Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Triplets


No, they are not really triplets. The feet in the middle are our Missy Megan's, the pair on the left belong to her best friend Miss Emily and the pair on the right belong to her other best friend Miss Bethany.

3 pink Princesses.

3 little girls who love our weekly Playgroup session.

3 little girls who play together each morning & afternoon in the school playground.

3 little girls who will be starting Kindergarten together this time next year.

3 little girls whose friendship I hope lasts beyond their school years.

3 little girls whose Mums are already friends, thanks to our school and parish community.


Too beautiful!


Karen xx

Sunday, January 29, 2012

New Year's Day all over again

I love the beginning of a new school year. Not because I have had enough of the kids after their 6 weeks of holidays (plus the extra 3 weeks Zac got after finishing Yr 10). I love having the kids home on holidays. Being someone who works nights, I love to throw the morning rush routine out the window & not have to worry about home readers, homework and uniforms for a while. It gives me a chance to rest a bit too.

A new school year is like New Year's Day all over again. A nice clean slate. A chance to streamline how we do things (give the kids more responsibility for getting their sh*t together in the mornings). No bad habits need to carry over from last year, let's get it right from Day 1 this time.

We start the year with the best intentions (just like New Year's Resolutions) - today I have baked enough Weetbix Slice and Vanilla Cupcakes to last their lunchboxes for the week. Preschool & primary school bags are packed (lunches get packed in the mornings). High school bag is packed, however Zac doesn't go back until Tuesday. I am on canteen at his school tomorrow so he gets to stay home by himself - it's ok, he's 16 not 6.

Nice clean, freshly ironed uniforms and polished shoes. I ironed the boys 2 days worth of uniforms to get them started, then it's their responsibility. In Term 4 last year I delegated the uniform ironing to the kids. They each do their own. I did it for 11 years, I think that's enough.

image from here


I want to continue things as we start. I mentally have a space set aside for the school bags to go each night once homework is completed, packed for the next day. Uniforms can't be ironed the night before as they are usually still going through the wash at that point. One of the not so joyous things of working nights is that I can't use my evening hours to do the stuff other Mums do in those hours. Like washing uniforms. I do not have enough hours between them wearing the uniforms & me going to work to get them washed & dried. And supervise homework. And listen to Liam read. And bath Megan. And cook dinner. And supervise the younger ones in the pool. Golly, how much does this world think I can do in just over 2 hours? However, if the kids hang their uniforms over the chairs to dry they won't need ironing. Ha! One point to me please Mr Scorecard.

So let's see how we go.........with a bit of tweaking in the organisational department, we could just have a good year!

What's your routine like?

Karen xx

Friday, January 27, 2012

My day in meals

This is how Friday went

Breakfast, although Missy Megan helped herself to some





Lunch - the kids left this all to me





 


crispy fish tacos done our way


Snacks for the day: 2 apples, 1 banana, 2 handfuls of balsamic flavoured peanuts. Lots & lots of water as per usual.

Exercise for the day: Bahahahahaha!!!!!!! I went to work. That is exercise enough for me!

How was your Friday in meals? Dare to share?

Karen xx


The Nutcracker Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to Angela (Sweet Ever Afters) and Bek - you have both won a copy of The Nutcracker in my giveaway.

Please look out for an email from me asking for your postal details.......

Thanks for entering!

Karen xx

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Mum, my goggles are too tight!




Makes me wonder if her eyes are going to pop out one day, but seriously, do you think her eyes (or surrounds) are being damaged by her goggles being so tight? She doesn't want me to loosen them - they don't look to be that tight but she really pushes them into her face to get suction so water can't get in.

Karen.
xx

Am I Unpatriotic?

Australia Day. Done & dusted. Doesn't sound very patriotic, does it?


So why don't I feel this great need to go & drape myself in an Aussie flag, decorate my car & join in the festivities?

picture credit here

I don't remember Australia Day being a big deal when I was young. Is that because I have a crap memory of my childhood, or were there no festivities about 30 years ago? Maybe my family had no interest in celebrating............what a bunch of wet blankets.

I had planned a picnic at the beach with one of my cousins & her kids but the threat of rain, me being sick & her with a funeral to arrange put paid to that idea.

There were plenty of activities in my local area to attend. But I can't be bothered with the parking hassles and huge crowds. Does that just make me a party pooper?

And I've noticed (maybe ignorantly) that it's only the last few (?) years that people have really gotten into the spirit of the day. More so since the Cronulla riots however many years ago. It's even being spruiked in the media that those who wear the flag clothing & wrap flags around themselves are more racist than those who don't. That's a label I don't want put on me. I don't want to be a target for anyone who is assuming I am racist. Does that mean I'm scared to show my Australian pride? Because I do have pride, I just display it in my own way.

So, Australia Day today was just a normal day for us. Did some grocery shopping, did lots of washing, hubby cleaned my car (after he caught up on some work paperwork), played colouring in with Megan, roused on Liam for being too noisy, fed Zac the teenager whenever he surfaced from his room and tried to sleep off some of my blocked head.

What did you do for Australia Day? Do you think I am unpatriotic?

PS: Do you know I have a giveaway closing tomorrow? Make sure you enter here.

Cheers!

Karen xx

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Back to the (food) drawing board.....

I had a look at the My Special K eating plan, after reading about it on Diminishing Lucy's blog. Check her her Week 1 result here. Her results are pretty impressive!

I had a look at their meal plans and it's very similar to what we eat here anyway. Most of the time. So I shouldn't find it so hard to eat like that all of the time should I? Just need to cut out the junk food. I rarely drink alcohol so that's not a factor in my 24kg of excess weight.

I've also started looking at  the 1 million kilo challenge that I found on Facebook. So I've linked up to that one too and they will be sending me meal plans starting next week.

Both these organisations are promoting healthy eating and some exercise. Which, in my opinion, is the best and most permanent way to lose weight.

So, what's my problem with them?

My problem's not with them, it's with us here in this household.

Healthy eating = wholegrain foods, chicken, red meat, salmon, tuna, fruit, yogurt, and a huge range of vegetables including sweet potato, pumpkin, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, tomato, cauliflower, broccoli.........and the list goes on.

Hubby has been put on a restricted foods list - NO wholegrains, NO red meat, NO chicken, NO salmon, NO tuna, NO spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, tomato, cauliflower, NO deli meats, NO shellfish........and the list goes on.

I am iron deficient. I NEED to eat wholegrains, red meat, chicken, spinach, asparagus, cauliflower, salmon, tuna, deli meats and all the other stuff that he is not allowed to eat!

So we are back to the drawing board with meal planning. Lots of googling to find foods low in purine (high purine levels bring on gout) and high in iron (so I can be healthy too).

One can only live on fruit & yoghurt, cheese sandwiches and white fish with limited veg for so long. As enjoyable as it is, I don't think such a restrictive diet is good for long term health.

Suggestions?

Anyone?

Please!

Karen xx

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The Nutcracker - with a giveaway

We have all "de-Chrissified" our homes by now, but that doesn't mean the Christmas season needs to be forgotten about.

"The Nutcracker" is an iconic Christmas movie. Most of us know the music (Tchaikovsky composed the music for the ballet that was inspired by this story), but I had never seen the movie before. Sure, I'd heard of it - but I didn't know the story. Even our 9 year old said "it's about a nutcracker that comes to life". How did I not know that? I must have had a deprived childhood - lol.



Eccentric Uncle Albert brings Mary and Max some toys for Christmas. (The doll house is every little girl's dream!) The Nutcracker comes to life and whisks Mary away to a magical world which is filled with fantastic toys and dancing fairies. However the Nutcracker's kingdom is under threat from the evil Rat King and his henchmen who are taking prisoners and destroying the children's toys. Mary needs to uncover the secret to free the Nutcracker (he's a prince) and restore his kingdom.



A modern adaptation of a family classic, appealing to a family audience, The Nutcracker is a welcome change from "all those other Christmas movies" - yeah, you know the ones - when the stranger or uncle turns out to be the real Santa Claus........there is no Santa Claus in this movie, just a lovely adventure to go on!

The Nutcracker is available on DVD ($29-95, single disc); Blu-ray ($34-95, single disc); and 3D Blu-ray ($39-95, 2 discs).

You don't have to wait until Christmas to watch it - I have 2 DVD copies to giveaway!

Giveaway closes Friday 27 January & is open to Australian residents only.

To enter, leave a comment on my blog (not on my Facebook page) telling me what your favourite family Christmas (or holiday) movie is and why. Make sure I can identify you if you are the winner, otherwise I can't get your prize to you.

Cheers!

Karen xx

Disclaimer: I was sent a complimentary copy of this DVD to review. Opinions expressed are my own and I have not been paid otherwise for this post.



Sunday, January 8, 2012

The Dog Wash Episode


I will allow you to wash me, but only because you give good scratches


You want something to photograph?


Ha Ha - suckers!!!!

Friday, January 6, 2012

Packed away until December 1st


That's our Christmas decorations, all tucked up & put to bed until Dec 1st, when we decorate all over again. (Just have to put the boxes in the roof so they are not in my hallway!).

Hope you had a Happy Christmas (those of you who celebrate it) and to those who don't celebrate it, I hope you had a happy few days anyway.

Happy New Year Everybody! Do you make resolutions? I generally don't but tend to take the new year as an opportunity to "be good" and am determined to make this year the one I lose 25kg of excess weight that I know is making me unhealthy. Going okay so far. Aiming to eat healthier rather than diet as that is a better mindset.

Wish me luck!

Karen xx