School Holidays are almost here!!!!!

One more week to go! One more week to go!

I get quite a bit just a tad excited when it's school holiday time. There is not much I like more than to throw that routine out the window & have nice slow relaxing days.

Days when the kids can stay in their pyjamas until lunchtime if they want to.

Days when we don't have to be anywhere by 9am.

Days when we can go and explore a different park. And a different fish & chip shop. It's amazing how good hot chips taste at the park!

I would like to take the kids to Taronga Park Zoo in Sydney these school holidays, if the budget permits it.

And one day I'd like us to catch a train to Kiama and spend the day there. Just because we haven't caught the train there before (I don't count 22 years ago when I caught the train to Kiama daily for work).

If the sun comes out like it did today (I love sunny days), we may even venture out to the beach to build sandcastles and go in the water up to our knees. Ant further in would be too cold.

What are you planning to do these winter school holidays?

Domesticity Day

I must admit I am a fan of days like today. Simply pottering around the house tidying up & cleaning bits. Our little girl is not sick today - YAY!

http://weheartit.com/tag/cleaning?page=3

I must also admit I am not as beautifully dressed as the domestic goddess in the above picture.

pic taken by my princess Missy Megan

here she is!

So far I have cleaned out the kids' bathroom cabinet (the hair clips & ties are now safely housed in a Tupperware container), cleaned the kitchen,done a couple of loads of washing, had the groceries home delivered and put them away in less time than it takes me to bring them in from the car (and saved myself a sore back!). Oh, and I've also been liaising with some lovely PR people about a VERY exciting product review that I hope to be blogging about in the not too distant future. Even my hubby couldn't guess what this one was!


What's keeping you busy today?

Karen xx

That Bloomin' Weight Loss Roundabout Again.....

Start weight: 84kg.

Where I would like to get to: 64kg.

Maybe lower, I can't remember how I looked at 64kg, it's been so long. At my lightest I was 55kg. But that one is too hard to maintain. This time 9 years ago I lost 14 kg, down to 74kg & thought I looked good. Until I saw a photo. Then life got busy again & I allowed the weight to come back.

Here's a photo I didn't want to publicise because it shows how much weight I have put back on. What seems like only a few months ago I was 77.7kg.

Maybe this photo is the kick up the butt I need to do something about this.

Feeling pretty low about it right now.

SO many people struggle with their weight. It shouldn't be this hard.

What has worked for you? Are there any tips you can give me?

Cheers,

Karen xx

Giveaway Winners!

Drumroll............

The two lucky winners of my Mr Men and Little Miss DVD giveaway are:


KAZ RIEHS

and

KELLIE

Congratulations ladies!

I'll be sending you an email or facebook message asking your address details so your prize can be mailed to you!

Thanks everyone for playing along.

Have a great Sunday.

Karen xx

Whites - A DVD Review

I am loving this whole having DVD's sent to me to review thingy that's happening right now!

Here's what we've been watching this time:

It's a new BBC comedy series set in the high-pressured kitchen of a beautiful country house hotel.

Head Chef Roland wants to get the Michelin Star he considers himself worthy of but gets distracted by his desire to write his autobiography. And his laziness.

Sous Chef Bib is left to attempt to get the busy kitchen under control, an effort which is not helped when the cocky apprentice chef named Skoose arrives on the scene & makes it clear he has ambitions for Bib's job!

Throw in some know-it-all (and one particularly ditzy) women working the front of house and you have a recipe for some pretty funny things to happen. I am a foodie through & through so I was keen to give this one a look.

I wasn't sure what to expect, having seen too many episodes of kitchen shows. I am used to romantic comedies or sitcoms.

"Whites" is not like any of them. It is not a reality show. It is not Gordon Ramsay dropping the "f" bomb every sentence. It is a British comedy, so you know it's going to be funny and you know there will be attention to detail (they even had Jamie Oliver's "Fifteen" restaurant academy help train the cast with the kitchen lingo & different dishes - that's credibility in my book!). I found myself chuckling in several places. What we see of the charaters' lives is not restricted to the kitchen. Bib is so loveable. He is my favourite. Probably because he is trying so hard to become a father & I am such a mumma!

Hubby's opinion? He thought it was great - they've produced a story with comedy in it, rather than making the comedy the focus with only a loose storyline. There is room for the characters to develop thoughout the series.

This DVD (6 episodes plus out takes & interviews) is being released by Universal Pictures this month, so keep your eyes open for it in stores now! If you love a British comedy, this one is for you!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this DVD to watch and review. No other payment has been offered or accepted. Opinions are that of myself and my husband.

Irrational Psycho Bitch in Residence

I must start with an apology to those relatives & friends of mine who are members of the Police Force. This is not directed at you.

This is menstrual pyscho lady talking. I know I am not normally like this, but today? I can't help it.

I understand that you patrol school zones. I love that. I wish you were there every day.

You don't understand that parking is at a premium at schools.  Learn to park so that you don't take up the space of 3 cars. Yeah, I went to park in front of you. Because I couldn't fit behind you. You plonked yourself right in the middle.


Don't compliment me on my precision parking.......I managed to not reverse into you and I managed to not cover the driveway in front. Nah. Just make me move my car.

You said I couldn't park there in case you needed to get out in a hurry to chase someone. Well if there is room for me to park a station wagon between you & the driveway in front, there was shitloads of room for you to get out. Especially as there was no room for anyone to park behind you.


If you had have parked a metre further forward you would have only taken up 2 spaces & I could have parked behind you. And if you can't get out of the length of 2 parking spaces in a hurry, then you need to watch us mums get out of a single space. We could teach you something there.

So, down the road to the nearest side street, turn around, come back to the off street carpark (which is where I was originally going to park and usually do). Navigate the high school & primary school traffic AGAIN. You watch me drive in - I saw you. I was giving you the evil eye.

Park the car. Walk down the driveway. You are gone. WHAT?!

Cast my eyes down the road. It's a 3km straight stretch of road - we can see right to the township. You are not there. You have not pulled anyone over to book them. YOU ARE GONE!!!

So you made me move for nothing. Hope you enjoyed your powertrip. Asshole. Enjoy your F*&%'n coffee.


Has anything pissed you off yet today?

Karen xx

Someone's Turning 40.....and you can get the pressie (A Giveaway!)

Can you believe Mr Tickle is turning 40?

Yes, he was the first of the Mr Men and Little Miss characters we grew up with. He started tickling in 1971, having been created by Roger Hargreaves.

OMG!

I just realised I am older than him! Arrrrggggghhhhhh!!

To celebrate the Mr Men and Little Miss characters turning 40, Universal Pictures have this week re-released 10 of the original DVDs and I was very fortunate to be sent 2 of them to review. I got to enjoy the stories all over again whilst watching them with my kids. AND I have 2 DVDs to giveaway!!!

Our own Little Miss, Megan (she's 3), LOVED watching the Little Miss Shy DVD. She quite often tells me "I am going to be shy today" and that was BEFORE watching this! It was the first thing she asked for the next morning too.....

8 year old Mr Liam is our own Mr Noisy, as he is not usually quiet for very long. Chattering and clattering around the house as he likes to call attention to himself. Sound like any other 8 year old boys? His favourite episodes were "Mr Skinny is up the spout" and "Mr Grumble's holiday".

What do I like about Mr Men and Little Miss?

The fact that they are good, clean stories, often with a moral attached. Like honesty. Or being helpful. The stories are told in a way that enables the kids to understand what it means to be bossy, naughty, shy, clumsy, tidy, brave, a chatterbox.......emotions and traits that exist in reality, not just on the tv screen.

And they kept the kids quiet for 50 minutes each DVD! Even the 2 teenagers were lying on the lounge, snuggled in blankets, watching them.

Now for the Giveaway!

I have 1 x Mr Men DVD for a lucky winner and 1 x Little Miss DVD for another lucky winner! Simply leave a comment on my blog (not my Facebook page) telling me which Mr Men or Little Miss character reminds you of yourself and why. Make sure you indentify yourself so I can contact you if you win (if you don't have a google account your comment will show as anonymous so you need to tell me your name).

Winners will be chosen at random. Competition closes midday Sunday 12 June (NSW, Australia time) and is open to Australian residents only.

Good luck everyone!

Karen xx

Disclosure : I received the above 2 complimentary DVDs to review and write about. I have not been offered, nor received any other payment. The opinions are those of the kids and I.