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Thursday, September 29, 2011

New chores list :)

The new chores list worked a treat tonight. No complaining on who is doing what or when. And it frees me up to do stuff that I just didn't get a chance to do! Like cleaning the range hood, wiping down cupboards and of course setting up shopping lists, menu planning and researching/creating the home school curriculum for next year!

I'm also hoping this may relieve some of the angst of reminding, reminding and reminding some more about just getting into it and getting the jobs done! I have a saying that I use regularly DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO SO YOU CAN DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO! (Perhaps one day it will sink it??) lol!!

 PS our real template looks much better then this, this copy when a bit funky when i resized it to fit it for this post

JOBS Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday            Sunday
Dishwasher Callum Livia Aliya Callum Livia Aliya Silas
Washing up & Callum & Callum &  Livia & Livia & Aliya & Aliya & Mum &
wiping benches Livia Aliya Aliya Callum Callum Livia Silas
Laundry Livia Livia Livia Livia Livia Livia Livia
Folding Family Family Family
Bins Callum Callum Callum Callum Callum Callum Callum
Feeding Chooks Silas & Silas & Silas & Silas & Silas & Silas & Silas &
& Collecting Eggs Kadee Kadee Kadee Kadee Kadee kadee Kadee
Wiping Table Aliya Aliya Aliya Aliya Aliya Aliya Aliya
Tidy Rooms Family Family
Dog & Cat Callum Livia Aliya Callum Livia Aliya Silas
Help With Dinner Aliya Callum Livia Aliya Callum Livia Silas
Pick Up General Areas Family Family Family Family Family Family Family

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wordless Wednesday


Aliya is at a sleep over tonight and I thought I might share one of my favourite photos of her from years ago :) Happy WW :)

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Jellybean Update

Today I went for follow up blood tests and also a scan since my bleeding has now stopped.

 And the good news is 'We're still pregnant!' :) A good normal heart beat was found and a EDD will be 15th of May 2012. (Because I have c/s I'm guessing I'll be booked late April).

I'm relieved that now I can start making plans for our family and look forward to this little ones arrival!

So let the count down begin!! I'm hoping the pregnancy itself won't drag along since we found out this early, but I figure I'll be so busy with the daily grind of getting things done that it will fly on ever too quickly!!



Monday, September 26, 2011

Unplugging the family

For a while now I've let my children have far too much screen time when it comes to computers and TV. In a effort to cut down on this I disconnected our Foxtel, success number 1. The kids now watch far less TV then they used to, maybe a few hours a week now (more on the holidays).

But in doing this the children (especially my older 2) turned towards playing their laptops, for hours and hours on end. It is really amazing how self absorbed they have become! I would often hear yelling at their younger siblings to 'Get Away from Me', or 'Get out of My Room' when they were absorbed in their games. Getting chores done has been a nightmare! Constant reminding and nagging to get their chores started has been the bane of my existence! 'Oh just a minute, I need to finish this game' and 'Oh, I didn't hear you' have been rolling off the tongue far to frequently.

I have noticed that none of the older kids have any patience with each other, quick to snap rather then ask politely when getting their message across.


I have to admit, I have let it go on way too long, perhaps because it was easier then dealing with the moaning about being 'bored' and it created a sense of 'peace' with the older ones not squabbling as often. And with Braith taking up so much of my attention being a difficult baby, I often turned a blind eye to the amount of time they spent on the computers.

Well now I'm fed up with my children acting as enemies and I'm bringing the family harmony back! I'm also setting an example by being on the computer a lot less. The children are not allowed on their computers for a week and if there is more family harmony then they will be allowed limited, 1/2hr per day times on their computers.

This week so far has been really successful. I won't say that their behaviour has been 5 star, the 1st morning that it sunk in that there would be no computers, they moaned and whined and fought with each other for a good 5 hrs or so. I guess this is to be expected when 6 kids suddenly realise they all live together and have to get along! lol!

After the initial shock they kids decided to take up some of my suggestions on creating some artwork. Callum and Silas worked together on making a pirate ship, all of the ideas from Callum himself. I was rather pleased and delighted with both his creativity and patience when it came to creating a project with his 4 yr old brother!(The girls kept themselves busy creating shops and doll houses)








They then came up with the idea of heading down the street to pick Mulberries from a tree the big boys has spied a few days earlier while delivering pamphlets. They came back with heaps and heaps, and after a quick call to Nana it was decided we would make Mulberry Pie :)




And the pie crust is a little bit crazy,but hey, it was 1st time ever making pie crust :)




We then finished off the day by watching a family movie and indulging in chocolate and hot cuppas :) I totally wish for more days like these, its going to take practice, and I'll have to lead by example, but in the end it will be more then worth it. I know that, deep down, everyone loves one another, but being a family means more then that for me. I want everyone to treasure each other and the time we have together. And yes I know they're children, and not every moment will be or should be rose tinted, I just want my family to feel like a family. The big family I didn't know I wanted but am blessed to be able to call mine :)

Saturday, September 24, 2011

To cute not to share :)

Callum loves to turn Braith into a cool dude, especially when he can show him off around his mates :) That's right, Mohawks are in even if your hanging at a soccer game!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

My biggest girl and my littlest boy

Just wanted to share this pic of Livia (11) and Braith (7mths)

WW - Wordless Wednesday

The geckos are back, hanging outside picking off the bugs hanging out in the kitchen light. Wonder what happened to this little guy.....don't you just love the details in his little toes!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

My Vice

Tea, how I love you! 

I really enjoy a cuppa tea, and I have my own very special way of making it. When we have visitors I have to be consious that not everyone would enjoy my ritual of tea making the way I do.

First I boil the kettle about 7 or so times, not because I have OCD but because I'm usually running around 'multitasking' or seeing to one of the little ones. Then I will find my cup and put in the teabag and just a pinch of sugar. Yes, thats right, I actually pinch sugar out of the jar for my tea, and yes I can taste that pinch of sugar :) And since I'm a pincher and not a spooner, I have to ferret around for something to stir my tea with and scope out the teabag. Any fork or knife will do, I just use the clean handle and stir! No way am I add more washing up by getting out a clean spoon! lol!!

Oh and did I mention that I like my tea milky? So milky that its lukewarm! Mike will often joke, 'Do you want some tea with your milk?' lol!

So there you have it a ritual I repeat as often as possible, as I enjoy the stillness needed to just sit and sip my cuppa tea.

Weird? Yes very weird!

It feels like summer already!









Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Ginger Bread - Just because I can....

Notice I didn't say ginger bread men?? And ginger bread stars just doesn't sound right. But I sure did feel like I needed ginger bread and that they needed to be stars :) 

Cause you can't have too many stars in your life?!? Or too much ginger! Delish!! 

ps I'm secretly hoping that my little Jellybean is giving me cravings......


(Of course being a Large Family Mumma, I doubled the recipe)

Preparation Time

15 minutes

Cooking Time

10 minutes

Makes

20

Ingredients

  • Melted butter, to grease
  • 125g butter, at room temperature
  • 100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
  • 125ml (1/2 cup) golden syrup
  • 1 egg, separated
  • 375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour
  • 1 tbs ground ginger
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • Plain flour, to dust
  • 150g (1 cup) pure icing sugar, sifted
  • 8-10 drops red liquid food colouring
  • 8-10 drops green liquid food colouring
  • Smarties, to decorate

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush 2 baking trays with melted butter to lightly grease.
  2. Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the golden syrup and egg yolk and beat until combined. Stir in the flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Press dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
  3. Meanwhile, place egg white in a clean, dry bowl. Use an electric beater to beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add icing sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Divide icing among 3 bowls. Cover 1 bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Add red colouring to 1 bowl and stir until combined. Add green colouring to remaining bowl and stir until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
  4. Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until about 4mm thick. Use a 9cm gingerbread man cutter to cut out shapes. Place on trays about 3cm apart. Repeat with any excess dough.
  5. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Transfer to a rack to cool.
  6. Place prepared icings in small plastic bags. Cut a small hole in a corner of each bag. Pipe icing over gingerbread men to decorate. Finish with Smarties.

Notes

  • Allow 30 minutes resting time.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Jellybean Update


Well it seems Jellybean is still with us. I know that the test will show positive up to a week after a miscarriage but I'm choosing to be optimistic on this one. My bleeding is easing up, but then when I think it will be ok, I'll find that I'm still bleeding.

I went back to the doctors last week who informed me that the hormone levels matched my scan results of 5 weeks (which is a good thing), but my dates were not what I was expecting, but with my cycle being so up and down I guess I shouldn't be surprised!

It was recommended that I wait a couple of weeks then get another blood test and scan to see how things are. So fingers crossed this little Jellybean wants to still be with us.....

Soccer Season has finished....

 

Another season of sport has finished. This year Callum chose to play soccer with his best mate Paulie. Well during the grading games it was decided that the boys would play up a grade due to Paulie being so tall! Then low and behold Paulie broke his foot playing a game of school soccer and was out for the whole season! Luckily there was another boy from school, Nathan who was also playing and it really made a difference having someone Callum knew playing in the same team!

It was great that the team made the semi-finals!!





But it wasn't ours to win, the score was 3-1. Callum was pretty bummed about letting in the ball, but they were a hard team to bet.

It was a great season, the coach was great! and I think that makes a difference to how the season goes, whether they win or not. The coach managed to foster a good team spirit, and it was a nice change from football where the kids were down right nasty to each other! (and those kids had spent 3 seasons together!)

So while I really really enjoyed being a soccer Mumma, I'll really enjoy the Saturdays spent at home instead of driving up an 1hr each way across town!!

Callum had some great times and really came into his own as the teams goalie, perhaps next season he'll chose soccer, or even AFL or League, but whatever he chooses to play, I'll know he'll try his best and have lots of fun with the boys :)


Thursday, September 15, 2011

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Wordless Wednesday


Still cute even with a messy face :)

Braith 7mths old ....

Just a little snap shot of my littlest mister growing up way way too fast!

In the span of 3 days I caught him up on his bouncer,



climbing on my veggie baskets




then standing up on a toy basket!!



Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Subchorionic Hematoma

Since last Thursday I've been on a roller coaster. And I don't like roller coasters! My newest little jellybean has been causing us some worry, with bleeding starting and still not quite gone. On Saturday I went for bloods and a scan, which revealed that I'm 5wks, as there was only a sac present or that the pregnancy isn't progressing as it should. (Kicking myself that I'm not sure about my dates!)

The ultrasound person believes that I have a Subchorionic Hematoma

I had this with my last 2 pregnancies as well.

I'm back to the docs this week so hopefully all will be well!!

Monday, September 5, 2011

Secrets to a happy family......

As a mother I'm always trying to find ways to encourage happiness in my family, and in my search came across a article I wanted to share....

Happy Family Secret No. 1: Enjoy Each Other

The essence of a happy family is that they truly uplift each other and that all comes down to how they treat each other, says Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a New York-based family and relationship counselor and host of The Learning Channel's Shalom in the Home. "There is a joy that characterizes their interaction," says Boteach, father of eight children and author of several books, including the forthcoming Shalom in the Home. "Parents come home and the kids are happy to see them and when kids come home, the parents are happy to see them."

Happy Family Secret No. 2: Swap Stories

"When your kids come home, ask them what happened in school and have a story for them," he says. "If you come home dejected and not really interested and then five minutes later the TV is on, why would they be happy to see you?"
The bottom line, he says, is that when you come home, your kids have to come first. "You must drop everything you are doing and always come home with something to share with your kids, whether a story or even the smallest vignette," he says. "This way you give your kids something to look forward to. The great bane of family life is boredom and that is what leads to dysfunction, affairs, and kids wanting to be with their friends over family."

Happy Family Secret No. 3: Put the Marriage First

"Set a real example of love," Boteach says. "The relationship and marriage must come first." Think Carol and Mike Brady of the Brady Bunch and Cliff and Clair Huxtable of the Cosby Show.
There are many families where kids always come first, says Boteach. Then they become substitute providers of love, he says. "That's an unfair burden to put on a kid." It's also bad for families, he says, "because kids will move out of the house eventually."

Happy Family Secret No. 4: Break Bread Together

Families that eat together, stay together. It's that simple. "Family dinners are essential," Boteach says. "It's a time to connect." Have a minimum of four family dinners per week, he suggests.

Happy Family Secret No. 5: Play Together

"Have one or two unifying activities that the family does together on a nightly basis," Boteach says. He suggests bedtime stories for young children or reading a chapter from a novel to an older child.

Happy Family Secret No. 6: Put Family Before Friends

"In happy families, family comes before friends," he says, "The camp counselor understands something that parents don't and that is that caring for kids also has to be fun. Give rules, but understand that kids need fun, too. When kids get bored and listless, they start looking for excitement out of the home and that is when friends become more important. Friendship is important, but subordinate to family."

Happy Family Secret No. 7: Limit Children's After-School Activities

Today, growing numbers of kids are overscheduled and participate in six or seven after-school activities per week. The mother becomes a chauffer and the children are never home at the same time. This is not a recipe for a happy family, Boteach says. "If your kids grow up not knowing how to do ballet, they will be OK. No after-school activities is an extreme and too many activities is the other extreme, but moderation is where we should aim." Create your own after-school activities as a family, he suggests. For example, take your kids rollerblading, bike riding, or swimming after school as a family.

Happy Family Secret No. 8: Build and Honor Rituals

"Families need rituals," Boteach says. Rituals can be religious, national, or even family-specific, he says.
Barbara Fiese, PhD, professor and chair of psychology at Syracuse University in New York, agrees. "Happy families have meaningful rituals and are not stressed out by them," she says. "They can be unique to your own family such as going for bagels on Saturday morning, a weekly pizza night, or even a family song. Rituals tend to bring family members close together because they are repeated over time."
To work, rituals need to be flexible, she adds. "They can't be rigid," Fiese says. "If the bagel place is closed, you have to go someplace else."

Happy Family Secret No. 9: Keep Your Voices Down

Remember that children thrive on stability. "There has to be a calm environment at home," says Boteach. "Talk to your kids, give them strict rules, and punish children when necessary, but don't lose control and yell. If you yell at kids, that shows you are out of control and you create a nonpeaceful environment."

Happy Family Secret No. 10: Never Fight in Front of the Kids

TV viewers never really saw Carol and Mike Brady go at it, did they? While some fighting or bickering may be inevitable, try to keep it away from the children, Boteach says. "If your kids see you fight and argue, apologize and say, 'We are sorry you had to see it. Daddy and I just had a disagreement, but everything is OK now.'"

Happy Family Secret No. 11: Don't Work Too Much

All work and no play does worse things to a family than make it dull. "If you are away all the time and don't prioritize your kids, your kids will internalize feelings of insecurity," says Boteach. They'll begin to believe that they're not valuable enough.

Happy Family Secret No. 12: Encourage Sibling Harmony

Sibling rivalry can be divisive. "I try to speak to my kids about how fortunate they are to have siblings," Boteach says.

Happy Family Secret No. 13: Have Private Jokes

Happy families have inside jokes, Syracuse's Fiese says, "Jokes and nicknames symbolize that this is a group that you belong to and serves as a shorthand for larger experiences," she says.

Happy Family Secret No. 14: Be Flexible

"This is easier said than done," says Fiese. "But by their very nature, families change so you have to be open to change in membership and age," Fiese says. "Somebody gets married, somebody dies, somebody remarries and teenagers are no longer children and young adults are no longer teenagers, but they are all still part of the family."

Happy Family Secret No. 15: Communicate

Rose J. Perkins, EdD, associate professor of psychology at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass., says that a happy family communicate with one another. "Frequently families are set up where everyone tells the mom and then the mom sends the message, but in a happy family, there are more flexible, open lines of communication."
In happy families, "all the members of family unit are able to communicate openly," she says.

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/15-secrets-to-have-a-happy-family

Friday, September 2, 2011

Perception..1/2 full, 1/2 empty or something else??

I've always considered myself as someone who thinks outside the box. Sometimes life throws in a little challenge.  And at one point today my mind wondered about the wise words of the 1/2 empty, 1/2 full glass. For a moment my thoughts lingered on the 1/2 empty aspect, but I did realise that 1/2 full didn't satisfy either.


  It wasn't long til I realised that sometimes, just sometimes, if you tilt the glass just so, that 1/2 empty glass will reflect the most beautiful rainbow.



Yes its all very mysterious and cryptic, but all is well and will continue to be well with the right frame of mind.....


Thursday, September 1, 2011

New Month New Measurements and New Goals :)

So its not a Slim Down Sunday, but I really wanted to stay on track taking my measurements each month to see how the progress is going, rather then relying on scales that torment me by going up and down!!

I can't believe that I've spent a whole month on conscious fitness and clean eating MOST of the time! YAY!!

Here are my previous stats

I have to say the results have been worth it, not just weight wise. I've been the healthiest I've been in years, energy is high and I've also managed to give my antidepressants the boot, which I credit to my new LIFESTYLE!! :)

So here are my current stats

BMI 26.2

 Height - 163cms
Weight - 69.4kgs (3kg loss!)
Waist 95cm (15cm loss!!)
Bust 92cm (2cm loss)
Left Thigh 54cm (2cm loss)
Right Thigh 53cm (5cm loss)
Left Calf 37cm (same)
Right Calf 37cm (same)
Left Arm 29cm (2cm loss)
Right Arm 28cm (1cm loss)


Total of 27cms for the month!! YAY!!


Goals for September??

Maintain my healthy, clean eating.  Keep up with my daily exercise, and being generally more active throughout the day (which shouldn't be hard coming into Spring).

With consistency I hope that I will be able to achieve 65kgs :)  


WW - Wordless Wednesday





I Totally love surprise flowers - Just Because! oxoxox