Birthdays and chocolate cake- too easy!

And so we reach dizzy heights and milestones. My eldest turned 16 and to celebrate he wanted dinner with the family and chocolate cake. I am not a baker, but since getting my Thermomix I have gone to the other side and I am now making things I would have previously bought.

I promised him a cake and by George I delivered! I used the Too easy Chocolate cake recipe out of the Every Day cook book. It was a yummy choc cake that rose to perfection. I then accidentally  made like  fondant icing. I say accidentally because I have no idea now what I put in the mix to make it like it turned out. I REALLY need to start writing down my splashes and splodges when I cook.

Talking of that.....I made Aloo Gobi the other night, my husband LOVED it.... as he was eating I said in a sorry voice, you know I probably wont be able to create that again- to taste the way it does... my creations need a voice, or at least a pencil at the ready!

Any hoo, the cake.... LOOK! Not only did it work, it was edible.... Go me Go me!

I will post the recipe asap and as usual I tweaked it slightly....

Now who has the wine, 16 means one thing right.... driving lessons!!!!

Pear shaped parenting....

The art of parenting, some days it’s like a finger painting-terribly messy.

I like to be strict but fair when it comes to disciplining my children. This doesn’t always go to plan and some days I give in just to keep the peace. Or I throw a sly bribe in to the mix. Hey it’s a win win situation, who are we to judge? Right?

When being out and about though I like to keep a standard that my children are well aware of.

Use your manners, a simple please and thank you goes a long way.

No shouting,especially in enclosed areas such as a packed lift.

No running,this goes for escalators. The last thing I want is for your little toes to be jammed at the end of the ride.

No asking for things just because they have neon lights and are shouting at you to pick them up!

Sit still at the table when eating, no one wants to stumble over  you should you happen to be on the floor.

For the most part things go to plan and we eat out and shop in relative comfort.

Sometimes I think this can throw you into a false sense of security. You know full well they can behave, so when it starts going pear shaped it knocks you for six.

That six knocked me the other day, it was a huge hit and mean mummy came out to play.

I had picked up the children from school, the sense of security was high and I had extended the offer of a treat when we went shopping….

What.was.I.thinking?

The minute we walked through the doors it started. It was like someone had replaced my children with a set of kangaroos…. Bounce bounce…. Throw in a galah, yell yell….

Holy Moly I don’t how many times I said SSSSHhhhh and stop jumping!!

I gave a warning, If you don’t stop you won’t get the treat. By this stage they were holding it, guarding it almost. Just thought of a treat had sent them into a giddy panic.

By the time we got to the register I had had enough and said sternly, you didn’t heed the warning, put the treat back on the shelf!!!

Lips dropped, heads bowed, shoulders slumped. Treats were returned.

I didn’t care; I had asked and expected good behaviour inside the shop. This went by the way side and was by all means totally ignored.

I turned around to stand in line to pay for the things that I had picked up and the lady in front gave me a virtual high five….say what?!

Good on you, she mouthed quietly.

A little mummy victory right there… silently I could have done a little jig… just imagine I did ;)

 Mean mummy scores 1, children 0

Now it is up to them to even up the tally board.

What discipline tricks work for you?

Ricotta Gnocchi with roast pumpkin ,cauliflower and burnt butter sage sauce

Don't you love it when someone shares a recipe that is as easy as they say? I had never made Gnocchi, it was always in the too hard basket and to be honest potatoes and flour in boiled little blobs didn't quite ever hit the mark.

This how ever does not use a single spud. Ricotta is the magic ingredient, and let me tell you, its like magic.
Not only in taste but the fact it is so quick to make. Like 2 mins... No I am not kidding nor is that a typo. 2 mins!

I made mine in the thermo mix, but this baby is so versatile any kitchen whiz can make it.

Ingredients.
80g Parmesan cheese
230g bakers flour
450g drained Ricotta cheese
Pinch of salt
Pinch of nutmeg ( optional. I didnt add it only because I am not a fan)

Place parmesan into the TM bowl (or what ever kitchen whiz you have) and blitz 10secs/speed 9
add remaining ingredients and set to closed position and knead for 1 minute.  (or mix until it comes together on a low speed)

Turn out onto a floured surface and divide into 5 portions
Roll each portion into a long snake and then cut into bite sized pieces. Press with a fork if you want to be fancy.

Cook the gnocchi in a pot of salted boiling water. When they rise to the surface they are done!

I then made a cauliflower puree which I added a small amount of Goats cheese. Cook cauli until well done and then blitz or mash until you get your desired consistency. Add seasoning.

I also roasted some small pieces of pumpkin to add on the top. Is there anything better than sweet roasted pumpkin? No, I didnt think so..

Once your elements are all cooked, assemble and then drizzle with the sage butter, which is as easy and cooking off some butter until golden brown and adding a pinch of salt and sage leaves that have been roughly chopped! The sage leaves crisp up and become crunchy little morsels of goodness.

Voila! Too easy and too yummy! the sweetness of the veg with the silky Gnocchi was divine. My eldest boy loved it. A veggie dish to boot!

Ps this dish was inspired by a shared recipe and a lovely competition. I won a beautiful box of fresh fruit and veg from the
Lettuce Shop

Home delivery goodness straight to my door!

PPS. This is not a sponsored post, I genuinely really liked the produce ;)

Enjoy mes amis :)

Gastronomical........

A change of seasons quite often brings bugs. I am pretty sure a stuffy classroom full of 5 year olds on a cold winter’s day also brings bugs.

A few weeks ago my youngest did the un thinkable, he vomited in the car, all over himself whilst I was doing the school run. It was my own fault, well not the vomiting part, that’s a bug that lurches itself, out of control via the mouth.

The car seat and him, that was my fault. I knew he wasn’t feeling well. I had no choice but to put him in the car though. I had to drop the other two at school. I had grabbed a plastic bag thinking for a split second if he does vomit, he can vomit into that.

Good thinking-Yes….

Only one problem though. I didn’t hand it to him soon enough. Not more than a minute after my eldest got out of the car did it happen.

It starts with a cough and you just know it’s going to get nasty.

I reached and threw the bag to him whilst negotiating a right hand turn. For a split second I could have been rally driving considering the skill that it took to do that..

Have you seen that Ikea ad? ‘GRAB THE CAR, GRAB THE CAR” Yep I sounded just like her except I was yelling “GRAB THE BAG, GRRRRAAAABBBB THE BAG!!!!”

Too little too late, and unlike the Ikea ad, it was not a happy ending. Vomit everywhere. That bag that was meant to save the carseat made it worse. It just served as a slippery platform for the projecting vomit to travel on.

So this brings me to today. Middle child wakes with a funny tummy. Ahhhhh ahhh moment, grab a bag for the car trip.

Just.in.case.

Grasshopper has learnt well, said bag given to said child early on and what do you know, that lurching out of control bug is contained!

Gastro and cars do not bode well. Although today was a win for me and no carseat to clean up either!

School Yard tales

Toilet training and the turmoils we face.

Hands up who has been through this? We all face challenges with having children, but this topic is one that we can laugh about, and often. You’d be hard pressed to find no one with a tale to tell.

I was waiting at school the other day for my 5 year old. As the minutes rolled by more and more Mum’s congregate outside the door, waiting patiently. As one topic turns into another toilet training pops up. It soon turns into sharing hilarious stories about our own children and their training days. The roar of laughter was infectious.

J- “My daughter always chose to poop in her pants at a particular friend’s house. Why this friend? No idea, but invariably we would be visiting and the old catch phrase of G has pooped we gotta go became too common!”

G-“My 2 year old decided to poop in her pants. I just throw them away now. Who wants to clean that up?”

Whilst talking, J notices out of the corner of her eye something unfolding. She makes the mad dash, leaping through the school yard, dodging kids with ease to reach her son who had decided the small patch of grass was perfect for doing a wee on. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…. Not at school….please!!!!

Snigger, chuckle, snort.

My three were all quite good with toilet training. Besides a few little hiccups and washing of clothes we got through the training relatively un scathed.

My eldest did have an incident once at the shops though. And yes, it involved a particular favourite pair of jocks….

I was in the supermarket. I always say to my children before leaving the house, go to the toilet as there may not be one whilst we are out. Fortunately for me on this day there was one.

I had taken my time, exploring the aisles with my then 3 year old. We get to the check out and he proclaims. “Mummy I need to do a poo”

Ah geez, really? Now? Can you hold on for 5 mins whilst we get the shopping loaded and paid for?

Please just 5 mins… 5 lousy minutes was all I needed to scoodaddle out of there.

No he could not wait, who was I kidding, this kid was in training. He hadn’t got to the mastered stage yet. The nappy stage was still fresh in my mind and obviously his because from the time it took for me to grab him and abandon my full trolley barely having time to push it out of the way whilst telling the checkout chick I would be back-it was done.

We scramble into the toilets and make the mad dash to sit down….too late… favourite jocks were tainted. I cleaned him up and threw the jocks into the bin much to the disgust of my three year old.

“MUMMMY!!!! They are my favourite jocks”

How to explain to a three year old the thought of tucking them into my bag for the trip home was NEVER going to happen?!

I am pleased to say, he wasn’t scarred by the incident. He also never did it again.

At the time these incidents make you cringe. Don’t let them, embrace the toilet humour and laugh!

What stories have you got? Was it smooth sailing or a bumpy road to travel?

Chicken pie..... Cheats version

How many times did you crave a pie but were let down by the fact your freezer didn't seem to miraculously throw frozen pastry at you or you just couldn't be bothered making pastry?

Be bothered my friends because this pie wins on all fronts. And not a pastry sheet in sight! Don't be fooled, this is a pie. It looks like pie and tastes mighty fine.

This is a thermomix recipe but obviously can be made stove top too... If you have a thermomix the bracket instructions will make sense, if you dont, ignore that!

Filling
1 small onion
1 red capsicum
6 mushrooms
2 chicken breasts
pepper/salt
curry powder(optional)

Batter
100g cheese (edam or what ever you prefer)
180g of plain flour
500g milk
3 eggs
3 tsp of baking powder
1 tbsp butter
salt

I dont like the taste of baking powder,so use 120 g of SR flour and 60g plain flour

FILLING
Dice onion,capsicum and mushrooms ( or chop 6 sec/speed 6)
Add oil and chicken strips,seasoning and curry powder and saute until cooked. (or 10min/100 deg/reverse speed 1)

Drain off excess liquid and set aside.


BATTER
Chop or grate cheese (10sec/speed7)
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well. (25sec/speed 3)

Pour the batter into greased oven proof dish, it should be runny, dont panic at this stage!
Spread the cooked chicken mix over the batter. It will look horrid, dont be put off just yet!
make sure it is even.
Cook in the oven for 50 mins on 180 degrees, or until golden brown. Refer to second pic ;)

Voila, a pie that isn't a pie that really is a pie! Serve with a salad or if you are feeling naughty some new potatoes smothered in butter and dill... mmmmm YUM!

Pull apart-herb butter and cheese or......

Herb and Cheese baked in a tin

Recipe method following is for cheesymite scrolls.

450g lukewarm water

1 tablespoon of dried yeast or 40g fresh yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

750g bakers flour

100g olive oil

This is the basic dough, I have used wholemeal and a half half before and both were fine.

Place all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Once they start to form a ball pop into a floured bench and knead for 2 mins.

Put into a bowl and place into a warm spot with a tea towel covering it for 30 mins.

Pre heat your oven to 180C degrees.

Once risen, knock down the dough. IE fold into itself and push down. Do this a few  times turning the dough as you go.

Roll out into large rectangles and cover with vegemite (or herb butter)and grated cheese. Roll the length toward you to form a sausage and then cut into portions.

Place on a tray lined with baking paper the portions cut side up. Grate some extra cheese over the top. Making sure they are all touching. Set aside for a further 10 mins before baking.

They will join slightly when cooking.

Cook for 30-40 mins until golden brown.

Enjoy!!

Black Olive Dip- Thermo style

Yes- there I said it. Thermo. As in mix.

 Thermomix Australia

Thermomix recipes

I bit the bullet and bought one! Well my husband bought one but I get to use it.

We had researched a lot. So much so I'd given up on getting one- let's just say that hubby is thorough ;-) A decision is never rushed!

Soooo anyway I have been experimenting and the perfect excuse to try and make this dip presented itself. My master 5 is mad for black olives! He won't eat a cooked carrot but will happily shovel these into his mouth.

He had a show and tell task, make your favourite recipe and talk about it :-)

His first request was actually pancakes (yawn) but on discovering I was out of eggs and not wanting to do a mad dash to the shops I asked him if he wanted me to try and replicate his favourite dip!

WIN! Yes!

Tick tick tick I had everything I thought needed to rock this challenge. And the perfect appliance to make it in.

Black olives. Use as many or as little according to taste
1 clove of garlic
Cream cheese
Fetta cheese
Salt
Lemon olive oil
Natural yoghurt

Blitz olives and garlic add the cheeses and yoghurt and then slowly drizzle in some oil.

Seriously easy and according to master 5 totally spot on! Of course it had to be tasted on a cracker for the review to be completed!

One show and tell challenge-completed!

A furphy because of Murphy....

Murphy’s Law

Let’s get this straight, Murphy you are not welcome here.

You know Murphy you always turn up at the worst possible time. 

 Take for instance last Tuesday. We were running late for school drop off and all of a sudden you need to rear your ugly head.

Rush rush rush, EVERYBODY in the car NOW!!!

WAIT- why won’t my key not turn from the lock? It’s stuck. Why???

Omg in the moment of rush I had managed to lock the door with the wrong key and get it stuck in there….. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Panic sets in, running late, the key is stuck!  And stuck tight!

I proceed to take off my other keys and run around to the front door to see if I could unlock the door from the other side…der of course I couldn’t. I run around to the back door and think to myself, its stuck no one will be able to open it, let’s goooooooooooooooo!!

Shut the screen door which then wedges itself onto the stuck key… great. Two doors now unable to be opened…

I did manage to get the kids to school on time, phew. Next question, ring a lock smith? Landlord?

I decided the landlord would be cheaper….although how embarrassing…

I fumbled my way through my explanation whilst he dismantled the lock-Yep the whole lock had to be pulled apart to retrieve the key which was bent out of shape due to trying to get it unstuck…

Needless to say, in future when rushing I will make sure that I am not distracted whilst locking up!

What is your Murphy furphy?

Men,shopping and endless questions.

Men- shopping and the endless questions….

I loathe supermarket shopping. It’s a chore I would rather do without. I make lists and stick to them.

A.      To get in and out more efficiently

B.      To curb my impulse buys

Hubby on the other hand is happy to go. Bless his cotton sock. He has his reasons, one being he buys all the things I don’t. The naughty things like chippies and chocolate…..

It started after I had two children within 12 months. He would kindly phone on his way home and ask if I needed anything. YOU BETCHA I would say and rattle off a list to freak any man out.

After a long day at work he would pound the aisles just for me. These days I am slightly more organised and have some child free days up my sleeve. Invariably though there is something you miss. So when he phones and asks I have no hesitation in telling him what he can pick up for me.

Now I don’t know about you, but when I shop I don’t think too much about it, it’s routine. Hubby on the other hand has a knack. And that knack is a phone call to me whilst he is shopping.

Nearly.every.freaking.time

It’s comical. I can almost time the call from when he leaves the house, to when my phone will ring.

HIM: “Hun, they don’t have the milk you buy”

ME: “o000000000kkkkkk, then choose another brand!”

Yes simple stuff, but for him it must baffle him because otherwise why call?  I am not a brand snob, grab the quickest item and hot foot it out of there!

What funny things does your husband do? God love them, but it’s true, their brains are wired differently aren’t they?

Itty bitty brownies

I know the norm is to bake a slab of brownie. Today I thought what they hey ill try something different. After all I wanted a bite sized treat for my boys lunch boxes.

So I googled recipes. Oh my! It's a mine field out there in the land of recipes. Gone are the days when we relied on our sticky pages of the good ol women's weekly!

This recipe is easy and tastes amazing. Instead  of lining a slice tin, pop the mix into itty bitty patty pans! Voila!

I omit the walnuts :)

Brownies

Enjoy!

xx

Fish.. chilli... cakes and chocolate for afters.....

I have a definite love hate relationship with cooking. On one hand I love it and love trying new recipes. On the other hand I hate it,especially when I am not inspired or time is not on my side.

Fortunately the love wins out more often than not. In this instance we were keen to try a few new recipes. 

We have made fishcakes in the past, but these were definitely a winning combo.

First and foremost I am hopeless when it comes to following a recipe. Hubby is far better at it than me. So when it comes to making pastes etc he is my go to man! We used his red curry paste in the fish cakes. Of course if you are time poor or just cant bothered, by all means buy a paste already done!

These recipes how ever are easy peasy, although bad habits die hard and I found myself adapting both the panna cotta and the fish to my liking.

EG I added Belgium chocolate to the panna cotta for some va va voom. Worked a treat.

I used Kecap Manis in the fish instead of Teriyaki sauce as I prefer it. But hey what ever floats your boat I say. 

We used Flathead for the fish cakes and Coral trout for the Chilli Fish

Fish cakes

Chilli Fish

Panna Cotta

So whilst these were found trawling the web, they are now tried and tested by Moi and given the thumbs up!

Enjoy,and let me know once you've made them.

Mother's Day.....

Mother’s Day and what it means to me….

My birthday falls on Mother’s Day every 7 years. I remember when I was younger being a little put out by this. I love my Mum, but sometimes I just wanted a birthday that wasn’t wrapped around a Mother’s Day lunch.

Now that I am a mother, this little quirk doesn’t matter so much.

Although saying that, my husband knows to NOT ever combine the two by only buying ONE present!

Clever man.  Grasshopper has learnt well.

The two present rule I won’t ever budge on. I’m not greedy for presents; I just want the two occasions to be noted-separately.

I have that rule for my two youngest birthdays as well. They fall close to Christmas.  December will always be about their birthdays first, Christmas second.

This year was going to be a contentious one. I moved from Adelaide to Perth late last year and had all but dismissed my birthday and Mother’s Day. We have no family here and I had left behind my eldest. The last thought in my mind was celebrating anything.

All of this changed three weeks ago when my eldest decided that he would give Perth a go.

I KNOW RIGHT! EXCITED MUCH?

My train of thought completely did a 180 flip-think circa 1980 skate park flip. Nothing could stop me now, the axis was right again.

Sooooooo I have now organised a party, albeit child friendly, but a party none the less. I might even sport a hangover for Mother’s Day. A day where I can selfishly do nothing if I want to.

Mother’s Day- a day that can be yours to embrace.

Revel in the handmade cards and presents from your children.

Let crumbs fall over the sheets from the clumsy breakfast in bed.

Saviour the sweet hugs and kisses.

Being a Mummy has to be one of the best jobs in the world. When your heart is full to burst, nothing else matters.

All good thing come to those who wait....

Damn straight, like a ruler!

It took me forever to write about my big boy staying behind, and in reality it shouldn't be taking me this long to jump for the clouds in utter joy.

I made a mercy trip to Adelaide a few weeks ago. You can read about my return flight here….Flight home

I knew something wasn't right. I mean nothing was totally wrong, but it wasn't right either.

I flew and I was like a kid in a candy store by the time I picked him up. I had 48 hours of just me and him.

No interruptions.

Just me and him.

It had been a while since it was just us.

I was prepared for the teenage defence. He is 15 after all.

Nuh huh…. Barriers were down, and the flood gates open! 

We talked. I don’t mean we talked, we talk every day on the phone about stuff. I mean we REALLY talked. We talked about the situation in a pure openness that as a Mother you can only hope of. You want your children to trust you enough to talk. I had treated him like an adult and in turn got an adult conversation.

He told me his fears, I told him mine. We both cried blubbered and got snotty.

It was extremely hard leaving- with the issue unresolved. I asked him to do one thing. Think.

And by George that kid thought. It was a long week –he then delivered the words that mended my heart instantly.

“Mum, I will move to Perth.”

Of course I squealed, I'm surprised the whole neighbourhood didn't hear me. I think he thought at that moment I was totally batty. Or more batty than I had previously been. I couldn't help but repeat several times,

              “ARE YOU SERIOUS?”                                             “ARE.YOU.SERIOUS?”

Un.Freaking.believable.

My baby is coming home.

My world was right again- Full circle right!

Germ wars.....do you take them on?

I am not pedantic when it comes to germs. I don’t disinfect my house using bottles of bleach. I am a firm believer that we need some germs. It is documented that no germs is actually worse for our immune system. This theory works especially well when I think of pulling out the vacuum and then don’t .

BUT I am a believer of covering your mouth when coughing, or washing your hands after blowing your nose to at least try to prevent the common cold from attacking our noses. A cold has to be the most single annoying ailment ever! A little bottle of hand sanitiser can be a god send, especially when you are treated to a public toilet whilst out and about.

I encountered an interesting situation the other day whilst out grocery shopping.

I dislike grocery shopping at the best of times.  I am not a chatter at the check out. The faster you can pack my things the better it will be….  I want out of there even before I arrive.

This particular day it was quite busy- more often than not supermarkets choose to have LESS staff on. And don’t get me started with self check outs. They are fabulous for a few items, but if I ever have weighed produce then no, they are often not fabulous and end up beeping at you to find an attendant because your product doesn’t exist or the product has jumped in to the bag itself and upset the apple cart-so to speak.

So I had too many items for self check out and really just wanted to find the quickest one to move on through and bust out of there pronto.

I find a checkout, go to unload and look up…. The girl is frantically blowing her nose into a tissue…Ughhhh cold germs… I was going to be pedantic because I could not afford to get a cold or pass one on as my youngest was having surgery the next day.

She is looking at me and waiting. I was not about to start unloading until she had washed her hands.

It was a stand-off at the check out. Eyes bearing down, both waiting.

I.was.not.going.to.budge

I finally break the silence and ask if she has anything to wash her hands with. Ummm you just blew your nose and now want to touch my food? Nah huh, not on your life….

Oh it computes, and she remembers she has instant hand sanitiser at her beck and call.

Germs are one thing, but I was more shocked I had to ask for such a simple display of hygiene!

Would you have done the same? Or was I just being picky?

Zucchini goodness-in a fritter.

Super easy Zucchini Fritters

1 large or two medium zucchinis

2 eggs

Chives/dill

50g fetta cheese/goats cheese/tasty cheese

Optional-onion/shallots/spring onions

Rice flour for thickening

S&P to taste

Grate zucchinis and then squeeze out extra moisture

Add to 2 beaten eggs

Chop some dill or chives into the mix (or squeeze if you buy the fresh herbs already prepared) I may or not do this some times!!

Crumble cheese

Mix and then add a little rice flour at a time. You don’t want glug but you don’t want super runny either. I use rice flour purely because it doesn’t give things a floury taste when eating,plus its lighter in the finished product.

Once you have your desired taste combo going on, heat some oil over a medium pan and drop largish blobs…turn once and voila! VERY tasty and so easy.

Carrots would work well too if your kids are fussy green veg eaters.

Eat on their own as a snack or team with meat and salad…versatile little morsels of goodness!

Taking the Class out of Business Class....

Manners- and why we should all teach our children.

Do you teach your children manners? Please and thank you can go a long way, as can being courteous.

I am pleased my children know when to use manners. They are not perfect and sometimes need reminding, but generally they are pretty good. My four year old is especially mindful and answers “You’re welcome” to my thank you. It is very cute and I hope it continues.

I recently flew back from Adelaide and was thrilled when my upgrade to Business class had been approved. I had had an emotional weekend away and the thought of being pampered just a little was welcoming.

Warning though, don’t do it- I swear you’ll never want cattle class again!

Wait-Scrap that, take it every chance you can get, it was fun as far as flying goes which can be as exciting as grocery shopping before a long weekend.  Cramped irate people don’t bode well at the best of times.

Any hoo, so I am quietly enjoying the little bit of luxury ahead of me. Drinks, food, movies. Yes I know you get that anywhere, but let me tell you there is something about mixing a gold class movie experience with fine dining that is a little bit nice.

I had opted for the window seat, which is something I never do when travelling alone. I normally prefer the aisle seat so you don’t have to clamber over people to use the loo. I thought it might be nice for once to have the window plus its only one person you have to ask to move should the need arise.

Of course the need arose; a woman is not a camel! Three children will tell me that. Add to that bubbles and sav blancs being thrown around like lollies at a children’s party. I was ready to bust a move or bust something trying!

The timing couldn’t be worse, it was post food and Mr Nonchalant next to me had closed his eyes… Urghhh  I have to ask him politely to move but also to wake him up? It couldn’t wait, the hostess had been so accommodating I was in no position to just wait it out.

“Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom”

Now any normal person would just stand up out of their seat and let you pass right?

WRONG- Instead he flung, uh huh flung his legs over his arm rest and expected me to pass through without him moving…

Are.you. serious?

So I clamber, using the seats in front to steady myself because frankly falling into Mr No Manners seat on the way through was NOT an option!

On the return, he again has his eyes closed. Do I really want to go through that again? Ask him to move when in fact he quite clearly wont? Dammit this was MY pamper moment and this rude individual was going to spoil it for me…

No, instead I change tact. There is one spare seat, an aisle seat. A glorious aisle seat just waiting me.

I sit. The person I have sat next to is asleep. I pretend that it’s an ordinary thing to swap seats when they wake startled to find me there. I mention in a voice loud enough for Mr No Manners to hear,ive been ousted from my own seat and point back to Mr No Manners,who is still pretending to be asleep.  

The two gentleman across the aisle also hear me and had witnessed my less than elegant manoeuvre as I went past clinging to their seats. They too mention loudly that it was rude of Mr No Manners to not get up.

I felt like cheering them.

The hostess with the mostess (wine) came toward me. Was everything ok?

Yes, Mr No Manners just wouldn’t move, and this was free so well, I took it.

No problem she says, and promptly wakes Mr No Manners and instructs him to grab my belongings pronto! Another cheer wouldn’t go astray here by the way.

And she compensates me with a drink- win win. The rest of my flight being well and truly peaceful.

And to Mr No Manners, shame on you.

So tell me, what rude non mannered people have you encountered recently?

Drum Roll......Ta da!

So I have drawn a winner of the MOOV Pack

Can we have a standing ovation and a big round of applause for........


TONI HILL

Congratulations Toni :)

Please send me an email to claim your prize!!!

And may the MOOV keep you sane this term!!

Yum on a budget...tuna and rice are very nice!

I'll admit I love good food but you don't need to spend a lot or think a Michelin star restaurant needs to satisfy.

A can of tuna and left over boiled rice can produce a yummy hearty dish!

So I had a craving for fish cakes,but didn't have any fish on hand. Tuna is a good alternative and cheap. I don't know about you, But I always have a tin of tuna in the pantry. I had some left over rice in the fridge also which happens to make THE best fried rice. In fact day old rice is the only way to cook fried rice IMO. It is slightly dry so its impossible to glug it up.

Tuna Cakes. Serves 2-4 depending on how big you make them

185g tin. I use Sirena Tuna -Use a bigger tin if serving more.

4 Potatoes. I've been buying Carisma Potatoe they mash well and are low GI

1-2 tablespoons of Rice flour-more if you think the mix is too wet. You can use plain flour or Corn flour also. I prefer rice as it doesnt leave a floury taste.

Extra rice flour for dusting once rolled

1 Egg

Seasoning- this is up to you and what flavours you prefer. Last night I used ginger,mint,coriander,white pepper and salt

Dill,parsley or sage would work too.

Fist things first, get your spuds on to boil-Cook well,drain and mash. I dont add anything to the mash. 

Add the mashed spuds to the rest of the ingredients making sure you have broken up the tuna well.

Mix and adjust flour depending on mix. You dont want them too dry.

Roll between two large dessert spoons into balls and then dust in flour. You can crumb them if your prefer. I prefer without crumbs.

Heat some olive oil or grapeseed oil in a pan and gently cook either side.Flatten slightly once in the pan. They wont need long!

I served this with a variety of veg stirred through some left over rice..adding the usual lime,dash of tom sauce and light soy.

A salad would also be a good accompaniment 

Enjoy!! 

MOOV on out! When Lice are not nice.....

Who else gets instantly itchy when someone mentions Head Lice? I know I do. It is a natural reaction. It is also a natural reaction to seemingly think the infected person is in some way at fault. The problem of the great unwashed. Myth Numero Uno!

It is time to down that stigma. Let us all be open and frank about Lice shall we?

Hands up to all of those who have had at least one child (or more) come home with Lice. Schools and child care centres are the most obvious starting point, and in this case sharing is NOT caring.

I too thought I had avoided it. Not to be. So I have moved into those stats and armed myself with information. I was so confused the first time I walked into a Chemist looking for the right product.

It is almost a childhood right of passage. You get the mandatory letter home. The little critters are forming an army ready to take on your school and are more than ready to use your child as a host if need be.

Do you use a precautionary tactic? Do you wash and sterilise everything in sight? Do you go the extremes and wrap your house in plastic and chemically fight them?

Talking about it and knowing what is on the market is the best prevention. Don't be ashamed if your child suddenly does the itchy dance. Did you know there are 4.5 MILLION cases detected every year in Australia! CRAZY! And what is more crazy is if somehow you have avoided being in this statistic.

"
Head lice are more prevalent than many Australian parents are lead to believe. It is no surprise then, that the start of a new school year makes mums and dads anxious of the dreaded ‘itch’. The MOOV Head Lice Survey conducted in partnership with Galaxy Research, surveyed over 1,000 mums (with children aged between 4-12 years old) revealing that over half (57%) of mothers admit that they aren’t comfortable talking about their child’s head lice to their school or other mums and dads. This figure, when coupled with the number of cases in Australia, shows that we need to do something to reduce the stigma, dispel the myths and get parents talking about head lice.
MOOV can also reveal that 72% of mums struggled to break the head lice cycle with their children and felt their school had a chronic or continual issue with head lice infestation. The larger issue is that nearly half (48%) of parents also admit that they don’t always tell their school when their child has head lice further perpetuating both lice and the associated stigma. This means it’s very possible schools are under-estimating the problem and the lack of communication from parents may potentially compound the issue.
The MOOV Head Lice Survey, the first of its type in Australia, focuses on the psychological effects of diagnosis on children and parents, rather than just solely on prevention and treatment. Armed with this new evidence into the habits and behaviours of Australian families, MOOV gives parents effective tools to fight head lice in schools. During the first school term of 2013 MOOV will be running an education program for over 150,000 primary schools students called ‘Defend Your Class’. The program, developed in conjunction with teachers, will help reduce the stigma of head lice amongst both kids and parents, removing the ‘embarrassment factor’ by encouraging open communication and better lice management practices.
MOOV ambassador Nicole Livingstone, former Olympic swimmer and busy mum of three (to Ella, Joshua and Robinson), understands the meaning of perseverance as sometimes dealing with head lice can feel like it requires the same commitment as that of an Olympian in training!
“Having children with head lice can be a real challenge. Not only do you have to inspect the whole family to check for lice and eggs but you also have to deal with the tears and distress that so many children experience when they find they’re hosting a head lice party!”

Thanks Nicole for your insight and personal experience.

So with those stats in mind, it's nuts to not get talking about how these pesky critters can be prevented or avoided.

First and foremost, chat about it. Being in the year 2013 and all means that these issues can be broached. No one is going to burn you at the stake for having an opinion.

Secondly get yourself a product that works.

If you are still with me and lets face it why wouldn't you be as you're probably itching and want to find out all there is to know. So lets get chatting.

MOOV  MOOV in schools is a new defence program aimed at cutting out the stigma attached to Lice invasions of the third kind. It wants to know how you eradicate in your house.

AND the best bit besides having a little 'ol chin wag about it, I have ONE complete pack to give away.

MOOV had kindly joined forces and offered a pack to my readers.

YES!! I tell you no lies. RRP of almost $100. ONE complete pack to keep your house totally nit wit free!!

•             Moov Head Lice Shampoo: $ 19.95

•             Moov Head Lice Combing Conditioner: $ 16.95

•             Moov Head Lice Defence Spray: $ 12.95

•             Moov Head Lice Solution: $ 22.95

•             Moov Head Lice Sensitive: $ 22.95

So now I throw it over to you. To WIN this awesome prize pack and help your house stay nit free this year all you need to do is tell us how you cope when your child brings home Lice. What is your way to combat or prevent?

We want to hear real stories from real parents. Tell us how you MOOV the LICE!

This will run until Sunday the 24th of Feb 2013.

This is in no way affiliated with Facebook.

One lucky reader will be picked from the comments. You must comment to be in the running.

The prize pack will be posted directly from MOOV HQ.

So what are you waiting for? Comment away and lets get chatting about lice.

*Disclaimer- I am now sooooooooooo itchy!!!!

Safety- when short cuts don't cut it.....

If you're anything like me you've probably gone through more prams and car seats than had hot dinners.

It is crazy what paraphernalia you must buy. I for one though would never compromise on car seat safety.

Soooo it's your lucky day-again right?

I have one safe n sound child safety harness to give away! That's right a total freebie. It's like Christmas in February!

All you need to do is comment on why you so NEED this for your child. Be creative, be silly, tell me a real story of keeping your children strapped in at all costs.

GO!

I'll be choosing a winner Friday night.

Don't forget to share with your Pals ;)

RRP$64.95

Comment here.

*****This is no way affiliated with Facebook*****

Housework, The era of change...

I freely admit I would rather sit on hot coals that do housework. I love a sparkling clean house, but in reality it lasts less than 5 seconds once the children storm back in.

WHY do they always manage to spill something on a clean floor?  DOES it become a magnet for food and drinks? I swear nothing ever gets dropped on a floor that hasn't been mopped BUT as soon as I mop it-BAM there goes a drink out of a little hand, and yes I cry over spilt milk!!

Beds- not made they don’t get a look in. Made get jumped on or covers pulled off to make a cubby. HELLO why can’t cubbies be made when the covers are half off already?

Sorting laundry- a basket can sit unfolded and un touched for days. AS soon as I sort and fold it they are there rummaging through to find that blue tee shirt they swear was there last week.

Carpets- freshly vacuumed will always attract the left over sand in their sneakers that they have picked up whilst playing at school.

My least favourite chore is ironing. When will someone invent cotton that does not crease? My husband has to wear shirts to work, and this admittedly is the bulk of the ironing. I know people that iron under wear….one word-DEDICATION! Why would you iron a garment that will never see the light of day?

Anyhoo because I hate ironing I normally leave it until late at night, and quickly iron one ready for the morning. Yes I know I should just iron all 340 of them at once but hey a girls got priorities right?

I leave the shirt in the laundry ready for hubby.

 OMG I realised after hubby left this morning I hadn’t ironed a shirt. No biggie, he knows how to iron and does so often. Being my least favourite chore and all.

This morning was no different. I hadn’t ironed one last night. He left and I thought nothing of it. EXCEPT for the fact there was a shirt missing. After doing the washing over the weekend there was one shirt that I had hung to dry inside.

THAT shirt was gonski!

Not ironed!

Not one bit of Teflon had graced the collars and cuffs… OOPs!

I wondered if he noticed and could this mark a new era of the non-ironed but looks like it has been ironed look......

Mamma Mia!

Takeaway is takeaway but when you make your own its the bomb!

We love home made pizza and its so simple why wouldn't you indulge?

The children love doing it and so do we!

Curry in a hurry

Another quick easy and oh so yummy in my tummy dish!

You will need (feeds 3-4)
500g chicken thighs
2 large brown onions
Ghee( olive oil is fine too)
1 can of chopped tomatoes
3 small potatoes
Cumin
Mustard seeds
Chilli
Ground coriander
Tumeric
Ground cardamom
S&P for seasoning
Lime juice

Chop n dice your onion and fry off. Add a teaspoon and a half off ALL the spices. Cook until aromatic. Add chopped thighs and cubed potatoes and stir until coated.
Throw in a can of tomatoes,add a splash of lime and a shake of brown sugar.Season to taste with salt n pepper. I prefer white pepper in curries. Depending on the thickness of the curry you made need to add a splash of water too.

Cook on a slow heat for at least an hour. Or in an oven proof dish on 180 degrees.
Serve with rice, mango chutney and papadums!

Super easy. Super tasty!
Enjoy!!!!

Killing me softly with your heart

Killing me softly ....

I admit I cry. I cry quietly because I can

I made the biggest decision of my life and it pains me daily. I moved interstate and left a child behind.

It's taken me a long time to write this one. I miss him like you wouldn't believe. My baby. My first born. My shining light.

Who leaves a child ? I did. Not by choice. He was old enough to make his own mind up. It didn't make it any easier though.

I find myself explaining that I have three boys. My eldest is not with me and it breaks my heart.

I spent many years where it was just me and him. Precious years picking up the pieces. He has grown into such a beautiful young man. A kind and gentle soul. A brilliant big brother. A friend.

I miss him. A lot .

Starting school aged 5

Follow me..........

When my eldest was over from Adelaide on school holidays we decided to take the boys to the Zoo.

We love Zoo's and try to visit a Zoo where ever we travel. Seeing as we had just moved to Perth,this was an ideal time to see a new Zoo!

It is a very pretty Zoo with a lot of shady areas to walk around or to sit. There are also a lot of open area's that cater well if you decide to take a picnic.

We walked, we talked, we had ice cream.

My eldest  remarked afterwards. "I thought that was going to be lame. But it wasn't."

No indeed- time spent together is never lame ;)

My Boys :)