Eloise is (almost) five.. in Pictures....

Birthday party day - woke up to find her cake - I iced it last night - oh how I love orchard icing! She was as expected - thrilled!The party table - with barbie rice bubble treats and barbie hats! It's alllll about Barbie you know...LollyGobbleBlissBombs Little miss Eva - Cute as a button as always Pass the parcel Nanny and Eva Ze cake...

Don't say I didn't warn you..

This post could result in increased visits to the dentist.It could put you in the kitchen far more often than you like.It could kill your diet.Don't say I didn't warn you.Yesterday in preparation for Eloise's birthday party today (more on that later when I recover!) we made (well me with help of hubby) Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs. Oh...my.......

A Month In Review: May 2009

What we did:We started being an at-home family again - Mummy not working, kids not going to kindyNanny started coming to visit us again every Tuesday (we love that!)We started going to the libraryWe started back at playgroupWe had a birthday party for EloiseMilestones:Olivia wrote her name for the first time with just mummy calling out the...

Cheaty Salmon and Broccoli Quiche

Every now and then I cheat. I love cooking things from scratch - there's a certain satisfaction to have success with something where you started with the most basic of ingredients. This is not one of those recipes, but it's yummy, easy and also a crowd pleaser. Serves 8 Ingredients: 2 sheets frozen shortcrust pastry 8 eggs 100ml cream 100...

Never say never

Isn't it funny how non-parents or better still impending parents have such idealised views on parenthood? The reality of the 25-hours-a-day-of-parenthood hasn't set upon them yet. It's like those people who squeal with delight when they see newborn twins 'Oh wouldn't having twins be sooo cute!'. 'Umm no, I haven't slept in three days and...

Going on a blog hunt...#2

I'm addicted to bloghunting now!Some parenting ones:Finslippy - hilarious account of motherhood - http://www.finslippy.com/Miscellaneous Adventures of an Aussie Mum - http://www.miscmum.com/BlogThis! A new Australian Network of bloggers - a great place to find a new blog to read... plus if you're an Aussie blogger join in the weekly challenges...

FrillyFrugalFriday: This is harder than I thought..

Maybe because I'm not menu planning?Maybe because I'm factoring in a birthday party?I'm still being frugal but my estimation of what we spend is wayyy off.How I've been frugal this week:1. Made birthday cake instead of buying one2. Made mini-pizzas instead of buying them - even made the crusts...3. Have continued to not use the dryer! (It's...

No sweeter sound

Than your child singing a song when they think you can't hear and they get all the words wrong but don't care and just keep going, enjoying themselves singing..Or when they make it up to suit what they are doing.. we used to call it 'Eloise.. the Musical' but now Laura has dibs on it being re-named.'Red and yellow and pink and green... the...

FrillyFrivolousFriday: When you can't eat the real thing..smell like it?

OK, this might be a good thing for the dieters out there? Or not?Fragrances that smell like Jolly Rancher, Hersheys, JellyBelly jelly beans? Now if you're after a cheap holiday, you can just smell like New Zealand perhaps?My personal favourite:And lastly, a little bemused by this one:You can buy them all from Demeter Fragrance LibraryGot...

I should have known.

I was too organised.I had meals in the freezerThe birthday cake is made (not iced)I obviously can't just have a tolerable-not-crazy week in the lead up to the birthday party.I have to get SICK.I have a throbbing head and the shivers.Kids thankfully are being moderately well behaved... Early to sleep tonight and hope for the best tomorrow......

RealityBites: Feeling hot, hot, hooootttt

ANTM took a trip to the outback and these girls really seem to be getting it under the mentorship of Sarah - Adele and Claire were standouts. Love Lola. Bloody Cassie. Annoys me no end, don't see what's so beautiful about her? What have I missed? Bye bye Madison - sweet girl but understand the decision.Masterchef - bit bummed Sam didn't get...

Do you or would you cut your childs' hair?

I did Eloise's not so long ago because it badly needed it and I couldn't see at the time when I would next get to the hairdresser. Luckily for me, her hair is curly and can hide a major disaster but when it comes to my little girls I'm not brimming with confidence at all. Olivia has wispy hair and probably does need a trim, Laura's is fine...

Evolution...

When I was a kid I wanted to be a Mum. I wanted to make my own rules, go to bed when I wanted and be the boss. I changed that to be a school teacher, at one stage I was thinking of joining the airforce to work in linguistics and then just wanted to be a linguist.I ended up through evolving from one job/company to the next, following my interests...

Inspired by chocolate

I have a rogue jar of glucose syrup in my cupboard. I know I bought this for a purpose, but now for the life of me I can't remember what!?Fudge ?Marshmallows?I'm really stumped. I found a recipe for home-made lollipops and I thought I'd love to give that a go one day but wasn't sure how much lollipop sticks were and where to get them, so...

Guys, just quickly.....

Head over to the Ginger won't Snap blog this week - she's hosting the Make it from Scratch Carnival with some of this weeks' submissions:For the cookersYoghurt from scratchBeer bread (if you can bear to sacrifice a bottle!)Heavenly Angel Food Cake5 minute mug brownies (substitute the shortening for vegetable oil)Perfect Pizza DoughRhubarb...

Coming to the bookshelf 'The Perfect Baby Handbook'

I saw the synopsis and immediately identified.... I think we've all met parents like this or this for me, is an amalgamation of extreme parents I have met and the prime reason I didn't gel with the first mothers group I went to:"New parents are hipper, more educated, and more sophisticated than ever, but they're also highly competitive--a...

Tuesday: What will they think of next #7

I suppose with all this rain it's little wonder I stumbled upon this and thought 'oh I know a few people who would love to freak out people with this!'The Samurai Umbrella.Pull it out of it's cover and people will start ducking with fright that you're about to chop their heads off!Available from Think Geek (yes they have HEAPS of great stuff...

Food for thought..

I don't really have fussy eaters. I thank goodness for that and I'm not sure if it's because of some genetics or maybe because I expose the girls to a lot of different food - always have. We seldom eat the same thing 2 weeks in a row. My Mum bought me an apron which pretty much sums it up too 'there's are two choices for dinner; take it or...

The invitation...to questions

More on the birthday - this is the invitation I made for Eloise's birthday. By the weeks' end I'm going to be saying 'My FIVE year old daughter...'Scary stuff. I think when it's your eldest each year feels like a major milestone.. because it brings a new frontier of developmental stages and especially where Eloise is concerned...QUESTIONS....

The art of a good meatloaf.

It's so 70's isn't it? But I've had some great and not so great ones in my time and experimented quite a bit - so I would call myself somewhat educated on the preparation and taste of a good meatloaf. Our last week of autumn is here and with that I cannot deny winter will soon be here and comfort food is order of the day(s). I like to make...