Apollos Day Spa Annerley :)

Before Christmas Callum won a voucher (at a skate nite) for a spa treatment at a day spa in the city :) and as it was nearing its expiry date, I decided to book in :)

And what a awesum, relaxing morning I had!! They have a wet area where you can indulge in a sauna, hot spa and cold plunge pool. Nude is the preferred attire and while I've never been nude in front of strangers before, I will have to say it is the most liberating experience I've ever had! I figured that if I can have 5 babies and have various health professionals (male and female) see me in all sorts of undress then I can handle being nude at a ladies day spa!

The day include a salt scrub and and a 1hr massage! BLISS!!

And my darling Mike was at home watching the little ones while I pampered myself. I am very lucky to have such a understanding man :)

Time for bed, very tired and relaxed, hoping Kadee will sleep 2nite and not wake up heaps :)

#11 - Photos, photos and more photos :)

180 to be precise :) I'm on a quest to make sure we have memories as our hard drive crashed with many many precious photos on it, including baby photos of Kaydence :( Mike is still in the process of trying to save them, but now I'm not taking any chances :)

SO every month I'm printing off photos, and its affordable to do it these days :) It only cost me $27 at k-mart to print off 180 digital prints - BARGAIN :)

Now I just have to work out a storage system that makes it easy to look back on the photos.....

#4 - Wedding Plans!

Thats right!! I've been a good girl this year and have worked through some of my 50 Things List :)

And what have I done, I hear you ask??

Well........................drum roll...................... I BOUGHT A WEDDING DRESS!!!!!!!!

I still don't have any other details booked in but I have the dress and its makes everything feel so 'real', which is a good thing considering I've been meaning to do this wedding for 12 yrs :) Its kinda like, well what a waste it would be to leave a dress in my cupboard.

I couldn't resist really, it was at a store I had looked at a few weeks ago. I went back today with my daughter and decided I really wanted to try on some different dresses to get a idea on what style might work, and the 2nd dress I tried on I fell in love with. I went away and that afternoon when back to try it on again and decided there and then that it was the one!! And for only $400 (reduced from $1100) it fitted in perfectly with our budget :)

Feels very strange only to have tried on 2 dresses and find 'the one'. I mean when you watch those 'wedding shows' on Lifestyle Channel those girls try on sooooooooo many dresses!!

But as I want a 'stress free' wedding, I would have to say that choosing the dress fits perfectly with my theme :)

Every Cool Blog has Wordless Wednesday :)

Minx and Bruno our Maremma Sheepdogs

I would like to introduce Minx and Bruno our awesum family guardians :) As you can see they are Maremma Sheepdogs and are not well known as family pets. This breed is usually kept as livestock guardians to protect flocks of animals from predators.

But thus far they have proven themselves as beautiful family dogs, I've not had a problem with them being aggressive to our other animals nor have I had a problem with them being aggressive with people. I did a lot of research before choosing this breed. Our beloved Nelson passed away a couple of years ago. He was a chocolate Kelpie and he was with up for 14 years. He was almost human and was so clever!!! I'll have to try to find a photo of him from the other hard drive. We wanted to get another Kelpie, but we knew we would always compare the new one to Nelson so we decided not to get another one.

The following info I have copied from www.burkesbackyard.com.au/factsheets/Dogs/Maremma-Sheepdog/1923

Maremma Sheepdog

Breed: Maremma
Temperament: Friendly with family, wary of strangers
Cost: $500-$2000
Lifespan: 10-14 years
Maintenance: Low
Recommended for: Flock protection

These large white dogs are bred to protect flocks, they are friendly to their family but aloof and wary of strangers.

Appearance: This is a large, strongly-built white dog weighing up to 45kg (100lb) and standing to 73cm (28"). It has a heavy double coat, thick neck ruff and a thickly-plumed tail held curled over its back.

Temperament: The Maremma is said to be aloof, independent and protective of its family and territory. The breed was developed to protect herds of sheep and most will bond quickly with the designated flock be it angoras, chickens or sheep and defend it against all-comers. Breeders report a high proportion of animals are sold for flock protection. They say potential owners buying the dogs as pets for city living should be aware of the dogs tendency to bark which might disturb neighbours.

Health: Large breed apparently without hereditary bone diseases; Temperament in early strains is "touchy". It is important to meet the parents before selecting a pup and to socialise the pup.

Uses: Maremmas are shepherd dogs which bond with their flock and protect it. Breeders say they are not herding dogs as the flock would need to be scared of the dog to achieve this function, which is not the case. They can be bonded to almost any vulnerable flock animal, sheep, angoras, chickens, and more recently, alpacas. One breeder reported foxes took up to 30% of new lambs before he introduced Maremmas to his flock. He has not lost a lamb to predators since.

Training: This is not a breed known for its submissive attitude to humans. Breeders say it is an independent thinker and will be aloof to most people. Basic leash training is recommended because the Maremma will need to be controlled or separated when the flock is mustered. Most breeders find their dog will bond easily with their human family. The dog's working career begins when the pup is penned with its flock until it is three months old, then it is allowed into the paddock with the flock.

Ideal owner: Generally this is a working dog used by farmers. Individual Maremmas sold as pets in highly urbanised situation have not always succeeded. As pets they need about 30 minutes exercise a day. Owners also report once off the leash Maremmas don't always return promptly. However, most working Maremmas are good family dogs.

Grooming: Even working Maremmas should be groomed occasionally to remove burrs and grass seeds which can irritate the skin if neglected. Bath when necessary.

Popularity: In the past decade Maremmas have jumped from just 10 registered with the Australian National Kennel Council in 1986 to 288 in 1996.

History: The Maremma is essentially an Italian sheepdog, and is named after the region where it was developed.

Big sister, little sister :)

I couldn't help but take a photo of this sweet moment when Livia was playing her DS with Kadee having a gander. Retreating to our king size bed to hang out amongst the cushions is a favourite with the kiddies :)

Its times like this that makes me want to add to my large family, I'm a very lucky mumma to have such beautiful children :)

Happy Birthday Aliya and Jaidon!!!

We have just celebrated Jaidon's 14th and Aliya's 6th Birthdays!! Jaidon is my stepson but love him just the same! His birthday was on saturday and we were lucky enough for him to travel down from Bundaberg to be with us to celebrate! We had a family bbq on Saturday arvo and then Mike took the kids skating to top off the day :) The boys ended up staying up til 3am and got up early to jump back on the computers (their latest addiction!). Troy (friend) and Luke (cousin) slept over and I managed to snap a photo of where they crashed to sleep :)

Aliya had a party with her friends from school and her cousin Jessie also came. Even though itr was just a party 'at home' everyone seemed to enjoy themselves! I still can't get my head around the fact that she is 6 years old already!! It seems like just yesterday that I was enduring the February heat waiting to pop lol! As it was I ended up with my first emergency caesarean, no popping to be had hahaha!




As you can see even Bruno enjoyed himself wanting to join in with the ring toss game :)