Monday Menu 31 May

I am getting tired and my menus are holding my sanity in place.  Fingers crossed that this weeks does the same.

Monday  Steak, potatos and vege

Tuesday  Chicken wraps (my version)

Wednesday  Salmon patties with salad rice.

Thursday  Crockpot pot roast.

Friday  Frozen meal (last weeks crock pot)

Saturday  curried lentil and pumpkin soup with homemade bread.

Sunday  Leftovers

Open Home

I have been trying to see our house privately for a little while now.  It is somewhat of a burden because the house needs to be as spotless as I can make it each weekend.  That is cleaner than I might have done had it not been an open home.  It takes heaps of effort now that winter is nearly here.  The leaves and things come inside on feet and with the wind when the door opens.  The lawns now need mowing weekly and the leaf blower needs to be used weekly too.  Of course now we have the fire on the dusting is more intense and the vacuum cleaning is needing attention daily (well it needed that anyway but did not always get it).

I am still cooking outside althought in the dark it is getting quite hard.  I might just have to take up this challenge and use my crockpot everyday. 

The only part of the house that needs more attention than the rest is my computer space.  My gosh it gets out of control so easily and I have trouble prioritising it to remain contained as an organised space.

As for help.  Usually DH is away when the weekends are around.  So I have had time to train my little helpers.  They don't do too bad a job either.  I can say their bedrooms definitely look much tidier in general and they the under beds are looking much improved too.  Oh how I wish my lovely amah, Rose, (from Brunei) was here to help me.

Any way back to the mess.  It is all filing stuff.  You know, the mail that somes in, the acounts that need paying, childrens newsletters etc etc.

Here it is

The credits for this page can be found here at Nuts4Digi

Notice the alarm clock on the corner of the table.  This is because this space is a nook in the master bedroom.  I need this alarm to get up at 0130hrs each night.  It has to be placed far away from my bed so I have to get up to turn it off.  8 meters to be exact.

Wordless Wednesday 26 May

Autumn is over.  This is the last of the colour in our garden.

The big 45

I thought that with my 45th birthday looming closer, in August, it was time to take control, embrace life a little more and decide on some goals that I might just be able to have and go and have fun along the way.

So here goes
* take a photography course even if it is on line
* try and trek more in the Hunuia Rangers
* Get to the snow and have fun
* read a book a month
* listen to more music and enjoy it
* get out and exercise more
* got out for dinner with DH once a month at a minimum
* do a 10km walk in the summer (start planning now)

* find a funny movie to watch a share with the family

* make a photo book for this year

* get together with an old friend I have just caught up with on facebook

* take the children to the museum

* start a vege garden

* entertain at home

* have a picnic at Wenderholm in the summer

* have a date night with DH at home in the fire light
* sort out all the photos we have
* create a wall display of our photos

So a created a permanent reminder of what I am going to try and embrace

The credits for this page can be found here at Polkadotplum

Now I sit here with a new novel to read I can start on one of the goal before my birthday even arrives.  Nothing like a few new challenges in life.

Monday Menu 24 May

Winter is finally here sadly.  So my menu is beginning to reflect this.

Monday  Creamy Red Chicken Curry

Tuesday  Creamy Tuna Pasta Bakes

Wednesday  Frozen meal waiting to be eaten

Thursday  Devilled Sausages in the crockpot

Friday  Hamburgers homemade with meat paddies and salad veges

Saturday  Steak, potatoes and vege

Sunday    Left overs

All Tied Up

Learning to tie shoe laces is an difficult challenge children face. It takes persistence and patience to get past the firt step, the knot.

This day Andre took a look at his laces and to his surprise, he saw two tied shoes. Tight enough to keep his shoes on while he walked. Well for a little while anyway. It has taken about three weeks to get to this stage. He has to have a go first and then I tighten the laces good enough for a day at school.

Andre   Look Mum I have done it

Me    Done what?

Andre   Mum look. I have done my shoe laces

 Me   (A squeal of excitement) Fantastic Andre. Let me look.

Andre   Will you take a photo?

I guess that is the sign of a child in a scrapbooking home.

 

 

And so when in a scrabooking home you also get the page.

The credits for this page can be found here at Nuts4Digi

8 Small Grattitudes

I came across the Maggie Girl web site and she had this wonderful journalling prompt that I could not help but take up as it was just perfect for my thoughts this week.

I know that life sends us many big challenges and plenty of things that are smaller in nature.  Since I was so blessed with my Angel this week it is timely that I note the wonderfully small things to be grateful for.

I am grateful for....

1.  the smell of fresh cut grass on a summers morning
2.  the lovely large trees that grace my front lawn
3.  the little unexpected hugs my children give me
4.  the large handbag I have to carry the important things I have around in
5.  the lovely fresh air I breathe in every morning
6.  the laughter that echoes from my house when harmony reigns
7.  the magical morning moments that I get with each child as they get up in the morning
8.  help when my husband is home so I am not a solo taxi driver

Wordless Wednesday 19 May

Happy Wordless Wednesday

I have an Angel

We have had such bad luck in our house.  What with one thing and another but in the last two weeks we have been burgled, the washing machine broke down, the water in the kitchen (with DH help) broke required the mains water to be turned off and a plumber.  What more could really go wrong? 

After sharing of frustration to my seriously great friends on fb who naturally live all around the world.  My lovely friend in Perth, Australia went and bought me a little something to replace what had be taken and couriered it to me.  A courier turned up to my house Monday at 7am with the surprise package.

I have say to my Angel.  You have reminded me what it is like to smile all day and what a wonderful feeeling it is to be grateful.  Grateful not only to have such wonderful friends but for the fact that I am reminded that a small deed of kindness can bring many smiles.

I am seriously going to pass this great deed on.  I don't know where or when but it is going to happen.  I will pay is forward to the right person at the right time.

So if my Angel is reading.  I love you and I hope that someone sometime does something really wonderful for you.

Monday Menu 17 May

I had success last week.  I found a new meal that my children loved and I can do on the bbq not involving meat.  Onwards and up wards this week to repeat the same.

Monday   spaghetti bolognaise

Tuesday  meatloaf, baked potato and green vege

Wednesday  Chicken fajita

Thurday   Crockpot meal

Friday  Homemade pizza with leftover veges on it.

Saturday  Pumpkin soup with homemade bread

Sunday  Left overs

Bonding

In our house because of the Hayden and the time he demands from everyone, it is so important that we find time as a family and individuals to bond outside the stress of our everyday life.

I know that Andre needs this time and that he shows the need to be seen and heard without having to compete all the time.

I have been thinking about this and what we can do about this.

1.  Find time each morning to talk just a little to start the day off in a positive way.  This (as I all ready do this) is the first thing I do each morning before anyone else is up.

2.  Make sure I find something each day to celebrate with him about.  It might be something at school or achieved at home.  Include Dad in this discussion.

3.  I have been encourging father and son time.  At the moment it has come to playing golf together but it also includes lego, outside jobs around the house, making dinner together etc.

4.  Tell him how much I love him.  Sadly I feel I need to do this more but I am on a mission.

The credits for this page using Donna Duncombes fabulous Sun Kissed kit at PokadotPlum are here.

I am on a mission.  Hopefully we will find some success.

Wordless Wednesday 12 May

How many people does it take to install a new TV?

A pity they didn't read the instructions first.

Mothers Day

My morning started fabulously even though I thought the two legged mice were raiding the pantry on our one morning of the week we get to sleep in.  Getting to sleep in is my dream as I am not a good morning person..  Anyway on with my ramblings.

So I vaguely remember hearing DH calling out to the mice (the two legged variety) to get out of the kitchen then a whole lot of inaudible muttering and back into dream land for me.

Of course I was plesantly surprised to find that my two able children had thought to prepare breakfast for me to have in bed (yuck to the crumbs) without any prompting from anyone.  My how I love them.

The credits for this can be found here at Weeds and Wildflowers

Monday Menu 10 May

Well another week in the busy world of a mum.  So here is my menu.

Monday  steak, potatos and mixed vege

Tuesday  pumpkin, pinach and feta pies with vege

Wednesday  Frozen meal

Thursday  Spicy steak tacos

Friday  Homemade pizza

Saturday  Chicken Pad Thai

Sunday  Leftovers

Scrapbooking.

It has been quite some time since I put some pages on my blog.  So I sit here running my open home and waiting I will upload some.  So here are two pages both with a water theme.

This page Hot H2O is all about a trip to Rotorua we took last October.  This is a reknown geothermal area.  Out in the forest on a cold, wet day we went to a natural hot water pool and spent the after having tremendous fun.  The hardest bit was getting out of the water.  The credits for this kit can be found here at Nuts4Digi.

Here is another fun little page.  My DS2 with friends at Hot Water Beach.  More geothemal activity producing very hot water.  The credits can be found here at Nuts4Digi

Why us

We have been burgled again.  The second time in six months.  Can you believe it?

As I sit here and type this I wonder what it is about some people that makes them undertake crime so they can live the life that they choose, while we work hard to put food on the table, dont have any vices (except scrapbooking) and plan ahead so we can affort to take our children on holiday once a year.

I wonder what kind of rush they get buy coming back to our house and invading our space, while my husband is away around the world for work.

I know that it could have been worse that more than our new TV, ipod, cell phone, wedding ring, DS2 wallet with all his coins, and our portable DVD player.  But now our insurance with have gone up and that means that will have to give a just that little more to go camping at Christmas time.  I will need to work just a few more days a week and now will feel unsafe in our house.

I hope they feel happy with themselves.

Wordless Wednesday 5 May

Weekend Fun

Mum's Taxi

Thats me....Mum's taxi service.  When my husband is away I am it for everything.  Now that winter is here the winter sports kick in along side the Speech and Drama, violin and swimming.  Naturally where one child needs to be the other two need to come as well and dinner needs to be well planned and even pre cooked so we can eat and run.

Today then is the list of must haves in the car when the taxi service is in action.

Ready charged DVD player

This is primarily for Hayden as we can't get out of the car in evening.  It is just too much stimulation for him and he gets out of control.  I have found that if we sit in the car with his favourite DVD then calm reigns ....well mostly reigns.  Of course this means we get to listen to Elmo or Hi5 or even Barney for the 1000th time. (He is stuck in a time warp.)

Homework Box

This is a must.   It has the essentials such as colouring in pencils, writing pencil, blue and red pen, a ruler, spare paper and a dictionary.  Then all the individual, whose homework it is, just has to bring the things they need to complete.  You know like the spelling list and newspaper article.

Snack

This usuallly includes dried fruit and a homemake cookie.

Sense of Humour

The final must have is a sense of humor.  I started with McKenzie a thing I called The Days Funny Moment.   Here she comes and shares with me her favourite joke or two for the day.  This can be a time to relax and laugh just for the sake of it.  I even found a couple of little joke books as a resource and it seems that many a spare moment is spent reading it for the days funny moment. 

Hayden and Barney in the car waiting with me.

Monday Menu 3 May

Another busy week with a menu to match.

Monday  steak, baked potato and green vege

Tuesday  Asian style fritata ( this is almost what I plan on making but with more veges)

Wednesday  leftover frozen meals...a bit of this and a bit of that.

Thrusday  Crock pot meal.  Steak and Kidney with vege and bolignaise sause (recipe of my own making)

Friday  Home made pizza

Saturday  Healthy nachos

Sunday  Leftovers.