MERRY CHRISTMAS

 

Your christmas card from me

Wishing you all a wonderful christmas holiday and New Year... Please click on the pic above for a little surprise christmas greeting!

I'll be back next year!

GF PIZZA Sunday

The LM and I decided to have a Pyjama day today. We had a very late night last night with friends visiting, chinese for dinner and then out first foray into COLD ROCK ICE-CREAM, which I have to say is pretty amazing for a treat.

The LM had Bubblegum flavoured ice-cream with Nerds and I had Peanut Butter with Malteasers.. Yummy!

So today we decided to sleep in, stay at home and make pizza base (GF of course) and then tonight we will top them with our favourites with what is in the fridge.

We started with a Pizza base recipe from Jamie Olivers site, but I needed tweak it a little because of the GF flour.
I used 800g flour instead of 1kg ( I was going to do half a recipe but ops, used the original amount of water so then had to adapt. -  thats what happens when you are trying to be smart and are cooking with kids hehe).

 What we ended up with was edible, but also very stuck to the greaseproof paper so maybe I should have put it straight on the plate.. but I was concerned about it sticking to that too... oh well back to the drawing board and will try something a little different next time. I have two lots of dough left so will buy more cheese next shop on friday and try some more options next time... maybe greasing the pan first??

I was wondering if I should be doing this, spending a heap of time standing and sometimes sitting in the kitchen making the pizza instead of just having something simple for dinner....
When I look at this pic I know it was the right thing to do... He enjoyed it so much and seemed so carefree doing it that he started pulling faces .. and being a general twit... and a perfectly normal little boy.... considering how non normal our lives are at the moment I am very proud of how he is dealing with everything.

 

What face is your favourite???

Another thumbs up day... even with the rain

Well what a day it has been, the sun was shining this morning and I had lunch plans with a dear friend who is celebrating her 10year wedding anniversary!... Yes I can't even imagine being married let alone married for 10 years but she and her beautiful hubby have done it so my hats off to them

We had a wonderful lunch over near the hospital waiting for my Specialist appointment. AND then there was more good news...

I had a little fall on Monday ... and was a little concerned I had caused some damage... but no ... everything is perfectly fine. . . . if no at all pretty..... for the squeamish of you please look away. I have now got the original scar which was reopened on the left... and now another beauty on the right... oh well at least it is a little more symmetrical..... It is now in a beautiful blue fibreglass cast Oh how i love blue...! and I didn't even request it it was just the colour that was open.....

Funny story about coloured casts... the physio that was putting mine on told me that the often had pink cast open but saved them... I asked what for... and she said little girls .... and FOOTBALL PLAYERS!!!.... just there little it of humour... and apparently they have had the feedback that is it a complete chick magnet. The things you learn hanging around with our health professionals... hehe... I am a frequent flyer there so I guess they are treating me like one of the family.

FINALLY I got home to find this wonderful competition being run over at My Sweet Prints. She has just reached 200 followers, and has decided to give away two of her fantastic prints. I have been following her blog for a few months and she has some amazing ideas for everyone and every room in the house.

Go and check her out please ... who knows you might just find that Chrissy Present for the special someone.

Hope you all had a sunny day..... What happened that was good for you today!

Summer is on its way

Summer Sun (here)

Bondi (from here)

Summer is on its way, and I for one generally love it, long days, warm weather, when the heat goes up there is all sorts of things that come out like icecream and long walks along the beach late in the afternoon, Snorkelling, and those free sun tints that happen, but this summer will be the second I spend in plaster which means no water sports for me, no walks along the beach and not a lot of time outside because having a sweaty cast is not a nice look smell or feel.

So I have decided to think of all the things that I will be able to do this summer... and the first thing came to me tonight while I was having desert was this... something so simple but ..... YUMMY

WATERMELON 

I don't just mean watermelon... I mean the delicious juicy watermelon that is only available around Spring and Summer. When you know you are going to eat it all because it won't be floury, it will be tasty.... and juicy and messy...

And SUMMERY!!!

Oh and it helps that my LM loves it too!

What are you looking forward to this Season??

Thumbs up... the tide has changed!

from here

Lately my life... while not bad... has not really had a lot of peaks to speak of ... Until Yesterday... 


No... I didn't get OPRAH tickets... 

BUT in my opinion I got something even better.. 


Don't get me wrong.. I would loved to see Oprah in the flesh so to say... but that would have been just for me.. what I got is for Both me and the LM and has allowed me to do something I have been talking about for ages... 

So you are wondering ... what did you will ... well .. I WON......

Two national VIP passes to Seaworld, Movie World & Wet n Wild. We’ll also throw in some food vouchers to ensure your dream comes true...

For years I have been wanting to take the LM to QLD to see his paternal family, to go to the theme parks, so see my cousin and generally to have a nice holiday... and now.. we are one step closer to being able to achieve that.

I know there is still a long way to go but accommodation is sorted, transport while there ... no problem, all I need to organise is cash for food and the flights... 

Oh and not to worry.. I also won a new phone too... a Nokia C6... so thats another thing sorted cos I needed a new one.... YAY 

Finally... just in case you were wondering what I wished for? Well ... my entry was simple... I would rather spend the money on riding roller-coasters till I puked... Maybe it wasn't classy... but ... it did the job...!!!!

If you want to try your luck check out Nokia Bill Exchange GOOD LUCK!

Do you ever get the crankies?

from here

 Today I woke up with the Crankies. My Son, beautiful early rising son, decided to read this morning and not really wake me up. I think he was in the mood for a cuddly day at home and didn't want to admit that it was really a school day. So by the time I had coaxed my sleepy eyes away and glanced at the clock it was 8:26am!

Normally... not a problem, into the shower for me, dressed breaky and a cuppa and out the door at 9 to be at school before the 9.10 bell.... ..NOW that is not possible and that is what let the Crankies in.

The LM knows that I can't do a lot in the mornings and what I can do I do slowly. See with a foot in plaster, crutches and stairs to deal with, and I have realised my other foot is still not as healed (read about it here) as I thought it was (because 5mins of standing on it singularly and it is begining to protest) I am not able to get up and go like I used to.

The LM makes his own lunch in the morning, sandwich, fruit and recess (muesli bar or whatever snack food I have bought for the purpose), he also gets himself dressed and breakfasted so that I don't have to deal with the winging of not wanting to wear those shorts or eat that cereal or that much or even that he didn't want that spread on his sandwich. It works for us and has for a couple of years now but every now and then he drops the ball.

THIS MORNING, he had not gotten dressed, he had not had breakfast and he had not packed his lunch, he had chosen to read for an hour.....and so with 20mins to do it all I was cross and cranky.

My anger doesn't abate quickly and so I was still grumbling as I hopped out of the house and shut the door, then proceeded to hop up the stairs ...............and that is where I came unstuck.

Because the Crankies had set in I forgot to concentrate on what I was doing, I forgot that going up a flight of stairs on crutches was difficult, and so on the last step I caught my shoe on the lip, I tripped and landed heavily on my plastered foot......

So really who does the Crankies hurt.... it turned out it only hurt me... and boy did it hurt. !!!

So once I got over the pain, hopped onto the motorised scooter and got him to school I decided that a massage was in order. My arms and back have been hurting since using the crutches and now I had hurt my foot so I needed to relax, take it in and get over it ...

WHAT do you do when the Crankies hit?

Roast pumpkin Salad recipe

I can't remember where I first came across this recipe, I have written it in my recipe book and have then proceeded to change it a million times.

BUT what i come up with is this which really enjoy and that keeps for a few days so it is great for lunches.

RECIPE (for about 4 serves)

• 1kg pumpkin roasted ( i used what ever pumpkin is cheapest)
• a tin of chickpeas (you can get dried and soak them but this is easiest)
• a bag of baby spinach or rocket (or the original recipe uses flat parsley)
• olive oil
• slivered Almonds or pine nuts or both
• Sugar (optional)
• garlic (optional)

1. pre-heat oven to 200 degrees
2. Cut pumpkin into slighlty larger than bite sized pieces (it shrinks) place into a roasting pan and drizzle some olive oil over the top and toss through. (You can also scatter a tablespoon of sugar over the pumpkin to caramelise it but I often don't' bother.) I sometimes roast some garlic with the pumpkin to get a little different flavour
3. Put pumpkin into oven and roast untill soft and a little crispy (usually an hour or so)
4. GO and have a cuppa
5. drain chickpeas and either roast in the oven (to warm not to crunchy), or in a pan on stove top
6. toast almonds or pine nuts or both lightly. I find it is easier on top of stove in a non stick pan but can also be done in the oven
7. toss it all together and enjoy!

I often add some chicken to the salad to make it more filling.

DRESSING 
I make a very basic olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper to dress this with.
You could buy a simple pre-made dressing, or use your favourite.

HOT OR COLD???

I like it both ways, though I have learnt to keep the ingredients separate until I am ready to eat as the pumpkin does strange things to the greens. So I put the pumpkin and chickpeas together in the fridge, leaves separate and store the toasted nuts in the cupboard! EASY!

Homemade Hummus

I love Hummus, I didn't know it existed (other than on lebanese kebabs) until a few years ago but I really enjoy it now, and I make it at home. It is sooooo cheep and easy to make as long as you have a blender or food processor.

I make a basic mix and often that is as far as it goes, but sometimes I get the urge to make things a little more interesting and today was one of those days.

I start off with this basic recipe

Hummus

Ingredients:
2 to 3 cups garbanzo beans (chickpeas) or 2x 12-15 oz. cans, rinsed well
2 Tbs. cumin spice
Juice from one lemon
3 Tbs. olive oil
Up to ½ cup water
Salt to taste
¼-½ cup raw sesame tahini
1 large clove garlic
Directions:
Prepare cooked chickpeas (or canned). Combine at least 2 cups of beans, water and olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients.
The reason this recipe calls for 2-3 cups of beans is because some people like hummus thinner than others. Having the extra beans available gives you a chance to find the consistency you like.

From here I like to fiddle. Most of the time I add more lemon and Cumin. ..... Oh and then it gets interesting

Today I used three tins of chickpeas becuase I wanted to make three different flavours in the end. So on top of the recipie i used a tin of beetroot and about a quarter of a pumpkin roasted.

Chickpeas, olive oil and water

Add all the rest and blitz, then i added more lemon juice and cumin

2 thirds of the mix I put aside and left a third in the processor for......

adding the roast pumpkin to.....

then another blitz till it is nice and smooth

and it is now ROAST PUMPKIN HUMMUS

Put another third of the basic HUMMUS mix back into blender with a tin of Beetroot

Blitz until smooth and you have BEETROOT HUMMUS

WALAH! ORIGINAL, BEETROOT AND HUMMUS DIPS

NOTE:

I don't bother washing the processor between flavours, I just make sure beetroot is always last. I have also done carrot, and other suggestions are sundried tomatoes, black beans or even parsley.

OH and I always split the mixes and freeze half, saves waste and that means I can make big batches and not get bored with the same flavour. AND there is always one in there if I get visitors!


What do you cook in batches??

Catching up, chilling and cooking!

This weekend has been restful and relaxing, filled with wonderful friends and food.

Somehow I know I should be relaxing with my foot up but I still feel the need to get up and do something, so while a lovely friend came and stayed with me for the weekend, making me copious cups of hot delicious tea, cooking for me (in another life he was a chef) and generally keeping me company (esp while the LM was with his dad for the day and night on Saturday) and having some lively conversations and discussions, movie watching,  and I also decided to cook.


Over the weekend my darling friend and I watched movies too which was a real treat. We saw Get him to the Greek, which was very funny and works well with my humour, and also the fact I needed something that didn't take too much brain power. A rainy Saturday kept me in the house all day, so it was a very quiet day. We watched The book of Eli, Which while based on religious concepts (and I am not a religious person) was still a great watch. I little slowish in some places but all in all a few twists and turns keep you in.
Lastly we watched Daybreakers. I am a little hooked on Vampire stuff at the moment and this one really appealed to me... right to the end which left me very disappointed. It was very gory, and creepy. I am not a scary movie kind of person usually so I was very glad there was someone else in the house with me.

On the menu over the weekend was Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni with a side of pan fried Chicken breast, and Orange and almond cake on Saturday night. ( no pics unfortunately!)

I had planned to bake some pumpkin sometime over the weekend so today, after cutting it up ( Bought a whole Kent pumpkin for $10 so waned to make a few things with it to last the next week).

So I had two big trays of pumpkin in the oven roasting away for 2 hours and it came out delicious... then I had to decide what to do with it..

First on the menu was Hummus. Now I know what you are thinking, that doesn't need pumpkin... but when you do it my way you end up with multiple flavours and The roast pumpkin is one of my favourite. (Recipe here)
I also made some plain and some beetroot hummus just for variety!

Next was a roast pumpkin salad that I had for dinner tonight, (recipe here) and lastly I intend to make a kind of frittata with some of the pumpkin. so for that $10 which I was a little shocked when I realised how much it was, I am getting 6-8 meals for me which I am pretty impressed about. I will give me easy simple lunches all week which all my lovely friends keep reminding me I need to keep my foot up and doing this will give me that opportunity.

Enough chickpeas and pumpkin left for at least 2-3 salads and pumpkin for the frittata too

What do you cook that lasts a few days??

I've been trying to catch up on my google reader blogs, and am not having much luck with it, I got it below a hundred the other day and it is now up to over 250 again! BUT I have read a few lately with recipies which are great so I have decided to add some recipies of my go to foods ... anything to give me something to do for the next few months. Let me know what you think?

Oh and what did the LM do while I was cooking today... he went outside... and found a Butterfly and carried it around for half an hour... he really is a sweet kid when he wants to be!

another the week that was

I can't believe its been another week since I have been on here it has absolutely flown... but I guess I did sleep about 3 days away so its not really been that long!

Wednesday last week was spend doing final catch up things and getting organised for surgery on Thursday.

Mum came down on Wednesday and brought the spare bed which got set up in the lounge room so I have lost my craft corner ... but Oh well.. not really sure how much I will be doing in the near future either.


So Thursday was up early to get to the Hospital by 8... and then wait around...

everything went on time which was good, the surgery went well... Right navicular cuneiform fusion with bone graft for those who know what they are talking about....

I am loving the foot-ware at the moment and with the added bonus of a semi-perm colour stocking I am definitely looking great!

I had forgotten how annoying it is to sleep in plaster... kicking the wall and myself all night long. I also had reaction to three different pain killers ... night terrors last ear with Endone, a rash and hot skin with Tramadol this year and then nightmare/terrors this year with Panadine Forte... soooooo needless to say I am taking Panadol and ibuprofen now .. which is not really hitting the sides but it takes the edge off and doesn't make me too sleepy which is great.

from here

Will (Mr7) and I went to school today for the first time on the Mobility scooter (like this one.. but a bit older) and him walking today so it was an interesting trip...only to about 20 mins there and 15 back so that is good... means being a bit more organised in the morning but it will work for dry days... can't use it in the wet... but that's ok at least I only have to get someone else every now and then when it rains...

So what did you do last week?

the week that was

Oh the last week has been fairly hectic... fairly full on and massive.

Firstly photos have been surfacing from the wedding ... and there is finally a pic of my little man... and I have to say... he is gorgeously hansome in his suit... and oh so serious...! This is him standing at the front of the church with the other bestmen.... wonderful!

My sister and her hubby arrived back yesterday cutting their holiday short by a couple of days due to having gotten the gastro, they had some hassles getting on their flight because of a change in their days etc but that was all sorted out only for me to have to tell them that their car was hit while in my carpark, and then they found out their beautiful dog Millie had been hit my a car and killed. So for them it wasn't a great return!

I hope things look up for them soon.

I have been trying to see everyone and do everything in preparation for my surgery on Thursday. I am determined to get as much help as I can so have been having appointments with social workers etc to see what is available .. hiring a scooter so I can get around next week, and now moving the lounge/dining room around so when mum arrives on Wednesday with the spare single bed there will be a place to put it.

So as of thursday things will be pretty slow around here... taking care of me .. and my little man... while in Plaster and on crutches... Man... I am not looking forward to this!

Home !!

After spending 2 weeks away I am finally home, curled up on my lounge with the TV on and looking forward to sleeping in my own bed ... in my own house, with my own noises...

The wedding turned out amazing, the only hitch on the day was a Frigidly cold wind due to snow in Orange on Saturday morning, but all in all it couldn't have gone much better.

She looked divine, and the weather whilst cold did apparently make for an amazing light/sun for the photos... can't wait to see them.

My little man.... looked so amazing, and he was so well behaved... I was worried he would play up but he didn't, he stood totally still and wonderfully with the groomsmen a the front of the church... walked down the isle on his own, and then at the reception walked around talking to everyone, and basically acting about 50! hehe sooooo cute! He even went to sleep at the reception across chairs because he could tell I didn't want to go home (though I told him I would take him not problems at about 11pm). He was really the only kid at the wedding (other then a baby, and the two flower girls who are 3), so he was just amazing and sooo grown up! I was so proud of him!... Even though he was soooo tired!

 In the end my parents both said "they couldn't have done it without me" ... I just wish they could see that and not treat me like the hired help while things are happening. Even on the night of the wedding I was trying to help things run smoothly because the cutting of the cake went out of sequence, dinner was not served in the right order so that the speeches could happen when Tracie wanted them done, and also no one had organised for the champagne to be poured/disseminated through the guests for the toasts...
I sorted that out so that mum and Dad didn't have to and so Tracie could have things the way she wanted them.
But at the time ... nothing... my sister didn't bother helping and she is the one that is closest to her... should have wanted to help the most.


BUT onwards and upwards... Surgery in 10 days so now to organise that!

Frustration to the max

So frustrated... I am still at home, still trying to belong to fit in and to help.
I want so much to be a part of this "family" which I was born into but it really doesn't matter what I say or do it will never be said in the right way, it will never be done properly unless I take input from someone else.

Small things such as putting a bow onto my shoes to make them more weddingified, I was happy to do it my way knowing that Mum is busy, but no... my way wasn't good enough and now it has been taken over and Mum will have to do it because I have no idea how. The effect will be basically the same but now I don't do it and there is another thing on her plate...... But when i asked if she could put a colour in my hair this afternoon, something I can't do "cleanly" by myself, I was told she didn't have time, that she was too tired etc.... WTF

Then in an effort to be involved, and to possibly make life a little easier I questioned if the church would not have a CD player and was yelled at like a 5 year old, because I was questioning "every little thing".... but all I was thinking was it was strange that the church would not have a CD player, not a problem if they didn't but it was just one more thing that needed to be done that might not have to be.

So now, I yelled and ranted and screamed and told them to bugger off and that I would no longer give my opinion and if something went wrong or wasn't done and I had thought of it they would be sorry.... And NOW I feel like a 2 year old!
xoxo

4 sleeps to go.

OK I am having a massively bad couple of days, have cried myself to sleep the past couple of night and even as I try and write this and get it out of my head I have tears brimming... and I know it is stupid.

I am trying to be involved in My sisters wedding, I am a bridesmaid after all so I assume that I have some roll to play, something that she would want me to do either with the other three or seperate to, and I though up to now that I will leave it and surely I will find out soon.... But a week out from the wedding she has still not spoken to me about anything, and previously the couple of times I have asked her things I have been told to stop freaking out and that is her job.... Ummm actually I believe as a bridesmaid part of my job is to make sure she isn't freaking out... but well then again I am probably wrong as I mostly as when I am around my family.

Then, over the past 48 hours I have found out (from my mother) that I am handing out the cake with the other bridesmaids after it is cut and it is time for desert, and also that apparently I am being part of a speech... two things I had no idea about. Also that my sister and her hubby were staying at my place on Sunday night in Sydney before they flew out for their honey moon.

NOT one piece of this did I know.

 Oh and the only reason I found out they were staying with me is because I was told that my parents thought I was driving home to Sydney on the Sunday after the wedding, and I said no...the Monday... and it was then said .. "oh I thought Tracie and Kyle were staying with you on Sunday night".

I asked my engaged Sister today if there was anything I needed to know about the wedding today and she said no, that I would find out on friday, and that she had more important things to think about. Sure of course she does, but the thing is, if I am supposed to be making a speech I would like to know with a little more than 24 hours beforehand. I was told to stop freaking out and that I would have been asked/told on Friday (ie one day before the wedding).

Then she spoke to mum and I was then told by her to stop asking Tracie things about the wedding! So basically I am feeling like she doesn't really need or want me for anything to do with the wedding. That I could have just as easily turned up on friday and be treated like a flower girl... do this stand there thats all!

I am not dealing with this whole wedding bizzo very well at all and I know that. It only makes me see more clearly just how alone I am. I was not offered a "plus one" because I don't have a long term partner. . . . though other people have been and I know they don't either. Apparently my plus one is my son... lovely!

The best way I know to deal with things is to know what is coming, but by asking questions I am being annoying, and by not asking I sit in limbo hoping that someone will fill me in.

This wedding is for my little sister who is 8 years my junior, I know my older Sister had some "issues" to start with as well but since the engagement she has met a guy and recently moved in with him all within 12-18months, so she, I think, is seeing this as a warm up in what to do.
She lives within an hour of the one getting married and so has been involved in the process, but really would it have hurt anyone to pick up the fucking phone and let me know what was going on. I have stressed about the shoes, and many other things, my mother has been aware of my stress, and still decisions were being made and no one was telling me anything until I completely freaked out, and had a screaming fit...........then I am told things.

I find myself hoping that I hurt myself or that something happens so that I can just leave and not have to be a part of any of this crap. I want to help but am sick of being treated like hired help, not being given any information, my opinion mattering less than an ants.

I am trying not to make this about me, I am trying to be involved in her joy for the weekend, but how can I be when it is obvious she doesn't want me to be. I did the wrong thing saying I wanted to be a bridesmaid, I did the wrong thing not pulling out when i hurt my foot 12 months ago because that meant I couldn't wear the shoes she wanted etc, I have done the wrong thing by being home for 2 weeks before the wedding (not something I wanted but just couldn't afford to do anything else).

I should have just shut up and been the Emencee at least that way I would know something about the bloody wedding and what is happening, who will be doing speeches and when etc etc.


The voices have come back in my brain so clearly that every night I hear myself feeling what a looser I am, how alone and un-necessary I am. I find myself wanting to just disappear, Leave William to be happy with my Parents, or with his Dad, because truly how happy can he be with me considering how wonderfully fucked I have made my own life. I have found myself wondering how long I could live off one pension payment, because if I withdrew money from my account again they would be able to trace it and find where I have gone to.

I know I have been supremely stressed about things in my own life lately, but I have dealt with them the best way I know how and that is by trying to be organised. By being prepared and no once have I actually started mind planning how to run away! Not until this week.....not until I spend a week with my Family.....

This is what my brain has decided to go to think at the moment.....

Sun is shining but not getting through

I'm currently out staying with my parents for two weeks in the lead up to my sisters wedding. I thought everything would be ok, I thought I had grown enough lately, that I would be able to chill out through the crap, but you know what I haven't grown up that much, and I am really just counting down the days until I get to go home.

I find myself consumed with guilt about not really wanting to be here, about being annoyed that I am here but neither my sister that is getting married, nor my other sister who is also a bridesmaid will be around very much next week to also help out during the week. A good friend of mine said I should make sure I don't be too available but that in itself is difficult because we live in such a small town and I can't really afford to get out of town.

I hate that I feel like this but I can't help it. I feel that I am not really being involved in any of the real preparations, nor any of the fun things. The hens night was last weekend and I stayed out with my sister after all but her Maid of honour A (friend) had gone home. Then all of a sudden My sister had gone, and left me alone in the pub in a town I don't really know to get home to her place where I didn't even have the address. Luckily A's father came to pick her up and dropped me home, and luckily A knew the way. To me that isn't beign a nice friend or sister.

Then I wonder if I am being to harsh.... just because I wouldn't leave someone on their own no matter how drunk I was, does that mean I should hold people to my standards? Another friend of my said it sounds like she was making bad drunk decisions, but she didn't even apologise, I know I would have, but again should I be holding her to my standards.


THEN.... For the past 2 months I was totally stressed about the bridesmaid dress. I bought one that was too big because it was in store and didn't have to be ordered in. But when I went to have it altered I was told is would cost $180, which on top of it being a $300 dress was totally out of range. I cried and raged and then tried to get a smaller size and found out that would cost me about the same as the alteration so again out of the question.
Luckily for me a wonderful seamstress friend offered to help me out and I was so grateful. I asked her to do whatever she could without cutting the dress because I needed to be able to sell it after and it would be worth more if it was an "original size". So she did, and made two small removable darts/folds in the back. When I my mum saw it, the first thing she said was, "thats not pretty is it"!! FOR FUCKS SAKE!!! It was all that could be done without it being a massive reno job and taking 2 days! It looks absolutely fine! the darts are in the back and won't be seen! and the shoestring straps have been put inline with the dart so it all looks like it belongs! .... Oh and just for the record... tell someone with low self exteme that the dress they are wearing for their sisters wedding, where everyone will be looking at them, getting photos taken etc etc looks like shit! GREAT IDEA... NOT!!!

The worst part is that I know she would never... ever... ever... say anything like this to my other sister... she wouldn't ever mention that a dress or any clothing was too small, short etc for her because S wouldn't take it well!

My family really is screwed! I want to be involved! I want to be a part of it all... and you would think that at 30 with a 7 year old of my own that I would be able to deal with this considering nothing has changed, but I think that is the hardest part to deal with, that nothing has changed, and prob wont! ever!!!

Rant over!

Week-a-Boo ~ A peek into your weekEND

Here's some pics from this weekend... starting Friday night, traffic going out of sydney just "stopped" on the mountains for awhile,













Saturday was My sisters hens night, and as I am a 6 monthly go out kinda girl Saturday was spent recovering.












I am including monday into the weekend because in NSW it was a long weekend Woo Hoo!
I am staying with my parents for a couple of weeks to help out with the organising the upcoming nuptials so Monday was a fairly quiet one. My LM has been given some gifts over the past couple of years, which are crapfty put together type things. We never seem to get around to putting them together or doing them so these holidays I decided it was time.
Monday was spent putting this together and then today the LM painted it up. ... Pretty special looking train if you ask me!

What did you get up to this long weekend???

Grateful for boys

I read this blog post tonight over at Diary of a BeautyFull mum and it got my blood boiling enough for me to leave a long comment... and enough that I wanted to share it with you as well.

This was my comment
i totally know where you are coming from. My son was given a note from a girl in his class a few weeks ago. they knew it was wrong because of the surreptitious way with was given .... but still.... the note said.... I love you will you sex me.

I promptly turned around when straight to the school and turned the note into the teacher.
Also knowing the mother I spoke to her the next day and she too didn't understand where it came from.

Fast forward 2 days and the girl came to school with short shorts on so short that you could see the crease of her bum cheeks. Luckily the school took a stand any by the afternoon she was wearing borrowed shorts.

At this point I tell you they are 7. The girls parents are lovely and she has an older brother and sister.

BUT... all I can say is I am so grateful I hav a boy. Everytime I go shopping for a girls present I am confronted with Bratz dolls, the Veronicas range of clothing and slogan tees that a disgusting.

I hate that my friends Girls are being brought up with this where wearing this is normal and apparently ok. . . All i can do is point my son in the right direction but with all this over stimulation they are growing up faster than they can handle.  Somehow we have to grow up ahead of them and stop them from seeing this as normal.... How do we do this when some mothers just don't seem to care.

I just googled sexy 7 year olds and the majority of the results that came up were  stories from newspapers about you children being abused, or celebrity children in their "sexy" clothes. What happened to sweet, pretty, innocent 7 year olds, then I came across this result of a youtube video and many responses to it. Check out this video on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hix7Ie-IlYU

I tried to embed it and was given the message that embedding had been turned off by request... why would you put something on Youtube if you didn't want to share it... why? because just look at the comments. Yes I agree they are fantastic dancers but have a look around at some other choreography done by the same dance group. the younger the dancers the more hip and but grinding movements, the more times they grab their non- existant boobs... the older dancers choreography relies on actual jazz moves and not sexualised moves.

All I can say is in this day and age I am glad I have a boy. I can teach him right from wrong. I can shoe him that girls don't have to wear shorts or skirts that show their bums to be sexy.

No wonder our kids are confused.....

This pic of Paris Hilton is actually captioned.. Paris Hilton in Sexy Dress.....when did this become sexy and not slutty or just plain too small!

And when was this considered a cocktail frock... Can you imagine wearing this anywhere outside a strip joint or a dance club???

here

This is my idea of a cocktail frock... they don't  have to cover head to toe, but ... just leave a little bit of a person to the imagination

... I don't need to know what you had for lunch!




How do we teach our girls and boys that its ok to just be kids for while ????

Sydney Children's Festival

This years festival is on now at Carriageworks and is awesome.

The Festival is on over the School holidays so instead of going to the movies today, the LM and I packed up and went with two more kids, another mother and her daughter, and headed in to see what was for the offering.

It was great...
The kids had a blast in the Circus hall with different juggling and little pedal things etc, even skipping and the parents were getting into it too...


This is Miss G having a blast in the Circus area on the balance bike pedal thing

My LM with his fluffy poi... concentrating hard













Next step... lets light these babies up!















My little man with the awesome dragon which was walking around the halls!











Wills craft, a lake, hills, grass and sun

 In the animation area you typed on a old fashoned Typewriter and when you hit return your words turned into bugs  - I like the one that looks like a snitch








In the animation area you put your head in the screen to be filmed and you could more the "man" around to do things

the human size upright scanner... Brilliant






All in all a great day.. if you are around ... check it out! 
Oh and for the $$ conscious, Free entry, most things are free, food is a little pricey and not a lot to choose but bring a packed lunch. All we bought was a couple of drinks so for $10 we had a 3 hours of fun,  but you could stay all day.


What did you get up to today?