Tiger air

It feels like an eternity ago that mum, her partner, Marley and I flew to Cairns to meet my cousins new baby... But it was only a week and a half ago, a roller coaster week and a half, but there are still things worth mentioning...

Tiger air 

I had flown Tiger Air on one return journey before this trip to cairns... It was about 3 years ago and it was bad... We were trying to get the best flight times, as well as a good price for our trip to cairns and thought we would chance it... As far as human service and delays went, it was fine... The plane felt squishy, every time someone moved on front, behind or to your side, you would move too... The chairs in front felt quite close, I really didn't like it! We won't be doing that again...

Mace's little leg injury...

Have a mental list of things to blog about, but am absolutely exhausted! Mace hurt himself on a trampoline yesterday, resulting in him not walking... We went to the ER, because I needed to be sure about what was wrong, especially after the incident with his elbow... We waited for 3 hours, a long time for a 2yo through dinner time and well past bedtime!

The doctor felt quite dismissive, checking us out in the kids waiting area, saying that because he could bend his legs without crying and was in good spirits, we should go home and wait 2 days and go to the GP if he still can't walk... It just didn't make me feel any relief in his diagnosis... He is always in good spirits, regardless of pain, anyway she said she would write a letter for the GP, we waited for another 30 minutes for that, I asked what was happening as it was getting late, the nurses said to go home... Annoying, tired, stressed and by this stage livid, we went home...

This morning Mace was still crawling around... We went to the GP, after everyone I know just about giving us their diagnosis, and it is a soft tissue injury... Will last around 5 days, neurofen twice a day until then... Since being dosed up on neurofen, he is taking a few steps here and there... Relief doesn't describe it! Although I'm tired, carrying around a 15kg kid is draining, along with emotional  exhaustion, I am happy that its nothing major! No energy to blog though...

Amazing ginger biscuits!

After my ginger biscuit fail the other week, and knowing that Marley and I are going to cairns for a long weekend leaving the boys at home, I thought I better bake something for the boys! This is my go to ginger biscuit recipe... I made it vegan, swapping out the butter for nuttlex, and adding extra spices to my liking...

From Favourite Muffins, Biscuits, Cakes and Slices

Vegan chocolate mud cake...

Mark has been vegan since his vegetarian self discovered he had lactose intolerance... Not strict, but 98%... He can eat eggs, and if he takes lacteeze he is less sick from dairy... 

As you may know, I enjoy baking and missed this weeks baking because I was busy at my scheduled baking time... Then I found this recipe, and thought I might give it a go, because I love my man and want sweet treats for him too! It was on the stay at home mum Facebook site, it said to use coconut milk, but that triggers Mark's fructose malabsorption, so I substituted soy milk...

It was surprisingly good! I'm not a cake maker, but it was perfectly edible, not quite as rich or moist as I like, but hey, no dairy... We all enjoyed it, mace telling us all that he was very happy he had cake... 

http://mobile.stayathomemum.com.au/recipes/baking/dairy-free-chocolate-coconut-mud-cake/

Dairy Free Chocolate Coconut Mud Cake

Dairy Free Chocolate Coconut Mud Cake is a deliciously wicked cake, so good you’d never know it was dairy free!

Ingredients:

• 380 grams dairy free dark chocolate, chopped (available from health food stores)
• 800ml coconut milk
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/4 cups self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.  Line a round tin with baking paper and set aside.  Set up a double boiler with a medium saucepan half filled with water and a metal bowl on the top. Add half the chocolate and the coconut milk together in the bowl and stir until the mixture is melted and smooth.  Remove from the heat.Add the sugar, sifted flour, baking powder and vanilla extract and beat with an electric hand beater for a couple of minutes or until well combined.  Pour into the tin and bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.  Turn carefully onto a wire rack to cool.

Heat the remaining chocolate and coconut milk in the double boiler and again stir over the heat until smooth.  Pour the chocolate sauce over the cooled cake and serve.

This is the end...

These men are all funny, there are some incredibly funny moments in this film... In fact the first half or so, it was really enjoyable... And then it just got weird... It was like they had some quality hilarity but didn't know how to finish the story, or write an interesting and cohesive story to fit in their jokes... A great cast, it just felt like a forced and fake apocalypse story... 

It's annoying because we desperately wanted to see it, got a last minute date sorted out, and then the end was just such a let down... Not what it was pegged to be at all... I can't believe the ratings on imdb and rotten tomatoes... Sigh...

Little eyes...

No Friday baking today, because I had to take Marley to a paediatric eye specialist... At her healthy kid check the nurse and doctor 'discovered' that Marley has a squint in her left eye when she smiles... I have always seen it, it matches mine, and my Dads, I never thought twice about it... But they thought it might be related to her vision, so off we went... I was incredibly stressed about this, having about 10cm of vision, and having had glasses from the age of 5...  The idea of my little girl feeling anxious playing sports, in the water, waking up unable to see her room, all the things I have gone through, I don't want for my kids...

The experience was good, the games they play to test vision are good fun, Marley was so interested, she forgot to be shy! Haha... They did lots of tests and finally gave her eye drops, which we had to wait for them to develop... This brought back my uneasy feelings, I have many years of memories of sitting in waiting rooms unable to see, ergh... One last set of tests, and she got the all clear! Her squint is just like mine and Dads, just a squint, she has great vision and fingers crossed she won't need glasses... Relief is an understatement!

Dilated pupils...

Glory Box: Paradise Finucane & Smith - 45downstairs

I love burlesque, I love edgy shows, naked, funny, hot, dancing women, so the minute I saw this, I booked! There were 4 of us, but things changed, and it ended up just Mark and I, date night! There was a lot to love about this show, and love it we did! Ursula Martinez and Jess Love were absolute highlights! I had seen them both before, and in this very intimate setting, they were even better! Ursula's magic trick will never cease to make me smile, they did a double together that was face achingly hilarious! And Jess had a lot of nuances to her hula hoop act that were hilarious, and then cheeky! The other acts ranged from some amazing choreography to trying to shock, to being actually shocking... 

45downstairs is a great venue, intimate, and well decked out with lanterns and candles... The hosts were lovely, seats not too close together... Definitely worth the money, time and childcare!

Glory Box: Paradise Finucane & Smith - Friday, 02/08/13 - 07:00 PM
Organisation: Finucane & Smith
fortyfivedownstairs
45 Flinders Lane
Melbourne, VIC 3000 

Friday baking: soft ginger snaps...

Been hanging for ginger snaps, and the ratio of spices looked delicious, so we baked these this morning, in our pjs! I missed the soft aspect, which as a finished product, isn't the best... I have an amazing ginger biscuit recipe that's better then this if I didn't want a snap... There is no snap here! I also omitted the frosting, which just seemed weird! In retrospect, with a non snap biscuit, it probably would have made the biscuit!!!

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/soft-gingersnaps-with-white-chocolate-cream-cheese-frosting/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+twopeasandtheirpod%2FrNNF+%28Two+Peas+and+Their+Pod%29

Aleague Allstars v Manchester United

It's been a week, and my opinions haven't changed... I was hoping that they would, but no... We love football in the offseason! So when they announced that there would be an allstars game, the idea really appealed to us... I loved the idea of getting to choose a team and back that team, first mistake... The team that actually played barely resembled the team chosen, more like the Aleague NO Stars... How could they organise it at the same time the Socceroos (our best players) are away!?! The minute I saw the line up, I started to regret getting tickets (flights and accommodation)... But we had everything paid for and childcare, so we went...

There are a couple things we like to do in Sydney, so we checked those out, then met up with some people at a bar and after a few Moscow Mules made our way there! It was a chilly night, I left my MVFC scarf at the hotel because I wanted to buy an Allstars scarf... Would you believe that after checking every merch stand we could not find one piece of Aleague merchandise?!? This was the final nail in the coffin for me, why did they advertise this to aleague fans at all, they should have said aleague fans need not attend... I felt rolled and ripped off... Have since written an angry email to the FFA, to which I got no response... The best thing about it was the freedom of a child free weekend away with my love and some friends, the rest was a bit meh...

Friday baking strawberry milk whoopee pies

These are yummy! But look nothing like the blog I got the recipe from, annoying, but oh well... I wanted something delicious for mums birthday, in that respect the recipe achieved its goal... The lack of pink was distressing to Marley!

http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2011/06/strawberry-milk-whoopie-pies.html?m=1

Sea World on the Gold Coast

Sea World used to be my least favourite theme park before having kids, now it's my favourite... Loads of kids rides, and we didn't even go on one, we were busy with the shows, the different things to do!

Mace and I went to dinosaur island and the dinosaur exhibit, the island was awesome! Big dinosaurs roaring and moving, my little soldier even said the  T Rex, his favourite, was scary! Then we found the dinosaurs that we can move by pressing buttons, he loved it, I think it took away the fear factor for him which was great! The stingray pool was really exciting because Marley touched a stingray and wanted to keep doing it, she was so brave! And the shark area was typically awesome, though the kids least favourite thing of all, they did enjoy the touching rock pools...

The dolphin show was brilliant as usual, kids were mesmerised... I was surprised at how fast it went by, it always feels like forever! The penguins at the start and further in are both great... Photos with spongebob and Dora were beautiful, we wanted to buy, and the family photo with spongebob wasn't there! I was getting ready to growl and the lady suggested we look at the heroes of the day wall, and there it was! I was stoked, and then she said that means it's free!!! That was awesome, so we bought the Dora picture and sat down to watch the spongebob parade... It was so colourful, and busy, but not too much for the kids, bubbles everywhere, great floats, costumes and dancers... 

All in all it was the best day/theme park of them all... There was so much joy, with something around every corner, the kids didn't lose their high... 

Die Hard 5

This will be short and sweet...

We watched the first half hour, there was nothing Die Hard about it... Just a boring action flick...

Next... Not in the die hard 6 sense...

Meriton Serviced Apartments Campbell Rd Sydney

We go to Sydney once or twice a year, yet we have never stayed in the same property twice! But I can tell you now, we will be back to the Meriton... On check in the staff were so lovely! Really good vibe... Get to our apartment, it is big enough to live in! With a kitchen, laundry in the bathroom, king bed, lovely sheets, big living area, tv in both rooms... It was very clean and felt new! So comfortable! And central! Across the road from central station, easy to get everywhere! Value for money too, cheaper then our hotel rooms past... Seriously impressed, will be back!

Govindas Centro Surfers Paradise Gold Coast

We love Govindas... We eat there whenever we get the chance! We got the chance 3 times in Surfers Paradise and took it... The beauty is that it is ethical food, that tastes so good and is absolutely affordable! So good in fact that when we got home I googled one of their dishes to make at home...

It's located in Centro on Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise... If you like to eat meat free every now and again, or all the time, check it out..

Dream World Gold Coast

Dreamworld  has changed loads in the last 3 years... Wiggle world is similar, but the other kids section, the nickelodeon section, is different... Changed into Madagascar, kung fu panda and shrek rides for big kids, I really felt a bit rolled  that we paid that much money to go there! If it was just us, there would be loads to do, but we are a family now, there is only space to go on rides for the tiny humans... Sure the tigers were cute, the Australian animals were amazing, but we are members of the zoo over here, so there wasn't much to be gained from going there... Marley did enjoy petting the kangaroos, and wiggle world, but the rest of the time she felt that there was nothing for kids... We probably won't be back until they are big kids and we can do some medium sized roller coasters!

Moorings on Cavill Surfers Paradise Gold Coast

Before I book any accommodation I check trip advisor... I have stayed in many hotels, and aside from one in Sydney about 6 years ago, I haven't ever given one a bad review... Now I'm not saying that it's bad, but the pros and cons are about equal... If you want a budget apartment, that's what you will get... 

You get a big space, it's huge, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, separate laundry and kitchen... It's all very open, with big windows, a lovely balcony (room 18)... First alarm bells was the smell of cigarette smoke in the foyer, it's supposed to be non smoking... Some days you could smell it in the lounge room, with all doors and windows closed, Marley (4) asked of there was a fire... Then there is a great big GLASS coffee table, all glass, and we have a 2 and a 4 year old, that kept a level of stress the entire stay... The fixtures and fittings are old, this place would be amazing if updated! There was no cover on the back of the remote, just weeks after a kid died locally from swallowing a lithium battery... All of these things individually I could have dealt with, but as a group along with the terrible beds (my back never hurts, and right now it does) and polyester/cotton blend sheets, was just too much for me...

Location is quite central, a short walk everywhere, but to get anywhere, including the super close woolworths, you have to cross the Gold Coast HWY, I don't like to walk out on to super busy roads with small children... I'm sure at this point I sound fussy, but really, I'm not, it was just so many little negatives!

The pool area was genuinely beautiful, the big pool was heated, the spa was hot! A good time swimming, but the toddler/small children's pool was freezing! 

Almost certainly won't be back, just a bit too outdated and cheaply kept for me... The staff were nice, the parking was good... Pros and cons, just have to work out what works for you...

Superheroes... For preschoolers...

I never really thought too much about super heroes before... I loved Wonder Woman as a girl, I remember one of Dads girlfriends used to do a WW spin for me when I was young that filled me with delight... Sure I saw a few superhero type films and old style tv shows in my time, but overall they haven't impacted my life too much... 

When I had kids I was very clear that I didn't want fighting/characters that fight, to be a part of our lives... And then came Mace, he isn't quite 2.5 but he has somehow found out about superheroes... It hasn't been unpleasant, he likes Darth Vader, who he says is 'naughty' and plays the naughty character in his imaginary play... Batman is a new one, he was warming to Batman and at the Gold Coast he drove it on home... He pretends to be Batman in his cape, running around like crazy, while Marley is SuperGirl or Catwoman, and I am Wonder Woman, we catch (not fight) the bad guys, and overall there is no violence... But the minute there is, all superhero merchandise will be put on ice until they are bigger...

Chengs Chinese

After a tumultuous first day, we let Marley choose dinner because she was soooo well behaved through a very long and trying day... She wanted fried rice, so in a bit of a rush, and with no research at all, we went to Cheng's Chinese food... We ordered fried and steamed rice, the BBQ pork/duck combo and Mark ordered tofu and vegetables... The food came quickly, thank goodness as the kids were getting close to the edge... The BBQ animals were delicious, fried rice was okay, but the tofu with vegetables also came with pork! Poor Mark! I wouldn't go back, it wasn't awesome, wasn't terrible either...

Vapiano Surfers Paradise Gold Coast

Vapiano was probably our favourite meal the last time we were in Surfers Paradise, we made a point of going back there... There were no iDevices to distract the kids, so I was a bit concerned about how it might go... It went splendidly, I love how well behaved my kids are, makes it easy to do things in public! We ordered waaaaay too much food, ate as much as we could and took the rest home...

The freshess of Vapiano's is the best, you see everything cooked to order.. Make any adjustments with the chef and they have lactose free options! We all enjoyed the food so much, we went back again!

Movie World

Movie world has always been a favourite of mine... Since having kids, it has cemented that... Within minutes of walking in, they had pictures with Wonder Woman, SuperGirl, Bugs and Lola Bunny, Catwoman... Batman drove past waving and there are a bunch of great rides for tiny humans... A really good, fun way to spend a day...