are you the winner of the bunnings voucher?

Congratulations to commenter #12 melissa! You are the winner of the $150 Bunnings voucher courtesy of Turf Australia!

Am sure it will be put to good use to help get your yard back to how it was before the flood damage. Please let us know how you go with restoring it all. Shoot me through an email with your address and I will have the voucher sent out to you soon.

{image}

first day of preschool

So here she is. My baby girl. Now the big sister. I've dropped her off for her first day at preschool. I'm not much of a teary mama with milestones like these. And actually I still haven't cried, I just feel sadder than I thought I would be today. For so long I've been looking forward to this year when I would have Josh at school, Zoe at preschool and a few days of breathing space with just the baby. But as much as I've been looking forward to it, there is lots of sadness as well. She's not my baby anymore, she's grown up enough to be going to preschool finally - a little bit more independence and a little further out in the world on her own. It always seemed such a long way off but we are here already. I'm sure I will feel the same way about Josh when I drop him off at big school on Wednesday.

Even though I have had days of just being at home along with Ben already thanks to my mum, today feels a bit different. The silence is more obvious somehow, since it's the first time Zoe has been left with anyone but family. She is totally fine. I stayed with her a little to get her bearings and put her bag and lunch away. But she is familiar with the preschool already since her big brother lead the way for her. Finally I said to her 'are you ready for mummy to go now?' and without hesitation she said 'goodbye mum'. I feel sad without my little miss, but I'm sure she's having a great time and I'll be used to it in no time.

Love you baby girl. xx

lazy day

It's just me and the boys hanging out today. Miss Zoe is out with her grandma. Josh is being pretty good today and we are having loads of fun, including trying to FaceTime daddy at work (reception was a bit ordinary). I'm still hanging out in pj's (oops), and the boys, well this is what they have been up to:

Ben has been:

+ drinking milk

+ letting out gas

+ watching Josh and smiling

+ drinking milk

+ having nappy changes

+ sleeping

+ drinking milk.

Josh has been:

+ enjoying some tv time with mum

+ enjoying chocolate frappes made by mum

+ enjoying choc chip cookies made by mum

+ watching Cars 2 on mum's laptop

+ playing lego city in the man cave downstairs built by dad

We're about to have lunch. I'm about to think about getting dressed for the day. We'll have lunch and laze about the rest of the afternoon. Must start thinking about Josh's birthday in a few weeks too. Need to do some research on where I can get Fireman Sam cake decorating goodies. Off a-ebaying I go!

'ave a good one!

Hope you are having a grand day whatever you are doing.

Here, well, daddy is home (hurrah!) and it's pretty cloudy and rainy where we are, so we're just having a lazy day hanging around the house. Daddy is playing Barbie with Zoe, Ben is asleep and Josh is at his grandma's, so mummy is having a little 'me' time for now. Feeling a touch tired as Ben has decided to wake for an extra feed overnight for the last two nights.....*yawn*.

{image}

it's over

Yes. My hairdresser. She is pregnant and leaving very soon. She has been my hairdresser for the last two years, and is the only hairdresser I can remember having who has cut my hair perfectly, and the way I like it. I don't want to go anywhere else. I've never really been a person who has bothered about who my hairdresser is, but since finding her.....well, she is a gem! She even knows the right balance of being chatty and leaving you to read your mag in peace. How do you find the perfect hairdresser again?

I'm going to make sure I book in for a cut before she is off, and then maybe as we chat I will find out her plans. Maybe I can convince her to cut my hair while she is on leave? Do hairdressers sneakily do that, or even want to? Maybe I will just have to grow my hair until she is back? Will she ever come back?

What have you done when your hairdresser has walked out on you?

{image}

you know you are sleep deprived when.....

you nearly pour the coffee over the dummy to rinse it, instead of the boiled water from the kettle.....

{image}

get your grass greener

Lawn. Grass. Turf. This is the most I will probably ever talk about the stuff! It's not really my thing. The garden is my husband's domain. We have plenty of grass, and my husband is obsessed with getting it looking good. We have had a few bad patches here and there and he is always trying to fix the problem spots and loves to talk turf. Turf Australia recently offered to provide us with a lawn consultation and hubby needed no convincing on this one.

Most people don't really pay much attention to their good, old grass. It's under our feet in most of our backyards, covering a massive area, and yet we tend not to give it a second thought or really understand how best to look after it. A lovely man from Millers Turf in Sydney was sent out to us to check out our lawn, tell us how it looked, give us tips on how to best care for it and offer advice on how to fix problems or go about making any changes, as well as answer any questions. We learnt about the different types of turf and the different conditions they are best for. Our backyard is always in part sun and part shade and you could really tell this by how the grass was growing. You can see in the pic below.

Lots of questions were answered and hubby is keen to try the Sir Walter turf (which was the turf most recommended for our yard, and in fact most yards) out in a section of our yard to see how it takes. We may then slowly re-turf our yard with it.

It was certainly worth having Millers Turf come out to our place. Hubby was given a fair bit of reassurance that some of the care strategies he was employing were good, including how he was fertilising and watering the lawn. It was interesting to hear  about the different types of turf and how they respond in different conditions and also how fast they grow which translates to how much mowing it will need!! Very important information for the mowers out there.

If you want to learn more about turf, head over to Turf Australia. There is information there about the different types of turf, care tips and there is a directory of professionals in your local area who can help you out like Millers Turf did for us.

And for mum/toddler/babe readers, Turf Australia are giving you the opportunity to win a $150 Bunnings voucher to put towards looking after your turf. All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me a little about the lawn at your place. Does it get lots of sun? Do you mow it or does hubby? What are the main activities that you do on your lawn? You can tell me anything you like!

Entries will close on Sunday 29 January at 11pm EST. I will announce a winner on Monday 30 January.

things I'm going to do this year

I was hanging out with Zoe and Ben this afternoon, enjoying the last light of the day. I suddenly remembered the days from when we first moved here, when I used to hang with Josh while Zoe slept, and how nice those times were, and I was usually armed with the camera, trying to capture our moments together. There were some great photos from that time. I did this a little less with Zoe, and then came the iPhone. I realised all the photos I have been taking were on my phone. So this afternoon, I grabbed my DSLR camera and made the most of the afternoon light, and took some snaps of my two littlest people, and just enjoyed 'being'. It was lovely.

I really enjoyed today and vowed that I want to get back to time I remembered. Enjoying life a little more. Doing the things I loved: being the moment with my family, not distracted by technology, blogging, taking photos, being inspired by others and that motivating me in my life. I started thinking about what I want to try and accomplish this year. So here's my list of what I'd like to achieve:

+ visit thrift shops
+ frame and hang artwork around our house
+ de-clutter our house
+ make my house more homely creatively
+ enjoy my little family more while I'm not working
+ take more photos with my DSLR and stop relying on Instagram
+ enjoy and spend more time in our backyard
+ lose weight
+ have a family session with tim coulson
+ get organised with structures and routines now I have 3 little people to look after
+ sort out what I want to do career-wise once I finish raising the little people into school and work towards it - I'm close to finalising what that might be!
+ bake a little bit more.

Do you have a list like this? Please share if you do!

a few of my favourite things

Yay, it's the end of the week! I've crossed a lot of my list of things to do this week - book eye doctor for Josh, book dentist appointments for two big kids, immunisations all up to date, full school uniform purchased for Josh, school labels arrived, bills being paid......phew. There is still lots to do but one by one, all is being done.

I'm also loving being on leave from work! It's such a relief not having the burden of it in the back of my mind, and it means I can solely focus on looking after my little family and our household. For the first time in a long time I have had time to sit down and read a book. Such a luxury for me! It also means I have had time to do one of my old favourite things to do - browse through Etsy and book mark all my favourite things. So I thought on Fridays I would start doing a post of a few of my favourites from Etsy. Here is my first lot for you to enjoy!

Season's delights I, II and III -limited edition print @ tsktsk

Childrens Art Print Poster, 11x14 Print, Here Comes The Sun @ pumpkinandbutterfly

be awesome today - cross stitch embroidery wall hanging gift @ RugglesMade

The Change - Large abstract art print - 19x36 - Open Edition @ AeropagitaPrints

Red LOVE Pillow @ HoneyPieDesign

There you have it! I might have to start saving for a few of those. Do you have some favourites bookmarked too? If you have a favourites blog post you'd like to share, please comment with your link below, I'd love to see! (Is it worth making the favourite things thing a linky type thing each week?Wow, that was a tongue twister!)

PS. I've just started a Facebook page. Please follow along if you would like. I promise it won't be boring.......much! And there's no danger of me posting too much either and clogging up your feed! Master Ben, 10 weeks, will be sure of that!

PPS. Just a heads up there will be a fab giveaway next that you won't want to miss!! Make sure you come by again.

wordless wednesday*

I loved catching this moment the other evening. Josh playing the Wii by himself, or so I thought. Blue Ted kept him company for a while.

Getting in early for Wordless Wednesday over here.

*or with a few words as the case may be

movie time

Thankfully the school holidays are coming to an end, as I'm slowly running out of ways to  entertain the kids. Thankfully, last week, Sony invited the kids and I to a private screening of the movie Zookeeper to celebrate its launch on DVD and Bluray. It was the first major outing I have tried to do since Ben was born. It takes a long time to get everyone ready in the mornings, but we did it and it was worth it! The kids had a great time before the movie doing some colouring in activities and getting their faces painted, as well as overdosing on lollies and other party food. We also had the pleasure of catching up with the ladies behind Woogsworld, Good Googs, Tina Gray {dot} me, and My Little Drummer Boys.

Then it was movie time! The movie is basically about the love life of zoo caretaker Griffin who is trying to snag the girl of his dreams. When he threatens to leave the zoo and get a different job to win her over, the zoo animals help him out with some animal style courtship tips. The movie has a PG rating and overall was ok visually for my kids to watch, but the story line and concepts I think are more aimed at older children and young adults rather than young children. Josh enjoyed it more than Zoe, who has the attention span of a gnat, so we didn't last the whole movie and had to head home early where I then got to watch the rest of it on DVD.

Here's Zoe with her painted face - butterflies, hearts and flowers of course!

And here's Josh, with his face painted with a green giraffe!

It's an entertaining and funny movie, worth a watch these school holidays if you get the chance! The DVD and Blu-ray both have extra special features as well, including some blooper reels. Who doesn't love a blooper reel? I love watching those!

putting some loving in the kitchen

These loooooovely little red love heart Salvation Jane tea towels will be making their way to my kitchen very soon. Just in time for Valentines Day perhaps? Speaking of which, does Valentines Day rate as much of a day in your world? I've always found it a bit 'meh'. Never been interested in it. Just think it's one of those days that is designed to put the pressure on and make you feel like you are missing something, when there really is nothing to be missed at all....did that even make sense?

Anyway, since 2007, I've been even less interested in Valentines Day, because my first born was born the day before, on the 13 February. So now all my focus goes to my boy at that time of the year, the best possible Valentines Day gift there could ever be really!

What do you think about Valentines Day?

{image}

weekend time is family time

Grandpa came over on the weekend and the kids jumped all around him while he was cuddling little Ben. It quickly turned into photo time! I so love this. We didn't even need to set it up. It was a moment that created itself and hubby and I just jumped in quick to take a snap. Ben is one very loved little 8 week old that's for sure.

point + shoot

meal planning monday

So in an effort to get healthier, and finally shift some of this baby weight for good now that our family is complete, I've decided to try and meal plan a little, because if I don't organise what I'm going to eat in advance and have the food already in the fridge and pantry, I will be more likely to eat rubbish! I'm also breastfeeding at the moment, so really want to make the most of that situation too. After I had Zoe, I did Weight Watchers for a little while, and I found it so much easier to lose weight while I was breastfeeding than normal. '

I'm planning on using some of the scrummy meals I learned during Michelle Bridges' 12 week body transformation program that I did some time ago. I had lots of success with that program at the time and found it the best 'diet' I had tried. It really teaches you how to be healthy, mind, body and soul. All the meals are pretty easy to cook or prepare and I can easily adjust the calorie intake to more in snacks or meals as needed (for breastfeeding situation). The other great thing is that there is a treat meal each week, so I don't feel like I have to miss out on my favourite foods permanently. If there is something I'm desparate to eat, I still can, I just have to plan for it within my calorie allowance for the week. Best of all, it's the sort of food that the family can eat with me too.

So I'm armed with my new kikki-k meal planning notepad, plus receipes and meals from the 12WBT and I'm going to create my first week....with me luck.

Do you meal plan? Is it easy to stick to? Does it help with the shopping and keeping to a budget?

{image}

fashion sos

Ok fashionistas! I need your help. In a few weeks time, I'm going to be one of those school mums who race around morning and afternoon dropping off and picking up kids. Now thing is, every morning I will have a newborn plus two little peeps to help get ready, leaving me probably about a fraction of a second to get myself ready for the school run. Now while it would be lovely to do the school run in my pj's and bed hair, I'm not sure my kids would appreciate it too much, and I probably wouldn't be giving Josh much of a flying start in making new friends at big school. Plus, we can't all be as naturally stylish as Zoe (see above).

So I need some fashion help from the school drop off fashion experts out there. What do school mums wear? Normally this wouldn't be such a big deal for me either, only I'm yet to shift this baby weight too, so I'm not at the point of feeling confident with just throwing something on and walking out the door. Getting dressed in the mornings is rather stressful, as I don't fit into much and I'm desparately trying to hide everything around my middle.....

So, how can I look half good when I only have half a second to get ready every day? I need some trusty outfits that look good without the effort (and without the smell and sight of possited milk on my shoulder). I'm thinking jeans/tops etc might be a good option? What do you wear everyday? Any tips you can share with me?

a happy childhood is a uno-filled childhood

We introduced Josh to a childhood classic game last weekend - UNO. And he LOVED it. So awesome seeing your little person learning to enjoy things that you loved as a child, especially the bit where he got a thrill out of making his dad skip a turn or pick up 4 cards!

The day of school starting for Josh is getting closer and closer now. Still not sure how I feel about it. I think more than anything, I'm excited for him, and interested to see how he adjusts to it all. Zoe will be starting at preschool too, and I'm totally not worried about her at all. She can't wait to go and I'm not expecting any tears from her the first morning I drop her off. I think she'll be shooing me away at the door I'm afraid....

that christmas present just paid for itself!

Zoe shows great interest in copying me with cleaning duties around the house. You should have seen the clothes line this morning. I had to attend to Mr 4.5 in the midst of hanging clothes this morning and I came back to more clothes hanging (albeit very wonkily!)  on the line. Impressive!!

So we bought Zo Zo, the ambitious 3 year old, a mini cleaning set for Christmas - mop, broom and dustpan and brush. Here is the girl herself putting the set to good use cleaning the crumbs up from breakfast. Now I could get used to this.....

hello, goodbye

Memories last forever, never do they die,

Friends stick together and never really say Goodbye
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

{sunday citar}{image}

peonies

Peonies. My most favourite flower ever. These sat atop our tv unit for about a week.

And since they are only available for a short window each year, here they are for me to enjoy just that little bit longer.

week 1 - #janphotoaday challenge roundup

Have you been doing the fat mum slim January photo a day challenge? I have. It's not too late to join in if you are inspired!

Here are the photos from my first week.

Day 1 | You | Photo taken by Josh, 4 years old

Day 2 | Breakfast | Coffee and a sick daughter's abandoned toast

Day 3 | Something I adore | The view and peacefulness of our backyard

Day 4 | Letterbox

Day 5 | Something I wore | new Country Road thongs arrived

Day 6 | makes you smile | the squeals from the back seat of the car when we drive up our street and see this purple hot rod

Day 7 | favourite | coffee & chocolate

that four letter word ..... LEGO

I'm not sure how or when it started but Josh some time this year became OBSESSED with Lego. So obssessed that he got wind of the Lego website from his dad and would wake every morning and look at all the different sets you could get, watch the little video ad for them (which he memorised, I love hearing him muttering "each set sold separately"!) and made a list of all the ones he wanted. It finally got narrowed down to a few that we said some he could save pocket money for, and others he could get as Christmas presents. His favourite Lego was mostly Lego City police sets, but he has now branched out to Ninjago and Hero Factory Lego too. For Christmas he was lucky enough to get the Lego City Police Station (I got the last one on sale at Target!) and the Lego City Police Boat. These were added to his growing collection of the rest of the Lego City Police vehicles and figures. I think we worked out today that he now has all the sets in that Police category! Outrageous....

So now we have the problem of storage. Our house is not huge. We don't have a separate play area, nor are the kids bedrooms very big. At the moment Lego lives in just about every nook and cranny around here. On the top bunk in Josh's room, in several containers, lounge room coffee table. I set up a little table and chairs in his room to house the police station (see above) so it would be a good place to play with it too. Inevitably though, the sets get broken up and we end up with bits of the stuff everywhere. My latest threat is that if there is any on the floor that doesn't get picked up, it's getting sucked up by the vacuum cleaner (which lucky for him is not happening too often at the moment with my time taken up with a newborn!). I don't know where to start with organising how to store the stuff. When I was little, it all just went in the one big tub. But I didn't have a lot of 'sets', mainly just bricks and my imagination. Josh has lots of sets. We keep the instructions, so do I store each set in a ziploc bag with its instructions? Or do we just throw it all in one big tub and refer to the instructions when we want to rebuild? Or do we organise and store pieces by size and colour? What do you do with your Lego (besides moan and curse when you step on the damn pieces on the floor!)? I need some help with this from all the Lego experts out there!