Talk

I had one of those wonderful clarifying moments tonight.

I had my usual weekly girls train game night where i sit at a table with my 4 girlfriends and we pretend to play a game while we talk about everything.......and i mean everything.......I'm pretty sure the husband walked in at one stage when we were talking placentas and the next time maternity bras (with visuals!!!!). One of the Subjects tonight was of a personal nature to my girlfriend and her relationship and it sparked quite an opinionated discussion amongst us, the rest of the conversations were about birth (of course) and any other topic that we stumbled upon.

When i was in the shower thinking about the evening and the conversations we had i had my wonderfully clarifying moment...........We talk about thing we don't understand!!!!

A few years ago a friend of mine stopped talking to me. I had no idea why or what i had done. Months later we reconnected and she told me that she had heard i was talking about her and saying she was a bad mother. She realized that she had been wrong and that she was sorry and that next time she would come to me to find the truth. (turns out the next time she didn't as she isn't talking to me again and i have no idea why!!!)

Tonight while i was with my girlfriends it dawned on me...........We talk about what we don't understand. I must admit i had talked with other girlfriends about this friend, I had never said she was a bad mother but we did discuss her situation like we discuss everything we don't understand. Sometimes you need to talk to someone outside the situation, you are not saying anything about the person you are just trying to understand.

So remember next time you hear someone talking about you behind your back think before you act.......Are they bitching about me or are they just trying to understand!!!!!

Hi all.

Just thought i would touch base. I have been on holidays for the last week without internet (and i'm also a little weird about telling people i will be away) So i thought i would quickly say i am still around!!! My holiday was fantastic.......how could a week at the beach be anything less!!!!

I have heaps to post about but after a day in the car i am not doing it now!!!

So stay tuned for the craft (yes craft on holidays......i become supermum when i'm away from my house!!!) and the photos of a great week at the beach

Be tired

just a quick little post before i pass out in bed. Today i decided to pick Belly up from school (like i always do). On my way home from dropping her off this morning i trip metered the car to see how far it was to home........2.1 km. So 40 minutes before pick up time myself and the nearly 3 year old grabbed the dog and walked to school. Flick did well. Not much complaining and a decent pace, however it is down hill most of the way. We got to school just on time and then started the trek up the hill home. luckily one of the other parents took Belly's bag home so she didn't have to carry it or else the trip home could have been bad.

All in all it was a lovely afternoon. Not much complaining (Bribing/rewarding with lollies from the corner store help) 2 hour round trip and although we were walking at 3 year old pace i still got exercise.

However i feel sorry for Flick because if her legs feel anything like mine do we are in for a rough night sleep.

Play with paint

In my circle of friends of am known for my ability to throw a good party. My friends all say they would never miss one of my parties because they are fabulous and I must say they are right. I don't want to blow my own horn (who am I kidding of course I do) but I throw a good party. Anyone who can have throw a party with 10 liters of paint and 20 children aged 3-7 and not end up with a colored lawn or rainbow children must have some sort of talent in this area.

My Flick is turning 3 soon so we had her birthday party last weekend. In my house when you turn 3 you get a huge party. I have always thought that 3 is THEIR first birthday. Birthdays before 3 are for the parents and their friends. 3 is the first year they know what is happening, they get excited and they have their own friends not just family friends. So 3 in my house is big. 

Flick loves to paint. So I decided that she would have a painting party for her birthday.  

and here is what I did (in case you want to attempt to have 20 children and 10 liters of paint in your backyard)..........

The first thing i did was send out the invites. I made sure i told people to wear play clothes. When parents RSVP'd and asked what they could bring i said play clothes (and supervision......you need supervision). I made sure everyone knew that it would be messy so that if they got covered in paint i couldn't be blamed for ruining clothes.

Then i thought about art smocks. I made an art smock for each of the children, when they arrived they put on an art smock and then they could take them home as part of there party bags. All i did was buy 2 donna covers for $3 from the local vinnies store and made basic paint smocks. The kids thought it was great.

This is belly in her paint smock. I made my girls special ones that weren't made out of doona that way belly could take hers to school but the other ones were the same design just thinner.

Now when organizing a 3 year old birthday party i find it can be difficult to organize group activities so what i do is set up stations.

The Grey tarp on the right is pet rock painting, The white board in the middle was foot painting (the kids thought this was great they could walk into paint then across some paper into a bucket of water) there were 2 stations behind me for canvas painting and plaster figure painting. Along the back fence was a mural painting, then there was face painting and a photo board at the back.......

the one on the left was for Flicks party and the one on the right for belly's Mary Poppins party. The kids love it and they aren't hard to make. I just got a piece of cardboard painted a picture and then husband made a frame so they stand up. Now we just have to find a place to store 2 boards until the girls move out.

We had a table set up for finished work and the paintings went on the clothes line.

Then people got to take home there creations in there party bags. WIN WIN.

I did have one organized activity and it worked really well. I got an old sheet, put a little paint in the bottom of a balloon with some air, hung them up then let the kids take turns to pop the balloons

The only advice i can give is to wear glasses as paint platters. The kids thought it was so much fun. The balloons were not noisy popping as the paint dulled the sound and they got a few drops of paint on them which they loved. And you end up with This........

now i just have to make something out of it but that's for another day.

Here are some other bits of the party

The cake.

The artist pallete biscuits (arrowroots with icing and mini m&m's and licorice paint brushes)

And the best part of all.........

Parent retreat!!! 

This may or may not have been a 10 o'clock party and wine may or may not have been available in parents retreat (just don't look at the photo closely....he he he)

So my tips.

1) Wear play clothes and provide or get people to bring smocks

2) Have supervision......i had teed up some friends to man the harder stations like the foot station and the back door station (she didn't let any kids into the house unless they needed to wee)

3) have a marker at each station to write names on art work

4) Remind everyone to take home there art work or you will end up with 20 pet rocks

5) Have fun.......it's not very often kids get given so much paint and the freedom to play with it. Encourage hand painting. In the end it is only grass.

Be Fabulous!!

So i just had one of those wonderfully fabulous nights. I had some girlfriends over and we sat and drank wine, ate chocolate and cheese and watched one of the best movies  have seen I have seen in a long time...........

It was fabulous (get used to hearing that word because it seems to be the word on the street). Now while we were watching this movie there were many comments about how corny the movie was, how predictable the movie was, how clichéd the movie was.........and I agree (it was like coyote ugly but instead of being set in a sleazy bar it was set in a burlesque theater) But it was still fabulous.

Cher was Fabulous ( when isn't she), The music was fabulous, The atmosphere was fabulous. I loved the fact that there were no "bad" guys. It was just a lovely movie with nothing to worry about. Even the owner of the theater was a bitch hard business women who was lovely and friendly to everyone.

The only thing i have to say is that the green dress (although being fabulous)

Should have looked more like this.......

Then it would have been even more fabulous!!!!!!

So to sum things up i thought The movie was fabulous (if you didn't already know) My only question to those who have seen it..........

Was Nicky (Kristen Bell) Tess's (Cher) daughter??????? Let me know what you think

Not have a routine!! Set a goal week 2....

Ok so i am back!! One of my last posts was about having a blogging routine which at the time I thought was a great thing to do, it would keep me structured and I would have a plan. Since then I have been thinking alot........I managed to stay with this routine for 3 days. It then came to keeping up my routine and I got bored. It wasn't that the routine wasn't fantastic and completely inspired (he he he ) it was that I now had pressure on me. Pressure to keep up with what I had to do, pressure to do it right. I had all these ideas that I wanted to write about but it didn't fit with what I was "supposed" to be doing. So I didn't do anything. I didn't do my scheduled blog or the next one. Then I felt silly because I hadn't blogged for a couple of days so I hid. (it helped that I have been genuinely busy but I was still hiding).

I have been thinking since I started hiding why I was doing it. What it was that made me not want to do something I had so much fun doing. Then it hit me.......it's the same reason why I have become the size I am, it's the same reason why I don't stick with anything. I HATE being made to do something. I know it is me who is making me do it but I hate being told what to do. So...............I know it is Monday and I am meant to set my goals on Sunday (I think this is one part of the routine I want to keep) but I am going to make a goal.

During this week I need to find a way to exercise without having to schedule it in. I need to be spontaneous but still keep up with a plan. That is my challenge.

Oh and by the way with my goal of using my cream I did it every night for the week of the challenge. I pushed through, there were some nights I was so tired and couldn't be bothered but I pushed through and put that cream on. However since then i have gone back to my old ways so my secondary goal is to keep putting on the cream.

Thursday Review......Thai Garlic Chicken

So according to my new Blogging routine today i need to review something. Now i had mentioned i had been to the movies to see BLACK SWAN and that today i would write what i thought however i still don't know what i think!!! My friend had asked me if i wanted to go see a ballet movie so i was expecting a light hearted movie about ballet not BLACK SWAN. Don't get me wrong it was a brilliant movie, The acting was spectacular, the film work great and the story fantastic but when you go to a movie expecting one thing it is hard to understand the movie you get. I think i need to watch it again now knowing what it is to really appreciate the depth of the story. I do however recommend it even if it is a little scary!!!!

So today i have decided i really want to tell you about a recipe i have found. I love it!!!

My girlfriend just had a birthday so we decided to get her a Thai cooking class for her present. There are 2 things main things that is fantastic about this present.

The first great thing is that it is a time to get everyone together. It was a class for 4 people so it made us drop everything and spend time together. I'm sure we all know how hard it is to get together with your girlfriends without everything else getting in the way. And to have us ALL in the same room at the same time was fantastic.

The second great thing about this is that i learnt how to cook Thai. It was great. We learnt Money bags, Pad Thai, Deep fried ice-cream and Garlic chicken. The garlic chicken impressed me. I have cooked it 3 times since our class. There is just so much to love about it. It is cheap. It is yummy and it takes no time to cook. However i do feel sorry for the local Thai restaurant as they have lost some of my business.

Since i have stopped work our income has dropped and we have had to start budgeting. So take out is a luxury now. However this meal makes me feel i am having takeout without the expense.

so here it is........

GARLIC CHICKEN

oil

200gm Chicken (I use 1 breast or 2 thighs..... how cheap is that to feed a small family of 4)

1 head garlic (i also put in a bit of minced garlic......i like garlic)

1 leek

1 onion

1 carrot

2 tablespoons soy sauce (if you want to serve with rice put 4 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon oyster sauce (if you want to serve with rice put 2 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon sugar (palm sugar is a little nicer but normal white sugar works as well)

Slice everything up. Now one thing i learnt at the lesson is how to cut up leek.Cut it into three, Then cut the chunks in half, Then slice it into slices. Don't cut it into rings!!!!

Chop up everything else!!!

Chicken, Garlic (minced in the mortal and pestle) Onion, Leek and Carrot.

heat the pan and oil. I Like the idea of gas cooking but i have an electric cook top so i decided that for this meal just to make it special i would get out the camp cooktop and bbq wok we have but never use.

 put in chicken and garlic. cook. then put in the vegetables and sauces. It only takes about 3 minutes to cook. When the carrots are a bit soft serve.

Now as i said in the recipe if i am just cooking this for the hubby and I I will serve as is with no rice so only use a small amount of sauce. But if i am making it for a family dinner i like to bulk it up with rice and the rice soaks up the sauce and makes it not as tasty so double the amount used. 

So for my review.......

Any meal that gets this response from a three year old after 3 serves deserves 5 stars out of 5

Look at that bowl. It is clean......

1) I love this meal as it is healthy. It is a great meal for all those trying to slim the waistline.

2)  It is quick. When i cooked it the other day it was annoying because i was ready to cook but i had to wait for the rice to cook as this only takes a short amount of time. So it is great for the times you have no time.

3) It is cheap. You can feed a family on a breast of chicken and a leek!!!! 

4) It is delicious!!!!

So My review.......

Cooking class with my friends 5 stars

Yummy Thai garlic chicken 5 stars

a meal my 3 year old devours 5 stars

Black swan........Maybe 4 stars!!!!