parents end up reading 24/7 to Brian when he's there as he just loves it so much. I was careful to take quiet time toys that didn't involve reading, to give my parents a break. We took a fishing puzzle, a new car for his roadways playmat (a new Nanny purchase) and a bargain Take Along Thomas set I purchased a while back. Brian had never seen it before and it was a huge hit.
Provide a list for the carer. Include the child's regular schedule, a break down of what you do at each stage and lyrics to their bedtime song (if they have one). I also included a "bad behaviour" section and briefed my parents on what I'd been experiencing with Brian, so if he got out of control they might be able to find a quicker way to calm him. Even if your carer doesn't use the list it's there if they need it.
You'll miss your child like crazy but be sure to take advantage of the break.

Gym

2011-04-04T07:34:00.000+10:00

In a couple of weeks time we will say goodbye to our (Brian's) gym. I can't for the life of me remember exactly how many terms we have been there, fairly sure it's 3. During that time Brian has come a pretty long way. He's much more into climbing, can finally jump, really loves singing and dancing, is overcoming his fear of the dinosaur and is usually first in line for his end of lesson stamps (in 5 places - two feet, one tummy, two hands!). Not to mention we now know a bunch more songs like Hot Potato, We're Going To Majorca and Rock-A-Bye Your Bear.

Gym is something I'd love for him to continue but we are leaving for two reasons. One, Brian is too comfortable there now. So much so that he only plays with the things he likes. I don't feel he's stepping out of his comfort zone anymore. And two, the major reason, is that with the baby coming we aren't going to be able to make it to every lesson (you pay by the term). It's time for me to ease off on somethings and make life more manageable.

The initial plan was to start swim lessons in Term 2 this year, but reality has set it - how exactly will I manage that being heavily pregnant and then when the baby comes along? Brian and I in the water, the baby by the pool - no thanks! I think our best option is some pay by the week activities. Hopefully the variety and new people will encourage Brian out of his shell a little more. We did make a trip to another PCYC a couple of weeks back and I was surprised how well Brian adjusted and he had an absolute blast! With both these gym classes and others like it I always come away with wonderful ideas for us to continue at home, so I look forward to that.

Tough Week

2011-04-01T14:18:00.000+10:00

It's been a tough week and I'm completely exhausted. Unfortunately my week has ended with even more issues, like the biggest wee in the world all over the couch (thank God for leather) and a supplier that won't return all of our money after incorrectly charging our credit card.

I find weeks get tougher in our house when Kevin's uni catches up with him and/or it's assignment time. It usually means not much of a weekend and so it leaves all of us heading into the next week not feeling refreshed. I've come to discover that weekends are a true treasure.

There has been a couple of little Brian moments that I wanted to share, because in a week that's been a little too crazy there is always something you'd like to cherish:

painting an Easter Egg picture with water colours, just Brian and I together while nothing else mattered
being forced to eat a jam sandwich because Brian thought it was super special that Mummy would eat the same thing as he was
Brian eating said sandwich in world record time and insisting he gives me a kiss and a cuddle before we sing our nap time song
the little giggles when we changed "Hey Di Ho" (the elephant is so slow) to "Hey Di Hoses"
showing Daddy the "Chocolate Carols" (Crackles) he made, and eating one together
the story that went along with the block building
pretend calling Daddy on the phone to tell him "Mummy's blood test was good" (I passed the Glucose test)

So Great I Had To Review It For You : Ave' Cucina

2011-03-30T07:30:00.006+10:00

Sunday morning was wonderful, so wonderful in fact that I can't not tell you about it. Now, this was a Mum's morning out, no children and no camera. So a review without photos might be interesting but we'll see how we go.

Source: Ave' Cucina & Coffee Bar on Facebook

4 other Mums and I (minus the kids) met at Ave' Cucina (16 Eva Street, Coorparoo). None of us had ever tried it, but we knew of the cafe due to the My Kitchen Rules fame of owners Shadi and Veronica. I loved how they drew on their Lebanese and Italian heritage for awesome dishes during the show and I had wanted to try Ave' Cucina for dinner (little did I know then that they are a cafe, not a restaurant and, not open for dinner service). I must admit I was a little worried we would be missing out on the true style of the place by going for breakfast. Boy was I wrong.

As dishes came out from the kitchen, people at other tables were literally "oohing and aahing" over them. There is no doubt a lot of thought has been put into the way each meal & beverage is served. A couple of my friends had the french toast (with a side of bacon) which simply looked stunning. Apparently the fruit compote served with it is divine.

If I tell you right now that the presentation of this dish has changed since the photo below, and that the new version looks sooo much nicer (is that possible?), then you're ordering this one right?

Source: The Courier Mail

What I loved about the menu is that there was something for everyone. A great mix of light and heavier meals as well as small and larger dishes, I think I even spied a little children's menu. Really, whatever you felt like you could find something to accommodate.

The freshly squeezed juices are a must. Flavours vary (I'm assuming they are seasonal), on the day we had a choice of apple, pineapple and mint or orange. I went for the first one and it sounded so good that a couple more were added to our table. The wait staff seemed to forget about our juices and they were delivered at the end of our meal after a little reminder, which I actually preferred. The fresh finishing to the breakfast was lovely and chilled water constantly being delivered to our table meant we didn't go thirsty. As we were leaving I spied a couple who ordered the orange juice, it was neon in colour and looked divine. I'm wondering if I could get away with a little return trip just for one of those!

Source: Bean Hunter

The inside of the cafe is small and cozy which made for a nice chat, but there is more space outside. On a Sunday morning the place was quite busy and as we left there was a short line up. Arrive at 7:50am and you should be fine.

Another great touch was that the waitress had tallied up our bill and calculated how much it would be for each person. I was thankful I didn't have to deal with any maths on a Sunday morning.

Overall it really seems that Shadi and Veronica have thought of everything. We are all raving about a wonderful morning that was made so much more by great friendly service, yummy fresh food and a place that feels like it knows who it is.

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Ave' Cucina & Coffee Bar
16 Eva Street, Coorparoo
Phone: 3161 5937

Hours: Wed - Sat 7am - 3:30pm
Sun 8am - 1pm
Parking: Car park and street parking, plenty available

The Week That Was

2011-03-25T17:59:00.000+10:00

Friday 5:30pm finds me totally exhausted, bed right now sounds just perfect but I'm still "on duty" Brian-wise. So I'd settle for a chocolate covered face of my own:

Brian's first chocolate freckle from this day.

The rest of our week looked a little like this:

Spent almost a whole day deleting files off the Mac so I could download some photos and finally bring you something new. Turns out it's a little more complicated than that - it's a job for my technician (darling hubby, Kevin).
Have been husband-less since Tuesday. Kevin returns tomorrow morning and we can't wait. Brian and I are both feeling like puppy dogs waiting at the door for his return! Yesterday Brian declared "I'm going to wait for Daddy" and proceeded to unlock the front door all by himself. A little taller and we'll need a new lock on there!
Just found out that my Japanese friend, Hiromi and her family are safe. I didn't have a current email address and had to rely on snail mail. It arrived there much faster than I expected. I can't tell you how relieved I am. We pretty much consider Hiromi and her family as part of ours. Even my Nan called to see if she was ok!
Really loving having a toddler as my sidekick, but could totally do without the new found tantrums.
Not that you wanted to know (but it MUST be documented), yesterday Brian demanded he would take off his shorts and nappy all by himself. And would climb onto the toilet (with no step-stool) also by himself. His "climbing technique" is hilarious and kinda scary for a Mummy but he did it perfectly while I sat on the chair we now keep outside the toilet (as we spend so much time there).
Glucose screening test for the pregnancy today. 3 hours in a waiting room with Brian (the test is 2 hours long). Thank goodness he is well behaved. He did perfectly until the last 30 minutes. For me, 3 days of carb loading, 3 needles and one horrible drink that makes me never want sugar or potatoes again! Results Wednesday.
Brian is a hoot during the dance session at gym. Totally embarrassing, and totally cute all at the same time. They have been singing "We're Going To Majorca" while shaking maracas and freezing in certain spots. Brian says "freeze" louder than the teacher and has the cutest little freeze/jazz hands as he says it.
Brian has asked me a few times this week to play "Hide & Seek". He's much better at it than he used to be. Brian's always the one to count and I have to hide, although sometimes he gets a little confused and hides while he's counting. Lucky for him he counts so fast that he gets a glimpse of where I'm hiding before he's done. He absolutely has a blast playing this game.

National Playgroup Week

2011-03-21T06:43:00.003+10:00

20th - 26th March 2011 is National Playgroup Week. What this means for families is that Playgroups around Australia are hosting a range of fun events. Last year we went to a local event and I was surprised how it changed and challenged my ideas on PLAY.

I think in today's society kids have so many toys that it's really easy to lose sense of our own imaginations and just let them play with commercially purchased toys. But let's face it, the real fun, and for me a real childhood is about getting messy, dirty and using your imagination.

What I love about these Playgroup events is that there is a real shift back to those basic, fun methods of play. Dare I admit it but I was absolutely blown away when I walked into the event last year and saw a bunch of kids painting with water on concrete. Why hadn't I thought of that? And you can't really get much cheaper can you? Most of us have a bucket and a paintbrush lying around.

National Playgroup Week is running around Australia all this week. Click here to find out more about what's on in your area. And if you attend an event please leave me a comment about one of the activities you saw that blew you away.
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We are linking up again with Childhood 101, the families there are never short on great ideas for play. Make sure you check out the "We Play.." post that goes live every Tuesday.

An Easy Recipe For The Weekend

2011-03-18T15:00:00.000+10:00

A couple of weeks back I had a MAJOR craving (new favourite term) for this pasta recipe. It's chickeny and creamy, yet fresh and I needed that. I searched for ages through my Super Food Ideas magazines - I knew it was in an early edition. Turns out it was in the very first one I bought way back in September 2002!

The only "pregnancy changes" I made to this recipe was to use semi-dried tomatoes from a jar instead of the deli. Thank goodness I'm not as strict this time around - with Brian I didn't even eat mince!

Almost ready.
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Chicken Pesto Pasta

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

500g chicken mince

1/4 cup prepared pesto sauce

1/2 cup cream

1/4 cup sliced semi sun-dried tomatoes

seasonings to taste

250g packet ribbon pasta (I used 500g fettuccine to make it go further)

basil leaves, to garnish

shaved parmesan cheese, to garnish

1. Heat oil in a frying pan. Saute onion and garlic until onion is tender. Add mince. Brown well, breaking up with a spoon as it cooks.

2. Stir in sauce, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Cook pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until tender. Drain and toss through sauce. Top with basil and parmesan. Serve immediately with bread and salad. (We just had the pasta by itself).

Dyed Pasta Necklaces

2011-03-15T08:05:00.000+10:00

Today we are playing along for the first time with Christie from Childhood 101. Once you have read this fun "We Play" post you can head over to the Childhood 101 We Play Link Up and check out what other families have been playing lately.

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Pasta necklaces have been a HUGE crafting hit in our family. Mum loves the price, Brian loves the "threading", Daddy loves being silly wearing necklaces around his head and the Mum's at Playgroup think I know what I'm doing.

Here's how to make some dyed pasta necklaces for yourself:

1. Start with some white vinegar (or water), food colouring, pasta (tubes, so you can thread them) and zip lock bags.

2. Add a small amount of vinegar (or water) to a zip lock bag and then a few drops (I went nuts and did about 10) of food colouring to the bag.

3. Pour in some pasta.

4. Mix it up and then drain straight away on paper towel lined plates. Repeat with remaining colours.

5. Once the pasta has drained off I dried mine on baking racks. So that the paper towel didn't stick and continue to make the pasta soggy.

6. When the pasta is completely dry add them to a container and mix them up. Use some string (I used a plastic craft string available by the roll from a $2 shop) and let your child start threading. It's best to tie one piece of pasta to the end of the string so they don't keep falling off. Also if you can find the plastic string it's more sturdy and easier for the kids to thread.

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[Tips]:

I dyed half of my pasta in water and the other half in vinegar and didn't really find much of a difference. Obviously the vinegar smells a little, but it's not too harsh.
You will notice that my pasta has little cracks in it. And I'm not sure if that's due to the pasta quality or dying process? In any case these pasta pieces have held up for lots and lots of play and repeated "empty the container all over the floor" games. Some pieces have shattered over time.
Next time I would buy pasta that is cut on a straight line and not a diagonal so they sit better on the necklace. And I'd probably try a pasta that has grooves in the surface, hoping that will avoid the cracked look.
This makes an awesome birthday gift. It's super cheap and easy to make and provides hours of fun.

Japan

2011-03-14T14:05:00.000+10:00

My heart is breaking.

13 Steps To Bargain Shopping Success

2011-03-11T08:11:00.000+10:00

Firstly, I know a couple of bargain shoppers far greater than myself, so Kerri and Dezzie you are my heroes.

Here's my bargain shopping tips, we'll start with the basics and end with the good stuff:

1. Know the regular prices of items you are looking for.
You don't know how good a bargain it is otherwise.

2. Know who the item is for before you buy.
If you are just buying because it's a bargain and you don't have a specific person in mind then chances are it will sit in your cupboard for years and really not be saving you anything.

3. Stick to your budget.
If you spend more than your budget you aren't saving money are you?

4. Research before you go.
Know what you are after, it makes seeking it out a much easier experience. And take a list so you don't forget anything.

5. Keep a record.
Keep a list of items you have bought, how much you paid, who it's for and on what occasion they will receive it. Doubling up isn't going to save you anything.

6. Shop at the right times of the year.
I don't quite have this down pat yet but what I do know is that right now (late February/early March) stores are clearing out summer stock. They are really down to the last little bits so prices are insane. I picked up a t-shirt for Brian for $1 the other week.

I'm a bit of a believer that the "end of year" and "end of financial year" sales aren't quite as good as they claim to be. It seems the real bargains come a little later on.

For toys, 1st July is your time to shop. This is the time of the year that shops like Kmart, Target and Big W have their major toy sales. They bring in extra stock just for these sales and you will often find items that you can't get at any other time of the year. Toy kitchens, construction benches and bigger toys are king during this month. Needless to say the shops are insanely busy at this time of year so go online, shop using the catalogue and line up on day one for your goods.

Last year I was actually at Target while they were putting the display stock from the July sale on clearance. If your budget is super tights and you are dreaming of a wonderful play kitchen then this might be your time to hang around - I'm sure tapping the Manager on the shoulder when he/she is looking overwhelmed with what they need to clear might work in your favour and theirs.

7. Compare stores.
Clearly this is time consuming and really bargain shopping is a lot about doing the footwork and saving yourself money. I'm lucky enough to have the time to do this.

Here's an example for you:
This Fisher-Price Medical Set is $15 at Kmart. A couple of weeks ago it was $19.
It's about $19 at Big W and is $19 at Target. $4 isn't much but if your budget for a gift was $15 this shopping around would make the difference.

One store is generally not cheaper overall than another. Know what you want and keep your eyes out.

8. Know what's going on in retail.
A couple, or even one visit to your local Kmart store will tell you times are changing. And while I'm not a fan of this it's good for the bargain shopper. Kmart is in the process of clearing out a lot of stock and replacing it with their own home maker brand. This means crazy prices. I picked up a plastic shoe box with lid (to hold our Playgroup's train set) for $1.50 earlier this week.

If you have a Thomas fan for a son you may or may not know that their different ranges are manufactured by different companies. Right now they are in the process of changing manufacturers and renaming sets. This is the sole reason Kevin and I went nuts buying Brian's train set - clearance baby! For the consumer this means stores are clearing out old lines and I'm pretty sure this is why I found some incredible bargains last week. The beauty of Thomas is that the new sets are compatible with the old, they may just look a little different.

My other bargain finds last week came from knowing about the Angus and Robertson issues. If places are closing you can bet they are going to be clearing stock.

9. Shop at stores that don't have enough staff.
Now we are getting to the cruel bargaining tactics. I saw unbelievable evidence of this last week. I shopped in a shopping centre I've only been to about twice before. When I went to the Thomas aisle it was a shambles. No ticket prices, and products shoved on the shelf absolutely anywhere. Many blocking the view of other products. What this means is that the staff and the customers have no idea how much half of those products are. My secret, go scan them. This is how I found the train set for $6.87. And another tip, if it's a long walk to the scanner, most stores now have mini scanners in the book and DVD sections, so use them.

10. Shop at stores you often forget about.
(Stop reading Kerri). If you are lucky enough to live by an Aldi store, don't dismiss them. I purchased a gift for my niece from a fancy toy store for $15, only to find a similar item for sale at Aldi the next week for $5! The Aldi product had more pieces too. Aldi publish their weekly catalogues online ahead of time so it's easy to pre-plan.

Around Christmas time a lot of stores get in little knick knack items. Often unique ideas that you don't usually see. They are generally well priced before Christmas but don't forget that after Christmas they have to get rid of them.

Ikea has great prices and a lot of people forget about it because it's usually a long trip. If the person you are shopping for doesn't have access to Ikea then shop there. Also, if you join their Family, you get extra discounts.

Fetes are great places to pick up handmade crafty items. They take a long time to plan so most are on somewhere between May - October. Items get cheaper closer to the end of the day.

Industrial areas are awesome places to find bargains. Research and ask other Mum's about warehouses and clearance outlets in your area. Some aren't the best and sell horrible quality products so my tip is to find good quality products and stores and see if they have outlets. Also places that sell to schools are fantastic and will often also sell to the public.

11. Give your legs a rest.
If you are lucky enough to find a local warehouse then get on their mailing list so you don't miss out on their sales.

You can keep track of prices by searching online and also most stores have catalogues online too, making comparing a little easier on those feet. Sometimes calling for a price or clothing size is much easier than bundling up the kids and driving to the store.

12. Plan ahead.
Deciding on a theme (Thomas) for Brian's birthday party (27th June) well ahead of time has allowed me plenty of time to find Thomas bargains.

At Christmas I'm still in the gift giving frame of mind and often will make up a list of gifts to give the following year. I basically already know what everyone in my family is getting this Christmas. As the ideas are in my mind, if I see something that suits I can keep my eye on it to see if it goes on sale, better still if it's on sale I'll grab it.

Keep a list of children's ages and sizes with you. That way if you find something you can buy them then and there.

13. Most of all...
stay on your hubby's good side. Let's face it there's a certain thrill to bargain shopping and you don't want that smile wiped off your face when you come home and hubby has seen the credit card bill!

Early Christmas Shopping & Finding Bargains

2011-03-09T11:18:00.000+10:00

Last week Brian and I spent every spare second at a shopping centre. Hopefully this doesn't count as child torture but we were on a mission to cross a few things off the Christmas/Birthday gift shopping list and the sales were too good to miss.

Our insane week started with a phone call from a friend on Tuesday about reduced Thomas (the Tank Engine) stock at Myer. We changed our grocery shopping plans to the local Westfield and paired it with a trip to Myer. The score:

Early Engineers Gordon (18 months plus) - $9.78, was $19.95

Brian has the Thomas from this range and I loved that it was safe for him from 18 months onwards. Thomas lives in my hand/baby bag and is our greatest friend! This will likely be a birthday present for one of Brian's friends.

Day two saw us heading further afield to a pick up one of these from Big W:

Thomas And Friends Ultimate Box - $10, was $16.68

I didn't care how much we were saving with this one, only that it was $10 and filled with Thomas bits and pieces for Brian's upcoming 3rd birthday party. It will be Thomas themed, so I'm collecting all kinds of Thomas bits for inside goodie bags and prizes for games like pass the parcel.

Our second deal of the day was:

Thomas and Friends Mega Bloks Thomas - $5, was $9.84

This will likely be the major prize inside pass the parcel at Brian's party.

Our next INSANE deal was this major find:

Thomas and Percy Take Along Starter Set - $6.87, was $20+

I nearly died when I scanned this little baby and at first had to readjust my eyes to make sure there wasn't a 1 in front of the 6! At the time I had no idea what this set would have been worth, I estimated about $35. It's on Amazon for $38.99, but did find it online at Central Station Toys for $19.95. Still it's a bargain! I got two, one for Brian (not sure when we will give it to him) and the other as a gift for one of Brian's friends.

We also scored a couple of clothing items from Kmart for Brian's cousins, can't say too much more as their Mom reads this.

Day 3 we headed to another shopping centre. This time I wanted to check out Borders as I love their stationery and home wares. Borders and Angus and Robertson are currently under voluntary administration and while I had read that my nearest Borders store would be safe I wanted to go anyway. We didn't spend a thing at Borders that day, but after our visit to Toys R Us (Brian heaven) I spotted a 50% off everything sign outside Angus and Robertson. I walked inside and was about to call Kevin to see if he needed any books and then I spotted this:

The Complete Peter Rabbit Library - $40, was $79.99, RRP $109.99

Kevin's sister had this series as a child, so he's always been interested in these classics. I knew he would go for it and he did! I think in another, richer life Kevin and I were book collectors! This one we are keeping for Brian. Maybe an Easter present? Although I like to keep Easter presents to two small gifts.

I also picked up another book which I had my eye on around Christmas time. I totally forgot that I had planned it as a gift for my nieces and it's going to be awesome!

So that was my insane week of spending. The best part is that I've knocked a good chunk off my Christmas and Birthday shopping, and the savings have kept me on Kevin's good side.

On Friday I'll share my tips for bargain shopping with you.

Food, Pregnancy & An Egg-Free Potato Salad Recipe

2011-03-07T07:31:00.000+10:00

One of my biggest struggles with being pregnant (apart from the varicose veins and HUGE tummy) is knowing what to eat.

Before I get to generalising about what you can and can't eat during pregnancy I just wanted to say that what is deemed safe and unsafe during pregnancy, I have found varies between Doctors, states and certainly countries. Please see your Doctor and follow their advice, today I'm just sharing what I've been advised and what restrictions I've put on myself knowing the risks.

If you are in Queensland here is the Healthy Eating and Food Safety document provided by the State Government (to be reviewed in June 2012).

And here is my bible to eating cheese while pregnant. What I love about this document by Babycenter Australia is that it includes SAFE cheeses. When I'm unsure if a cheese is safe it's nice to be able to check a list, without it I never would have eaten cream cheese or mascarpone and would have had to do more research into sour cream (which is safe).

Generally the things you need to avoid come in three major groups and relate to avoiding food poising:

Listeria - Dairy products should be pasteurised, avoid certain uncooked cheeses (soft, feta, etc.) and don't eat ready-to-serve chickens from delis. Don't eat soft serve icecream and beware that thickshakes and some milkshakes are made with soft serve icecream.
Salmonella - Eat only thoroughly cooked egg. Avoid mayonnaise and other products that use raw egg as an ingredient.
Toxoplasmosis - Avoid meat that is not completely cooked. Don't eat rare or bleeding steaks. Don't eat raw, cured meat such as Parma ham. Toxoplasmosis can also be present in soil so wash all fruit and vegetables well.

I also avoid:

alcohol - I generally don't drink (and enjoy having the big belly that says "no wine thank you") but I do have about a tablespoon full of Moose Milk at Christmas time. It's a highly alcoholic drink and while pregnant I just mix melted (egg-free) icecream and nutmeg for my yearly fix.
caffeine - no cola drinks, tea or coffee.
eating out - when eating out I don't eat salads or fruit of any kind, I only eat fully cooked hot meals.
anything from the deli - I eat ham (off the bone) only once at Christmas and I heat it to steaming in the microwave.
sushi - I don't eat any rice that hasn't been cooked right then and there and served to me steaming hot.

Generally I find when I'm pregnant that my food choices widen as I progress with the pregnancy, only because I become more aware of what I can eat. The hardest thing for me is not being able to go out and enjoy a healthy fresh meal. Obviously you can do this, for example a Thai stir fry but I can't just go out and buy a salad sandwich or a salad and that kills me (other's do but I'm not taking that risk). Sometimes having to prepare everything is just too much and I need a break, and my body needs that break to be a nutritional one!

So my reason for telling you all this? So I can share some pregnancy friendly recipes to help with those cravings! A few weeks back I had a craving for a burger, and when I say craving, I mean CRAVING!!

So here's the changes I made:

pure and simple I switched mayonnaise for hommus.

In recent weeks I've actually contacted Kraft Foods Australia and found out:

"Our Mayonnaise and salad dressing product range, contain pasteurised egg and are suitable to consume whilst pregnant."

I guess it's reasonable to assume that packaged mass produced products don't contain raw egg as that would effect their shelf life, but I'm always one to err on the side of caution. At least now I can feel confident using up those jars I have in the fridge!

What was in the burger?

toasted bun
hommus
lettuce
tomato
tasty cheese
chicken breast fillet (which was butterflied and roasted in peri peri sauce)

And my egg free potato salad recipe?

approx 1.7kg potatoes (peeled, cubed and boiled)
300ml sour cream
roughly 2 tablespoons mustard (I use a hot German mustard, but any is good)
some chopped shallots

Mix sour cream with mustard. Place your cooked potatoes into a bowl and sprinkle with shallots, add sour cream mixture and stir. Refrigerate and serve cold. I made this for my family recently and it served 5 adults and one child with heaps of left overs and most of us having huge double servings.

Finely chopped snow peas work really well instead of shallots too. Adds a yummy crunch.

Where We Are At

2011-03-01T11:13:00.001+10:00

Today is all about:

recovering from yesterday's trip to:

Source: Leong Ming En

which is always followed by a trip next door. Needless to say it was FULL day. Call it a good review but I couldn't convince Brian that the MegaCentre was NOT a "motel"!

When driving to Ikea I never know which exit to take off the highway, usually just relying on the "once you see it take the exit" technique. This failed miserably yesterday and I ended up doing a u-turn at Yatala (15 kms/9.3 miles past my exit)!! Apparently the horrible night sleep I had (and continue to have) is leaving me more tired than I realised!

figuring out our weekly meal plan which is proving to be an insanely harder task than it should be. I've got the ideas, I just know I don't have the energy to turn them into our dinner.
doing our grocery shop. We are ditching Coles and switching to Woolworths, albeit one that is a little further away - that is a whole other post in itself!

The rest of the week is all about:

getting a little boy (who has now been sick for an entire week) better. We are nearly there and thankfully he's well past being terrified every time he's coughing and totally congested.
figuring out how I download my photos from my camera to a computer. Our Mac (laptop) has no space left and I'm not allowed to download to the Desktop computer - apparently it's a much more full on process involving filing in the correct places. Enter my trip to Ikea experience and I'm on Kevin's side - don't let me do it!
keeping up with the chores. Once you are in a good place you need to keep it going!
trying to get this need to shop out of my system without spending any money! I'm already part way done on my Christmas/birthday/Easter shopping. I've already got little Easter presents for my two young cousins (we don't regularly give them gifts but we will be seeing them around Easter), birthday presents for two nieces and one nephew and half a birthday present for another niece. I'm loving getting in early and am hoping to be done before the baby arrives. I seem to think my life will be over when the baby is born (in a good way) - I'm making absolutely no plans for anything after 27th June!
sticking to my new found schedule - at least in the planning department. I didn't do the "planning" part of my week last week which now finds me behind on blog posts, behind on menu planning and behind on grocery shopping. That doesn't make for an easy week.

Noosa Getaway

2011-02-25T06:49:00.001+10:00

This image melts my heart.

At the end of January we headed off for a much needed family getaway. Kevin had two weeks holiday over the Christmas break but work commitments meant that the second week was spent doing more work than he does during "non-holiday" times (we are talking hours of 7am til 2am the next morning!). So needless to say this was a much needed break! A trip to Noosa was something we hoped to do over the Christmas break, but ended up delaying until the Australia Day weekend. And we are soooo glad we did!

Kevin and I hadn't been to Noosa (swimming at the beach at least) for about 10 years! Not sure why, as we loved it last time. Our memories of our last trip were of spending seemingly hours jumping over waves on the beach. It's so peaceful there that you just can't leave.

Our little beach lover, in between rounds of swimming.

We can't tell you how special it was to introduce Brian to such fun. It was only his second time at the beach (this was his first) and his first getting more than just his ankles wet. He spent his time in the water clinging to Kevin (Mummy wasn't trusted), laughing, saying "here's comes a big one" (referring to the waves), and jumping over the waves with Daddy. We all had a blast! I only wish I could have had a waterproof camera (or one of those disposable underwater cameras) to catch the real fun of the day.

About to start the fun.

We stayed at The Sebel Resort Noosa, right on Hastings Street (the main street). If you can, staying on Hastings Street near all the action makes for a much more relaxed holiday - especially if it's just one night. The other special thing about our room was that it was resort style. I guess as our family grows we will have to look out for more of these types of motels. The space was a blessing and meant that we felt free and not cramped like we usually do when staying away from home. It even allowed us to put Brian's cot in the living area, closing it off so we could stay up a little later in our own room.

"I'm going to get sand in my toes" became an exciting phrase for a little boy.

Breakfast vouchers for Aromas Noosa were included in our Resort stay. I'd recommend staying at The Sebel just for them alone! When eating out it's a treat for us, so I always try and remember that it's a treat for Brian too. We were able to get him a meal that included fresh mango (to him fruit = lollies) and instead of an orange juice we got him a cup of milk. The staff there were amazingly friendly and accommodating. And all the food and juices/smoothies looked like they were out of a magazine, they were so fresh. Brian's cup of milk arrived and I nearly cried, he was so excited. They had filled a take away coffee cup and inserted a straw in the mouth piece. I thought there was no way he would drink all that milk, but it was gone in about 30 seconds! Brian declared it the "best breakky ever!".

Breathing is secondary when you have a drink like this!

We all had a fabulous time and although it was only one night it allowed us to recharge and refresh. As I've been sitting here editing photos, Brian is playing around me and every now and then looks over and says "the best beach ever" and "the best brekky ever", so I'd say it was pretty memorable too.

Total peace.

9 Years Ago I Was Here...

2011-02-23T07:27:00.000+10:00

It was a fabulous day with family and friends and of course the love of my life.

Happy Anniversary Kevin!! We are getting so old!!

Our Little Secret

2011-02-21T07:09:00.001+10:00

I've been keeping something from you for a LONG time, but finally no longer:

Yes, we are expecting number 2. Hard to believe with that extremely faint little line. Our new little family member is due on 27th June (Brian's 3rd birthday!! - we could only laugh), meaning that today I'm 22 weeks. And showing every single one of those weeks too!

Here's the little one at 20 weeks:

As with Brian, we did find out the gender but are keeping it a secret. I'm finding keeping that secret harder this time around but we know it's never 100% and we want to be able to share that exciting news when the baby is born.

The scan was perfect so I'm now feeling like all this is really happening. And truth be told we can't wait. I hope to bring you some more pregnancy related posts soon as holding back my thoughts and experiences has not been easy!

3 Things I'm Loving Lately

2011-02-18T06:49:00.000+10:00

1. Frappes, crushes and frozen drinks of any kind as long as they are dairy free and preferably fruity.

Source: Cosmetics & Fragrances

2. L'Occitane Vanilla Parfait Body Cream. They no longer make this stuff so I'm savouring the last little bits left in my 5 year old jar. The smallest amount provides a yummy scent that lasts all day long - in Brisbane heat mind you.

Source: Envirosax

3. Envirosax Greengrocer Series Bag. Probably well over a year ago Kevin walked in the door, after having been to a conference, carrying a bag. As soon as I saw it I was plotting ways to make it mine. I saw the little Envirosax logo on the side and knew the value of this free gift he was given. For some reason or other he let me have it and it's been my bestest friend ever since. The other week I used it to carry home some books and I left them in there for a few days. Oh how I missed that little guy!

If you haven't heard of Envirosax they are pretty awesome bags. They are strong, lightweight and washable. A lot of stores carry the Graphic Series which have some awesome designs, but the real secret, I think is in the Greengrocer Series. The bags in this series are slightly smaller (we are talking less than 3cm in width), but the handle is longer. To me this is important. I find the handle on the Graphic Series is a little too short to be comfortable over my shoulder, especially when full. The Greengrocer Series is just perfect. I place the handles of the bag over the handle on Brian's stroller and go shopping. Like I said, perfect.

Blogging

2011-02-16T07:11:00.000+10:00

Today I wanted to talk about blogging.

Early last week one of the Mum's from Playgroup turned to me and said "your blog is really wonderful". I'm kind of ashamed to say, but I jumped before I responded. Firstly I had totally forgotten that I sent her the link, so my first thought and comment was "how did you find it?"

And then recently during an email conversation with an old high school friend she mentioned how blogs are a wonderful way to document your life.

I agree. This is my fifth year blogging, can you believe it? I'm so grateful for the thoughts, photos and memories that it holds for me. I've never been able to stick to writing a diary and as much as I'd like to think I'm a scrapbooker, I'm really not. For my family this is the best and in most cases the only form of memory documentation we have. Sure we have pictures, but there's no written story to go along with those, unless it's here.

One of the things I find difficult with blogging is telling people I have one. When it comes down to it my blog is really my diary. Sure it's public and I like it that way, but there is something about knowing that strangers or blog friends are reading that makes it easier than knowing the people I see every week are reading. Don't get me wrong, if I see you weekly I really do want you to read. Reading other's blogs have, I think made me a better Mum and I especially love to read local Mummy blogs. The insight and experience of other's is priceless. Hopefully I can share that around.

Maybe it's a shyness and/or a what happens if I say the wrong thing kind of deal but really blogging is a pretty good form of therapy. Some days the posts just come, you might have other ideas in your head but somethings need to be let out before others, much like this post.

I just wanted to slip in a little thank you. A thank you to those of you that read. I know not everyone leaves comments and that's ok. It's just nice to know people are reading and enjoying my posts and really that's the thing that keeps me on here, so a very big THANK YOU for that.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on blogging. Do you blog? Do you want to blog? Why do you read blogs?

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T09:00:00.000+10:00

Us as little babies back in 1999.

Happy Valentine's Day Kevin!

I thought you might like to hear 14 reasons why I love you:

Quite simply, we just click.
You are always so welcoming of Brian, even when you are busy with work. I admire that.
The guidance you give is the light I can't always see.
Most days you think your budget is tough, but it's so right for us and our family. We've come so far.
You are just as willing for those sweet treats as I am. I loved it the other week when I said I felt like ice cream and you had this grin on your face. For those reading, while I was out Kevin ran outside to the Home Ice Cream van and stocked us up! I think we are on the same wavelength.
You are a wonderful Daddy to Brian. I can't fathom how much we love our little man.
I love that you are smart. Reading the news and then every forum known to man on every subject imaginable doesn't sound geeky to me. I love that your knowledge is so complete and diverse and that you love to learn.
I love (and miss) watching movies with you. I'm not sure if it was your plan to get me hooked on action movies just so you didn't have to watch chick flicks. In any case I'm glad you did.
I love how we think along the same lines in so many ways. Example: getting Brian's bed. We both want it to be a one off quality purchase.
I love the research you do. I trust you completely to make decisions on purchases, etc. because I know the research you do means you know more than the manufacturer. I love how you weigh up the options and make the best choice for us.
I love how comfortable you are with my family. If Dad was writing this he would have to mention how he's shaped you into the best ever (expensive) wine drinker and that you are that comfortable at their house that you nap EVERY TIME we are there. There is no greater feeling than a big happy family.
I love how we made the best little man in the world. He has so many of your attributes and I love to see them in him, and yes that includes your thumbs on his little hands.
I love that I can sway you ever so slightly. I'm so very grateful that you realised the need for us to getaway the other week. I love that you made it happen and it was wonderful.
I love that you are you and that you are my everything.

Happy Valentines Day Babe.

Shopping For Things That Don't Exist

2011-02-12T07:03:00.000+10:00

Sometimes I drive myself crazy. I get these ideas of the perfect thing I'd like to buy and often the items don't exist. You can imagine the search for these non-existent items is not much fun!

I thought I'd share with you my quest for a couple of items on my wish list. A quest that recently ended unexpectedly.

Enter Valentine's Day. Kevin and I don't usually get each other gifts, but this year I want to get him something. My idea was that I could buy a few chocolates (he loves truffles) and present them in a nice heart-shaped box. And if that box was plastic (and reusable) it would represent more value for money for me, next year I could fill it with little cookies. But in Australia it's not that easy to find an empty heart-shaped box to fill with your own goodies. I'm just imagining that it would be more common overseas.

Anyway, I usually get truffles individually at David Jones, that way you get to choose the flavours. But their boxes are a little on the plain side. I was thinking "why don't Tupperware make a heart-shaped box, similar to the TupperCare Everyday Bowls and in red". Not too much to ask?

Source: Tupperware

Tuppercare Bowls - Use your imagination now

So, in compiling this post I did a little research and was super surprised to find that Tupperware do make a couple of heart-shaped items:

Source: Food Storage Mall

The Tupperware Heart-Shaped Case Key Chain

and then...

Source: Auctions Australia

The Tupperware Heart Packable Case - and it's even available within Australia....BINGO!

Number two on my wish list is a sun hat with a full brim and velcro fastener suitable for a pony tail. Often we are at the park, or recently the beach and in the hot weather I wear my hair up. It's always very awkward and annoying to wear my normal wide brim hat with a pony tail. Not to mention the brim is a little too big and floppy that it restricts my vision, making me embarrassingly clumsy in these public places!

I knew I would have more luck on this front as these hats do exist. I did see them while we are away but we were too busy at the beach to bother about shopping.

Source: Swimwear Galore

Here they are online, so I've reassured myself I'll be able to pick one of these up without an hour+ trip north or south to the coast. Has anyone else noticed that the nice beachy clothes they sell in shops near the beach aren't available widely in other towns, like Brisbane? Or am I just a little sheltered in the shopping department?

Do you ever have a need for items that don't exist (or at least you think they don't)?

Cooking Round #2

2011-02-10T08:26:00.000+10:00

If you read this post then you would know that my favourite gift to give a new parent is a home cooked meal. For years I've enjoyed giving gifts where by adding my time I can increase the value of the gift, and this is no exception.

Last week was time again to cook a big feast. My friend Kirsten was finally able to bring home her new little bub and with no family close by a home cooked meal (and the welcome night off it provides) seemed perfect.

I cooked all day long for this one. Making up a bunch of toddler friendly snacks for her eldest, Ethan (he's the same age as Brian). I must admit it was just the push I needed to bake a whole heap of treats for Brian too. Kirsten is one of those Mummy's that bakes little scrolls, muffins and all kinds of yummy treats for her son. So I knew that giving her some of mine would ease the pressure so much more.

I delivered bacon, pineapple and cheese scrolls, cheese and Vegemite scrolls, apricot and sultana biscuits and chocolate freckles (as I know Ethan loves these). The dinner was chicken and ricotta cannelloni (yes I made this one last time) with a bean salad as the side dish.

This was my first attempt at making scrolls, but since I've been spending a secret fortune at the local bakery buying cheese and Vegemite scrolls for Brian, I just had to give it a go. I made mini versions and froze all of our snacks, so hungry Mummy's and/or Daddy's can't snack on them instead!

Kirsten and I were able to enjoy a nice chat after I dropped off the meal. Usually I just like to make it a drop and run so there is no need to worry about a clean house, etc. But I must admit that it was really nice to chat as I rarely get the chance when we meet on other outings. I'm usually too busy tending to Brian.