Four Bakers

my sweet valentine

2012-02-14T15:50:00.000+11:00

The romance is still alive even after 9 years and 2 kids

sweet sampling, contact and no TV

2012-02-11T20:11:00.000+11:00

I spent the afternoon putting together thank you gifts for Sarah's party next weekend

Jon was wrestling contact onto a number of books and had to sample many of the sweets I was putting in jars to keep from hurling the contact and books across the house. He was miffed when after an hour of covering my only comment was that the heart paper on the homework book was upside down.

Our house is very quiet as tv, i=pads, i-pods and DSi's have been banned until a particular 7 year old resumes acting closer to her age. It is so trying for us all particularly in this weather but we are sticking to the ban and hoping our lovely girl emerges some time soon from the 'phase' she is in.

sick

2012-02-08T21:47:00.000+11:00

Sarah is our kid that throws up. She does it frequently and neatly. She even holds her own hair back when sick to minimise mess.

I never truly appreciated her gift for neatness until tonight when Ally got a touch of the gastro that seems to be going through the house. The nicest thing I can say about her episode is that at least she got out of bed.

She is now in a warm fragrant bath and I have just spent 30 minutes cleaning sick off floors, walls, carpets, hands, feet and hair. One bathmat involved in this incident I have thrown out as it can not be recovered.

Jon is of course out to dinner sipping flash wine and has missed the entire event.

settling in

2012-02-07T07:39:00.000+11:00

We are slowly settling in to the routine of having two little girls at school and remembering readers and homework and reading eggs

Sarah has already had a day off thanks to a lovely gastro bug and is so excited to be going back to school today. Fingers crossed this enthusiasm lasts.

day 1 round up

2012-02-01T19:17:00.000+11:00

She got the teacher she was hoping for (has been listening to her big sister)

Just played but might do work next week (??)

And apparently the teacher told the class they are the best kindergarten ever which she is thrilled with

Sadly, she does not seem all that tired

Happily she can not wait to go back tomorrow

first day of school

2012-02-01T07:49:00.000+11:00

Such a grown up girl all of a sudden...

The uniform off for breakfast and good luck phone calls

The complete look

She is so excited and looking forward to the best day

first day of year 2

2012-01-31T07:42:00.000+11:00

back to school

2012-01-28T11:47:00.000+11:00

The things I can control are ready...

bags are packed, everything is labelled, the freezer is stocked with lunch box treats.

Now there is just the small matter of retraining the feral kids.

australia day cupcakes

2012-01-26T21:47:00.000+11:00

We enjoyed a lengthy Australia Day BBQ with friends (just got home from lunch at 9.30pm).

Apart from wine we baked cupcakes to take along with us and tried to make them look a little more patriotic with red and blue icing. Later we stuck flags in them to add to the elegant look.

And my favourite cupcakes from the day.....

lunch box treats

2012-01-24T20:18:00.000+11:00

Sarah starts school next week and just like when her sister started two years ago I want to fill her lunch box with interesting and healthy snacks (well for the first week at least)

Last night our millions of peaches were turned into peach muffins and our soft bananas became choc chip banana bread.

Tonights recipe was cheesy scones which once cold I will slice and freeze ready for them to be stuffed with ham and sent off as a sandwich alternative

Tomorrow night is chicken balls and corn flake cookies.

Probably everything except the cornflake cookies will come home uneaten which is why in term 2 I will likely revert back to the sandwich, fruit, yoghurt and cracker lunch.

The girls are so excited to be going back to school and we are trying to wrestle them back into a routine and a decent bed time so they can hide their feral ways that have emerged over the summer.

We will need lots of luck since they start in less than a week.

millions of peaches

2012-01-21T19:48:00.001+11:00

and pears and apples

We have just arrived home from a day in the mountains picking fruit and we are loaded with peaches, apples and pears.

I can see fruit muffins, fruit crumbles, fruit pies and jam in our future.

The orchard we went to was so lovely and they even provided the very sweet baskets that took our fruit picking look to the next level.

I think we will be out of fruit by mid February and will return to the same farm, this time making a weekend of it.

And our final stop, the three sisters (which in this photo are blocked by the two sisters)

Edited to add: For those wondering the orchard we picked fruit at wasPinecrest at Bilpin

customer service

2012-01-20T21:25:00.000+11:00

We had a delay tonight between buying some drinks and being able to drink them. The guys at the bottle shop were so generous with their solution...

drinks nursed in ice, triple bagged in ice and placed in a box so they remained chilled between the dance concert and dinner - outstanding.

is there a mouse in the house?

2012-01-19T07:48:00.001+11:00

I zone our alarm to 'arm' the down stairs area at night. It makes me feel safe.

Twice in the last week it has gone off in the middle of the night. Terrifying.

Only something moving can set it off and now I am worried we have a mouse or similar bigger animal.

Tonight I can spend hours wondering what to do next since I really have no interest in catching or seeing the mouse (and think about how mundane our life is that I think this issue is even worthy of comment).

makeup head

2012-01-16T07:37:00.000+11:00

Why is it the most popular birthday presents are usually the most creepy?

After frantic present opening just before 7 she is happily amused applying make up to a plastic head

Those big eyes with giant lashes are quite disturbing. We will have to hide this little lady at night because I think she will give us quite a shock if we stumble upon her unexpectedly.

birthday baking

2012-01-15T20:20:00.000+11:00

Tomorrow marks the highlight of the festival of Sarah - her actual birthday. She has been stalking her wrapped presents all day and requested cinnamon rolls for morning tea with yet more friends.

I used the recipe from The Pioneer Woman's cookbook. I halved the recipe and still got a tray of 15 for morning tea tomorrow, a tray of six for my sister and that left enough dough for two more

Two rolls next to each other in isolation are never going to photograph well but a single roll on a plate looks tempting...

The girls had these as a late snack and have just been tucked into bed on another sugar high.

first birthday cake of the festival

2012-01-14T20:05:00.001+11:00

Sarah's cousins and some friends came for afternoon tea and cake today.

We had a table with her favourite things

and the requested '5' balloon

She is loving her birthday festival

The jam doughnut tower was the surprise of the day for Sarah who is very partial to the things.

There will be no surprise if I wake up to sick girls during the night. We seem to be missing all but part of the bottom layer of the tower.

Hopefully there is enough sugar detox time before Disney Live tomorrow when it all starts again.

birthday festival

2012-01-14T10:31:00.000+11:00

The festival of Sarah started yesterday with the delivery of her present. Because she is very spoilt and it was too large to hide she got it on delivery.

There are track marks in our back yard and occasional screams but this present is a huge hit

This afternoon we are having cake with the cousins then the Disney show on Sunday then cake again on Monday (her actual birthday). 5 is a big deal for this kid.

One small problem with the present - it is so large we actually have no where to store it. In the picture it looked smaller.

2012 and what we are working on

2012-01-11T20:27:00.001+11:00

Our family can work on about one 'personal growth' thing a year. Any more and it fizzles to nothing.

This year the four of us have agreed that we will try and step out of our comfort zone more and remind ourselves...

source

I want to get a poster made similar to this one for our home that reads 'we do hard things' because some smart almost 5 year old commented that we can do hard things but don't have to if we are really scared.

The biggest thing for the girls is doing things that scare them and for us it is letting them take risks. Knocking your baby out twice in as many weeks leaves a permanent terror of concussions and 6 years of hovering yelling things like 'be careful' 'not so high' 'not so deep' will be difficult to undo. At least we will be doing hard things together!

almost 5

2012-01-10T19:23:00.000+11:00

I can not believe that Sarah is almost 5. It was just a second ago that she was our baby

in a flash she has grown up and her baby face is fading away

She loves gymnastics more than anything

and is counting the days until her birthday on Monday

She has some outstanding presents to look froward to (thanks Aunty Lucy) and told me today she thinks 5 is the best number out of all of them.

harbour walks

2012-01-08T19:36:00.001+11:00

We were kid free for a few hours today and decided to walk along the harbour foreshore from the Zoo to Balmoral. We needed some peace and tranquility after enduring 'Alvin and the Chipmunks 3' on Saturday.

The walk was great. Lovely views, restful stops at the many cafes along our route and no children commenting at the length of the walk or demanding attention.

Our last stop was a harbour side cafe near the zoo with amazing views, Atholl Hall Cafe. The staff were so friendly, we had a very tasty lime and coconut cake and no one hassled us to move on from the table when we were finished eating so we stayed and read the papers without interruption.

At the end of our walk and cake eating.....

It would have been better to capture us at the start of the day when our hair was lovely and we had not been walking in the heat for 3 hours, such red skin. Reminds me of why I avoid having my photo taken

labelling day

2012-01-06T14:13:00.000+11:00

The drizzle has interrupted my summer reading by the pool.

Today has been devoted to labelling. So so grim.

That is just some off the stuff that had be be labelled. Why do they use so much glue at school. 10 tubes for the year???

I have spend the morning sticking and ironing and sorting and I think I am done. Label highlight of the year (if this is possible) are the pencil stickers I ordered for Ally. The genius who makes these made them in black and white so the name even shows up on the dark pencils.

It is amazing that people think of this level of label detail.

The rest of January can be devoted to trying to teach Sarah to tie her laces.

on the deck chair, by the pool, with the kindle

2012-01-04T18:33:00.000+11:00

Nothing much to report here.

I occasionally drag myself to work but when this is not the case, I am...

on the deck, by the pool, with the kindle

Lucky the kids are happy to swim all day.

welcome 2012

2012-01-02T17:48:00.000+11:00

We welcomed 2012 with a quiet dinner with our neighbours

I have no resolutions or expectations for the year ahead but will just sit back and see how it all pans out.

Very un-me but I am feeling a relaxed approach is needed.

giant lungs

2011-12-30T18:01:00.000+11:00

We suspect Sarah has big lungs. She can bellow like a grown up.

Today our neighbour suggested all the kids try and swim the length of of 13.5 meter pool without a breath.

Ally and Julian tried first and got about half way down the pool.

Sarah went last and after a couple of tries got the entire way

She is so proud but so tired

When you are about to turn 5 there is nothing better than being able to do something that a 7 year old and 9 year old can't! They are still all swimming and I can hear her giving tips to the others. nice.

1981 or 2011

2011-12-28T16:06:00.000+11:00

We have had a very lazy day at home and were still in PJ's at 11.

I feel like I am in a bit of a time warp as so far we have played Mousetrap, totem tennis and cooled off with Sunny Boys.

Amazingly all are the same as they were in 1981.

I was worried about the totem tennis as modern versions have let us down. Jon's brother gave the girls an 'Australian Open' version for Christmas and it is exactly the same as the one I had 30 years ago.

I also paid the kids to weed the garden (still in progress) but they did cut some flowers for our hall table

Which after my initial shock I decided were a welcome surprise. This is the first year our Agapanthus have bloomed so I am slightly precious about them.

And the staying home was worth it when our final Christmas present was delivered

Now we are hoping Summer decides to stay so we can enjoy our lovely new decking and chair.

a melbourne christmas

2011-12-27T14:54:00.000+11:00

This year we shared Christmas with Jon's side of the family, which meant a trip to Melbourne and Santa visiting the hotel rather than home (severe stress for Sarah)

We did all our Christmas Eve traditions

Opening one present before bed. This would usually be PJ's but one pair was lost off the luggage trolly so instead this year it was toys

Then Jon read 'The Night Before Christmas' and the girls watched Carols By Candle Light until they finally fell asleep

The hits for this year were Pillow Pets (same as every other house with kids), cameras and a DS for Sarah.

When she pulled it our of her sack...

When we got home Santa had also left some gifts under the tree and now we have two girls floating about in new boats

The ladies declared it the best Christmas ever

Mail from Santa

2011-12-20T07:22:00.000+11:00

There was a clatter in our lounge room last night and this morning Ally found something in the fire place

Santa had sent the girls some mail

Such excitement. A note, a santa scratchie, bells from the sleigh and some santa soap. The girls will surely be nice for the rest of the week. They know Santa is watching.

letters to santa

2011-12-19T15:27:00.000+11:00

Letters disappeared up the chimney last night

Clearly Sarah is a second child needing 'her own big box of lego'

Ally has a more extensive list but at least remembers to wish Santa a Merry Christmas.

It is quite late in the game to be sending off these requests, fingers crossed the letters get there in time.

2011 christmas lights drive

2011-12-18T09:02:00.001+11:00

After a day at the Wiggles, Brick Art and Luna Park Jon was thrilled to finish things off with our Christmas lights drive.

A friend put us on the 10 Cambage Court, Davidson which was bigger than any display we had ever seen. You could even go into the back yard and there was an entire Christmas Village

Then we went off to our usual haunts...

It was a tiring (but fun) day and by the time we got home the bonus for us was the back seat looked like this

And in a Christmas miracle there was a case of wine waiting for us on the door step. With the kids in bed we cracked open a bottle and watched the rest of Carols in the Domain.

sprung

2011-12-16T20:04:00.000+11:00

eating sherbet in the garden

When the house is quiet and Sarah is out of sight we should be worried. She thinks she is all over us and can fool anyone.

She has no idea I use to be a sneaky four year old too.

gingerbread scene

2011-12-13T20:43:00.000+11:00

I thought it might be nice to create a gingerbread village as a centrepiece for Christmas lunch.

This is harder than it sounds and after a battle with a gingerbread train we ended up with a Christmas 'scene'. It will have to do. Anyone who is after gingerbread house kits let me know as I have the rest of the 'village' which I will now not be using.

In my enthusiasm I also got a giant cracker for the girls to share. The cracking of the giant cracker led to a giant fight...

They are supposed to be smiling and celebrating their giant cracker in their festive play clothes. Instead their creepy masks are hiding scowling faces and they refuse to look at each other or the camera.

On a more happy note tonights ham and turkey were the best yet.

the real deal

2011-12-09T21:13:00.000+11:00

My sister told me to head to the QVB for a premium Santa experience.

Wait times are long, up to three hours and there is a buzzer system in place so you can collect a buzzer and come back three hours later when they buzz you.

We arrived at 5.45pm tonight, with Santa due to head home at 6.00 and there was no line. I thought he might be tired and over it, he was not. He talked to the girls for ages, knew their names and even had gold buttons and real fur trim on his suit. Ally advised that meeting the 'real' Santa was a highlight of her life!

The annual family Santa photo.......

This was our best ever Santa visit by far and even Jon had a great night. We finished things off by watching the Lights of Christmas which was also outstanding. It was declared the best city Christmas visit ever in the car on the way home.

oh christmas tree

2011-12-08T20:04:00.000+11:00

Sarah is spending a great deal of time looking at our tree.

At breakfast....

After dinner

work in progress

2011-12-07T20:55:00.000+11:00

Our tree is here. It is short and fat and we love it.

This is lights only. Decorations to follow tomorrow.

christmas lego

2011-12-05T07:46:00.000+11:00

We are all about Christmas now that December is here.

Carols are playing in the car and on the weekend Ally and Jon finished this little village

It also lights up and has things going on inside the house.

The box suggested ages 12 plus, clearly I thought my gifted child at 7 would be able to complete the task. Turns out I can't complete lego with an age guide of 12 plus. Lucky Jon was here.

summer fires

2011-12-04T18:29:00.000+11:00

Not bush fires from the national parks surrounding our suburb but the open variety in our fire place

The car showing 16 degrees as the temperature was our cue to light the fire. It is quite something to have it lit with our Christmas stockings and decorations in place.

My Christmas would be complete if it was cold until Wednesday so I could light it again when the tree arrives.

blueberry breakfast scones

2011-12-04T12:29:00.000+11:00

We think there is nothing better than fresh scones and today I tried a new recipe

it was so easy and tasty and we ate them warm straight from the oven. I think I will make them next with frozen cherries.

dural christmas tree farm

2011-12-03T14:17:00.000+11:00

Today we headed out early to the Christmas Tree farm.

Some people in our family were slightly excited about this visit

I am not quite sure why they dressed like they were going to a nightclub for a morning at a christmas tree farm. I only noticed the outfits now, in the photos.

There was a baby deer to see

her parents to feed

and a quick chat with Santa

Finally Jon took advantage of his christmas club membership and got a deal on some lights

Our tree is arriving on Wednesday and on Friday we will visit Santa again now lists are sorted.

morning tea treats

2011-12-01T07:26:00.000+11:00

We are all over it and just getting through each day, roll on the school holidays.

If we are at our limit I can only imagine how the teachers must feel.

Luckily baked treats almost always make things better so today Ally is sending in morning tea boxes for her teachers

The boxes are the perfect size and I love the ribbon. Both are from the lovely Leanne at Sweet Style.

Luckily she lives just down the road from me so I have beautiful party stuff available just a moment away. Obviously Jon is not feeling that this is 'lucky' but is enjoying the treats so win win I think.

where are the raspberries?????

2011-11-30T20:00:00.001+11:00

I am looking for these.....

I have been to at least 16 shops. I don't want the second rate home brand type, I want the really tasty Allen's ones for Corrie's white chocolate rocky road.

Possibly a call to Allen's is in order but with the end of the school year next week I am short on shipping time.

Luckily there have been no supply issues for the ingredients of rum balls.

disco party

2011-11-30T07:37:00.000+11:00

A new black dress with ruffles was purchased (suitable for being out at night) and she was ready to party

I'm not sure how many kids we ended up with but there were many

They were wild on the dance floor and tops were ripped off in a frenzy of excitement.

The birthday girls had a fab night

Now on to Christmas baking.....

the cake

2011-11-26T12:56:00.000+11:00

Is spectacular and needs it's own post

One of the benefits of having a joint party is that the cake has to be huge to feed all the guests.

precious seven year old

2011-11-25T20:04:00.000+11:00

Ally had a great birthday.

She was so excited in the morning and was happy to take cup cakes to school.

Of course I planned thoughtful yet exciting gifts but Jon stole the show bringing home a giant bear from Coles Express. She loved it.

We had cake with seven candles

and tomorrow is her disco party, at night!

I think her invites are my favourite of all her parties so far and the lollypops match perfectly.

Tonight we will be making up 60 treat bags. I see large numbers of jelly beans and glasses of wine being consumed.

Nearly 7

2011-11-20T11:14:00.000+11:00

We have a few things going on around here at the moment that are proving to be quite a distraction.

Last night I realised I had forgotten Ally turns 7 on Wednesday. Luckily I have her presents all purchased and now wrapped as we have another big week ahead of us.

She is so grown up these days, I was reminded just how much yesterday when I found her sitting in the trunk of our tree reading.

the brady bunch (or baker bunch)

2011-11-13T18:47:00.000+11:00

Well we have two kids rather than 6, no live in house keeper and I am not as pleasant as Carol but we do have one thing in common....

Astro turf.

A difficult corner of the garden that I wanted to be green. Grass simply would not grow and we were introduced to fake grass. It is oddly soothing.

We are very happy with our new 'grass' area. By christmas I want a moment where the girls stand on it and say 'Marsha, Marsha, Marsha'

santa photo 2011 (not a joke)

2011-11-06T08:45:00.000+11:00

Yesterday we went into the city for the David Jones Christmas concert. Hmm.

Clearly the sunburn (me), no sunglasses (all of us), no cool water while sitting in the sun and no blanket to sit on were my fault. Families around us put us to shame with hats the size of small tents, coolers full of ice and water plus lovely picnic blankets.

While we sweltered in the sun developing glare headaches we 'enjoyed' the concert.

The Smurfs were a hit

but the frequent technical glitches were slightly frustrating. When Santa arrived the kid's couldn't see him through the TV cameras who clearly needed their shot.

At this stage we left and went up to look at toys. Good decision. There we no lines for the face paining and short ones for Santa.

In the line I selected the cheapest photo package as we will go back for the main photos with Jon. Now I wish I had got more as this one could be our best ever.

We are off to buy lights at the Christmas Warehouse today then we have a family ban on Christmas still until December 1.

cup day winners

2011-11-01T20:06:00.001+11:00

We had luck again this year picking the first three horses between bets and office sweeps. So off to the shops we went.

Games, books, a Christmas Carol CD and shoes were purchased. I am in love with these...

Sarah loves shoes and may have more pairs than me. She may be a touch vain.

At the moment she is up stairs washing her hair ready to be photographed in her kindy uniform for school next year. She was recently dumped for her best friend and thinks if she looks her best tomorrow she will win back the object of her affection who is also involved in the photo shoot.

The complexities of love at 4!

kids crazy island tea party

2011-10-23T19:25:00.000+11:00

At the moment in this house when someone gets better, someone else gets sick.

This week it has been me and today is my first day out of bed. The kids have survived on take away and odd lunches all week and this week will be only slightly better as I still feel like I have been hit by a truck.

An outing was a welcome change from TV for them today and Jon took the girls to the kids crazy island tea party. It is a free event part of the Crave Festival and they had a great time decorating cup cakes, going on treasure hunts, eating sno cones and fairy floss as well as planting seeds, face painting...I could go on and on.

Since I have about enough energy to walk to our front gate I sent to camera along with Jon so I could share in the day. He took 8 photos so I got just a glimpse of what they got up to.

The came home happy and filthy though so I know they had a great day.

finally spring

2011-10-15T18:13:00.000+11:00

We have been waiting for weeks and finally Spring might have arrived at our house.

The kids have been playing outside all day switching between the cubby and bikes. Sarah mastered the monkey bars and at present our front yard is a jumble of discarded equipment.

I have high hopes that all this sun and outdoor activity will mean tired kids and a sleep in tomorrow.

best ever taco

2011-10-08T14:30:00.001+11:00

our nations capital

2011-10-04T22:33:00.000+11:00

After a week I would rather forget we were very pleased to head off to Canberra for the long weekend.

Not many people understand my love for Canberra but it is a great place for kids activities and we left feeling like we had not done everything we wanted to.

Our first stop was Questacon. The highlights for us were the Mini Q (for the under 6's) Ally was too cool for this area until we thought to amuse her by getting her to add up long lists of bakery product at the shop...

Sarah gave us a glimpse into her future, better show her how petrol goes into a car in the next 10 years

They were fascinated looking at things under the microscope. The girls liked the insects but loved looking at my engagement ring close up and then their skin. Slightly creepy but still partially educational I am telling myself.

Day one was cut short due to Jon's late arrival by plane (having been held up at work the night before after promising we would be on the road by lunch time Friday. We left without him and he caught us up on Saturday) and then his requirement to find a bar to watch the AFL Grand Final all afternoon.

On Sunday we set out for Cockington Green. The girls loved, loved, loved this place and the gardens were amazing

Sarah was thrilled to be the first train rider of the day

I can not wait until Ally grows into her teeth, every time I see a photo of her smiling it is quite startling.

Finally we made it to Floriade (the purpose of our trip). It was great for the kids and the map was easy enough for them to guide us around to each area. In the kids section they made flower arrangements and paper lanterns.

From the ferris wheel you could see all the planted patterns

On the last day we stopped by the Institute of Sport and soaked up some energy before the drive home

This kid can jump

and this one can really kick

The girls and I will have to start working on Jon so we can go back next year.

drama drama drama

2011-09-28T09:22:00.000+10:00

Sarah does keep us on our toes.

She got sick very quickly yesterday afternoon and a quick trip to the Dr earned her a ride in an ambulance and some very attentive care from the lovely people at North Shore Hospital.

With some very prompt attention from both our GP and the hospital she is now recovering at home.

She gave us a massive fright and this kid is not leaving my sight for the next week.

christmas is coming

2011-09-26T18:35:00.000+10:00

And my obsession with the Little People Nativity Collection is heating up.

While purchasing the Wise Men and Shepherds to add to my existing collection I stumbled upon this.....

The Night Before Christmas story set (including book). It was too much for me to resist and I am so pleased I got it. The girls have set it up tonight and tomorrow it will be packed away ready to come out again in December.

The shipping form the US cost more than my total purchase price but I am sure by Christmas even Jon will agree it was well worth the effort of getting this stuff to our home.

dance off 2011

2011-09-25T09:14:00.000+10:00

What else is there to do on a rainy Sunday morning except dance

Ally is making us so proud with her precision and moves. It is a hoot and we could spend all morning watching this event.

This kid is disco ready.

fancy nancy dinner

2011-09-24T19:57:00.000+10:00

The girls love Fancy Nancy and for weeks they have chosen a Fancy Nancy story before bed.

During the week I organised with the local fancy restaurant for our family to have a very fancy dinner tonight.

This was a highly anticipated event and the girls carefully chose their outfits and even applied make up for the dinner.

The table was set very fancy with flowers, candles, sparkly wine glasses and polished silver.

There was even a little ice bucket for the girls lemonade.

The highlight was the parfait at the end of the dinner. It was 'real' and just how they had imagined.

We all had such a great time and the restaurant was so accommodating, even running to Coles to buy crayons so we could draw on the table paper. We are so lucky to have our lovely local shops.

On the walk home Ally told me it was the best night of her life. Perfect.

family meeting night

2011-09-20T19:05:00.000+10:00

We seem to be so busy and disconnected with travel, dinners, nights out and general stuff that to get back into some sort of order we have been having family meetings twice a week. They started mainly so we did not have adult clashes of events but it turns out the girls love a good meeting.

For them we talk about good things they have done, what is coming up in the next week and things to work on.

Each person takes a turn at 'running' the meeting and tonight Ally was in charge. She took the task seriously and even wrote up an 'Agender'

For Dad his things to work on were:
Talk to your team so they are happy
Make money (smart kid)
Play with Ally and Sarah
Care for Mum

For me it was:
Make chocolate chip cookies
Make scones with jam and cream
Make pancakes
Shop for flowers, ingredients and fake wood (logs in a bag for the open fire)

I love that with her lists she has let us know what is important to her about our family.

Saturday is Jon's meeting then Sarah's. I can't wait to see their lists and things to work on after tonights gems.

the highlight of my day

2011-09-18T10:42:00.000+10:00

It must be the end of term because I have two over tired, cranky, unhelpful girls.

Every interaction between them is an opportunity to bicker and it is wearing us down.

It is exhausting trying to calmly break up fights, ask to put things away, get dressed, eat, pack bags, tidy rooms blah blah blah and I am losing motivation to keep up my fight.

I was slightly encouraged to see them doing this together today

Maybe there is hope that we will make it to the end of term on Thursday.

spring tulips

2011-09-14T15:54:00.000+10:00

Last year we moved in too late to plant bulbs in our garden.

This year we planted a bag of mystery bulbs in June and have been waiting to see what was planted.

There were many Jonquils and this week we have been surprised by Tulips in many colours. So far we have purple, red, yellow, orange and white.

I wanted to show a picture of an entire group but Jon got a bit excited with his lawn weed and feed and it has killed quite a few of my agapanthus boarders so until they recover or are replaced, individual shots will have to do.

We hope to plants more bulbs each year so that we continue to have lots of spring colour.

Next on the gardening list is to find some different varieties of hydrangeas.

(now reading this I am worried about how old and dull I am beginning to sound. not great)

bye bye baby

2011-09-12T18:59:00.000+10:00

Today Sarah's Granny took her to get her school uniform and bag.

Suddenly she looks so much older.

I could have cried, especially when she put her hat on

It really seems like yesterday we came home from hospital with her. I can't quite believe this baby is old enough for school in January.

little drama queens

2011-09-09T15:20:00.000+10:00

Last night was the annual concert for Ally's school.

Ally was the bossy mother for one of the year one dances

She played her part scarily well.

I assume this is because she is a talented actress rather than having a solid role model for the part at home.

flash test

2011-09-07T15:27:00.001+10:00

This week the girls have been helping me out while I try to learn how to use my new flash

Sarah is not impressed with the requests to pose and is making her thoughts pretty clear with unusual poses like this

I am note sure if I should laugh at her stance or be frightened of the look in her eyes.

school fete and weather watching

2011-09-04T07:56:00.000+10:00

There was no time to do anything last week apart from watching the weather forecast for Friday, the morning of the girl's school fete.

I had 4 sites bookmarked and all had different forecasts for Friday, a nightmare.

In the end the day was cold and cloudy with showers but the girls still had a great time.

Ally's highlight was throwing a sponge at her teacher

My lowlight (apart from the weather) was buying a cake from the morning tea stall that was a packet cake with pre made icing. Who does that for a cake stall?????

Sarah loved the duck shooting but she was so quick I didn't get a photo.

Jon even manned a stall and sold all his stock. I think I will bring him back next year.

lazy sunday mornings

2011-08-28T14:41:00.000+10:00

We love Sunday morning in this house.

It is the only day of the week we don't need to be out the door by 7.50am.

I had a sleep in this morning and came down stairs to find Sarah had set up a bed over the central heating vent.

When I look at this kid with her olive skin and brown eyes I wonder if she has any Shanahan in her.

Moments like this reassure me she does, it is totally Grandma Geeg thing to do.

cheap dates

2011-08-26T10:56:00.000+10:00

Amazing as it may seem (since he is married to me) Jon loves opportunities to save money. In the early years of our relationship he even took me on a date and 'challenged' me to try and keep the dinner under $10 per head. Nice.

Last night we went to a talk on raising resiliant children and after we planned to go for dinner, restaurant selected from my latest gift to Jon, a copy of Cheap Eats.

By the time the talk finished it was late and we ended up just going through the drive thru for chocolate shakes. Since it was a date I ordered the flash one with the fudge sauce. Total cost $6.40 or $3.20 a head.

A new record for the cheapest date has been set. I think it is especially impressive as it has been fifteen years since the under $10 a head challenge.

rainbow galaxies

2011-08-22T17:19:00.000+10:00

When I saw this art project it looked like something even I could do.

Today I purchased some water colour paints. When the girls got home I showed them what we would be doing and they were thrilled.

First we traced different sized circles onto some large sheets of white paper.

They could paint their planets however they wanted

Both girls were very interested and Sarah was still for the entire time they were painting

The painted planets looked like this....

Then the girls cut them out and pasted the planets onto black paper that we had speckled white.

Ally's rainbow galaxy with planet earth

And Sarah's

These are now hanging in our kitchen as they are so pretty and we love how they turned out.

window crayons and fiddlesticks

2011-08-21T14:26:00.000+10:00

In our quieter weekend moments Ally and Sarah have been loving their new window crayons. Jon, not so much.

Always worried about craft mess his rules involve only painting on the outside of windows and not letting the crayons inside. They are for mirrors too. I might have to write him a special message on the mirror by our front door so he can learn to truly appreciate the window crayon.

We are still trying to get Sarah to learn how to sit still before she starts school next year and last night I got out the fiddlesticks. There has been some healthy competition. Today while Ally was busy with her reader Sarah got in some practice time.

With this game we have the sitting still sorted now we just have to work on the cheating and violence when things do go according to Sarah's plan.....

sneaky shopping

2011-08-15T16:38:00.000+10:00

As I work my way to the end of the year and giving up work, the months seem busier than ever. As a little bit of incentive to keep up my motivation I am 'rewarding' myself with a little monthly prize.

This month it is kitchenware and today while shopping I couldn't resist this pan I have had my eye on for some time.

It is such a pretty colour, one that I have not seen before, so I did feel compelled to grab it while I could, along with some matching baking dishes and accessories.

Now the kitchen has been rearranged to accommodate my treasures and I will be making a risotto for dinner to test the pan out.

so unfit

2011-08-13T15:53:00.000+10:00

I still can not do a cartwheel but I am sticking with the personal trainer. He is making me do exercise things that I have not done in 15 years.

I have been doing my lunges and squats at home and was feeling quite smug today when I arrived ready to dazzle him with my strength and improvement.

He mentioned something about going a little 'biggest loser' on me and then we got going.

An hour later I had to stop and throw up on my way out. I have never worked so hard. This better be paying off.

To ease my pain I think I will make Corrie's Cherry Clafoutis for dinner tonight to soothe my aching limbs.

the excellent 4 year old

2011-08-07T10:13:00.000+10:00

This morning I felt Jonathan had the opportunity to apologise to me for a minor infraction.

I asked him if he wanted to say something to me and he responded 'yeah honey, I love you'

Quite reasonably I asked him if there was anything else he wanted to say. He replied 'nup'

Then Sarah said to him 'there is something else you should say Daddy and the word begins with s'

He said 'Sarah' and my outstanding four year old said

'no Daddy, you need to say sorry to Mum'

This kid could go far.

soccer stars

2011-08-06T16:47:00.000+10:00

Today Ally's team won a game. This is a rare event and is quite exciting.

Ally is never going to be a sporting hero but she played hard today and had a great time. At one point the game was so close that my nerves could not take it and I had to walk away.

It was a nice change from the usual 14 to 1 defeats. And it seems the victory has inspired a little extra training in the back yard. I hope after this confidence boost things do not return to 'normal' next week.

a long week

2011-08-05T07:31:00.000+10:00

This week feels like it has been a marathon. Jon away (again), work busy and the girls having something on every single day at school.

We are all tired and I am sure there will be tears today, possibly mine.

Breakfast just seemed too hard and while I was wondering what to give everyone Sarah suggested the Weetbix slice I made last night. The kid is pretty smart as she did point out it is made of cereal.

excellent breakfast food for a long day. Check out the bags under Ally's eyes. She looks about 80. I have high hopes both girls will be in bed by 6.30 tonight so I can have a quiet wine.

and some more

2011-08-03T15:48:00.000+10:00

Poor Sarah. There really are less early photos of her.

She still looks exactly the same when she is asleep.

After Ally she was a dream baby. Put her down in her cot and she would go right off to sleep. She was happy to be put in bouncers, on the floor, where ever and she would not complain. Such a placid little thing we thought.

She didn't even complain about my home weigh in system like her sister did

She had us all fooled and at about nine months once we were really smug she got moving and the true child emerged.....

cheeky and a little cunning

lucky she is still pretty cute.

more old photos

2011-08-01T18:46:00.000+10:00

All of us are enjoying going through our old photos and remembering old toys, cots, chairs and clothes.

A friend commented today that Ally has exactly the same face now as she did when she was a baby. I agree that from about 6 months to 6 years, apart from growing hair and gaining height she has changed very little

Before six months she was not as easy on the eye

Her head was slightly lopsided...

and she looked quite similar to a plucked chicken with very skinny legs

For some reason she was not keen on being weighed in a basked that previously held a flower arrangement.

The thing is she was quite small so I did worry about her weight.

It is so good to have all these photos back. By tomorrow night we should have looked far enough to get to the arrival of Sarah.

dinosaur project

2011-07-31T18:34:00.000+10:00

We finished building the dinosaur today and making his 'habitat'

I think the highlight for Ally was using the hot glue gun and paper cutter - possibly not the intent of the project but she had a great time

And the finished product.....

All the 'facts' are stuck around the outside of the box and the little lego guy in overalls is showing how large the said dinosaur is compared to a human.

The project is quite fragrant too as herbs were used as miniature trees.

how to build a dinosaur

2011-07-31T09:12:00.000+10:00

Ally is learning about dinosaurs at school and part of finding out about them involves building a model.

Since every dinosaur needs a home, of course this protect required a box, paint, hot glue gun and an extra couple of kids working on it to add to the 'fun'

While the box is drying go and build the dinosaur

The kits are exactly the same as the ones Jon and I had in the late 70's. I needed to remind Jon it was Ally's kit and project to build. Next time I will buy a kit for each of them.

Today apparently we are creating a Jurassic habitat. I will add photos later.....

shocking realisations..

2011-07-29T17:41:00.000+10:00

Today I made the unfortunate decision to transfer all our old photos onto our current computer. I was so excited to be able to show the girls their baby photos and for Jon and I to remember trips we took before Ally arrived.

The trip down memory lane was great for about 2 seconds, then I realised how much I have aged over the last six years

This is a picture of me at 30.

It is too depressing to show a current '36' photo.

I will be spending the night researching botox

ready for school?

2011-07-25T19:02:00.000+10:00

I recently realised Sarah is starting school in six short months.

My memory is failing me and I can not remember what Ally could and couldn't do at this stage.

One thing that is quite perplexing is that Sarah can. not. sit. still.

I love the child and find the habit frustrating so I can only assume that her lucky teacher next year will find the child troubling if she can not meet the basic kindergarten requirement of staying in her chair.

Today I got her some lego with the plan to sit down and do it with her. I hoped getting her to concentrate would slowly get her into the habit of sitting still sometimes.

She actually enjoyed the activity and was very proud of her final product

To keep Ally distracted so I could focus on Sarah I gave her a kit too

We had a good, productive afternoon but now my wild child needs to release her build up energy and is cartwheeling through the house.

At least we still have six months to work on this little issue.

wild weather

2011-07-23T14:04:00.001+10:00

After the wettest week I can remember the girls were eager to get to gymnastics this morning to burn off some energy.

It wasn't raining as we left Narabeen and as we passed the beach Ally asked if we could stop and see the waves.

I am glad we did as the waves were wild and the girls found the churning water fascinating,

and frightening all at once. Right after I took the photo below a huge wave crashed against the wall right next to the girls and they fled in terror.

I was happier watching the waves from the headland. Much less chance of them getting swept away by a freak wave.

They kept escaping right back to the action on the shore.

After half an hour of this my nerves were frayed and I chased them back to the car. I don't know how the mothers of surfers can stand it when they venture out in these conditions. In the unlikely event either of the girls take up surfing I will have to hide their boards.

the kahala

2011-07-20T21:34:00.000+10:00

The final week of our Hawaii get away was spent at The Kahala.

It is out of the main action and the kids roamed the resort and beach safely while we watched from the bar with cocktails in hand.

The girls got their nails done for the first time with sparkles added and were extremely pleased with the outcome

For the first couple of days Jon and the girls stayed mainly at the hotel swimming out to the pontoon, and floating activity centre

as well as playing in the sand

The beach is so quiet which made our days very relaxing (apart from some misguided ocean confidence which saw the girls trying to swim out to the pontoon some 20 meters from shore)

We spent one day driving around the island where the girls had their first taste of coffee (good choice Jon)

and shave ice, which it turns out is a more suitable refreshment for young children...

We did a bit of shopping and I got the girls some retro Reeboks just like the ones from the 80's

(Any Shanahan cousins reading this please note Ally and Sarah's very unshanahan tans)

The family photo from the trip. I wish we had thought to take this at the start of the holiday prior to my 4 kilo weight gain

Ally in the lobby of our hotel

and a photo of jumping dolphins taken from the balcony of our hotel room

both girls said seeing the dolphins was their best part of the trip, they could step outside our hotel room any time and see these guys swimming

And for my Hawaii Five O fan, a picture of him outside 'HQ'

On our last day we squeezed in some extra shopping

And at the airport Sarah felt the need for one last cocktail. Luckily the bar was open and serving virgin pinacaladas at 8.30am

crazy kid

sweet baby shower

2011-07-17T12:52:00.000+10:00

Post Hawaii depression has settled in here and we all struggled through the very cold week.

One bright spot was hosting a baby shower yesterday for a good friend about to have her first baby.

The event was an excellent excuse to buy some party props and Leanne from Sweet Style had everything I needed and lives in the next suburb to me which could be dangerous....

The jars, sweets and cake stand all come from Leanne's shop and the duckie labels were made up by Sarah at Style me Gorgeous.

We ate way too much food (just for something different) and had a relaxing afternoon catching up with friends.

I didn't impose the usual baby shower games on Amanda's guests but at the end of the day when people filled their sweet bag they tied it with a pink or blue ribbon. There were more blues than pinks selected so in a few weeks we shall see who got it right!

This afternoon we are off to Disney on Ice with two tired girls (who were at a sleep over last night) and a hung over husband, my post Hawaii depression is set to continue until at least tomorrow!

maui love

2011-07-11T13:16:00.000+10:00

Everyone in our little family loves Maui. We stay down in Wailea at The Four Seasons and it is quite a pleasing experience. There are three pools (one where kids are banned), a FREE kids club and the beach is beautiful.

We were all grinning like fools upon arrival at our room because of the thoughtful welcome treats

until I realised the i pad was missing and it was (had been) in my care. End grinning. Jon was well balanced about it and of course we got it back but it did take the shine off our fist couple of days in Maui for me as it was my fault.

The others were pretty happy though and the girls loved decorating the sponge bob cookie that was left for them in the room.

The second they were finished were off to the pool.

There are stunning views from all areas of the hotel.

Everyone was sick of my camera after a couple of days but I didn't want to forget anything,

especially Ally's first (and possibly last) ocean snorkel.

I thought she looked great in the outfit but she told me when she raced back to shore that the hundreds of fish were 'freaking her out'

Sarah was content to play on the rocks looking for crabs and mermaids

I think she secretly liked the attention she got from her bikini.

Jon and I (combined) picked up the weight of a small child on the trip. Probably because we indulged in things like....

and this.....

daily.

But it seems a crime not to have a cocktail in ones hand when the sunsets are so lovely

I will never tire of Maui and could visit every year, but we also loved coming back to the Kahala...

home again

2011-07-09T20:13:00.000+10:00

We arrived home today after almost three lovely weeks in Hawaii. The girls and Jon declared this trip better than last year and excluding the ash cloud drama and the i pad mishap I tend to agree.

We stayed on three islands, the first Lanaii, which is a very remote destination with pretty much nothing except the hotel, airport and ferry wharf.

We spent hours beside and swimming in this pool

The water really is this blue and it was sunny like this each day of our stay.

We were very excited when TV crews turned up to shoot an episode of The Real Housewives of Beverley Hills as a trashy TV tragic this was big stuff for me and the girls were impressed with the glamour too.....

We didn't just hang out with the housewives while we were in Lanaii, we also checked out the main street of town, walked up a headland and spent many hours perfecting pool tricks

It is nice to go to a place where there is really nothing to do, it got us into a state of complete relaxation very quickly before we headed over to Maui......

i pad lost, i pad found

2011-07-03T05:38:00.000+10:00

Our holiday continues (not without it's drama)

Earlier in the week we moved islands and thought it would be great to catch a ferry since the trip was short. Not such a great decision.

Our child who never throws up got sea sick. Really sea sick. She was neat and stoic about it but in my haste to provide the poor thing with wipes, water and a hug I took things out of my handbag which I failed to replace. That would be the new i pad. whoops.

We only noticed the loss after arriving at our hotel. Frantic calls were made but the thing was gone. Jon was nice about it and we got on with with sunning ourselves by the pool and filling in an insurance claim.

Two days later it was found on the ferry and was even delivered to our hotel. Jon was much happier. I felt much less guilty.

One downside (for Jon) is that the hotel we were at has Kindles for by the pool and gave me one on arrival. It was great and now this nifty little item is on my birthday list.........

We have now moved to yet another island and are looking forward to swimming with the dolphins and Fourth of July celebrations.

the bakers 1, volcanic ash cloud 0

2011-06-27T05:45:00.000+10:00

Tuesday seems so long ago now.

We were all set to go and our flight got cancelled. Jeststar didn't even tell us. As I was already on to the cancellation thanks to an inside tip (thanks Melissa) I got straight on the phone. Again Jetstar was useless so since we were using frequent flyers I rang Qantas. I now love them and they were so helpful, except the next flight they could get us on was June 25th. oh.

Then Jon saved the day.

He threw his frugal nature out the window and booked the last 4 seats on the Hawaiin Airlines flight out that night that had not been cancelled. We did not believe we were going to fly until we had taken off. Take off we did and after the worst airline disruption in 10 years we got to our destination only four hours after we had planned.

We have had 5 amazing nights here at Manele Bay and today head to Maui.

In future whenever I complain about my husband I will think about last Tuesday as he really went beyond what was reasonable to get us on our much anticipated family holiday.

grrrrr to volcanic ash clouds

2011-06-21T11:38:00.000+10:00

Tomorrow we should be sunning ourselves here.....

Our flight has been cancelled and since we are using frequent flyer points we are at the bottom of the rebooking priority pile. We are so frustrated.

I am trying to take the news of our delay as well as Ally who has been very mature about the situation. She is acting very adult about the entire thing and I feel like acting like a six year old.

another classic comment

2011-06-20T20:54:00.000+10:00

Yesterday afternoon the girls were occupied with their much loved 'sidewalk chalk'

Suddenly everything was pretty quiet so I called out to see what they were up to...

Ally 'nothing'

and Sarah 'and we are not playing with Daddy's axe'

Perfect.

Note to Jon - after chopping wood PUT THE AXE AWAY

very good advice

2011-06-19T10:17:00.002+10:00

From Ally to Sarah this morning.....

'You won't get a husband if you don't wear undies.'

Smart girl.

another day, another cupcake

2011-06-18T18:59:00.000+10:00

We seem to be making many batches of cupcakes at the moment.

Today's were jungle style to celebrate Hamish turning 1!

It doesn't seem right to post a photo of the cup cakes and not the birthday boy but his Dad has a flash new camera so I didn't take mine (the rest of my family was thrilled about this)

He is so busy I doubt I would have been able to get a non blurry shot of him anyway.

lunchbox crimes

2011-06-15T17:39:00.000+10:00

Today when I asked Sarah to unpack her school bag so told me she couldn't even look at her lunchbox without being sick.

She claimed her sandwich was wet.

Whoops.

Finding myself out of fresh fruit this morning I added some sliced peaches in natural juices to her lunchbox.

I thought I had drained them but apparently not enough because they leaked.

She was not even polite about my mistake, when I turned around to throw the sandwich out she was rolling her eyes at her sister and muttered 'ewww'

I can't wait till this kid is a teenager.

little cousins

2011-06-12T18:30:00.000+10:00

While my crazy sister and her husband braved the football today in the freezing rain their boys came for a visit.

Ally and Sarah love Hamish and Sam. Chubby babies are pretty easy to love.

I tired to get a good picture of them all but it was a waste of my time as they were having too much fun to be helpful.

No wonder Hamish refuses to show his face next to this lot!

grandma's chicken soup

2011-06-11T12:27:00.000+10:00

As well as being famous for smoking at 6 Grandma Geeg was known for her chicken soup.

Luckily her recipe was handed down and as soon as the weather turns cold I make a batch for eating now and to freeze.

It is so simple and everyone who tries it loves it.

I hope by writing the recipe down in 30 years or so Ally and Sarah will make the soup for their families.

Grandma's Soup

1 brown onion diced
2 carrots diced
3 sticks of celery diced
6 lovely legs (chicken drumsticks)
1.5 litres (approx) chicken stock
1 cup, white medium grain rice

Saute onion, carrot and celery for about 5 minutes
Add the chicken drumsticks and the stock and bring to the boil
Simmer gently for about 15 minutes
Remove the drumsticks and take the chicken off the bone
Put the chicken meat back into the soup
Add the rice and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked

It should look like this.....

Perfect for lunch over a rainly long weekend

vivid sydney

2011-06-09T22:40:00.000+10:00

I have end of term fatigue and am counting the minutes until school holidays begin.

To try and break the monotony of readers and spelling words and remembering to pack lunches and library bags and instruments and soccer gear tonight we took the night off and headed into the city to check out vivid.

We were not disappointed.

The ladies loved being out after dark and were thrilled with the light displays

Jon got caught up at work and could not join us so we have decided to go one last time over the weekend.

We have gone each year since this started and it does seem to get better each year

shower caps???

2011-06-08T16:44:00.000+10:00

Keeping hair dry in winter here is a battle for me.

The ladies go slightly feral in the bath and even stories of their hair snapping off due to freezing will not convince them to keep their heads above water.

On Sunday at the fair they were inspired by some very flash shower caps.....

For the moment their hair is staying dry as the don't want to wet the caps. I feel like I have had a win.

The photo is in black and white because as Sarah's summer tan fades she has gone an unfortunate yellow colour which makes her look quite odd.

cupcake factory

2011-06-07T19:34:00.000+10:00

Tonight Ally and I have been making cupcakes for her stall at school tomorrow.

Until tonight she wanted to have a restaurant with me, Sarah and Jon when she grows up. Now she is probably not so sure.

At least the cupcakes look good.....

local fair

2011-06-05T18:39:00.001+10:00

Last week was a long week.

I now know that 35 is too old to have back to back 3 am nights out.

It has taken me until today to get over my tiredness and I can not believe that 15 years ago I did that sort of thing weekly.

Having eased myself back into a more respectable routine today I acted my age and took the girls to our local fair.

Sarah loved the face painting but at 6 apparently Ally is too old for such things.

Ally surprised us by asking to go on the bungee trampolines.

I am pretty sure she only did it to impress our 9 year old neighbour and was extremely nervous in the line. Once she got bouncing she loved it.

Sarah hung back and got into traditional fair eating, including two sticks of fairy floss.

I am now ready to settle into an uneventful week of nights at home and predictable days.

As I read this I fear as I approach my 36th birthday next month I may be becoming slightly dull.

sweet dreams

2011-05-29T19:35:00.000+10:00

Tomorrow I am heading to a work off site.

One of the tasks is for each team to cook a meal. My team is doing dinner.

We thought a chocolate 'traveller' would be good for the end of the night and Suzanna at montresor very quickly helped me out with chocolate wrappers and some food labels.

The off site is at a place with a name that means 'resting place in the bush' and I think the wrappers and their colours fit this theme perfectly.

I hope Sarah has a restful night tonight and sweet dreams.

Each morning she wakes up and is fine, then about 4.00 fades with bad tummy pain. It is worrying us but she has been checked out and hopefully she will be back to her energetic self soon.

soccer happiness

2011-05-28T15:03:00.000+10:00

We think Ally is pretty good at quite a few things.

Soccer is not one of them.

Even though this is her second season her skills have regressed and each week we watch in dismay as she gets worse and worse.

Today by some miracle she kicked a goal and played OK for the entire game.

She was also thrilled to be awarded a 'player of the day' certificate.

I am tempted to get her to quit soccer now and go out on a high as it is likely her soccer career peaked today.

Of course for the first time ever Jon had to miss the game as he was away for work and I did not bring the camera. whoops.

not such a great morning

2011-05-25T09:13:00.000+10:00

One of Ally's home work words this week is gloat.

She has to spell it as well as write down what it means. I now have a good example to share with her.

example:

If you gloat about a morning of excellent behaviour from the kids, you are likely to pay for it later.

Here is a picture of our morning today

Not such a great morning

a small miracle

2011-05-24T07:42:00.000+10:00

This is what I found when I went looking for the girls this morning.....

All ready for school, lunches in bags, breakfast eaten, plates in the dishwasher and then they went to their desks to do readers and to write.

I will treasure this photo as a morning like this is rare in our house. Maybe cinnamon sugar toast really is an acceptable regular breakfast if this is what follows.

home comforts

2011-05-23T18:23:00.000+10:00

Judging by his voice on the phone I suspect my husband has had an especially long and trying day at work.

Luckily, his tough day has landed on my day off, so the girls and I have tried to make home extra soothing tonight.

We have lit the fire (we love this fireplace so much it is ridiculous)

baked a chocolate cake,

and put his favourite Carlton PJ's in the dryer so they are warm and toasty for his arrival.

The girls are very excited about looking after their Dad.

I am just worried that he will think every night will be this good when I am not working next year.