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Witness The Fitness

December 2, 2013, 8:07 pm
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Fitness First has sponsored this fitness post which has got me thinking about the end of the year and my fitness goals for 2014. Do I keep walking or hit the gym?! There is a Fitness First near to me that my main homie goes to and I could tag along with him read: annoy him.... massive, huge, epic emphasis on annoy. Ha! Basically I want to be in good stead for trying to get pregnant again and have a happy, healthy pregnancy like I did last time. It would be nice to take some time out for myself away from home a few times a week too!! I've been doing my walking at the beach but perhaps it's time to amp it up? 

How long did it take for you to hit the gym post pregnancy? 
Did you find it hard?

My daily routine so far (it can change at anytime!!!) usually means that I'm up in the AM, feed Orlando and myself breakfast then we're off to the beach straight away for a walk. If I was going to the gym I'd go at this same time. It works with Orlando's nap/food times perfectly, I'm blessed to have a toddler who's very good with routine so I can really work out prime times for exercise. I've got to say, getting out and moving with Orlando sets SUCH a good example for him and I swear he's happier/sleeps better when we do some sort of physical activity. I'd love to try a mummy and me gym class with him - I think he'd LOVE it! Especially now that he's more aware and responsive of the world around him.

I guess the good thing to remember is no matter what your health and fitness goals are, Fitness First will help you reach your potential! With personal trainers, a diverse range of equipment, and awesome group classes, you'll find everything you need at Fitness First. Clicky, click here for the Fitness First page. A little birdy just told me that if you have a Platinum Membership you can go to ANY FF!! That's great!! 




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Meal Planning

December 9, 2013, 12:19 am
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A few people have asked recently about how we meal plan. I had to admit I'd fallen off the bandwagon a bit but tonight I drew up the weeks meals. I've been thinking about the amount of meat we consume lately and would like to reduce it by having 2 - 3 vegetarian meals/days a week... We may even end up having more. I'm really keen to do it not just for our health but for our pockets.


So here's what I do/look for when planning:

1. I look at the weather hahahahaa crazy right?! But if it's going to be hot then I plan for BBQs and hot weather food, cold days are all about curries or roasts etc.

2. I pour over cookbooks and get inspiration... this is usually on the way to the market (last minute hahaahaha).

Roast pork belly with pork broth, lightly steamed zucchini, cabbage/fennel/mint salad. 


3. We go through what we have in our storage freezer/fridge and base meals on what needs to be used - less waste!

4. We always plan for a fish and chips night because frankly it's just the done thing.

So I'd love to know if you meal plan? Also, what are your favourite vegetarian meals and cookbooks? 

BBQ Dukkha chicken, greens/mango/avo salad sprinkled with black/white sesame seeds/dry chilli and hummus w/ paprika. 
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AMAZING Vegetarian Tacos

December 9, 2013, 5:35 pm
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We had these last night and I've got to be honest they are probably some of the best tacos I've ever had. We made our own tortillas (once you make them you'll never use the ones you buy again) and had them with a black bean mix, guac, potato and corn mix and just a greens/tomato salad that we had leftover from the night before.

Here's the recipes that Hamish made up. The corriander mix freezes REALLY well pop it into an ice cube tray so you've always got it on hand. We whizz up the whole corriander bunch stems and all to make it. 

Black Bean Mix

1 x red onion
1/2 carrot
1/2 fennel bulb 
2 cans black beans
1 can cherry tomatoes
Tapatio hot sauce

all fine diced
fried in olive oil with 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
once starting to soften add 2 cans balck bean and 1 can cherry tomato (all strained)
seasoned with tapatio hotsauce and saltcooked just enough to get everything hot
remove from heat and add a bunch of chopped chives.

Potato and Corn Mix w/ Corriander Puree

potato was just boiled within an inch of it's life and then add the corn, strained and fried in olive oil with salt and a sprinkle of smoked paprika
cooked for 15 mins tossing every now and then. will need a non stick pan for this one i'd imagine
then added 3 heaped tsp of corriander puree (corriander, lemon, oil and salt) 
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Breakfast Fritters With Orlando

December 10, 2013, 2:35 pm
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Orlando wasn't interested in his banana today or his Weetbix for that matter. So I thought why not just make him a breakfast I'd love - Sweetcorn Fritters and gooey egg. So I made the fritters and put the chilli in then afterwards thought "oh it's going to be too hot for him" but it wasn't. He ended up eating 3.5 cakes and having 1 egg. It's honestly one of the best breakfasts I've had in a while and it wasn't that hard to make. Orlando sat in his highchair and watched me cook while I explained everything to him. Oh, I didn't add salt to the mix because O was joining in with the party :) :) :) 

Sweetcorn Fritters

1 cup plain flour sifted
1/2 heaped teaspoon baking powder
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can sweetcorn (I think it's around 410 grams?!)
2 sprigs spring onion finely chopped
1 chilli finely chopped (we freeze or chilli which makes it really easy to chop them)
tablespoon or ice cube size of corriander puree (blitzed whole bunch corriander with lemon juice and olive oil freeze in ice cube tray)

sift flour and baking powder
make a well for the egg and milk
mix all together until smooth
add oil
mix
add corn, spring onion, chilli mix

cook in non stick pan with a spray of oil if needed
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Raw Decor + Giveaway

December 11, 2013, 6:53 pm
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My girl Cottonsocks opened her new shoppe on the weekend Raw Decor, 93 Victoria Ave Albert Park. It's amazing. I want everything in it. She's carefully curated a stunning selection of homewares and jewellery from overseas (it's been 2 trips so far!). There are also beautiful local goodies like the heavenly Little Hessian Jar candles below. I have bought one of the plates below to put our AESOP handwash onto in the bathroom - perfection!!!


R's planning on more trips soon and is in chats with other local designers. She's very hands on and has put so much thought into everything from what to sell to how to wrap things. Stock will be available online and she's happy to do phone orders and send packages interstate. Make sure you follow their instagram and Facebook for regular updates about new stock.


So R and I have decided to run a giveaway, one of the pineapples below in a colour of your choice (fluro green/pink/yellow/orange) the competition will run over FB and IG with a winner from each platform. Competition closes midnight 20/12/13. Open to AU residents only. 

To enter on IG:

Like Blithely Unaware and Raw Decor on IG and share the competition image on IG! Please tag #rawdecor #blithelyunaware

To enter on FB:

Like Blithely Unaware and Raw Decor and share the competition image on those pages! Make sure you tag #rawdecor and #blithelyunaware

Simples!!
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Pizza Dough + Pizza

December 12, 2013, 5:03 pm
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This pizza dough takes 18 hrs or so in total. But to be honest I make it and if it proves for a little longer (a few hours) more than expected then so be it. I don't think it makes much of a difference, if anything it probably makes the dough better. The recipe is Jim Lahey's he is the mastermind behind No Knead Bread. We topped ours with salami/red onion/fresh onion/mozzarella and napoli and the other one had pork and fennel sausage/fresh tomato/mozarella/napoli. We used napoli instead of tomato paste. It makes the pizza taste so much nicer plus we have a massive batch in the freezer that Hamish made so it was good to use some.


What are your favourite pizza toppings?!


Jim Lahey's Pizza Dough

3 cups plain flour sifted
¼ teaspoon instant yeast 
1½ teaspoons salt
1½ cups water


In a large bowl, mix the flour yeast and salt. Add the water and stir until blended, I use a rubber spatula to do this (the dough will be very sticky). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 16 hours in a warm spot.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and lightly sprinkle the top with flour (this is really important as it's SO sticky!!!). Fold (don't knead) the dough over on itself a couple of times then cover with glad wrap or a clean tea towel. leave for 2 hours.

Divide the dough however you want (4, 6, 2 pizzas!) stretch or gently roll out and bake in a very hot oven with your toppings of choice.  I usually roll because let's face it I'm not a pizza master and can't hand stretch bases.
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Nelly + Orlando + Rice Paper Rolls + Music + Giveaway

December 15, 2013, 8:23 pm
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Really quick post today, we made these rice paper rolls last week. Pork belly, rice noodles, cucumber, pickled carrot. Easy. We roasted the pork belly with a sprinkling of five spice over the cackling. If we had of had lemongrass we would have roasted it over that, instead we just plonked it on top of some carrots. This worked well to give the pork some UMAMI. So yum. So easy. Who doesn't love rice paper rolls?! 


This is Nelly (Domestic Divinity's daughter) and Orlando today. They are laughing at Cottonsocks. We went to visit her at her shoppe! Cute!


If you're looking for something quite chilled out to listen to over summer then this is your album. It's beautiful. I love that RZA track so much I've got it in my itunes twice.


Don't forget to enter my FLURO PINEAPPLE COMPETITION!!! Details here.

What are your favourite rice paper roll fillings?

What new music are you loving?
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Wrap It Up

December 16, 2013, 2:08 pm
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Gift wrapping. 
You're either hardcore dedicated or happy to reach for something cheery and festive then be on your way. I fall into the hardcore dedicated camp. Last year I was in the Just Had A Baby Don't Expect A Gift camp hahaahahahaa This year I'm getting my washi tape on and adding a sprig of Rosemary for scent(stunning!) and a touch of green. 



How are you wrapping your gifts this year?
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Lemon + Coconut Rice

December 17, 2013, 4:50 pm
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We made this a week or so ago?! Delicious curry and amazing lemon and coconut rice. The rice was a total - "oh I want to make lemon and coconut rice".... even though the rice was basically already cooked. Oh well, it worked and it was the bomb. This is hardly a "recipe" as such but people have asked how I cooked it so here goes! I'd give you the curry recipe but to be honest after putting the call out on Twitter and Facebook we kind of smashed together a few different recipes + added Hamish's chef brain to come up with our curry.

Lemon + Coconut Rice

Cook rice as per usual at the end, once it's cooked add some lemon zest a pinch of salt and a good, healthy squeeze of lemon. A couple of healthy spoons of coconut cream and you're good to go. If you're more organised than I was you could add spices like a couple of cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon. But I wasn't that organised.... !
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1YO Routine

January 2, 2014, 8:00 pm
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I'm writing this because I am copying Maryanne's post hahahahahaaa. No, really I'm writing it because people have asked what a 1 yr old's schedule is like. Orlando only naps once a day now, which is good and bad. 

0700 He wakes up. I leave him in his cot to talk to himself and play and I empty the dishwasher, put washing on, tidy up the house a bit - this takes around half an hour. 

0730 Pop cows milk into his sippy cup and then get him out of bed, give him his sippy cup of milk. He then walks around the house and untidies everything I just cleaned while drinking his milk. When I'm sick of picking things up I put him in his gated community to play while I make his breakfast. It's right beside the kitchen (a baby gate separates us) so we chat while I make breakfast, my coffee etc.

0830 Breakfast (1.5 Weetbix and a banana or toast and eggs + water sippy cup) Sometimes he flat refuses and that's cool, if he doesn't want to eat he doesn't want to eat. Then he goes back into his gated community to play more while I finish my breakfast/coffee, tidy up the dishes/kitchen then have a shower.

So between say 9 and 1130 we go for a walk or go and do grocery shopping or catch up with amigos for a chat and a coffee etc... He always has lots of snacks now fruit, cruskits, sultanas, cheese....

1130/12 his lunch + water sippy cup depending on how tired he is it's around 1130/12.... (he always has his sippy cup with him anyway). Again, he can refuse this. Sometimes he will eat if I let him walk around and follow him with the food, or if I let him use the spoon himself.

1230 down for his nap

1430/1500 he wakes up and has a sippy cup of cows milk and snacks... if he hasn't eaten lunch I'll maybe give it another go.

1500 - 1800 we play, we go wild. I probably annoy him. We will read books, baby books, kids books. Sometimes I will just sit in his playroom and read "adult" books like The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe and he will give me cuddles and potter around. We might go for another walk (he sits in his trike now). He explores the house, goes into the laundry and chats to the dryer aka his bff. He likes to point at the ceiling fans and shake his head at them when I turn them on. Fun times!!!

1800 dinner
1830 bath
1900 cows milk bottle and bed

Boom out like a light until 7am

Boring hey?!

He doesn't have formula or breast milk anymore. Had to get him off the boob as I went back to work and it just wasn't viable to pump at work. 

Finger Foods He Loves:
chicken, cheese, Jalna greek natural yogurt, toast, Heinz fruit bar thingys (I call them cake sticks and yes they are pre made and have a sugar content but they are a LIFE saver in sticky public situations so people can judge but you do what you have to do). Bananas, strawberries, kiwi fruit, cruskits, sultanas...

That's it!

Thanks for letting me copy your post M xox



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Funny Retro Food

January 10, 2014, 5:58 pm
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So I got mum's cookbook back the other day from the Philippines and I'm loving the cake and biscuit recipes.

The savoury recipes though range from hilarious to horrific.... Let me show you some marvellous recipes from the 70's and 80's.....







1. This doesn't look to bad... then you read the description... kangaroo stew, with pickled onions all over it. Like it ain't no thang....

2. "An Impromptu Meal" with impromptu napkins in glasses. Food stylists take note. Boiled until they almost die a second death peas and corn. Asparagus Rolls Supreme, yes, that's what they are called: Asparagus spears, cream of chicken soup (canned), ham slices... olives. Tuna Aurora made with tomato soup with chips jammed into it's sides. Tangy Fruit Marshmallow.... ! 

3. ROLLMOP SALAD. Doesn't it look delicious?! Cold, slippery rollmops in sour cream... 

4. Roast Fillet of Beef with Sauce Valouis... and by the looks of it semi raw bacon....

If anyone wants these recipes let me know... hahaahahahahaha

I wonder what recipes we will cringe at in 30 years time from now?
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Toddler Life - Toddler Chronicles

January 31, 2014, 12:01 am
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Humans are funny creatures. One minute their a tiny baby full of rolling, sleeping and feeding. A smudge in your life that can't move beyond the space of a rug. The next they are a walking, running, 500 expressions in a day toddler. 

I passed Orlando a strawberry in the car the other day and he said "yummmmmm" after he bit into it. He knows which buttons to press for the lift at the supermarket and I cheer him on when he does it. He'll wail away like the world is about to end - without tears, all for show to be allowed to stand on the dining table. Mum knows best though, for now. In the morning I pick up glasses from beside the bed, hide the remote controls - Orlando proofing is necessary and just a part of the morning ritual. Recently he refused to be fed anymore and will now only take food in hand sized pieces or attack a bowl of yogurt and paint the floor, walls and himself with it. It has made feeding time easier in some aspects (he'll do it himself) but harder in others (it takes an hour). 

There are days when Hamish gets home from work and I literally go into the bedroom and stare at the ceiling for 15 minutes, silence is a massive, massive virtue. Sometimes I have a good cry because honestly it's the best thing to do. The past few weeks have leant themselves to many hot, heavy tears because of extenuating circumstances. It can be damn hard work some days but it's also the most cut to your bones, rip your heart out of your chest in love you will ever be in your life. It makes the somewhat testing times easier, at the end of the day. 

Orlando still wakes up occasionally at night, sometimes for a cuddle, often for a drink and a nappy change. As an adult I often need a sip of water and a visit to the toilet, so it seems only fitting that he does too. The other night he couldn't calm down after waking himself up so I put him on my chest and patted him saying "shhhhh, shhhh" he settled in minutes. It was beautiful.

I keep saying to Hamish "I can't wait until...." which has me kicking myself, we need to live more in the moment because these days, these moments - they amaze me.
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Sunday Gallery

February 1, 2014, 5:04 pm
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There is an "occupy Facebook with art" thing going on at the moment. Of course I've been overly eager about it so thought I'd transfer some of that enthusiasm over here. I love art, adore it. I went to study Fine Arts at university after spending my VCE doing art sculpture. Basically though I was going through a rather rough period in my life (mum had just died) and I couldn't really see much hope in my future/anything so gave it up thinking "I can never make a career of this" - well that was my excuse at the time. A huge part of me regrets this naive 19 year old decision. Thankfully though, my love for art has continued to span across the years. This is basically all modern art. My love for older periods doesn't wane though. One day, maybe, I'll do a post about them.








2. Reka (this print was being sold in 2009 for $150 I shudder to think what it would be sold for now).
3. Sever
4.  Hense 


Obviously these are all "street artists" or "graffiti artists" or whatever you want to call them. A lot of people "don't like graffiti" to be honest there is a lot of "graffiti" that I don't like either but that's usually not actual graffiti/or art but rather straight up 13 year old boredom on a wall. This stuff, to me, is art and the essence of art especially in 2014.

I really want that McGinley photograph as a wall decal or canvas, any tips on where/how to get it printed??!

I've turned off comments here because as much as I love reading them I feel like I don't always get to reply, then I feel rude. FB, twitter and IG give a much more "personal" level of conversation. If you'd like to follow me on any of those formats here are the links:

Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
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Work Mum//Home Mum {toddler chronicles}

February 12, 2014, 3:21 pm
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Firsts, in all aspects of life, they can be exhilarating, overwhelming, put a fear in your bones like you've never known, spark incomparable excitement. For a toddler I can only imagine what the "firsts" they experience feel like. As adults we forget most milestone firsts. I can't remember my first step, first word, first day at Kindergarten. To evoke some sort of a 3rd hand memory I read my mothers diaries or ask dad, my Aunty or my brother. When I was little mum had to return to work and put me in care down the road with a lady called Pam. Heaven knows how I've remembered her name, perhaps it was my experiences there that seared it onto my brain. Whenever mum dropped me off the tears would start and I'd stand in the corner at the front door and cry, full of dread, full of pain tears. I remember standing in the corner, I remember crying. It was, traumatic for me at the time - consequently it's one of my earliest memories. When mum picked me up it was like the heavens opened. One day she took me to the shops straight after and I recall swinging my legs in the trolley and picking a giant Care Bears colouring book to take home with me. Mum pulled me out of Pam's care pretty soon after putting me in. One day she came to pick me up and a whole bunch of us were sitting in Pam's car out the front, climbing all over the seats. The keys were in the transmission.

The other day was Orlando's first full day of childcare. I had to start work at 7 and because I'm a stickler for being on time I get there at 0630. So I asked Hamish to take Orlando to childcare or he would have been up at 0545, which isn't kind - to anyone, baby or not. Hamish drove him in and dropped him off without incident. I didn't hear a peep from the centre all day, but I could see it from the window at work. Don't you go thinking I didn't want to knick down and see if he was alright the whole time I was there. Half an hour before I was due to finish, I popped down to see how he was. He'd just fallen asleep - his first nap for the day. The girls told me he'd fought sleep all day, despite displaying clear signs of being tired. So I left him and went back to work instead of taking him with me to say hello to my co-workers. When I went back 45 minutes later he was awake, I scooped him into my arms as soon as I walked into the room and he rested his head on my shoulder. Instant relief for he and I. He wasn't upset or crying but he was so, so tired. I bundled him into the car and we started driving home. Around half way the crying started, sad, exhausted crying. We arrived home and I took him out of the car and brought him inside where there were more tears, kicking. It didn't stop.

I'm not saying this to be smug but Orlando doesn't keep crying. He may fuss, he may have a cry if he's hungry or tired or bumped his head. But he doesn't cry for prolonged periods of time. The crying after childcare went for over 45 minutes - I was worried. At one stage I thought "maybe I can google how to stop a baby crying" then I told myself to pull it together. I called Hamish and asked him to come home straight away because I just didn't know what to do. I held him, rocked him, patted him, tried to give him water, mango, hell I'm not going to lie I even tried a bite of Frosty Fruit - to no avail. Nothing worked. I had the TV on Play School to try and distract him but that didn't work. Then I pulled out the Foxtel remote. Orlando loves remotes, he has a healthy collection of old ones in the playroom but nothing beats The Real Deal. He reached for it, the sobbing started to slow down. For half an hour I let him play with the remote, we checked the fans in the house, we checked the light switches, we pressed the buttons on the remote to make words appear on the screen. It worked. I have never been so relieved.

When Hamish came home Orlando was already sitting up in his highchair, eating strawberries and mini pork meatballs. He was back to his happy, giggling self. Going to bed was a smooth transition and he slept beautifully. Crisis averted.

Prior to picking Orlando up that day I'd been talking with someone at work about returning to the workforce after having a baby. They thought it was imperative to "keep your finger on the pules" so to speak, to make sure you don't lose skills, become stale. Returning to work in this day and age was (in their opinion) not only valuable for your personal growth but imperative for keeping yourself valuable in the workforce - basically making sure you don't end up finding it hard to gain employment. They also said "you never know what's around the corner". I couldn't agree more with this especially after seeing what mum and dad went through with mum's cancer (financially). There is always the other side of the coin though.

A part of me longs to be at home all the time. To be able to draw chalk pictures on the driveway with Orlando all day long, to always have a delicious dinner prepared - to not miss things, little things, big things. Alas, it's not meant to be. For myself I can't lose skills at work, I have long service leave soon too, leaving just isn't an option. Plus I really do cherish the adult contact, that beautiful drive home where I can listen to whatever I want or be in silence. Bliss. With this two sided coin in mind though it has me thinking, can a mother really "have it all" or are we always destined to have an area of our lives lacking? Be it our relationship, friendships, work…. children. Does there always have to be a sacrifice? I'd like to think that there never, ever has to be a sacrifice but I know I make them every day. Most of the time it's a happy, not even noticed sacrifice. Sometimes it's one where it's not so amicable. 

How do you find a work/life balance? Did you find putting your baby in childcare difficult, any tips for those long days? If you're a stay at home mum what do you miss about working? Is the grass always greener on the other side?
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Be My Valentine

February 16, 2014, 4:41 pm
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We had our very, very first getaway since Orlando was born over the weekend. It was - AMAZING! We're already planning out next weekender! Ha! Hamish took me to all our favourite places, including Bistro Vue which now occupies the whole space where Vue De Monde used to be. The food was phenomenal as always, the chicken terrine in the photo was my favourite - so delicious. My favourite waitress attended to our table and recommended the goose egg with chorizo and smoked yogurt - SO good!!!! We stayed in a hotel AND SLEPT IN UNTIL 0930!!! Cue angels singing!!! On the way home we had a souvlaki from Jimmy Grants for breakfast, perfection.

Want to know what I'm wearing? 
I wore shorts. My legs are terrible but I couldn't really care less and quite frankly a slap of fake tan does wonders.

Country Road heart print silk shirt find it here.
Country Road pleather shorts find them here.
Hermes bangle

How often do you go away for a weekend, sans baby? 
I'm thinking we should try to do it every 2-3 months. 
Where would you recommend we go next?!
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Toddler/Bebe Essentials {toddler chronicles}

February 27, 2014, 7:24 pm
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There is a weird feeling in my feelings that I've used that photo before. Oh well… :/

This post should be prefaced with:
DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!!!
Baby blogs, baby shoppes, people in the street will tell you to buy a billion things you do not need.

I've written lists about baby stuff I've used and used and not used. All my lists can be found on the left hand side over there <<<. So here's a list of toddler things that I use and use. I know my homegirl Domestic Divinity did a similar post recently - check out her lists because they are v similar and she does mention a few things I haven't used but should/could use.

1. Ikea highchair - you do not need to buy anything else. No. Hose it down or wipe it down with baby wipes. Simples. It's cheap. Cheap is good.

2. Baby wipes. I like the Huggies ones. We also use Huggies nappies. I know there are endless debates on what's cheaper and works but I figure if it's not broken why try to fix it. Huggies have always worked for us. Baby wipes will clean your house. I have cleaned the whole house using baby wipes before. Also the interior of your car. Brilliant.

3. A decent pram. Everyone has different pram "wants". We had no idea what to get so I saw my sister in law in action with their pram and thought "that'll do". Who can really be bothered researching prams when you've got someone you trust that can show you theirs. I don't know what I'd do without our icandy. It folds up easily and has lots of space at the bottom for shopping/bag etc, it's become very dirty and wipes clean easily. Yay!

4. Angel Care Monitor. There are 2 schools of thoughts about monitors. People are either for them or totally against them. I can't hear O in the living room and Hamish is basically deaf from his Dj years so it was imperative for us. We also set it up the other night when O was sick as he had vomited so it was a good way for us to hear that.

5. Nurofen and Panadol. I'm not even kidding. Make sure you have these for teething/fevers. They happen and there is no point having your baby in pain.

6. Bubble bath. Shitty days happen, cranky dinner time happens - a bubble bath calms baby before bed. This is free of nasties and costs about $4 from your supermarket. Bingo!

7. Love To Dream sleeping bags. They can be machine washed, they are natural fibres. I know there are cheaper ones out there but a lot are polyester - not great. 

8. Wine and coffee. Always. Always have both in supply and Champagne. Always. Also Beverly Hills 90210 reruns really hit the spot.

9. A library membership. Free books, an excuse to get out of the house that's all weather friendly. Priceless.

10. The best baby car seat you can get your mittens on. Plan for the worst. This is the one thing you really cannot be skint on. We bought the Safe and Sound Platinum.

11. Euro Trike. It's so much easier and lighter than the pram and great for trips around the block or a walk along the beach. Orlando's obsessed with his.

12. BOOKS. All the books. Classics. Flap. Cardboard. Soft. Bath. Picture. Word. ALL THE BOOKS. 

13. Music. Essential. Not just kids music too we listen to all sorts of jams. Foxtel has a fantastic selection of radio stations.

14. Cruskits. I don't know what we would do without O's beloved cruskits.


Things we used but didn't realllllyyyyy need at the end of the day:

Bumbo Seat - we used it for about 5 minutes

Dummies - we used one for about 2 minutes

Nappy Bag - used it for maybe 4 months. It was handy, but not essential. If you want one buy it second hand.

Outdoor swing - used it for 1 month. Orlando's too long for it now.

Baby shoes - pointless, a nightmare to get on. They look cute though haahhaaha Better to invest in good shoes for when they have established their walking and want to trot around outside.

Baby classes - we never fell into the trap. Orlando will start some swimming classes etc maybe in Spring but for now he's happy hitting the pool with us and seriously doesn't have the learning capacity to take a class on board. Plus the financial commitment to turn up... Your local library will do music/story time - don't spend your precious clams on music/gym/play classes.

We had a baby rocker thing that didn't rock electronically… it was useless. We used it for about 30 seconds and then sold it. If we have another bebe I'll totes get an electronic one that does something cool so I can have a NB in the bathroom while I shower as I imagine Orlando at that stage will want to poke/prod/annoy/squeeze his sibling to no end.

TOO MANY NEWBORN CLOTHES!! If you buy someone who is pregnant clothes for the bebe - buy them for 12 months down the track (make sure they are in season). They grow out of NB stuff in about a week, maybe 2.
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Light 'n' Fluffy Brioche Rolls - HAHAHAHA

March 1, 2014, 5:49 pm
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These were bad.
These rolls were shit.

I do paelo cooking around these parts. HAHAHAHAHA! PALEO COOKING. Not that ridiculous diet, I mean I cook with my hands and don't use Thermomixer things or a Kitchen Aid or a bread mixer. I use my two hands and sometimes I lash out and use our hand beater from the 80's. Yes, we do real cooking - we don't press buttons and leave. Don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE to be able to press cool buttons. Sigh. Last night I would have LOVED a freaking button, for now though I have to make do. Right up until I actually broke the brioche open, no wait, touched them I thought they were going to be AMAZING. They looked good, they smelt fantastic. But then their TRUE COLOURS were exposed… wassup heavy, dense, everything-brioche-shouldn't-be impostors.  BAKING FAIL. I don't know if it would have made a difference having proper equipment, I'm guessing it would have. In the meantime though I've got to put up with what I have (HANDS) and try and find a Brioche recipe that's light, fluffy, sweet and buttery. I've found one that I think may work. Do you have a Brioche recipe that doesn't require equipment? Give me your recipes via FB, twitter. 

Thanks in advance xox



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Esse

March 9, 2014, 6:27 pm
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I don't do novelty onesies/baby outfits… Yet, this happened…

Orlando and I both managed to get our mitts on the J3 release on the weekend. I couldn't resist dressing him up a little. Purely for Hamish and I to have a laugh.

If you can't dress up when you're a kid, when can you?!
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Fear

March 11, 2014, 1:27 am
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There has been an enormous dialogue on social media lately that instigates, alludes to and evokes fear. Blogs, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram allow us to discuss our fears, acknowledge them and give one another an empathetic or sympathetic response. The support network of (largely) strangers across these varied formats has given me wings on days when I haven't had the courage to fly. I hope, in turn, I've been able to reciprocate that feeling.

The media over the past few days, much like any other week has had us in fear's grasp. We are scared. We are scared of flying, scared of planes, scared of airports, scared of our passports going missing, our luggage being stolen. We are petrified of being on the receiving end of the phone line, being told it was our loved one on that plane. We pray that we will never encounter horrific circumstances beyond our control.

I was thinking about the stolen passports in the recent Malaysian Airlines accident. How we all assumed that the explanation was terrorists somebody stole my passport and then boarded a plane, which they blew up. Instead, there is a theory that the two passengers were flying on stolen passports because they were desperate to escape the poverty, war and violence in their own countries. They were so scared, living in so much fear, that they had to escape by any means possible.

I feel like we are all treading water. Sometimes the water is calm, other times it's choppy and rough, then on overwhelming days it's all twenty story high waves and suddenly you're drowning; only to bob up again the next day, week or hour and the water's calm once more. How do we cope with our fear, acknowledge it within ourselves without glorifying it and letting it take over? How do we get on a plane again and feel safe? I've had people say they would be happy to never fly again - my heart screams that, but my mind tells me to stop being silly. If the cause of the Malaysian Airlines flight was terrorism my theory is, that by ceasing flying we're letting the instigators of our nightmares win. We need to rise above that.

I don't want to live my life denying myself of happiness because I'm scared - flying being one of those wonderful, happy, amazing experiences. I love flying, love deciphering my inflight meal, love the smell of airports. It's exhilarating and exciting. Sure, I literally say a prayer when the plane takes off and lands but apart from that, I covet it.

There should be no fear, we shouldn't be scared and I'm so sad that at the moment we are. I'm so sad that we are genuinely scared and imprisoned by our ghosts. I'm disappointed that news reports evoke feelings which have us changing plans and dreams. 

I hope that over time we can help each other heal with words, hugs, smiles and a beer. I hope that not one person I know stops flying or stops travelling because of the fear evoked by recent events. Above all, I hope they find that plane and those souls and give the grieving families some resolution. The rumours and stories are confusing and as I've come to discover over the past 24hrs, sometimes wildly inaccurate. They are horrifying for me to read, I can't even imagine what it's doing to those poor families and loved ones.
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Treading The Boards

July 7, 2013, 5:29 pm
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Well, finally, the carpet has been ripped up in our little old living room and the floor boards are being polished up this week. The funny thing is I kind of like the paint splattered, red wine stained, knobbly old boards the way they are... albeit they're a splinter away from hell.



Here they are in all their Tales Of Renovations Gone By glory, with my breakfast. Omelette. Yum.

Yesterday Hamish and his best friend, my best homie started banging the nails into the boards. While they did that Orlando and I hid in the bedroom and read books and sang songs while taking selfies. Good times.



What a boring post hahahahaahaa this is what my life is like though, not terribly exciting but it's happy and fun.

I'm SO nervous about work tonight, seriously.... I'm convinced I've forgotten everything. ARGH!!

Wish me luck.

xox
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