Inner West Mum

Sharks!

2012-02-29T21:22:00.001+11:00

Hubbie has been talking for ages about taking Moo to Sydney Aquarium but the time has never been right. Last week hubbie took a few days off to help me with the kids (who are refusing to sleep) but the aquarium was put on the back burner with the beautiful week we have (finally) had. Luckily (?) the weather turned bad on Sunday AND we scored free tix off a friend so we packed up the family truckster and chugged into the city.

At this stage I can't be bothered with writing about the day so I will post lots of photos. As they say, a picture paints a thousand words...

We will be back soon no doubt.

Learning new camera tricks

2012-02-27T18:09:00.000+11:00

As someone who loves photography, I know surprisingly little about how to use my camera! Lazy might be a way to describe how I am...yes, that is the word for sure.

This week i was reading one of my favourite mummy blogs, My Three Ring Circus and was overcome with the beauty she captures in her portraits. I have found it a long process moving on from film, but since looking at all the beautiful photos in this blog, and seeing how the author has 7 children to my 2, and she has time to knock out these great shots, I realised there is no excuse.

So this week I am teaching myself about aperture priority. It was so easy, all I had to do was read the manual, and my photos already look much better. Though I must remember to use an aperture of about 2.8 not 1.4 for portraits as I don't have a lot of shots in focus!

And this week Popsie turned six months old! Yea! I am still trying to capture her big beautiful smile but she doesn't like to turn it on for the cameras like Moo did. But she is just as beautiful!

An Afternoon Off

2012-02-24T14:09:00.002+11:00

Thanks babe ;)

40 things to do before 40

2012-02-20T21:05:00.000+11:00

Since I am forty in only two and a half years (yikes!), I am going to make this 40 things to do before I'm 45. I've tried to keep it basically realistic and not assume I am going to win bazillions of dollars to achieve the goals (but I am totally open to winning the $$$ and rewriting this post).

1. Lose 10kg (2 down since first writing this, 8 to go!)
2. Start running again (tick!)
3. Do the City To Surf without stopping or walking
4. Earn more money
5. Earn some of that money through photography
6. Become handy-I have slipped to easily into the roll of housewife and have forgotten how to do/fix things for myself.
7. Go to the Australian Open tennis finals (I made plans with a friend on Saturday night to go next year!)
8. Take the girls to Disneyland
9. Take my husband to New York (he's been heaps of times but not with me)
10. While we are travelling, Paris is on the list
11. See my Finnish friends again-show them Sydney.
12. Have 2 kids that sleep through the night (a long shot)
13. Be living in a 3 bedroom house
14. Still look 40 ;)
15. Own a vintage car again, one as lovely as my last
16. Go skiing, not in Australia
17. Learn to make 50's style dresses
18. Have finished crocheting Popsie's blaket
19. Have finished crocheting my blanket
20. To have painted the kitchen cupboards
21. Have a swing dancing parter who will take me dancing one a month
22. To be able to afford a cleaner who will change the bed sheets and fold the washing!
23. To be able to mix a mean martini
24. If I am still a full time teacher, to be starting to go for assistant principal jobs
25. To be able to wear high heels all day at work (is this really a goal?)
26. To be planning the amazing renovations on our house that will annoy the shit out of our neighbours!!! I hope they both have newborns when the demolition begins (nasty but true)
27. To know how to style my hair. Surly I can't be 45 and still wearing a pony tail to work. Maybe a nice french roll or something
28. To know how to apply make up! I have the smallest-oldest make up collection in the world! I would like to add eye shadow to it, but I can't do it without looking like I've been punched in the face!
29. To look great at my 20 year school reunion this year.
30. To try to have fun at my 20 year school reunion and not just be a hater - remembering how mean everyone was in high school. I'm sure they have all grown up too!
31. To weigh the same at 40 (and 45) as I did at 20 (totally achievable as I have never been a skinny-minnie)
32. To be my daughters' best friend. I know they will only be about 6 & 7 but I hope we will always be super close, just not so close that they never want to move out...
33. To have finally done that Photoshop course, though I am sure it will be totally out dated by then.
34. To be nicer to hubbie
35. Have adult furniture in a retro 60's style that my daughters don't ruin
36. To have made the girls bedroom (s) into little pink and purple wonderland
37. Watch less trash TV (unlikely)
38. Visit Katherine Gorge in the Northern Territory
39. To have manufactured world peace, eliminated poverty and gotten rid of all the creeps in the world
40. I am going to save this one for later... I might have forgotten something...

And some baby photos

Lucky me!

2012-02-17T09:41:00.000+11:00

A few weeks ago I entered a competition to win some beautiful jewellery made by the sister of Arctic Mum, Elisabeth Arustad in Norway! It arrived a couple of weeks ago and although I have been wearing it a lot, I have been too lazy to write about it (bad blogger) so here it is!

It's hand made and gorgeous and I LOVE IT!

Thanks Arctic Mum! and Elisabeth!

Baby Led Weaning?

2012-02-02T10:03:00.000+11:00

Baby led weaning? I can't even be bothered reading about it! Now baby number 2 is becoming all growen up, the last thing I can be arsed with is learning about the latest fad in baby weaning. Moo devoured everything put in front of her and is pretty good at using a spoon and fork, so it all went ok using mush the first time, so I'm just going to do the same thing again. Didn't babies eat just fine before BLW? Who knows? Maybe not.

One of the reasons I am too busy to be bothered with BLW is that I now spend so much time making mush! This week I started with Apple. Popsie has had a few days of rice cereal, which she woofed down. There has been no movement down below since, if you know what I mean, so time to get things moving. Chop chop.

With Moo I bought this great steamer/blender for mush making, so chuck the apples in and tun it on. When it's done, flip it over and blend.

Nice and mushy and ready for the next step.

Into the ice cube containers. Mmmmm, handy bite size apple mush!

After its frozen I pop it into plastic bags and date it. Ready to eat. I think I might make some into ice blocks for Moo while I'm at it next time.

You can see how much Popsie appreciates my efforts!

Wylies Baths Adventure

2012-01-30T15:55:00.000+11:00

After my whinge about a summer indoors, along comes a beautiful morning with an invitation to get out of the house and into the water. Who could say no? I packed up the car, dropped Moo at school and hot footed it to pick up Boo and K.

I have never been to these baths at the north of Coogee, I usually hang out down the other end near the rock pool. I had wanted to come here for ages, it just took someone else to make me get off my bum and get down here.

It has a bit of an old world feel to it, like the men should all be wearing long trunks and women should have flowery caps on the heads.

I snuck off for a dip, leaving Popsie in the pram in the shade. The water was perfectly refreshing, but
I only got to swim for a few minutes before pitiful mewing drew me back to my darling who needed a cuddle.

Boo was not much more cooperative, so soon it was time to go.

We've decided next time to ditch the kids and do it properly ;)

When Crafternoon Goes Bad

2012-01-24T21:27:00.001+11:00

Today was a lovely day, or at least it started well. Moo and I dropped Popsie at the creche and went for a swim at the pool-all good, lots of splashy fun. We tried out the new life saving devices, the bubble and kick board, but neither were winners. Oh well, she will just have to learn to swim without them.

After an hour we headed home. By the time we arrived I had two girls asleep in the pram, soooo should have taken a photo coz it was so cute, this is where I made my first mistake. Instead of popping Moo straight into bed, she woke a little and I thought I'd just throw some food down her throat as she must surely be hungry (rookie mistake, but I'm no rookie anymore). I put Penny in bed and she fell into a lovely sleep, thank goodness after the mornings protest, and then Moo began to wake up.

...An hour and a half later she finally went to bed so I made a cup of tea. This is how I usually wake Popsie up. She hates me making tea. But that was all cool too. We had a little photo session and hung out which was nice.

Then it started. Sobbing from the kiddies room, Moo has woken in a bad mood (oh no!). Up we got, lots of cuddles and things were looking a bit better. So while I was trying to watch the end of The Biggest Loser that I TiVoed last night (which makes me the biggest loser) I realised that fobbing off the toddler wasn't going to work. It was time to pull out the big guns and have a crafternoon! Fun right?

So cute for a while. Painting first.

Still all good. Then we moved onto sticking and stamping things. Even Popsie was happy as long as she was sitting on my lap and biting me with her super sharp teeth and unusually strong jaw grip.

Next, the play doh was put not the table. Popsie had to be put in her bouncer which turned out to not be ok with her, a bit of a grizzle. Then Moo decided eating blue play doh would get my attention. So there I am rocking the bouncer and pulling play doh out of Moo's mouth. Things are under control. Moo doesn't want to stop though, so in the interest of actually having some authority in my own house, I take the play doh away. This is where it all goes to shit. Moo arcs up, so does Penny and I am left with nothing left to do but laugh. And video it for prosperity.

A Summer Indoors.

2012-01-23T12:58:00.000+11:00

Summer is in full swing here in Sydney, not that you'd know it...Rain, rain, go away, come again another day. In the years BK (before kids) I loved nothing more than spending hours at the beach in the summer, especially since being a teacher means I get 5 lovely weeks of sunny beach action every year...or did. Swimming in the surf, laying in the sand, reading a book, not a care in the world other than reapplying sun screen. I miss those days. I miss the beach.

This summer has been spent mainly indoors due to shitty weather. And having two girls, still well under two. An outing to the beach seems filled with angst-the ages of packing stuff, finding a park, messing with nap times, dealing with nappies and trying in vain to get hubby to join us, all contribute to this being my second summer without a beach visit. I can't believe I live only 10km to one of the worlds most famous beaches and have not gone swimming there in forever!

Perhaps it is for the best, I remember the beach fondly as a place of relaxation and self indulgence, I doubt it would be anything like that with two children in tow. It would no doubt be the stuff of nightmares-blue bottles, sharks, dirty old pervs. The world, not just the beach, is a bit scarier with children.

Without trying to wish time away, I look forward to putting the girls into nippers at Bronte or Coogee and while hubby is out in the surf helping, with whatever it is parents have to help with in nippers, I can lie on the beach, read my book, listen to my music and swim in the surf. Indulging in a moment of peace

Doesn't that sound like heaven?

Hello...Goodbye.

2012-01-17T20:53:00.000+11:00

We were so lucky this week to have been visited by our awesome Melbourne friends...who don't live in Melbourne anymore, Anna and J.D. The family must have been running on Dixon time though, because they didn't arrive until late in the afternoon. Unfortunately they only had time to stay for one short night, but I finally got to meet their little man Noah, possibly one of the cutest little boys I've ever seen. He has the biggest eyes and so he always looks amazed-totally endearing.

I never in a million years thought we would be able to squash an extra family into our teeny tiny house, but with Anna's tetras skills, we managed to squeeze two extra beds into our city version of a lounge room for a night.

Moo was super excited to have some new people in the house but I don't think Popsie noticed anything different ;)

Noah is a strapping 9 months old and is so cute I think he could be the poster boy for baby led weaning. Nom nom nom!

Now that these guys have managed to swing by Sydney for a visit, driving no less, I think we will have to make an effort to go down to Melbourne soon, by plane, Before they charge us for Moo. Travelling with 2 babies.

The horror.

Pretty Little Penny Popsie Pie.

2012-01-12T19:37:00.000+11:00

I spent the day today hanging out with my little baby. She is so snuggly right now, I just want to eat her up!

All she wants is to be cuddled all day whenever possible, which is fine for her, but i have things to do! Like taking her to mothers group in the park to drink champagne ;).

Yes, it was a lovely day.

Welcome Twenty-Twelve

2012-01-10T17:05:00.001+11:00

Happy twenty-twelve!

Here's to a year of taking the easy route and living the simple life.

Life has been full of change for my two babies already this year, giant leaps you might say!

Moo has just turned 20 months old and is as georgeous as ever. It is amazing watching her learn new things every day. I am especially enthralled in listening to her talk, she has so much to say and is starting to be able to get it all out. I am just waiting for back chatting now...or swearing!

She is also becoming very sociable. Her friend Lily came over on the weekend and they played so nicely together. Cups of tea and watering the garden. But ice cream was the big winner. Of course.

Popsie is now 4 months and has had a big year already. She has TWO new teeth, is sleeping in her own room (with Moo) and is growing like the clappers! She is in the 97th percentile for length! She is going to be as big as her big sister!

Putting them in the same room has been going surprisingly well. It has been a week and a half now, we started on NYE, and hopefully are not going back. Moo has had two disturbed nights but that is to be expected. Popsie has slept well since the move, except during the day. But we are working on that!

It all seems happy families at the moment. I should just enjoy it while it lasts but I am feeling the weight of work looming around the corner and am starting to get nervous.

Ready For The New Year

2011-12-30T22:08:00.001+11:00

Hi,

it's been a while between posts, such a busy time of year, especially with 2 wee 'uns. Doing Christmas shopping between sleeps, assembling presents (damn you new Ikea opening just up the road before Xmas!) going to the butcher for the first time (literally) to buy a ham. Christmas sure ain't what it used to be (read beer, beach, friends, holidays, sleeping in)!

This was the year my mum did Christmas so EVERYONE was there, Mum, Pop, me, Hubbie, Popsie, Moo, Janet, Ben, Drake, Inez, Alex, Olga, Niki, Adrian, Izaac, Jedd, Elyse, Andre', Montanna, Callan and Riely. I don't know how mum organises all that food and the shopping and still works full time. It was a delicious way to put on 1.5kg over 3 days! All that hard work at the gym down the drain. At least it gives me something to do next year ;)

This year I made gingerbread cookies-ssssooooooooo yummy! It might become my xmas tradition. Moo helped me make some which was sweet.

Xmas day started with the realisation Santa had visited, he had drunk the beer we left for him and the reindeer had eaten the carrot! Wow!!

We then opened our Santa sacks, Moo began to realise what presents are. Cute. Drake was totally into it!

Soon all the cousins had arrived and Santa visited again, you could tell he had been up delivering presents all night, he looked like lots of people had left him beers, not just us!

Maggie got a stroller and that was her done for the day.

She got really freaked out when we went inside for the crazy present grab. Poor Moo cried so hard she burst a blood vessel in her eye. Soon enough though it was time to eat, thankfully Nanny was able to bring Moo around and she joined in the feast that had taken so long to prepare.

The eating continued for 3 days and there was still enough for me to take home a chicken and some ham and nibbles. Wow.

After the food, when everything calmed down a little bit, nana and I gave Moo some more presents, an outdoor table and chairs and a tea set. She loves them. "Cuppa tea", is now a frequent saying in our house.

I know I haven't mentioned Popsie in this post but she did seem to sleep through a lot of the day. I thought all the commotion would upset her but she seemed to enjoy being passed around and being cuddled by Granny constantly, and slept really well! A Christmas miracle!

It's getting Xmasy

2011-12-13T10:33:00.000+11:00

Our first Xmas party of the season was held n Pleasant Avenue. I have always wanted to live on Pleasant Ave, I've lived near it, next to it, but never on it. I don't think people sell their houses if they live there and they don't let go of a lease once they have one. It truly is a pleasant avenue.

Hubby has a friend who lives there and he invited us to their street Xmas party. We used to have parties like this on the street I grew up on. The street is blocked off and the residents all come out and socialise, drink, the kids play. Pleasant Ave is a bit special though, everyone decorates the front of their houses, set up play areas for the littlies, have a communal food table, it's all lovely. I think they have a competition each year for the house decorations. Moo wanted to explore the houses very closely.

She is very curious.

Some decorate their houses more than others...

On my street my uncle used to dress up as Santa and my dad would double him on the back of his motor bike around the streets, throwing lollies to the local kids. On Pleasant Ave Santa turns up in a fire truck!

Unfortunately I didn't get a shot of Moo with Santa as the started screaming and clinging to me whenever we got close. I can't imagine why...

It wasn't long until the fire hose was broken out and the kids all had a go. The passers may have got a bit wet... I wonder if I could organise such an event on my street... or in our back lane. It was so much fun and had a real feeling of community, which is what I love about living in Newtown.

Merry Xmas!

My little girl is growing up

2011-12-09T12:59:00.000+11:00

I headed out last weekend to take some photos of Moo, she is at such a cute age right now.

She is beginning to have little conversations, not that I understand them.

She knows what she wants,

and where she wants to go.

I love her so much.

I Put My Daughter On A Leash...

2011-12-05T12:36:00.000+11:00

I put my daughter on a leash and don't care what you think about it! Yes. I am THAT mum, the one who looks like she is walking a dog but has a toddler instead. I know some people find it awful to do this to a little person, but I think most of those people probably don't have toddlers of their own. That said, hubbie doesn't like it one bit...

Little Moo is just starting to want to walk everywhere. She is becoming very active and quite frankly, needs the exercise! So a few weeks ago I bought the leash, not one if those animal backpacks with a tail but a canvas harness with a long strap. Cheap, but not subtle.

We used it for the first time a few weeks ago coming home from day care. It took her a bit of getting used to, sudden stops and all. Now she seems pretty fine with it and we have only used it twice more. I find it particularly useful when I don't want to take the double pram (from hell) out. So Popsy can be in the nice pram and Moo can walk. Everyone is happy.

I have noticed, however, a few sideways glances fro people who want me to note their disapproval. I just smile back, or ignore them. She is my little girl and I am keeping her safe. I figure I am the one who will be devastated if she runs out onto the road and gets hit by a car, not them. So they can think what ever they like and I will walk my baby like an excited puppy!

My Baby Doesn't Want Me To Have Any Fun.

2011-12-02T09:51:00.000+11:00

Popsie has realised that she is the king of the castle. Twice now I have attempted to have her babysat and twice she has made me home hoe early.

Three weeks ago hubbie was recording a Nick Cave tribute show at the Enmore theatre and was able to get me a couple of tickets. Yea! so my lovely mothers group friends put up their hands to pop over and watch some bad T.V while I went and joined the real world for a few hours.

Normally Popsie doesn't wake until about 2am for a feed. Perfect. The Enmore shuts at 11pm so plenty of time to get home and maybe even squeeze in a couple of beers. At 10:30 I found myself trudging back to whingy baby who for some reason awoke early and wanted to be fed. Not the end of the world, I caught most of the gig and felt like I got a night out of the house.

Last night hubbie and I were catching up with Veronica Darling who was up from Melbs and checking out the newest Mexican place in Newtown. I was home an hour later feeding a restless baby.

WTF???

She refuses to drink from a bottle and wont let me go out. This is getting tiresome. And with Christmas around the corner, my grand plans of pump 'n' dump so I could have a few sherbets is not looking likely. This is not going to be 'The summer of George" that I imagined.

Why won't she get with the programme?

Tizzy Hall. I Love You and I Loathe You.

2011-11-24T21:56:00.001+11:00

I remember first picking up my copy of Save Our Sleep by Tizzy Hall, self proclaimed baby whisperer. I was in Dymmocks in Broadway, about a week overdue with my first baby. I skimmed the pages and thought I had found the answer to baby raising! It seemed so simple, follow a strict routine and baby will sleep through the night at 12 weeks old.

I put Moo on the routine at about 2 weeks old. I followed the self settling instructions. I let her cry and patted her to sleep. I was diligent. I pumped milk twice a day, rising before dawn in winter to get the job done. I followed the rules like I have never done before.

Mostly Moosie just did what the book said she would do. For that I loved Tizzy. I felt in control. I knew when she would get hungry, need to sleep, had to play, when to bath her. It was all written down. All you had to do was follow the simple steps. What a great mother I was!

Any one could do it right?

But there were days when Moo wouldn't follow the routine. She would wake up early or want to be fed more. She didn't sleep through the night (and still doesn't) and I didn't know what to do. Nowhere in the book does Tizzy say what to do when the baby doesn't comply.

But basically it worked for me. I often wondered why everyone didn't follow these routines. Then baby number 2 came along. This baby didn't want to be fed only 4 or 5 times a day. She refuses to sleep longer than 40 minutes. She won't follow the baby bible!

I have spent days worrying about what to do when the baby wont follow the book. I read every page many times, did internet searches and wrung my hands, all to no avail. Tizzy, it seems, has no suggestions for what to do when things don't go to plan. This left me fretting, especially when Moo was very little. This is the reason I hate Tizzy. She has made me feel like shit, surely a good mother has a happy baby that sleeps and feeds and doesn't cry right?

This time round I am much more relaxed (most days). I try not to spend too much time worrying; I don't really have time to. But I think Tizzy could really benefit her readers if she just added a little advice along the lines of "It's ok if the day goes to hell, just do your best and start again tomorrow-it's not the end of the world."

Glenbroook Fair

2011-11-19T14:23:00.000+11:00

It is coming into Summer so that means it is festival season here in Sydney. Fun for the most, but in our house it means daddy has to do a lot of extra work to do. Last weekend hubbie was recording something down in Melbourne, so instead of trying to be supermum, I packed up the kids (that still sounds weird to me) and went to mums on Friday night.

Saturday was the annual Glenbrook Fair in the lower blue mountains and we had planned on going. We just had to work it around nap times. As it turned out Maggie wanted a 3 hour nap today! She hardly ever sleeps over 2 hours, usually and hour and a half is about good for her. So mum and I sat around waiting and waiting, finally we left at about 2:30.

When we arrived the fair was all finishing up. Bummer. But we managed to give Moo a ride on the Thomas train. She loved it! Unfortunately it only went around the track 3 times. When she got off she just stood there looking at it saying "More", but they were already packing up.

She had her first snow cone and Nanny also bought her big shiny flower.

Poppy was a bit overcome with the heat. It was a pretty hot day.

When we got back to mums we decided to continue the old fashioned fun and set up the sprinkler for moo to get nudie with.

We love it at Nans, I wish we could move in...

Coping With Two Tiny Tots

2011-11-17T11:12:00.000+11:00

Over the past 11 weeks it seems I have learnt a few things about being a mother of two kids under 2. Here are my tips for those of you who are crazy enough to go down this path...

1. Don't try and do too much. I find having very few plans during the day helps me feel like I am not being overwhelmed. On the days when I think I want to go to the gym, then maybe the park, mop the floors and pick up some milk and tidy the bedrooms are the days I end up feeling like I have failed. I know, and that's not a lot to do right?!

2. Afternoon T.V is a blessing. By the afternoon, when I have both bubs by myself are often spent in the lounge room with the TV on. Now don't get all high and mighty, with a 3 month old and an 18 month old, we are talking about survival here. 2 babies screaming at once is not good for any one.

3. Get that toddler moving! Getting out at least once a day is a must! We find mornings are the best. Moosie has to be walked, just like a puppy! I find the best time is when Popsie is due for a nap we head to the park and make her walk to the swings. We only spend about 10 minutes playing and 30 minutes walking. I wish Popsie would sleep longer so I could really wear Moo out.

4. Take help when offered. People often say they will help, probably not expecting you will say yes. Call them on it! I have asked people to mind Maggie so I can get things done. I haven't inflicted the both of them on any one yet, watch out people!

5. Have awesome grandmothers. This is a must! I don't know what I would do without Nanny and Granny. Be a lot more tired and stressed I suppose!

6. Accept that the house will be a mess. Or hire a cleaner. My house is a mess. It is probably dirty too but I don't look under the lounge any more.

7. Make hubbie shape up. Ok, I am extremely lucky here. My husband gets into the full swing of things as soon as he gets home from work, he feeds and baths Moo, puts her to bed and even gets up to her during the night, she still wakes up at least twice a night. Arrrgggggggh! But if he wasn't this way he would be kicked into shape pronto! Or we could swap roles and I would go back to work and he could stay home (Oh the bliss of having adult conversations during the day).

8. Have lazy days. We have the occasional day where we all stay in the lounge room with the air con and TV on all day and dont even bother trying to do anything. These days are good for the soul.

9. Try to clean the kitchen before going to bed. Not as easy as it sounds but at least you don't feel like you are starting the day behind the 8 ball. And put all the toys away too-just chuck them in a box in the corner.

10. Be nice to yourelf. It IS hard work! Those who say, "Wow, I would love to stay home every day and play," can fuck off.

Guilt parenting

2011-11-03T20:31:00.000+11:00

Maggie has not been enjoying day care as much as she did on the first day. The last few days she has cried, no, sobbed when I left. On the worst day she was still crying when I came to pick her up :(

I felt so bad I went and bought her her first ice cream. As if it's not bad enough giving a 17 month old ice cream, it was from MacDonalds.

Bad parenting 101.

She thoroughly enjoyed it though.

Splish Splash!

2011-10-28T21:17:00.000+11:00

With the onset of lovely warm Sydney weather we dragged the splash pool out of the shed and set it up for little Moo to play in for the first time. I think she liked it, but pictures say more than words!

Poppy just chilled out poolside. All she needed was a cocktail!

The Baby Stole my Morals!

2011-10-21T10:40:00.000+11:00

I clearly remember the day I decided to become a vegetarian. It was 22 years ago, I was 15 and dad had taken me out of school for the day so I could visit a psychiatrist, to prove I wasn't crazy (but that's another story). I was sitting on the side of the road, I don't remember where, and saw a truck of chickens drive by. That was it. I wouldn't eat meat any more.

For years I still ate fish, but one day in my early 20's share house, we were pulling the heads off prawns and devouring them while watching Babe, the story of the adorable talking pig who doesn't want to be eaten. That was it, no more fish either. Nothing with a brain I decided.

For a while I flirted with veganism, but to give up cheese and pizza was just too much!

Over the years i have slipped up I am sure, but it has become second nature to check for meat and bring a little something to dinner when you know the people don't know how to cook or make a salad without an animal of some kind. And I was tested while travelling through Spain where they just didn't seem to understand why you would not eat meat, here have some lamb instead! Chicken?

So why the rant? Last night, for the first time in 22 years I ate meat. It wasn't the big deal I thought it would be, full of pomp and ceremony, just chicken and veg on rice. This came about through Popsie being a baby who cries. ALOT.

After about 2 weeks of night time screaming, I did a bit of research into what could be the problem and the most likely answer was that my diet was causing my precious girl terrible wind. So I got some wind drops and cut out eating onion, garlic, legumes, pulses, broccoli cauliflower and all dairy. That doesn't leave a whole lot of protein sources for a non meat eater. The problem is, it seems to have worked and I am too scared to put anything back in my diet incase the screaming starts again. But living off toast and tahini was getting a bit boring and not very nutritious.

So I made the decision to give meat a try. For the protein. It was nice. I will probably do it again this week. I can't see myself scoffing down a New York steak any time soon, but at least I am getting fed.

And my baby is happy.

Moo's First Day at Day Care

2011-10-11T20:55:00.000+11:00

Monday was the first day Moo left my side to spend the day with strangers...at day care.

I had started preparing days before, I had bought her a bag and a special water bottle and written her name in her clothes. I was considering buying a label maker but thought that might be a step too far! I had even put a note on the fridge reminding me of the 4 or 5 simple things i had to remember.

Her bag was packed a week before she started and was left sitting on the kitchen table to remind me that Moo is no longer a baby.

The day started like any other, a spot of peanut butter on toast and lots of rushing to have showers and feed babies and show a presentable face to the world.

Popsie was not fussed either way about the toast or the song or the impending special day.

Moo got dressed in her comfy play clothes for the day and donned her new lady bug back pack, which is nearly as big as her! She looked super cute and I started getting sad that she had to spend the day with people she doesn't know and she wont be the centre of their attention.

Soon we were on our way out the door, through the gate and down the street to start our big day.

Daddy was as upset as me to say goodbye to little Moo. Not that she noticed.

It seemed she couldn't wait to get through the door and wave goodbye to us!

Bye bye baby!

The Magic Yellow Bus

2011-09-27T10:42:00.000+10:00

In the interests of not actually blogging about how bad this week has been and therefore not putting friends off having babies, I will focus on a good day, not the days of crying and the sleepless nights.

Every Wednesday my mum comes to my house to mind Moo, it used to be so I could go to work, it is now so I can have a break and just look after Popsie. The same mornings at Camperdown Memorial Park the council set up a children's play centre called The Magic Yellow Bus. Parents and toddlers come from miles around to hang out in the sunshine and let the kids play with new toys, new friends and not have to worry about cleaning up after!

Mum has been taking Moo on and off since she could crawl. I joined them this week to have a look at how my little girl spends her day when I am not around. She loves the lawn mower, which could come in handy if we ever decide to pack in the city life and move to the 'burbs.

She also loves playing with the play-doh, now that she knows it is not cheese!

She loves bumping into mates from mothers group, like Zoe and trying to steal their toys, not that Zoe would let her!

But it turns out the thing she loves to do most of all is walk along the concrete paths. Not roll in the grass or play in the sand or paint a picture, but walk on concrete. She is a real city chick!

Moo at the Zoo! Woo-hoo!

2011-09-21T20:40:00.000+10:00

This is hubbies last week off work so we decided we really needed some special family time, a day off from just survival with two very small children. Almost on a whim we decided a day at the zoo would be fun, Moo would be able to see all of those animals she looks at in her books and we get to spend a lovely day in the sun out of Newtown.

We arrived early, got a great parking spot, applied the sunscreen, but babies in the pram, packed the food etc etc etc and got on our way.

First stop is the giraffes, Moo was quite impressed. We had been telling her for a day that she was going to see animals at the zoo, I think the penny dropped. Ooohhhhh was the word for the day.

The zebras were a bit of a hit too.

I am pretty sure she was trying to tell us she wanted to see the monkeys...

Daddy loved the Meerkats, they are quite humanish.

Next it was off to the elephants

Definitely a big hit.

The tiger was amazing. Grrrrrr.

At the end of the day we went to the concert lawn to have a pic nic. Possibly the best view of Sydney harbour around. I am sure Moo is saying "Where the bloody hell are you?"

A family day win!

New Baby, New Mothers Group.

2011-09-16T08:54:00.000+10:00

Yesterday was a really busy day for little Popsie and me. We began the day at Reel Mums movie session watching Submarine...not the 4 star movie promised by Margaret and David, but Noah Taylor was great...even if he isn't the cute awkward twenty-something he used to be. Afterwards hubbie met us for lunch at a Thai restaurant on King st, I had a yummy tom yum soup and was feeling pretty good after a noodly chilli hit. Cant get enough noodly goodness!

Walking down to Camperdown to attend my new mums group I was feeling pretty excited and hopeful. My last mothers group was fantastic, lots of different women from around Newtown with a wide array of interests and lifestyles and all looking for a group of people to help support them through the early days of being a mum. I can only hope my new group is as full of the same understanding and help.

When I arrived there were already about 15 people waiting for the group to begin. As soon as I walked through the door I saw a friend of a friend, Tanya and her baby girl Sophia, who is six weeks old, they literally live around the corner from me. So off to a good start.

The group had about 20 parents, mostly baby girls and one set of twins. Everyone seems really nice and willing to get along and make friends. I am already eyeing off people who I think I might get along with and would like to get to know better.

I am looking forward to the coming weeks, getting to know these new people and hopefully making a couple of good friends over the months.

And of course, Moo is going well!

Lets Go to the Movies Mums!

2011-09-12T16:46:00.002+10:00

It is weeks 3 and we have been doing a lot of staying in lately and a little bit of going out. One of my favourite things to do while having a small baby who can't walk or crawl, is going to Reel Mums at Dendy Cinema. It is probably most peoples version of hell, a cinema full of babies and noise, people moving around, a bit of chatting and the lights still partially on. But for me it is a welcome break, a chance to have some time that feels like it's for me , even though Popsie is attached to me throughout.

I went quite a few times with little Moo, and I went for the first time in over a year last Thursday with a friend of mine, Renee and her 5 week old son, Serge, to see The Help. I knew I was going to cry before I walked in the cinema. My hormones are al over the place at the moment so it doesn't take much. I can't say it was a great movie by any stretch of the imagination, a bit like "movie by numbers", but at least I got to see a movie. More than I get around to at home.

Next week Dendy is showing Aquarium, which looks really interesting, and Noah Taylor is in it too! I might have to get there a bit early to gab a good seat as it can fill up pretty quickly.

Any-hoo, it has been a busy 3 weeks since Popsie came home with us. I am feeding her as I type this as I feed for bout 8-9 hours a day! It is as hard as I remember, but at least this time I know what I am in for and I know that it all will end...eventually...

Welcome to the World!

2011-08-30T15:07:00.000+10:00

This day last week, my new little baby decided it was time to enter the world. The day began as most others, 20 laps at the pool, home for lunch and a Moosie nap, then plans for a trip to Ikea to get some storage for the girls' bedroom.

About 1:30 on Tuesday afternoon I started to get some slight twinges, I wasn't sure if it was the beginning of pre-labour or if I just needed to go to the toilet! I rang hubbie saying I wasn't sure if I should go to Ikea, he thought it probably wasn't such a great idea, but I was itching to get out of the house so I went to nearby Broadway shops.

As the day went on the twinges didn't get any stronger but they were getting more frequent. My hormones must have been raging as I spent about $250 in K mart and Target on things for Moo! Hubbie organised for his mum to come and take Moo, and he started rounding up things at work. I put my mum on stand-by.

When Hubbie made it home I was still pottering around, drinking cups of tea and was thinking about stories I'd heard about women staying in pre-labour for days, and had myself convinced that I was going to be one of those women. By 7pm the contractions were getting slightly stronger. At 7:45 I rang mum saying she should come tonight but no big hurry as things were moving very slowly. She said she would leave the mountains at 8:30pm.

About 15 minutes later the contractions started coming hard and fast. Those of you who have had babies know that you kind of just get into your own head and have no real concept of time. Soon the contractions were only a minute apart. I had no idea that it was happening so quickly. By 8:30 hubbie was calling the hospital saying we were on our way. I was thinking this was too soon. It wasn't.

The ride to RPAH took an eternity, I made Hubbie pull over at one stage as the contractions were so strong that going over bumps was unbearable. When we arrived at the maternity ward, about 9:10pm, I was ushered into the birthing centre, this freaked me out as I wanted some morphine. The nurse assured me I could have morphine in the birthing centre. Phew!

After being assessed I was told I was 8-9cm and the baby could come any minute now. I started freaking out. It was all happening too fast, mum wasn't here yet, I just wasn't ready!

A minute later mum ran in, I started pushing and then there she was! 9:32pm Popsie was born! Luckily hubbie had the peace of mind to capture the moment on his phone! We were in such a rush the cameras were left in the car.

I was in shock. I just couldn't get my head around it all happening so quickly. She was so beautiful and tiny (well not really tiny, 3.6kg) and perfect. We are so lucky. The nurse did have a bit of a smirk I'm sure, when she said she knew there would not be enough time for morphine...

To make the night perfect I was told there was no room in maternity ward so I would have to stay in the birth centre for the night (yea), a large private room with a double bed and private bathroom! JOY!

Now we are home and it has been nearly a week since Popsie became a part of our family. Sleep is in short supply but we have a house full of love. Awwwwww.

Monday Moan.

2011-08-22T10:48:00.000+10:00

I am now 2 days overdue (and suspect it may be another week before things get a move on), so I feel like it is time for a bit of a moan about my situation, after all, I have now been pregnant for EVER!

10 things that suck about being pregnant:

1. No alcohol. O.K, you can have the occasional wine or beer, but I want an espresso martini and a bucket of mojitos!

2. No nice clothes. I suppose I could have gone and spent thousands of dollars at boutique stores to make my bump look beautiful, but I am on Kmart wage, so I have Kmart maternity clothes. I can't wait to get out of them!

3. No morning jogging. I used to love getting up super early and going for a 9km jog before work (crazy, but it does feel good). Now I swim laps but you just don't get the same feeling of having worked really hard and gotten really sweaty!

4. Public transport blindness. I don't expect special treatment very often, but if you see a pregnant woman on a bus or train, offer her your seat. Not only are we usually exhausted but our balance is a bit off too. Not a good look having a pregnant woman fall over on a bus, especially if she lands on you!

5. Freckles. Your skin and freckles go really dark towards the end of your pregnancy and I have lots of freckles. Yuckky!

6. Chocolate binging. I can't stop myself. This is why my arse looks as pregnant as my belly!

7. Hemorrhoids. I see no need to elaborate on this one.

8. Lack of sleep. Once you get really big you have to wake up to roll over in bed. You usually end up waking up your partner too. They often end up spending the last week or so on the lounge, leaving the bed for you and all your pillows. So I suppose it's not all bad.

9. Swollen feet, hands and face. During my first pregnancy I swelled up like a hot air balloon. I couldn't wear any shoes or rings. My face was puffy, my lips were so swollen I had to take out my facial piercings! This time it is no where near as bad but I can't wear my lovely diamond engagement ring or wear my cowboy boots. Bummer.

10. Waiting waiting waiting... where is my baby?

Waiting, waiting , waiting...

2011-08-18T08:13:00.000+10:00

This new baby has now been 9 months in the making. I can't believe the time has finally come around, I never really thought it would. I am due this coming Saturday,only 2 days away, it seems unbelievable!

This time round has been much easier than it was with Moo. I don't have massive fluid retention in my hands and feet so I have been able to exercise and wear shoes throughout the whole pregnancy. I am still knocking over 30 laps at the local pool; I wouldn't have been able to walk to the pool at this stage last time.

Although the pregnancy has all been really good, I still don't think I am ready to look after another baby! I found the first months with Moo so difficult! The lack of sleep sent me down depression road. People telling me to sleep when the baby sleeps, easier said than done when there is a building site next door knocking down adjoining walls and using power tools 3-4 metres away from you bedroom window. What worries me now is that they never finished building and have told us they are poised to get started any day now. Great. Not to mention the house on the other side of us STILL haven't finished renovating. (You would think 8 months would be enough, it is not exactly a massive house).

I am just worried that it is going to be a bit too hard. But others have done it and survived. 2 days to go and freaking out!

Is it Spring Already?

2011-08-03T20:21:00.000+10:00

What an amazing Winters day Sydney has put on for us! 25 degrees and just gorgeous, a perfect day to go to the park with some gal pals, Brigit and Zoe.

The swings are fun and always Moo's starting point at Sydney Park.

Zoe is old hat at the swings and happy to just hang out eating her Vegemite sandwich.

Next was the twirly dizzy thing that goes round and round. FUN!

Thirsty work.

The sand pit was the perfect way to end the afternoon. Sand on the toes and fingers, some in the nappy and some to eat. It must be nearly Spring!

Moosie update 14 months old and walking!

2011-07-19T15:03:00.000+10:00

Massive milestones this month! My little baby is now a fully fledged toddler! Yep, she has been walking now for 2-3 weeks, and she is actually pretty good at it.

I thought it was never going to happen! She had been walking for AGES while holding my hand but just didn't have the confidence to let go. I was at my friends house a few weeks ago and was saying to her "I just wish she would start walking by herself! I am so sick of following her around". As if she totally understood what I said, she let go of my finger and took about 30 steps! It was so exciting!

Since then it has been all systems go. we are now just waiting for the egg heads and split lips that come with learning to get around by yourself.

Pregnant Vegetarian Visits The Flying Fajita Sisters

2011-06-28T10:56:00.000+10:00

We all have our favourite places to eat around our neighbourhood and The Flying Fajita Sisters has been one of ours since it opened. Hubby loves his Mexican food, a by product of living in San Diego a long time ago. He is also a brilliant Mexican cook, a by product of not being able to buy authentic Mexican food in Australia. The Flying Fajita Sisters in Glebe has always served us up good food, yummy beer and a wide range of expensive top shelf tequila. Unfortunately, this was the first time we left a bit disappointed.

We got a cosy little table for two next to all the crosses. It was a bit squishy for a 7 month pregnant belly and where Greg sat, the waiter kept bumping his head with his bum getting between the tables. Not a great start, but the place was fairly packed so you can't really complain about that.

We ordered up some dips and corn chips for starters. The corn chips are made from quartered tortillas and deep fried. Yum, but these were a bit stale-the dips were lovely though. I decided to have my fave Mexican beer, a Negra Modello, yum yum yum. I wish I could have had 3 or 4.

Greg ordered one of his special tequilas, unfortunately they didn't have it in so they upgraded him to the for free which was nice. I only got a smell of it. Soon I will be able to indulge again...soon...

Soon out main came. I ordered the vegetable fajitas. I love fajitas, you get all the ingredients and put the dish together yourself just how you like it. Unfortunately (I feel like I'm using that word a lot in this post) the sweet potato was still crunchy in the middle and the black beans were cold. Other than that it was good.

Hubby's order came out wrong. He ordered a chicken and a beef baked taco ( I can't remember what they are called) but they both came out as chicken, and he said it was not as tasty as the chicken he cooks at home (one of his specialties). So he was really bummed. No tips tonight!

Now, I am not going to right this place off just yet, as we have had so many good meals there over the years. It has great decor and atmosphere. The staff are generally very attentive and they have a wide variety of food, even for pregnant vegetarians! I think we just got a bad night. But that doesn't make us feel any better after $100.

I really hope when we come back it is in the swing of things again.

Sunday Cafe Fail

2011-06-20T09:18:00.000+10:00

Early Sunday morning, hubby is still in bed after working late and Moo and mum are getting antsy. Perhaps breakfast at a cafe is in order. So off we went, heading out for French toast and coffee.

The streets of Newtown are often empty before 10am on the weekends. At 7:45am they were desolate. The odd jogger and a few people staggering home from clubs and parties. We headed for Cafe 2042, the standard fave on King st, but not open till 8am, so we went for a walk south. No decent cafes open yet, just some dodgy ones that are only for desperate times. 8:15am, 2042 still not open! So we decided to head to Scrambled on Enmore Rd, a bit of a walk but they do great eggs, and Moo was getting whingy from starvation!

Scrambled not open! again, only the dodgy cafes are open before 9am! I thought there would be more families out for breakfast early before the rush of couples about 10:30am. But no. So Off to the IGA to grab milk for a home made coffee and a banana for Moo.

I think I made a pretty good cafe latte, those uni years working in cafes have come in handy later on... and maybe some healthy porridge. It is winter after all.

By the look on Moo's face though, I think she would have preferred one of the dodgy cafes.

Pregnant Vegetarian Visits Bloodwood

2011-06-07T14:28:00.000+10:00

Success!!! Well, sort of. I wasn't a good mum to be drinking 2 glasses of wine and eating some soft cheese. Sometimes, when food is too good, you just can't help yourself! So good, I forgot to take photos so I am going to try and steal a few from another website...naughty?

You can't book so we turned up early on a Monday night which turned out to be a good idea as the tables were full by 7:30pm. I went with a couple of friends from mothers group who are not vegetarian and not stupid enough to be pregnant again yet. The menu is to share and my friends were generous enough to order some extra vege options. We started with yummy polenta chips with gorgonzola sauce (mmmmmmmm) and sweet potato coquettes. Followed soon by a chickpea pancake topped with veges, herbs and feta, socca, (yummo) then a chicken dish which looked delicious. The wine was lovely and I had to have 2 glasses, I couldn't stop my self! But the best was still to come.

Dessert. I ordered the chocolate torte. It was to die for! So thick and creamy and chocolaty and just divine. Joni got the cheesecake and Brigit and Karinn both ordered the trifle. No one was unhappy with their choice, though apparently the trifle was a bit too sweet to finish.

I would eat here every week if it wasn't so damn expensive! It's not crazy expensive but it is not on my every-week list either. As well as that, it is crazy hard to get a table here after 6:30pm, especially later in the week. I have heard of people waiting over 2 hours for a table after being told 45 minutes. I could never wait that long for a meal!

Sunday Baby Brag Blog

2011-06-05T20:22:00.000+10:00

What a perfect winters day. Time to head to the park for a family afternoon. Hubby and I got totally distracted taking Hipstamatic photos of Moo. So don't read on if you are not ready for a total brag blog about how cute Moo is!

I can flyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Fun playing with the fam...

And a bit of gardening to end the day...

Now time for some giggles!

WHAT A GREAT DAY!

I know, I know, nothing to say except I think my baby is cute. And she is!

Baby in Byron

2011-06-02T17:16:00.000+10:00

Last week hubby and I took a babymoon/holiday to beautiful Byron Bay. In what seems like a lifetime ago , I lived up that way for nearly 3 years, a long time for a self declared city-chick. Nothing much has changed up that way, maybe a few more rich people and some nicer shops but still gorgeous beaches and hinterland.

On the first day we just wandered around town, napped in bed and cooked dinner. On the second day we got lucky and the Bangalow markets were on. A beautiful arts and craft market in my favourite hinterland town, the first place I lived when I moved to the north coast. The markets were awesome, and muddy! And I just HAD to take Moo to Abracadabra and buy her a toy. Such a fun shop for kiddies as there are heaps of toys and knick-knacks for under $10. I remember the ads for this place from when i was little and went on holidays to my grand parents at Grafton. I think Moo liked the shop too!

The next couple of days we took Moo down to the beach. The last time we went to the beach at Balmoral with Moo she was unimpressed with the sand and the waves. Not this time, she loved it all! She played in the sand and we couldn't keep her away from the little splashy waves rolling up onto the shore. It made me wish we could live in walking distance to the beach in Sydney... keep buying those Lotto tickets...

My dad and his girlfriend came to visit us one night which was lovely, he hadn't seen Moo for about 4 months and she really seemed to enjoy hanging out with him. What was also nice was that dad offered to babysit Moo and Lily for the night so we got to go out with Alex and Caroline for the night. We went to Balcony and ate beautiful food and drank yummy drinks.

The next day was full of adventure. We took the van and headed to the hills. Unfortunantly the cafe at Rosebank was closed, so we dirverted to Clunes (another town I used to live in) for a coffee and scones in the park. The girls loved the grassy hills and Lily looked pretty cute pretending to be a koala. From there we drove to Minion Falls at Repentance Creek.

Here it all started well, looking at the views, spying the kookaburras and butterflies, playing happy families. As we were leaving, Lily was playing on the picnic table, lost her balance and fell backward, head first, onto the concrete. Thud. We rushed over to Lismore to get her checked out at the hospital as she was very pale and listless. They kept her in for 4 hours under observation, so poor Caroline and Alex missed out on the rest of the adventure.

Moo hubby and I headed out to Protesters Falls for a bit of a rainforest fix. One of my favourite places to take visitors to the north coast, there are better water holes but I can't remember where they are!

On one of our last days in the Bay, we got up super early to see the sunrise at the lighthouse. The parking was full when we arrived so I dropped everyone off and took Moo to Cosy Corner at Tallows Beach to take some cheesy sunrise photos.

After that we went to my favourite local beach, Whites, secluded, private and stunning, especially in the morning. Again, Moo just reveled being nude in the water. She is just too cute for words. Walking around on the wet sand, hopefully she will be walking by herself soon!

It was lovely to get away. Unfortunantly Moo didn't sleep well at all over the holiday, so we are more exhausted now than wen we left. But it was so much fun, the weather and company was great and it was just good to get away from normal life for a week. It could be a while before we get to do it again!

Lily was a bit disappointed to be leaving and couldn't leave without having a good old scream on the floor in the airport. I think we would have all liked to throw a tantrum if it would have let us stay another week.

Pregnant Vegetarian Orders Faheem Fast Food

2011-05-19T18:03:00.000+10:00

I know, you're not supposed to eat pre-prepared food when you are pregnant, but your not supposed to do ANYTHING while you are pregnant! I have started dreaming about drinking cocktails. Big, sour, limey cocktails in over sized, chilled glasses...but that's not what this particular blog is about.

Last week was a shocker with Moo (we've had 3 fantastic nights in a row and am feeling much better now) as some of you know. So when Granny took her for the night there was no way I was leaving the house. It was bath and bed by 8:30pm.

While I was in the bath, gorgeous hubby ordered take away from the local Pakistani/Indian place, Faheem Fast Food. By all accounts I should not be eating this as it is not freshly made up on the spot but most likely re-heated. Apparently listeria poisoning could occur. But I am sick of pizza, sick of Thai and in need of something quick and tasty. Indian! Yum! To stay on the safe side I heat the food to VERY HOT when I get it to hopefully kill off the baddies.

We ordered a yummy mixed dal, Aloo Baigan (eggplant and potatoes), poppadoms and a delicious Kasmiri naan and it was all delicious.

You can eat in Faheem Fast Food, but like Happy Chef, it is not a fancy place. Plastic tables and chairs, fluro lights, and concrete walls. It does have, however, a buzzing atmosphere with plenty of people coming and going all the time.

Did I mention it is super cheap and VERY VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY!!!! And it is always a good sign when your plate is clean at the end of the meal.

I Still Love You Little Moo!

2011-05-16T14:28:00.000+10:00

Another crappy night last night, but I am not feeling as bad today. Hubby did the hard yards with little Moo last night, whose longest stretch of sleep was two and a half hours, the rest of the night was up and down. Poor thing.

I know I had a big whinge on the blog yesterday about how shitty I feel, but I still love you Moo! I think it is good to tell the whole truth occasionally. It's not great being a mum every day, and reading Mummy Blogs it is easy to think every one else is a supermum, loving their new role in life, and it can be isolating when you don't feel like that. But there has been an outpouring of support for me over the last two days which makes me glad I wrote it. I am sure I am not the only one who thinks these things occasionally.

Now, if I could just get her to SLEEP!!!! Little minx.

Shit Week. No Sleep.

2011-05-15T15:52:00.000+10:00

Moo is sick and teething with 2 molars coming through. Obviously none of us can sleep now. As much as my heart goes out to little Moo I am beginning to find it difficult to cope. I am almost 6 months pregnant, working 3 days a week and not getting more than 4 hours sleep in a row, it is almost like having a newborn again.

Wednesday night was the worst, ending with me crying myself to sleep thinking this was not what I signed up for (I know, first world problems, but that's what sleep deprivation does to you). We have been very lucky with Granny taking Moo off our hands for 2 nights this week to help us catch up. Otherwise I think I might have just run away.

When will it end? It seems everyone else has a sleeping baby but us. Maybe no one else talks about it, or by 1 they aren't waking up 3-4 times a night. How will it work when we have a newborn in 14 weeks as well????? Arrrrgh!

Maybe everyone has days where they wish they could pack it in and head for the hills... Or maybe it's just me.

Pregnant Vegetarian Visits Spiaggia.

2011-05-14T09:39:00.000+10:00

Last Thursday night hubby and I left the Inner West and headed to the Eastern Suburbs for a night of food and song. On our Moo-free night we met up with a couple of friends for some Italian food at Spiaggia in Coogee before going to Coogee Diggers to see Tony Joe White play a bit of swamp boogie blues.

I decided to have an entree and a glass of wine. The wine was nice, but the olives were divine!

Italian is always a good option for us vegetarians, and pregnant gals too, as there isn't much there on the banned list. At Spiaggia there was actually plenty to choose from. This time I opted for pizza, though I have to admit the risotto looked really inviting. A bit of mushroom, artichoke, and olives on top with cheese. Yummo.

The pizza was Italian style, thin and crispy base, not too many toppings or mountains of cheese. I thought mine was a bit soggy but everyone else was a singing the praises of their pizzas loudly and clearly.

I think the bill came to about $40pp, which I didn't think was too bad. The restaurant was lovely with a good atmosphere. White linen table cloths, Italian waiters, moody lighting. Nice. A win for pregnant vegetarian!

Mothers Day for Supermum

2011-05-10T12:09:00.000+10:00

Yes I said it. Supermum. Super tired mum, super grumpy mum, super messy mum, super pile of washing mum, super pregnant mum. Supermum.

I didn't really celebrate Mothers day last year, Moo was only 4 days old. This year I felt like I really deserved Mothers Day. Moo had other ideas. She woke during the night once or twice, then at 5:30am she decided it was time to get up. Hubby didn't leap out of bed, so up I got. Luckily Nanny had stayed for the night and I palmed her off.

Later that morning Poppy came to pick up Nanny. Poppy is a medical scientist and prone to thinking 20 steps ahead. A sore finger could kill you, so could the odd pain or bump here or there, not to mention what a headache could potentially mean! He ended up convincing Hubby and I that we had to get Moo to the hospital as pneumonia was setting in. Her cough did sound pretty bad and she had been sick for about 10 days. So hubby packed her into the car and off to RPAH.

I went to Newtown Nails and Spa for my mummy mani-pedi (yea!)

About 2 hours later, after some pink nails and a cruzie coffee, I rang Hubby to find out he still hadn't seen a Dr. Bummer. I would go home and have a nap till they come home. No keys. Shit. Off to the hospital.

No doctor in sight. Not unusual for emergency rooms I suppose. The nurses had no idea how long she would be. Moo had been there for three and a half hours by the time we saw the doctor. Phew. Only to be berated for bringing her in for not a big emergency. Oops. Sorry Moo, you're not sick enough! Maybe the Dr doesn't know there are no Medical centres that bulk bill open on Sundays. Perhaps a severe case of hysterical parenting!

So after leaving the hospital, feeling a bit angry and stupid, we spent the rest of mothers day walking in the sun at Sydney Park. And I did get a beautiful dress off Hubby from Retrospeked which I just love!

Not quite the day I thought I would be having, but one to remember. Moo's first trip to the hospital. Happy Mothers Day!

Moosie turns 1. What a Year!

2011-05-09T07:29:00.000+10:00

It has been the fastest year of my life, even though I have been awake a lot more than usual. I can't believe Moo turned 1 on Thursday! She gets bigger and smarter and more fun every day. So she deserved a special present and a special party for getting through it.

OK, the party was more for us getting through it.

On Thursday morning Moo received her special trike. She wasn't quite sure at first. But thought she was pretty cool and independent.

Not quite sure what to do with her feet at the beginning.

Once she got the hang of it she LOVED it! Fun times!

Thanks for the great present. I love it!

On Saturday we had her birthday party. We went up to Enmore Park and hung out next to the play equipment, under the trees, in the sunshine. A perfect Autumn day. My mum made the cutest cake you've ever seen!

There were lots of people around willing to walk Moo wherever she wanted to go. Usually around in circles...

Soon the presents started to pile up and Moo made her move, paper everywhere, and great presents to take home, what a spoiled little girl! Nanny particularly liked the toad from Lily, but toads freak me out a bit and I think Moo is scared of him!

Moo managed to sneak in a few chips while I wasn't looking. Sneaky baby! She really loved the salty yumness. I suppose it was her party, she can have a little treat.

Soon enough it was for a sausage sizzle lunch. There are free BBQs at Enmore Park under the big trees. A great place for a big gathering when you live in a tiny terrace.

After lunch and a long birthday girl nap, it was time for the Happy Birthday sing along. I think although Moo didn't know what was going on, she knew she was the centre of attention and was basking in the glory.

Time to make a wish...maybe for a pony or a whole nights sleep!

Now, let them eat cake!

Only the birthday girl didn't want any, she just wanted her bottle.

Finally it was time to go home, and can you believe it, MORE PRESENTS!

But also time to give back a little and give Granny her mothers day present.

And have a nice story with nanny to end the day.

What a great first birthday!

Pregnant Vegetarian Visits Happy Chef

2011-05-02T10:46:00.000+10:00

My husband thinks if you opened a restaurant in the inner suburbs of Sydney that catered to pregnant vegetarians you would make a fortune. He is probably right. If I could find a great restaurant that offered me a variety of tasty vegetarian food, especially food not on my 'can't have' list, I would go there every Thursday night instead of crossing my fingers and ending up with risotto or Thai again.

This week our Thursday night outing was thwarted by a sick baby. Moosie has been unwell for a while now and not sleeping, so we didn't think it was fair to palm her off to grandma and have her to stay up all night with her. We did however get to duck out early on Saturday night to grab a quick bite at one of our regular local haunts, Happy Chef.

Now this is not the fanciest place in town, you would not take a date here, you don't go for the great atmosphere or the extensive drinks menu, you go because for $10-12 you can get a great tasty meal that even a pregnant vegetarian can enjoy! The service is speedy and the menu is vast.

I went for my favourite noodly soup, the one with tofu and mushrooms with rice noodles. Yum yum yum. $10.50. Bargain. The special for vegos here is the laksa. Rich and creamy, but too rich for me. Hubby got his regular favourite, chicken Singapore noodles. It must be good as I don't think I have ever seen him stray from this order in the past 5 or so years!

We arrived at family hour, about 6:30pm. Every table was full and most had a kid or two in tow. It was lively and noisy enough that no one paid any attention to Moo banging her chop sticks on the table to amuse herself. i think she might be following in daddy's footsteps and want to be a drummer (help!).

We didn't stay long. We figured why push our luck with Moo behaving herself? So after 40 minutes we left. Feeling like it was a bit of a special night we decided to head to Cow and Moon on Enmore rd for some yummy gelato. I love this cafe, the simple decor has won me over because their coffee is slow and not the best and the gelato is yummy but not quite as good as Gelatomassi (think that is it's name). But they do a wicked chocolate sorbet which I highly recommend!

Moo was just happy to suck on the plastic spoon until we got home.

So, my overall thoughts on Happy Chef? Good in a bind, yummy food, maybe not a place for 'date night' but a sure fire place to go when hung over of feeling low key.

Easter Fun Time!

2011-04-26T18:39:00.000+10:00

This super long weekend was Moosie's first Easter. Maybe not quite the Easter she would have hoped for, as she didn't get any chocolate, but we had a great family day none the less.

We were all up ready to drive out to nan and pop's place early in the morning. I think Moo knew something was going on as she was super happy and excited!

When we arrived she had a little snuggle with her cousin Drake. So cute! He was looking forward to seeing her all weekend and couldn't keep his hands off her. He calls her Mango-Moo, adorable.

Berfore all the kids cracked it from the excitement, it was time for the Easter egg hunt in the garden. There was Drake, Izac, Riley, Jedd, Callan, the twins next door and a couple of kids from up the road.

Good thing the Easter Bunny was being quite generous this year!

Moo, however, was more interested in getting pushed around in the red hot rod.

She wasn't overly pleased with having healthy avocado on toast while the masses ate lashings of chocolate eggs and other treats.

Believe it or not it wasn't long until lunch had been demolished and it was time for dessert.

Cheese cake, Russian Easter cake, sticky toffee pudding and Freddo Frogs. Too much! Moo discovered the home made, solid, white chocolate Easter bunny and tried her best to have a go. But it was wrapped in cellophane. No joy.

Soon enough the day w over, all the kids had gone home and Moo was left to receive the full attention of Nanny and Poppy while mum and dad zonked out in front of the T.V.

Not a bad day for her very first Easter. Next year will be full of Easter egg hunts and sugar tantrums. I can't wait!

Thursday Nights

On a side note, every Thursday night Moo's granny minds her for the night, leaving hubby and I free to have grown up time one night a week. We have been going to a different Sydney restaurant each week. While it has been mostly enjoyable, I have been surprised at how difficult it is to get a good vegetarian meal at places. I have eaten some over priced, poor attempts at food in many places that have been raved about by our foodie friends. I am going to start blogging about our Thursday night food adventures. Before the next baby comes along and we are stuck in the house eating Thai take away for 6 or so months!... Where to this week?

Saturday-Moo does Surry Hills Festival.

2011-04-10T13:57:00.000+10:00

What a perfect Autumn day yesterday, so despite the builders next door putting a hole in our wall and getting cement dust over ALL my clothes (remember to breathe), we decided to get out and enjoy it. Yesterday the Surry Hills Festival was on. Not the most exciting of festivals as they go around Sydney, but Surry Hills is such a great place to wander around, it doesn't really matter. So off we go.

The festival was right next to Sparkle Cupcakes. Yummmmmmmm. Too good to go past.

So much for "I am not going to put on as much weight with this pregnancy as I did with Moo." Mmmmmmmm Black Velvet cupcake. Too good to be true!

Moo and daddy went for a walk around the market,

But Moo really prefers to be carried.

Such a big day meant Moo had to go to bed early. Too tired to even play with her toys.

What are we going to do with two little girls? Twice the fun? Let's hope so.

Moo's Blue Mountains Getaway

2011-04-05T15:07:00.000+10:00

When hubby goes away for the weekend for work, Moosie and I often head out to the Blue Mountains to stay with Nanny and Poppy so I can get a rest and Moo can be spoiled non stop! So after a long boring car ride, with Monsieur Cat for company, we arrived in time for dinner and games.

After lots of crawling around the giant playground of a lounge room, Moo decided to show off her musical skills and lead us in a sing-along.

After a surprisingly good nights sleep, it was time for Poppy to play games with Moo. Her favourite was being pushed around in the plastic box on the veranda. Poor Poppy must have a sore back because she made him do this for quite a long time.

After Moo's morning sleep it was time for more fun with Poppy! He took Moo to the park and let her go on every swing and slide they could find. He kind of got her a bit tangled in the swing though...

After fun in the sun we took Moo for the traditional Nanny and Poppy photo at the Blinky Bill bus stop. All the grand children have been photographed here for nearly 20 years. Moo thought it was pretty cool.

It seems Moo has Poppy wrapped around her little finger, to the point she managed to convince him to push her up to the video shop in the red hot rod! Zom zoom. Spoiled little princess!

The next day it was time to get back to the city. Not happy Moo. She took her displeasure out on Monsieur Cat. Poor Monsieur Cat.

Daddy Daughter Weekend.

2011-03-23T20:55:00.000+11:00

Hubbie finally got a taste of being a full time dad this weekend. He looks after Moosie for days here and there without me and is definitely great at changing nappies and rocking sick babies to sleep, but a whole weekend without mum, in the rain, is a whole new ball game!

I left for Queensland early Saturday morning, after a surprisingly good nights sleep, and kissed hubbie and Moo farewell (then got to the airport, realised I forgot my wallet, kissed hubbie and Moo goodbye again after their trip to the airport). I spent the next two days recieving text messages and photos relaying their adventures.

It seems lunch was a hit, Moo has the most fun trying to feed herself theses days.

The rain stopped too many outdoor activities, luckily Moo knows how to use the TV remote.

"Please make it stop raining daddy."

"Yea!"

The first day ended well with Moo sleeping not too badly...for Moo. And me sleeping very well in a cosy hotel in Bris Vegas, though I did get caught up watching 'Beautiful Kate' on TV and went to bed a bit later than I should have, for a pregnant woman who has gone interstate to sleep...

It seems the next day was super rainy in Sydney so dad dragged out Moo's favourite toy and zoomed her up and down the hall, as there is no where else to zoom in our teeny place!

She worked up quite an appetite and tried to steal daddy's Happy Chef noodles. And no one steals daddy's Happy Chef noodles!

Before you know it it is nearly time for mummy to come home, so better run a bath and get everything all clean and sparkly.

Just in time for bedtime cuddles.

Balmoral Passport

2011-03-08T21:07:00.000+11:00

Today a couple of mums and I headed north side to Balmoral Beach in Mosman. I have never been there before and was surprised how beautiful it was, and perfect for little ones. It was a shame the wind was blowing but it was still a gorgeous 28 degree Autumn day.

Moo was happy to be out on the grass. Even if I did make her wear a funny looking hat.

She was pretty keen to explore the new area and find out what was going on just over the hill.

Moo wasn't too keen to get into the water but was very happy to crawl along in the wet sand. Not that she was sure she liked the sand too much.

We found some interesting bugs crawling over Moo's toys. I hope it wasn't poisonous...

We went home after a long four hours. Moo fell asleep in the car, and stayed sleep for 2 and a half hours. I ended up having to wake her to ensure she would sleep tonight (fingers crossed).

It soon became clear though, as much fun as I had getting out to the beach for the day, Moo was just as happy sorting through the recycling bin, making sure I hadn't put any plastic in there by mistake ;)

A Boring Week.

2011-03-07T20:44:00.000+11:00

Not much has been going on in the house of Moo over the last week.

No more than the usual get up too early (5am the past 2 mornings), try to amuse a 10 month old for a few hours between food, gym, coffee and work. Then watch some T.V before doing it all again.
(I am loving the Louie C.K series at the moment and hubbie and I finished the 4th season of Mad Men.)

The glamour of being mum does not exist this week. Does it exist for anyone who does not have a nanny and a chef and a house maid? Hopefully I will try a bit harder to make something happen this week.

Win Some Lose Some.

2011-02-23T21:06:00.000+11:00

I am very excited about having another baby, if somewhat nervous about how hard it is going to be having two children under 2. It is becoming quite real now, I am starting to show a bit, I can't suck in my stomach, but I still don't look preggers, I just look like I should do some sit ups!

Unfortunately having fallen pregnant so soon means I am giving up a really great opportunity. Last year I met with a photographer who specialises in children's portraiture, she had seen some of my photos at a friends house and asked to meet me. The meeting was very exciting and she ended up offering me a job working for her part time!

I was pretty excited, it was a very unexpected opportunity. I haven't worked professionally in photography for ten years and then out of the blue some one offers me the ability to bring some creativity back into my working life. I had it all mapped out in my head, two days a week teaching, two days photographing. A perfect mix between stability and artistry.

Unfortunately the reality is that I can't take the job. I really won't be able to chase toddlers around a park for much longer before my jog turns to a waddle. Then who knows how long it will be before I will be able to return to work.

I am not looking at this as an opportunity missed. I think that this was a bit of an eye opener. I hope that since this job unexpectedly fell in my lap, then maybe in the future I will be able to go out and look for another such opportunity. Maybe it's time to have confidence in my abilities, practise a bit more and see what options are out there for me.

A Pretty Shitty Week!

2011-02-21T11:29:00.000+11:00

Well it had to happen eventually. Every new mum is obsessed with it. You think you won't be one of those people, but we all turn out to be. Moo has had a week of sloppy, yucky nappies and I am blogging about it! Ewww I know.

But it seems it has been going around. Quite a few mums in my mothers group have had the same problem. I took Moo to to the Dr, he did a few tests but nothing that antibiotics could fix, so we just had to wait it out. Great. Luckily Moo was in good spirits throughout and wasn't a grizzle bum too.

Its amazing how debilitating it is to have a baby that is not quite well. You can't have them around other babies. You don't want to go too far from home in case of a nappy explosion (cleaning that sort of mess in a public space is not pretty!) and the smell is enough to make a person with the strongest stomach gag!

Just when we thought she was getting better, Moo came down with a slight fever and didn't sleep for 2 nights. The first night was pretty shit. Waking every hour or so. Then at 1:30am she cried for about an hour before I had to rock her to sleep. I don't know how a sleeping baby knows they are being put back in their cot, but sometimes they just don't like it and it wakes them up and the crying starts all over again. At least she slept in till 7:45 the next day.

Saturday night was the worst. She woke every hour until 2am after which she did not go back to sleep for longer than 20 minutes for 12 hours. Poor Moo. Poor us. We went out to breakfast in Bondi thinking she would fall asleep in the car or pram, but no. We think she has another tooth on the way but who knows. She does what she wants.

And we can't complain as this was all in the brochure.

Bah Humbug?

2011-02-15T09:39:00.000+11:00

Are we the only ones who stuff up Valentines Day every year? Hubbie is totally not into it and I am pretty half hearted about the whole thing, but I decided to at least make an attempt at a nice evening by cooking dinner (totally unusual) and buying a decadent desert.

Cooking is not my forte', and it is made even more difficult trying to amuse a feisty Moo in the process.

The house started off clean, but that didn't last long, crap all over the once clean floor, food all over the once clean Moo. Then I started to cook. The mess really began. I even had to put the fire guard in front of the oven to keep Moo away.

At least hubbie came home early, no flowers, no jewels, no chocolate but with the most romantic gesture of all, taking Moo off my hands and giving her a bath and playing with her so I could get on with dinner. He even dressed her for bed in the spirit of the night.

Leaving us time to zonk out in front of the T.V and not talk.

Two Under Two

2011-02-12T20:20:00.000+11:00

Yes! It's official!

We are having another baby!

I think it looks a little bit like an Elvis impersonator...

A bit of a shock that it happened so quickly again. Moo will be 16 months when *Mojo* is born...So close in age. Hopefully they will get along and not mind sharing a room for the first 5-15 years of their lives!

I found out almost by fluke. I was planning a night out with the girls at The Green Room (a new cocktail lounge in Enmore) and had an odd feeling that I should do a pregnancy test on the very slight chance it might be positive. I actually did the test on my last day at work in the staff toilet before the meetings began. When I first looked it only had one line. Phew. Then I remembered it could take a few minutes to turn, and checked it again half an hour later. Bingo. Two lines. No cocktails for me tonight. No concentrating at the meeting either.

I had to get to the bar early and tell the bartender to make my passionfruit mojitos without rum.

Don't get me wrong, we were planning to have another baby quickly, but I was really hoping to have a big Xmas/new year drinking holiday time. Moo was weaned and I had only had one proper night out with my friends, to the Absinthe Bar in Surry Hills (yum), before I found out I was expecting again!

So It is going to be a big year in our little house. I am looking forward to it but I am a bit nervous about how tired I will be. Moo was not a good sleeper until about 4 weeks ago, and I am not a person who functions well with no sleep...It is going to be a really big year!

help!

A Beachy Bronte Day

2011-02-07T21:31:00.000+11:00

The heat wave has finally ended, it has been a sweltering week and a bit in Sydney. Nights with a low of 25 degrees, days up to 42... thank god for air conditioning. Today some of the mums and I took our babies to Bronte, despite the lack of sun, it was a great day to be at the beach.

The bubs were all over the place now they are crawling, and as you can see Moo has some new teeth, 7 altogether now!

She particularly loved the green stuff on the ground that is softer on her knees than floorboards.

Boo thought he would like to try and get a nice crispy tan like the guy who tried to invade our personal space!

The water in the pool was lovely! Maybe a little chilly for the bubs, but so clear and gorgeous.

You could see right to the bottom.

Moo was very tired at the end of it all and was pretending to be unimpressed by the whole day, but secretly she had a great time!

Personal Chalenge: Supermum.

2011-02-01T20:10:00.000+11:00

This is a biiiiig week in the Moosie household. After 9 months of being a stay at home mum, I am back to work 3 days a week. Time to put on my cape and turn into SUPERMUM.

I don't know how I am going to feel leaving her 3 days a week, but I think I am ready for it. It makes it a lot easier knowing that she is not going into day care but has Nanny and Granny are looking after her instead. Granny is even going to keep her at her place on Thursday night so hubbie and I get a whole night to ourselves again (movies and restaurants here we come!).

I am totally unorganised for starting work tomorrow. The house is a mess. Piles of washing are everywhere. No clothes ready. I need to dye and cut my hair and get a mani-pedi (yeah right!). I just hope there is petrol in the car so I don't run out on the way. At least I have a diary so I look like I have some idea of what is going on (I have always figured that as long as I am walking around with a folder or two I give the impression of being organised and in control).

First day back outfit.

It is the beginning of a stinking hot week her in Sydney, and I am going back to school (I am a primary school teacher) with no air-con, it seems crazy that in this day and age there are still schools that don't have air conditioning! Not that I should be surprised, our school still has chalk boards-one of the few schools still stuck in the 1950's. Perhaps today I will stay at home, with the air con on full blast, and get my shit together...

...Or maybe I will take Moo to the pool instead then get a mani-pedi...

Before

After

Every Day is Fun When You Are Moo!

2011-01-30T20:28:00.000+11:00

It's tough being a baby. Getting picked up, cuddled, fed, kissed, your nappy changed, loved, and then get to sleep a few times a day. JOY!

Moo has her first car. She got it for Christmas from Nanny but I just put it together. I think you can tell what she thinks by the look on her face!

Today we rediscovered the joy of nectarines! Heaven forbid if you try to take it off her.

And as all days Moo had a big relaxing sleep. My favourite part of the day.

It's not too tough being Moo.

Australia Day

2011-01-26T20:24:00.000+11:00

Australia Day for me usually consists of drinking beer at the pub, watching the Australian Open quarter finals while listening to Triple J's Hottest 100 with a bunch of friends. This year, not so much fun. Hubbie is at work (as usual on Aus Day) and I am at home with Moo. No invitations to go to any BBQ's or pool parties (one invitation to a pub but Moo wasn't welcome). The upside is that we now have air-con and it is a lovely 23 degrees inside and about 35 degrees outside.

I love Australia day. You get a day off work, drink beer, watch tennis, have a BBQ, go to the beach and dress up in "traditional" Aussie attire - thongs, chesty bonds, terry toweling hats and wave an Aussie flag, with your tongue planted firmly in your cheek. It is such a shame that the flag is now associated with racists and bogans on Australia day. Perhaps tea-towel flags like this one could be a good alternative for those of us who want to express our national pride without being associated with racism. I like it!

This year, however, it has been a slow day. Just hanging out with Moo. In the lounge room. Watching tennis (GO Federer!) and wondering what to do. After a while I realised I haven't finished any of the crochet blankets that I have started over the last few years. Time to fix that! Granny squares, here I come!

Moo has been particularly cute today, of course! I think she is enjoying watching the tennis as much as me, in fact she was bending over backwards to see Andy Murray win his game!

(I think I jinxed myself telling you she was sleeping through the night, last night she woke up every 30-60 minutes until 1am. Barrgh)

The Importance of Being Moosie

2011-01-24T08:41:00.000+11:00

This has been a week of Moosie breakthroughs. An awesome week indeed!

One of the important new developments has been the arrival of Moo's fourth tooth. But not the one we were expecting! I didn't even see it. We were at a friends place when Caroline commented on her new tooth. No it hasn't quite come through yet I said, Yes it has, there, she pointed out. It turns out I was looking for her top tooth but she has a third one on the bottom now! My totally lopsided toothy baby. So gorgeous.

Moo has also shown she can understand a few words, like kisses, clapping and bye-bye. When we say these things to her she will blow kisses, clap and wave. We are now obviously filling in applications for O.C schools!

But by far the most amazing breakthrough this week is the sleeping surprise. Now, I don't want to jinx ourselves, but for the last 4 nights in a row she has slept through the night! It has been over 2 months since she started waking up 4 times a night. Perhaps it was teething problems, who knows, I don't care as long as she keeps sleeping! And just in time for me to go back to work next week. Of course nanny thinks she has the magic touch because the first night of sleeping was at her house (after a mammoth 7 wake ups in one night, not counting the ones before we went to bed).

So a big week of firsts at the Moosie house hold. Motherhood is getting more and more fun now she is getting older and more interactive. There are so many things to look forward to, But I shouldn't be wishing time away...

The Crawler the Tiler and the Sink.

2011-01-18T20:02:00.000+11:00

Little Moo has started crawling! As an exciting milestone as this is it means we are no longer able to take our eyes off her for fear of her doing something...that babies do. So we have spent the weekend baby proofing the lounge room (by 'we', I mean hubbie). What a job!

We have put a gate between the lounge room and the hall, moved the TiVo and stereo up off the floor, covered all the wires and cords that come out of everything and found places for all the junk we usually store under the coffee table. A massive job but the room looks a lot neater and even a bit bigger!

This week we also have tilers at our house tiling the bathroom (finally!) but of course nothing ever goes to plan, being a really old house and the bathroom being a dodgy add-on, none of the walls are straight, the floor is not level. This job is bigger than the tilers thought and bigger than we thought too (I should have known to expect this as I watch enough of those home renovation disaster shows).

Unfortunately we have picked the wrong tiles too. They are too big to put on our walls, which are not square (fortunately our tiler is awesome and has found a long and laborious solution). Now I personally blame this on poor customer service. I went into heaps of shops and explained that the house was old and the room was an add on, you would think someone would have told us that smaller tiles that were not rectified would be the best option, but no. So the poor tilers have a shitty job ahead of them that could have been somewhat avoided. (Rant time) This is the reason I think, that people are choosing to shop online. It is not necessarily that products are cheaper but there is no customer service in the shops! You may as well have the convenience of not leaving the house and have your product delivered to your door than go into a shop and be ignored until you are at the cash register. (Sorry, I am just realllllly sick of bad customer service.)

The upside of having no bathroom over this next week is how cute Moo looks when we bathe her in the sink. As it turns out it is way easier to bath her this way and we will probably continue it until she won't fit in there anymore which may only be a month. (Is bathing her in pearls too much?)

So onwards and upwards. In a week we will have a shiny new bathroom and it will all be worth the hassle. Yea!

Friday Top Five #8

2011-01-14T08:04:00.000+11:00

5 Shops That Define King st

Having lived in Newtown on and off for 15 years I have seen many many shops come and go on King st, especially on the south end where it seems difficult to get a business off the ground. These are 5 business that have been here as long as I can remember and ones that I think King st would not be the same without.

Scrags

This shop has been a long time staple of south King st. When I first moved here I would spend hours in there with Lisa trying on vintage clothes and buying whatever I could afford. I wonder if I still have any of those clothes tucked away in the vain hope I will fit into them again....

Happy Chef

This place is cheap and yummy and cheap. My fave is the rice noodle soup with veggies, tofu and mushroom. Noodly goodness. A sure fire hangover cure and flu cure in one.

Art on King

I would hedge a bet that most of us who moved here in our late teens/ early twenties considered ourselves artists of one sort or another. I was studying at Sydney University's College of the Arts when I first moved here and spent a lot of time browsing the aisles of this place, not really buying much as I had probably spent a lot of my Austudy at Scrags or the Townie.

The Town Hall Hotel

Who hasn't spent whole nights here playing pool and drinking to you get evicted at 4 or 5 am? As tragic as this place can be, King st just wouldn't be the same without it. Where else would all the goths and punks drink now that the Oxford is closed and the Bank is shit? I cant believe it has been over a year since I have been inside its doors. Not that it matters, it was never the same after smoking got banned inside.

Gould's Book Arcade

What can I say? This shop has been here FOREVER! it was in the movie Erskinevile Kings and stands as a land mark to tell you you are entering Newtown. I find Goulds overwhelming. Books everywhere, who knows what you could find. I tend to be more of a Better Read Than Dead fan, but this is a shop that definitely defines King st.

It was really hard to pick five shops, ten would have been more appropriate (maybe Eastern Flair, Rose Sunrise Bakery, Rainbow Chemist. Where do you stop?)...Top Ten Tuesday? But this seems to sum up what I think makes up our eclectic suburb...maybe a cafe should have been put in, I don't know...I'm pretty happy with how this ended up. Do you disagree with any of these or have I left a gaping hole? Let me know.

Questions Questions Questions!

2011-01-11T11:48:00.000+11:00

It is question time via the Veronica Darling blog via the Kat's Creations blog. I have been a bit stuck for writing ideas as I get busier and am in the house less. Maybe I am just getting a bit lazy?! Any-hoo, this struck me as a fun little side to my normal blog topics. I have naturally thrown in some Moo photos and some other baby shots I have done recently...

Moo is now pulling herself up in the play pen and the cot.

Why Did You start the blog?
I started this blog as I was feeling a bit stuck and bored. Being a new mum is tiring and can be pretty mundane. I was feeling like I needed a bit of a purpose or focus to my day other than feeding and washing clothes. I also thought it might help improve my writing (not really, I don't spend enough time editing for that to happen) and would give me an excuse to take more photos and improve my Photoshop skills (slowly but surely). As well as this, I was inspired by the Veronica Darling blog, she makes it look so easy!

What kind of blogs do you follow?
I generally follow the blogs of people I know but I also spend a lot of time browsing photography blogs and other mummy blogs. I am a bit into sewing blogs too as I get very jealous of people who can make their own clothes, a talent I covet! Maybe one day I will get mum to teach me how to thread a machine and cut out a pattern...

Moo loves playing with her toys in the play pen. Let's hope that doesn't wear off too soon!

Favourite make up brand?
I don't wear a lot of makeup, but I suppose I love Mac lipstick. Other than that I just buy what ever is on sale at Priceline, I usually only buy makeup once a year or less. I feel like a bit of a clown wearing a lot of it. That said I envy people who know how to apply their makeup and style their hair, I have never really got the hang of it.

Favourite clothing brand?
I don't particularly have a favourite clothing brand, I am not a huge fashion follower. I do end up buying a lot of clothes at two local designer shops here in Newtown. I was on a first name basis with the owner and shop assistants at Dragstar before I got pregnant, and still can't be trusted to go there. I also have bought many, many dresses at my fave retro reproduction shop Retrospect'd. The clothes I have bought at these shops are the focus for my battle of the bulge at the moment!

Lily amusing herself at the BBQ

Your indispensable make up product?
Mac lipstick, Russian Red. Mwah! As well as any mascara.

Your fave colour?
Red red red. It has always been red. The colour of love& passion.

Your perfume?
I never wear perfume, It itches my nose. I don't use perfumed soap or shampoo and I hate going into those stinky soap shops, ewwww. I do, however, like to wear jasmine oil, but I haven't for a long time.

Your fave film?
This changes all the time. At the moment it is probably The Social Network or Inception. Before that maybe Napoleon Dynamite, Fight Club, The Big Lebowski, American Beauty, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure...anything I can watch a few times. I suppose the movie that was my favourite for the longest period of time was The Wizard of Oz, I used to make my mum put my hair in pig tails and call me Dorothy...I still love red shoes...

K ad Boo at the TAFE. I may have gone a bit overboard in photoshop with the colour.

Which country would you like to visit and why?
Hmmmmm, a tough one. I love NYC and that would be the place I would love to live if I won the lotto and could do what ever I wanted, but to visit there are a few, Mexico probably tops the list, hubbie has got me hooked on the food and margaritas and the beaches look awesome. I also love tropical holidays where I can go snorkeling on coral reefs, I would love to learn to dive, so maybe the Caribbean, and Cuba before Castro dies (Oh the cars!). I better win Powerball soon!

This morning Moo had Vegemite toast with banana for breakfast. MESSY!

So there you have it, a bit more info about me, and feel free to pass the baton and answer these questions on your blog too!

Personal Challenge Update. Finally!

2011-01-06T06:45:00.000+11:00

The beginning of a new year and my husbands birthday, time to step up and put on the metaphorical frilly apron. I did give him the choice of ordering in rather than risking my culinary adventures, but if he's game, so am I!

I decided to make Shepard's pie. I got the recipe off the Internet and went to the Metro to do a quick shop. Not so quick considering I always manage to pick the slowest line (can you believe there is already hot crossed buns in the supermarket for Easter!!! *sheesh*). First chopping veggies, boiling potatoes. Easy. We got some awesome new Scanpan pots in the Xmas sales at Victoria's Basement for a bargain and they are rocking!

Next I had to fry up the veggies and add the cheat tins. Simple

Then I mashed up the potatoes with a little bit of warm milk and cheese and plopped it on top of the veggie mix. No problem. And popped it in the oven.

45 minutes later, voila.

Plonk some on a plate, add tomato sauce and Bob's your uncle... It tasted pretty good too! Maybe I really should try and cook more than once a month... but that is the end of this personal challenge, and I am not sure what to do for the next... We'll see...

Moo Update
Moo has learned to go from lying down to sitting up by herself and she now pulls herself up to stand in the play pen and unfortunately the cot too! She also waved good-bye to Nanny when we visited, admittedly with a lot of coaxing, but she did it!

Sydney Family Adventure Day

2010-12-30T21:20:00.000+11:00

Today we decided to get out and about and have a Sydney adventure with our great friends the McHughs. Cockatoo Island was the destination and we were down at Balmain wharf nice and early ready to start the day.

It turned out we were at Balmain East wharf not Balmain (I didn't know there was more than one) so off we drove to Balmain, missing our ferry and having to wait an hour for another. Luckily there was a park at the wharf and Moo got to have her first turn on a swing! She wasn't too sure she liked it but Lily had lots of fun on all the toys!

Finally the ferry arrived and Moo got her first ride on a boat! She loved it! I think the wind made her very excited. I kept having baby-overboard fears.

Cockatoo Island was pretty cool, you can actually stay there overnight camping or in houses. It would be the best place to see the NYE fireworks from! We found a nice spot on top of a hill and I think we might have had the best pic-nic spot in Sydney.

There are the most amazing old buildings on the island, left over from when it was a ship building island and all the way back to when it was a women's prison. (Apparently the women of Cockatoo Island brought the English Navy to it's knees, with syphilis!)

After a few hours of walking around and exploring we found what might be the best spot on the island . The bar. A few beers and cocktails later, the sting was taken out of our sunburn.

Finally it was time to jump on the boat and go home. Moo and Lily had been such good little girls all day that you could hardly blame Lily for cracking it on the ferry!

A totally excellent family adventure day (much more successful than my personal challenge for this month). It is great that Moo is so easy to take around with us, we are so lucky to have such a great baby!

Moo Update!

We won! Moo went to bed without a bit of fuss tonight! It only took 3 nights of being tough and she is back into a good routine where she goes to sleep without fight. I think it happened so quickly because she has always been put down to bed while she is awake since she was 2 weeks old, so we weren't teaching her something new. I can't imagine how hard it must be to teach a child to do that when they are already 6 months or 2 years old. You gotta be tough sometimes. Now if only we could make her sleep through the night...

Sleep? Please!

2010-12-28T19:35:00.000+11:00

Sleep it seems, is a distant memory. Moo is waking up every night, sometimes 4 times a night. This in itself isn't so bad. It is the nights where she wakes up and won't go back to sleep that are killing me.

A few weeks ago we had a wonderful baby that went to bed without a bit of fuss. She would stick her thumb in her mouth, rub her ear and quietly drift off, waking maybe only once to be tucked in in the middle of the night. Eventually waking up at the reasonable hour of 6:30am to well rested and happy parents. Those days are behind us now.

It seemed to happen without me noticing, first she took longer to settle, up to half an hour, then waking in the night resurfaced, then she started being difficult to put down in her day sleeps as well. This week we found ourselves rocking Moo to sleep! A massive no-no as far as I am concerned (I know others love rocking their baby to sleep but it really isn't for me). She does have a tooth coming through which explains the disruption, but how I went from putting her down to sleep by herself, to rocking her to sleep at 3am came on so suddenly I hardly realised it happened.

Last night we started controlled crying, or controlled comforting is the new P.C term I believe. Whatever, it's the same thing. Hubbie had to do the first night as I wasn't up to the task. Listening to her cry and scream like that was heartbreaking. But she did put herself to sleep in 15 minutes.

Tonight we are doing it again and it kills me, but I believe that teaching a baby to put themselves to sleep teaches them a little bit of independence. It is lovely to rock her to sleep and feel her breathing softly on my chest, but not for any longer. We will all be happier when she is sleeping properly again and remembers how to fall asleep by herself. Fingers crossed!

Moo Update

Tonight it took Moo only 5 minutes of crying to go to sleep! Yea! We are winning!

Friday Top Five #7 on Monday

2010-12-27T21:05:00.000+11:00

It is a very Newtown Christmas. People all around are decorating their terrace fronts, some more creatively than others. It is fun walking around and seeing what people have done to their houses. Maybe next year I will join in the action. These are a few of my favourites.

#5 The OTT Front Garden

I loved this place when I saw it. All the decorations are really old and dusty, they look like they have been out in the front garden for years. It is almost a little bit creepy.

#4 The Star

Some little kid has made this star at school I assume and stuck it in the fence post. Nice. Festive.

#3 Balcony Santa and Friend.

On my street someone has put Santa out on their balcony, sitting on a chair. He is probably drinking a beer. His weird friend looks a bit scary though, a bit like Humpty Dumpty.

#2 The Mice

This facade made me laugh out loud! 2 houses next to each other have hung these cute little mice among the fairy lights. I'm not sure what it means but I love it!

#1 The Recycled Xmas Tree

In Erskineville someone has gone to the trouble of gathering building materials and making a massive Xmas tree in the park. Its base is made from milk crates and it has a star at the top. The stars are made from little witches hats and I think it lights up at night but I haven't walked over to check it out. This is by far the best DIY Xmas decoration I have seen. It epitomises the Newtown spirit I think Well done!

A very Moosie Christmas

2010-12-26T16:34:00.001+11:00

Our first Xmas with baby Moo. And what a day!

It all started with crying at 2:30am that finished about 4:30am. She must have been very excited about Santa as she was back up at 6:30 am! Yea! Lucky us getting an early start to the day.

Santa was very generous this year, bringing me a lovely 50mm 1.4 lens for my camera and Greg an iPad. Moosie got lots of paper to play with that kept her very happy too. But of course there were a few special things in her Santa sack that nanna made, but the paper was the most fun!

We traveled out to Avalon early in the morning for breakfast at the Wilson's where Moo tried her first buttered toast. She attacked it with gusto!

Later it was the photo with all the grand kiddies, the ones that are too old for the DJ's window now, before we headed to the beach for a swim. Top Oz.

Before lunch was the crazy gift giving ritual where this year Moo made out like a bandit!

The best present however went to my mum who got a MACBOOK!!! Now she can Skype Moosie whenever she wants.

And of course lunch was OTT.

An awesome day. I love Christmas. I hope you all had a lovely day with lots of yummy food and surrounded by people that you love.

Christmas Adventure

2010-12-21T22:03:00.000+11:00

My mum is always one for Christmas traditions. One of her favourites is to take the grand-kiddies into the city to look at the David Jones Christmas windows. Since all the other grand-kiddies are too old to think it is cool or fun any more, it is Moosie's turn to carry on the tradition.

We caught the train into Town Hall. Unfortunately the Christmas spirit is not high amongst commuters and I had to ask people to help me down to Newtown platform and then off the train and so forth all day. C'mon people! It doesn't take much to help! After a coffee in the Queen Victoria building we wandered over to D.J's to have a peek.

Moo seemed to enjoy the puppets and the music, she however, seemed just as enthralled by the plate glass separating her from the puppets! There weren't too many people there and it was easy to get a good spot to see all the windows. I even bumped into a friend of mine who was dragging around her 4 kids to see the windows and Santa. Go Mel, you are a champion!

After a wander around D.J's we went down to the food hall for lunch. I had never been down there before! It was awesome! The food is just magnificent and I highly recommend the chocolate strawberries. OMG!!

The rest of the day was spent wandering around stores, we loved The Strand Arcade, who doesn't? And I spent a goodly amount of time drooling in the Allanah Hill store. Oh to be skinny enough to fit into her clothes and rich enough to buy them. Mum spent a fair bit of time in Love and Hatred drooling over diamonds while Moo just spent a lot of time drooling in general.

By the end of the day Moo was a bit grumpy so we went to the park for a play. She seems to enjoy eating grass!

So off we toddled home, having to ask the cranky public to help us on and off trains and up stairs, but it was lots of fun and I'm sure Moo will enjoy it even more next year!

Personal Chalenge.

2010-12-21T07:28:00.000+11:00

I did it! And I did the whole lot at once!

On the 18th december we had our traditional friends Xmas celebration where about 10-12 of us get together and cook a feast! There is turkey, ham, prawns, salads, snacks and a bundle of wine, beer and presents This year hubbie and I were on salad duties.

Some of you may be surprised to know that I do have quite a collection of cook books, left over from my single days obviously, my most used being the Woman's Weekly Quick and Easy Salads. They are quick, they are easy and they are yummy.

I, yes I, made five salads to take to the Xmas bash. Potato salad, pasta and pumpkin salad, brown rice salad, Christmas salad (where every ingredient is red, white or green) and waldorf salad. And yes I made all of them. I didn't set out to be the chef for the day, I assumed hubbie and I would be sharing cooking duties but hubbie slept in and I just seemed to get into the groove of it all. A first for everything! As well as salads, I also managed to cook a weeks worth of food for Moo!

I think I can safely say that this was a super successful week for my personal challenge!

Moo Update

Moo has been learning to feed herself over the last week. Messy adventures ahead!

Friday Top Five Fail.

2010-12-17T07:53:00.000+11:00

Sorry sorry sorry! I haven't been the same since Maianbar. Its been an unusual week with a bit of extra work and not much walking around the hood to get Inner West Mum ideas.

I don't want to totally fail my Friday Top Five, so I will post my

Five Fave Family Moosie Fone Fotos

Our teeny tiny baby in the palm of our hands.

This is Moo at the pub when she was about 3 months old. she was so tired she fell asleep sitting up! I love her little concerned eyebrows...Just like dad's.

Sleepy Moo cuddles. Yum.

Fun with mum. The biggest, happiest, smiliest, giggliest baby in the world!

I LOVE THIS PHOTO!

At 5 days old my boob is bigger than her head. Cuuuuuute.

Moo Update

I just realised the other week that Moo doesn't automatically grip my finger when I put it in the palm of her hand any more :(

Personal Challenge Update

2010-12-15T20:04:00.000+11:00

Hmmm, I don't know if anyone has noticed but I seem to have not completed, or started this months personal challenge. A family meal every week. Who was I kidding?

This is how I usually cook when Greg isn't around. Oh the shame...

Penne with pre mixed sauce and a dash of horseradish for heat. Pathetic.
Poor Moo.

The Luckiest Mum in the World

2010-12-15T08:42:00.000+11:00

I really am the luckiest mum and wife in the world this week. I didn't win the lotto. I didn't get a new diamond ring but I did marry the best-ever guy in the world! Some of you may disagree, thinking you married the best guy ever, but after reading this you will have to agree, I married him...

On Saturday morning we three drove down to Maianbar. Hubbie's friend has gone away for a while and said we could borrow the house. This bit isn't the reason i am so lucky, I'm getting there. We spent the day relaxing, walking on the beach, making dinner, drinking wine. It is so good for my head to get out of the city (Moo didn't think so though and slept really very badly for most of the night poor thing).

The next morning, we had a quick trip to the beach again, then (and this is the reason I am so lucky) hubbie packed up his and Moo's things and went home! Leaving me for two blissful, peaceful sleep-filled lovely days all by myself...HEAVEN!

I spent my 2 days napping, reading, walking, napping, yogaing, lying, dozing, and so on. To sleep through the night, wake up at 6am then decide to go back to sleep to 9 or ten was a luxury. Such an indulgent luxury. I can't express how lovely it was to have some time all to myself and for it to be in such a beautiful setting was the icing on the cake.

Yesterday morning hubbie and Moo picked me up and took me home. I am recharged and ready to start again. I can't say they were missed too much, but when they turned up I could't wait to give them the biggest hugs and kisses ever!

Friday Top Five #6

2010-12-10T07:43:00.000+11:00

Hidden Treasures

Newtown has lots of little hidden places that you would never know about unless you walked right past them...even then, sometimes you have to be really looking.These are five that are close to my house. Not in any particular order.

The Gnome House

This place is freaky! Little statues EVERYWHERE!!! I can only imagine what inside the house looks like...hmmmmm. I would love to get a ladder and peek over the fence and have a good look. I've never even seen the gate open. I wonder who lives there. Am I starting to sound like a stalker?

The Big Front Yard

I used to live just a few doors up from this house and had no idea what was behind the fence, I always just assumed it was an old warehouse. When they are putting the rubbish out you can see an amazing, almost suburban, yard. How indulgent! It is up for sale. I might just have to go to an open inspection.

The Cool 1950's Cars

This is my favourite hidden treasure. I got such a surprise when I first walked past it. From the outside it is just an unassuming garage with an old banged up roller-door. But when you just happen to stroll past at the right time of the day, the door is up, and inside is an old man carefully polishing one of his SIX gorgeous 1950's cars *swoon*! I think I love him.

The Lights That Turn As Soon As You Press the Button

If you ever need to cross the road outside Enmore TAFE, this is the place to do it! As soon as you press the button, the lights change. Awesome! Drivers don't like it if you press the button and keep walking!

The Changing Facade

Living by Enmore Design TAFE means you always get to see what the stage set designers are up to. Every 6 months they make a new facade for the classrooms. This is their best yet I reckon.

Moo Update

Moo loves the Enmore TAFE facade too

Moosie Adventure Morning

2010-12-07T15:39:00.003+11:00

Another day another adventure in the life of Moo! Today I took Moosie to Cubby Corner in Five Dock. She's not really old enough for it but it was good to get out . We met Boo and Lily and their mums there too. It was great seeing Lily run around, up and down all over the equipment. It wont be long to the two puddings are doing the same thing (HEAVENS!)

The balls were lots of fun and Boo took a liking to one yellow ball in particular.

Moo just tried to eat them all! Yea!!!

When we got home it was time for a photo shoot.

Moosie got bored pretty quickly, and a cold bum so she decided to warm up the floor her own way! Clever girl! Until she started trying to drink that too!

The Next Personal Challenge...

2010-12-06T21:17:00.001+11:00

I have thought long and hard about this...I don't really want to do it, but it is something I have been putting off for a long time. I am going to learn to cook (I know, I know). So for the next month I am going to cook a new 'family meal' every week.

To many people this may seem like a pretty easy thing to do. Not exactly a challenge but let me assure you, I have not cooked regularly since I moved in with hubby, who finds cooking relaxing and enjoyable, I find it to be just another bothersome job that has to be done at the end of the day. Much the same as vacuuming or folding the washing.

I used to be able to cook a few dishes quite well, I didn't move in with hubby until I was 32 and I managed to survive 13 years of living away from mums cooking some how. These days, however, I find myself staring at full fridge and and pantry not having any idea what to do.

Hubby goes away for work quite regularly, leaving me to fend for myself, in a culinary sense, toast is fine for me, but Moo may need something a little more substantial in the future. And I'm sure hubbie would LOVE to come home to a cooked meal occasionally!

I will start off simple and would like to work up to a lasagna...that might be shooting a bit high though...

Here goes!

Salad and Tofu
(A totally wussy start)

The tofu is not the challenging part of this challenge, just stick it under the grill, even I can manage that (for those vegetarians out there Soyco is the best pre-marinated tofu I have ever eaten), yummo.

The salad was my personal challenge. I started with a store bought beetroot salad(I am not cheating, it is just what I had!) that I was going to have for dinner last night but it looked a bit sad so I decided to spruce it up a bit. Normally when I make a salad everything is raw and a couple of things from a tin are chucked in. This time I baked some pumpkin and grilled some capsicum, as well as chopping up a few choice veggies from the crisper. I would love to add some feta and chick peas but I don't have any.

Not bad for no recipe. The next meal will be a bit more substantial though.

Moo Update

Moo loves to watch In The Night Garden before she goes to bed. I may be spoiling her impressionable young brain but it really calms her down! I think her night routine is working better on me at the moment. I could fall asleep for 12 hours easily at 7pm. Moo thinks waking up at 3am is the new black. Not fun Moosie Moo. Not fun!

Friday Top Five #5

2010-12-03T07:19:00.001+11:00

Moo is now 7 months old. Wow. And I was under the impression that the baby weight should have fallen off by now...Who are these women who the baby weight "falls off"? OK, I know a few of them, a couple are in my mothers group, but they are not the norm! But I have gone so far in the other direction that I am dreading going to the beach! It is my own fault, I turned into a chocoholic when I was pregnant. I had awful fluid retention and therefore couldn't do much exercise so just ate and moped around for the last 4 months.

I honestly believed I would be jogging again about 6 weeks after Moo was born. 12 weeks tops. What an idiot! I still find it hard to get up and go. Life is so tiring now, I can't remember the last time I slept through the night. As I post this I have only had about 5 hours of broken sleep thanks to Moo waking up 3 or 4 times last night. So getting up at 5:45 to jog 9km is not really on my radar right now!

So still having about 10 kilos to go (10 down) has inspired this Friday Top Five...

5 Outfits I Can't Wait to Fit Back Into!

I refuse to stay fat any longer! I have been on a diet for 6 weeks and have lost 5kg. So now I fit back into my 'fat clothes', back into my real clothes is next, and these are the outfits I am looking forward to most!

Red Dress (with cowboy boots).

I haven't worn this dress since I got pregnant! I lost a few kilos just before I got pregnant and this dress looked great on me. Twice. It cost a small fortune considering it is made from t-shirt material, so if I ever get back into it I will wear it everywhere. And it looks a bit sexy with my cowboy boots!

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Red Poker Dot Bikini

I love all things retro and retro-inspired. Over the last few summers I have bought my swimwear through Pinupgirlclothing.com and this bikini is probably my favourite. It's great that you can adjust the sides and top for better and worse summers. I don't know if I will ever wear this bikini again though as I don't think my stomach will ever be the same after having a baby!

Blue shoes

My feet STILL have fluid retention!!!! Apparently they wont go back to normal until I stop breast feeding, so hopefully early next year I can start strutting around in these again. I am a bit scared that my feet will never go back to normal. So many shoes I will have to buy again!

Black Jeans

I love my black jeans! But at the moment I can't do them up.

EVERYTHING!!!!!!

There are too many clothes here that are too beautiful and too expensive to be left gathering dust for much longer! Hopefully I will be able to do a Friday Top Five in a couple of months with photos of yours truly wearing all of these great clothes, looking like normal me again.

Daddy Daughter Work Day! Personal Challenge Update!

2010-11-30T16:37:00.002+11:00

It was time for an adventure into the ABC building! Hubbie is the old man of Triple J (how they still let him work at the 'youth network' is a mystery to us all!). Before we got up to hubbie's work area we had to check out the ABC store to see if there was any Tombliboos toys, but sadly no. There was a great Hoot toy though, and Christmas is coming! A quick stop at the Bananas in Pyjamas photo booth. She is such an inquisitive little baby.

And on to Triple J...

Moo thinks daddy obviously needed help with his work and gave him a hand typing (I hope nothing important was open). She is such a thoughtful little baby.

After getting the typing done Moo found a little time to rock out. She is such a talented little baby.

Phew! Such a big first day at work. Moo really needed a rest. Good thing Big Ted was laying around in the corridors. She is such a cuddly little baby.

Moo has had such a big day being the youngest ever intern at triple J she has been napping for 2 hours so far!!! Maybe I should send her to work with daddy more often...