Girls Day Out: the latest Tinkerbell movie at Village Cinema...

Marley saw an ad for Tinkerbell Secret of the Wings on one of the kids Foxtel channels... While we have watched many Tinkerbell films, I usually put then on so we can lay on the couch together and I can nap! So I have never seen an entire one... Even now while I watch, I also blog! Wishing I could sleep - cant get over the tiredness from Friday night!

I most wanted to tell you about the awesome kids box that they are doing for only $6! It has a small popcorn, juice box and some raspberry soft lollies... I noticed it said only for children's tickets, but asked if the dude could hook me up, not only did he hook me up, he gave me double the popcorn! Wooooo!

DAS EFX and Black Sheep at Prince of Wales 28.09.12

Probably the wrong title because there is much more to say then just a review of the show! In fact I have very little to say about the show... Bullet points...
- Maundz looked much more comfortable on the stage then the Hilltop Hoods show, I can officially see what the hype is about now... Might even listen to the album, at some point!
- Reason did a solid job as host, but that is absolutely to be expected
- Black Sheep/Dres was okay, dude has charisma and skills, but the track selection sucked
- DAS EFX was weird... I'm not sure why, but most of the show seemed to be about hype, but using other people obvious beats, and a LOT of talk and smoking weed... I care not for artists who get on stage and try to push an agenda... Sloppy lounge room style performance...

The high light for me was seeing a bunch of dudes we used to go out with, and it felt exactly as it used to... You wouldn't know that 4 years have passed... Everyone was just as warm and welcoming as they were when we saw them every other week! That was awesome... Have a few hip hop events coming up, feels good to see everyone again!

Peppermint tea and sore throats!

Tomorrow night Mark and I are going out! DAS FX and Black Sheep are playing at the Prince of Wales, the idea of a date night with hip hop as well as the kids sleeping at mums which means we get to sleep in! It is too exciting, but today my throat has become a bit sore... It's pretty upsetting, I don't want to get sick, I managed to avoid it last week when EVERYONE was sick, I just powered on, and now my throat is sore... I haven't had a sore throat in one or two years, annoying... So tonight I thought I might have a peppermint tea, I used to have a mild addiction to peppermint tea, in the cold winter of London, and our first winter back... Strangely enough my throat went numb afterwards, and is still! It probably won't last, but I just thought I would put it out there...

I am going to dose up on it tomorrow in hope that it sorts itself out! If not, I am just going to have to drink through the pain... And pay for it later...

The five year engagement...

Been meaning to watch this for some time... We did, well we didn't even finish it, it was that bad... Seriously... We love Jason Segel, but I don't know what he and his crew were hoping for here... It was long and not funny, at all...

We watch so few movies, I forget just how bad some are... Like how do they make them? Doesn't someone say 'dude, this sucks!' before it is made? Oh well...




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The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

I was recommended this book by a dear friend who makes a living being a bookworm/author... He wrote Coconut Unlimited (Nikesh Shukla), read it! I digress, I started reading a sample on my kindle and when it came time to purchase, I just wasn't sure, but there was a feeling that I wanted to know WTF was going on, so I clicked 'buy'...

The whole time I was reading I just felt it was weirder then I like my books to be... I did enjoy it, in a really offbeat way... I'm not even sure if I could recommend it, in case it was too weird for you too... I was really into it, wanted to read more, but also looked forward to it not being my only source of literature... I'm still confused I think...



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The Killers at The Palace in January 2013

Today I received our tickets in the mail, I am crazy excited... I have seen The Killers at Festival Hall, Rod Laver Arena and Good Vibrations festival, I love them... And I love Brandon Flowers, I could listen to his beautiful voice all day! When I heard that they were doing Big Day Out, I was devastated! We have a long standing date at the football on Australia day, so I was hoping that they would do a side show, then they announced an intimate show at The Palace... I was almost certain that we wouldn't get tickets, but after some faffing about, I secured three! Feel blessed, can not wait for this show...



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Rattling the keys to the kingdom - Hilltop Hoods

I have enjoyed the Hoods new album 'Drinking from the sun', but this video takes enjoyment to a whole new level...  Not only is it an awesome single, the video is full of heads, many of whom I haven't seen since having babies...  It seriously fills my heart with joy, and ignites the sense of community spirit that I used to feel in our small scene...  Good one boys...

Friday baking: nutella and dark chocolate chunk brownies...

I got the idea of these from two peas and their pod, but made my own recipe... I love the caramel brownie batter, so substituted the chocolate for nutella and the rolo chocolate for dark chocolate chunks... They are good, in that I feel that this batter makes an amazing brownie, would have liked it to taste more like nutella, but I couldn't find hazelnut essence or extract anywhere! Boo! I am still obsessed with the chocolate caramel brownie, I can't foresee anything surpassing those, for me, right now...



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Toca Boca Band kids iPhone app...

Our kids are Toca Boca app crazy... I quite like them because they are just free play - so no help required, and no in app purchases! We have watched the Toca Boca Band app loads of times, and finally it has been released... The kids have been driving me batty today so the hour before Daddy gets home, I have let them have their first go on it! It's awesome, I love the music, it may grate later, but right now I'm feeling it... And I know people say not to palm kids off on electronic devices, but Mace has been clingy and crying since Saturday with this virus, and I'm taking this moment to have a cup of chai tea...





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The Kingmaker's Daughter - Philippa Gregory

Another of her books about the Cousins' war... This one focusing on Anne Neville's journey as the Kingmaker's daughter in England in the 1400's... In Philippa's style, this book is completely engrossing, after a lull in reading, while Tina Feys' book was good, it didn't suck me in... After that we became obsessed with UK's Celebrity Big Brother, and so we were watching that before bed every night instead of reading... Strolling along in Myer the other day I spotted this, came home and purchased! Only 3 days later I had finished it, completely enthralled...


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My new custom Gelaskins iPhone skin... LL Cool J...

I just adore Mark's animations of hip hop artists, so much so, I got it turned into my latest skin... I did it at Gelaskins, their skins are awesome, though the custom element meant it took a little longer then usual! It's super cute! I'm pretty sure that you can get his iPhone cases on red bubble...
Redbubble.com/people/mark563
On redbubble we also got this made into a tshirt for Mace... Gorgeous!


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Melbourne Victory Football Club membership kits have arrived!

Yesterday afternoon our membership kits arrived... I am really happy with the packs this year! Aside from never getting a pin, which is all either of us desires... The silver member scarf is a lovely light fabric, they haven't wasted resources on lots of junky bits and pieces like last year... The blue member boot bag for the kids is a great idea, Mace's will wait until he has boots and undoubtedly Marley will use hers as a my little pony bag! The kids stickers have their names on them, they are truly awesome... Obviously the most exciting thing is that we have our cards, our trusty seats and in less then a month we will be using them to get through the turnstiles... I am incredibly happy!


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Jamie Oliver's Mountain Meatballs with Chilli Sauce - Vegetarian Adaption

We don't eat a lot of meat in our home, Mark is vegetarian, combined with lactose intolerance, so we eat a lot of vegan dishes... A couple of times a week I like the kids to eat meat, and don't mind a bit of it myself... This is one of those dishes that is incredibly easy to make a meat and vegetarian option, but overall it is a long dish... I like 30 minutes as a general meal preparation/cooking length, but this takes over an hour, which is why I don't do it often... But I love it when I do... You can find the recipe in Jamie's America, just make half of the meatball mix in a separate bowl for fake mince, and the other with real mince... I make double the sauce because I love it, but with a little less coffee...



You can't even tell the difference by looking at them!


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New Kids Plates at Ikea!

I must admit that I haven't been to Ikea in a few months... Marley and I went in yesterday to grab some things, and we saw the new design kids plates... We have long used Ikea plates, bowls and cups for the kids, they are colourful, durable and dishwashable! When I saw these I was super excited, as they have a raised lip around the edges so their food won't easily fall off with the amateur use of cutlery, or slip off while Marley tries to carry her plate gracefully to the table... If you have kids and are around Ikea, grab some! You won't be sorry...


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Friday baking - banana pudding cookies with white chocolate and vanilla wafers...

I jacked this recipe from @heybetch who pointed me in the direction of the twopeasandtheirpod.com website for the recipe...
http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/banana-pudding-cookies/
Best thing I did this week, not only is this recipe amazing, but they have loads of beautiful recipes! I have bookmarked loads of them! Easy enough to whip up, I did struggle with the ingredients, couldn't find instant banana pudding anywhere so used vanilla pudding with actual bananas instead... In any case, they are freaking delicious, and I suppose it's a nice change to not make chocolate sweets, second week in a row! Will definitely be making chocolatey goodness next week...


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Rain is falling down...

I do so love it when it's nearing bed time, and the rain starts pouring down, snuggling up in our king sized bed with 1000 thread count sheets, with the man that I share love with... And to top it off, Sons of Anarchy is back... I have missed Jax Teller... Perfect...


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Mr. Potato Head slippers...

I bought these from nextdirect.com for Mace for next winter... They are hilarious, and now, of course, Marley wants a pair!


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Boys and Girls...

When they said that I was having a little boy, my thoughts about little boys went into overdrive... Little loud, rough, rude, dirty boys... The idea did not float my boat... I was sure that having boys was a nurture issue and was determined to not have a boy that just wanted to play with cars... As time with my son has progressed, and I have read a little about the little boy phenomenon, it turns out that there is definitely a nature aspect... And regardless of my experience, I know that every child is different, this is about my little boy...

Mace is definitely different to Marley, in loads of ways... He is very into his gross motor skills, climbing and running everywhere, he just wants to be doing things all the time... Cars, dolls, animals, dinosaurs, singing, dancing, books, he really isn't too fussed which tub of toys comes out, as long as one does! He gets joy out of kisses and cuddles, but just as much out of wrestling or winding Marley up by doing a snatch and run of whatever toy she is currently holding, luckily she takes it in good humour... Today he was watching her standing, playing with a toy, he ran up to her, grabbed her waist and took her out while laughing maniacally! She thought it was hilarious, as did I, but I thought it was very well thought out and executed for a one year old! She is much bigger then him!

I guess my point is that maybe all little boys aren't dirty with terrible boundaries, but testosterone definitely changes what floats little boys boats!






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Another maternal health nurse visit down...

These visits always have their pros and cons... Inevitably I am told that my kids are still too skinny, but otherwise all is well, which I am absolutely thankful for! These kids are in the 75% and 80% in length and 55% and 25% in weight respectively, which is why I struggle to find clothes that fit them! The weight is the only real issue, my mat health nurse sees no reason to worry, they are happy and healthy, that's what matters! It is always reassuring to have someone tell you that they are exceeding expectations in development, and I was proud when Marley's sight was being tested with letters and she knew all the letters by name, 'oh there is T'... Don't get me wrong she doesn't know all the letters, but just so happened to know the ones being used!

Things have been crazy around here, my aunts are back from London, so there was unscheduled baking and a day of visiting... Then a great play date with the old mothers group crew at a play centre, gee I look forward to a time when I'm not chasing Mace in circles! Kid is crazy energetic! More time spent with my aunts yesterday, and my lovely little family today... Family time is so delightful... Seriously live for it...


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Friday baking... Monte Carlo biscuits...

I have a long way to go on my biscuit game, but these were good! No clue where the recipe was from? Maybe the stay at home mum website? Anyways, these Monte Carlo biscuits are delicious! My Dad's favourite biscuit was the Monte Carlo, definitely had a moment of wishing I could bake these for him, it's funny the things that set you off... Luckily I have had family over today to share them with! And Mark will come home to a batch!


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Nails did... OPI blues...

If you haven't worked it out yet, I love blue nails... Black too... So I went with OPI blue my mind and I'm not sure what the sparkles are called but they were from the OPI Alice in Wonderland box set... Cute anyhow!




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Coles supermarkets and dairy produce...

There has been a LOT in the media lately about Coles and the influence their super cheap prices is having on our struggling dairy farmers... I wanted to link the letter that kicked it all off again, but it has been blocked, so here is an article about the letter
http://m.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/facebook-cry-from-down-on-the-farm-goes-viral-on-coles/story-e6frg6nf-1226438924488

This made me think about our family purchases, we do purchase Coles milk and yoghurt, and where I stand on this issue... It's simple really, it will cost us around $5 a week to support the dairy industry... For that money our milk will be permeate free, and I can feel as good as possible about the ethics of my purchases... So we are doing it! If you can afford it, I implore you to consider it...



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Mothers Group... Try it, you might like it!

I am not a fan of mandatory group activities, so dragging my butt to 'mothers group' with a 4 week old baby did not suit me at all... But I did it, and when the 6 weeks were up it was clear that we all didn't click and weren't going to move the group into our homes... I liked a couple of the girls, but there was no way I was inviting that group into my space! The maternal health nurse suggested the 'play group' linked to the community health centre, the leftovers of the groups from the last 6 months met there... I was not keen but hoped that there might be something good waiting across the car park in the community health centre...

Most of us went and in all, the room was full! I hated it and said to my friend from the first group that I wasn't keen, but still went back! As time went on, lots if women dropped off and there was a small group of us left, it was really nice... Good to have a group of women to talk about motherhood with, babies, development, first foods, all that, so I could talk about less child things to my non mum friends... Eventually everyone started going back to work and it dropped off even more... By this stage it was a really small group of women I really enjoyed and we moved it into our homes, the years have gone by (3.5 in fact) and I still see the first friend I made, weekly, a couple of the others at crèche, random play dates and birthdays, and our kids are all still in touch... Most of Marley's best friends are from mothers group, and I wonder whether she is drawn to them because she has known them her whole life?

I think that what I am saying is that you might not like mothers group, you might not click with everyone, but if you stick with it, you and your little one might just have an awesome time!


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Happy Father's Day!

I hope all of you who have Dad's, or men you made Dad's, spend the day cherishing every moment... It was a long time between when Father's day made me cry, and when I was lucky enough to have my own little family with something worth celebrating... We have had a great morning, I told Marley what one part of Mark's gift was to see if she could keep a secret, which she could not, so the rest stayed hidden until this morning... When she got up, I let her see his gifts as we let him sleep in, but the minute she heard him stir, she ran in gift-less and told him what he was getting... She is just gorgeous! I was saying sssh! And so she started whispering it to him... Hahaha... Kids!

We have a massive family afternoon with my Nanu, aunts, uncles, cousins and the next gen... Looking forward to it, family means the world to me!


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Friday baking... Chocolate honeycomb cupcakes...

No time to post yesterday because two of my darling girlfriends came over in the morning to eat these babies, and in the afternoon Marley had her crèche Father's Day Concert... Satisfied, busy and exhausted... I was baking at 7.10am to ensure that the cupcakes were ready, cooled and iced by 9.45...

The recipe
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/8866/little+chocolate+honeycomb+cakes

But I did them as cupcakes as I was having guests, and had an icing crisis as they don't sell crunchie chocettes anymore and as it turns out, actual crunchie bars melt when heated with extra chocolate... Was surprised when they turned out really well! Moist, really chocolatey, they are good!!! Even the icing...

Am still fiending for the chocolate caramel brownie - again! My aunties get back from London next week, we might need some on the weekend!














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