Wednesday 28 August 2013

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

Friday 23 August 2013

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

Wednesday 21 August 2013

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


Sunday 18 August 2013

Sunday Funday

It has been a gorgeous day here on the GC, although hubby and I had already made plans to have nana watch the kids so we could go and see a movie together. We went and saw 'We're the Millers', such a funny movie. 

I have been meaning to add some photo's for awhile but hadn't transferred the photo's off of my new phone yet. I finally did that so I have added a slew of photo's below. 

Those of that follow on facebook will recognise this photo, this is a slow cooked mac n' cheese that I made...delicious.

The early morning view from my backyard.

The small gift I made for my son's kindy teacher that left (just store brought macaroons inside as I ran out of time to make something).

The beautiful Byron Bay.

Street art at Byron Bay.

My new phone cover...

Ok so I couldn't help myself and brought another Hello Kitty cover.

Banana Smoothie goodness.

Burleigh Heads beach looking up towards Surfers Paradise.

Found this little lady beetle on my son's slide this afternoon and showed it to him and he said 'Hello lady beetle, how are you doing lady beetle?'. Gosh he's cute...

Well that'll do it for now. 

Till next time xo

Wednesday 14 August 2013

Hooray for Public Holidays

Today was a public holiday in Brisbane for 'show day', they have the Ekka (which I guess would be the equivalent of a state fair in the states, lots of rides and entertainment and showbags). Hubby works in Brissy and hence he had the day off.

It was a fun day, we went to Surfers Paradise and grabbed a coffee and walked around. Went for a quick visit to the beach where we dipped our daughters feet in the water and she loved it. Hubby thinks she might be our water baby, my son isn't too bad but he is like me in that he is a wuss if it is cold...and I find anything that isn't almost bath temperature cold, ha.

We went to Timezone which is an arcade parlour with lots of different games, our son had a great time. We had him sit on my husbands lap when we played a car racing game against one another and then later tonight when they went for a drive he wanted to 'sit on daddy's lap', whoops. He also got one of those old school sticky hands with his tickets, ahhh takes me back.

Afterwards we went and met up with one of our best mates for some lunch at the Ferry Road Markets and had a look around at some shops, there is an awesome little toy shop right near there. My son 'wants' everything, thankfully we managed to leave there without purchasing anything.

Also I am happy to finally report that my daughter has turned a corner and is on the mend...she's still not 100% but slowly getting there.

Just over two weeks till Melbourne, I am really looking forward to it...I just hope it isn't going to be super cold. I remember the first time I went to Melbourne with hubby way back when and it was the end of August then too. He did warn me that it was still Winter, and I was all like 'yeah, but it's the end of Winter'. Totally naive to the Melbourne weather, we went for a walk along the beach with his dad one afternoon and before we went out I asked him if a long skirt (what is now known as a maxi skirt) would be ok, sure...he says, it will be fine. Well it wasn't fine, the bloody freezing cold wind went right up under my skirt and nearly froze my private parts! At least I know better now, been plenty of times...the weather there actually reminds me a bit of London (4 seasons in one day and all that).

Till next time xo

Sunday 11 August 2013

Radio Silent

I haven't been on since Thursday, because Thursday afternoon was a horrible afternoon...in tragic circumstances we lost our cat. My husband and I got our cat when we had been together for 6 months, he was 14 years old. It was emotional and I am still getting over it, I am just grateful that my son hasn't clicked that he is not around yet. I am dreading when he asks me where he is, maybe if I'm lucky he won't ask at all.

The weekend has been lovely, the weather has been delightfully sunny. We went down to Byron Bay Saturday morning, had a play at the park and walked around and looked at the shops and had breakfast. We stopped off at Burleigh Heads on the way home (it is a beautiful area on the GC) and did some more wandering around.

Today we went and had breakfast with the kids nana, she is so awesome with the kids...we are lucky to have her. We went and had a play in the park afterwards and then took the 'scenic' route home so both of the kids could have a sleep, ah bliss. Just having a lazy afternoon, was out doing some weeding in the backyard before and now I have a blister on my thumb, oh and a bloody green ant bit me near my bum and it hurts.

Everyone is currently asleep except me, no point trying to have a kip now...I'm sure my son must be due to wake up any minute, he's been asleep 3 hours!!

I will be glad to put this week behind me though, tomorrow is a new day.

Till next time xo

Thursday 8 August 2013

My house is a shambles...

Yet here I am, sitting here writing this post instead of getting stuck in. I'm tired and I just can.not.be.bothered!

So some of you may recall awhile back that I had decided to bite the bullet and start watching the Australian show 'Offspring'. Man I got sucked in quickly because last night they killed off one of the main characters and I was crying like a baby, it was just so sad. Why is it that we get so invested in fictional characters lives? There is no denying that I like my shows and I do get attached to certain characters, kudos to writer's that can make you feel that kind of emotion. Even though you know it isn't real (just like the movies) they can make you feel and relate and empathise. Why is it that I can cry over a character dying on a tv show, but watching the news and seeing those horrible stories doesn't evoke the same emotion? Have I desensitised myself to the harsh reality, or do those people on the news just seem less real to me...so bizarre. I don't like hearing sad/depressing news stories, I would rather not know. Ignorance is bliss and all that...

So I will be taking my daughter back to the Dr this afternoon, poor thing has a nasty sounding cough that concerns me. Here's hoping she is going to start getting better from here on out.

Also I have been slack, I was going to do something for my son's kindy teacher who is leaving (it's her last day tomorrow) and I still haven't got around to it. Maybe if I pull finger I can do something today and bring it in with me when I do the pick up this afternoon.

Ok I guess I have procrastinated enough, I really should get off my bum and go and restore some order.

Till next time xo

Wednesday 7 August 2013

Slowly but surely, we are getting there...

I can see light at the end of the tunnel, my son is pretty much recovered...thank-god, he can go to kindy tomorrow.

My daughter on the other hand, is another story...poor little poppet. I took them both to the Dr on Monday but he just said she needs to ride it out basically, I think she has gotten slightly worse since then though but I am hoping she will turn a corner soon...or it's back to the Dr we go.

Only a few weeks till our Melbourne trip, woot woot. I feel a bit bad, hubby had always planned to go to an AFL game while we were there. Initially the game was scheduled for the Friday night but it got moved to Sunday afternoon. He asked me whether we had made any plans for the Sunday...nope, nothing planned. Then he probed a little further and I was still like, it's fine you can go...we don't have anything on. Finally he had to come out and tell me that it was actually Father's Day that Sunday. Sh*t! I had no idea it was that weekend, I have nothing planned...I have nothing up my sleeve. Going to have to figure something out between now and then. I just feel awful that he had to remind me, bad wife. We have made plans now to go our for lunch with his brother and his Mrs and their son, that will be nice. Plus of course I will let him still go to the football, I will just give him less grief about having to watch the kids on my own. ha

Also I am way behind on my own personal challenge re: pinterest etc, I blame it on being sick and then everyone else getting sick. I hope to resume my quest as of next week. Maybe one of them should be a father's day themed craft, I need to start somewhere!

Till next time xo


Monday 5 August 2013

Dropping like flies

And then there were none...hubby has it now and is home sick today. Part of me can't help but think 'now you know how I felt, only I still had to look after the kids and try and keep the house from turning into a shambles whilst feeling like that!'. Thankfully I am now on the mend, still not 100% health but definitely functioning much better than before. That's probably a small god send seeing as everyone else in the house is fairly miserable and unwell.

Definitely no kindy for my son tomorrow, especially not with having the highly contagious conjunctivitis as well. I have no idea how long that takes to clear up but I really hope that he is well enough to go Thursday, purely because it is his favourite kindy teacher's last day (well Friday is but he doesn't go on a Friday). I hope he doesn't get upset when he realises that she is no longer there, I don't think he is that dependent on her but time will tell. If I can get my sh*t together I will check pinterest for some inspiring teacher appreciation gifts to make her.

Just a short and sweet one today, nothing much else to report.

Till next time xo

Sunday 4 August 2013

When it rains it pours

I was lulled in to a false sense of security yesterday...I thought the kids were marginally better and well enough to leave with nana so my husband and I could both go to my brother-in-laws party. I was mistaken, my son hadn't had a temperature all day and had been playing happily, then less than half an hour before nana was due to arrive he started getting warm again and asked to go to bed.

We decided to go due to the fact that it was only 10 mins away and if need be we would come straight home. Turns out we did need to come back as my daughter was out of sorts and just generally miserable. You know it must be bad when nana calls you back, thankfully our daughter seemed happy to see us and perked up somewhat once we were back (she still sounds like Darth Vader crossed with a seal, poor chicken).

The reason for the post title is because not only are both the kids sick, but this morning they woke up with conjunctivitis. My son more so than my daughter, still not pleasant and especially for a little kid who doesn't understand what is happening. On a side note, it is incredibly hard trying to administer the eye drops to an uncooperative toddler. Also I will not be surprised if hubby and I end up getting it as well, fun times.

It's made even suckier by the fact that it is a ridiculously glorious sunshiney day outside, and we have been stuck inside. A massive cleanse was done this morning to try and help alleviate the germ factor that we are encountering. The amount of bed linen washed was a massive undertaking, what's annoying is that I will need to do it all again in a few days time when they are back to good health. I have to give a shout out to my husband though, he vacuumed and  mopped the house without any prompting from me. Major brownie points, am I right ladies? Nothing hotter than seeing your man take the initiative and clean the house/look after the kids etc.

Not the greatest start to the month of August, I would rather have the sickness out of the way then happen right before or during our Melbourne trip. So fingers crossed this will be the last of it...

Till next time xo

Friday 2 August 2013

Uh Oh

It would seem as though my sickness has made its way to the kiddi winks. My daughter is equal parts congested and runny nosed and just a little out of sorts. I have no other explanation for why she was up pretty much every hour last night. A very large coffee was required first thing this morning, followed by another this afternoon.

My son has also been snotty all week and had a cough off and on last night, he seemed fine this morning. The first suspicion I had was when I sent him to his room for time out for doing something to his sister and went to check on him mere minutes later and he was asleep. Once he woke up he had a high temperature (through feel alone, he would not let me near him with a thermometer), plus he was flushed and told me he was 'too warm'...as well as upset and wanting 'mummy cuddles'.

Also why is it that when children aren't sick they would happily have medicine but when they need it they refuse to take it. FYI it is not fun having to force your toddler to take medicine, you gotta do what you gotta do to get the temperature down though. It is also immediately obvious once it kicks in, they become their usual selves...a complete 180 from how they were an hour before.

It has put a slight spanner in the works for tomorrow night's plans. It is my brother-in-laws 40th birthday party tomorrow night. I had lined up my mother-in-law to babysit the kids, but there is no way I feel comfortable leaving someone else to watch them when they are not well. Since it is my sister's husband I have nominated hubby to stay home with the kids and I will go solo. I probably won't stay as long now because I am still not 100% myself and I don't want to be away from the kids too long when they are unwell.

One small positive of being sick is that I am now a kilo under pre-pregnancy weight! I won't jump for joy too much though as I'm not confident that it will stay that way.

Till next time xo