My Life....Badly Written

And So We Meet Again….

2010-08-12T18:03:00.000+08:00

I am a big believer in fate. I believe everything happens for a reason, whether it be good or bad but there is a lesson always to be learned. I also believe that we meet people in our lives, again, good or bad, and that these people will add something, teach us something and leave their mark. I believe that meeting my Hubby was caused by fate.

No don’t worry I am not about to talk about an ex-boyfriend, although I certainly learnt PLENTY of lessons about what I don’t want from many of them!!

But a funny thing happened today that got me thinking about this whole fate thing and people you are meant to meet for whatever reason.

When I was near the end of my pregnancy with Bugalugs I was in my Ob/Gyn office waiting for an appointment. As usual she was running behind to an emergency or birth but as was the case with all of us there we didn’t mind. We knew that it could be our emergency/birth at any time!

So being the socialable lass that I am, I started chatting the woman next to me. She was due earlier than me and we made small talk until we each had our appointments. I thought nothing more of it. I often talk to people in line or in waiting rooms (it’s the only child “have to make friends” thing I think!)

Then my little Bugalugs came along (5 weeks early!!) and 2 days later I was wandering into the hospital nursery to get Bugs weighed and who should be there but the woman I saw in the waiting room in my Ob/Gyn’s Office bathing her new little baby boy. We cooed over each other’s babies, hers was born the day after Bugs and we said our good lucks and goodbyes.

However, after that I then saw her again when I took Bugs (2 months old) to be immunized at the local clinic. Not unusual in itself as they were born a day apart so their immunisations would be needed at the same time but slightly unusual as not everyone uses the clinic, some use their own family Doctors. My memory gets a bit fuzzy but we did bump into each other at another one and then when the boys were 12 months and we bumped into each other yet again at the clinic, we realized we really needed to catch up properly for a coffee to chat. I believe we both thought there was a reason for bumping into each other all the time. We swapped number and became Facebook friends (as you do!) and vowed to catch up.

But as usual, life got in the way. We had each made attempts at a catch up and then had to cancel for one reason or another. You could tell by our Facebook pages (sign of the times!) we were both busy with our families and busy socially with our friends. And at our age your friendship groups are pretty well formed. It’s hard to catch up with people you have known for years let alone someone you just keep bumping into. So I think we both just kind of gave up but amazingly neither of us ‘culled’ each other on Facebook so the channel was always open.

So today I took Bugs for his 18 month Chickenpox Vaccination. And who should I bump into…yes you guessed it. Again not unusual because we both attend the same Immunisation Clinic BUT Bugs was supposed to have his LAST week but he caught a virus so I had to cancel. This was the only time I could reschedule.

Spooky huh!

But also, this time something amazing happened.

When her little boy and bugs saw each other, their eyes lit up, they babbled loudly to each other (If I could speak toddler it sounded like “Hi, how are you great to see you!!) and then they gave each other a MASSIVE hug!

It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

It was amazing.

It was like they had known each other socially FOREVER. Him Mum and I just looked at each other bewildered. Wow, we both said at the same time, this is surreal! Her little boy then had some food and started sharing it with Bugs like they had done it a million times before.

Again we looked at each other and said that obviously the boys need to have a playdate and picked a day we would both be free. I believe THIS could be the reason we keep bumping into each other. I think that our boys are supposed to meet and become friends. Either that or his Mum and I are supposed to meet for that long awaited catch up the boys are making that apparent and easy for us.

Think about it, Bugs could have easily gone up to him and bopped him on the head or ignored him and played with the toys. And her Son could have done the same thing. I have never seen him do that to anyone else he hasn’t known for a while, he is usually more cautious. It really was amazing! And the fact that had Bugs not been unwell last week, I never would have bumped into her yet again.

So it has made me more determined now to make sure that they have a little play date and his Mum and I get to have a proper chat (longer than 5 minutes!) and see where this new friendship goes.

Do you believe in FATE?
Have you had anything like this happen to you?
Has the universe kept throwing you into situations until you did something about it?
Let me know in the comments I would love to hear your stories!

Three Birthdays and an Anniversary!!!

2010-06-12T10:52:00.011+08:00

I'm very excited as when I looked at my Calendar today I realised that:

1. It's my Birthday soon (bleaughhhhh!)
2. But before that - its my BLOGIVERSARY!!!! My blog is turning 1!!!

Who'd of thought it??? Apart from my short intro post, DISCO FEVER was my first proper post and is still one of my favourites. Grotbag has got his school disco coming up again in a couple of weeks and it was really great to read back about the night! One of the reasons I love blogging!

Anyhoo...I realised that I took my blogiday (or blogcation for those over the pond) just after I had written my four part IVF story, just before Bugalugs had his first birthday.

SO YOU NEVER SAW HIS FIRST BIRTHDAY CAKE!

So I am showing it off now. Oh and those who read, who actually know me, stifle a yawn (as you already saw it on Facebook) and instead gape in awe at my awesomeness...or the cake!

Yes I did the Hungry Caterpillar. I was pretty impressed with it myself and it literally went like hot cakes or cupcakes . Would love to say that it was my wonderful imagination that produced it but I was inspired by one of my favourite blogs Coco Cake Cupcakes. Her version is HERE and a million times better....but she is a professional after all!! And seriously you should take a look at her cakes OMG!!! If I only lived in Vancouver!!!

But also while you were missing me, Grotbag turned the big 5! He wanted an Omnitrix cake! As in Ben 10 Omnitrix watch thingy that turns him into an alien! WHAT? Who did he think I was?

He also only wanted a boys only party where they all had to dress in their favourite costumes and I had a face painter come too! And this is what the cake turned out like...

I had no cake to copy for this one, I tried looking for something but they all looked like they had been made by master craftsmen so I winged it and just used one of Grotbags Omnitrix watches to go off. Yes the black is all licorice as I couldn't find black icing but I think it does the trick. All the kids loved it and it went VERY quickly! I'm awesome (according to Grotbag and really that's all that matters!!!)

So, wonder what cake Hubby will make for me.....HA! No seriously........

So for my Blogiversary I thought I would do a post on YOUR favourite posts that I have written. Let me know in the comments or on my Facebook page! I have my favourites but it's YOUR favourites that you have loved reading of mine that I want to hear about so please let me know! I will compile them in my Blogiversary post and if your a blog writer yourself give you a free plug too! So what you waiting for - get reading!!!!

What Day Is It Again? Meatball Monday?

2010-06-07T17:05:00.007+08:00

It's been a public holiday today and so my week is already screwed!

I was going to start doing my Meatless Monday meals again but forgot and then when I finally remembered I realised to make the pumpkin & ricotta cannelloni I would need pumpkin and ricotta.

Did you know that I am blonde?

Anyhoo....we had meatballs and spaghetti instead and I shall do the cannelloni later in the week.

Stay with me...there is a story in this!!

I don't make my own meatballs. I used to in the past but it costs the same to buy them already rolled and ready to cook if not less because I like the pork and veal ones that Woolworths make. AND they are half the fat of the beef Italian or their normal beef ones (they do 3 varieties) so I feel better when buying them.

ANYHOO....about a year ago Woolworths had a special buy two packs of meatballs for $8 (they are normally $4.99 a pack with 12 meatballs) which was only a saving of $2 but hey, save where you can. I picked up my regular P&V ones and went through the checkout. After checking my docket I realised they hadn't taken the discount off. So off to the service counter I go...$2 I know but it's the principle.

Upon waiting 15mins and them checking with the meat department I was correct and so thought I would just get my $2 back.

But no.

Their policy is that if something is scanned incorrectly it's free! So I got one pack for free and the other cost me $4 because of them being on special for $8!

Woo hoo.... bargain and I skipped away knowing that I beat the big guys.

I know...please stay with me there is a point!!

So about a month or two later I see the same special... "coolio" I say to myself and pick up the two P&V ones. Again go through the checkout, check my docket, no discount! Off to the service counter again, get one pack for free and only $4 for the next one.

What a fluke...imagine it happening twice!

Well imagine it happening FOR A WHOLE YEAR!!

Yep, for some reason the P&V ones were never scanned to be on special but were always included (believe me I asked the butcher and always checked).

Every time I they were on special (every month maybe?) I grabbed them, waited till I went through the checkout and then went and got one for free. About 6 months in they went up to $9 for the two but I still bought them. I shop at a couple of different Woolies depending on what shopping centre I am at and it was always the same at all of them. Every time I bought them I sooo expected they would be scanned correctly and each time I was surprised!

Well finally in last weeks shopping it came to an end. They scanned with the discount. I was a bit disappointed but was still stoked that It would take a while for me to catch up with all the ones I got for free and I will still buy them because I like them and that was the beauty of it!

So there was my meatball story...riveting wasn't it! LOL!

Be sure to tune in later in the week when I discuss cuts of lamb!! (joking...no really I am!)

So what little bargains have you picked up while doing your food shopping?

Dog Vomit at 6am is never a good way to start the day!

2010-06-04T21:19:00.010+08:00

6am - Wake up to Sye (40kg Chocolate Brown Labrador) coughing...no sorry...wake up a bit more and realise he is trying to vomit.

6.01am - Realise Sye HAS vomited. Yay - dog vomit!!

6.02am - Put both Sye and Jasper (cute little barky Cocker Spaniel) in garden.

6.03am - Turn Kettle on

6.04am - Clean up dog vomit.

6.05am - Turn on most electrical appliances in family room burning my carbon footprint securely in the earth and make a cup of tea.

6.10am - Grotbag comes in - tell him it's early and go back to bed...he snuggles with me on the couch. It's the nicest he will be to me all day. Love it before he realises he has an attitude.

6.30am - Have a shower, dress and put a load of washing on.

6.50am - Wake up Bugalugs, give him his bottle.

6.55am - Shout at Grotbag for not listening or similar, threaten something scary like DS confiscation.

7.10am - Get breakfast for Grotbag, put it on table and realise Sye has vomited behind the table.

7.11am - Clean up more dog vomit. Yay dog vomit!!

7.15am - 8pm - Kids dressed, lunch made, bags packed, out the door.

8.35am - Say good by to Grotbag at his classroom, gossip to other Mums for a while, leg it out of there!!

8.50am - Bribe Bugalugs with a biscuit to be quite while waiting for Charity Shop to open.

9am - Drop two bags of clothes into Charity Shop bin and try and find 'outfit' for Grotbags "Olden Days" Day at school next week. Think that the shop will be full of flat caps, braces and waist coats. Not so. Shop is full of 80's & 90's high street non-fashion. Find a flannelet shirt for $2 and leave.

9.30am - Go to Post Office and post pressie to UK!

9.45am - Arrive at another Charity Shop and find a cap (it's a girls one but he won't know) and a navy waist coat. Nearly fall over at the prices. If I had time could have got them cheaper on Ebay!!! Feel a bit selfish for having to only pay marginal amount and realise it's a "Charity". At the last minute find a pair of groovy crocs for $9! Yay!

10.15am - Get home put Bugalugs to bed for morning sleep and hang washing out.

10.30am - Hungry! Heat homemade Leek & Potato soup in microwave.

10.33am - Spill soup taking it out of microwave. Swear. Clean it up. Badly.

10.36am - Eat soup then go and pull everything down off the top of my walk in wardrobe.

10.37am - Realise I have to clean it. Realise not only am I allergic to cleaning I am also crap at it too. Probably takes me twice as long as the average person.

10.50am - Think about sorting what I have just pulled down from the top of my wardrobe but want to assemble storage boxes bought from IKEA yesterday. Seems like more fun.

10.51am - NOT more fun. Boxes have 12 screws for each box. I have 8 boxes!

11.30am - I have completed 2 boxes and am now bored. Stuff from TOW (top of wardrobe) still strewn across my bed and floor.

11.31am - Bugalugs wakes (early!) and saves me from having to assemble another box or sort stuff from TOW!

12.30am - 2.15pm - Go food shopping.

2.25pm - Throw Bugalugs in freezer. Realise should have been frozen peas. Throw all perishables in fridge and freezer, leave the rest of the shopping on the counter and put Bugalugs back in the car.

3pm - Pick Grotbag up from School.

3.15pm - Grotbag tries on his "olden days" clothes. Loves them. He looks cute. Me done good.

3.16pm - Put Bugalugs down for a sleep.

3.17pm - Make another cuppa and assemble two more boxes. Yes... I know I haven't got the washing in. It is doomed to stay out over night. Yes...TOW still strewn all over the floor.

4pm - The 4 O'Clock Train Begins. Yes that is Dinner prep, dinner cooked, dinner eaten, baths run, kids cleaned, bottle given, dishwasher packed, Bugalugs put to bed all by 6.30pm.

6.31pm - Put more washing on.

7pm - Grotbag goes to bed. Put washing in Tumble Dryer.

7.01pm - Make a cuppa and eat snickers bar sneakily bought when shopping hee hee!

7.30pm - Watch MasterChef Australia (Fav show).

9pm - Hubby Rings YAY!!!! He was waiting for MasterChef to finish.

9.10pm - Start blog reading.....Yes... washing is still in Tumble Dryer but is OK because it is on "Crease Mode" meaning it will keep tumbling every so often till I go get it. Yes...other washing still on line....Yes...TOW still all over floor with 4 more boxes to assemble.

9.4pm - Start writing this blog! All of the above still apply....

There is always tomorrow!!

Sye & Jasper

A Tradition - Family Dinner Night

2010-06-03T21:26:00.010+08:00

We have a "Family Dinner" every Wednesday night. That is, my Mum and Step-Dad (SD aka Grandad to my kids) have dinner (predominantly at our house) every Wednesday night. Either Mum or I will cook and it could be a staple meal like Shepherds Pie or Spaghetti Bolognaise or it's a new recipe we have found and want to try out (family make the best guinea pigs!!)

It began as a regular night when Mum started looking after Grotbag on a Wednesday when I went back to work when he was 10 months old. And has been a permanent night on the calendar ever since.

Apart from Bugalugs (we eat after he goes to bed) we all sit at the table and have a meal together. We talk about our day, what is going on in the family, important family dates coming up etc. Grotbag will tell us about his day at school or critic the meal alla Masterchef style!

Although in our house we don't have desert every night, there is always desert at Family Dinner as my SD has a sweet tooth and Hubby tries to pretend he doesn't but always has two helpings!! Again it can be as simple and ice-cream in a cone or a new desert recipe Mum or I have found. Below is a Bakewell Tart - a family favourite desert!

SD is pounced on as soon as he walks in the door by Grotbag with a "can you play with me Grandad???" to which SD will grab a quick drink and disappears into the playroom to become a a Jedi Knight and fight with the light sabres or play cars, Lego whatever Grotbag can convince him to play.

We don't see them till dinner time!!

Meanwhile dinner is bubbling away and I will bath and get Bugalugs ready for bed and Mum and I will try and squeeze in a quick cooking show on Lifestyle Food!

After dinner we all chill out on the sofa and let our meals go down and watch a bit of TV (usually Masterchef...can you see a theme here?.)

Grotbag gives kisses all round and then one of us will put him to bed. Shortly after Mum & SD will go home and another Family Dinner will be over.

I love Family Dinner night.

The weeks that Hubby is home it gives him a chance to catch up with his in-laws. Sometimes we are all so busy it is the only night he will see them while he is home.

It gives me and Mum a good excuse to try out new recipes, bounce food ideas off each other and actually have the time to cook something new.

The biggest benefit though is for my boys. Grotbag LOVES family dinner night. Passionately. He hates it if for some reason we don't get together. He often mentions sitting at the table with "The Family" and will often remark at the table "let's all have a little chat". He loves going out to restaurants with all the extended family of Aunts, Uncles, Cousins etc. So much so that he drew a picture of all of us going out for a Chinese meal at school for his "What I did at the weekend" picture. Even though he has also gone to two birthday parties and one that was a bowling party!!

Bugalugs is a bit young to fully appreciate Family Dinner, especially as it is the one night he doesn't eat with anyone. He has his meal at 5pm and usually Grotbag and I will all sit at the table and we all eat together. But Family Dinner will be ingrained in his routine as he gets older and he will look forward to it just as Grotbag does.

Some people look horrified when I tell them that we have Family Dinner night. Some people remark that they couldn't do it as regular night as their family drive them crazy or their schedules are out of sync. But the thing is that every ones family makes them crazy and if everyone makes it a permanent night on the calendar then it is in every ones schedule.

So I look forward to Family Dinner, a time to catch up, cook up and share. It's the best family tradition I have and I cherish it every week!

So do you have a regular family dinner? Do you eat at the table with your kids most nights? Do you think families eating together can be beneficial?

There's Nothing Like Australia.....

2010-06-01T19:06:00.005+08:00

This is top news in Australia today...our new Tourism Commercial!

The media would have you believe that the whole country is up in arms about the commercial but I think it's just to get us talking about it...and blogging about it!!!

The only thing I have a problem with (and only because it was brought to my attention as I didn't notice it) was that the girls are driving in a left hand drive car....Australian's drive on the right side in right hand drive cars....hmmm!

So, let me know what you think especially my readers across the pond! Does it make you want to visit us?

My Therapy, My Outlet, ME!

2010-05-23T10:28:00.007+08:00

This is my 101st post.

My 100 post was on Feb 26th. That was quite a while ago.

I was going to write this post about a topic quite unrelated to what I am actually going to write. But I couldn't form anything in my head or on paper without coming back to the same thing.

In April I suffered a miscarriage.

Just after my 100th post I found out that I was pregnant. We were very surprised and overwhelmed and surprised and very happy and surprised.

Yes the word "unplanned" comes to mind so surprised is a very good word to describe how we felt.

For those who are new to this blog you might want to read My IVF Story to realise how surprised we were.

But as I have already given away the ending of this story, at my nine week scan it the baby had only grown to show I was 6 weeks and a few days. A week later when the baby had not grown at all and there was no heart beat we knew this dream of 3 children was not going to come true.

I won't go into the details of my miscarriage (my third!) - it was awful and those who have unfortunately experienced it know how I feel and those who haven't cannot even imagine.

But it is over now. Our household is 'back to normal' and although we hadn't planned on 3 we want to try again.

Some people think I am crazy - "how will you cope?" "doesn't your Hubby work away?" etc etc.

Not many positive comments or encouragements I can tell you!!

But the heart wants what the heart wants. And it's OUR family and it's what WE WANT.

So there you have it.

When I found out I was pregnant I was thinking of all the great blog fodder I could post and bore everyone with my pregnancy. But I wanted to wait until the 12 week mark that we never made it to and I kind of fell out of love with writing.

It had once been an outlet and almost therapy for me, but with the miscarriage it would mean showing the world the sadness in my heart and I wasn't ready to share that - until now.

So now that this blog block has been laid out and enables me to move on I look forward to getting back in touch with my old flame and rekindling my love for writing.

My therapy, my outlet, ME!

My 100th Post!!!

2010-02-26T21:36:00.008+08:00

Wow! 100 Posts!

I didn't realise till I went to write this post.

Sorry its not more exciting - I feel I should have provided some party food and punch for you all!

Thanks to all who read, follow, lurk, support, comment and spread good bloogy love!

Kisses Mmmwwwaaahhh!!

Anyhoo...haven't been around much as I have been really sorting my house out, listing most of what I own on Ebay, and focusing on a bit of a family plan for the next year.

Not much time left for blogging or reading blogs which makes me sad but it won't be for long!

So I was flicking through my lastest copy of Australian OK Magazine when I saw this print ad which made me really giggle. It's hard these days to find something original and simple. So of course I thought I would share with all my bloggy friends

I would love to have been in the meeting where they came up with it!!

BTW - I get nothing for showing you this, I thought it was funny which is why I am sharing, however if someone from Palmolive wants to send me a box let me know!!!

Toodles until the 101!

My IVF Story - Part Four

2010-02-08T16:21:00.003+08:00

You can read:

Part One Here
Part Two Here
Part Three Here

I just sat staring a the blood. I nearly fainted and just burst into tears. I couldn't believe that this could be happening to me again after all we had been through. I quickly went back to my desk and called Dr N and she told me to come straight in for a scan. I called my Mum as Hubby was working away and she met me at the hospital. Mum held my hand anxiously with reassuring words and I felt like I couldn't breathe.

The lady doing my scan turned on all the equipment and started the scan. And there was a little heartbeat pounding away everything was fine.

The bleeding was being cause by a small hemorrhage that would heal itself as I got bigger and further into my pregnancy. However I was unable to do anything that raised my heartbeat as this would cause it to start bleeding. This meant that I could not walk to work from the train station as I had been doing. So I needed to drive to work. Only trouble was that I worked in the City where parking was at a premium. We had spaces under our building but they were all occupied.

I called my Boss and told him the situation. That because I couldn’t park near work that I would have to quit as I wasn’t going to risk this pregnancy. He spoke to the Managing Director who didn’t want me to just quit and he offered me his space! I couldn’t believe it. It was so kind and I realized how lucky I was.

Because only my team knew that I was pregnant I was getting funny looks parking in the MD’s spot. People wanted to ask me but didn’t dare which was really funny and I quite liked the gossip. Of course when they found out I was pregnant it all clicked into place!

After that my pregnancy continued as normal. I still bleed from time to time and I had quite a lot of morning sickness and of course I tired easier having a 3 year old to run around after as well. But all in all it was fine. I was having a planned C Section this time on the advice of Dr N which was scheduled for the beginning of March. We needed to have some work done in the house so we booked for all our floors to be relaid, new blinds and other bits and pieces to be done. Nesting at it's worst!

I went for my glucose test at week 24 and that is when I found out I had gestational diabetes. This was just before Christmas 2008. I was devastated. Not just because of the food but because it was another hurdle. I managed to control my GD with diet and didn’t have to take any drugs or inject insulin and amazingly I actually lost weight. Who loses weight when they are pregnant??

Bling’s pregnancy wasn’t as smooth. She suffered terribly with Migraines and sickness. I felt really sorry for her. But she put a brave face on and closer to the end of our pregnancies we decided we would throw ourselves a Baby Shower. We were both having boys and so we scheduled it for the 8th February 2009.

One day a week before the Baby Shower while Hubby was home I called Hubby to the bathroom to fetch me some toilet roll. At the last minute I shouted that my waters had broke as a joke. You should have seen his face it was a classic! He berated me and said I shouldn’t joke about such things and then hid the toilet roll! He also kept telling me to pack my bag “just in case” but I had yet to get round to it.

The Baby Shower rolled around and it was such a great day. We swam in the pool, all our girlfriends were there and we chilled out surrounded by people we loved. When I got home I couldn’t sleep and sat looking at all the beautiful gifts my baby had been given. I was on the way to the nursery to hang up some clothes when I felt a little trickle down my leg.

I thought I had inadvertently wet myself so ran to the toilet. Well the trickle didn’t stop and I suddenly realized that this was it. My waters had broken. 3 weeks before my scheduled C section and 5 weeks before my due date. I sat there dazed. What do I do now? I called Hubby.

He thought I was joking.

I told him I wasn’t.

He swore.

Then he laughed because I hadn’t packed my bag and said “I told you so”

Then he swore again because it was a Sunday night and no planes flew on a weekend on his site. He wouldn’t be making it to the birth. We were both silent.

“Well not many blokes can say that they weren’t there for the conception or the birth but their Mother In Law was” and we both laughed. It was always a risk that he couldn’t make it but again the company he worked for were brilliant and pulled all his planned holidays forward and got him out on the first plane on the Monday.

I then had to call mum and tell her to get here quick smart. Only trouble was she had had a few wines at the Shower and didn’t feel she could drive so I rang Bling and so her and Pirate came over too.

It was like a Benny Hill sketch watching Mum and Bling run around packing my bag trying to find things. My Step-Dad and Pirate just sat on the couch watching sport. My waters were still flowing and so there wasn’t much I could do. Plus I didn’t want to get any ‘water’ on my new floors.

Bling drove me and Mum to the Hospital and My SD and Pirate stayed and looked after Grotbag. I got to the Hospital around midnight and they called Dr N to come in. At 1.59am on Monday 9th February my little baby boy was born by C section. He was 6lb 15oz and he was beautiful.

My little miracle.

Hubby didn’t get to the hospital till 9pm that night but was thrilled to see his new little man. We laughed and cried and hugged and cooed. Even though he was classed as premature he didn’t look prem at all and has been a growing bundle ever since!

And now he is turning 1 and I can’t believe that it was a year ago that it all happened.

I feel eternally blessed that we were so lucky that our very first try with IVF was a success. I could be writing a very different story now if that wasn’t the case.

I must admit I was apprehensive about writing this story. I know people who have been through much more than I have and I carry a lot of guilt over the success of our IVF if that makes any sense. Especially because it worked first time. But I figure everyone has a different story but that sharing our stories, good and bad we can help each other through unbelievable hardships and successes. They can give us hope and even a kin ship that maybe sorely needed at the time.

So that’s my story.

Happy Birthday Little Man you will always be the best birthday present I ever had!

My IVF Story - Part Three

2010-02-07T18:11:00.002+08:00

You can read Part 1 Here and Part 2 Here

Mum and I were just about to head out the door when the phone rang. Naturally I thought it was someone calling to wish me a Happy Birthday so answered the call.

It was the clinic. Both eggs they had were fertilized and they wanted me to go in and have them replanted. Yes that’s right – BOTH of them!

We had said in all our paperwork that we only wanted one egg implanted so we were not ready for the possibility of having both eggs put back.

Dr N said that since this was all they had it was worth trying with both being put back in.
I called Hubby, he was shocked but we both realized the opportunity and so agreed.

It was panic stations at my house. Bling took Grotbag for the morning and Mum agreed to come with me. Well she didn’t really agree I told her she was coming with me!! Neil loves to tell people how he wasn’t even there for the conception but his Mother-In-Law was!

So off to the hospital we go and I couldn’t believe that I was having BOTH eggs implanted and on my birthday no less. I was hopeful that this was a sign. That surely because it was my birthday this was the present I was supposed to have. Surely you sometimes get what you wish for right?

I was told to take it easy for the next few days and then basically I was to wait two weeks, have a blood test and wait for a pregnancy result.

The wait was excruciating. I went back to work and took things easy. I had no symptoms of being pregnant and as each day passed I got more and more despondent. On the Wednesday, two days before my pregnancy blood test, I caved and secretly took a pregnancy test at home.

Negative.

I did another one just in case.

Negative.

I couldn’t believe it. I was so sure that with the eggs being put back on my Birthday it was a good sign.

I spent the next two days in a completed fog and dreading going back for my blood test. I completely downplayed it to anyone who knew I was waiting for my results. Bling was on to me. “you did a test didn’t you?” when I was downplaying the hype to her on the Thursday walking to work. I lied and said I hadn’t but she knew and I later told her the truth.
I knew I had been expecting a lot for the procedure to work the first time. But I reasoned that it was better to find out that I wasn’t pregnant than losing it at 9 or 10 weeks. I didn’t think I could bear that. So I started thinking about “the next time” knowing I would probably produce more eggs and I would have a bit of a higher chance that it would work and we would finally get our second little bundle of joy.

Friday was my day off work and I was so nervous. I went in for my blood test in the morning and then had to wait until 2pm when I could call and ask for my result. Hubby was home and I can honestly say I can’t remember what we did that day. I think we just busied ourselves around the house and played with Grotbag. I knew that the answer would be a negative but I hadn’t told Hubby. I thought that I would try and be strong and upbeat for him seeing as I had had a few days to digest the information.

At 2pm with my heart in my mouth I called and asked for my results. Of course I was put on hold and was just waiting for them to tell me the bad news.

“Hi Amanda, well Congratulations it’s a positive result with really good numbers. Come in on Monday and we will keep doing the blood tests and keep watching making sure the number keep climbing”

I burst into tears. I couldn’t believe it.

I looked at Hubby who was also in tears. I got off the phone and Hubby, Grotbag and I just hugged and cried with each other. Grotbag obviously didn’t know why we were crying but he knew it was a good thing! We stayed like that for at least 20 minutes. The relief of the news was amazing and I couldn’t believe I was pregnant.

Each blood test up until week 8 kept climbing in numbers and I was thrilled. My boobs began to get sore and I started to feel a bit ill in the mornings all which were great signs. Because obviously two eggs had implanted we had to wait and see if I was carrying twins. My first scan confirmed that there was just one little healthy heartbeat which was all the news I had wanted to hear! Twins would have been great but I was happy enough to be carrying the one.

Everyone at work was pleased for me and then I got another surprise. Bling was also pregnant and we were only 11 days apart on our due dates. WOW I couldn’t believe it we were going to share our journey together it was so fantastic.

One day at work when I was about 8.5 weeks pregnant I rushed out to buy some lunch came back and went to the toilet for about the 100th time that day.

And that’s when I saw the blood.

My IVF Story - Part Two

2010-02-06T14:04:00.003+08:00

You can read Part One HERE

So after a few months of deliberation Hubby and I decided that we would indeed take the path to pregnancy via IVF. The IVF we had to do is called ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection of eggs) which is basically where you take one egg and one sperm and put them together.

We set ourselves a monetary budget and also a time and mental budget. I didn’t want to get to 5 years in the future with no brother or sister for Grotbag, in debt, depressed at not being able to have another child and being mentally absent from Grotbags life. They were brave budgets but we needed to set some goal posts.

And so started the rounds of blood tests. Because I had Grotbag he had to come with me! That kid now does not shy away from needles when he has to have his jabs. He is awesome. At work I let my Boss and the team I was working in know my intentions and that some mornings when I had to have some blood tests I would be a little late for work. They were incredibly understanding and I know that I was very lucky to have such wonderful people around me.

Neil had done his bit, his sperm sample which was frozen. Men! Always the ones with the easy job!!

Two months leading up to “harvest” I had to sniff this stuff to stop my pertuarty glad from getting my body ready for my next menstrual cycle. I had to take it at the same time everyday and could not miss it by a minute or it would throw the whole cycle out. Apparently there was a small leeway that could be used but the nurse refused to tell me what it was – for my own good she said!! I remember being at a work function which was in a movie theatre and having to sniff this stuff in the middle of film. I giggle now but I was scared at what my fellow colleagues would think I was up to. Luckily no one saw!

Then came the bit I was dreading! The needles and self injecting! I have never been squeamish about needles but the thought of having to do it myself gave me chills! I remember turning up to the session where they tell you all the ‘how to’. Naturally I was on my own as Hubby was as usual working away. But in a way I was glad, some of those other Husbands that were there looked very white when talking about injecting. I actually found it very easy and my Boss at the time was a diabetic and he showed me how to do it without bruising myself as badly!

So then came the date when I was to be harvested for my eggs. The drugs I had been taking had been quite a low dose so as not to over stimulate my ovaries too much. This had resulted in my ovaries only producing a few eggs but I knew this was only my first ‘go at it’ so Dr N and I agreed to up the drugs next time round. I remember getting the call to say that I was to go in on Friday 20th June 08 for the Harvest and realizing that Hubby actually flew back to work on the Thursday. We would have to use the frozen sperm instead of fresh. I was a bit crest fallen as Hubby had booked some time off but couldn’t get any more – not even one more day! But the Nurses said that if he came in on the Thursday night the sperm would still be OK for the morning so a fresh batch could be used.

You have probably realized like I did that this meant that Hubby would not be there as support during harvesting of the eggs and also he wouldn’t be there for if the eggs were fertilized and able to be put back. I was used to doing a lot of things on my own but this was one that I thought I needed support for. Call in Super Mum! My Mum came with me to the hospital for harvesting and stayed with me.

They managed to only get two eggs that were viable but I was again trying to think positive. I only needed one!!

I came out of hospital and was told that if there were any fertilized eggs that I would be called in on Monday to have them put back. I put it out of my head and concentrating on doing something nice the next day – as this was going to be my 35th Birthday.

My birthday came around and a bit of retail therapy was definitely in order. Mum came round and so did Bling, my cousin, and we were going to shop up a storm.

That was, until I got the phone call….

My IVF Story - Part One

2010-02-05T20:55:00.003+08:00

My little baby is turning 1 on Tuesday. I can’t believe that a year has gone already from that fateful day when my waters broke 5 weeks earlier than they should have, and Bugalugs came into the world.

With Bugs turning 1 it was no surprise that I started thinking about the IVF we had to have him with us. And I realized that I had been meaning to share my story with all my readers. But once I started writing it just kept going and going and was way too long for just one post. So our story is actually in four parts. Starting today and ending Bugalugs Birthday on Tuesday!

So here is the first part to our story.

Hubby and I had been married a month when we decided we would start trying for a baby of our own. Hubby has two boys from his previous marriage who are in their late teens and live in the UK. We literally said “Let’s have a baby” and a couple of months later the pregnancy test confirmed my suspicions. We were pregnant with Grotbag.

I had a very good pregnancy with Grotbag, textbook in fact. I was 5 days late and ended up having an emergency C Section as Grotbag was later diagnosed with Sagittal Synostosis which is the premature closing of the sagittal suture in babies. This is the soft spot on the top of a baby’s head, between the left and right sides of the skull. When this closes, growth of the baby’s head from the sides is made impossible and the head can only grow from front to back, which means the head grows into an oblong shape. Grotbag had to have surgery on his skull when he was 4 months old but that story is for a whole different post.

Grotbag was about 18 months old when we decided we were ready to try again for a brother or sister for Grotbag. And sure enough in November 2006 we were pregnant again. I was sooo excited. Unfortunately in the January 2007 at 10 weeks I miscarried. I was devastated as anyone who has had a miscarriage would know. I also had to have a D & C (Dilation and Curettage) which meant a day in hospital and a definite finalization of the pregnancy. I was OK for a few days but then as my hormones were trying to right themselves I was a mess. I would say it took a week for me to function normally. It was hell.

But I like to think that I am a positive person with a cup half full attitude so I brushed myself off, told myself that it happened for a reason and set about trying again. Because my Hubby works away our window of opportunity is fairly small to fall pregnant so when we fell pregnant again in September 07 I was amazed it hadn’t taken that long.

But I was scared of losing this baby too so I couldn’t relax. I can’t believe how I took my pregnancy with Grotbag for granted. And then again at my 9 week scan, my worst fears were realized - there was no heartbeat.

Hubby wasn’t with me this time and I just ran out of the consulting rooms in floods of tears. I couldn’t believe that it had happened again. I again needed a D&C which again was awful. Why me?

I had always seen myself with at least two children but was beginning to think that maybe I was destined to have an only child. At my follow up appointment with Dr N, my OB/GYN, she mentioned to us that we might want to take a look at doing IVF. I couldn’t believe it. We had already had one child naturally and Hubby had two boys from a previous marriage why would we need IVF? She asked us to take some tests to see if there was anything going on, which we did. We found out that although Hubby had millions of sperm there was only 11% that were any good. I also had quite low progesterone which is a very important hormone in the first weeks of growth.

We couldn’t believe it. We had a lot to think about. Did we really want to go down this path? Could we be content with just one child between us? How much money were we willing to spend? Where would we get the money from?

One of my main concerns was how this was going to affect Grotbag. I had been a bit AWOL of late. Since my first miscarriage I had let myself go a bit. I was putting on weight, feeding the void, and could tell you what day of my cycle I was in without even thinking about it. This obviously got worse after the second miscarriage and I felt that I was spinning a bit out of control.

By this time it was October 07 and Hubby and I decided that we would wait until the New Year to make our decision. To give ourselves time to think about whether we wanted to go ahead and that that meant. What we were going to put ourselves and our family through?

In the meantime I decided I wanted to concentrate on anything apart from ‘Getting Pregnant”! So I decided I had better start thinking about ME! I joined weight watchers and by Christmas I had lost 9kg. It was a great feeling and I felt healthy and alive again. The weight that had been lifted of not having to think about pregnancy was amazing and so I was starting to think that IVF might not be for us. Did I want all that stress again?

I myself am an only child and have no horror tales to tell so I was sure that Grotbag would be fine. I was also working and enjoying what I was doing so was in a frame of mind that I didn’t want to upset the apple cart so to speak.

But, there was this gnawing feeling that I hadn’t “finished” yet and I knew that really if I didn’t try to have another baby that this feeling could turn into resentment or worse, bitterness. So really the decision had been made for us. Hubby agreed and said he had the same feeling too and so we decided that we would make the appointment and start the ball rolling on our IVF journey.

Little did we know what lay ahead for us over the next few months!

Winner Takes It All!!

2010-02-03T10:08:00.003+08:00

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

To Paige from Some Days You Gotta Dance

Who is the winner of my first Giveaway!

Paige wins a AU$50 voucher from Mirror Mirror Accessories!

Enjoy Paige!

I look forward to visiting all my new followers!!

I'M DREAMING OF VAMPIRES! OBSESSED MUCH?

2010-01-30T09:33:00.004+08:00

So, last night I dreamt of Vampires.

Nothing specific, just them doing walk on parts in my dreams.

I’m not surprised really.

I am currently reading these:

And have recently watched the first two seasons of this:

Last night I also finished watching the first 10 episodes of this:

And have done this to death (pardon the pun):

Why am I so obsessed with Vampire stuff?

And I can understand the True Blood stuff because it makes Twilight look like a children’s book. Oh wait. It is a children’s book.

Anywhoo I can’t get enough of it. I mean I am not obsessed in a I want Edward to bite me kind of way but I am absorbing like a sponge.

Mind you I wouldn’t mind being bitten by Mr Kwanten here:

So what is a 36 year old woman doing reading and watching teenagers run around biting each other?

The more I think about it the more I realize that I think it is about the passion and the romance of it all and the fact that they are set in the modern age.

Twilight for me could be placed in any moment in time. There is hardly any references to pop culture so it will last the distance for many years to come and will probably become a classic piece of literature. I also see a lot of Jane Austen in Twilight. The fact that there is no PDA but they fall in deeply in love anyway, all very romantic.

True Blood is a different bottle of blood though. The books are more Mills and Boons, but the R rated show is more like soft porn! True Blood has the more danger side of the romance and passion just oooozzzzeeesss from every pore and so much more for adults. It would be Twilight in their 20’s…oh wait they don’t grow old to they…well you know what I mean!

The Vampire Diaries I am new at. I watch the first 10 episodes in a row over a couple of nights. I like that it is a cross between the two and I have to say I am hooked! I love the characters especially Damon as he is just evil but you kind of love him anyway and hope that he has a shred of humanity left in him. I also love the periphery characters they make the show more rounded. I imagine there are books that this is based on the show too so I will no doubt hunt them down too!

So for now I will keep up the obsession until a new one comes along. Revel in the lives (and deaths) of these characters that are the modern day heroes and heroines of our time and still fight the teenagers to get to the front of the movie line to watch the next installment of Twilight.

So Bite Me!!

THE POST WHERE I CONTRADICT MYSELF or LOOK AT MY PRETTY FLOWERS!

2010-01-27T13:55:00.015+08:00

Many long time readers will know my opinion on receiving flowers after my He Don't Bring Me Flowers post last June.

It's a good post...you should read it! It was quite controversial.

So now here is the post where I contradict myself! There are some flowers that I do like...or love in fact and they are Frangipanis!

There are two reasons for this.

The first one being that I decided to have Frangipanis for as my wedding flowers. This was before everything that possibly could have a Frangipani on it did. For the record I don't have any of that stuff!

I searched high and low for stationery and ended up buying greeting cards from the Internet and turning them into my wedding invites and had real Frangipanis for the rest.

Below are pictures of my wedding bouquet, my bridesmaids bouquets and the flower girls wire bags that they carried...soo cute!
I also had real Frangipanis adorn my wedding cake!

I still gasp when I see the photo of that cake!

But the second and main reason I love Frangipanis is that as a wedding gift my Hubby bought me my very own Frangipani tree. Which is planted directly out the front of my house at the front door!

And every year about this time they bloom and it brings back all the memories of my wedding day. It really is the gift that keeps on giving! The flowers are so pretty and the smell is awesome!

These are the ones in bloom on my tree that I took pictures of this morning.

Pretty, Pink & all mine!!

Grown Up Party Food or What Some Foodies Call Canapes!

2010-01-25T09:33:00.009+08:00

We thought about many different things to do for Hubby's 40th Birthday. We tossed up whether to have just an afternoon BBQ with all our friends and their kids or go out to dinner but in the end we decided to have a party at our place. One of the main reasons for that is because (get your violins ready) Hubby had never before had a birthday party. Like. Never.

So me being the big sap and having only child guilt over having lots of birthday parties from my childhood, it made up my mind that we would have a party for him at home. But that it would be a grown up party sans children. Including our own, who would be put to bed before the guests arrived.

Well that was the plan, I had to drag Grotbag to bed before he started to ask the guests to join him in break dancing! He was actually very good and went to bed and didn't get up again!

But I digress. Because this was essentially a grown up party I wanted grown up food. But I also didn't want it to be catered, to be slaving over a hot stove or stuck in the kitchen all night. So I set about finding some good canape recipes. My first stop is always Taste.com.au

I wanted canapes that could be prepared during the day and then quickly put together just before serving. I ended up doing 8 different canapes, 4 I made myself and 4 prepared by family & friends with spring rolls in the freezer as back-up food, which I didn't end up needing.

However, I have no photos of MY canapes as I was too busy making and serving them so I had to go back to Taste.com.au to find photos of the ones I took from their recipes. If you click on the photo's below it will take you to the recipe if you were so inclined.

The first one is Mini Prawn Cocktails which were lovely and went down a treat with the guests. Very easy to prepare (I made the sauce, cut the chives and peeled the prawns earlier in the day) and serve. I took the tails off my prawns for less mess for my guests but they looked pretty much the same as the picture.

Mini Prawn Cocktails

OK so the next ones the Smoked Salmon Blinis I cheated a bit. I bought the little Blinis but made the mascapone spread earlier in the day and then just put them together again just before serving. There was not one left at the end of the night!

Smoked Salmon Blini with Mascapone

My mum made a couple of dishes for me. One was some Lamb Kofta Meatballs with a tomato curry dip. Yum. And she also came to the rescue with these Arancini balls (photo below)which were one of the guests favourites from the night. They are a bit of a kerfuffle to make but re-heat really well in the oven. They only took 10 mins to re-heat and stay nice and crunchy on the outside with risotto and oozing cheese in the middle. Mmmmmm

Arancini

These Cheese, Apple & Walnut stacks were the easiest to make just before serving and were really different. It is basically a slice of apple with a slice of blue brie topped with some chopped walnuts. I ended up making two batches of these as they were so popular! I would definitely do these again or even add some salad leaves and appropriate dressing and serve as an entree. Divine!

Cheese, Apple & Walnut Stacks

A friend of my Mum's also made me some mini Satay Chicken Pies which were heaven and again only needed 10 mins in the oven to re-heat and also my Auntie Barb made me some home made sausage rolls which again were sooooo nice.

I also did a couple of cheese plates and placed some nuts, olives, salami's and sundried tomatoes for the guests to nibble on as they came in.

All in all the food was a great success and I was pleased (and so were my guest's it seems) with all of the dishes I had chosen to serve! It was also nice to do some grown up food rather than the normal 'chip & dip' for more casual affairs.

Now I wonder what Hubby will do in 3 years time for my 40th birthday.......

MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL - MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!!

2010-01-24T13:17:00.016+08:00

If you read my last post you would know that my Hubby turned 40 this month and so last night we had a party for him! It was awesome and Hubby & I had a great time! I did some "grown up food" which I will feature in another post and decided to wear my strapless black top regardless of my tiny bit of sunburn!!

One of my gorgeous friends B who owns Mirror Mirror Accessories popped over a couple of weeks before the party for a catch up and bought me some lovely pieces to try and wear for the party. These are them below:

Did you gasp?

Because I certainly did when I saw them! I can honestly say that as good as they look in the picture - they look 10 times better in the real world.

The Hollywood Dahling Earrings (the blingy ones and my absolute favourites) are a touch of glamour that every girl needs without the Hollywood price tag!

And because I am cheeky I had worn all the pieces BEFORE Hubby's party (don't tell B!) including the Crystal Pony Tie which I have in pink and really just gives your pony tail a bit more juz!

For Hubby's party I decided to wear the Aztec Earrings (the black & gold ones, you can see me wearing them in the pic above) and the Snow Crystal Bracelet which I get comments on EVERY time I wear it - it is that cute!

So because I am even cheekier I asked B if she could provide me with a giveaway from Mirror Mirror Accessories for all my loyal readers for my VERY FIRST GIVEAWAY!

And YAY for B - Mirror Mirror Accessories is letting me giveaway a $50 Voucher to one of you wonderful readers! That's $50 Aussie Dollars for you to spend at the Mirror Mirror online store and it is open to ALL my followers!! Even those in other counties because Mirror Mirror ships internationally!

How. Cool. Is. That.

So how do you enter I hear you ask?

Well you can gain up to 4 entries per person just by:

1. Becoming a follower of mine! And not just a lurker a proper Follower by using Google Friend Connect on my side bar. If you are already a Follower then let me know you are entering in the comments.
2. Signing up for the Mirror Mirror Accessories Newsletter so you can be kept up to date with everything that will keep you on trend.
3. Become a fan of the Mirror Mirror Accessories Fan Page on Facebook.
4. Doing all 3 of the above will get you an extra bonus entry!

Let me know in the comments which ones you have signed up for or if it's all three for your chance to have 4 entries!

Rules - The giveaway will run from Sunday 24th January till Midday (WST - Australia) Monday 1st February. The winner will be chosen at random and notified on Tuesday 2nd February by email and has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

So what are you waiting for....

I DO LOVE A MAN IN A DRIVING SUIT...

2010-01-22T19:16:00.005+08:00

At the beginning of January my Hubby turned 40!

It was just another day for him.

I am getting palpitations already and I have another 3 1/2 years to go!

He LOVES the V8 Supercars and so for his birthday I bought him a morning at a local track which is on the national tour. Basically he had 8 laps driving a V8 around the track with a coach and then as a bonus he had a couple of "Hot Laps" where he is a passenger and the drivers show him how its really done!

He was like a pig in poo!! He loved it!

I also loved him in a driving suit! Looks like he was born to be a Racing Car Driver!!

On another note, we are having a small belated birthday party for him tomorrow night! I was going to wear a strapless top after weeks of agonising over what to wear. But today I went and got myself a little suntan (read "sunburn" even though I applied sunscreen) while watching him do his boy thing in a fast car so now I have to re-evaluate what I am wearing.

Still I have a ton of food to make including his cake so I think if I actually have time to get dressed it will be a miracle!! So better go start that cake.....

Weight Watchers Recipe Cards From The 70's - Really you HAVE to check these out!!!

2010-01-20T10:43:00.006+08:00

AB just sent me this link to a site called Candyboots.com which has a hilarious link to some 70's Weight Watchers recipe cards. Brilliant!! Thanks AB (and Ren who I think they originated from)!

They are seriously disturbing - not so much the food which is disturbing in it's self but food stylist must have been on some kind of trip!!! Really, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!!

So for a slimmers culinary trip from the 70's click HERE!

Thanks CandyBoots

I HEART JAMIE OLIVER

2010-01-15T14:30:00.005+08:00

For those who read this and actually know me this post is not going to be much of a surprise.

It is well known among my nearest and dearest that I indeed heart Jamie Oliver. So much so I named my first born son after him (Oliver AKA Grotbag)!

Not in the I-want-to-marry-him-and-have-his-babies type of way but more in the your-kind-of-cool-and-your-food-rocks-my-world kind of way.

I have all Jamie's cookbooks and I recieved Jamie's first book The Naked Chef for a birthday present in 2000 and so this my 10th Anniversary cooking with Jamie.

I think I like him for many reasons but one of the main ones is that I feel a kind of affinity with him. I haven't talked about my Dad on this blog (again for many reasons) but my Dad runs a pub in Essex in the UK. Like Jamie's Dad. They are not actually too far from each other and I spent the early part of my twenties working for my Dad in the pub and restaurant kitchen. So when Jamie tells a story about working in his Dad's pub - I get it. I relate.

I also think Jamie is one of the "good guys". He is uses his skills for good not evil and trys to educate with his food not just preach. He is a family man and has good morals.

OK Jamie just don't go and do a Gordon Ramsay on me now OK!!

But, back to the food.....

I have cooked many a Jamie Oliver dish from my library of books. But my two favourites are Jamies Ministry of Food and The Naked Chef. I cooked the most dishes from these books and they never fail to impress. Well impress me anyway. Even Hubby has cooked a few recipes from both these books with great success so he is completely OK with my adoration of another man.

I attribute Jamie for starting the whole "Celebrity Chef" phenomenon and proudly proclaim him the King of Celebrity Chefs. He also brought everyday cooking back to the kitchen. I also blame him for making the price of some foods sky rocket.

One of the first recipes I attempted from The Naked Chef was Lamb Shanks. Now you can get lamb shanks everywhere but back then before he made them fashionable again you couldn't find the bloody things anywhere. In the end I asked a butcher to cut some for me and they cost me $1.50 for 4 shanks - he was practically giving them away.

But I still heart JO. He is always my Go To Guy when I want some inspiration and I love actually reading his cook books. He has such passion.

And so I will passionately keep buying and reading his books and trying recipes that he has written. My loyalty will never be waivered and my foodie heart will always belong to Jamie!

My newest book I have just realised is not here....Jamie's America... it is on my bedside table!

THERE IS SOMETHING I FORGOT TO TELL YOU or HOW TO BE GIVEN EVILS IN THE ER!

2010-01-12T14:02:00.008+08:00

I have started compiling photos of the past year, kind of like the "Best Of Our Family" for 2009 that I will then get made into a photo book.

While looking through the year that was, it brought back some memories that I thought I had blogged about but somehow had managed to miss. I think I confuse myself with my blogs and my status updates on Facebook!

One of those sweet little memories is how I gave myself a chemical burn. Yeah I know how could I have not blogged about that little doozie!!

It was just before we went on holiday to Busselton and just after my Pink Ribbon Breakfast it probably wasn't up there with the top blog fodder.

Anyway I thought I would share it with you now because although I may seem refined and demur *cough splutter* I do tend to do the oddest things at times and they always backfire! Plus I think it is slightly funny...

Because we were going on holiday I decided a few nights before we would leave that I would defuzz myself before possibly having to put on bathers. I didn't want to be doing any impersonations of Miranda from the Sex In The City Movie.

"Honey, there is always time for THAT"!

Usually I shave or wax but time was of the essence and I thought I would give the old depilatory cream a try. I look back now and think "What were you thinking???" but hey just call me spontaneous!!

I did a little test patch something I wouldn't normally bother with (because I am too lazy) but because it was in a 'sensitive' area thought I had better.

Test area fine! So took myself off to the bathroom and set about ridding myself the unwanted hair. Everything was going well but I was a bit messy and managed to get some cream just above my bikini line just above my lovely C-Section scar. No problem I thought, I will just wipe it off at the end with the rest.

After 5 minutes I checked how the cream was working. It's then that I saw a very angry line and where I had managed to get the cream above my bikini it had gone VERY red and looked VERY sore. Thing was, I couldn't feel anything. This area was still numb (because of the nerve endings) from my C-Section with Bugalugs and not much feeling had returned anyway from my C-section with Grotbag.

But even I could see that if I could have felt it I would be screaming right about now!

So I quickly jumped in the shower and washed it all off as I was freaking out a bit by now. I dried the red area thoroughly and put some antiseptic cream on it but an hour later it looked weepy and blistered. I showed Hubby and he suggested a trip to the ER just to be sure.

This was a Saturday night buy the way. So knowing I would probably be there for a while I packed a book and a drink and set off. Hey it was a trip without the kids!!

Remember I couldn't feel anything so it was all a little bit surreal by this point.

The ER was PACKED with people and not just the usual rowdy Saturday night crowd. There were people that looked REALLY sick!

I was triage'd pretty quickly. I explained to the nurse what had happened and she seemed quite taken aback that I wasn't in any pain. Apparently I should be in a lot of pain as we ascertained that it was some kind of chemical burn.

So then I take a seat and settle in for the next 20 minutes with my book. Yes that's all folks just 20 minutes - I wait longer to see my GP for a referral!

Apparently burns are fast tracked in the ER. But remember I had NO signs of actually being sick. Imagine you were there, really really ill and you saw me just waltz into the ER, have seat and pull my book out and then get seen before ANYONE that was there before you.

The evil stares could have stripped wallpaper. Plus all the looks of "what the hell is wrong with her, she looks fine and I am REALLY sick!"

I was in and out with the Doctor in 5 minutes. He treated the burn, gave me some dressing as I had to keep it dry for the next 5 days and I was out of there.

Literally, I ran in case of a mob attack!!

So after all that I couldn't swim on my holiday anyway!! The burn cleared up in a few days and I have vowed never to use the cream again.

Waxing is a lot less painful....in many ways!!!

So any of you got a silly story you have forgotten to blog about? Or is it just me...

INTERPRETING WHAT A 11 MONTH OLD WANTS VIA SCREAMING - IF ONLY I KNEW HOW I WOULD EARN MILLIONS!

2010-01-11T18:31:00.010+08:00

So Bugalugs has decided after 11 months he has had enough of being a placid, giggly, cute as a button baby and turned into Rosemary's Baby!

If I leave the room = screaming

If he thinks I might leave the room = screaming

If I put the dogs in the garden because he is watching them = screaming

Pick him up = screaming

Put him down = screaming

Put him in the swing outside = giggles - but only for about 15 mins then = screaming

Seriously the child has become a nightmare and for the life of me I cannot decipher what the hell he wants!!

Usually he is like this:

Then it dissolves into this:

Typical man sending me mixed signals!

There is only so much you can blame teething on right?

He has also become seriously offended by me putting him in his playpen. OK so the Mummy police I don't want to hear what you think of playpens or prisons as some of you might think - just a warning - not the blog to comment!!

He loved it and I knew he was safe and on the only rug in the house and he couldn't put Grotbags Lego or Hot Wheels cars in his mouth.

Oh no..now he wants to roam around...and despite having the entire catalogue of toys made by Fisher Price he thinks that the DVR and Wii are much better toys to touch and hear mummy say a firm "NO!". THE ONLY things he can reach that I can't move anywhere else. Either that or the hard drive on the computer which now has some elaborate cage system around it made up from other toys from the playroom!

So I am happy to have him roam, I think it's kind of cute if he follows me around and really there is not much to touch. If he wants to put a handful of dust bunnies in his mouth then hey, I'm cool with that too. BUT he will be roaming around having a wander then all of a sudden sit up, scream and cry like a proper tantrum! So I will pick him up.

Still screaming.

Drink. Food. Nappy. Put down again. All result in the screaming and then just as sudden as it started. Stops!

I really am scratching my head on this one and just hoping it passes. And soon!

Mummy just can't take this for much longer!!!!

WOW - TWO WEEKS IS LIKE A YEAR IN BLOG TIME!!!

2010-01-10T08:32:00.004+08:00

Well I wanted to start 2010 with some posts I had going round in my brain all over the Christmas period and then life came and put a stop to it!

My Hubby turned 40, Bugalugs is 1 in 4 weeks and Grotbag starts school full time in a month too. Hubby was home the whole of December which was fantastic but threw me off course from my routine. Bugalugs, now 11 months old and the past week has had a viral infection causing him to be the most irritable baby ever, therefore keeping me up most nights. This of course equals grumpy mummy, dusty house and the pause button on the blogging. Plus it is school holidays here and quite frankly I am going slightly insane keeping Grotbag occupied.

Not only that but I haven't visited any blogs and have lost a follower!

I am also at a quandry as to where my blog is heading. Should it head anywhere or just follow it's own course?

But the longer I think about it the longer it takes me to write a post and then another day goes by and I don't write anything.

I have really enjoyed writing these past 6 months. I have loved the freedom of being about to put words on the page and send them out into the world. It is a joy I had forgotten about since High School. And I want to do more, so I am just going to write and write (and then probably edit) and keep sending it out into the world.

So I guess it is going to follow it's own course...hope you will come along for the ride!

NEW YEAR...NEW BLOG FODDER!!

2009-12-31T09:18:00.003+08:00

From my house to yours have a fantastic New Year!

Hope 2010 brings you all you hope and wish for....and plenty of followers to your blog!

I am having family time at the moment but will be back with a vengence in 2010!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

LET IT SNOW or WHERE'S THE SUNSCREEN SANTA?

2009-12-21T20:25:00.007+08:00

You wake up in a pool of sweat with the covers on the floor and realise that maybe you didn't need your PJ's on last night and you should have put the air conditioning on.

You go into the kids and they too are in a pool of sweat but you refuse to do washing on today of all days. Hubby just shrugs it off and knows not to say the dreaded words of "...Hot? This isn't hot...where I work it gets to a zillion degrees blah blah blah..."

You switch the air con on and turn the news on the TV. Great! Cyclone season. You just know that you are going to get the tail end of it and by the end of today there could be thunder and rain as well as the stinky humidity. If only you had forsaken a decent kitchen for a pool....

Never mind, it's a special day. Breathe, Breathe.

The kids are crazy all morning and you look forward to going out with the family to lunch at the posh resort. So soon enough after breakfast and craziness you put the baby down for his morning sleep and set the 4 year old up with his toy/book/Wii game of choice and head for a nice relaxing shower.

Well it would be relaxing if the 4 year didn't keep coming in ever 5 seconds!

You pull out the outfit you want to wear and realise that you will melt the minute you leave the house in it and you should have realised the weather fairy was on holidays too and wasn't going to make any last minute changes!

You also have to blow dry your hair. Because what you need on a stinking hot humid day is to blow more hot air at yourself! So you do it standing in your underwear and keep turning it off to go stand under the air con vent to cool off. Your face is so red that you look like you have already been out in the sun! You get dressed just in the nick of time and immediately sweat.

You turn the air con up.

The make up is melting off your face. Oh joy!

The 4 year old wants to wear his new outfit which is actually too big because you wanted him to get more wear out of it and the baby has thrown up on his. Oh joy!

So off you go to lunch at the resort where you paid $45 for the 4 year old to have a bread roll and an orange juice! The baby throws up again...this time on you.

It is still hot!!

And it's then that you think to yourself, how lucky am I that I am here with my family, we are having lovely food and it's Christmas day but oh! How I could do with a dob of snow right now!!!

Yes my bloggy friends, Christmas here in Perth will be a balmy 36 degrees C!! Not a snowman or icicle in sight. And for the first time in the 24 years I have lived in this beautiful and wonderful country I am longing for the white Christmas of my childhood.

Maybe it's because I now have kids and Grotbag & Bugalugs will never experience Christmas how it is portrayed in books. All snow and sleighs and snowmen. That is unless we take them back to the UK for Christmas one year. And I know the reality of snow and ice (car's stuck, falling over, slush etc) but in my fantasy it's all lovely and white and fluffy.

And despite my little EXAGGERATED story above (my Christmas day will not be like that at all...hopefully). I do love Christmas here and do like the fact that I can wear a nice little dress without having to be rugged up. That it is very unlikely I will have a cold at Christmas and that we get to go to the beach over the holidays.

But just this year...I am jealous of the snow! I think after 24 years I am allowed this one year!

So all my readers out there who are experiencing snow, tell me what it is you LOVE about the snow and the cold at Christmas and feed my fantasy!!

I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS EVERY YEAR...

2009-12-20T21:41:00.006+08:00

...Filling in a new calendar! Sad I know!

I make a night of it and grab a glass of wine, some decent pens and last years Calendar and set about noting all the new plans for the new year ahead.

I never buy a new Calendar before Christmas as they are ALWAYS discounted in the New Year. However, this year I received one as a gift! And yes I have already opened it because it was a Kris Kringle that was given to me by a friend at our Annual Girls Lunch that a group of friends of mine have every year! Not only is it a new calendar but it is a calendar from my favourite stationary shop Kikki.K.

She also got me these great stickers that fit on it! Isn't it great? It is a great big family calendar so I can fit every possible appointment, birthday & social event in!

There is nothing like a blank Calendar to make you think about all what's new and possible in the new year. And also reflect on the year just gone. Some might think it a chore but I look forward to it every year!

THE DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES OR HOW AM I GOING TO SURVIVE 6 WEEKS SCHOOL HOLIDAYS!!

2009-12-17T11:21:00.005+08:00

Grotbag had his last day of Kindy yesterday. Because we are now in Summer here in Australia the School year is a Calendar year so Summer school holidays also started yesterday!

This was Grotbag on his first day of Kindy. I can't believe he has completed the year and has amased a great group of friends as have I with the Kindy mums.

He looks so young in this picture and I have to remember that he was only 3 when he started Kindy! He was just a baby!!!

Of course big changes happened in the first week of his Kindy in that I gave birth to his little brother so our household had alot of adjusting to do - and so I am really proud of him!

Below is Grotbag now - a precotious 4 year old who often sounds like he is 14 - God help me when the teenage years come!

So, we got a letter home saying that the last day of school there would be an incursion where a Magician would come in, they could dress up (Ben 10 is Grotbags hero of choice) and to bring a plate of "healthy" party food!

Now I am all for the healthy stuff, but come on it's the last day of their first ever year at school! So I have rebelled on behalf of and made Mini White Christmas Chocolate Crackles.

Recipe is from my Happy Baby Womans Weekly Cookbook and are really easy:

35gm Rice Bubble/Crispies or whatever you call them in the country your from

35gm Coco Pops (pretty sure these are universal)

70gm of Mini M&Ms

200gm of Melted White Chocolate

Mix all the ingrediants in a bowl and divide into 24 mini muffin cases then refrigerate for at least 10 minutes!

Now that is party food!!!!

THE MAKING OF A MAGICAL CHRISTMAS OR ANOTHER BOY IN THE HOUSE!

2009-12-15T21:16:00.005+08:00

Meet Chris the Elf our little Santa's Helper that's come to stay at our house.

I asked Santa if he could send an Elf to us who had finished helping make all the toys and he sent Chris (who looks suspiciously like Grotbag?).

Chris is a little mischievous Elf who gets up to no good when we are all asleep. He also might leave little tasks for Grotbag to do or even hide so Grotbag has to search for him. He is also reporting back to Santa on Grotbag's behaviour.

Well this is what I have told Grotbag anyway.

This again is not one of my brilliant original ideas as all of those have already been light bulbs above somebody elses head. No I just stole it from Raising Z who wrote her post about Park The Elf arriving at her house a couple of weeks ago.

It seemed like a great tradition to start but the Elf Magic Website didn't post the Elves to Australia and I thought it was a bit late to start so thought I would do it next year! But then...I would like to say...magically...I saw Chris the Elf in a gift shop window in Melbourne literally 5 minutes before I had to leave for the airport and so dashed in and got him and brought him back to Perth.

Where, as luck would have it, they had a whole heap of Elves just like Chris in the Airport gift store...go figure?

So once Grotbag had gone to bed I pulled Chris out from my under my mountain of new clothes, bags and shoes I had purchased in Melbourne (yay) and started to tell Hubby the story when he pulled a funny face at me and made pointing motions to the door. After 5 years of marriage and 7 years of being his partner in Pictionary/Dramatic Charades I took this to mean that Grotbag and sneakily got out of bed and was listening at the door. So I told Hubby the story of Chris that I wanted Grotbag to know and then once Grotbag was asleep I put him at the end of Grotbag's bed for him to find in the morning.

Yeah, should have known my son a little better than that! He ran out in the morning asking where the Elf was and had completely missed him at the end of the bed! But once he found him it was like he was glued to Chris. He took the Elf EVERYWHERE with him all day.

I said he could take Chris to bed with him but he was a bit freaked out at the fact that Chris might come alive at night so left him with us.

So, below is how we left Chris last night for Grotbag to find this morning. Playing the Wii and eating Freddo Frogs (Grotbag's favourite chocolates!)

When Grotbag got up this morning we heard him gasp and start whispering to Chris and telling him off for eating the chocolate. Then Grotbag came storming into us to tell us what the naughty Elf had been up to. It was great fun I must admit! We also had to take Chris to school so he could tell his teacher about him so he has been a big hit with Grotbag. Tonight we are going to complete one of Grotbag's puzzles and make it look as if Chris has done it.

Any clean suggestions (all the dirty ones have been giggled over by me and Hubby!) as to what Chris can be getting up to at night will be appreciated in the comments!

Please also don't forget to vote for me...what am I on about...read yesterday's post HERE!

VOTE FOR ME - YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!!!

2009-12-14T20:00:00.006+08:00

I have entered Grotbag into the Merry Effing Christmas competition over at Parenting BY Dummies. I have some stiff competition but please GO VOTE FOR ME!!! We are picture #3!

If you want to read the back story to the picture it's HERE.

You may have wondered where I have been...or maybe not...but I am going to tell you anyway!!

I flitted off to Melbourne last week for a little shopping holiday with some of my bestest girlfriends and ate loads, spent loads of money in the pre-Christmas sales and had a jolly good old time! Yes that's right..sans kids and Hubby!

Came back to reality yesterday afternoon! With a thud! Still at least I have come back to reality with some nice new clothes, bags and shoes!! I did miss my boys though and Hubby did an excellent job of keeping them fed and watered and didn't gasp in horror and all the shopping I did! He even managed to take them into the city and get their photo taken with Santa!

How much shopping you ask...well my case weighed 15kg on the way there and I had no hand luggage just my handbag.

My case on the way back weighed 19.6kg and I had another full sized cabin bag as hand luggage which I had to buy while I was there to fit all my new stuff in!!!

I am a happy happy camper I can tell you!!

Anyway, as a side note I do not know how I am going to keep blogging and reading blogs over this silly season so the posts might be a bit thin but I think we are all a bit like that aren't we?

Only 11 more days till the fat man comes woo hoo!!! Better do some more Christmas shopping.....

WHY YOU SHOULDN'T TRY AND TAKE CHRISTMAS PHOTOS OF CHILDREN IN THE AFTERNOON WHEN THEY HAVE HAD NO SLEEP!

2009-12-02T21:26:00.008+08:00

My cousin Bling called me the other day and we were trying to arrange a time to go into the city so that her son Pickle (8.5 months), Grotbag and Bugalugs could have their photo taken with Santa. We are such social butterflies we couldn't sync our schedules so I suggested a little photo shoot at my house which we did this afternoon.

Now granted doing the shoot in the afternoon wasn't one of my most brilliant ideas. Especially since Grotbag had been to a play centre in the morning with his buddies from Kindy then went straight to a swimming lesson and so was kind of exhausted. Bugalugs hadn't slept all morning so woke up just before the shoot and poor little pickle hadn't slept all day either after a morning of swimming and mum's group. Yeah I know, set our selves up really didn't we!!

Anyhoo I wasn't very organised (ha funny that!!) I originally thought about doing the shoot outside on the grass (I thought the light would be better) but that would involve me actually picking up the dog poop when Hubby would be home tomorrow! So we decided to do it inside but I have brown leather couches and no Christmas Decorations up yet (Hubby home tomorrow and is the first job on his list, after the dog poop!!) so thought I would improvise with a bit of background colour. Naturally I thought red so I fished around in the linen cupboard and found Grotbag's single red fitted sheet to drape across my dull unfestive brown leather couch. I fitted it on but I had put it on the 3 seater instead of the 2 seater and realised that the boys wouldn't be able to sit on it without it pinging off. Grotbag, who loves a photo shoot, had been on at me all afternoon about taking the photos and instead of waiting (like he had been told 10 million times!!!!) he just jumped on the sheet.

Well it all happened quite quickly really and before I knew it all 4 corners had pinged off and completely surrounded Grotbag! It made him jump as he wasn't quite sure what was going on and then proceeded to burst into hysterical tears and try (unsuccessfully) to wriggle out of it.

So I did what any caring mother would do....I laughed hysterically and took photo evidence!

After he finally got out of the sheet he took off his Santa hat threw it on the floor and stormed out of the photo shoot! The male version of Naomi Campbell in the making!

But through the whole thing all I kept thinking was.....WOW! This is going to make a great entry in Parenting BY Dummies Merry Effing Christmas Competition. If you haven't checked out Parenting By Dummies you must having been living under a Blog Rock! It is one of my favourite blogs, so get out from under the rock and go check it out!! So have submitted the above for the competition and I am still laughing thinking about it!!!

The afternoon wasn't a complete disaster. After cajoling Grotbag to come back to the shoot we got underway. I now know why they say never work with animals and children (is there a difference?).

Here are a few choice picks of the good ones...not brilliant...but OK!

Bugalugs & Grotbag

Bugalugs

My gorgeous little cousin Pickle

Da Boys!

Think we might co-ordinate the photo shoot a bit earlier next year!!

So what are you waiting for - off you go to Parenting BY Dummies and vote for Grotbags picture - I might win a prize!!

I'M SO EXCITED I THINK I PEE'D MA PANTS!!!

2009-11-30T20:23:00.010+08:00

OK excited doesn't even begin to cover it - there must be a better word...read and then let me know if you can think of one in the comments!!

GEORGE MICHAEL IS COMING TO PERTH AND I GOT TICKETS TODAY!!!!!

(I really do think a little bit of pee came out my pelvic floor isn't what it used to be!!!)

Now people....you really really really do not know what this means to me...OK so I will tell you!!

I think I must have been the original WHAM! fan...no really I LOVE(D) WHAM! Now for those new followers and those lurkers out there (yes I can see you...press the FOLLOW button already!!) I was born in London and lived there until 1985 before emigrating to Perth in Western Australia with my Mum and Step-dad. In 1985 WHAM! were doing a concert at (the old) Wembley Stadium. I pleaded with my Mum to take me but she declined saying something stupid like I am too young or something equally unfair *pokes tongue out*. I have held it against her ever since (no really...just ask her!)

Anyhoo you can imagine my excitement when in 1988 George Michael comes to Perth on his FAITH tour. Little old Perth - the most isolated city in the world!! I was 15 and even to this day when I explain to people how the show opened I still get emotional and start to cry! Yeah I know. This is how it happened:

The lights suddenly went down, the white sheet in front of the stage dropped and behind it a HUGE cage slowly opened to reveal one of the first laser screens to be used at a concert featuring the words SEX, LOVE, FAITH and a woman walking across the screen and then the guitar starts and George comes out and sings Faith...well he tries because the whole of the Entertainment Centre sings it for him...he later in the show sings it again *sniff*

Excuse me while I go get a tissue...

That's better!

I don't know if I get emotional because it was the first concert I went to sans parents (and only my second concert ever after seeing Billy Joel a month or so earlier) or because it spawned my love of concerts. His songs are always my fall back when I can't think what to listen to on my ipod and all his songs speak to me about some part in my life or some relationship. God I love him (obviously not in that way!)

So a few days ago it was announced that he was coming to Perth next February. Not only that but he was ONLY coming to Perth and then Sydney - that's it (sucked in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane...OMG sorry, it's the 15 year old in me coming out again!)

So me and my friend H seemed to come together in a dream like sequence and I knew that I would be going to be going to see him with her. Well actually she said she wanted to go on Facebook and I was the only one who said I would go with her...but she was waiting for me..she said so!

We then joined every site possible so that we could hopefully get pre-sale tickets. You know ones that go on sale a few days before the "Public" get their mitts on them. So today I received the email to say that I could get them TODAY but needed some kind of code word from some site I realised that I hadn't joined. H hadn't either. So we decided we had nothing to lose but guess the code word. I thought of Freedom but that wasn't it then H said try Faith - AND GUESS WHAT THAT WAS THE CODE WORD! (more pee....)

Oh you gotta have Faith.....It was a sign!!!!

So we secured our tickets ($300 later!!! and they were not the most expensive), I secured a babysitter...it's Mum...well she owes me for the WHAM! at Wembley incident!

So now the count down is on.....and I had to tell Hubby how much his wife, who doesn't do any paid work has spent $300 on a George Michael ticket...just before Christmas...the same wife that wants and iphone...ooh and a laptop!!

I HAVE THE BEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD!!! He even guessed that I would spend $200 - I told him higher and he spluttered a bit but the wonderful man that he is doesn't mind. He just said that we might have to go without the turkey this year at Christmas and eat baked beans on toast for 3 weeks...but you know..whatever...I AM GOING TO SEE GEORGE MICHAEL!!!

So my question for my wonderful commenters today is who would you pee your pants to see? Who did you see at your first concert and has it affected you like it has me...you know a bit crazy? OK and if one of you even mentions that you have met George I want proof and I might have to unfollow you....I'm harsh that way!!

Bad Blogging Friend

2009-11-29T09:29:00.002+08:00

I have been a Bad Blogging Friend... I know...

Over my past few posts I have received some wonderful comments and also attracted a few more followers but have not had the time to reply to my comments or come and check out your blogs. This has been because of The List which I am loving plowing through but it has taken me away from my new best friend - the blogesphere!

I love reading comments and checking out new followers and their blogs so I will spending the next few days, not working on my posts but coming to check yours out and replying to my wonderful commenter's and checking out their blogs too!

I can't wait to meet you all you new bloggy friends and re-acquaint myself with some old buddies!!

The Lazy Blogger - Part Three

2009-11-26T16:21:00.003+08:00

After a look at all my clothes in my wardrobe today I was reminded that I should really be watching more what I eat now that Summer will be here in 3 days time and I might have to squeeze into come swimming attire. I was going to blog about my on going weight issues and then remembered I already had....before I had any readers! And so another instalment of the Lazy Blogger is born.....

The Weight Debate
I am currently attending Weight Watchers Meetings. Yes, hello, my name is Amanda and I have an eating problem. Well it's not a problem as much as a niggle (or jiggle) in my side.

I have never been ultra slim although looking back at photo's of me when I was at school I was pretty average and would be happy to be that average again. My weight started creeping on after I left school. I blame this on not riding my bike once I got my licence and having a disposable income to spend on takeaway. In my early 20's I realised that my height (158cm) was not conducive to my weight so I joined Weight Watchers and lost 5kg which was great and I felt fantastic, fitted into my old clothes etc.

At 23 I moved out of home and slowly it all started to creep on again, went to the UK a couple of times and added some Heathrow kilo's and so on and so on.
6 months before I got married I joined a gym, went everyday and lost a bit of weight but the change was mostly inches and toning of my muscles which I liked. A few months after I was married I fell pregnant with Grotbag and it's all been going down hill ever since.

After Grotbag I gave myself some leave and then we started trying for another baby so naturally my attitude was "well what's the point I will be preggers soon" and low and behold 18 months after Grotbag I did fall pregnant but unfortunately miscarried. The messing with hormones, the unhappiness of it all plus still wanting to fall pregnant again made weight loss a very low priority. 9 months later I fell pregnant but again miscarried. It was all too much, but I suddenly realised I needed a new focus as the baby making was all consuming.

So again I joined Weight Watchers along with Bling (my cousin, who is more like a sister and will make many an appearance in my blogs. So called as she likes a bit of Bling!). I lost 9kg just in time for my work Christmas party and felt fantastic. Then Hubby and I were told that to have another baby we would need IVF. I will probably talk about this in detail another blog but needless to say it involved lots of emotions, lots of drugs and lots of luck. And lucky we were. First time lucky and 9 months later Bugalugs entered this world! Through my pregnancy I got gestational diabetes and also had a hemorrhage which meant I couldn't do anything that raised my heartbeat which meant no exercise or even walking too far.

And so here I am again, carrying baby weight, emotional weight and the occasional Hungry Jacks weight. It's coming off. A lot slower this time and fluctuates depending on the time of the month but I have managed to shed to date 3.1kg (6.8 pounds) and feel much better for it too. I know I have to lose the weight. Having gestational diabetes means I am 50% more likely to get Type 2 diabetes when I am older and this is something that I really want to avoid. I have no more excuses, no more babies on the way and I need to be fit to keep up with my two growing boys, and I want to be a good example for them.

Some days are harder than others. I love food and love cooking so it's all about balance. But I will get there...because at the end of the day I have no alternative!

*** Post Script

I stopped going to Weight Watchers and the fluctuating weight (I was told this was to do with my hormones still correcting themselves after having Bugalugs) each week was doing my head in even if I had had a great week I would sometimes have put on half a kilo - it was too devastating. I realise that what I really need to do is exercise but so far it's just a theory! So the saga continues....

A Sweet Christmas Gift!

2009-11-22T19:19:00.011+08:00

I have been wanting to blog about this little gem for a while but couldn't as didn't know if the recipients would be reading my blog. Would have spoiled the surprise! I love finding new little gifts for Christmas and this one suited my new found love of baking (I have been a 'cook' in the past and not a 'baker') perfectly!

I would love to take credit for this idea but like most fabulous ideas, someone else thought of them first! I found this little gem in "The Very Useful Christmas Book" by Taste.com.au which came free when you purchases 1of 6 other cooking magazines.

The recipe is called "Abby's Cookies in a Jar" Basically you put all the dry ingredients in a jar (the ones below are Decor 1L screw top jars from Big W), layered up all nicely like in my picture below....

Attach the gift tag with the cooking instructions which you can print off from Taste.com.au and tizzy it up a bit. I found the clear Christmas bags from K-mart ($2 for 20!), the Ho Ho Ho ribbon and red bows from Big W. I think they look pretty cool and I had most of the ingredients in my pantry anyway....

Every year we get together with 3 other couples and their kids and have a Christmas lunch, we give small pressies to the kids and basically have a nice little catch up before Christmas. We did that today and I gave each family a jar of my cookie mix above. They LOVED the idea. But to sweeten the deal even more I made a batch of the cookies for them to try so they knew what to expect. My picture below of said made cookie....they were delish if I do say so myself!!

So...here is the recipe straight from the book if you can't be bothered going to the links above:

Abby's Cookies In a Jar

Makes 24
Equipment - You'll need a 1L glass jar with a lid

Ingredients
Jar ingredients
3/4 cup (110g) plain flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (75g) firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
3/4 cup (65g) rolled oats
100g craisins (dried cranberries), see variation (I used sultanas, dark & white chocolate in the ones I made above as I ran out of craisins for the gifts, m&ms would be cool too)
130g white chocolate chips

Extra ingredients for making cookies
125g butter, melted and cooled
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method
Sift flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl. Spoon the flour mixture into a 1L (4-cup) capacity glass jar. Top with brown sugar, then caster sugar. Top with oats, then craisins, then chocolate chips. Seal jar. Give as gift.

To make cookies, preheat oven to 190˚C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Empty jar into a large bowl. Add butter, egg and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Shape tablespoons of mixture into balls and place on baking trays approximately 5cm apart. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, swapping trays halfway during cooking, or until edges are lightly browned. Turn biscuits onto a wire rack to cool. Serve.

Notes & tips
For double choc chip biscuits, substitute craisins for dark or milk chocolate chips.
Download and print out the gift tag, complete with cooking instructions here

I understand this is quite a common idea in the USA so any of my readers from across the pond have any different variations to share please let me know!

A Woman Can Never Have Too Many Shoes, Handbags or Tupperware

2009-11-16T13:38:00.005+08:00

Well The List is having tasks crossed off and added to it all the time and I am loving the feeling of accomplishment every day. While having breakfast I write a mini list of the tasks that hope to get completed that day plus incidentals like washing, unloading dishwasher, getting something out the freezer for dinner etc. It keeps me on track and I am loving it!

Anywhoo, one of the first tasks I tackled after I wrote The List was clearing out my Tupperware cupboards - yes plural - I actually have one full kitchen corner cabinet, two dish drawers and a smaller draw all allocated to my plastic obsession (yeah, I know I can see your OMG expressions now!)

Hubby has no patience when it comes to putting dishes away, especially the plastic fantastic and so they just get thrown in and the door quickly shut hoping that they don't fall out the next time the draw is open. Which they usually do...the day after he has flown out again to work....so I have no one to swear at. This manifests into me doing the same thing having no time to neatly stack everything and so a jumbled mix of bowls and lids are left to their own devices.

At my Pink Ribbon Breakfast I had Tupperware come and show their wares as they donate 10% of all sales to the NBCF and also gave some great donations to the raffle. And of course I had to buy some so the day came when the delivery arrived and I literally had no where to put it. So this was number one of The List .

Well I even surprised myself with how much I had. Below is a picture of all the Tupperware that was in my cupboards.

This picture did NOT include:

The myriad of inferior plastic that I also own (Decor anyone?)
The kiddie plastic taking up one whole draw (IKEA, Take & Toss)
The 32 (yes I counted) Tupperware containers that were in use in the pantry, fridge and freezers.
My Tupperware Picnic set
The new Tupperware that had been delivered including a 9 piece 'Outdoor Kitchen' set of funky black Tupperware.

Ahem....Addiction Anyone?

This is the part where I get all defensive and justify it all. I'm good at it...I do it to Hubby all the time...

There are only a few things in that picture I do not use and after this clean out am donating to friends - they are the Fridge Smarts (the rectangle thingies with the breather holes) - never could get the hang of them, they take up too much room in my fridge and I go through my veggies too quickly for them to be any use.

That means that EVERYTHING else in that picture does actually get used. Especially my Illusion Bowls (left of the picture, blue lids with the salad servers sitting on them). In summer they are never in the cupboard but are full of salad. They are used at every BBQ and would have to be the best Tupperware purchase EVER.

My newest fabulous piece is the Rice Cooker (round red thingy front left) BEST RICE EVER and I can tell will be getting a lot of use.

Everything has now been put back, within easy reach and not just piled on top of each other so Hubby won't be bothered to put it back properly. I gave a few older bowls and lids to my mum for the holiday house as well as some inferior plastic and odds and ends as well. Everything now has a place and is easy to find and put away and gets used.

Many people have asked me over the years why don't I become a demonstrator. Well for one I don't have the kitchen space! And two, I don't want my love to be tainted which I think it might. Plus party plan income is really only good if you can have a lot of parties and with Hubby working away I would constantly have to get babysitters.

I have been to many parties over the years and can usually tell a new demonstrator what she needs to know and there are not many things left for me to buy. But it never stops me buying - I call it investment shopping! Hey there are worse things I could be doing right?

Well I am just happy this little task is off my list now and I can enjoy my fantastic plastic in all its glory sitting proudly in my cupboards. Now, where did I put that latest catalogue.......

Do you have a Tupperware addiction? What is your favourite piece? Is yours neatly stacked or a jumble of lids and bowls crammed into a draw? Let me know your plastic secret!!

The List.

2009-11-15T08:58:00.006+08:00

Overwhelming!

That has been what my life has been the last two weeks hence my lack of posts.

Let me tell you a little story....

When I was pregnant in Bugalugs last year Hubby and I got into panic mode about "getting things done to the house". I needed to change the BIG junk room to a SMALLER junk room so that the baby could have somewhere to sleep. We had also ripped up every shred of carpet as they were disgusting from the renters who had lived here before we bought our house and one day (after vacuuming and realising it had made no difference) I told Hubby I would rather walk on concrete than the carpet. We hired a skip the next day and Hubby ripped the lot up.

Then I panicked that we needed flooring because of Bugalugs imminent arrival plus the house was so dusty with concrete floors and Grotbag couldn't play very well on his playroom floor! The only place in the house which didn't have carpet was the kitchen/family/dining room plus the bathrooms and laundry. Yes, that meant that all the bedrooms, the junk room and the playroom didn't have carpet. Which also meant that to lay new flooring (not carpet, dog hair and carpet don't mix, we have commercial wood look vinyl) EVERYTHING had to come out of the rooms before it could be laid. Remember I am 7 months pregnant at this point.

We called in family to help and by the time the flooring guy came all that was left in the rooms were the beds. Everything else was on and in my dining room. I wish I had taken a picture because it was like a huge mountain of crap. Most of it was from the Junk room and as storage is a problem in our house, there was no where to put it. There was also lots and lots and lots of baby stuff, the cot, change table, baby bath - all that had been stored in the junk room from when it had been used by Grotbag. This was all done TWO WEEKS before the flooring guy came because of Hubby's work pattern. Hubby came home the week the floors were being laid and then flew back before there was a chance to move everything back. So for another week I sat with the contents of most of my home in my dining room.

Then one night after a wonder baby shower, my waters broke and I went into early labour.

I was having a planned C Section at my OB/GYN insistence because of previous procedures and it wasn't supposed to be for 3 weeks. Yeah, Bugalugs wanted out and wasn't going to wait. Hubby was away and couldn't believe he was going to miss it (he couldn't fly out till the next night as there were not planes!) and so Mum was called in and Bling too and Bugalugs made his safe arrival into the world.

With all the contents of my home still in my dining room.

I was not bringing a new baby home from hospital with the pile of crap from hell staring at me. So from the hospital bed I gave instructions that Hubby was to go get many of those large plastic storage tubs. The my mum and Auntie B rallied round and put all contents in the dining room into the boxes, labelled them and stacked them in the new 'spare room'. I had visions of pulling out a box at a time, sorting through it while Bugalugs slept and it would all be sorted in a few weeks.

HA! They haven't been touched in 9 months and what was a lovely stacked orderly room is now again a huge junk pile dumping ground and I can barely walk in the room.

So the biggest over whelming factor in my home is the clutter that needs to just GO. Time is obviously against me - I just have none and all this was really getting me down. My head was swimming with things that needed to be done, especially with Christmas coming up, me going to Melbourne, Lay-bys to pick up - well it is never ending.

I started waking in the morning dreading my day not knowing what to tackle first. I was moody and felt like I had no control. I couldn't see the woods for the trees if you know what I mean.

How did this happen? When I was in paid work I was soooooo organised. Everything had it's place, tasks were done to deadline and I never panicked about anything. I loved being busy.

Then one of my best friend V gave me the advice I had been looking for. I told her how I had been feeling and she said that she had felt that way too a couple of months ago. And then one day she just sat down and wrote a list. One huge mother of a list of everything that she needed or wanted to do. Small things and big things. Then she just planned her days around different tasks on the list.

OMG! Really, could it be that easy? I used to make lists all the time in my paid working life and I loved the pleasure and sense of accomplishment when I ticked a task off my list.

V brought the biggest smile to my face, and the next day that is exactly what I did. I wrote everything I wanted or needed to do. Appointments I needed to make, organisation tasks, big tasks like painting the playroom and small tasks like email friend cupcake recipe.

So far The List is 2.5 lined A4 pages long and I have been adding too it everyday. I have already marked quite a few tasks off. Everyday I check The List and make a mini list of what I want to accomplish that day. It may only be one thing but once done, it's off the list. I can't believe I ever thought I would remember everything in my head that is now on The List. I must have been delusional.

I can't tell you how much better I feel. It really is quite amazing. I am not constantly trying to remember tasks as they are all on paper and out of my head. I can prioritise tasks. I can concentrate on one task at a time without worrying whether I should be doing something else instead. I can plan certain tasks for when Hubby is home and he can also work from the list.

So unfortunately Blogging has taken to "scorching it's butt on my back burner" this week while I prioritise some tasks from the list. One of today's tasks was to blog about The List (yay anothere task I can cross off) and so addicted to blogging and telling you about my life, I couldn't complete some of my tasks without documenting the ones I felt were good blog fodder!!! So stay tuned!

And V thanks, you saved my sanity, my kids and Hubby from a very grumpy mum/wife!

Do you keep A List? How do you keep on top of everything in your life? Is your house about to burst at the seams from clutter? Do you have any clutter buster tips for me? What's your best organisational tip? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

A Cultured Evening In My Otherwise Uncultured Life

2009-11-06T20:13:00.008+08:00

Back in September I wrote a post about the book we were just about to read for Book Club. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey.

If your so inclined you can find that post HERE (which also features a fabulous banana bread recipe!)

Anywhoo, I thought I would first explain about our little Book Club. AKA Wine Club, Therapy Session, Desert Club etc. Most of our partners do not believe we actually read books and that it is just an excuse to have a catch up.

Our Book Club started a couple of years back on the way home from a girls night out. We were talking books and one of us mentioned a book we wanted to read. We all have similar tastes and would usually swap books. We all agreed we wanted to read said book and so started our own Book Club. We also agreed it would be a great way to have a regular catch up as with our ever growing families this was becoming harder and harder.

There were 5 of us to begin with (AB, Me, V, ES & J) and 4 of us had known each other 20 odd years. ES ended up moving to Albany - 5 hours drive away, had to opt out and J decided she couldn't get through her stack of books let alone a book club book so then there were 3. We recruited another friend of ours ET (her initials, not the alien!) and so now we are 4.

We have read some brilliant books, and some doozies. We have tried to be over intellectual (Anna Karenina) and struggled and then too low brow for discussion (This Charming Man by Marian Keyes). We each take turns picking books and we haven't always agreed which is fantastic considering we have similar tastes. I have to note too that my fellow Book Clubbers were very understanding while I was pregnant and couldn't read as it made me nauseous. Thank goodness for ipods and audio books!

Just as a side bar, the audio book (Breath by Tim Winton) experience for me was fantastic but it did give me a completely different perspective on the book to everyone else in Book Club. Many thought it was quite a slow book but I think because I was hearing it with accents and inflections it seemed to flow really well. Just thought I would mention it.

I also credit our little Book Club to opening the doors to the Twilight series and many books I would other wise have not read or been exposed to.

So our latest book, Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey (a West Australian author - Yay!) was picked by ET. ET was going to pick his first novel called Rhubarb but noted that Craig Silvey was going to talk about Jasper Jones at the University of Western Australia as part of the Perth International Writers Festival so we jumped at the opportunity to go see him. So last night was our Book Club Excursion.

I love to go hear writers talk about their novels. It gives a different perspective of the characters, what made the author choose certain elements of the book and where their inspiration comes from. And Craig Silvey did not disappoint.

He talked about how he came to write the book. The pressure of writing a second book when the first was so critically acclaimed. How he actually shelved his second book and started Jasper Jones. He read from the book which I so adore from and author and answered questions from the audience. I asked him a question regarding one of the characters and why he made them have the personality they did. He answered with a joke and then clearly described his reasoning. It didn't change my opinion of the character, but did give me a new respect for the character. Another question from the audience was whether Craig had held 'real' jobs. Of which he had, and told us how he had been writing for 10 years but had only just got paid. He was asked his influences which were Mark Twain and Haper Lee and that is why he wrote Jasper Jones as a bow to Southern Gothic novels. I was most disappointed when an audience member questioned him on the grammar in the book and whether something was dialogue or not. I didn't really find it appropriate and it was almost like she was picking a fight and it really wasn't relevant questioning for the evening. Call his editor?

The evening went all too quickly and before we knew it we were being ushered out for Craig to sign books. I would have loved to have sat and discussed the book with him he really was a great speaker and so passionate about his work (what author isn't?).

We all went for coffee and cake afterwards but since I was the only one to finish the book we decided to meet in a week to discuss it properly. I really did love the book. There are not many books I would read again but this one I definitely would. It maybe that one of my favourite books is To Kill A Mocking Bird and I am predicting that Jasper Jones will also be a classic book read and discussed by many in years to come. So if you are looking for your next Book Club book, this just might be the one! Fantastic well rounded characters and lots to discuss.

So, I would love to hear if you are in a Book Club and what type it is - good friends or organised by a library or other group. What have been some great books you have read that you would not have other wise read? What are ones that you think should be avoided? What is your favourite book or author? Basically comment about your love of books - I would love to read you bookish thoughts!

Jasper Jones: "Late on a hot summer night in the tail end of 1965, Charlie Bucktin, a precocious and bookish boy of thirteen, is startled by an urgent knock on the window of his sleep-out. His visitor is Jasper Jones, an outcast in the regional mining town of Corrigan. Rebellious, mixed-race and solitary, Jasper is a distant figure of danger and intrigue for Charlie. So when Jasper begs for his help, Charlie eagerly steals into the night by his side, terribly afraid but desperate to impress.Jasper takes him through town and to his secret glade in the bush, and it's here that Charlie bears witness to Jasper's horrible discovery. With his secret like a brick in his belly, Charlie is pushed and pulled by a town closing in on itself in fear and suspicion as he locks horns with his tempestuous mother; falls nervously in love and battles to keep a lid on his zealous best friend, Jeffrey Lu. And in vainly attempting to restore the parts that have been shaken loose, Charlie learns to discern the truth from the myth, and why white lies creep like a curse. In the simmering summer where everything changes, Charlie learns why the truth of things is so hard to know, and even harder to hold in his heart."

Apparently I Give Good Blog...

2009-11-04T21:01:00.006+08:00

Well that's what Tropical Mum thinks anyway, and has kindly awarded me the I Give Good Blog award. (I was hoping to get this one at some stage, so big Thanks!!!)

Rules of course are:

1. Make a cocktail - I'm having a wine while typing this does that count?

2. Pick out some of your favorite bloggers & send this award to 4 of them.

3. Tell them why you think they give good blog.

So I hereby give this award to the following 4 bloggers because...well...they are fabulous and they don't already have this award (I don't think so anyway!)

Tonya @ This and That

Lacey @ Inspired Lately

Sara @ Sara Spelled Without an H

Bern @ So Now What?

So go read and follow and tell them I sent ya!!

The Only Time Of The Year I Get To Have Pink Plates & Napkins

2009-11-03T21:28:00.011+08:00

Most of my followers know that I held my 2nd Annual Pink Ribbon Breakfast on Saturday 24th for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Well the day was a great success and really fun. All the girls (no boys allowed - kicked Hubby and my boys out!) came dressed in pink and brought a little something to eat and share. The food was FABULOUS just look at the photos below. AB out did herself from last year with her Pink Ribbon Cake and Ren's pink lamingtons we as fluffy as clouds. We had a raffle and it worked out I had just enough prizes for everyone to take something home! It was like a politically correct kids party with everyone getting a prize!!

We basically spent the rest of the time chatting and gossiping and ooohhhing and ahhhing at the latest Tupperware. Tupperware give 10% of all sales made on the day to the National Breast Cancer Foundation and also provided a few raffle prizes as well! So I invite them to be part of the day each year.

Anyway below are a few photos from the day - I am totally all pinked out but will be back to host another Pink Ribbon Day next year. Like the title says, in a house full of boys it's the only time I get to have a 'pink' party!!

You can help me achieve my fundraising goal by making a donation, with all money raised going to the National Breast Cancer Foundation's research programs, It's quick and easy. You can make a secure online donation to my breakfast using your credit card by clicking HERE.

my ribbon biscuits

Barbie's chocolate covered strawberries

Sal's rubarb filled melting moments

Ren's Pink Lamingtons

AB's Pink Ribbon Chocolate Cake

Me - The Hostess

Hubby's Badge for the day!

Lonely Planet Has Given Away "The Secret!"

2009-11-03T19:15:00.006+08:00

I'M BACK!

Did ya miss me??

I missed you guys real bad! But it was nice to take a break from the computer screen and relax and recharge!

So where have I been?

Me, Hubby and the Boys travelled 3 hours in the car down the coast of Western Australia to the South West to a small town called Busselton. My parents rent out a holiday home there and so the perks of that is that out of peak times we get to stay there for free.

This is Busselton:

Well that's Busselton Jetty but you get the idea - some of the best beaches in the world are in the South West.

Only 45km from Busselton is Margaret River which contains more wineries than you can poke a stick at and half a dozen boutique breweries as well. There is tons for the kids to do too, with farms, mazes, mini golf etc etc so it is a great place for a family holiday. Yallingup and Dunsborough are just down the road too a favourite for haunt for surfers.

We spent 5 days there and had a great relaxing time. We went to farms, breweries, the Busselton Show was on while we were in town, we went to the Margaret River Chocolate Factory (YUM!), went to the beach and just basically chilled out as a family!

Usually I take the opportunity to take the home chef hat off while we are away, as I cook every night at home so while we are away we usually eat out for every meal other than breakfast But as it is just before Christmas it's not the best time to be flashing the cash on holiday. Also the holiday house is set up as a home away from home (literally, most of my old kitchen plates, cups and glasses have migrated down there, even my old hair dryer - it's like the ghosts of household items past) then I decided to be a bit more frugal this year.

I packed lunches for during the day for 4 out of the 5 days also cooked 3 out of the 5 nights rather than eating out. The one day we did have lunch out we didn't have dinner as we were so full! Preparing our own meals made a huge difference to the holiday budget and we hardly noticed it. Most places are set up to be able to have a picnic lunch anyway and it was lovely sitting by the beach having our lunch than ordering an expensive (as it is a tourist destination, eating out can be pricey) meal. In fact the most expensive part of the holiday was paying to kennel my dogs!

So what has this got to do with Lonely Planet?

Well on our car trip back they announced on the radio that Lonely Planet has named the South West in it's worlds top ten holiday destinations. They have designated a chapter in their Best In Travel 2010 edition.

Bugger!

The world will now know what us West Australian's have known for years. It was our little secret. While others ranted on about Sydney and Brisbane and shopping in Melbourne we would snicker knowing we had our little 'South West'.

Well thanks Lonely Planet - the secret is out! As long as they don't tell anyone about the North West....D'oh!!!

Creepy Guy and Pink Ribbons!

2009-10-22T20:33:00.006+08:00

I woke up this morning all motivated for my first day as an AVON rep. I had got all my books and order forms ready and after dropping Grotbag at school I drove to my assigned 'territory' to drop so me books at some doors.

Ding Dong AVON Calling!

My 'territory' was one suburb over (apparently the whole of my suburb is the territory or just one person - go figure) and also right next to a train station so I parked the car, put Bugalugs in the buggy and off I set.

It was a beautiful day, really warm, a bit over cast but lovely and I was relishing the fact that I would be getting some exercise as well as (hopefully) earning a bit of extra cash for Christmas.

No sooner had I delivered about 10 books I saw 'creepy guy' coming down the road in the opposite direction. Now although it was pure daylight there really was no-one around. He looked to be talking to himself, looked like he hadn't washed in weeks and sported a beard that looked like it had things living in it. So I thought it would be safer to cross the road and the double back on myself. I saw him turn into a street and then saw him heading toward the train station. Phew!

Bugalugs had fallen asleep and I was enjoying the walk. I turned into a cul-de-sac and delivered a couple more books. I turned around and who should be coming down the cul-de-sac but 'creepy guy'! There really was no one around and as it was a cul-de-sac I had to walk right past him. He was looking around and then straight at me. So I walked straight past him and kept looking right at him staring him down. He eventually looked away and then said 'er..do you have the time" I told him no and kept walking. All I could think of was Bugalugs asleep in the pram. Creepy guy just kind of just stopped and loitered at the end of the cul-de-sac and I kept looking around to make sure he was still there. He completely avoided eye contact and I high taled it out of there. All the way back to the car I kept looking over my shoulder and got Bugalugs in the car quick smart. I had the eebbiie jibbies by then and just wanted to get home.

As soon as I got home I called the lady who had signed me up and left her a message telling her she could have the territory back!! Ain't going there again!!! (it's 9 o'clock at night and she hasn't called me back....hmmmm!)

After I came home and calmed down I tried not to think of what would have happened if he had come up behind me before I saw him coming down the cul-de-sac. I also realise he might live streets around there and so really don't want to have to maybe bump into him again. He may have just come on the train and was wandering but I don't want to take that chance. The thing is the suburb is a really good suburb so it wasn't like I was on the wrong side of the tracks.

Anyhoo....it kind of tainted my first AVON experience. I think I might give up having a territory and just stick to doing it socially among people I know. A lot safer that way! I am under no obligation anyway so can just quit anytime so will see if it is worth my while.

On a brighter Pinker note I am holding my 2nd Annual Pink Ribbon Breakfast this Saturday for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Last year I raised just over $550 so am hoping to double it this year. It really is fun day. All the girls come dressed in pink and bring a little something to eat and share. We have a raffle and basically chat and gossip the morning away!!! I will be sure to post some pictures of the day!

You can help me achieve my fundraising goal by making a donation, with all money raised going to the National Breast Cancer Foundation's research programs, It's quick and easy. You can make a secure online donation to my breakfast using your credit card by clicking HERE.

And even more exciting news...my Hubby is home tomorrow YAY! It's early as he is not supposed to be back until Tuesday but is attending a conference so they are flying him home earlier so we get a 'free' weekend together. Well, I am kicking him out while the breakfast is on....well no men allowed!!

Wordless Wednesday!

2009-10-21T14:55:00.003+08:00

OK.....I can't keep quiet so this is not really wordless Wednesday but I took this photo of Bugalugs yesterday after his dinner and it keeps making me smile so it was too good not to share!

Blog posts are a bit thin on the ground as I have loads going on outside of the blogosphere including a Pink Ribbon Breakfast I am hosting on Saturday for the National Breast Cancer Foundation and also preparing for a mini break with the family.

I have also spontaneously signed up today to be an AVON rep in my area????? What the? Well I need to lose the baby weight but love food too much so have to move my butt instead, plus I can do it with Hubby working away and with the kids. Hopefully it will bring in a little bit of cash too which can't be bad so will have to wait and see.

Anyhoo, thanks for all your comments I have been reading them all and will eventually get around to replying to you all. Promise.....

Good customer service from a call centre...no, really I am serious!!

2009-10-18T09:41:00.006+08:00

It's all very well to bitch and moan about bad service. I mean it happens quite a lot but just like anything that happens all the time you end up becoming immune to it and start accepting it as the norm.

However, every now and then there is a company that provides good customer service or has an idea in customer service that in my opinion EVERY company should adopt.

This morning I received a nice little email from my ISP telling me that I have reached my download limit for the month and so although I won't get charged anymore they will slow me down in the peak period. I was expecting this little gem as last week I got the preliminary email telling me I had reached the 80% - it was like a little 'whoa slow down sister or we will do it for you' message.

So having decided that I cannot deal with slow Internet speed I called them (they are available 24/7 - yes people 24/7 it's Sunday morning here as I write this) - and as usual I find myself in a queue. But low and behold this was the message that I heard:

"Hi there, you must be really busy and not want to spend the next 20 minutes holding for the next operator so guess what....we will call YOU back. Yep just type in your number then press hash and tell us your name so we know who to ask for. And don't worry your little self about losing your place in the queue, we will save your spot and we should be able to call you in the next *pause* 12 to 19 minutes. So off you go, go hang your washing out, have a cup of tea or read a few more blogs and we will give you a call in just a mo!"

Well not verbatim OK .... I am inflicting artistic licence here but seriously is that good or what?

I don't know any other company that does this but all call centres should adopt it - think how much happier all us little customers would be.

So in the time I COULD have been waiting on the phone I put my washing away put another load on and put Bugalugs down for a sleep. And they called me back about 15 minutes later and they put me back on normal speed, changed my plan for next month all within a few minutes.

Ahhh what a way to start a Sunday morning....

Do you have any good call centre customer service stories? Any cool practices that you think others should adopt? Let me know in the comments...

...Because My Husband Works Away - Social Engagements

2009-10-16T13:22:00.006+08:00

I have been planning to write a post about how I cope "...Because My Husband Works Away". I was reluctant at first as I know there are a lot of single mums, army wives and widows that might read my post that felt a bit wrong writing about it.

But then I realised that we all have our unique situations and we all cope with them differently and maybe something I write might help or give an idea to someone else. Plus it is a big part of who I am and my life that I wanted to share.

The thing is there are so many aspects to having your Husband home only one week in every three that when I started making notes I realised the post would be horrendously long and bore the pants of anyone who read it. So I thought I would start a little series and write about different parts positives and negatives of our family arrangement.

In this post I wanted to talk about how we deal with social engagements for us as a couple and me on my own. Last weekend when Hubby was home we had 3 party invites for the Saturday night. Apparently October 10th is a popular day for birthdays!

We had already made plans with another two couples to come to our place for a curry night, so had to decline the 3 invites we had. You might think that we would have cancelled or rescheduled our night but babysitters had been booked for the other couples and the plans had been made first and well in advance.

This often happens on Hubby's weekend home. We have quite a few different circles of friends (well aren't we the popular couple *she says sarcastically*) and we often 'book' in to see friends in advance so when other stuff comes up we usually have to decline.

This means that Hubby does miss out on quite a few social events on the 'other' weekends and depending on whether I can get a baby sitter or take the kids I pretty much go to almost everything I am invited to even if he is not home. I am so used to this that I have a little method of deciding what we go to and what we decline.

Weddings and Funerals trump everything. Regardless of previous plans made. I have never had either on the same day so haven't had to decide between the two. Hubby will always try and make them even if it means having a few days annual leave.

Previous plans take precedent over everything else. If we have committed to something we will pretty much always follow through with it. The exceptions are of course the Weddings & Funerals and also if we get invited to something that is a once off like a going away party where we won't get to see the person for a long time.

Special considerations are also given to BFF's and Family. Like on my Mum's birthday this year Hubby is away and I have also been invited to a going away party for a good friend of mine. So first I check with Mum if she has any plans for her birthday like a family dinner or anything. No, she is off to a wedding the next day so is heading off for the weekend. Bonus! I don't feel bad about having to cancel one or the other and as Mum has the day off work to get her hair done and pack I can see her during the day!

BTW if Mum had been planning something I would have tried to get her to do something the next night (I am an only child so no need to worry about siblings!) and no, I wouldn't have got her to babysit on her birthday - I'm not that bad...but if she had offered.....

I am very lucky that most of my friends are mindful of my situation with Hubby working away and so we try to plan book club when he is home or I will plan other things with the girls when he is home too as he acts as an instant babysitter. Or I will plan to have things take place at my house when the kids have gone to bed.

As with babysitters we are very lucky that we have a few people we can ask but I won't waste babysitting opportunities. I realise that sometimes we just have to say no!

Needless to say the week that Hubby is home we are both very busy, me having a bit of time with my girlfriends without the kids and catching up with couples or attending parties, going out for dinner.

The most important engagement though is Date Night with Hubby. We make sure we always have one night where we chill out together at home watching a movie and getting take away or we go out on our own for dinner and movie or something along those lines!

So, do you have filter system like me with your social engagements? How do you decide if it is worth getting a babysitter? Do you have Date Night with your Hubby?

It Only Takes A Second!

2009-10-14T21:32:00.005+08:00

Finally the weather has decided to catch up with the season here in Perth and today was a beautiful 't-shirt & thongs' warm Spring day in Perth. (Thongs as in Haviana's not Victoria Secret's!!)

Grotbag and I headed off one of his Kindy friends 5th birthday party today and as the weather was nice he was told to bring his swimming stuff so all the kids can go in the pool.

Bit too cold for me and the rest of the mums but we smothered the kids in sunscreen and let them swim standing around the pool watching them enjoy the sunshine! This was the first time I had let Grotbag go in the pool without me being in with him.

Now Grotbag has swimming lessons every week (and had been to a lesson this morning) but is a bit scared of deep water where he can't touch the bottom. Believe me he is no risk taker this kid except when you put him on wheels - scooters & skateboards are a preference then I have my heart in my mouth watching him.

Anyway he decided the best thing to do was hang out with one of his mates on the steps. All us mums were inside the pool fence watching the kids and chatting. No more than arms reach away from the kids. Everyone is having fun.

After about 20 Min's Grotbag decides he would like to have a go on one of the boogie boards, lay on it and have a kick around. I said he could but to be careful.

It happened in seconds, the boogie board tipped and he went under. He came up but panicked and forgot how to swim and so I jumped in and pulled him up (yes fully clothed).

He was OK! He cried! And rightly so he was spooked! So I sat with him on the step. I didn't want to make a HUGE deal out of it for him because I didn't want to create a bad association with swimming and pools. We live in Australia and swimming is a MUST here, the last thing I want is for him to have a big fear of water. So I just held him told him he was fine now and gave him a big cuddle. Within 5 Min's he was fine and back splashing. Mum to the rescue!

It only takes a second. And in that second I was so scared but also focused on getting him up, nothing else mattered.

He has never worn armbands or a float vest but I think I will be investing in one tomorrow and joining him in the pool from now on even if the water is a bit cold! The alternative is unthinkable!

So, have you ever had any close calls with your kids or family members? Has it changed the way you think or do anything to change the outcome next time?

Making Excuses.

2009-10-13T13:43:00.012+08:00

She calls you at the last minute to cancel your plans together even though you thought they were set in stone for months. She says she 'isn't feeling great'. Regardless of the fact that you have organised a baby sitter had to for go having dinner with the family thinking you were grabbing a bite while you were out. And you sigh because this isn't the first time.

Later you find out she went out partying with someone else. A pattern she follows of more fun somewhere else!

No bother, you again excuse her poor behaviour because, hey, you've been friends for a long time and it's just the way she is.

She turns up at your doorstep and asks to stay. She has no where to go. You tell her 'just for a week'. She keeps you up every night while she's downing a bottle or two of wine (even though your not drinking) telling you yet again how broke and in debt she is, that her boss is picking on her, how 'That Girl' is a b**ch and how 'lucky' you are to have what you have.

Regardless of the fact that you have to get up at the crack of dawn and feed a baby. And that you too have to go to work because being 'lucky' means having to work part-time as well as being a mum.

Again you give advice knowing full well it won't be taken and you will hear the same story again in a few months because god forbid if she should change her ways. She says she's broke but hey, aren't they new shoes? And didn't you just buy two bottles of wine and instead of eating the dinner I made you, order pizza because now you have the munchies?

No bother, you again excuse her poor behaviour because, hey, you've been friends for a long time and it's just 'the way she is'.

You go out with her to a pub or a club even though that's not your scene anymore. She again consumes more alcohol than needed. She wants a 'man' but stand aloof and looks down her nose at any guy that comes along. You make chit chat with a guy standing near and all of a sudden she's not talking to you because you should have known telepathically that she wanted to get to know him. So you introduce them, she is all over him and he runs a mile. Apparently its 'your' fault. You want to go home and she says your spoiling 'her' fun. You get her inside and put her to bed while you 'don't' sleep on the couch. The next morning she wakes and says what an awesome night that was and you should both go out together more often.

Awesome?

No bother, you again excuse her poor behaviour because, hey, you've been friends for a long time and it's just 'the way she is'.

And then there the time that you had to go and pick her up after a incoherent phone call she makes to you doesn't know where she is so is wandering around. Of course you go and get her. She would do it for you. Right?

Or how she hasn't been able to hold down a job or keep the many 'acquaintances' she has had over the years because someone is always 'out to get her'. But she would be there for you too. Wouldn't she?

You listen to her whine and complain about some of her friends and you think to yourself "hey what is she saying about me when I am not around?" Couples are 'boring' but as soon as there is someone new on her scene you don't hear from her for weeks.

She tells you that you are the only one who 'gets her'. Actually your the only one who will put up with her crap.

But you know that one day, when yet again her crap comes a knocking you would have had enough. You will tell her the truth. But the truth is hard to swallow especially from someone who always looked the other way.

Will it matter to her that you always excused her poor behaviour or that you've been friends for such a long time? Will she give a crap that there is history there? Or will you just be chalked up as just another aqcuaintince in a long line before you.

But by telling the truth you will never get the phone call cancelling your plans, or drunk calls to pick her up. You will never 'annoy' her again by chatting to the guy she thinks is 'hers' or have to stay up late listening to her woes which she could change but never does.

Your shoulders will feel lighter but your friendship heart will hurt. Because instead of holding on to the one thing that was constant, she will, once she is told the truth, set you adrift.

So do you take the risk? Do you tell the truth or keep making the excuses?

'She' is a work of fiction, but if 'She' was real - what would you do?

The Lazy Blogger - Part Deux

2009-10-12T14:16:00.003+08:00

Welcome back the The Lazy Blogger series. If you missed the first one click HERE.

Or not, suit yourself!

The recycled post below was the third post I wrote for my blog and is one of my favourites. It only received one comment. From someone I knew who had recently been to my house and gave me a beautiful bunch of yellow roses. (Hi Nic!!)

Talk about feeling guilty!

However, I still feel the same about the subject and feel it is worthy of bringing out again in the the The Lazy Blogger series. It is controversial (oooooohhhhh!) so I expect good comments!!

He Don't Bring Me Flowers!

Flowers.

This is going to be controversial in my opinion here but I have always been a bit funny/weird/bewildered by them. Don't get me wrong, I have had plenty of flowers sent to me for different reasons over the years and I truly believe the sentiment from the people sending them has always been heartfelt and I have appreciated every single bunch...but I just don't get it!!.

When I met my husband I told him straight away that I don't "do" flowers. He of course thought I was sending some strange female reverse psychology message and proceeded to buy me them and usually for no reason at all. And not just you run of the mill "picked up on my way home from the local BP" jobby's, these were beautiful bouquets from florists that cost him a fortune. And I think there in lies the problem. And please do not hate me for saying this but, I think they are a bit of waste of money. There I said it. Please keep reading....

Birthday flowers. I received flowers today for my birthday (which is tomorrow...more on that later) from my Uncle in the UK. They are absolutely beautiful, and a lovely thought. And it is the thought I am appreciative of because it means I have had someone think about me and remember me. However, as I do not receive flowers very often I didn't have a big enough vase for them and proceeded to hack at them, pulled a few bits out and arrange them in the shorter vase that I did have available. And arrange them very badly indeed. All I could think of was that my friend who is a florist would be horrified. So now I have this weird looking vase of flowers. They smell divine but I fear I may get a slight headache from the perfume. And I know that in a weeks time they would have all died (reminding me in the meantime that I am getting older) cause I wouldn't have changed the water. They would have dropped leaves and pollen which is impossible to remove from anything let alone the new top I got for my birthday which would have got a smear of the pollen on it from brushing past. And there will still be a smell coming from them, but it will be the smell of the rotting water. So then I will finally throw them out (after complaining about the pollen & smell everyday till they are thrown out) put the vase next to the sink to be bleached cause of the smell and the brown ring that has occurred and then that's it.

I feel the same about bereavement flowers, for most of the reasons above. But also, just them hanging around reminds you everyday of the awful thing you have just experienced. And then they too die. Flowers for babies...again no use, just have to try and find room in the car to get them home and its just more work for the new mum after the whole pollen falling etc has happened. New mums can barely throw away the pile of nappy bags piling up at the back door for the "big" bin outside let alone 6 bunches of dead flowers now smelling worse than the nappies!

But by far are the worst flowers are the "I'm Sorry" flowers! I told my husband in the beginning that if he really wanted to buy me flowers after I explained all my reasons above as to why it would be a waste, he should NEVER under any circumstances buy me flowers as an apology. The Sorry Flowers are usually sent, lets be honest, when something pretty big has gone down. And most women want to TALK about it not get flowers. A man who gave me sorry flowers would be chucked quicker than the flowers would be!

I know, I have read this back and admit that I do sound extremely ungrateful. I am really not. Honest. I just think at the end of the day they are expensive and something more original would be more exciting and memorable and preferably something that doesn't die. Maybe that's it...maybe I don't like gifts that die! Please if you are reading this and have ever sent me flowers don't think I have not gladly received them, I have and love you for sending them...even if the above was floating around in my subconscious.

Before my hubby and I were married we lived in a townhouse. And one day I came home and he had put m&m's all the way up the stairs in a little trail for me to follow to where he just hugged me and told me he loved me.

Now ask me if I remember any of the flowers he bought me.....

The Lazy Blogger - Part One

2009-10-11T11:40:00.007+08:00

Another weekend where Hubby is home (remember I only get 17 or 18 of these a year) and as usual we have had social engagements rivalling Paris Hilton. Hence why my blog has been a bit sparce on content.

We had friends over last night and I cooked an Indian Banquet. 3 curries, pompadoms, chutneys, riata's, nann bread and rice. I even have the balti dishes and burners that they sit on all laid out down the middle of the table. So my post today was to show you this magnificent feast. But I forgot to take photos.

So if there is no proof (apart from left overs in my fridge) in blog land....did it really happen?

So in leiu of an original post I looked back on some of the very first posts I wrote. Back when I only had 4 people reading (and they all knew me) and before I pimped myself out to SITS.

I found two (the other one I will post tomorrow) that I really liked and would like my new followers and those popping in from SITS (Hi there!!) to read. Plus I have a million dishes to clean and to find some way to get the smell of curry out of my house, all while the Hubby has his ass fused to the couch watching Bathurst! My Aussie bloggers will know what I mean!

So enjoy part one of The Lazy Blogger series!

A HEAVY BAG.

Today, Hubby & I met 2 other couples for lunch at Feral Brewery in the Swan Valley. I love the fact that even though it is Winter in Perth the place was busy with people enjoying good food and drink even if it meant co-ordinating a scarf with your outfit. This was one of a few meals out we have been too while Hubby has been home.

The difference between our table and the majority of the other tables today were the addition of kids. Small kids. Three 4 year olds & two babies (and one on the way which doesn't count as they brought their own seat)!

A few years ago Before Kids (BK) lunch with friends just meant an impromptu phone call, picking a nice outfit, jumping in the car and spending a leisurely afternoon (and possibly evening) chatting, drinking and eating. Oh how times have changed. First you have to organise a date and make sure everyone is free. Especially for us seeing as my Hubby's job involves him flying in and out. So the date is usually set months in advance. God help me if it has to be changed!!

Gone are the days of spending an hour getting ready! I'm lucky if I manage to have a shower without an audience and its long enough to wash my hair (drying it may be optional!). There are 2 other people to get ready, well, 3 if you include Hubby. But luckily, although he can dress himself.

Then there is "The Bag" to pack!

"The Bag" has to consist of everything you 'might' need while on the outing. Basics includes, nappies & bottles and other baby stuff for Bugalugs plus a plethora of entertainment items for Grotbag to keep him occupied. Because inevitably if you are at a kid friendly restaurant the kids will be fed first leaving them to be completely bored by the time you receive your meal. Colouring books, ipods and handheld game consoles have become life savers in these times of need. I can never leave Hubby to pack the bag as something is always left out and I end up having to fold origami style nappies out of paper towels!

Once at the restaurant there is a shuffle of seating arrangement to accommodate prams, men and women and kids in between. Hubby hates to be seated in the wrong position making him privy to menstrual cycles, birthing stories, the latest on Masterchef and other such girly topics. Gone are the days of political banter and mixed sex conversations. Time is of the essence and plus, colouring in while talking about Kevin Rudd can be a bit distracting.

There is never all the adults at the table at the one time. They are either off supervising the kids on playground equipment or seeing to the younger set of babies. Food turns up and you eat it as quickly as possible so that you can take the baby off your partner so he can eat his dinner which is getting colder by the minute. Meanwhile ice cream turns up for the kids so you know that the meal is nearly over before you have even looked at your desert menu. Then you look at the time and realise the dreaded 'witching' hour is close at hand and the kids heads are going to start spinning round exorcist style spewing phrases like "I'm tired", "can we go home now", "I don't want to go home" etc etc.

So you say your goodbyes, and say that "you must simply do this more often, why do we leave it so long". Talk about how you should all "go away one weekend with the kids" all while trying to get your kids to say goodbye nicely and not run in front of cars in the car park!

The thing is, I love meeting my friends for lunch out and about with the kids. We all have a great time despite and because of all the things above. Going out for a meal may not be the same as a few short years ago, but I would rather go out and have to be a bit more organised than not go! How lucky am I that I have the opportunity to go and have lunch with friends? Having to do it differently is not better or worse than before kids, it just takes more organisation and more stuff.

In other words. Your bag just gets heavier!!

Honoured

2009-10-08T12:14:00.009+08:00

I have been a very lucky little blogger and woke up this morning to see that overnight I had recieved some wonderful bloggy Awards!

Bob @ plainolebob awarded me the Kreativ Blog Award.

Bob's blog is a delight to read and is quirky and different in a sea of sameness (is that a word?). Please go over and say hi (and tell him I sent ya!)

So I have to:

1. Thank the person who gave the award.

2. Copy the award and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the blog that nominated you.

4. Tell your fellow bloggers 7 things they may not know about you.

5. Pass it on

Well here are 7 things you may not know about me.....

1) I auditioned for Big Brother (the first season in Australia) and got down to the last 20 in WA - Thank goodness I didn't get through!!

2) My son Oliver (Grotbag) was named after Jamie Oliver (my favourite chef) - although people think I picked the name but Hubby actually did.

3) I have been in an armed hold up...in a restaurant of all places!! Fortunately no one was hurt!

4) I always read the last page in a book. Terrible habit I know - I really am trying to stop this one!

5) I am not as strong as people think I am, which makes it hard when I have a meltdown!

6) I can give good advice but find it hard taking my own!

7) I wanted to be a butcher when I was growing up. The trade still facinates me!

Now I would like to pass this award onto Tonya @ Letters For Lucas a gorgeous little blog where Tonya writes letters to her little boy about the joys and disasters of his childhood.

I also recieved The Best Blog Award from both Amber @ Amber Page Writes and from Diggestive @ Writing About Everything and a Few Lists. Both of these are great blogs and I implore you to go and read and say hi from me!!

This one I have to:

1) To accept the award, post it on your blog, along with the name of the person who gave it to you.

2) Pass the award to other blogs you recently discovered and think are great! be sure to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

So I pass this Award along to:

MJ @ Whats The Matter Mary-Jane? - I have awarded MJ before and her blog is not new to me but her post today nearly made me wet my pants so to her it goes!!

Gretchen @ Wooden Nickel - Don't you just love that name and her blog is so beautiful I feel calm just popping over there!

Lisa @ Surviving Oz - Lisa writes about moving to Australia and her stories about combating our deadlist creatures cracks me up!!

Michele @ The Professionl Family Manager - Michele believes that you should treat being a SAHM like a career and has some very interesting views - I love reading her blog!

Katrina @ Katrina Chambers - her blog is sometimes about decorating and sometimes about random stuff but her decorating stuff in my mind is inspirational - she has a knack!!

So there you have, pop over to their blogs, tell them I sent you, and enjoy reading (and hopefully following) some new blogs!

~~~~~

Hubby is home at the moment so am not able to indulging in my secret blogging life as much as I would like. I don't know, something about not seeing him for 2 weeks and blogging YET AGAIN while he is waiting for a cuddle and conversation from me makes me feel a bit guilty sitting here!!

Toodles!!

Commitment Phobic

2009-10-05T13:01:00.007+08:00

In July I wrote a post about how I was a Quirky Little Gemini. It was before I had stalkers..ahem I mean Followers as can be attested by the amount of comments left...er that would be zero!

Go ahead I will wait here while you read it.......

Can't be bothered? OK then....

Well in the post I touched on the fact that I am scared of commitment. Not the marrying kind of commitment (obviously as I have been happily married for 5 years...wow that went quick) but of committing to 'doing' something at the same time every week. I think it is why I never joined any clubs as a kid or did extra curricular activities that required me at 'training' or anything similar.

There are exceptions to my weird little quirky rule.

1. Relationships - I am committed to all relationships in my life to a fault sometimes.

2. Mum's Group - I relished meeting the mums every week and have made some awesome friends. We don't meet as an entire group anymore which is a shame but still keep in touch via Facebook or meeting more on a one on one basis!

3. My kids commitments - Well the only commitment Buglalugs has at the moment is sleeping through the night for mummy, but Grotbag does have commitments like school and Tae Kwon Do which is 3 times a week. I have only ever missed TKD a few times but that was due to illness, a storm and once when my brain was it's usual sievey self.

Now I am talking about regular commitments at the same time every week. Not social engagements or appointments (although I did cancel my dentist appointment two weeks ago) and I do not cancel one engagement because I another better one comes along. No, I am talking about regular commitments....like say....Meatless Monday.

Two weeks ago I started Meatless Monday. To much fanfare, I blogged about it and really love the ideology behind it. It was decided much to Hubby's annoyance, but I made a lovely Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni.

But...

Last Monday I forgot.

This Monday I have remembered but have suddenly gone all commitment phobic on the idea. Is this something I want to do F o r e v e r? It's hard enough figuring out what to have for dinner at the best of times let alone a decent vegetarian meal. And I do love a variety of veggie meals but have had salad with my meal for the last three nights and am a bit over it. I do not I feel like a veggie meal tonight.

And this is where the problem in my head starts. Having made the 'commitment' I then want to rebel and feel that I shouldn't have to do what I don't want to do. I start resenting the 'thing' I have to do so walls start to go up. It was the same with Weight Watchers and really any kind of diet (apart from when I had gestational diabetes I stuck to that diet but really that was a form of a commitment to my child not me). If you tell me I have to do something my initial reaction is to run the other way. It's a form of self sabotage I know and a flaw in my personality I am readily able to admit.

So how do I over come it and stop listening to the voices in my head? How do I really commit to something and stick to it without resenting and hating it?

I really would like to start doing some exercise. I need to do it. And that word need in itself is making me procrastinate and not start. Oh yeah, procrastinating is another personality flaw that I currently possess. Like I should be putting clothes away and not blogging.

What am I scared of in committing? Especially when there are benefits involved.

OK yeah I know I might need some therapy on this one because I really would like to figure it out. And it is probably more deep rooted than I think. But in the mean time I will just have a veggie meal when I want one not just because of the day of the week. And I better go and fold and put the washing away!

Well at least Hubby will be happy!

Are you commitment phobic about anything? Do you feel burdened by having to do the same thing, at the same time every week/fortnight/month?

Sneak Preview or Ramblings of a Busy Blogger

2009-10-03T19:07:00.006+08:00

I didn't have a post ready for today.

I was going to use the time I usually spend blogging reading other blogs and searching out new blogs for me to follow.

I blame the fact that I didn't have a post ready is because I have 100 post ideas floating around in my head (literally floating!) but have absolutely nothing to say.

Sorry but the cupcake sugar has made me ditzier than ever!

So I thought I could write a post about my 'Get Ya Pink On' Pink Ribbon Breakfast I am holding in a few weeks with all proceeds going to the National Breast Cancer Foundation but I want to wait till closer to the time and not just 'bash our a post' for the sake of it.

Or

I could write a post about my 'To Do' list which is so long I have had to make another To Do list to remember to write the To Do list, but who wants to see another To Do List post?

or

I could write one of the four 'heavy' posts that I have been wanting to write about since starting my blog. About my Dad, my miscarriages, The IVF and the huge operation that Grotbag had to have on his head at 4 months old. But I don't have the emotional energy at the moment (see above re; To Do list) and want these to be great pieces of writing I will be proud of and so I need the time and head space to write them.

or

I could write about the fact that I miss my cousin Bling heaps as she has gone to the UK to visit family for 5 weeks. She left on Monday and I feel as if my right arm has been cut off. But it will make me too sad.

or

I could write about how I cope with my Husband working away 2 out of every 3 weeks with me being the majority parent to our two boys and how it works for our family with the pros and cons. But I know that there are single mums and army wives and widows and people that do it much harder than me so would feel a bit like I was preaching to the converted.

or

I could write about how much I love writing and blogging and that most of my day is thinking about blogs and what I can write about today with the words forming in my head only to leap out my ears by the time I am sitting in front of the computer screen. That I forgo doing washing, tidying up or rounding up the dust bunnies in favour of reading and commenting on my favourite blogs. I would love a WHOLE DAY where I could just write without interruptions and read every ones new posts and comment without watching the clock all day!

or

I could just write a post telling all who pass through that I didn't have a post ready for today and that as I sat down at the computer tonight the above is what I came up with. You could call it a 'sneak preview' or you could call it 'ramblings of a busy blogger'.

Either way ..... that's just ME!

Cupcakes Galore

2009-10-02T20:11:00.012+08:00

I love cupcakes!

AB (BFF Anastasia Beaverhausen) called me a few months ago and said that a home ware store Matchbox, in our local shopping centre was holding different cooking classes. AB wanted to do the curry one but I couldn't get a babysitter for that night so we went with the cupcake one. To tell you the truth I wasn't sure how much I thought I would learn. AB is who we call the Cupcake Queen so if I have ever had any 'Cupcake Emergency' she has always been there to help.

Anyhoo, so we turn up for the class on Tuesday evening and there are 11 of us in the class. And the person running the class was pastry chef Sarah Brigden from Baby Cakes, in Tuart Hill. So knowing this I got a little bit excited. I had heard around the 'cake tins' about Baby Cakes but had never ventured there so, glass of wine in hand and camera in the other I was ready for my lesson.

Sarah was fantastic. She showed us two cupcake recipes (a base recipe and death by chocolate) which are the exact ones she uses at Baby Cakes. She also showed us a chocolate ganache (drool) and a raspberry swirl frosting (double drool). Also variations on how to use all of the recipes and tips galore about storing and ingredients. She made it all look terribly easy and the cupcakes tasted divine! The lesson went for 3 hours and then we were able to have a bit of a shop and the store gave us 10% discount on anything we bought that night. We also got a little take home gift (a whisk) and there was a raffle prize for one of us too.

So with my new recipes in hand I was ready to make some cupcakes. I mixed up a batch of the base recipe and was eager to get my cupcakes in the oven. I followed the recipe EXACTLY. To my disappointment my first batch rose too quickly so they spilled over everywhere.

Binned!

I had a slight feeling my oven may have been too hot. I had this same problem with my normal cupcake mixture. The recipe said 200 degrees but I have always done them on 180. Sarah's recipe was said 160 degrees for the little cupcakes so I turned the oven down to 150 degrees and had another go! Same thing happened but not so much.

Binned!

Not to be beaten (pardon the pun) and with AB on the other end of the phone we decided that I might have been filling the cases a bit too much. So this time I did not fill them so high but kept the temperature lower and cooked them for longer and....

Success!! Third time lucky!!

They were lovely and light and so I used up the rest of the mix and took them to the park today for the other mums I was meeting. They went down a treat! But unfortunately fellow bloggers I was so exhausted last night I didn't take pictures and when I thought of it this morning my camera battery needed recharging so I have no pictures of them :(

However, I will be having a go at the Death By Chocolate ones on the weekend and will take pictures to share with you all. Below are some pictures of the cakes that Sarah made and we all ate on the night. AB and I are hoping to book into the advanced class that Sarah holds at Baby Cakes which is hands on which I am looking forward to. Until then I will perfect my cupcakes and although you cannot taste them my fellow bloggers, just know that they are delicious!!!

Sarah Icing the Cupcakes

Death By Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcakes with Raspberry Swirl Frosting

Accolades & Cupcakes

2009-10-01T09:30:00.013+08:00

I woke up to two lovely blog Awards today. Warm Fuzzy! Warm Fuzzy!

The first award is the Over The Top Award that was from That One Mum over at A Day in the Life; Chronicles of an Only Parent. We are new followers of each other but I am glad I found her blog. I love her Future Ex-Husbands - you will have to go take a look to find out what mean!! I graciously accept this award so thank you!

Anyhoo...So, the rules of this award are as follows:
~Answer the questions below using only one word (I cheated, well since when have bloggers been rule followers!)
~Thank the blogger who gave it to you (See above)
~Pass it on to 6 of your favorite bloggers (See below)

So, on with the questions:

1. Where is your cell phone? Kitchen
2.Your hair? Up
3. Your mother? Friend
4. Your father? UK
5. Your favorite food? Mine
6. Your dream last night? Weird
7. Your favorite drink? Tea
8. Your dream/goal? Fulfillment
9. What room are you in? Playroom
10. Your hobby? Blogging
11. Your fear? Death
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Happy
13. Where were you last night? Cooking Class
14. Something you aren't? Jealous
15. Muffins? Banana
16. Wish list item? Laptop
17. Where did you grow up? Perth
18. Last thing you did? Make a cup of tea (OK not one word but come on!!)
19. What are you wearing? Jeans
20. Your TV? Off
21. Your pets? 2 Dogs
22. Your friends? Irreplaceable
23. Your life? Crazy
24. Your mood? Happy
25. Missing someone? Always
26. Vehicle? 4x4
27. Something you're not wearing? Makeup
28. Your favorite store? Kikki-K
29. Your favorite color? Red
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Yesterday
32. Your best friend? AWESOME
33. One place that I go over and over? Shops
34. One person who emails me regularly? Best Friend
35. Favorite place to eat? Picnic

So now I have to bestow this award on 6 of my favourite blogs:

Cougar Tales - Love love love this blog...please go stalk!!
It's Complicated - I am expecting great things from this blog and I think all she needs is a bit of a push and some lovely followers!!
The Whiney Fairy - Another fellow West Aussie who I have just found that I love to read!
My LaLa Land - Amy has such a cute little blog and a wonderful way of looking at things!
A Hesitant Housewife - The title says it all this is a funny funny blog! Love it!
DrahDrahs Place - Found her recently and so glad I did!!

My other award is the "One Lovely Blog Award" from a wonderful blog Raising Z. What a cute award and I am humbled in accepting it.

The rules of the "One Lovely Blog Award" are:

~Accept the award
~post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
~pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.
~Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

15 other blogs!!!! Well, I have decided to space this award out (see no rule follower here!!)
and I will bestow the award when I discover a new blog I want my followers to know about. I will link them back to this post here too! So you could say this post is a work in progress!!

I had a funny old day yesterday, typical in my life but it ended with a Cupcake Cooking class taught by one of the best cupcake makers in WA. Definitely a great way to end a weird day. Anyhoo check back soon to see the wonderful cupcakes and a fool proof cupcake mix. Here is a pic of some of the Mars Bar cupcakes that were made:

I know, they look and tasted awesome. I want to make my own batch first though before I blog about the awesome lesson so make sure you come back soon!!

My Mum - According to Grotbag Age 4

2009-09-28T09:10:00.012+08:00

I did this little exercise on Facebook about 6 months ago I had great fun going it and thought I would repeat it to see how much Grotbags answers had changed. I wrote them exactly as he said them!

Grotbags new answers are in red and my comments are in brackets.

1.What is something mum always says to you? That you love me. That you love me.

2. What makes mum happy? When I eat all my dinner When I do as I am told & yesterday I was good wasn't I mum?

3. What makes mum sad? When I am being naughty. When I have been naughty.

4. How does your mum make you laugh? When you make a funny face When I dance funny.

5. What was your mum like as a child? You watched Star Wars (this is true!) You tided up your playroom (I keep telling him that I had to tidy my playroom at his age!)

6. How old is your mum? 4 (??) Don't know...21? (ha ha ha ha ha)

7. How tall is your mum? That tall *On tippee toes arms held high* That tall *On tippee toes arms held high*

8. What is her favourite thing to do? Working on the computer and playdoh. Cooking and watching television (I am surprised he didn't say the computer but then when asked what I do for a job he said on the computer so...bonus when I am on here he thinks mummy is "working"!)

9. What does your mum do when you're not around?Look after Harry & set my train set up for me. You tidy the house (Think he has me confused with some other mummy!)

10. If your mum becomes famous, what will it be for?A monster, a nice one, cause your only a girl!!!!!!! For being happy (Ahhhhh sooooo cute!!)

11. What is your mum really good at? Setting up my train set and telling daddy things (LOL) Being on the computer (Ahem!)

12. What is your mum not very good at? Playing basketball, or do the hose to put out fires cause your not a fireman(?) Doing Bowsers castle on the wii - your not very good. (The boy don't lie!)

13. What does your mum do for her job? To look after me and Bugalugs On the computer and looking after me and Bugalugs (See he thinks I am working woo hoo!)

14. What is your mum's favourite food?Meatballs and spagetti Rice (have no idea - think he just pulled these out of the air!)

15. What makes you proud of your mum? Because I love you When you tidy up my playroom (I see a theme here???)

16. If your mum were a cartoon character, who would she be? You can be anything mum an alien or a monster or anything! Naruto (His favourite character at the moment!)

17. What do you and your mum do together? Playdoh & Basketball Playdoh & Junior Scrabble & Guess Who (I do love a board game!!)

18. How are you and your mum the same? We both have the same colour hair and we both get grumpy sometimes Because we are happy and we have lots of love for each other (*sniff*)

19. How are you and your mum different?Cause I don’t have a wedding ring. You feed Harry his bottle and I play in my playroom that makes us different (??)

20. How do you know your mum loves you? You play with me and tell me that you love me. You give me lots of kisses and cuddles (*sniff sniff*)

21. Where is your mum's favourite place to go? Seeing Auntie AB and Auntie Bling To restaurants with your friends!! (ha ha have been going out with the girls a bit lately!!)

Can I have my apple now? That was lots of talking!!! (Ahem bribery works every time ha ha)

Got kids/Grandkids/neices & nephews? Do these questions with them, it's great fun to see what they say - post the answers and then link back to me!! Make sure you put in the comments so I can come have a look!! Can't wait to read them!!!

Banana Bread & Book Club

2009-09-27T19:25:00.010+08:00

Well it has been a beautiful Spring day here in Perth. Took the kids to the park, cooked some banana bread and had the ladies over for Book Club at 3pm for afternoon tea and discuss the novel we had last read.

The Banana Bread was yummy and the first time I had made it. The recipe was on the back of the loaf tin I bought. Hear it is if you fancy a go:

Ingredients

100g Self Raising Flour
50g Unsalted butter melted and cooled
75g Brown Sugar
50g Sultanas
12g Walnuts
1 Whole Egg
225g Mashed Ripe Bananas

Method.
Preheat over to 180C/356F/Gas Mark 4
Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl
Mix the butter, egg and bananas till combined then pour into the dry ingredients
Mix well to full combine all ingredients.
Place mixture into the loaf tin and then into the over for approximately 30Min's.

EASY PEASY!!! (This is probably the best picture I have taken of my food. I think natural light is the key! If your a bit of a photo buff reading this you are probably going 'Der?' by I am learning slowly but surely - any tips on photographing food will be greatly appreciated!)

Us Book Club girls have been meaning to get together for a while but what with life and kids we couldn't tee up a time. Anyway The book we discussed was

'The Slap' by Christos Tsiolkas.

Description: "At a suburban barbecue, a man slaps a child who is not his own. This event has a shocking ricochet effect on a group of people, mostly friends, who are directly or indirectly influenced by the event."

I picked this book for book club thinking it would make a great discussion piece. Unfortunately we all thought the characters were horrible and so couldn't empathise with any of them. Also there is quite a lot of bad language which I personally don't mind but it felt like the author wanted to be crude just for the sake of it.

So onto to our next book which is 'Jasper Jones' by Craig Silvey who is a West Australian and lives in Fremantle.

Description: "Late on a hot summer night in the tail end of 1965, Charlie Bucktin, a precocious and bookish boy of thirteen, is startled by an urgent knock on the window of his sleep-out. His visitor is Jasper Jones, an outcast in the regional mining town of Corrigan. Rebellious, mixed-race and solitary, Jasper is a distant figure of danger and intrigue for Charlie. So when Jasper begs for his help, Charlie eagerly steals into the night by his side, terribly afraid but desperate to impress.Jasper takes him through town and to his secret glade in the bush, and it's here that Charlie bears witness to Jasper's horrible discovery. With his secret like a brick in his belly, Charlie is pushed and pulled by a town closing in on itself in fear and suspicion as he locks horns with his tempestuous mother; falls nervously in love and battles to keep a lid on his zealous best friend, Jeffrey Lu. And in vainly attempting to restore the parts that have been shaken loose, Charlie learns to discern the truth from the myth, and why white lies creep like a curse. In the simmering summer where everything changes, Charlie learns why the truth of things is so hard to know, and even harder to hold in his heart."

We are also coinciding this with a book club excursion to hear Craig Silvey talk about his latest novel ‘Jasper Jones’ at the Perth International Writers Festival on November 5 so I am pretty excited about that! I love hearing authors speak about their books. It gives such a new insight into the book. So can't wait to get started on reading it. Check back late in the month for my review!

Warm Fuzzy

2009-09-26T22:06:00.002+08:00

There are so many bad things said in the media about the internet. Cyber bullying, stalkers, pedophiles preying on young kids, people stealing your identity or racking up your credit card. But you never hear about the good things that the internet has done.

I could really go on forever about how great it is to shop in another country in your pajamas or pay your bills in-between bathing and feeding the kids. But to me, at least today, the greatest thing about the internet is how it brings people together.

No, I haven’t gone soft and squidgy nor have bluebirds singing on my shoulders.

I love logging on in the morning and seeing that overnight I have had people visit my little blog and made lovely comments. Someone may have given me a little anecdote that matched my post or a twist on a recipe I have posted. Warm Fuzzy!

It’s great to see all the blogs I follow have had new posts while I have been sleeping and with my morning cuppa tea I scroll through reading and commenting. I get a bit excited if I see a post that’s a follow up of a topic or situation I have been following. And sadly my goal at the moment is to be #1 on a SITS roll call!!

All this and I wouldn’t even know my followers if they walked past me in the street. Well apart from couple who I do actually know but at the moment 28 of you are just little faces in square boxes all in a row. And yet I have pretty intimate knowledge about some of you. I have given advice and in return have received some great advice.

It’s great to hear and be heard.

Facebook has bought its own rewards. People I haven’t seen in years suddenly sharing movie and TV reviews, checking they are OK if they are having a bad day, and laughing with them when their status update regales of a misdemeanor with their spouse. I have found I have things in common with people that I never thought I would have. I have been conversing with some people daily and yet have no plans to see them in the near future by mutual choice or because of distance. I mean, what would we have to talk about?

And yet I find comfort in knowing that they are all there, a few clicks away waiting to give me some kind of warm fuzzy connection. Facebook and blogging is like having all he best parts of all your friends in one spot. All facets of personalities and common interests spread out like a smorgasbord.

So although there are those horrible reasons that the internet can be a bad smelly place. There is also a large garden, with lots of flowers all blowing in a warm breeze enjoying each others company and giving little old me a nice warm fuzzy.

PS - If you have recently started following me or left me comments I promise to return the bloggy lurve!

Dear Amanda 1990

2009-09-24T21:03:00.004+08:00

Dear Amanda 1990

As you sit at your Graduation there are so many things I want to tell you but there is so much that can really only be learnt by experience. You don't know what you want to do career wise now which is such a shame because you have talents that are yet to be realised and will be realised too late.

That said you will gain many many skills through working and will make life long friendships along the way which will be more important to you that a 'career' anyway!

Friends are the siblings you never had. Cherish them and nurture them but also realise when you have to let go. You will be lucky and the handful of best friends sitting around you now will be your best friends for life. One will even be the Godmother to your children. You will host your 10 year High School Reunion so you will see many of the people around you soon!

The boys will never change but would you want them too? I don't need to tell you that the boy you are seeing at the moment - you know in your heart of hearts is no good. You will find your Prince Charming, and by the time you do you will know that fairy tales are just that - stories. He will be funny, thoughtful, loving and generous and the father of your children. You just may have to wade through the swamp and kiss a few frogs in the meantime.

A major world event will change the people of the world forever and start a chain reaction in your life that you will ever pinpoint back to that day. Sad but with a silver lining.

Your parents have instilled you with good morals and values that you will take through your life and be respected for. You do have to watch your mouth though missy! It can sometimes say things you may later regret, but you wear your heart on your sleeve so what difference does it make me telling you this. Calm your anger.

You should exercise more and eat better.....some lessons are never learnt!!

Fate and the Universe will always be one step ahead of you. Be open to the bigger picture. Be grateful for all you have and never try and keep up with the Jones'! Read lots, love lots and be the person that people can rely on! Laugh often even when you want to cry.

And for the love of humanity - GO AND GET YOUR LICENCE ALREADY!!!!

Love, forever and always - You xoxo

This post was part of Group Blog Thursday over at Steph in The City.

My 30th Follower......

2009-09-24T16:45:00.003+08:00

Will it be you?

You won't be sorry, I promise. There is a little bit of everything here so take a look around and see if you would like to become a regular in my little life!!

The Stack

2009-09-23T20:48:00.007+08:00

This is my current book stack that is sitting on my bedside table that I want and need to tackle. They are not stacked in order of anything they just looked prettier in the picture this way!!

My bookmark is currently in Jodi Picoult's 'Handle with Care' which is about a child with brittle bone disease. Her mum decides to file a wrongful birth lawsuit against her best friend who was her ob/gyn but this means having to say in a court of law that she would have terminated the pregnancy had she known about the disability in advance. Typical Picoult heavy stuff but which is so well written it sucks you right in. I have read almost half of Picoult's books and love them although this one I am finding hard to get into because of how heavy the subject matter is. Or it might be because before this book I read 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' by Sophie Kinsella which was all light and fluff.

'Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy isn't their just for looks. This was picked for our therapy club..er... I mean Book Club but we all found it a bit too hard to read as it does need to be read without distraction and toddlers round your feet are the biggest distraction of all! I still really want to read it though so will stay in The Stack till it's tackled!

I am really looking forward to reading 'The Messenger' by Markus Zusak. I read 'The Book Thief' by Zusak for Book Club and thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the way he wrote and the story was so interesting and tragic. 'The Messenger' is about Ed Kennedy who one day inadvertently stops a bank robbery. He then becomes the messenger helping and hurting until only one question remains - where are the messages coming from? I picked up the book because I had read 'The Book Thief' but the synopsis intrigued me so much I bought it.

On the ABC here in Australia, the first Tuesday in every month they host a show called (funnily enough) First Tuesday Book Club. That's where I saw the review for 'The White Tiger' by Aravind Adiga. It was also the winner of The Man Booker Prize in 2008. So it must be good right? It is set in the underbelly of India . The tag line is "Meet Balram Halwai, The White Tiger: Servant, Philosopher, Entrepreneur, Murderer...." Had me at Hello!

I am bitter sweet about reading 'The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas' by John Boyne. Everyone tells me how good this book is set in Berlin about two boys living on either side of an adjoining wire fence. One who, like the other people on his side, wears a uniform of striped pyjamas. I know it is going to be sad. I have had the book for over a year. I want to read it before I see the movie. 'Nuff said.

I bought 'Eat Pray Love' by Elizabeth Gilbert when I was in Borders and they had a table of '3 for the price of 2'. I had already picked two books and couldn't find a third until I found this one. I had heard along the grapevine about it so decided to buy it. I would write the synopsis here but my mum came for dinner tonight, saw the stack and riffled through it and took this book home!

Finally, 'Acid Row' by Minette Walters is the only one in the stack that is borrowed. It was lent to be a while ago and landed in The Stack to be tackled in the future where I will have time to read it. (ha!) I was promised it was good read and I haven't read thrillers for a while so will have to get in the right head space to read about a paedophile holding a doctor hostage. Anna Karenina might be read before this one!

So that's My Stack. Let me know if you have read any of them and what you thought!

Happy reading!

Meatless Monday (a day late)

2009-09-22T20:05:00.007+08:00

Sorry this is a day late, this was going to be posted yesterday but I got a bit excited about my first blog award so had to blog about that first!!

I have been following Tamara over at Mad Boastings of a Cheapskate Mom since she was a Blog of Note and look forward to reading her daily posts. She was also one of my first followers who didn't actually know me personally! One thing that struck me as interesting on her blog was that she has made every Monday, Meatless Monday and drops meat from her diet on that day.

I was intrigued and as a bit of a cook and foodie I thought it would be a great way to challenge myself in the kitchen. And then like the sieve that my brain is it went straight out of my head. (this happens quite a lot!)

That is until I purchased the launch issue of Prevention Australia Magazine. Right there on page 52 was a half page article on the Meatless Monday initiative. Here's what it said:

"One meatless day per week may reduce your saturated fat intake by 15 per cent, which can mean improved wight and heart health, report researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of public Health in the United States. The Meatless Monday initiative claims to save about 70,000,000 litres of water in the US each week (producing meat requires huge amounts of water). Try these part-time-vegetarian strategies (once a week or more) from dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner:

TRADE MEAT FOR HEARTY LEGUMES Substitute 3/4 cup of cooked beans, peas or lentils for each 100g serve of meat in recipes; try it in pasta dishes, soups and casseroles.

REDIRECT SAVOURY CRAVINGS The Japanese call that rich flavour you crave umami, which means 'savoury'. Umami is common in meat and fish , but you can also find it in aged cheeses, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes and walnuts.

REINVENT OLD FAVES Exchange the meat in your burger for a black-bean patty, replace diced chicken with cubed tofu and substitute edamame (soybeans in their pods; at Asian-food stores) for seafood in a stir fry"

You can go to the Meatless Monday website which is in association with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the United States HERE. They have loads of recipes and articles so pop over to find out more.

So with that in mind I declared that Mondays, including Grumpy, Middle and Happy, be Meatless Mondays in our household.

OK. Hubby was none too pleased. Monday's are his last day at home before flying back to work and usually (if I am not too grumpy) I will cook him up whatever he wants. After 2 weeks of mine site food he loves his home cooked meals so this was going to be a tough sell.

I think he thought I wasn't going to go through with it (sucker) but then saw those dreaded ingredients come home in the shopping bag.

I thought I would start with something that I knew Hubby would like, that Grotbag would not turn his nose up at and something I have cooked before. So yesterday's Meatless Monday recipe was 'Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni'. Not the most original vegetarian meal but a start. I served it with garlic bread and side salad.

Hubby went back for more and Grotbag ate all his so it couldn't be that bad!

Now, I would have a photo for you and I did actually take a few but to tell you the truth, although in person it looked lovely, it didn't look that good in the photos so I won't post the photo.

So now I have to think of something for next weeks meal. I am thinking Vegetable Frittata because I know Grotbag will love it. Meatless Monday is certainly going to be a challenge for me to come up with new and exciting meals every week but I am up for the challenge!

So let me know if you have any good Meatless recipes. What do you think of the Meatless Monday initiative? Do you think it is something your household could adopt?

Award Winning Grumpy Monday

2009-09-21T20:06:00.005+08:00

Hello?

Followers? Are you still with me?

Hope so because I have had a very very very long weekend which made me utter those mournful words...

"I'm getting too friggin old for this!!!!"

But knowing my bloggy friends would be there to meet me at the other side kept me going (plus all the new blog fodder!!)

More about my weekend later in the week because I have more pressing matters at hand!

For those that have been following me for a while know that today is Grumpy Monday. Grumpy Monday is the Monday before my Hubby flies back to work for another 2 weeks.

Blurghhh.

Today has definitely been GM. After a hectic social weekend where Hubby didn't get to spend much time with Grotbag they were basically sniping at each other all day before I LOST it big time (slamming doors and everything)!! But it cleared the air and they have spent some quality time together tonight and all is well again.

But now for some good news I have been SPLASHED......

I HAVE MY FIRST EVER BLOG AWARD!!!

I am eternally grateful and humbled to accept THE SPLASH AWARD from Kelly over at Speaking From The Crib. I am especially chuffed because it is one of my favourite blogs to read with my cuppa in the morning. So please go and say G'day from me, it really is a fantastic read!

This award is apparently given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive and inspiring blogs. Aw shucks thanks!

The rules for this award are:

Put the logo on your blog/post

Nominate and link up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.

Let them know that they have been splashed by commenting on their blog.

Remember to link the person from whom you received your Splash Award.

So I hearby bestow and forward The Splash Award to:

Please go and visit them, stalk them and tell them I said Hi!

I am finding more and more that I look forward to visiting my favourite blogs daily and reading what my new bloggy 'friends' have been up to.

What's your favourite blog that you look forward to reading everyday and that you think I should go visit?

Matt Moran Chicken

2009-09-18T15:04:00.006+08:00

You know how they say the camera never lies? Well mine was telling big fat porkies when I took this picture last night of our meal. It doesn’t look half as nice in the picture as what it looked like on the plate – or maybe it is my crap photography. Anyway you must give this recipe a go (despite the picture) especially if you like spicy food.

Matt Moran for those of you who don’t know is a very well known chef in Australia. He is part owner and Head Chef at ARIA an award winning restaurant that over looks the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour.

He appeared at the Good Food & Wine Show here in Perth in August and I was lucky enough to see him cook this dish. I also ate the very same dish at the Celebrity Restaurant they had set up there and loved it so much I thought I would give it a go at home. It’s not really called Matt Moran Chicken, it’s called Chicken Sauté with Chorizo & Chickpeas but that is just way too long so I like my little nickname for it better. And it is a really easy dish – especially if you have people coming over for dinner. I have cooked it 3 times now and it has come out great every time and everyone’s plates were clean as whistles. It’s now one of Hubby’s favourites.

I have taken some of the ‘Chefiness’ if there is such a word; out of it just to make it easier. But essentially it is Matt’s recipe and is, quite simply, delicious. The only thing to try and get hold of is the Harissa paste which I found quite hard to get and then found it at my local IGA 200 meters from my house. Typical!

Ingredients
(Serves 4)

1.2kg of chicken (preferably free range) pieces (I have used just breast, or a combination of breast, thigh & drumstick, just make sure they are cut into pieces)
olive oil
1x brown onion, finely chopped
2x cloves of garlic
100g of chorizo sausage
1x 400g can of chickpeas, drained
2x tsp cumin
2x tsp coriander
40g harissa paste
300ml chicken stock
½ head of cabbage shredded
Bunch of chopped parsley
Salt and pepper for seasoning

(My) Method

Heat a large saucepan with olive oil, large enough to hold the chicken and season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken for approximately 5-6 minutes until golden all over. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.

If needed, add a touch more oil and then sweat the onions, garlic and sliced and cook gently for 2 minutes before adding the chickpeas, ground cumin, coriander and Harissa paste. Return the browned chicken to the pan and cover with the chicken stock. Place a lid on and simmer for 10 minutes.

Steam the cabbage, drain off any excess water and arrange in the base of 4 bowls or plates.

Divide the chicken, chickpeas and chorizo sausage between the bowls and garnish with the parsley.

I also served it with some crunchy garlic bread and a green dressed salad.

Enjoy!

This is divine with a nice glass of Chardonnay. They served this at the show with Fifth Leg Chardonnay 2007, which has “…melon and stone fruit flavours balanced by citrus notes and a hint of oak.”

Hope you give it a go and when you do, pop back and let me know what you think!

I'm a Blog Buddy!

2009-09-17T14:44:00.003+08:00

Today I am honoured to be featured as a Blog Buddy over at 'One Mums Musings'.

My Blog Buddy post is about the principles I followed to get Grotbag to eat and hope to follow the same principles with Bugalugs.

So click on over and have a look. Alicia's blog is really great (and she is a fellow West Aussie) so make sure you have a look around and leave some bloggy comment love! And make sure you pop back here and tell me what you think of my principles of eating - I am happy to answer any questions!

Thanks again Alicia it was fun (and nerve racking) to write!

The World According To Grotbag!

2009-09-15T22:32:00.003+08:00

The past two days Grotbag (aged 4) has made me laugh with how his brain works. Twice he has made me giggle -hope you do too!

***************************************************************************************

Grotbag: Hey Mum look at all that rain outside

Me: Mmm I know

Grotbag: OMG Mum it's just so EMBARRASSING?

Me: Huh? What do you mean embarrassing?

Grotbag: Well, just look at it all Mum, it's so EMBARRASSING?

I had said that word on the phone to a friend the day before which is where he got it from and used it with such emphasis.

Me: No honey, the rain isn't embarrassing. Embarrassing is when Mummy makes you do your dancing in front of her friends and you go all red and shy. Or when Mummy gives you a big kiss in front of all your friends.

Grotbag: Oh I see. *Grunts and walks away!*

*************************************************************************************

Grotbag: Mum, Auntie Bling still feed J milk from her boobies doesn't she?

Me: Yes she does.

Grotbag: Why don't you still feed Bugalugs milk from your boobies?

Me: Well, because Mummy hasn't got any milk left.

Grotbag: *thinking* Well why don't you just go to the shops and fill them up?

Me: *giggling* Because it doesn't work that way honey my body used to fill them up.

Grotbag: Well if I had boobies I would go and fill them up. *grunts and walks away*

*************************************************************************************

Grotbag

Never a dull moment in this house!!

PS. Thank you for all your kind comments and for those who are now following me I really appreciate it! I will soon be popping into your blogs to say hello and return the bloggy love!

Happy Monday

2009-09-14T15:51:00.003+08:00

Well when it gets here it seems like it came around fast but at the beginning it feels like forever. What am I talking about?

HAPPY MONDAY!

For those new to my blog I call the Monday before my Hubby comes home 'Happy Monday' as I get very excited about his imminent arrival. (He works on a roster of 2 weeks away and then has one week at home). There are 3 Monday's in my house, Happy Monday, Grumpy Monday & Middle Monday. It doesn't take much to figure out which comes where!

I tend to skip and smile a lot on Happy Monday. I usually take Grotbag to a play centre (like I did today) to have a run around and play with his mates or to a play date. Makes the day go quicker.

I have been a bit of a homebody this week which is a bit unlike me. I am usually a Social Mummy Butterfly, catching up with friends, play dates and trips to the shops every other day. Although this is great it also means I neglect things like housework, washing, and general tidying so then I have a big stress about it and spend a whole day doing all three and feeling like its just all too much and getting on top of me.

This week we had two play dates but they were here at home and I only made one trip to the shops for food so most of the week has been spent at home. And what a difference! I have managed to some things on my To Do list which has made a difference and made me feel like I have actually accomplished something. I put into place the starting of a little business idea I have had as I want to start working from home. I have kept on top of housework, although DUST is my enemy and one thing I cannot seem to control. It seems to laugh in my face every time I sweep some away and double the next time! It is a never ending battle. The washing is all up to date too and I don't have a load in the machine, a load on the line, a load to be put away or a load in the dryer ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

The boys have benefited too. Grotbag and I have played games, had chats, read books more than normal and he has loved it. Bugalugs has had lots of sleep in his cot rather than in the car seat or the stroller! So all in all it has been great. I don't feel overwhelmed just before Hubby gets home, which I usually do after being the only parent for 2 weeks. So I think I will make more of an effort to stay home a few days in a row in the future, especially the week before Hubby flies home.

So this week with Hubby being home can look forward to:

Sharing my bed again (and snoring!)
A lay in at a some point
And afternoon nap (sleep seems to be a common theme here)
Having my Hubby actually attend a social event rather than me going stag (The Wedding)
Having someone drive while I can have a drinky poo at The Wedding
Have an extra pair of hand when the 4 o'clock train arrives
And lots of kisses and cuddles (nudge nudge wink wink)

I am grinning like a Cheshire cat!!!

If The Genes/Jeans Fit….

2009-09-13T14:12:00.003+08:00

Hubby and I are off to a Wedding next weekend so for the past month I have been saying to myself “What the f**k am I going to wear???”

I really can’t afford or justify a new purchase so have decided to go with one of the many dresses I own. I am not a dress kinda girl. Or a skirt kinda girl. I blame my Mother for this as she put me in LOTS of dresses and shiny shoes as a kid when all I really wanted to wear pants and sneakers. So in my 30’s it seems I am still rebelling!

So of course I had to enlist my BFF to help me choose. My dilemma started because although it is Spring here in Perth it is still quite cool and has been a bit wet too. All my dresses are short sleeve/shoe string strap dresses so was scared I was going to freeze my butt off. AB (said BFF) has the solution in owning a rainbow selection of pashminas so bought them over for me to try with different dresses.

After a small fashion parade we settled on my favourite LBD (Little Black Dress). Teamed with my red heels, red pashmina (which was also mine, the only colour AB didn’t have!) and cute little red cluch bag. Gorge! I feel great in the dress, have worn it to quite few weddings and formal dinners and is always a winner (I wonder why I bought all the other dresses!!) So I was feeling happy.

But what I was most happy about was the fact that the said LBD was originally bought for Hubby’s and mine Engagement Party. 7 YEARS AGO!!! So after 7 years and 2 kids later it still fits and looks good. Yay for me!

Hubby & Me at our Engagement Party August 2002

And that was where today’s post was going to end.

Until this morning when in the shower I began thinking. The fact that the dress still fits me (and did I mention looks good) after 7 years means (and I calculated) that for the past 7 years my weight has only really fluctuated about 9 kilos/20 lbs, apart from when I was obviously pregnant. I realized my dress size has been pretty much the same for the past 7 years too. So does that mean that this is the size I am supposed to be?

When I started getting fitted for my wedding dress I remember the dressmaker saying that I will probably loose quite a bit of weight before the wedding. I clearly remember telling her that actually I probably would just stay pretty much the same. Even though I was watching what I was eating and working out nearly 5 times a week at the gym I really just toned up rather than slimmed down. So when the final fitting came there really wasn’t that much to alter much to the dressmaker’s surprise, but obviously not to mine.

There is no doubting myself that I probably need to be at the lower part of that 9 kilo/20lbs to be healthier and at the moment they are around the middle third of my body, which health wise is not good. In July I blogged about my Weight Debate as I had just started weight watchers for the umpteenth time. I am currently no longer attending now as my weight loss was up and down even if I had the most angelic of weeks.

I think I actually eat pretty well nutrition wise. I eat whole grains, fruit and lots of vegetables. Takeaway is not a staple in our house and I make a majority of my meals from scratch. But I have suddenly realized that what I really need to do is exercise. I really don’t do enough (read any!). When I was going to the gym the 6 months before I got married I really toned up and felt good even though there was no dramatic weight loss.

I have also had a look at my family tree. My mum has 6 sisters & 1 brother. My mum and all her sisters have exactly the same body shape, the same one I have inherited. Most of my girl cousins are the same (and some of the boys too). I have to think that some of the blame has to be genetics so I have realized I will always have the same body shape.

So what does this all mean? I don’t think it is a get out of jail free card that’s for sure but I am a little relieved at my revelations. Mostly I think it means I need to move my butt and get some exercise to tone up and give the muffin top back to the muffin man. I still think I need to eat in moderation and watch my portion size.

But mostly I think I just need to smile and be happy with myself because if the genes/jeans fit (or in this case the LBD) then that’s OK by me!!

My Inspiration – What’s The Matter Mary-Jane?

2009-09-12T19:00:00.001+08:00

I guess this is a bit like a Featured Friend post but I really wanted to share who was my inspiration to blog.

I love reading and writing and loved it in school. I took Creative Writing in High School and in my 20’s went back to college and did a PR Diploma (I loved “fannying about with Press Releases” re: Bridget Jones!). My work life took a different turn and I ended up looking at numbers all day not letters.

Mary-Jane (MJ) and I used to work together in the late 90’s. We worked on a large team Project together. It wasn’t until Facebook (or Arsebook as MJ likes to call it) that we became “friends”. Her status updates about her family were always hilarious and then she started to blog. I loved reading her posts and then one day, while writing a really long status update on Facebook it was like a light bulb went up above my head. Ohh I thought – I would like to blog.

And so became My Life Badly Written.

So in honour of MJ, for her inspiration and her very creative and fabulous blog. Here are my favourite posts from her blog What’s The Matter Mary-Jane - A modern day Carol Brady without the hair or Alice... but with much sexier Tupperware.

The Teary One – Whoa, get your tissues ready. A wonderful piece written about her step-daughters fight with Cancer and a small insight into MJ’s world.

Step-Parenting 101 – A great post and shows you what a fantastic modern Step Mum MJ is.

Parenting Palaver – The Movie Spoiler – I laughed so hard at this one – she truly has great wit!

There are many more so please go check out her blog. She has just signed to SITS and I am sure she will be inundated with followers soon enough – but it’s always nice to get a front row seat!!

And thanks MJ…you know what for!

A Sad Day

2009-09-11T09:51:00.005+08:00

Well, as I woke up this morning and realised the date today my heart skipped a beat, for today is a sad day.

On September 11th 2001 at around 9 - 9.30pm at night here in Perth, I remember I was doing a college assignment on the computer when my mum called me to come and look at what was happening on TV. As I came into the room I saw the second plane hit.

I couldn't speak.

It looked like a movie but it was real.

As I watched the reality unfold in front of my eyes my head spun trying to think if I knew anyone that could be there. I watched TV all night and all the next day. After that I couldn't watch anymore. And to this day I cannot watch any movie or documentary which depicts the happenings of that day. It's just too sad.

I can say I have been lucky enough to go to New York. In February 1999 I went with my good friend J from London. It was a last minute thing to go and we booked our flights and stayed 5 days in that most wonderful city. I still can't believe I was there (although I remember how cold it was -the coldest I have ever been).

I went to the World Trade Centre. Bought a bag from a shop underneath. Seems kind of trivial now.

But September 11th changed my life in another significant way. You see Hubby had not entered my life yet. In September 2001 he had just received his Australian Resident Visa and wanted to book a flight to Melbourne or Sydney to immigrate from the UK. But because of September 11th the flights in the travel agents were just falling from the screen cancelled. He turned to the travel agent frustrated and said - "just get me on the next available flight to Australia". The only one they had was to Perth. And so he came to me.

That day changed the course of the world and many many peoples lives. May the innocent men, women and children who lost their lives that day Rest In Peace. You will always be remembered by the world.

Taken by me from the top of the Empire State Building (I think) - 20th February 1999

My First Job

2009-09-10T21:41:00.003+08:00

I am joining in on Group Blog Thursday over at Steph In The City and this week it is all about your first job.

1987 I got my first job while I was at school. I was 14 and it was at the local shopping centre at a well known shoe shop (SS).

The day I applied for the job I was shopping with my mum and she asked if I had thought about getting a job. I said I hadn't but"..er...OK?" The first shop we passed was SS so my Mum said "What about in there"

Again"...er...OK?"

So I walked up to the desk and just came straight out and said "er...do you have any casual jobs going?"

AMAZINGLY, they said they did and and took my name and number but they never called. So the next week my Mum made me call them and I got and interview and was offered the job on the spot!! I was the stores youngest employee.

I worked Thursday nights and Saturdays and my first weeks pay was exactly $30 that came in a little brown envelope.

I had to give it straight to my Mum as I had asked her to lend me the money to buy a new top before I got paid!!

I worked there all through school till I was 17. I really enjoyed it, the boss was nice and the staff were really great even though I was the youngest. The money was better than the fast food joints and the department stores plus I got 33% off all full prices shoes and 10% off sale items. I had soooo many shoes!! I got trained up as a Clarks Fitting Specialist and would fit all the kids shoes which was so much fun!

I wanted to work there Full Time but the boss knew I was going to take off travelling in a year so wouldn't let me. I found a full time job in a novelty shop in the city and because I as only casual I just called the SS and told them I wouldn't be back!

It's a shame because I learnt so much there about being in the workforce, hard work and respect for other employees and the boss. It was a great job platform.

Only bad thing was peoples smelly, dirty feet that had toe jam....blluuuggghhhh!

What was your first job?

Prince Harry

2009-09-09T21:23:00.004+08:00

So this is a blog and why my mum is on the computer so much!

Hi there. My Name is Harry (AKA on Mum's blog as Bugalugs). Today my Mum is pretty excited because I am 7 months old. That's me in the picture above. I'm a pretty happy kid and love to smile for the camera. Mum says it's so easy to take a cute picture of me because I smile so much.

At 7 months I am not quite rolling over yet. But Mum takes me to physio every 3 weeks so I can do some training. Lot's of tummy time which I don't mind sometimes but I get tired pretty quickly and then have scream a bit for Mum to turn me over. Works every time :-). Sleeping is one of my favourite things. Mum seems to like this very much and by 6.30pm I am soooo ready for my cot. I am so sleepy that I don't wake till 6.30am. Mum thinks this is the best thing ever. Something about sleep deprivation?

I am loving the veggies Mum has been giving me. But my favourite time of the day is bath time. If I am lucky my big brother will hop in the bath with me and we have so much fun. He loves to make me laugh by pouring water over his head and making silly noises. I also love making very loud noises at the moment. The sound of my own voice is great. I like the word "bah" a lot so will have to work on my vocabulary if I am to get a word in around here!

Even though today is 7 months since I was born I wasn't supposed to arrive till 5 weeks later! I am what they call a Prem Baby. You see while I was in my Mum's tummy all snug and warm, she was feeding me some really good stuff. Like cakes, chocolates, and pretty much anything she wanted. But then some silly nurse told her she had Gestational Diabetes so all I got from then on was lots of whole grains and not a scrap of chocolate. After a couple of weeks I had had enough so decided it was time to get out!

This was much to my Mum and Dad's surprise. You see Dad was still working away and couldn't fly back in time. When Mum called Dad to say "Guess What? my water just broke" the first thing Dad said was "I told you you should have packed your bag!!!!". He got a flight the next day and I met him that night. I love my Dad! And he picked my name!

Poor Mum had just had a lovely day at her baby shower with Auntie Bling when I decided to "burst the dam"! I didn't know it was 11pm at night did I? Mum had to call Grandma and Grandad and Auntie Bling and Uncle Pirate to come over as my big brother Grotbag was in bed. Bling and Grandma were running around all over the house because Mum had left packing her bag thinking she had plenty of time. Bling then drove Mum and Grandma to the hospital.

The lady, Dr M who pulled me out of Mummy's tummy is lovely and Mummy always says how special she is. She also pulled Grotbag out of Mummy's tummy too. Dr M apparently also put me in Mummy's tummy when I was just a couple of cells. I wasn't on my own though, I had another cluster of cells with me but they decided not to hang around and left me to have the cosy little nest all to myself. I caused Mum a bit of sickness most mornings and gave her a few scares. She was very worried about these scares as she had lost a two lots of cells like me in the first 8 weeks previously but Dr M always let her come in and have a scan to make sure I was OK. The scares weren't my fault though, there was a little thing called a hemorrhage near where I was that would bleed if Mummy did things that raised her heartbeat too much. Dad was none to pleased about the "no doing things to raise your heartbeat" rule that Dr M imposed (nudge nudge, wink wink).

Still, I arrived a little yellow but apart from that safe and sound. Mum calls me her little miracle Prince Harry that she thought she would never have. Mum said she knew I would be OK because the day that Dr M put me in her tummy it was her birthday - she says it was a sign.

All in all I love being in this house with this family. My Dad sees me every 3 weeks and spends LOADS of time with me and I LOVE playing with him and hearing him say silly sounds. When he is home he baths and feeds me to give my Mum a break.

Anyway, I think Mum is on her way back so I better get off the computer. Nice to meet you all, I hope you pop back to read my Mum's blog. She loves it when people read what she has written, makes comments and follow her. It makes her happy, and I don't really mind her typing on the computer. She usually does it when I am in bed anyway!

See ya..
Love
Harry xoxo

No Blood Thank You, Your A Mad Cow!

2009-09-07T19:56:00.005+08:00

Never been before here's a little bit about me to get you started

I LOVE living in Australia.

I believe in the "If You Don't Love It - Leave" philosophy.

And I truly think that my mum's decision to marry my Australian Citizen Step-Dad and move us to this wonderful country was by far the best decision she ever made for us.

BUT - somethings really FRUSTRATE me about Australia. And this is one of them....

I am unable, even thought I am willing, to donate blood.

Phew! Some of you might be saying (especially those who have fainted already at even the thought of a needle!) but it is something that I would love to do. I think it is a very important thing to do that doesn't cost anything but could save someones life.

And this is the reason why the Australian Red Cross Blood Service will not accept my blood....because I resided in the UK between 1980 & 1996 for more than 6 months and I might be a mad cow. Well all those that know me, know I am a little bit bonkers but calling me a cow...humph! The correct name for the disease known as "mad cow disease" is Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Below is the direct passage from the Australian Red Cross FAQ's page (obviously people frequently ask!)

"Although the number of cases of vCJD (the human form of 'mad cow disease' or bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in the United Kingdom is declining, in the absence of a screening test, the full extent of exposure is not known.
Since 2004, there have been a small number of reported cases of patients in the United Kingdom (UK) diagnosed with vCJD who have been infected through blood transfusion.
Based on this information, and in the absence of a reliable screening test for vCJD in blood, the Australian Red Cross Blood Service has implemented guidelines to reduce the risk of vCJD transmission through blood transfusion in Australia. Currently we exclude people from donating who:
Have resided in the UK between 1980 and 1996 for a total (cumulative) time of 6 months or more, (that's me!)
or
Have received blood transfusions in the UK since 1 January 1980.
Unfortunately, because of the extensive time period covered by the deferral and the possibility of unknowing exposure to beef or beef products, it is not possible to exempt vegetarians who have resided in the UK for a cumulative period of six months or more during the risk years.
The Australian Red Cross Blood Service is monitoring progress in the development of a reliable blood screening test for vCJD. Should this deferral policy be changed for any reason, please be assured that this information will be disseminated widely." click HERE for the source.

As per the Australian Bureau of Statistics 23.8% of the Australian population as per June 2005 were born in the UK. That is a HUGE amount of people who could possibly be excluded from donating blood. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand the reasoning behind the decision, but it is such a shame that there is the huge divide between those Australian's in need of blood and those wanting to give it.

According to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service Website "...only a very small proportion of people (one in 30) actually give blood. Yet sooner or later, one in three of us will need it."

I guess one of the reasons I am fully supportive of giving blood is that Grotbag had to have 2 blood transfusions while in the Intensive Care Unit when he was 4 months old after an operation to correct the bone structure of his skull. (I will blog about this another day soon...when I am ready!). I am totally thankful to those that unselfishly gave their blood so that my gorgeous little boy could have it.

So regardless of where you live, and if you qualify, think about giving blood. Every whole blood donation can actually save 3 lives. You may not know the person who will receive it but you can bet that they will be truly thankful. Like we were.

The Final Quarter

2009-09-06T19:46:00.004+08:00

Never been before here's a little bit about me to get you started

Depending on where you are in the world you might be thinking by the title of this blog that it is about the upcoming AFL (Australian Football League) Grand Final. Maybe you are thinking that I only have one coin left in my purse or that I am going to talk about fractions (?).

Actually this post is about the final 3 months of the Calendar year. Yes I know it's only September but I am getting a little bit excited. To me this is the best part of the year namely because Spring has definitely sprung by October here in WA which is my favourite season. The calendar starts to get full of events and social gatherings so every weekend there is something on!

The most obvious event in the final quarter is of course Christmas (only 110 days to go!). I have already started to get organized for Christmas this year as per this post I did a couple of weeks ago. In fact, the whole family has been organized and rather than have one of the family host Christmas Lunch, in July we booked to have Christmas lunch at a resort close by so that none of us have any cleaning up to do - woo hoo!

I also can’t wait for our October holiday in Busselton – This is becoming a bit of an annual event, well we did it the same time last year and are going the same time this year. We stay at my parents holiday home The Great Escape and just chill out for a week. Grotbag loves it and this will be Bugalugs first family mini break! However we struggled last year fitting all our “stuff” in the car WITHOUT Bugalugs as he was safely ensconced in my belly so who knows how we are going to fit everything in the car. But really I can’t wait!

Spring in the Valley is also held in October and for as long as I can remember my girlfriends and I have got a bus load together and headed out for the day. It’s an Annual festival held in the Swan Valley, a great day out with friends and for the first time in a few year I won’t be pregnant/trying to get pregnant!!

I also get a bit excited about Melbourne Cup day – Grotbag will be at school and us Kindy Mums are going to get together for lunch…should be interesting after the night out we had the other night!!

December by far is the busiest Month in the final quarter. Already we have lunches & dinners planned with friends and Hubby and I are going to the Green Day concert at the beginning of December. I am more excited for Hubby as he was desperate to go and so I was stoked when I got tickets for us both. Hubby will also be home for THE WHOLE MONTH of December which will be fantastic. He turns 40 at the beginning of January and so most of the final quarter will be spent organizing his birthday party.

But I am REALLY excited about the 5 day get away to Melbourne I am doing with 3 of my closest BFF’s. NO KIDS just us gals hanging out, shopping and being something other than wife/girlfriend/mum/boss. We are also going to Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Restaurant - I am a HUGE fan – and meeting up with a heap of friends who have since moved to Melbourne. We hope to squeeze in a show too and LOTS AND LOTS of shopping. Did I mention the shopping?

So the final quarter is looking eventful and exciting with plenty of blog fodder and probably (knowing my life) lots of drama’s – especially with Hubby’s party preparations. But this is what makes it all the more exciting!

So....Stay Tuned!!!

A Quicky...

2009-09-05T16:39:00.004+08:00

Never been before heres a little bit about me to get you started.

Just a quick one today as I have been nursing a hangover all day (will I EVER learn - Big thanks to Mum & Bling for coming and taking care of me and the kids) and have a 50th Birthday Party to go to tonight - and I am taking the kids since Hubby is not home!

Converstation I had with Grotbag last night while he was in the bath...

Grotbag: Where are you going tonight?
Me: Out with the Kindy Mums
Grotbag: Are you wearing that? (my NEW 3/4 trackies and matching top)
Me: Er no, why do you not think I should?
Grotbag: Mum! You can't wear your old clothes to go out.
Me: Their not old...
Grotbag: But they are your indoor clothes (??)
Me: Oh, so what should I wear
Grotbag: Something to make you look like a Beautiful Lady (said like David Walliams from Little Britain which is disturbing as I don't think he has ever watched it)
Me: Like what?
Grotbag: How about your red shoes (he had seen me trying them on earlier with an outfit)
Me: OK then, just for you I will wear my red shoes
Grotbag: smiles and is very pleased with himself for picking my shoes!!

It's the little things!

Love the little guy!! This is why I like to blog as this may have come and gone and been forgotten in a week!

Have a great Saturday everyone!!

Mother's Not Welcome

2009-09-03T20:34:00.004+08:00

Never been before heres a little bit about me to get you started.

So as Father's Day is this Sunday here in Australia, Grotbag's school hold a special Dad's Night before Father's Day where Dad's can go with their children to see some work they have done and also give their Dad's the cards and pressies they had made. It was from 6.30pm to 7pm in their class and Grotbag had no Dad to take. This happens to us all the time, as Hubby works away in the mines for 2 weeks and then is home for one week (one of the pitfalls) but luckily we have a great family network and so he had a few other replacements to pick from. He chose his Grandad (my Step-Dad) who was pleased as punch to be asked.

When I dropped Grotbag at school the day before the Dad's Night there were rumblings between the other Kindy Mum's. Knowing my predicament with Dad's Night they cautiously informed me that at the Pre-Primary Class across the playground, the teacher had put up a sign (yes she actually put one up for all to see) that read "Please note: Mother's are NOT welcome on Dad's night" I couldn't believe it. Really in this day and age where there is no such thing as a "normal" family that she could actually put up a sign to say that the Mother's were not welcome!

Imagine being in a situation where the Father of your child, for whatever reason, was unavailable to go to "Dad's Night" at the school and you had no other male figure in your child's life that could also go along. Now imagine having to tell your child that he can't go to school for Dad's Night, even with Mum because the Teacher said Mother's were not welcome. This could have well been the case for our family if we didn't have any other family close to us and it just makes me so mad. How insensitive!!

There are so many what if's like what if there is no Dad around because of separation, illness or because they have passed away. What if the child has two Mummy's or two Daddy's (can they both go?) - and I am sure you are thinking of a dozen more right now - that make the sign SO WRONG.

I am thankful that my child's teacher does not share the same mentality and welcomed any family member to go. Grotbag's Grandad was welcomed warmly and had a great time looking at all of Grotbag's school work.

There are so many family dynamics these days that consideration and sensitivity at these special night should be taken into account. As should we all have the same consideration and sensitivity to others in life.

Mother's and Father's should ALWAYS be welcomed when it comes to being a part of their children's lives.

Sure hope Grotbag doesn't get her for a teacher next year. I can feel my claws coming out now!!!

Grotbag & His Grandad

It’s All About Me People!

2009-09-02T10:45:00.008+08:00

When I first started writing my blog the only people that read it were family and friends and let’s face it they know all about the real “me”. But I thought I would write a bit of a back story of myself to let those new and wonderful people who come across my blog know a little bit more about moi!

I was born in the UK, London to be precise.

My parents divorced when I was 9 and when I was 12 my mum married a wonderful man who is my step-dad.

My step dad is English but lived in Australia so we immigrated to Perth Western Australia in 1985. Best decision ever!

My dad still lives in the UK, we don’t speak often, he is re-married.

I am an only child. I have no siblings not even halves or steps. What are the chances of that! And no I was not spoilt. However, I am very close to my cousin Bling who is like a sister. She also lives in Australia and we speak nearly everyday.

I went to a local high school. I was the girl that got along with everyone, very bubbly and just your average student. I am still friends with the girls I went to High School with. They are the family I choose!

I had a steady boyfriend through High School. A few long term relationships (and a few doozies) in my 20’s and met my wonderful husband on a blind date through a family friend in 2002. We got married in beautiful winery in 2004.

We had our first child together in 2005 – a beautiful boy named Oliver AKA Grotbag.
My hubby has been married before and I have two teenage step-children who live in the UK. The eldest has visited us here in Australia the other one will be out here in a couple of years to visit.
After 2 miscarriages in 2007 Hubby and I went down the IVF route and were extremely lucky first time. In February 2009 my gorgeous little miracle Harry was born AKA Bugalugs.

I have worked in retail and hospitality. I have been a Business Analyst, wanted to work in PR but was too old (?) and most recently worked in Accounts. All “jobs” no “careers”.

But my favourite most rewarding job and also the hardest one I have ever done is being a Mother. I strive to be the best mum and wife every day even though that does not always happen.

I have two dogs, a chocolate lab called Sye and a cocker spaniel called Jasper. We all live in a modest 4 bedroom 2 bathroom home north of Perth CBD and 5 minutes from the ocean. Perth really is Australia’s best kept secret. My Hubby works away for 2 weeks and is home for one so I am the only parent for 2/3 of the year. It works for us.

I have recently discovered my joy of writing, even though I am not very good at it, I could sit at the computer all day and just type and type. I want to “pimp my blog” but don’t quite know how or have the time to look and find out!

I love to read, catch up with friends, spend time with my family, my boys and write my blog. I also love to cook (and eat!) and want my boys to be able to cook too. I am really organized as well as completely disorganized and I blame that on the fact that I am a Gemini. Hey I’ve gotta blame something!

My main goals for this year are to finish our and de-clutter our house as it is the one thing that plays on my mind most of the time.

So that’s me!

Another Week That Was

2009-09-01T12:29:00.007+08:00

I have neglected my blog this week as Hubby was home on his R&R and I get the guilt's if I am stuck on the computer too long.

We had a busy week this week and after my spat about living in the house that Jack built, hubby set to work getting things fixed as soon as he came home. The tap is still the wrong way but at least I can sit on the toilet without fear of falling off!!

Wednesday saw my hosting a small dinner party for my good friend B who was over from London visiting his friends and family. B & I went to school together here in Perth, and then later, in our 20's, house shared for 18 months with another friend Ho, in a place we liked to Club 180. Good times, many parties, lots of tears and funny funny moments. He was also MC at my wedding which I will cherish forever and it really was the funniest and heart felt speech I have ever heard, and Yay it was about me!!!

I really miss him when he is in London, especially as he refuses to go on Facebook. So it was great to see him and cook for him and hear all his news, good and bad. In fact writing this blog has made me sit and reminisce about Club 180 so will have to put that in a post for another day!!

Me & B Circa 1997

Wednesday also saw the start of poor Bugalugs struggle with constipation for the first time. Poor little fella. After prune juice and baby laxatives (who knew?) Thursday night I couldn't take any more of his screaming and ended up taking him to Emergency. Where of course he pooed while we were waiting! The good news was I was being a complete over paranoid Mother and the constipation was not diagnosed as severe (apparently he would be vomiting as well) but the bad news was he had got a small infection through straining and so a round of antibiotics were dispensed! Sigh.

Friday saw Bugalugs having some physio to speed up his development for rolling and sitting and Saturday night we had the night off and went to Mum's for my Step dad's Birthday dinner.

Sunday saw me hosting a lunch for friends with an international flavour. There are 3 couples and we each pick a country and cook two meals, a combination of entree, main & desert, and bring them along. Now I normally love to cook up a storm but I just couldn't get motivated. So I cheated. Gasp! My country was Sweden. So I went to Ikea. Swedish Ikea Meatballs and Swedish Apple cake for all. I got ribbed for it but figured that was my one pass out!

Grump Monday rolled around way too quickly and saw me (finally) get my Wii Fit out of the box and Hubby, Grotbag and I had a lot of fun before I cooked a yummy "last night" dinner for me and Hubby.

And then today Hubby was gone before I knew it and the long 2 week stretch starts again.

Still means I can at least get some blog time in the evenings! It's good to be back!

How has your week been?

The House That Jack Built.....

2009-08-26T09:03:00.003+08:00

I have no idea where this saying comes from but I do feel sorry for Jack and all the crappy houses he has built!

My house is falling down.

Well that's a little bit dramatic. It's not literally falling down, more like coming a bit apart at the seams!

We live in a modest 4 bedroom 2 bathroom home that we bought 6 years ago just a few months before we were married. Before we acquired it, the house was an investment property and therefore had tenants. Tenants that did not look after the place very well. But the house was in a suburb we liked and was larger than the other more expensive houses we were looking at but needed a little TLC. How young and naive we were.

6 years later we have had a good stab at making it our own. We have completely ripped up the front and back gardens and replaced them, put in down lights, air conditioning, put up a wall in the playroom, painted a majority of the house, new flooring and window treatments. But it is still not finished and the parts that are not finished are REALLY getting me down.

This all happened yesterday...

The ceiling in my laundry has to be replaced because water has somehow got in and now my ceiling has mould. An insurance job, but it is the inconvenience that pees me off!

The new toilet seat just broke BECAUSE MY HUBBY NEVER PUT IT ON PROPERLY IN THE FIRST PLACE!

The towel rail in my bathroom just fell off.

The door handle to the playroom just came off in my hand.

Hubby replaced the tap in the kitchen incorrect so it swings the wrong way.

My tumble dryer is broke and will cost $200 to fix so am just going to get a new one next year as it's not worth fixing as the good weather is about to come in.

And that is just the start. There are a million other things but it will be too depressing to write them. And the kicker is me don't have the cash to do most of it at the moment.

I know that it does not sound like much, some of you may be doing major renovations and have whole pieces of your house missing. But it's all these little things that are making me want to scream, especially if they have been "fixed" and not "fixed" properly.

I just want my house how it looks in my minds eye. Is that too much to ask?

Sticking To My Guns & The Curse of The Wii

2009-08-23T13:34:00.005+08:00

Can you tell I couldn't decide which title to go with?

Anyhoo....Today Bling and I went to our local Baby & Kids Market. Basically it comes around once every few months and the stalls are all second hand baby stuff, kids toys and clothes...there is always a bargain to be had!

I wasn't going to go because my parents are away and couldn't look after Grotbag and I would rather have the fleas of a thousand camels infest my armpits than take a 4 year old to a basketball court filled with second hand Fisher Price Toys!! But Bling's Hubby, who will join the cast and be known as Pirate, kindly offered to look after Grotbag....and could Grotbag bring Mario Kart with him! Hmmm, who is the biggest kid?

I was after a bath seat and Jolly Jumper for Bugalugs (and managed to score both at the Markets at rock bottom prices - yay for me!) so quickly agreed.

Grotbag loves playing the Wii, especially Mario Kart and for the most part will stop playing when I tell him to. I put a timer on as it is very easy for a couple of hours to go by and not realise he is still playing, so the timer keeps it in check. The same with the TV. Especially as he is nice and quiet and mummy can get on reading blogs and writing her own!!! .

However, today he just totally freaked out (The Curse of the Wii!!) when it was time to leave Pirates and had a complete meltdown. I get so disappointed when he act's up like that but can usually calm him down. Yeah, uh today he didn't get that memo!!! So put him in Time Out and then told him he could not play the Wii or watch any TV until his Dad (Hubby) comes home.

Then realised that was two days away! WHAT WAS I THINKING???? I usually only take the Wii or TV away for 24 hours which is usually enough to curb the behaviour and have him apologise and appreciate it more.

But there it was, out in the open and I now have to stick to my guns through fear of being a walk over. And I won't go back on my word either! I've learnt my lesson the hard way with that one!

I have to admit though, since he has been home he has played with his Lego, Tech Decks, race cars and a game of Mouse Trap so he is more than capable of playing with his toys with out the background noise of the TV.

So the Curse of the Wii strikes again but I will be sticking to my guns until Tuesday when Hubby flies home. I may be sooo over Playdoh and Guess Who by then but at least he would have learnt a lesson. Won't he?

Have you ever regretted a consequence for your kids? And did you follow it through?

Only 125 days till Christmas!!!!!

2009-08-22T13:26:00.019+08:00

Yes you have read the title correctly...this isn't a post from 2008.I have decided this year that I am going to be totally organised in the presents department for Christmas 2009.

5 years ago Before Kids (B.K.) I would have my Christmas shopping done by October. I would have scoped out some really cool stuff throughout the year and stockpiled till Christmas. Each year I usually find a new "thing" that I love and buy 4 of them so I have plenty to share around (and usually one for myself!) and would also have a few "Emergency Presents" for those unexpected circumstances. Actually I still do have Emergency Presents all through the year, but mostly kids presents. And I have done all the Christmas Toy shopping in the July Toy sales.

But the thing is that now I do have kids and life is a little bit more hectic I see things I like, think who I can buy them for, and then promptly forget and then 2 weeks before Christmas I am asking myself "now what was that cool thing I was going to get for ....". So today while I was food shopping I bought myself a small note book that I will now carry round for the sole purpose of noting good Christmas presents, where I saw them and who they would be good for.

I love finding things that are slightly different, or a twist on an old favourite. My favourite thing that I have found this year is this:

Isn't it gorgeous! Looks like a silver necklace with faux diamonds but it is in fact:

A 4GB USB Thumb Drive!!!!

They were advertised in a parenting magazine for $59.95 but I couldn't justify the amount so managed to find them on EBay and got them from Hong Kong for half that price!!! So now I have to be on the look out for something else that makes me say "ohhh I just gotta have one of those!!!"

What your favourite "thing" this year?

One Of Those Days

2009-08-20T18:19:00.003+08:00

As I am getting more into this blogging lark I am starting to plan my blogs in advance and draft a few lines for each topic so if I have had a few uneventful days I have backup. I am even sleeping with a notebook by the bed as I seem to have my best topic ideas just before I go to sleep - and then usually by morning they have flown away from my brain.

But today's planned blog will have to go on hold because this blog is a rant as I have had "one of those days!"

You know the kind where it starts out OK and gradually deteriorates until you feel your head just might explode.

It started fairly normally. The boys woke just after 7am and Grotbag didn't have school till 12.15am so there was no morning rush to get out the door. I went into Bugalug's who was smiling and then it sounded like he barked. Bugger! He has caught the cough that me and than Grotbag had the last couple of weeks. I thought he had escaped it because I had got it first and he didn't get it. I then got a little irritated as I realised that my futile attempts to keep Grotbag from coughing in Bugalug's face all last week indeed failed.

Mother 0 - Universe 1.

I checked behind the table to see if Jasper (Cocker Spaniel, 5 years old) had peed overnight in his favourite spot and smiled as I realised he hadn't.

Mother 1 - Universe 1.

Realised that I still haven't been able to find Grotbag's other Kindy T-shirt that has disappeared into thin air, and I hadn't washed the one from Tuesday. Pulled Tuesdays out the wash basket gave it a sniff and a shake - it was good to go!

M1 - U2

Bugalugs didn't want to have his morning nap so got NOTHING done apart from have a shower through screaming.

M1 - U3

Ended up feeding Bugalugs his bottle early to avoid the screaming that I just couldn't take today and he fell asleep on me meaning I still couldn't do anything.

M1 - U4

Took Grotbag to school and of course it was raining so we all got soaked.

M1 - U5

Got home and felt bad for the doggies (also have Chocolate Brown Labrador named Sye who is 5 years old - and my favourite!) so let them in to their inside beds. Had some lunch while and Bugalugs slept for an hour and a half. Bliss!

M2 - U5

Picked Grotbag up from school and promptly got stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for 20 minutes before having space to turn around and go the other way which was only marginally different.

M2 - U6

Took Grotbag to Tae Kwon Do where he cried all the way home because he didn't listen to me 3 times and I confiscated the Wii for the night. Then got home and put Grotbag in his PJ's so I wouldn't have to battle later. I had actually been organised and planned dinner earlier in the week so all I had to do is reheat only to put dinner on the table (where Grotbag was STILL crying) and realised that Jasper had peed under it when I had let him in earlier. GRRRRRRRRR

M2 - U7

Ate dinner with Bugalugs crying because he wanted his night time routine of bath, bottle & bed to begin NOW! Also had Grotbag sniffing beside me telling me my carrots were "disgusting".

M2 - U8

Finished dinner, reluctantly fed the dogs and got Bugalugs settled in for the night. I still haven't cleaned up the pee - just covered it with paper towel till I can face it. I still need to clean up after dinner, there is rice everywhere, make Bugalug's bottles for tomorrow and I can't see my counter top through all the crap that I have dumped on it. The dust bunnies are multiplying and Grotbag keeps wanting to make lots of noise RIGHT NEXT TO ME which is making me want to SCREAM VERY LOUDLY! I am changing my name to BOB as Muuummmm! is making my head spin. And to make matters worse Grotbag just came up to me and told me he loved me very much.

OK, I give up! Universe wins this round!!

Cooking With Kids

2009-08-18T19:54:00.010+08:00

I love to cook! I am no "foodie" and since the kids came along I haven't dabbled in many new recipes but still, the kitchen is my favourite room in the house!

So it would not surprise you that my eldest Grotbag was named after my favourite TV Chef, that my favourite show this year was Masterchef Australia (oh how I miss it) and that I expect that my boys will be able to rustle up a few good meals by the time they leave the nest.

Grotbag could say Jamie Oliver before he could say Bob the Builder, knows Nigella just by the sound of her voice and can name all the contestants and judges on Masterchef Australia! When I used to take him shopping as a toddler I would name all the things as I put them into the trolley knowing one day he would repeat them back. The first one he repeated in his gorgeous toddler voice was Salami!

I am really passionate about getting Grotbag and of course Bugalugs interested in cooking and food. They don't have to want to be chefs, but at least know where their food comes from, follow a good recipe and also be able to just throw something together from the pantry. I think it is really important, especially in this day and age of the microwave meal and fast food, that they learn the basics of proper cooking.

So, at every chance possible I get him to help me in the kitchen. Yesterday I cooked up a whole load of meals for the week and also a batch of puree's for Bugalugs. I got Grotbag cutting up the fruit and vegetables for the purees. He has his own small wooden chopping board and a knife which is actually a spreading knife so has a rounded end that way he can't stab himself. It is also sharp enough to cut through the food but blunt enough that Bugalugs won't find the end of his finger in his lunch!

Grotbag cutting apple to be pureed

Grotbag loves doing this, it's good hand eye coordination and we talk about how we are going to cook the food and I get him to taste it too. It's also great quality time we spend together. I have a fantasy where he is cooking a meal for his own family in years to come, maybe from my collection of cooking books that have been passed down to him and he is telling them how he always helped me in the kitchen (Sniff). He also loves the fact he has helped cook his brothers food and tells my 6 month old every time he is in his highchair!

We cook fun stuff too, his favourite is Banana & Choc Chip Muffins and he has become interested in my cake decorating set so in a few days we are going to make some cupcakes for him to decorate! I will have to make sure I am not to OCD about them being perfect.

I hope to continue this tradition with Bugalugs too so both my boys will be great cooks and in years to come invite their old mum round for dinner!

My Favourite Things - Mini Spatulas

2009-08-14T10:20:00.010+08:00

They don't look so mini in the picture but these gorgeous mini spatulas are only 20cm long. They are one of my favourite thing in my kitchen at the moment. I bought them about a year ago because I thought they were cute (?) but didn't really use them till about 4 months ago. That is a burn mark at the bottom of the one closest in the picture - not food!!

I would probably use these everyday now. My favourite use for them is for emptying jars or containers of stir in sauces, baby food, canned stuff or tomato paste. I can get every drop of sauce out of the jar with these little babies. They are also good for icing cupcakes, spreading fillings on sandwiches or spreading other things like potato on shepherds pie or meringue on lemon meringue pie.

Because of the wooden handle they don't go in the dishwasher, their only downfall, but I still love these little babies!!

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Before I sign off my blog on my favourite things I just want to say how sad I am that my friend Mary-Jane, for personal reasons, has stopped writing her blog. Her blog was funny, topical and very honest and she is one of the most inspirational mothers I know. I will miss her blog and hope she comes back soon. She inspired me to start my own blog and so if you get a chance, stop by and have a read at her wonderful blog at http://whatsthemattermary-jane.blogspot.com/

Banoffie Pies - Yum!

2009-08-09T10:16:00.016+08:00

Look divine don't they!

Let me start by saying that I can actually take no

credit for this "recipe" or really it should be called a "Put Together". My BFF Anastasia Beaverhausen (lets call her AB) brought them to my house as a desert for a dinner party I threw.

The best dinner parties are always when the guests bring there own little something something!!

Another guest had commented that she had made them herself a few weeks before and it took her 2 hours. AB snorted and said "these babies took me 5 minutes and 4 teaspoons!!"

We all leaned in closer for the secret to these delicious little morsels of delight. I LOVE to cook but am not that keen on baking so this was heaven to my ears. So today I share the secret with you. The ones in the picture above are ones I made this morning to take to my Auntie's birthday get together this afternoon. My step-dad has one of the sweetest teeth I know so really they are for him. He loves it when I "bake"!! (Shhh!)

AB's Banoffie Pies

12 Shortcrust Tartlet Cases

1 Can of Nestle Top'n'Fill Caramel

1 Banana

1 Tub of Thick "Dollop" cream (no whipping here!!)

1 Cadbury Flake

Method

Open packet of tartlets.

Open can of Top'n'Fill.

Spoon caramel into tart cases.

Cut banana into thin slices and place on top of Caramel

Dollop cream on top of bananas.

Sprinkle flake onto cream! Refrigerate till needed or scoff at will!

Voila - Banoffie Pies!!

Some notable notes. I used light cream to be a bit more virtuous and also made two with canned light whipped cream as Bling will be there today and she is on Weight Watchers (they work out to about 5 points). But AB made hers with double thick cream and they were delicious. I didn't actually use the whole can of the caramel there was still some left at the bottom and I only used half the carton of cream.

So, please feel free to make your shortcrust pastry, boil your can of condensed milk and whip your cream - but for me I am more than happy to say that I "threw these together" and literally mean it!

Now I have more time to do my hair!

Bringing Up Boys - Learning to Eat

2009-08-04T19:42:00.003+08:00

So I have embarked on the world of ‘Solids’ for Bugalugs. Or in the immortal words of Kaz Cooke ‘Mashes”. Because the only thing solid is what comes out the other end!

Grotbag LOVED his mashes from the moment they past his lips and he hasn’t stopped eating since. He was a joy to cook for, even though he was lactose intolerant, and would scoff down anything I made for him.

“They” always say you get one of each so I think that Bugalugs will be my fussy eater. On the 9th of August he will be 6 months and for the past couple of weeks has been showing all of the signs of wanting more than just the bottle. So last week started him on one meal a day of rice cereal. He was a little perplexed but swallowed the first few mouthfuls. But lets face it - rice cereal is like eating torn up bits of cardboard. So he has been having pureed apple and pear the last few days. The more he eats the better he is - but not sure what he thinks of his mums cooking!!

I am trying not to take offence. I mean, pureed apple is pureed apple and can’t be tweaked for babies (IE add a bit of cinnamon perhaps!). Maybe he is a savoury kid and will prefer the pumpkin I prepare for him tomorrow!

I will persevere and hope he comes to love his mum’s food. I also forgot about all the 'stuff' that comes with solids. My dishes have multiplied now yet another boy in my house is eating semi-normal food!

Still, in a way I am quite proud as this is yet another milestone for my baby as he grows into a gorgeous little boy. Sigh!

Masterchef & Sunburn

2009-08-03T21:56:00.006+08:00

How cute is this? My friend in Sydney got this made for Grotbag (also known around here as Oliver - yes named after Jamie Oliver!) as she knows that he is a huge fan of Masterchef (who isn't?). He loves it and now we have to make Banana & Chocolate Muffins tomorrow for him to Christen it! My friend is also a big foodie and I am very jealous of the fact that she has been to Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Restaurant in London and Matt Moran's restaurant Aria in Sydney and met both chefs and has lovely pictures to prove it.

The gift was also very apt as yesterday I went to the Perth Good Food & Wine show where I saw Gary Mehigan & George Calombaris, two of the judges from Masterchef Australia & Matt Moran "do" their shows cooking live on stage. I went with my mum and we had a fantastic time, quaffing wine and sampling yummy food - especially because I was sans children! Hmm no diet or counting points yesterday! I am going to try a few of the recipes out so will feature them in future blogs.

**********************

As today is Happy Monday and was a beautiful 21 degree Winter day I took Grotbag to the park to meet another friend of his and his mum. It was gorgeous sitting in the sun and I preened like a cat at the warmth. Glorious...until I got home and noticed the sunburn. Now, although I am originally from the East End of London, I have actually lived here in Perth for 24 years, since I was 12. You would think that I would know to put sunscreen on when out in the sun. Some lesson are hard taught.

But fear not, my children were armed with slip slop slap including Bugalugs who had to wear a toddler hat too big for him because I picked up the wrong one!! I just seemed to miss myself out!

So now tomorrow I will greet my Hubby at the airport with owl eyes and a bright red neck and arms that are only half red! He will just shake his head at me and I will give him a look that says "I know I know...24 years!!!"

Anything But This

2009-08-01T12:55:00.001+08:00

I should be doing lots of other things except writing this blog. However, my poor little blog has been neglected lately and I really enjoy writing it so have put it on the top of the "To Do" list.

Here's whats on the rest of the list (not in any particular order):

Tidy Up (This never leaves the list)
Unload the dishwasher (again on the list every day)
Vacuum (by the time I vacuum the house it's ready to be done again)
Dust (see 3)
Washing - doing, putting out, getting in and putting away
Sort Bugalug's clothes from ones he has grown out of and the next size he is in
Same with Grotbags clothes
Give clothes to Good Sammy's or sell on EBay
Call repair man about broken tumble dryer
Call the Dog Kennels again to get dogs booked in for October
Call taxman to come and do tax returns
Take charms in to get put on charm bracelet
Load digital picture frame
Shred papers not needed
Call Foxtel about IQ2
Sell the box of stuff labelled EBay on EBay
Sort dinner out for tonight
Go to Medicare

blah blah blah...and the list goes on and on and on and on....

It's soooo overwhelming I just think...sod it...pass me the Wii controller!!!!

Hubby is home Tuesday.....I'll pass some of the list on to him!

Quirky Little Gemini

2009-07-27T21:47:00.000+08:00

Hi I am a Gemini and like long walks on the beach at Sunset and reading poetry.

Actually I am a Gemini and although I do not live by astrology I do think I have some typical Gemini traits. A company I used to work for had an unusually large amount of Gemini's working in the same office. I think there were 7 or 8 of us in an office of 30. Very strange. Made for a calorific month with all the cake! Wonder what the collective name for us would have been???

Most Gemini's can be describes as having two personalities. I prefer this than being called 2 faced (although have known a few of those Gemini's in my time too). I am characterised by this in the fact that I have a hot temper but cool down just as quickly. I also don't hold a grudge...life's too short. The testament to this is how many exes are friends on my Facebook account! However I never forget! Not holding a grudge also means that I don't sulk and it bugs me when other people do. Move on!

I am also full of contradictions. My washing has to be hung out a certain way, but I will leave a wet towel on the bed. The rest of the house is a mess but my kitchen is spotless. When I wash dishes they have to be done a certain way too and can't look in kitchen if Hubby is doing them for fear of the hot temper rising. I love routine for my kids but will never commit to doing anything on the same day every week. Mother's group was an exception for me and of course going to work but I can't stand the thought of 'having' to be somewhere at a certain time every week. It's why I never played a team sport or joined a club. And why my blog is not done daily.

I am always early or on time and hate people being late. But again as a contradiction to that, I know which friends of mine are always late and accept that it is part of what makes them tick, so will adjust my time with them if for example I have invited them for dinner I will always allow time for them to be late. If I don't know you very well however, I will be mad!

I wear my heart on my sleeve for all to see but keep some things so very close that no one really actually knows the real me, even though they think they do. The other twin! (Was going to say evil but I am not evil....really!) Again I don't trust anybody, even though people might think I trust them...my guard is always up!

There is that little two faced monster rising its head up again.

Gemini's are supposed to be (and which I think I am) communicative, witty (ha), generous, gossipy (ooh ah!), kind, objective, versatile, imaginative, and adaptable. But we can also be fickle, flighty, indecisive, nosy and get easily bored. Hmmm the last one is definitely me.

Maybe these are Gemini traits or maybe they are just part of my complex personality which happens to fall into line of my astrological sign. Whichever the case maybe, these are just a few of the things that make me....Me!

The Toy Sales

2009-07-23T10:19:00.000+08:00

Over the last month I have braved the big department store Toy Sales in an effort to look organised by Christmas. The lure of not having to have toys hanging around my already cluttered house is too much and on each of the occasions I have headed out early and got the booty on Christmas lay-by. This means currently I have 4 different laybys to keep track of.

I have also had my boys looked after as taking kids to a Toy Sale is surely every mothers idea of Hell. However today I had no such pleasure and had to take the boys with me. With a promise of a Ben 10 figurine for behaving, Grotbag begrudgingly got dressed and got in the car. And what a surprise....it was Hell!!

Grotbag constantly asking if he can have the toys now, and why does Santa have to have them (I have told him that when they go to Layby Santa comes and picks them up till Christmas!) and can we go now etc etc. HELL!!!

So by the time I had found all the things I wanted for the boys and other gifts for friends kids the last thing I wanted to do was stand in a layby queue. So I bought the lot and brought them home and stashed them at the top of the wardrobe where Grotbag will never find them.

Have told him that Santa has already taken them...there were tears.

Next year I am going on my own!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Week That Was

2009-07-21T21:16:00.000+08:00

My Hubby came and went and Happy Monday changed to Grumpy Monday.

The Masterchef Finale happened on Sunday, I am really going to miss that show as it became part of my night time routine. I feel a bit lost now!

Bugalugs is now without Dummy and sleeping through the night after I bit the bullet and stayed up one night through screams and cries like sleep school had taught me. He is now a happy little soul.

Grotbag is back at school, thank goodness. He was driving me nuts. He brought home some great artwork today that I have framed in cheap red frames from IKEA. I am going to put them on his wall and change them periodically.

It was the five year anniversary of my father-in-law passing away. Very sad but I know he is with us in spirit and never far away from our thoughts.

My car went in for repairs to the bumper, so I am without a car. My mum has been kind enough to allow me to drive hers but is strange being so low to the ground and not being able to see as much. I am looking forward to getting my car back looking as good as new!

I had a great random girls night out with some new and old faces.

My tumble dryer has decided that 90 minutes is actually 7 minutes. The timer is stuffed. Great!

My diet has been abandoned this week through lack of motivation from me. Although you would think that my tummy was motivation enough. Not so. I need to look further....

So that was the week that was. It had love, laughter, screams, cries and a whole rainbow of emotions too many to write.

I wonder what this week will bring....

Zzzzzzzz

2009-07-15T22:01:00.000+08:00

Bugalugs woke at 1am.....and didn't go back to sleep.

We rocked, patted, stuck dummy in, put music on, put projector on but to no avail.

Hubby was great as we took it in turns to soothe him back to sleep. Hubby ended up taking him off me at 6.30am after I had him in my arms from 3.30am and I slept till 8.30am.

He is in his own room tonight for the first time. The room in next to Grotbags so have sent him to our room to sleep and I will take over Grotbags room so he doesn't get woken if we have the same kind of night.

People ask me why and I look as befuddled as they do.

Is it teething, growth spurt or the need to start on solids?

Maybe the change of scenery might do him good....