Finally it's Summer

We haven't had the best of weather, but finally the Summer weather has hit Victoria.

We spent yesterday afternoon down at the beach.

Lulu learnt how to ride the waves, no looking back now.

After we finished up at the beach we made our way home via Crust Pizza.  We were fortunate enough to win a 'family dinner package' from Shelly at My Shoe Box Life.  Let's just say Peking Duck and a Greek Lamb pizza were the bomb.  And I'd never had Vanilla Bean Sorbet before but I'd like to have it again!

Now we're off to celebrate the New Year.  See you in 2012.

Cheers

Mandy.

Yes I did have a Merry Christmas...Thank you very much!

This year we celebrated Christmas with hubby's family. (Minus the Parents, who were not able to make it, sigh).

We went to Canberra, which is a 9 hour drive including breaks.  But it's fair to say I got sick of hearing "how long till we're at Anthony's house"  seriously.

But we had fun.

Did you know that there is a house in Canberra that recently made it into the Guinness Book of Records for the most Christmas lights.  I found this out via Trish at My Little Drummer Boys, I was stalking her on Facebook as I was travelling up the Hume Highway. (Well maybe she was the only person on Facebook at the time)

So we all headed out there Saturday night, it was good fun.  Packed out of course, as these things always are, but worth a look.  Turns out the electricity company are paying their bills and they are taking donations for charity.  Just gorgeous.

There are officially 331038 lights.  You walk underneath at least half of them.  Love me a bit of Christmas Lights.

Besides that I just hung out with the family-in-laws.  

Christmas day started as it would for most families with presents!  

See that face, that's what happens when you get Mario Brothers and a DSi.  It's "what I always was wanting"  and Santa delivered.  Man I love that guy!

There was a bit of backyard shenanigans...

And of course there is food, food and more food.  I mean seriously, what is a Christmas without Trifle?

We enjoyed lunch with relos and dinner too.  And of course Christmas = Daggy Christmas Hats.

Seriously though, we had a great Christmas, as we always do, because Christmas for us is about spending quality time with family,  I love my niece and nephews.  

Oh Oh, and I have to add.  I had a lovely girls night out too!  Just saying.  It's nice to get away from the children for a few hours too.  My sister-in-law is Italian and I love that a night out with her family is full of laughter and great friends.

I hope your Christmas was just as much fun.  Now to unpack and find homes for all our extra 'stuff'.

Cheers

Mandy

Merry Christmas

Thank you so much for helping me to embrace blogging this year.  I've loved every minute of it.  Who knew I had so much to say. lol.

I appreciate every single comment on this blog and want to especially thank Mum on the Run who has been so supportive with lots of wonderful comments.  Thank you, they do make my day.

I also want to thank Porter Novelli, Thrive PR and Kids Business who have invited me along to events / provided giveaways and generally made me feel a part of this community.

And finally I want to say thank you for the lovely bloggers who have opened up their blog and allowed me to guest post.  You can see my guest posts via the 'I get around' tab at the top of this blog.

So anyway, you'd think I'd won an Academy Award or something, so I'm going to shut up now!  I just wanted people to know I appreciate what I've got going on here.  

Merry Christmas Everyone, stay safe and I look forward to 'chatting' in the New Year.

Much Love

Mandy.

Christmas: How to make - Car Travel + Kids + Presents = Surprise

We always travel at Christmas, it's inevitable. 

Rod keeps bantering about how one year we are not going anywhere, I'm sure that day will come but until then, we load up the car and off we go.

So how do we manage presents?

Fortunately we have a station wagon, which helps a great deal.  But beyond that here is my top tips for ensuring presents are a surprise at Christmas time, even when you're travelling.

• If you destination is family, order items on line and have them delivered directly to them.  They can store them for you until the big day.  (If you're really lucky, maybe they will even gift wrap for you).

• Allocate one travel bag for gifts (or a large suitcase if you're generous).  Kids will be less likely to be suspicious if they think it's just another bag of boring luggage.  I wrap gifts and put them straight into the storage bag as I go.  At worst if they suspect there are gifts in there, tell them they are right, and then appease their suspicions by telling them who they are for, e.g. other member's of the family!

• Vouchers are always a good gift and easy to pack and travel with.  Don't assume that they are a 'cope out'  lots of kids love them, especially if it's for iTunes or the like, they can purchase games or music for their gadgets. 

• We do choose to give our children a gift from us each year.  Firstly did you ever find it odd that your parents buy gifts for everyone else but not you?  But the benefit to doing this is you can opt to give them 'non travel friendly' gifts, and do so in the lead up to Christmas.  Like the year we gave them a trampoline, we set it up the week before and it was from us, the parents.  No need to try and come up with some long winded lie about how it got here in advance.

So here's to another adventure this Christmas, we're loading the car up with three kids in tow and embarking on a 10 hour journey.  It will be well worth it though, the kids will get to spend valuable time with their cousins and create lots more memories to cherish. 

What's your top tip for keeping presents a surprise, especially when travelling?

Merry Christmas




Mandy.

Sentimental Summer ~ Christmas with Friends

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It's lovely to celebrate Christmas with Friends, people that you love to spend time with.

Some friends, are so much so that they are like family.

Love friends like that.  

Lulu was busting for their arrival...

Rod made the yummiest rice paper rolls.  Maybe I can convince him to guest blog about it!

All in all we had a really nice night, just hanging out.  It's lovely in this crazy period of the year to be able to chill with friends.

What have you been getting up to this Summer?  Hope you're remembering to pop in front of the camera from time to time.  Why not join in and share your Sentimental Summer.

For all the details about this link up read here.

Cheers

Mandy

All she wants for Christmas is a real live dog...........

Do you think? 

She's leaving little hints, trying to tap into our subconscious............ 

Sorry, NOT gonna happen!


Merry Christmas



Mandy.

Christmas: {Food} Marshmellow Reindeers

How ridiculously busy is it!

I don't ever remember my end of year being quite like this, but then my babies are growing, as is their social lives.

This weekend we have two parties, a Christmas Party and a Birthday Party, both I offered to make some dishes.

So lets just focus on the Christmas Party.

Good old Pinterest tempting me in all it's glory.  I tried to whip up some Marshmallow Reindeer Pops.

Check out this one on Pinterest:

[Source]



I made mine by jamming the lolly pop sticks into the marshmallow.

Then I dipped and coated them in chocolate.

Using the chocolate as glue, stick a red m&m on the pop to form a reindeer nose.

I then (using a lolly pop stick) dabbed a drop of chocolate on the mini marshmallow's for eyes.

Again using the chocolate as glue, I stuck the eyes to the main pop.

I used pretzels for the ears too.  Initially I tried to break them, but they were too fragile.  So I opted to leave them whole.  I again attached them to the main body using chocolate.

So how did mine turn out?

Depends who you ask really.

I think they look a little drunk, the kids think they look awesome.

I've stuck them in a florist Block, covered in wrapping paper for presentation.

I also whipped up a some Christmas Freckles, recipe courtesy of Nicole from Planning with Kids.

Christmas Freckles are pretty much like the lolly Freckles, except you use candy cane instead of 100's & 1000's.

I know when a recipe comes from the Planning with Kids website it is going to be Easy and Tasty.  Clearly this is 100% what I am after.

Anyway, my baking for Christmas, Birthdays, Break Ups is done.  For this year anyway!

Cheers

Mandy.

2012 - Fresh Starts

[source]

Anyone reading my blog for a while now will know I long to be healthy.

But yet, I've failed to achieve this.

It's really not a difficult goal, so I'm dumb founded as to why I have not been able to find the motivation within myself to achieve it.

But I've been lucky.  I've been thrown a life line if you will.

The Food Patrol, are now are currently a Sponsor on this blog. 

Effective 2 January 2012 I will start my 90 Day Challenge.

What does this involve?

I'm not really 100% sure just yet.

The 'Basic Starter Pack' is currently on it's way to me as we speak

This includes:

Food Patrol's "Secret to Maximum Fat Loss in 90 Days" 2nd Edition Book..

Food Patrol's Nutrition & Exercise Diary..

Food Patrol's "Guilt FREE Dining" Cookbook..

So as we celebrate Christmas, I will find some quiet time to read 'Secret to Maximum Fat Loss in 90 Days'  Apparently it is quite an easy read, I'm hoping so, reading books is not my strong point.

It will help me get my mind in the right space, ready for this challenge.

So why am I doing this?

Because first and foremost I want to get healthy.  I want to build a routine based on healthy eating habits.  I work evenings and it is very easy to buy take out for dinner, purchase from the vending machine. 

My kids are constantly grazing and it easy to succum to buscuits and other snacks. 

That said it would be lovely if I could lose 5 kilo's too.  Losing weight is not the driving force behind this challenge, but my clothes are getting tight and I am not feeling great.  I do feel sick most days and almost have a sense of unwellbeing, where there are alarm bells inside of me, screaming to stop.

It's time to make the change, to a be a better me.  I know I can do it, and I'm grateful that the Food Patrol have come on board to provide me with the support and mentoring I think I need to get the ball rolling.

I know once I start and get into it, I'll be OK.

Wow, this is a bit of a long winded grateful post.  So to actually get to the point, what am I grateful for:

# I'm grateful for new beginnings, bring on 2012

# I'm grateful for opportunity and guidance

# I'm grateful for support

# I'm grateful for hope

All the things I'm grateful for pretty much sum up how I'm feeling about this up coming challenge.

So what are you grateful for today?

I'm linking up with Maxabella love's grateful link up, why not stop by and see what others are grateful for too.

Cheers


Mandy.

Let's just call this Pinterest gone Wrong!

I saw this on pinterest

[source]

I thought this would be a brilliant way to get the kids involved in their 'kinder' gifts to their class mates.  I made up a little gift tag that said 'Merry Christmas, Love Tom' and one for Lulu. On the other side they did the reindeers.

But when you're dealing with a creative 4 and 5 year old, lets just say it was unfortunate that our reindeers were never going to look this good.

See what I mean about creative.  Tom wanted some of his to be wearing glasses.

I call this Pinterest Gone Wrong.

And then there was the lovely idea that popped into my head.  I had visions of the kids doing green hand prints that we could turn into Christmas trees.  Let me show you.

We did the hand prints, let them dry;

We laminated them;

Then we used a hot glue gun to stick little pom poms on for decoration;

We used little gift stars for the top of the tree.

Only problem..... they did not look like Christmas Trees!

But I don't care, they're going on the presents as gift tags and that's all there is to it.

So why am I sharing these with you.  Not for inspiration my friend, more just to let you know that not everything I do is perfect.  I am a creative person, I like to do this sort of thing as oppose to veg in front of the TV, I can't help it.  But I'm no Martha Stewart and the proof is right here.

So put your mind at ease, we manage to create some serious crap just like everyone else at A Little Space Like Home.

Merry Christmas

Mandy

School Orientation, my first born starts school next year! Yikes!

Today was a huge day for us at a little space like home.  We had school orientation, kinder orientation, swimming......

We woke up and after 4, hour long sessions last month we were ready to head to school for the last of the school orientation program.

This was a half day event that would see Lulu spend time in her real classroom with her future teacher and future class mates.  Followed by a sausage sizzle for lunch where she'd meet her 'buddy' for 2012.  

The buddy was really all she cared about, who she was longing to meet.

So off we went full of excitement.  Having made the decision to 'hold her back', starting school has been a long time coming and Lulu is READY.

Buzz buzz buzz, get me there already was the attitude of the day.  We arrived at school and they had printed the class lists and provided name stickers and you needed to make your way to your designated class.  OK this all seemed straight forward.

Except they had split the kinder class across all four prep classes, and whilst that was inevitable, from our (the parents) perspective, it was all sorts of random.

We'd been to interviews where we were asked who we'd like our child to be placed with.  Lulu did not get placed with any of those girls.  And she was not the only one.

I mean don't get me wrong, she has a little girl and boy from her kinder group and she likes them very much, so to be honest she couldn't care less, she rolled with it.  And whilst I'm happy that she has those two children in her class, I guess we were all left feeling a little deflated that our requests (which they asked for) went unheard.

So whilst we entered the school today full of excitement, we (the parents) walked away from the school feeling flat and confused.

As we talked a bit about it we did all come to the realisation that for the most part the kids were OK. Maybe one or two of them were left a little shell shocked, but overall they'd made some new friends and this is the beginning of the rest of their lives.

I made the decision to just let sleeping dogs lie,  I don't feel the need to make a song and dance if she is happy.

And the more I think about it, perhaps we were always going to walk away feeling a little flat, a bittersweet if you may.

So anyway, I guess we'll continue to digest and discuss what happened today amongst ourselves until we've all come to terms with the fact that our kids are starting school next year, and that for most of us, it is a big deal and clearly full of emotions.

As for Kinder Orientation, that was a breeze, we're a part of the furniture there!

Do you have kids at school?  If so what's you best tip for getting through the first day of prep?  After today's emotions I think a few of us are going to need all the help we can get. lol.

Cheers

Mandy

Sentimental Summer ~ 1st Christmas Celebration Down

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Welcome to week 2 of Sentimental Summer.  Feel free to join in at anytime people! ~

We take it in turns of spending Christmas with our families. (Rod and I that is).

This year, we're spending it with his family and therefore we had a little getaway to the folks farm to celebrate Christmas early.

Some of the grandparents came across too, to give the little ones their gifts and just spend some time with us, which was really sweet.

Here's a snapshot:

Rod and my brother : (Big) Pa giving Lulu her present : Zander all tuckered out : Lulu thanking Nanna for her present.

Me hugging my cheeky monkey : My other brother reading Tommy a new book : Pa helping Zander opening his present.

Gran and Tom having a hug : Lulu sitting with Pa : Tom hugging Grandma

We had Nanna and (Big) Pa come and join us for dinner on the Saturday night and then Grandma come across for a visit on the Sunday for lunch.  We were well feed.  My mum should seriously be in the catering business!

And this last one, of me with my Lulubelle!  Can you guess what Gran and Pa bought her for Christmas?

Want to join in?

The 1 Key point ~ YOU need to be in at least one photo in your blog post.

So to join in this Summer:

# Write a post about something fun you've done in the Summer
# Include at least one photo of you in your post
# Add our Sentimental Summer button to your post or sidebar
# Add your post to our Meme for others to read
# Don't forget to stop by and see what others are doing too.

Cheers

Mandy

PS.  I'm also guest posting over at Tina Gray {dot} Me today.  I'm talking about do it yourself icecream cake. Why not go on over and check it out.  It's what I call the lazy person's dessert!

Things they Say! Does it matter if we die?

 United they stand!

So I watched on as Lulu and Tom had a conversation, about me, about dying.

Tom said "Lulu will you be sad when mum dies, I will be so so sad when mum dies"

"What about when dad dies too will you be sad then, I think I will be"

Lulu responded with "You don't have to be sad Tom, cause do you know what happens when they die, we get their stuff"  {nodding head}

Tom's eyes lit up, he turned his head and looked at me.

"Is this true, when you die do we get all your stuff?"

I confirmed "Yes mate this is true"

He went on to fist pump the air with excitement.  "Cool"

Clearly this has alleviated any concern for us dying then!

~ x ~

Just another installment in the crazy things they say.

Cheers

Mandy.

The Hair Cut

My man had his hair cut.

This was a big deal for us.

He said "Is Jassy coming to cut my hair"  (This is my cousin, how handy is that, having a hairdresser for a cousin, very handy my friends, very handy).

I said "nah mate she's coming to do my hair"

Tom replied "Is that because your hair's getting really big, you know like Rapunzel"

Anyway, he really really wanted his head shaved, but Dad really really wants him to grow it a little longer.

Guess what, he won this battle!

I do love it.  In my eyes there is no turning back.

He has asked me this week, as every one compliments him on such a big change "How come everyone keeps touching my head?"

"Because it feels so nice mate!"

Cheers

Mandy

Christmas: {Handmade} Making our own Wrapping Paper

In our bid to put a personal touch on Christmas we decided to make our own wrapping paper.

Now this doesn't mean making our own paper, more decorating our own paper!  I purchased a role of paper from IKEA.  This is a really cheap way to get paper on the roll.

What else did we use?

Paper Roll
Scissors
Paint
Foam Christmas Stamps
Paint Brushes

I rolled out two sheets of paper, one each for the older kids.  Then I put some red and green paint out.  Why is it that (most) boys struggle to get creative?  Tom was amused with the concept for all of five minutes.

Lulu worked away, using her feet and hand as additional tools. 

Yes, they are wearing their helmets, yes they are wearing costumes. Multi-tasking I believe is the word.

We waited till the baby was asleep to do this.

I think this is a fabulous craft activity leading into Christmas.  I'm all for craft activities that require a destination that is not our own, I love to share the love.

Completed on the role it doesn't look that spectacular, however once wrapped with a few extra finishing touches (ribbons / gift tags) they don't come up too badly. 

It's a cheaper alternative to buying rolls of Christmas Paper and is a sweet way to get the kids involved when it comes to the gift of giving.

Are you open to this creativity or do you prefer to have designer styles and themes each year?

Merry Christmas

Mandy

It's a whinge fest!

I should just say up front that I need to vent, and this is my platform.  Don't worry about me, I am OK, I always am, I'm just tired, maybe even exhausted and over it!

Life is challenging, every friggin' day is bloody challenging. 

I can't remember the last time I sat down and read a magazine. 

Without a million things running through my head in the background.

There is children, they are exhausted, run down themselves, with attitudes bigger than I know how to handle.

There is the house, that gets destroyed by everyone that lives in it faster than I can maintain it.

My kitchen constantly looks like a dry cleaners with clothes continuously going through the rotation of wash, dry, fold and away. 

And heaven forbid I take a day off from the bloody washing!

And finally, the one that seriously makes me want to drop the F bomb!  Work.

My job is not physically intensive, I get paid well, but.  BUT.  I hate it. 

I hate that after I've busted my arse doing everything around the house, I have to start my day again by going to work in the evening.

I hate that when my daughter starts school there will be days I will only see her at breakfast.  And for the majority of her schooling week I won't be there to help her digest her day and help her with her work.

I hate that I have been working in this job for over 10 years and die a little inside each day I go to work and know that change doesn't appear an option for me right now.

I hate that after I've worked I wake up tired.  Working till 11pm three nights a week is HARD.

I hate that when I'm tired I'm cranky and short tempered.

I hate that when I wake up after working the night before I start the day, sorting out yesterdays mess rather than waking to a new day.

My emotions are like a roller coster.  Some days I suck it up and get on with it.  OK with it all.  Other days it is seriously killing me slowly.

How much longer can I keep going like this?

I don't know the answer to that question.  Well actually I guess I do, the reality is that I follow the rules.  I will keep doing it because I help us to survive financially.  We would not be able to pay our mortgage if I don't work.

Sometimes I wonder what would be the consequence if I just stopped, if I just said I can not actually do it anymore.  But I do know it's not an option and I won't.

I just want to be a good mother to my children, but at the moment am feeling a bit torn, like I'm juggling balls and they keep dropping on the ground.  Everyone in the audience is oohing and arrrhhing, waiting for me to give in.   Only I'm not allowed, I've got a contract and I can't get out of it.

Someone said to me today when our children's behaviour is at it's worst it's usually because our behaviour is at it's worst. 

I'm yelling a lot.  A LOT. 

I think I'm yelling because they are naughty and it's their fault I'm yelling.  But maybe their behaviour is a side effect of me.

I'm still lacking so much motivation to get fit.  I'm eating way too much crap and I'm putting on weight.  And yet, I keep going, unsure how to stop.

Thankfully I have something in the pipelines for the New Year regarding my desire to be healthy.  A lifeline of sorts.  Something to hold onto.  A little hope. 

Anyway, I'm going to shut up now.  This is a really shitty post.  No lovely photos, nothing.  But I needed to get this off my chest. 

I'm hoping that as everything winds up in the next week - week and a half, things will ease up.  But like I said, I'm like a roller coaster, tomorrow will probably be a wonderful day.  I know I need to set myself some goals, get some perspective.  But for now I'll just keep going, you know, auto pilot. 

Mandy.

Wordless Wednesday - A Day on the Farm

Been to the parents farm......

Love when city meets country

I'm linking up with My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday

Cheers

Mandy

Sentimental Summer ~ Our City Adventure

Welcome to my first installment of Sentimental Summer.  I'll be blogging each Tuesday over the summer, sharing what we've been doing and I'll be inviting you to share your summer adventures too.

Most major cities celebrate Christmas in one way or another.

If you're not sure what's happening in your area, speak to your council or tourist information.

As we're in Melbourne we decided to take the kids into the city to visit the Myer Christmas Windows.  We've never done it before but it will most likely become a tradition.

We had a lot of fun.

Going on a weekday was definitely a good idea, I'm sure the queues are a lot busier on the weekend.  

What else did we do?

1/ We visited Crown Casino - They put on a Christmas Light Show each year.

2/ We went up to Santaland at Myer in the Bourke Street Mall, here you can:

• Visit Santa - Free to visit, photos to purchase
• Ride on the Santaland Express - Free to ride, photos to purchase
• Sand Art Activity - At a cost

The train was quite a hit.  We didn't purchase any photos, but the set up was quite relaxed and they weren't opposed to us taking our own photos which was nice.  Also our kids had a couple of gos.

The sand art was also popular.  Depending on the creative talents of your child, this can take some time.  Lulu  pottered along, slowly shading each little last inch of her picture.  They laminated them so we were able to take them home without them being damaged.


And whilst it's not limited to just Christmas time we did stop by a little cafe in the heart of Melbourne for some delicious coffee and cake.  Well to be honest the kids sucked on an ice cream each, but you get the drift, we treated ourselves.  


After all it was our city adventure, which was special, it was about embracing Christmas and spending quality time as a family.

Want to join in?

The 1 Key point ~ YOU need to be in at least one photo in your blog post.

So to join in this Summer:

# Write a post about something fun you've done in the Summer
# Include at least one photo of you in your post
# Add our Sentimental Summer button to your post or sidebar
# Add your post to our Meme for others to read
# Don't forget to stop by and see what others are doing too.

Cheers

Mandy

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