Prop 8 - the musical

This made me laugh so hard but it's also something I staunchly support.
I heart Neil Patrick Harris

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

On the last day of November the power went kaput

I feel like I could sing my own version of the "12 days of Christmas" with all the calamities that we've had recently.

On Sunday while Luke was cleaning the stove it sparked and shorted out the power to the entire house. So we had to call the emergency electrician who replaced the melted main fuse. I then cooked dinner on the BBQ.

On Monday while in the midst of cooking dinner on the BBQ again Jacob locked me and Luke out of the house while he was inside. This was one of the most terrifying hours of my life while I calmly tried to get him to lift the deadbolt and watched him run round with a dinner knife he'd snatched off the table. Luke finally broke in and everyone was fine but we are going to be extra extra vigilant about carrying our keys. Of course the next morning the little monkey lifts the bolt without any encouragement.

On Tuesday the electrician fixed the stove so no more enforced cooking on the BBQ. But Jacob fell on the concrete outside and gave himself a blood nose and a fat lip :-(

On Wednesday nothing really happened yay!

On Thursday we woke up to discover our portable air-conditioner had leaked water on the carpet in our bedroom. Luckily friends had just returned our dehumidifier they had borrowed so we've been drying out the carpet. I then discovered we have a wasps nest outside under our eaves. Luke rang our real estate agent and must have put the hard word on getting it sorted because we have a young child as the exterminator rang me and is coming today and he also gave me advice as to first aid if Jacob was stung. LOL

So I hope today and the rest of year is event free

There's a tui and pohutakawa on my Christmas tree

and a Christmas jandal

I decorated the Christmas tree yesterday while Jacob was having his nap. You should have seen his eyes when he came downstairs to find this amazing tree covered in colourful decorations and surrounded with his playpen.
It's a huge temptation and I've found a few decorations in strange places that he's managed to snag off the bottom branches but there's nothing too breakable on there apart from the angel on the top. Luke lashed the playpen to the china cabinet last night and I've tied the whole thing to the banisters this morning as the playpen keeps moving :-)

The tui is a bird, native to New Zealand, it has beautiful iridescent black/green feathers and a tuft of white feathers at its throat so it was often called the parson bird. Pohutukawa is another New Zealand native, this time a tree. it's often called the New Zealand Christmas tree as it has beautiful red blossoms in December. Jandal is of course the New Zealand term for thongs or flip flops, whichever you call them.

Flickr mosaic meme

The Rules:
1. Answer each of the questions below using Flickr
2. Choose a photo from the first three pages.
3. Copy the URL of your favourite photo into this site.
4. Then share with the world.

01. First Name - Heather
02. Favorite Food - Watermelon
03. Hometown - Auckland
04. Favorite Colour - Blue
05. Celebrity Crush - Gerard Butler
06. Favorite Drink - Gimlet
07. Dream Holiday - New York City
08. Favorite Dessert - Trifle
09. What I Want To Be When I Grow Up - a grandmother
10. What I Love Most In The World - Family
11. One Word That Describes Me - maternal
12. My Blogging Name - aussiehen (had to change this to aussie hen)

I thought the female-centric bird thing I've got going on in the last 4 photos was interesting

1. heather bokeh ..dedicated to dear Heather !, 2. watermelon_rd01, 3. Rangitoto @ Dawn, 4. I stand on the beach alone,and gaze at the misty blue... I wish I could pause this moment forever..., 5. Gerard Butler, 6. Cucumber Gimlet, 7. Daily Bugle aka Flatiron, 8. Spring Trifle, 9. 3 generations, 10. family love, 11. Maternal, 12. Hot Chook

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

First Birthday

The day started quietly with unwrapping of family presents and has finished with a very sleepy boy having a nap but we celebrated my baby's first birthday with a lovely party.

Opening presents

Operating a vehicle while using a mobile phone


Eating fairy bread

The cake

Birthday boy and Dad

Mmmmmm cake

Then


Now

Lucky to be alive

We were sitting in our local fish and chip shop tonight when there was a huge screech of brakes and we saw the rear end of car coming straight for us.

Luckily it hit the doorway and stopped but for a second there both Luke and I thought we were going to die. He was holding Jacob and didn't even have time to turn him away. We were showered with dust and broken glass but none of us even had a scratch.

Jacob was screaming in fright but is fine now, I was quite panicked as I was worried about the car catching alight but after a few minutes it didn't seem that was likely.

Neither of us have any idea what actually happened but there was a bus and cyclist also involved. The driver of the car didn't seem badly hurt but no one was moving her as she had back and neck pain. No one else was hurt which I am amazed by. The takeaway owners just continued cooking our dinner and we squeezed past the car to get out and after taking a few photos we just left. There were plenty of people helping and ambulance and police were on their way.

The car in the doorway

Damage to the car

Car in the doorway from another angle

We were sitting at that table!

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred

Two of my blog friends have ;posted this recently Penny and Mim and as food is a longtime passion, I thought I'd also see how I went.

A food meme from Very Good Taste

"Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results."

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle ( I have had truffle oil though)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (not keen on losing all my taste buds)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda (I have a recipe for this that I've been meaning to try but it requires a tealight fondue pot)
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi (have had mango and rose lassis)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float (Isn't this a black cow?)
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail (Oxtail soup?)
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal (extremely hot food for the sake of it just doesn't appeal)
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu (gambling with my life over seafood?)
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin (not heard very pleasant things about this)
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi (according to my accupuncturist supposed to stop morning sickness - Phhhzzt!)
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie (would if I could and I've just had a twinkie my sister brought from the US)
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong (Mmmmmmmm)
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare (have had a rabbit pasta dish)
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

53 - that's not bad and I will continue to work on the others, must try harder :-)

1. What is his name? Luke

2. Who eats more? Depends on what - he can eat an entire family-sized block of chocolate in 10 minutes

3. Who said, “I love you” first? Me I went to say it very early then stopped myself and he told me to say it and he said it back straight away.

4. Who is taller? Him by about a foot!!!

The next question seems to have vanished somewhere in cyberspace, but Hannah/Teeni/Penny made up her own one so I’ll copy her …

5. Who drives most when you are out together? He does and sometimes that irritates me as I drive more often as I'm at home during the day.

6. Who is more sensitive? He is

7. Who does the laundry? Mostly me

8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me again at his insistence, something to do with his shoulder?

9. Who pays the bills? Definitely me, if I left it up to him we'd be in debtors prison.

10. Who cooks more? Me. He can cook but doesn't very often although as I type this he's baking scones for work.

11. Who is more stubborn? Hmmmm it's a tie - luckily we're usually stubborn about different things. Heaven help Jacob though inheriting it from both sides.

12. Who is the first to admit they are wrong? Again we both do this and rarely fight.

13. Who has more siblings? We both have a sibling each and I have a sister while he has a brother.

14. Who wears the pants in the relationship? We're pretty equal and share the load. Recently I've been carrying the emotional burden as he's going through therapy but sometimes when I've had enough he'll step up. He will take over most of the childcare duties on the weekend to give me a break but also because he loves spending time with Jacob. We make decisions together although I've usually done the research.

15. What do you like to do together? We go to the local farmers market every Saturday and I love it because we actually talk to each other! Aside from that we both love reading and I've been having lots of fun "pushing" books his way especially some of my childhood favourites like Tamora Pierce. It was so fantastic seeing someone else love them. We both spend a lot of time our computers and sometimes a Saturday night consists of us sitting side by side companionably surfing the net or playing games.

16. Who eats more sweets? He does, I'm always finding chocolate bar wrappers in the car or he mentions he's hit the vending machine at work (see 2)

17. Guilty Pleasures? probably bad TV, trashy vampire novels, McDonalds nuggets and BBQ sauce.

18. How did you meet? Introduced by friends who thought we were completely wrong for each other but have been pleasantly surprised I think.

19. Who asked whom out first? He did - rang me the next day after we'd spent time together.

20. Who kissed who first? He did - surprised me completely

21. Who proposed? He did spontaneously got down on one knee during dinner. I was so shocked that I said yes then nothing else for 10 minutes

22. His best features and qualities? He's very loving and gentle especially with our son but is very affectionate with me too. He tries to come across as a mean tough guy but is the most sensitive person I know. He can be crazy and out of control in a good way and is sometimes exasperating but when I need him he's always there for me. He really listens although he may not agree and does not let me get away with stuff! Oh and I think he's gorgeous.

23. Tag some people. Penny tagged most that I would have tagged so feel free to take part if you have time. Mim? Anyone?

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

Or rather we went on Sunday. Luke gave me a Zoofriends membership for my birthday so Jacob and I can go whenever we want. Also it can be used at the Melbourne Zoo which will be very useful in September when we take a trip there.

From the ferry on the way there

An elephant, I'm not sure who.

A Fennec Fox

A Meercat enjoying the heat lamp

A baby hippo


An Ibex (I think)Jacob Brown, a longbeaked Corella

A Wedge Tailed Eagle

The city from the Zoo. Notice the dark clouds; stormed not long after this and we had to wait on the dock for the ferry during the thunder and lightening, luckily under cover.

My Birthday

In keeping with family tradition here's my last night of 30

We had a picnic on my birthday, it was lovely and sunny but pretty cold.

Blogging for a good cause

A friend in Malaysia, Rachel is in an international scrapbook competition and needs our support.
Basically she's one of the final few and as well as judging their entries immunity is also important. Anyway how it works is like this

• 2 points scored if her blog post on PSA Challenge 10 has more than 5 comments.
• 2 points scored for every third party (that's us) that mentions Rachel and Project Scrap Away (including links) on your own blog and leaves a comment on Project Scrap Away's Immunity blog post (you just need to write your name + Rachel's friend and a link back to your blog).

So get blogging!

He conquers...

The Destruction

and the Destructor

Expecting the return

I have just ordered myself a new mooncup apparently you need a bigger size if you have given birth or you're over 30 years how depressing is that? While my period still hasn't returned due to Jacob breastfeeding, the number of times he is feeding is getting less so it may not be long before I need it.

So because of this I have a discount code for three friends - if you want this please leave a comment.

If you're a bit dubious or squeamish please be reassured that with a bit of practice it's extremely easy to use a mooncup. It's much much cheaper than using tampons and it feels much healthier and cleaner too.

edited to add: all the discount codes were taken, please don't comment asking for one.

Baker hard at work

No not me - Jacob

(you might want to turn the sound down those bowls are loud!)

5 Things

Penny tagged anyone who was so inclined to do this meme and while I'd like to be on an incline so I can get some sleep or is that reclined? I also was inclined to give this a whirl


5 things found in my bag:

1. Elizabeth Arden 8 hour Lip Balm in Berry

2. Teething Spray

3. Changing Mat

4. Merino Blanket

5. BabyBanz Sunglasses

5 favourite things in my craft room: (what craft room?)

1. My sewing machine

2. My PC

3. my paper and card all waiting for me to have time and inspiration

4. My bag of ribbons

5. My new elephant stamp from smiggle

5 things I have always wanted to do:

1. Visit New York City

2. Have a white Christmas

3. See a dugong

4. Spend the whole day at a spa being pampered

5. Write a book

5 things I am currently into:

1. Baking

2. Breastfeeding

3. Babywearing

4. Designing my dream kitchen (I can dream)

5. Scrapbooking

5 people I am tagging:

Whoever feels inclined

Menu Plan Monday

I didn't get a menu plan up last week although I did have a plan. We're still eating the fabulous chicken soup/stew that Luke made - it was enough for 4 meals! We bought safety gates yesterday for the bottom of the stairs, the laundry and ordered another one for the top of the stairs.
The laundry leads into the downstairs toilet which is really the cats domain , they have their 2 litter boxes in there and at times it's a little messy. We've hopefully cut down on some of that mess by replacing the small shallow box with a big box that has a lid with a door in it so the litter shouldn't all end up on the floor but even so we don't want Jacob rolling around in there. We've also put their food and water bowls in the laundry behind the fence as Jacob's already upset their water twice. I think this maybe a sanctuary for them along with the stairs.


Monday - Spinach, ricotta and pine nut lasagne
Tuesday - Chicken Soup, rolls and Queen of Puddings
Wednesday - Cottage Pie
Thursday - Slow Cooker Beef Casserole with couscous, roasted pumpkin and leeks in a cheese sauce
Friday - Lamb casserole with oven sautéed potatoes and steamed broccoli
Saturday - Luke's probably cooking something this night
Sunday - Beef Fried Rice (we just bought a new wok at IKEA)

Oy vey you can tell it's winter can't you? Lots of casseroles and other hearty fare. All the casseroles and the soup are coming out of the freezer; I've been stocking up.

Ta da!

Please excuse the terrible quality of this. Why is it I always take videos of my progeny at night when the lighting is poor?
Anyway this is Jacob getting up on his hands and knees and rocking. He's so almost crawling I bet he can taste it.
Notice how the cat runs past to entice him too. Also that sound just before the cat's entrance is not thunder but the cats rumpusing upstairs.
Also Jacob is shouting - he's grumpy, this was shot about 5.45pm and he has a cold but I think it's mostly frustration

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Sesame chicken served with rice and steamed asian greens and ricotta puddings

Tuesday - Pepperoni and Broccoli Fettuccine
Wednesday - Mushroom and Barley Soup with Toasted Sourdough bread and Bread and Butter Pudding made with Croissants and Cranberries
Thursday - Mince Stroganoff and steamed vegetables
Friday - Tuna Macaroni Bake served with Steamed vegetables
Saturday - Hmmm not sure Luke might be creative again
Sunday - corn fritters with bacon, relish, sour cream and salad

We've had a good week and this one is shaping up well too. Although Luke has been home sick today and might have strep throat again :-(
Luke did make the most amazing dinner on Saturday night, it was a Nigel Slater recipe of a slow cooked chicken soup/stew with chicken pieces, large chucks of veges, barley and herbs. It was delicious and very restorative.
The Mushroom and Barley Soup is a Maggie Beer recipe from the program The Cook and Chef on ABC. Repeats are also currently being shown on the Food Channel on Foxtel so Jacob and I watch it at least once a day during the week. It involves Maggie Beer (the cook) and Simon Bryant (the chef) the executive chef at the Hilton Adelaide. Every week they cook favourite dishes in their own styles and do small segments on local producers and ingredients. I love their banter and their food and look forward to every new episode.

Which Shakespeare Play are you?

Apparently I am Much Ado About Nothing
Based on your results, we believe you to be a quick-witted, light-hearted romantic who is probably very charming and charismatic. While your stubbornness may sometimes get the better of you, we are confident that you always eventually come to your senses and do what's best. You probably have a lot of friends and we like you too!
You scored 24% = Tragic, 58% = Comic, 39% = Romantic, 35% = Historic

UnRead

Pinched from Mim at Mim's Muddle
What we have here is the top 100 or so books most often marked as “unread” by LibraryThing’s users. As in, they sit on the shelf to make you look smart or well-rounded. Bold the ones you’ve read, underline the ones you read for school, italicize the ones you started but didn’t finish.

Mim said
"Not going to do the underlining because often I'd already read for pleasure books that were later assigned as school reading. So, bold means I’ve read it, whether for school or for fun. Italic means I started and didn’t finish. Plain text means I haven’t even tried."

I second this as I read so fast that I always finished books I studied and often reread them

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Anna Karenina
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi : a novel
The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary (was a bookclub book whoops!)
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
The Tale of Two Cities (just never grabbed me)
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel
War and Peace (again never got into it)
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveler’s Wife
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin (I loved this although it took a couple of attempts to start it)
The Kite Runner (seen the movie, will not read the book, far too traumatic)
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods (this is genius)
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Atlas Shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West
The Canterbury Tales
The Historian : a novel
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Love in the Time of Cholera
Brave New World
The Fountainhead
Foucault’s Pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A Clockwork Orange
Anansi Boys (must try this one, Luke loved it)
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible
1984
Angels & Demons
Inferno
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver’s Travels
Les Misérables
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dune
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury
Angela’s Ashes : a memoir

The God of Small Things
A People’s History of the United States : 1492-present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-five
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The Mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake
Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an inquiry into values
The Aeneid
Watership Down
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit
In Cold Blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences
White Teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield

First Solids

First taste of rice cereal

I help

Not quite as tasty as I first thought

Jacob had his first taste of solids on Sunday and he's doing well. He loooves pumpkin and sometimes lunges at the spoon when eating it. So far he's tried apple, pumpkin, peach, and rice cereal and today we're going to give carrot a go.

Family

Last Thursday we flew to Brisbane to visit my husband's parents. It was a visit that we'd looked towards with reluctance and trepidation as it was the first time we'd seen them since Luke told them he'd been sexually abused as a child. Their reaction had been very discouraging but my brave husband needed to sort this issue out with them so we went.

From the moment of arrival the air was filled with tension, my FIL went through the gestures of greeting us, my MIL went to a workshop instead. When she did arrive home she was "too tired" to cook and then disappeared as early as possible to her room. The next day this pattern continued - every time Luke spoke they ignored him or spoke over the top of him in case he might say something they didn't want to hear. The only person they show genuine interest in or affection for was Jacob.

Finally on Saturday afternoon Luke asked to speak with them and they proceeded to attack us. First of all MIL's health somehow was our fault then we had behaved badly over the weekend then our parenting was at fault. They were not responsible for anything. They also did not believe Luke about the abuse.
So we left.
We packed up our clothes, toiletries and Jacob's toys and left. We got a flight home that night and were so glad to reach the comfort and safety of our own home.

MIL told us she had not raised the issue because she knew we would leave because Luke does not listen. We flew an awful long way and spent a lot of money to be there and all Luke wanted was for them to listen to him and show some concern. If you knew you were in danger of losing your son and grandson would you not try to fix this? Right up until the minute we left they could not unbend themselves to ask him if he was ok or how he was coping.

Luke's psychiatrist told Luke that while he does not support breaking up family relationships, in very rare cases the relationship is too "toxic" to be saved and that in his opinion Luke did everything he possible could to save it.
While Luke is making his peace with this, I grieve for my husband, apart from a brother who seems to be supporting his parents' view point, they are the only family he has.

Luckily my parents seem to love and care for him more than his own. They have been nothing but supportive and concerned through this whole ordeal and treat him as if he was their own son.

You've come a long way baby

I watched the first video I shot of Jacob rolling last night and was just amazed at the difference in the past few months. He now confidently and quickly rolls from back to front and front to back and is now rolling across the floor to his destinations. It's not the most accurate way to travel and he's often frustrated but he's also very very close to commando crawling.

The video is so dark but I can't find a way to lighten it, way beyond my IT skills

Menu Plan Tuesday

Sigh I was trying to post this yesterday afternoon but life got in the way.
Things got a bit turned around last week and I ended swapping meals around to different days. Tuesday night we actually went out to our local RSL for dinner and Sunday night I had a terrible headache and slept for a couple of hours so we had takeaways. We didn't have the felafel or the cottage pie. So here's this week

Monday - Felafel with pita, hummus, yoghurt, relish and salad (this, as always, was yummy)
Tuesday - Dunsandel Store's Macaroni Cheese
Wednesday - Chickpea Curry with fragrant rice, peas, naan bread, and gulab jamun

On Thursday we're flying to Brisbane to spend 5 days with my in-laws so I don't have to plan the rest of the week - Yay! I'll make the Cottage Pie on Monday when we get back and that will probably yield enough for dinner that night, another meal which I'll pop in the freezer and maybe even lunch for Luke the next day.

Menu Plan Monday

I didn't update about our previous week so I'll attempt to catch you up now while my muesli baking.
Tonight's dinner was delicious although a bit fiddly to make. The gulab jamun (a cheese dumpling in a very sweet syup) was out of a tin and an experiment but I'll buy it again, it gives a nice finish as a dessert after a curry.

Monday - Lamb Kofta with turmeric rice, naan bread, peas and gulab jamun
Tuesday - Chicken Fried Rice with Asian greens
Wednesday - Devilled Sausages with mashed potatoes, peas and carrots
Thursday - Felafel with pita, yoghurt, hummus and salad
Friday - Crumbed Fish Fillets with Gratin Dauphinois and steamed veg
Saturday - Steak with baked potatoes and steamed veg
Sunday - Cottage Pie

The previous week we went to a lecture on Starting Solids at the Early Childhood Health Centre. Jacob is so ready for this to the point where he avidly watches everything I eat and stops breastfeeding if I'm eating because he wants some. However we're going up to Brisbane over Anzac weekend and I don't want to be fussing around mixing up rice cereal while up there so I'm going to wait until we get home. Jacob will be a week away from 6 months then and the WHO recommendation is to wait until 6 months as is the ECHC especially as Luke has a tree nut allergy so while I do feel a bit mean, I think it's the best option.
I also went to a session on Discipline without Distress with Judy Arnall who was visiting from Canada. I'll write a little more about this another time.

Last week I took Jacob to my old work for the first time. He was much fussed over and was on his best behaviour, very smiley and laughing so I was very proud and pleased that they'd all seen my gorgeous boy at his best.
Luke had Friday off so we tried to make the most of it by a walk to the library and then a picnic in Centennial Park where we could see horses being ridden as well as lots of people walking, riding bikes and making other uses of the park.
Saturday we went to the Orange Grove Markets held at the Orange Grove Primary School which is within a 20 minute walk of our house.

Sunday we went to view the photos we'd had taken the previous weekend. This was a "free session" deal with a voucher for $290 for a session and 1 5 x7 photo. Of course they're trying to get you to buy other photos which they sell at astronomical prices but as the photos were decidedly disappointing we stuck to our guns and ordered our free photo and nothing else.

Menu Plan Monday

Will she finally post this on a Monday?

Monday - Alu Mattar Sukhe with fragrant rice
Tuesday - Beef and Haloumi Skewers with caper butter, corn tortillas and a peach tart
Wednesday - Lamb casserole with mashed potatoes and peas
Thursday - Beef Stroganoff with rice and green beans
Friday - Garlic Prawns with angelhair pasta
Saturday - Barbecued Chops (lamb for me and pork for Luke)
Sunday - Spinach Soufflé and salad

whew!
More about our week later

Is it Thursday already?

Lol I had my post all prepared Sunday night ready to add a few comments and then upload and I forgot all about it. I was going to call it "Finally Menu Plan Monday! "

We've stuck to the menu plan so far this week and I'm really looking forward to tonight's dinner. I mastered the concept of fried rice a couple of week ago with some leftover rice I cooked up for my lunch , was just playing around really, experimenting and we had hardly anything to go in it so I added chopped up omelette, garlic and peas and it was great. So I'm expanding and this time I'll have cooked chicken, spring onions (called shallots here), omelette, garlic, corn kernels and peas. Hopefully Luke will like it as he used to make his own fried rice (more Thai style) in his bachelor days which was heavy on the lemon, garlic, chilli and soy and not really to my taste.

Monday - Greek Style Lamb on Couscous
Tuesday - Corned Beef with Mashed Potatoes, Cabbage, Carrots and Mustard Sauce
Wednesday - Frypan Cauliflower Cheese with Wild Rice
Thursday - Chicken Fried Rice with Asian greens
Friday - Tuna and Macaroni Bake with Steamed veges
Saturday - Barbecued Ribs, baked potatoes, coleslaw and a green salad followed by a Lemon Frozen Pudding and fruit
Sunday - Sausage Rolls and leftover salad

We're having friends for dinner again this Saturday, different friends so we're trying the same menu again as it was very successful last time.
The Easter Show was fantastic and Jacob was amazing. We left the house at 9.15am to drive to the station and didn't get home until around 10pm. He slept a lot in his pram, far more than he normally sleeps during the day and was fed and changed in some crazy places but apart from a few grizzles around 9pm while I was eating my dinner and he wanted to be fed too, he was an angel. It was partly due to that the couple we were with helped out with him and carried him around a lot meaning that he could see everything and didn't get bored. He even slept during the motorcross and V6 ute stunt riding.
We did all the things your supposed to do at the show; woodchopping, cat show, dog show, Country Womens' Institute Cafe where we had sandwiches, scones and tea, best art, best cakes, jams, preserves, the Oak milk bar, Dagwood dogs (hotdog on a stick), the rides although I didn't participate in this, show bags. We didn't see much of the farm animals and when we went to see them it was closed for the day so next year we'll have to show Jacob the baby animals.

Whoops Menu Plan Thursday?

Well Easter has screwed me up, I keep thinking it's much earlier in the week than it is. We're doing really well with our meals though, I think the last time we had takeaways was when my Mum was here.
We had friends over for dinner on Saturday and had a lovely meal of barbecued ribs, baked potatoes, coleslaw and green salad. I also served pastizzis (Maltese spinach and ricotta pastries) with drinks and a lemon frozen pudding for dessert. We finished the evening with cheese, muscatel grapes, some divine blood plum paste and Muscat liquer and a good time was had by all. They have a little girl about two weeks older than Jacob and they were very cute together.

I roasted a leg of lamb for dinner Easter Sunday and then on Tuesday we had the leftover lamb in a white sauce with onions and mushrooms, very interesting. Monday we had veal cordon bleu from the freezer and Wednesday we had penne boscaiola, or at least my version of it. Tonight we had Tuna and Risoni Salad with a crusty loaf that I got free from Baker's Delight with my loyalty card. This is one of my favourite meals as it makes me feel very virtuous and healthy although the ricotta on the top of the salad probably detracts from this.

Tomorrow night it's frozen Swedish meatballs from IKEA and I'll try to remember the lingonberry sauce this time and Saturday we're having Beef and Haloumi Skewers with caper butter. Sunday we're having a Bacon, Leek and Potato Tart made using a frozen pie shell as I really don't have a hand for pastry.

We're going to the Easter Show this Saturday and I'm really looking forward to it. It's supposed to be amazing here and I'm particularly looking forward to the traditional events like the best sponge cake.
Jacob's just amazing, I had the new carseat installed in the car today and he looks so grown up. He now is rolling on to his front a lot and occasionally rolling from his front to his back which is a lot harder but usually he just yells for Mum to roll him back. He also is think about moving forward once he gets on to his front but not too inspired yet although I think it might be the cats that get him moving, he's very interested in them especially Puck.

Menu Plan Tuesday seems to be norm here

These are photos of Jacob's first swim in our local pool and then him exhausted afterwards.

sigh I miss my Mum. She's just spent a week here and made my life so easy, she took care of all the washing and the dishes, did some gardening and all Luke's ironing and now here I am sitting in my pjs at midday waiting for my boy to wake up from his nap so I can shower him. I'm so unorganised but in my defence I'm getting over a cold and was up twice in the night coughing so I'm not feeling my best.

We've resolved to have at least one vegetarian meal a week hopefully to save a bit of money but also to be healthy. So last night we had Vegetable Pie - made with a rice crust, sautéed curried veges and a cheese sauce. The pie was made with me carrying Jacob in his sling - not the best way to cook but the best way to keep him quiet and I think it tired him out so much watching everything I was doing that after a snack of breastmilk he had an afternoon nap something that's quite rare over here.
I did wonder as I made the roux for the cheese sauce if it might not influence his career choice that I made the sauce from scratch with butter, mustard powder, flour, milk and grated cheese, not from a packet as I imagine a lot of others might do. Will my little boy turn out to be a chef, food critic, vintner, or hotelier? Do the things I do with him determine his path in life? But then I think that my mother also cooks things from scratch so to speak, taught me to make scrambled eggs when I was 4 and while I love food, consider myself a good cook and read and write about food I'm a librarian not a chef. So maybe all I'm teaching my boy is a love of food and the ability to care for himself, both important things.

Tonight it's Japanese grilled chicken with rice and stir-fried veges and tomorrow veal with tomatoes and olives served with herb rolls and a green salad. Past that I'm not sure but hopefully friends will be visiting for dinner on Saturday night and if so I've planned to have bbq ribs

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Menu Plan Monday whoops Tuesday

Last week was pretty successful as far as our menu went.
28th February was the anniversary of my positive pregnancy test, it's hard to believe it's only been a year since that morning, I remember getting up early, peeing on that stick and then watching in disbelief as the faint line grew in the 1st box. I raced into our bedroom, jumped on the bed and shoved the test under the nose of my sleeping husband and demanded if he could see both lines :-) He very sleepily said "what?" and then agreed that there were 2 lines and we were both rather stunned. It was our first attempt at "trying for a baby" and we thought it would take much longer.
Now the result of that test is sleeping on my shoulder Awwwwww

Monday - Swedish Meatballs served with mashed potatoes, peas and lingonberry sauce
Tuesday - Lamb Sausage and Salad Pitas
Wednesday - Pasta with Zucchini, Prosciutto and Lemon
Thursday - Steak Sandwiches a la Jamie Oliver
Friday - Quick Kedgeree served with a green salad
Saturday - Tortellini salad with crispy prosciutto and spinach
Sunday - Corn fritters, bacon and a green salad

The Swedish meatballs come from IKEA frozen and then you buy the packets of meatball sauce too. It's extremely yummy but we forgot the lingonberry sauce this time. We've now run out so time for another trip to IKEA

Why yes Puck is sitting on Jacob's head

Menu Plan Monday

Ooh it's been ages since I posted! Things have been chaotically busy recently but all good. I missed last week's menu but we actually ate well and finally had those Rosemary Lamb Skewers which were really good.
In other news Jacob is sleeping through the night from around 9.30pm to 7am and this weekend moved into his cot. He had no problem with the transition and has taken to sleeping with his arms straight out to the sides which he couldn't do in the bassinet. He's also sleeping in a sleeping bag which he's been doing for a few weeks and seems to love it or maybe it's Mummy that loves it; very easy, he can't kick it off and I don't worry about covers over his face. He was almost busting out of the bassinet and looked huge but now seems so tiny in the big cot.
Any way here goes this week

Monday - Bacon and Tomato Tart served with a green salad
Tuesday - Beef Nachos with refried beans, avocado, sour cream and a green salad
Wednesday - Quick Kedgeree served with a green salad
Thursday - Lamb Sausage and Salad Pitas
Friday - Pasta with Zucchini, Prosciutto and Lemon
Saturday - Greek Style Lamb on Couscous
Sunday - Chicken and Vegetable Risotto

Mummy and me

I realised a couple of weeks ago that since those initial first photos in the hospital that there are very few photos of me and Jacob and hardly any of just the 2 of us. So I asked Luke to take some and these are a few of the results.

Menu Plan Monday

Well once again things didn't go quite as planned so a few things have migrated, those lamb skewers do not seem to want to make an appearance. I am looking forward to them though as I love BBQed meat.
Hopefully Thursday's restaurant visit with enfant in tow will go well - fingers crossed.

Monday - Quick Chicken Florentine with pasta and salad
Tuesday - Roast Chicken served with coleslaw and roasted vegetables
Wednesday -Roasted Chicken and Couscous Salad
Thursday - Valentine's Day - we're going out for dinner!
Friday - Lamb Cutlets with Tabouleh Couscous
Saturday - Rosemary Lamb Skewers with Spiced Yogurt, couscous and salad
Sunday -Fettuccine Boscaiola served with a green salad

Menu Plan Monday

Well last week went well although we did succumb to takeaways on Friday night, I was exhausted and even though I'd spent the whole day at home and we were having a very easy salad I just couldn't do it, so we had pizza instead.
We resurrected the tuna salad for Sunday night and we're having the Massaman curry on Thursday as my father in law is coming to dinner Wednesday and Thursday and hopefully he will enjoy it.

Monday - Greek Chicken Pasta served with a green salad
Tuesday - Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day - Egg & Ham Crepes with Gruyere served with a green salad
Wednesday -Ash Wednesday - Fish Burgers with salad
Thursday - Massaman Beef Curry served with jasmine rice and stirfried green beans
Friday - Felafel with pita bread, hummus, relish, yoghurt and salad
Saturday - Rosemary Lamb skewers with spiced yoghurt, couscous and salad
Sunday - Quick Chicken Florentine served with baked potatoes and salad

Rolling

This is for my sister who is passionate about baby-led development. Jacob has never had "tummy-time", we've chosen to let him develop at his own pace and not to put him in any position that he can't get into by himself. He has only ever been placed on his back - now look at that kid go!

Bad Mummy

Last night I felt like the worst mummy in the world. While clipping Jacob's fingernails with baby nail clippers I nipped his little finger and it bled. He cried, I cried and Luke had to stop playing WoW and comfort us both.
The moral of the story is stick to the embroidery scissors - although they're sharp and pointy they actually seem to be safer.

Menu Plan Monday Mark 2

Well last week was a bit of a disaster as far as our menu went. Luke came home from the dentist with the news that he had broken his tooth, he had 4 other teeth also in danger and he needed to eat soft foods until his next appointment on Friday week (sigh)
So the Rosemary Lamb Skewers were definitely out. I also discovered that the Chicken Quesadillas was a bit too complicated with a grizzly baby. The movie on Wednesday was cancelled as the outdoor screen had been damaged and we went out on Saturday night to our favourite Japanese restaurant.
So here's hoping this week will be better

Monday - Homemade Lasagne served with a green salad
Tuesday - Dunsandel Store's Macaroni Cheese served with a green salad
Wednesday -Veal Cordon Bleu served with potato bake and a green salad
Thursday - Panfried Chicken Breasts with baked potatoes, mashed peas and a creamy mushroom sauce
Friday - Tuna and Risoni salad served with herb bread rolls
Saturday - Jacob 3 months! - American meatloaf sandwiches and icecream sandwiches
Sunday - Massaman Beef Curry served with jasmine rice and stirfried green beans

another little glimpse

Jacob's found his hands and his tongue and he's experimenting with new noises.
I'm sorry it's so dark, I hope you can see just how cute he is.

Menu Plan Monday

While I was already doing my own version of this, I think it helps to post it for the whole wide world to see. Thanks to Penny for introducing me to this and you can read about for yourselves at I'm an Organising Junkie

Monday - Chicken Quesadillas served with guacamole, sour cream and a green salad
Tuesday - Quick Kedgeree served with a green salad
Wednesday - Hamper from the Starlight Cinema whilst watching Waitress at the local football ground
Thursday - Greek Chicken pasta served with a green salad
Friday - Dunsandel Store's Macaroni Cheese served with a green salad
Saturday - Australia Day - Rosemary Lamb Skewers with Spiced Yoghurt served with garlic roasted potatoes and a green salad
Sunday - Panfried Chicken Breasts with baked potatoes, mashed peas and a creamy mushroom sauce

I'll let you know how we got on next Monday.

Twinkle Twinkle

I hope this works, it's a silly little video of me singing Twinkle, twinkle little star in the background whilst filming Jacob smiling and talking.

Baby Bounce & Rhyme

Baby Bounce and Rhyme was great! We sang and danced to Twinkle twinkle, This old man, Row Row your boat, Grand old duke of york and a few new ones I hadn't heard before. The room was packed, it's obviously a very popular session.
Jacob's way too young to participate but he sat on my lap and I did some of the actions with him and he really enjoyed it. We'll definitely be going back.

Week 2!

It's been a long hard road to get here but I've finally spent the last week at home by myself (during the day) caring for my baby. Since Jacob was born there's pretty much always been someone here, my Mum mostly but also Dad and Luke's parents and Nanna. I now seem to be almost 100% better now and trying to get into a weekly routine.
Last week was in turns both fun and frustrating but we made it through even surviving Luke's food poisoning .
Anyway this is what we have planned for this week
Mon- Housework
Tues - Baby Bounce and Rhyme at the Library
Wed - Errands
Thurs - maybe a movie?
Fri - Rest day