Ruh-Roh...

A little too much indulgence over the festive season for this little fatty. I didn't think I had gone too overboard as far as how much I ate, but all those meals followed by desert have caught up with me. I had already gained a couple of kilos after weaning my daughter and now I have gained a couple more. 

It is time to stop indulging and start making better choices, I will need to start actively trying to lose some weight now. My first little mini goal will be to lose those extra kilos that I have acquired. I would love to be able to hit the gym but it's not in the budget, will have to start going for walks around the neighbourhood. Plus I told my husband that I would work out with him in his home gym set up. Time to hit up Pinterest for some healthy nutritious meals that don't taste like cardboard. 

Apart from the jelly belly, Christmas was good. It has been a hectic few days of late, long days and the kids have been knackered but reasonably well behaved all things considered. I need to clear out some old toys to make way for the new, toy central here. The main present Santa got them was a trampoline, my daughter is still a little unsure of it but her big brother is a fan (to be fair she is too little for it just yet but she'll get the hang of it in time). 

Today is meant to be a scorcher (38 degrees or about 100F), it is days like this that I wish we had a pool (next door does, it will be torture to here them splashing about...ha). I think the air con is going to get a workout today!

I think it is just going to be a lazy home day today, the hubby is unwell. There is probably plenty of things I could be doing around the house but nothing that appeals to me in this heat. Anyways I best be off, my son has just informed me he has done a wee in the potty...happy days ;)

Have a good one,

Crack Cupcakes

Ok I have been meaning to share this recipe with you all for ages, I finally got around to taking all the pics the last batch I just made. They are just your basic vanilla cupcakes but they are super tasty and oh so more'ish. 

You will need -

Ingredients*:

125g unsalted butter (slightly more than 1 stick of butter)
1 cup of caster sugar (I used white sugar and it was fine)
3 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla essence (or vanilla extract)
1 1/2 cups of plain (all purpose) flour
1 tsp of baking powder
3/4 cup of milk (185mL)

*This is supposed to do 12 muffin size or 24 cupcake size, I find when I fill the cupcake patties 3/4 as required, I only get 12-14 out of this. 

(Plus icing & what have you to decorate, I made a cream cheese icing that is super easy and delicious. 1 packet of cream cheese (250g), 1 cup of icing sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla essence mixed together. That will be more than enough for 12 cupcakes, double for a batch of 24 but there may be leftovers.)

Utensils:

Muffin Tray (or in this instance, cupcakes) ;)
Electric Beater
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cup
Mixing Bowl
Sifter
Wooden Spoon
regular ol' spoon for putting mixture in to patties

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180C (approx 350F), place cupcake patties in tray/s.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add sugar one third at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the eggs one at a time, beat well between additions, add vanilla essence and beat until combined.

Sift flour and baking powder and add half to the butter mixture, mix to combine. Add half of the milk, mix to combine. Repeat with remaining flour and milk.

Fill cupcake patties 3/4 full, Bake for 15-20 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before decorating.

Enjoy the fruits of your labour, try not to eat too many...ha. Tis' the season for over indulging so why the hell not ;)

Here is a photo of my little 'cheat' Christmas Puddings, they were yummy. If there is any interest I will share the recipe, I won't do a tute for it though as if I make them again I will gain 5lbs!

Only 5 more sleeps till old Saint Nick visits, I hope you've all been good boys and girls. I will settle for getting a full nights sleep, ha.

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Dun Dun Dahhh

It is the dreaded needles this morning, I hate this part...it makes me a little upset watching them get upset. I was told early on in the piece with my son that it actually gets harder the older they get because they are more aware. I am not looking to the 4 year old shots for that reason, I almost feel worse now though because my daughter has no idea what's coming. Fingers crossed it doesn't make her too out of sorts, it usually has a mild impact on my kids that doesn't hang around too long. 

I also need to bake some Christmas Tree sugar cookies for my son's kindy class today. I will take a pic to post next time if they turn out ok. 

Let's not forget the constant that is cleaning the house, that is also on the agenda...it doesn't help that my son (with a bit of help from his sister of course) trashed the place before I dropped him off at kindy today,

Speaking of my son, we had a adrenalin filled start to the week. He fell over on to the TV cabinet yesterday morning and got a nasty cut right near his eye, he came screaming out to me in the other room and I think my heart skipped a beat when I saw the blood streaming down his face. I was worried that it might be stitch worthy but I managed to stop the bleeding and put a band-aid on. My sisters visited a little later in the day and one of them thought it was borderline needing to be glued so she came with me to take him to the Dr. Because it was so close to his eye they wouldn't risk gluing it for fear of the glue going in his eye, so they put steri strips on it to hold it tighter together. He is going to have a little scar there but would have had one regardless of how they treated it, he was such a trooper at the Dr's and very well behaved. As the saying goes, chicks dig scars...right?! ha

Well I best be off to get a couple of things done before we head to the Dr's for our appointment, wish me luck.

Ok that's enough playing for tonight...

As you may have noticed, I have been playing around with the look of the blog again. I can't help myself, I'm never 100% happy with it. Eventually I will bite the bullet and pay for a designer template :) It's late and I'm tired, this was just a short one to test my new 'signature'. Also I am aiming to make those cupcakes this Thursday so stay tuned for that recipe.

Night all! (well to those of you in Oz anyways)

A proud moment

My husband was sent a 'delightful' text this morning...a picture of our son's first ever poo on the potty! As disgusting as it is taking a picture of poop it was a pretty tremendous occasion in our household that I thought he should share in it.

I don't know what it was that finally 'clicked' for my son but for the last couple of weeks he has started doing wees on the potty, this week more then ever. I was getting concerned as he had previously been resistant and shown little to no interest in potty training. Today all wees and said poo has been on the potty, huzzah! Phase 1 is pretty much complete, now to start instigating the next step. At the moment he prefers to run around at home with no pants on and just plonks himself down on the potty whenever he needs to go. I need to start dressing him in undies and shorts and see if he is still able to get on there in time. My sisters think I should have him in undies when we are out, I still put him in a nappy when we go out as I don't think we are quite there yet. They think that would be confusing to him, I will aim for that soon if we keep going the way we are going though.

Can I just say, I had no idea just how often he wee'd throughout the day until I had to clean it up afterwards...this potty training is hard work, ha. I'm glad that we have finally turned a corner though and fingers crossed he will be completely toilet trained in the early New Year.

Hooray for the weekend, hope everyone has a good one.

K xo

A Smashing Success

It was a relief to hear this morning from my sister upon picking up the kids that it went really well, no problem no fuss...they were well behaved and had a good time. I'm so glad that they were good for her and enjoyed themselves, it makes me feel confident to do it again in the future and not feel guilty about it...they are in good hands. I was worried that my daughter might all of a sudden wake up every hour or something ridiculous overnight and keep my sister up. Apparently she went down at 7.30, woke a couple of hours later and took about 30 mins to go back down but then she slept through till 6am...phew.

The concert was really good, we were in General Admission so standing the whole time...this old duck was feeling it, man my feet and back were killing me, ha. By the time it was over and we drove back to the coast and got home it was midnight, I was knackered. I got up at 7am this morning, that is considered a sleep in at this house ;)

Also I finally submitted an assignment (my first, long overdue) for my online course a couple of weeks ago and I got the result back today...I passed, what a load off. I was packing it that I was going to fail, I think getting the pass has helped get my confidence up to keep going and try and get another one submitted sooner rather than later.

I just realised it is 2 weeks today until Christmas, oh my gosh where has the time gone? I am definitely going to be a last minute shopper out amongst the hordes of other disorganised souls. Maybe I should resolve to be more in charge next year and try and shop through the year when I see things, it's hard to know what everyone wants/likes though...it probably won't happen.

I'm planning on hitting the shops tomorrow to tick another couple off the list, wish me luck!

Take care,

K xo

Party done and dusted

Well, it's official...I now have a big one year old. She is still my baby though, I said to my husband last night that it felt like it wasn't that long ago that we brought her home from the hospital. Time flies when you're having fun, ha...it has its moments but it's hard to imagine what life was like before her.

My sisters took the kids for the day for me on Friday so I could get my bake on, I made cupcakes, rice bubble slice, the cake, and mini quiches. I also made fruit salad cups and my sisters helped make assorted sandwiches on the day (plus all the store bought food), I think I made more for my son's first birthday and it was exhausting (it still was this time but instead of rolling in to bed at midnight the night before it was 10pm so I'm making progress). I was too swamped running errands and cooking to do a post on the cupcakes, but believe you me...they will be made again, so I will get to that at some stage. Here are a few pics of the finished product and the cake.

It was a good day but my poor poppet was out of sorts and not her usual active self, I think she may be coming down with something. It comes and goes though, she perked up later in the afternoon (once the party had finished of course). It was a good day celebrating with family and close friends, she is lucky and loved.

Now the count down is on till Christmas, just over 2 weeks to go and I'm still yet to shop for the extended family...our kids are sorted but I still keep thinking they need more, can't help it. Hubby reigns me in and reminds me that we are also getting them a trampoline, which I keep forgetting about. I really need to pull finger and start buying everyone else's gifts, every time I go looking I always end up looking at stuff for our family...ha, shocker.

So what is everyone doing for the big day? We have breakfast with my sister's and family and then a late lunch/dinner with hubby's family. It is a long day for the kids so I'm not sure what time we will end up coming home. Then we have a boxing day BBQ over at our friends place the next day, I love the silly season. I am a social person by nature so I really enjoy all the catching up with friends and family at this time of year.

Speaking of being social, hubby and I are off to the Muse concert this week with a couple of friends. I am looking forward to it but I'm also a little nervous as it will be the first time my kids have had a sleepover at anyone's house ever. My sister will be having them, I'm sure she'll cope just fine (she has 5 of her own, mostly grown...not little ones like mine, ha...could you imagine!) I just hope my kids behave and don't get upset and want to go home. It is just going to be too late by the time we get back from Brissy to be able to collect them, I'm sure they will have lots of fun...I should stress less.

Also after reviewing photos of the party I am starting to think the new year can't come soon enough...getting a little bit of pud on. Not that it has stopped me from eating all the leftover party food, sigh...I am a shocker. It's crazy trying to be good  at this time of year though, right? I will just have to work extra hard to undo the extra damage I am doing this month.

Anyway I am so incredibly tired, I might retire to bed early tonight.

Hope everyone had a cracking weekend :)

K xo

December you sly dog...where did you come from?!

Can you believe it...this year has just flown by. I swear time speeds up the more kids you have, there are less chances to slow down and take it easy...I wouldn't have it any other way though, however I could do without the abundance of grey hairs that have come with it.

And so begins the official start to the silly season, it's only going to get busier from here. I'm looking forward to some quality time with the family once hubby is on annual leave for the holidays.

This week I am in full party mode for my daughter's first birthday, Friday will be spent baking for her party the next day. My lovely sisters have offered to take the kids off my hands so I can get stuck in.

It doesn't quite feel real that my daughter is almost one, I swear it wasn't that long ago that we brought her home from the hospital. My baby is getting big, naww...

The Christmas tree went up yesterday, I already forsee putting the ornaments back on the tree a million times a day for the next month ;) Regardless though, I think it needs more...my husband disagrees but we'll see about that. I guess he's thinking that this month is going to be expensive enough as it is without me buying things we don't necessarily need...but I do NEED them, ha. Love you honey x

I need to get off here and start writing up a lists of all the things I need to do this week, busy busy.

I hope everyone is having a great start to the month...it's the most wonderful time of the year, as the song goes.

Take care,

K xx

Those cupcakes are like crack...or what I assume crack would be like ;)

I can't stop eating them, they are just too yummy. So I decided to give a heads up that when I make some more for my daughters 1st birthday party I will do a blog post on them...so you can all get fat on cupcakes with me, ha.

Today was a good day for kindy drop off for my son, no tears and a kiss goodbye and he ran off to play...that is unheard of here. I was pleasantly surprised, I hope this is an ongoing trend. It is horrible when he gets upset and wants to come home with us, even though I know it only takes a couple of minutes and he is fine. 

So I have decided to wait until Saturday to put up the tree, because hubby sent me a text yesterday saying it would be nice to do it together as a family on the weekend. I agree, although the anal side of me is a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to placing the ornaments on the tree just so...I'm not sure I will handle the kids having at it, ha. I will more than likely go back later and rearrange it...just like I do when my husband stacks the dishwasher (badly). Here is a funny e-card I came across on pinterest that made me laugh:

Right, I best be off to get stuff done around the house and try and fit some study in.

Take Care,

K xx

Snail Mail Love

I have recently discovered the 'snail mail revolution', otherwise known as penpals and I am loving it, such a great way to get creative and get to know some awesome people. I have always been a bit stationery obsessed and love a chance to get crafty and use cute stickers and pretty washi tape and what not. I consider myself to be on the creative side, but you should see just how incredibly talented some people are though. There is one blog/person that I follow who inspired me to get into it in the first place. Rin of Papered Thoughts, you should check out her blog http://paperedthoughts.blogspot.com.au/, maybe it will inspire you too.

My 20 year old niece said it was boring so maybe it is still considered a bit daggy to the younger generation but I am really enjoying it. I don't care if it's not the cool/in thing, I like it...I tend to dance to the beat of my own drum anyways ;)

Today I was craving something sweet and there wasn't anything in the house so I decided to whip up some cupcakes, they were delish if I do say so myself...really fluffy and moist. I rather enjoy baking but I try not to do it all the time because I eat the end product and too much of a good thing is never good. Especially now that I am no longer breastfeeding, that was my saviour for losing the baby weight. I'm not burning those extra calories now so will have to start reigning in my eating habits, I really ought to do some form of exercise...I've been so lazy. Maybe since we are so close to the new year and what with so much indulgence coming up, I will try and start fresh in the new year.

Do you guys have New Years Resolutions? I try not to really make any promises, most people never keep them anyway. I don't smoke, barely drink...I don't really have any vices that I need to quit (unless you count biting your nails, shocker), I guess it is more little goals that I would like to achieve, hopes and things for the year. I'm not really sure just yet what I want my goals to be next year, it all seems so uncertain at this point...who knows whats in store.

Oh I know one thing, I would like to learn how to sew properly...I got a sewing machine this year and I have made little crafty things here and there but I'm yet to try and make some clothes on my own. I want to figure it out and start using it more.

It's funny how the older you get the more you get in to all those things you considered a bit nana 'ish when you were younger. Sewing, Baking, Crocheting/Knitting (need to learn those too)/Gardening...yup, totally getting older.

I am hanging for the 1st Dec so I can put the Christmas tree up and decorate the house all christmassy (love all that stuff), I am torn between sticking with the tradition I started for myself of putting it all up on the 1st or in my impatience just saying to hell with it and do it already. I am having a mental to and fro with myself...ha

Nearly time to pick the boy up from kindy, he will be most pleased to discover that mummy did some baking today :)

Much Love,

K xx

My lovely lady lumps?!

Are no more...seriously, why did no one warn me that my boobs would deflate once I'd finished breastfeeding? I always had decent sized boobs and now it seems that my daughter has somehow sucked the life out of them. I'm not happy, plus I know the older I get that gravity will be even more unkind. If I had money I would seriously consider doing something about it. 

They aren't completely gone, they have just lost their fullness and look a little sad...which makes me sad, I used to think I had a decent rack. Now I will depend upon the trickery of push-up and padded bras to make the girls look good. You are probably rolling your eyes at me for whinging about my boobs (or lack thereof now) but I had to share how I was feeling. I'm sure there are others that can relate. 

On a positive note, now that my daughter is weaned I have more freedom...not that I am yet to do anything with that freedom but still, it's there. It happened a little sooner than I had planned, the little minx kept biting me...in the same spot...repeatedly, till she did it rather badly one night and it was too painful to feed from. I was actually surprised at how easily she weaned, took to the bottle like a champ. Made life a bit easier, her brother never did so I was a little apprehensive. 

We are off to a fairy princess party tomorrow, should be fun :) I like kids birthday parties, the food is the best! Cupcakes come at me...

We are off to breakfast with my lovely mother-in-law tomorrow morning, she truly is the best. We are lucky to have her, I only hope she knows just much we truly appreciate her. I will have to think of something sweet to do to show her. 

I'm just waiting for my coffee to kick in so I can get motivated to get up and do stuff around the house, it's never ending. Whoever said two things in life are certain, death and taxes...clearly forgot about housework!

Ciao,

K xo

Hello my old friend

Sorry for my tardiness, I was having computer issues and decided to take a little unscheduled hiatus.

The time away was good, I think I was getting too caught up in the numbers game and less focused on the reason for starting this whole thing to begin with. To be able to have a space where I could come and pour it all out...the frustrations, the triumphs, the mundane and the joyful.

I am still not 100% refreshed but I'm hoping to make a fresh start in the new year, a clean slate so to speak. So for those of you that have stuck around in my quiet period, thank-you. I look forward to sharing the journey ahead, I hope I don't bore you.

I live a fairly simply life, I am a wife and a mother. I'm not working at the moment so my kids are my everything...I sometimes feel as though I lack anything to contribute in an adult conversation. When people ask me what I've been up to it is typically same 'ol same 'ol. I love my kids though and I know that I will miss being around like this when I go back to work. I am guilty of not always appreciating how lucky I am to be at home with them, as people always say 'they are only little once'.

I was actually having a conversation with my sister the other day saying I am going to go back to work (look for work) sometime next year. She thinks I should stay at home until the kids are school age, that just isn't me. I am someone that likes working, I enjoy it and I have missed it...not that I am wishing away my time with my children, no doubt it will be hard when the time comes. Not only that, we need me to be working if we are to get ahead. I think she thinks I am selfish, I actually think it will make me feel more like me again and I will appreciate the quality time I would spend with them even more so. Time will tell how it will work out, nothing is changing at the moment.

Not long now until my daughter's 1st birthday, I am amazed at how fast that time has gone...she was just a baby in my arms what feels like only yesterday. I have enjoyed watching her grow and develop into this little pocket rocket of fire and cheekiness, cuddly cuteness and impatience. Her laugh always makes me laugh, gosh I love her to bits.

My son is growing more in to a little man every day as well, he is constantly astounding me with the things he comes out with. He is such a smart boy but boy does he like to challenge me sometimes, we are both as stubborn as each other. He did something the other day that made me melt though, out of the blue he just came up and wrapped his arms around me and said 'I love you mummy', I'll be damned if I didn't get a lump in my throat.

So while I might bitch and moan to you all here sometimes, know this...I love my kids with my entire being and I would do anything for them. As mums we all know that we have our good days and bad, but at the end of the day you wouldn't change them for the world.

I hope wherever in the world you are that you are having a good day, tell your kids you love them and give them a hug...you can never do it too much.

Much Love,

K x

Hooray for long weekends

Sorry I have been a bit neglectful of late, I haven't felt as though I have had much to say or anything really of interest to share. I guess I am feeling a little uninspired, I need to try and be a bit more pro-active and do more exciting stuff.

Wednesday we went to the Rockpools with my sisters and nieces again, the kids absolutely love it there. They had a ball and we walked down to the massive playground area after playing in the water, it was a great day. We had hot chips and calippos (it was a hot day), a perfect summers day...even thought it's not summer yet. They were both exhausted and fell asleep in the car on the way home, winning...it is always a bonus if they go to sleep at the same time...ahh peace and quiet so mummy can relax with a coffee and a book.

Yesterday we went to the movies for the first time ever with my sisters and nieces again (school holidays are awesome, he loves his cousins)...we went to see Turbo. I think he did rather well for his first time and seemed to enjoy it, he smashed a lot of popcorn in to his mouth...as one does at the movies ;) He got a bit restless towards the end but was fairly well behaved. My daughter was overtired and cried for a bit so I took her out near the doors, finally managed to get her to sleep but she only catnapped for about 15mins and then woke up. My sister took her down the very front right in front of the screen where she was having fun walking around and climbing up and down the steps. All in all I think it went quite well, hubby was a bit bummed to miss out on his first cinema trip but I suggested he go and take him to see Planes just the two of them :)

I had a quick catch up with some girlfriends last night at one of their places as they were hosting a scentsy party, I had never heard of it before. It is an American brand that has just launched in Australia. It is a rather cool concept, it is kind of like an oil burner but it is electrical rather than flame (so safe to leave going 24/7) and the wax that is used only gets warm not burning hot, better for little ones if they happen to touch it. The little wax cubes that you buy come in 60 different scents and 1 cube thing/the smell lasts for 10 hours. I am rather intrigued to see how it goes when I get mine. I just ordered 1 burner and 3 different wax scent packs. Worth a look for those that use all of those home fragrance products on the market.

Tonight is also date night (well a group date), we are out for dinner and a couple of drinks (I'll be driving) with some friends. I am looking forward to it, we don't do it all that often so I really enjoy it when we do. I get to feel a little bit like the old me again, not that I long for the old days...it's just nice to be me rather then mum.

It is a glorious day out there today, we don't actually have any plans yet...will have to go out and make the most of it.

I hope everyone else has a fun filled weekend :)

Till next time xo

Happy Grand Final Day :)

Yay it's the weekend, also for those of you that follow AFL (Australian Football League for non aussies) today is Grand Final Day. While my team isn't in the final we are still hosting a BBQ with friends and will be watching (well I be half-assedly watching). 

I was slack this week and didn't post at all, I just had one of 'those' weeks. You know the ones where your children drive you mental and you fantasise about running away. Boy does my son know how to push my buttons, he can be really trying sometimes. Then on the other hand he has moments of being incredibly cute, just to keep me on my toes...you never know which version you are going to get. These toddler antics can be full on, they are so emotional and can go from one extreme to the other...it wears me out. 

So I have been laying low and feeling a little lazy, hence no baking post. I will try and do one this coming week. Also the upside to hosting a BBQ is that my house is spotless (the calm before the storm, it won't stay this way for long) and cleaner then it has been all week. Speaking of cleaning, I am so over my son deliberately trashing the joint...I'm talking toys scattered from one end to the other and everything just tipped out and thrown about. It drives me nuts, I am forever cleaning it up off and on throughout the day and I wonder sometimes why I bother. I should just leave it a pig sty and clean it when they go to bed. I just can't help myself though...I can't stand the mess. 

This is my 100th blog post, not terribly exciting but I'm a little proud that I have kept it up this time around. I hope that for the handful of you that follow along on a regular basis, that I haven't bored you too much ;)

Well that's all for now, people will be arriving shortly. I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. 

Till next time xo

Fun in the Sun

Yet again the Gold Coast has been turning on the fabulous weather (although Thursday we had a storm with hail) so Friday we went to the Broadwater Rockpools in Southport...it is such an awesome facility that is brilliant for the kids. We went with my sisters and a couple of my kids cousins, they both had a great time. I think my daughter is a bit of a water baby, she takes after her father in that respect. I am such a wuss when it comes to the water temperature and rarely go out past my waist in the ocean. I know, the gorgeous beaches of the Gold Coast are somewhat wasted on me. I forsee many more trips to the rockpools over the Summer, definitely a destination worth checking out on the GC if you are visiting and have little ones...plus it's free! Although the parking isn't but it's reasonable so still worth doing.

We had breakfast down at Burleigh yesterday, such a lovely area down there. Today we went to check out the Village Markets at Paradise Point and went for a play in the playground afterwards. It has been a pretty cruisy weekend really, not a lot to report.

Today we put up a wall decal in our daughters room, I will have to add a pic once I have put my pictures from my phone on to the computer. It was a lot smaller then the picture looked online but I still like it, plus it is a great way to decorate her room since we are renting and are limited by what we can & can't do. There are so many things I would like to do, why can't I win the lotto already ;)

I am currently tucking in to an early dinner cooked by my lovely husband, bonus...I love it when I don't have to cook. Even better, it's quite tasty. Might try and do some baking/try a new recipe for the blog this coming week, so keep your eyes peeled.

Till next time xo

Almost a milestone...

Only 2 posts away from 100 posts, I know that's not terribly exciting for anyone other than me but I still thought I would share. I wish I knew what you guys thought of my humble musings and what you think I could do to improve and build upon this blog. I crave feedback and would love some interaction, don't be shy (or post anonymously)...tell me your thoughts :) I promise not to get offended by any constructive criticism.

I watched enviously over the last week on instagram a whole heap of cool peeps who were attending the pro blogger event here on the GC. I only heard about it at the last minute but wouldn't have been able to attend anyway due to kids and lack of funds. But gee did it look awesome, oh I could have learned so much. I am very much a beginner in the scheme of things and would love to learn more. I get incredibly insecure about my posts and that I may be boring you all. I hardly lead a glamorous life but then again I also think part of the appeal is the fact that I am just an everyday mum and maybe you can relate.

So I decided to pull the plug on taking the kids to the Sunshine Coast to watch their dad take part in the Stampede. It would have been too much for one day, 2 hours there 3 hours spectating followed by 2 hours home again. Having to keep them entertained for that period of time was too much for this little black duck to endure. I'm glad I made that choice as it was a hot day Saturday and there was apparently bugger all shade there. Also have to mention that I'm incredibly proud of hubby for completing it, champion effort.

Sunday was another gorgeous day and we went to breakfast at BSKT cafe in Nobby's (delish, although as families with little ones will know...when you have to wait awhile for food to come out it can be difficult). We then met some friends at the beach afterwards, it was our daughters first proper time at the beach and she loved it...much sand was consumed, gross. I also enjoyed building sandcastles with my son and then he took great delight in destroying them.

Also have seen a couple of posts today about it only being 100 days until Christmas! Wow, where has the time gone?! It is less than 3 months till my daughter turns one, crazy. What's even crazier is that she took her tentative first steps last weekend (at 9 months) and can now take up to 4 steps at a time, she'll be running around before I know it...my baby is growing up.

Hope everyone else had an awesome weekend.

Till next time xo

Best Ever Brownies

It's been awhile since I did one of these, I was craving something sweet and there was nothing in the house...so voilà.

This recipe really is super simple and quick to make, it was shared with me way back when by one of my girlfriends and I never looked back. I also love that the recipe is basic but you can add some extras to it if you like.

Here is the link for the original recipe-
http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/best-ever-brownies-L1156.html

You will need:

Ingredients -

150g of butter
1 cup of brown sugar, firmly packed (eh...I don't bother packing it in tight)
2 eggs
1/2 cup of plain flour
1/2 cup of cocoa

I also added a cup of milk chocolate bits to mine, you could also try it with white choc bits, chopped nuts, coconut...get creative.

Utensils -

Mixing Bowl
Measuring Cups
Electric Beaters (or you can do it by hand if you don't have any)
Wooden Spoon
Baking Tray
Baking Paper
Sifter

Method -

Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees celsius. Line your baking tray with baking paper, I rub butter on mine first so that the baking paper sticks in place.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. 

Add eggs one at a time on low speed. 

Mix through the flour and the cocoa. 

Pour in to baking tray and cook for about 25 -30 mins. 

This would be delicious with some ice cream or double cream but alas I had neither of those things to hand, it is still delicious eaten on its own.

So there you have it, super simple and a tasty treat....happy baking!

Till next time xo

Feeling HOT HOT HOT...

It was a balmy 32 degrees here on the GC today and boy am I feeling the heat. I'm not struggling or anything but it is just getting used to that sort of weather again. I love summertime but I am not so much a fan of the sweat and general uncomfortable 'ness that comes with it. I wonder if the fact that it is already so hot so soon means it is going to be a scorcher come summertime.

So today I was THAT mother...the one whose kid (my son) barfs absolutely everywhere while out at the shops (thankfully it was at the food court and not in an actual shop). He was munching on chips and had a) stuffed too much in his mouth (as they do) and b) probably had one trigger his gag reflex and then it was on for young and old...kind of reminiscent of the exorcist. Ok I am probably over exaggerating somewhat but it was ALOT. I am also grateful for the fact that I had a spare outfit for him in the nappy bag, which I usually forget so praise Jeebus. He was absolutely fine and dandy afterwards although he has a cough that has been rather persistent (and annoying I have to admit) today, it doesn't sound nasty or like there is anything to it...I'm hoping it will bugger off and not wake him up through the night.

Gosh there are some cute Summer outfits out at the moment that I was eyeing off for my daughter, I may have to go back once my husband gets paid. I have also changed my daughters room around a little and added a few little bits and pieces, there is a photo below of one of the items I brought for her room last weekend. I am also waiting for a wall decal that I ordered for her room to arrive, of which I will share a pic once it arrives and I've put it up.

Delicious coffee, this was at a cafe in Burleigh called Canteen...they do good coffee!

The Mystery Machine...I wonder if it was those pesky kids?! Ha

Our new welcome mat, I rather like it :)

The little trinket box I got for my daughters room, too cute. 

Till next time xo

Spring has well and truly sprung...

We are having some beautiful weather here on the GC, I know it's only Spring but it is getting me excited about Summer. I look forward to all the social gatherings and BBQ's that this time of year brings, it makes me more appreciative of where we are in the world, it really is a gorgeous place to live.

Mind you, we still bring up the possibility of moving to Melbourne whenever we visit. It just has a lot going for it as a city and reminds us both of London. Who knows what the future may hold, for now I am pretty happy with our lot in life so don't see the need to upset the apple cart.

We went to a friends house for a BBQ today and our son was playing so well with their daughter, she is only a few weeks younger than he is. It's always nice as a parent to watch your kids play happily with other kids and behave themselves, plus it's an added bonus that our kids get along well together. They had a trampoline at their place and our son loved it, it was one of the ideas we were tossing up as his main Christmas present and that just sealed the deal...a trampoline it is :)

Today was voting day in Australia, we walked down to the local school to cast our vote and then went to the park and past the coffee shop and supermarket on the way home...it was a nice little walk. Although I'm considering throwing all that effort away for an ice cream. Today is my 'cheat day' and I haven't really taken advantage of it, I need a sweetie. It depends whether I can be bothered driving up to the servo or not though, my general laziness could win out.

One of my close girlfriends has just lost her Uncle to cancer so I would just like to say a big F*CK YOU to cancer, hopefully one day they will find a cure.

Till next time xo

I need a holiday after my holiday

We got back from Melbourne last night, after spending 4 fun filled days there. Though those days were jam packed and lots of fun they were exhausting. There is no such thing as a holiday when you are travelling with kids, ha. To be fair though, for the most part they were fairly well behaved. 

The flight there they both had a sleep, although my daughter only slept about 20 mins of the just over 2 hour flight. I was hoping she would sleep for the duration since it was such an early flight...no such luck. One of my favourite nicknames for her is wriggle worm because she is never still. If possible she was even more wriggly on the flight home, no sleep at all that time. Although she was being incredibly cute/cheeky with the lady sitting behind us...she kept looking through the gap and giving big grins, it was adorable. It's not much fun trying to keep a baby that just wants to go in one spot for two hours, I was knackered yet she still managed to stay awake until well after we got off the plane. We were hoping both the kids would at least crash in the car on the way home from the airport and wouldn't you know it, neither of them did! I think my son finally crashed a little after 9pm last night, I don't know where they get their stamina from...I could have gladly closed my eyes and been asleep much earlier than that!

It was great catching up with our friends that we hadn't seen in years, they both managed remarkably well staying in an apartment with us and the kids considering they don't have kids themselves...very brave indeed. Our daughter took a bit of a shine to the husband, poor guy...she wouldn't leave him alone (it was incredibly cute though). The time flew by though, sucks to know that it is going to be years until we see them again. 

We managed to fit in a few catch-ups with family and friends, there was much food consumed and I am not looking forward to weighing in. Today marks the start of 'being healthy', I promised the hubby that I would start being good from today and make an effort to be healthier. 

Now here is a crap load of photos from the trip, and a couple taken just before.

Loving my new hair

Out for an afternoon family walk, how's the serenity...

Grease, it was a great night.

On the way to Melbourne

Our awesome digs for the stay

Cheers to being on holiday!

Yummy Melbourne cafes

Love all the street art scattered about the place

Apartment views, St Kilda.

I have a love affair with coffee

case in point ;)

Out and about in St Kilda

Early morning hot air balloons, there were 6 of them.

Yarn bombing awesomeness.

Ha!

Street Art

More yarn bombing

More apartment views, Luna park

One of the delicious displays on Ackland St

Love this one...

Luna Park

Street Art

Can you spot the Grinch?

How awesome does this display look!

On the flight home

Back to normality now, I have an enormous amount of washing to get through.

Till next time xo

Grease is the word!

Finally, it was forever ago that this night was planned and paid for...it is finally here. I am off to see Grease at the theatre tonight with a bunch of girlfriends, we are grabbing something to eat first. I am looking forward to the show, but more importantly I am looking forward to some adult interaction and kid free time. Plus I love a good excuse to get dressed up and put on some make-up. Also why is it that when you need to get a decent sleep for the following day (that day being today), you undoubtedly end up having the crappiest sleep ever. My daughter was incredibly unsettled last night and woke ALOT! I'm so tired today and I have a big night ahead of me, typical.

The mammoth task of packing for our Melbourne trip has started, it only dawned on me last night that there is a weight restriction. I was just worried about fitting it all in and now I'm worried about how I'm going to keep it within the weight limit, I might have to get creative with how I distribute the weight and use carry-on for some of it. It's because I'm cheap and only pay for one suitcase, this is the first time packing for four in one suitcase though (tis a big ass suitcase though), fingers crossed if we are a little over they will let us get away with it.

I am not looking forward to the actual morning of the flight, it will be an early start and we will have to wake the kids up. We are staying at my mother-in-laws the night before and she is going to drop us at the airport, she's a gem. I assume that again because I will need to get some sleep for the early start that it will be a crappy sleep. It will all be worth it though, can't wait to catch up with everybody. I'm excited for my daughter's first trip, her brother had his first trip to Melbourne just before his 1st birthday.

Fingers crossed for me that it all goes off without a hitch. Here's to making family memories.

Till next time xo

One week to go

This time next week we will be in Melbourne, hopefully after a smooth flight with no hiccups and well behaved kids (a girl can dream).

Tonight we are out to Chinese for dinner for my niece's birthday, any excuse not to cook these days is fine by me ;) Plus obviously it will be a nice family dinner and a good chance to catch up with everyone.

Tomorrow I am finally getting my hair done, it is long overdue and very much needed. Honestly if I just let my hair go and didn't colour it at all...I would be a silver fox. So riddled with grey, makes me feel older than I am, hence I cannot wait to get it sorted. Plus it will be nice to have nice hair in time for our holiday.

Not just that, this coming Wednesday I am going to the theatre with a bunch of girlfriends to see Grease. A kid free night out doing something fabulous with friends...I can't wait. We are all making an effort with our outfits and putting a 50's spin on things. Mine isn't overly 50's but it has a bit of a 50's vibe. I love any excuse to get dressed up and do my make-up nice, I am such a girly girl in that respect. Plus I don't often take much effort with my appearance in the day to day run of the mill things.

So what has everyone got planned for father's day. Since we will be in Melbourne we are just going out for lunch with my brother-in-law and his family and then the boys are off to the footy.

Random thought for the day, once you become a mother you can pretty much guarantee that you will never get to eat anything by yourself ever again and you should just resign yourself to sharing with the kids. It might not be every single time but it happens a lot. I will even ask my son if he wants his own [insert whatever it may be here]. He will say no, I will make mine and start eating it and he will come over and want it...lucky I am such a nice mum and give it to him.

Could come in handy soon though, I have promised the hubby that I will start being 'good' after the Melbourne trip and actually put in some effort to lose some weight. Not that I am unhappy with where I am at now, but we made a deal months ago that if I got down to 60kg he would get me a 'new' car. I no longer believe that he will actually come through with the goods once I hit that goal weight but part of me still wants to see if I can make it happen. I am only 5kgs away from goal but it is always those last kilos that are the hardest to budge. I can't complain though, I have put in pretty much zero effort so far so maybe if I start trying I will see results. Thank-god for breastfeeding, it has been my saving grace.

Well I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend.

Till next time xo

The Town Bike Slice

In the same vein of slutty brownies I bring you 'Town Bike Slice', alas it is not my own creation...I got the recipe from a brilliant website called 'Stay at Home Mum'. It is an aussie website filled with lots of goodies and an abundance of recipes. As you will see, this one caught my eye...I have a sweet tooth. Here is the link:
http://www.stayathomemum.com.au/recipes/biscuits-slices/the-town-bike-slice/

You will need-

Ingredients:

1 cup chocolate bits
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup nuts
1 cup of rice bubbles or coco pops
1 x 395ml can condensed milk

Utensils:

Baking Tray
Baking Paper
Measuring Cups

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius, line your tray with baking paper.

Pour in the chocolate bits and spread evenly. Add the coconut, spread evenly. Followed by the nuts, rice bubbles and finally the condensed milk. *no mixing required, just layer each ingredient evenly.

This is the before and after baking in the oven.

Here is the finished product!

My verdict:

Even with my love of sweet things, I find this just a tad too sweet even for me.  It is decadent and sinful, definitely a 'treat' to be eaten very sparingly. I don't want the temptation in my fridge so I think I might package some up to take to kindy tomorrow (for the carers, not the kids!). If you are a lover of all things sweet (besides, maybe your sweet tooth is sweeter than my own), it is worth a try. I take no responsibility if you polish off too much and put on a couple of pounds ;)

Also you could play around with the ingredients and chuck in a few different things (add more layers to your hearts content), let your imagination run wild.

Enjoy!

Till next time xo