When it comes to Valentine’s Day, we often associate it with roses and chocolate. Well, I was lucky enough to spend the morning photographing roses with my friend at Wellington Botanic Gardens….oh and we did manage to fit in a delicious hot chocolate as well
It had been raining heavily that morning and I wasn’t sure if we would have to postpone our outing again. (My oldest daughter fractured her arm last week…poor girl).

You would think that going out in overcast conditions, with a high chance of rain would be insane, but actually, it was perfect! No harsh light from the sun and rain drops on the flowers! Amazing!!
Here is my favourite shot of the day. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Unpredictable: Your baby can either wake up wide awake at 3am OR 10am!

Full on: Your toddler wakes up early and rearing to go (no matter what time you put them to bed!) They are hungry, and they want a playmate.

Risky: Your young child can occupy themselves, they can even pour their own milk BUT they may occupy themselves by making it snow over their lego….using flour! They can pour their own milk, but only half of it actually makes it into the bowl, the other half ends up on the bench. Therefore, you need to think long and hard whether having a sleep-in, is worth it.

Easier: Your child wakes up and gets so involved in playing, reading or watching TV, that they completely forget about eating breakfast. When they do remember, they quickly fix themselves some cereal and return to playing.

You get somewhat of a sleep-in (between all the visits for cuddles, questions, and requests for arbitration). You happily take what you can get, even if do get greeted by cereal boxes, milk cartons and dirty bowls on the kitchen bench when you get up.

Busy: Forget about a sleep-in, there are water bottles to be filled, snacks to be packed, sports uniforms to be found and birthday presents to wrap. Even if there was a slight chance of a sleep-in that morning, you know that you were lying there, wide awake, trying to figure out how to get everyone to their destinations on time!

Not the same: You have an opportunity to go away with your husband….overnight!! You joke with your husband that it will be great to sleep-in, and not have to worry about anything!! In reality, you spend your “sleep-in” missing the kids, and wondering what they are up to…awwwww

Oh, and I thought I would share this: (click on it to read the words! too cute!!)

I wish I could take the credit, but the reality is, her friend started school today!

As my daughter has been transitioning to school, it has been a bit of a transition for me too.

I was expecting to feel really productive….after all, with all this free time, there was a list of projects I wanted to tackle – decluttering being numero uno!

The first few days of being home alone, I kind of felt a little aimless. Thank goodness I had lunch plans on the first day of the school drop off, otherwise, I think I might have gone home and wandered around the house.

Just as my daughter has eased into school life, I am feeling like myself again now. Ideas are flowing and I just need to figure out which order to do them in.

I know that everyone is different, but here is what I found with my transition to being at home…alone!

• It is really helpful to take a moment to mourn your youngest going to school before the big day arrives. (Great advice from Widge at My guide to surviving and enjoying life’s mundane. This meant that on the day, when someone asked me “How are you doing?” or when there was a potentially emotional part of the day, I could handle it.)

• Make plans on the first day of school to have lunch with a friend or have a good DVD to come home to.

• If you don’t have plans to go straight into paid employment, you will find there will be many opportunities that can fill up your day. Pick and choose carefully, or do nothing while you decide. (I am choosing, not to commit myself to anything at this stage. For me, that is a HUGE step, to flex those muscles of saying “no” to things. I wrote about this in my posts “Taming the “Yes Beast” and “The serial volunteer”.)

• Be aware that general housework can easily eat a big chunk into your day, or can expand to take up the whole time the kids are at school!

• The first few days after dropping off your youngest to school….you may find moments in the day where you just feel sad.

• Watching DVDs (that aren’t aimed at kids) during the day is fun! (Even if you are folding the laundry during it.)

• Going out for lunch with family and friends is even more fun!

• You actually get a chance to do things that you haven’t tried before. You are only limited by your imagination! (So far, I’ve gone to zumba classes during the day, and made a family newsletter.)

I have not blogged much, I have used the excuses mentioned in the post, about not having enough time, lost inspiration, and basically getting busy with “real” life.

I also have kept this blog a place where I primarily share things that are uplifting, and hopefully useful.

Does anyone really want to read about how busy life has been?

Life has started slowing down a bit now. I am on Day Two of life without a preschooler at home.

That’s right, my youngest started school yesterday.

When I picked her up from school, she said she had a “great day”!! Which is music to a mother’s ears. She is sad about being dropped off, but I know that it will work itself out, just like it did with her siblings who didn’t know a soul in their new entrants class.

Speaking of siblings, my oldest daughter left primary school last year, and is now a uniform-wearing intermediate student. She has blossomed into a beautiful and capable young girl. This was the same girl who hated me leaving, when she first started school. Now she gives everything a go and is just amazing.

I think that one of the greatest gifts that the past years of motherhood has given me, is the understanding that there are many seasons in motherhood and life. That you rarely stay in one season forever, and that it is always changing. And as you pass through a particularly hard season, you then become better equipped to help others pass through theirs. It’s beautiful…

As a blogger, I respect the readers time, and I try to write in a way that does not waste your time…..but perhaps that expectation that I have put on myself, has meant that I have left out, or neglected the other voices that want to be written. So I know that as I write, I will be having a little tug of war within myself as I fight against my expectations. So, here it goes…I am purposely posting a post WITHOUT a photo, just to stick it to my old expectation and to prove to myself, that I can do things differently, and the world won’t fall apart!

**hugs & kisses to you all**

If you aren’t fast enough and efficient enough, I don’t have time for you, “thank you very much.”

A computer that takes forever to make a blog entry, and doesn’t want to download my photos from my camera?…see you later.

A camera that has a short battery life, and a lens that often decides that the photo would look better overexposed?…so long.

How did my patience become so short?

But isn’t a new year all about stretching oneself and working on one’s weaknesses?

So the camera came out with us on an outing today and I decided I was going to blog about it.

Like all weaknesses you work on, you often get a chance (read: chances) to test oneself

I try to remind myself that the good things, take effort…and time.

I am grateful that I decided to pick up the camera again.

I love capturing their gorgeous smiles.

I also love photos that remind me of the story behind it.

Like this one:

My oldest daughter gently helped my youngest daughter all the way to the top, and then took her time, and guided her all the way back down again. They repeated this many times while we were there. Love it.

Or this one:

My son persevered on a piece of equipment that we thought was broken. He worked out how to use it, and got the tricky piece of equipment moving.

Or this one:

My heart was in my mouth, when my son decided that he was going to balance himself at the top of the very high rope frame. That is so him! I was half proud, and half terrified!

I think 2012 is going to be about celebrating the everyday triumphs…like patience, perseverance, stretching oneself, and not giving up until you get to the end (or the very top!)

2-3 weeks until school starts!! (start date differs with each school)

At the moment, the sun is shining, and I want to make the most of the summer.

Here are a list of fun activities for children (and a couple for the adults!)

What are your plans for the rest of the school holidays? Do share!

Home-grown Family Trail

Take the kids on an ‘I spy’ tour through the Home-grown section of Slice of Heaven (that’s the grassy bit) and help them discover the past. Grab a free family trail from Inspiration Station and you’re away!

Date: All Day, until Tue 31 Jan 2012

Time: 10.00am – 6.00pm (late night 9pm Thursdays)

Location: Te Papa, 55 Cable Street, Wellington

Cost: Free

Cinders, Scrooge & Peter Pan

Bring the children into The Dowse these holidays for storytelling classics and ballet stories from our friends at Hutt City Libraries.

Date: Tue 17 Jan 2012

Time: 11.00am

Location: The Dowse Art Museum, 45 Laings Road, Lower Hutt

Cost: Free – no booking required

Push Play backyard games

There are activities for all ages including T-ball, soccer, badminton, volleyball and unihoc.

Date: Tue 17 Jan 2012

Time: 11.30am – 1.30pm

Location: Carrara Park, Regent St, Newtown

Cost: Free – no booking required

There are activities for all ages including T-ball, soccer, badminton, volleyball and unihoc.

Engineer an erupting volcano

Date: Wed 18 Jan 2012

Time: 11.00am – 12.00pm

Location: Inspiration Station, Level 4, Te Papa, 55 Cable St, Wellington

Cost: $3

Push Play fun – featuring Ki o Rahi (a skilful, traditional Māori game for all ages)

There are activities for all ages including T-ball, soccer, badminton, volleyball and unihoc.

Date: Wed 18 Jan 2012

Time: 3.00pm – 5.00pm

Location: Karori Park, Karori

Cost: Free – no booking required

Kev the Wandering Kiwi

Join Kev the Wandering Kiwi to explore the Gums Loop Track. Enjoy free coffee courtesy of Caffe L’affare. Suitable for buggies. Dog friendly.

Date: Thu 19 Jan 2012

Time: 10.30am

Location: Wainuiomata Recreation Area, Witcher Grove, Wainuiomata

Cost: Free

Head south down Wainuiomata Coast Road, turn left onto Moores Valley Road, right into Whitcher Grove, go straight ahead to Reservoir Road and the main gates to meet the park ranger. Duration: 1 hr 30 mins.

Cinders, Scrooge & Peter Pan

Bring the children into The Dowse these holidays for storytelling classics and ballet stories from our friends at Hutt City Libraries.

Date: Thu 19 Jan 2012

Time: 11.00am

Location: The Dowse Art Museum, 45 Laings Road, Lower Hutt

Cost: Free – no booking required

Push Play fun – featuring Ki o Rahi (a skilful, traditional Māori game for all ages)

There are activities for all ages including T-ball, soccer, badminton, volleyball and unihoc.

Date: Thu 19 Jan 2012

Time: 1.00pm – 3.00pm

Location: Linden West Park, Main Rd, Linden

Cost: Free – no booking required

Construct a catapult

Date: Sat 21 Jan 2012

Time: 11.00am – 12.00pm

Location: Inspiration Station, Level 4, Te Papa, 55 Cable St, Wellington

Cost: $3

Wellington Anniversary Day Fun

Competition to find the craziest and most creative costumes to jump off the wharf; and a chance to try BMX water jumping. An entertaining day with a range of fun and family-friendly activities and music stages.

There will also be food stalls in Frank Kitts Park and at the food court beside Odlins Plaza.

Date: Mon 23 Jan 2012

Time: 10.00am – 5.00pm

Location: Frank Kitts Park, Taranaki Street Wharf and Te Papa Promenade (stall charges apply)

Cost: Free

Te Papa Promenade

• NZ Crafts Market
• Singer Songwriter Stage

Frank Kitts Park

• Family Stage, 12 noon – 4.00pm
• Youth Stage, 12 noon – 5.00pm
• Kids’ rides and activities
• General market

Taranaki Street Wharf

• 350 display and information stalls
• BMX Jump Ramp, 11.00am – 4.00pm
• Birdman, 12 noon – 3.00pm

Cinders, Scrooge & Peter Pan

Bring the children into The Dowse these holidays for storytelling classics and ballet stories from our friends at Hutt City Libraries.

Date: Tue 24 Jan 2012

Time: 11.00am

Location: The Dowse Art Museum, 45 Laings Road, Lower Hutt

Cost: Free – no booking required

Push Play backyard games

There are activities for all ages including T-ball, soccer, badminton, volleyball and unihoc.

Date: Tue 24 Jan 2012

Time: 11.30am – 1.30pm

Location: Carrara Park, Regent St, Newtown

Cost: Free – no booking required

Push Play fun – featuring Zumba

There are activities for all ages including T-ball, soccer, badminton, volleyball and unihoc.

Date: Wed 25 Jan 2012

Time: 2.00pm – 4.00pm

Location: Karori Park, Karori

Wheelie Kev

Bring your Wheels (but no motors) and join Kev for some play time on the Avalon Park bike training course before going for a walk/ride on the stopbank. Spot prizes available. Buggy Friendly.

Date: Thu 26 Jan 2012

Time: 10.30am – 12.00pm

Location: Avalon Park, Hutt River Trail

Cost: Free

Cost: Free – no booking required

Cinders, Scrooge & Peter Pan

Bring the children into The Dowse these holidays for storytelling classics and ballet stories from our friends at Hutt City Libraries.

Date: Thu 26 Jan 2012

Time: 11.00am

Location: The Dowse Art Museum, 45 Laings Road, Lower Hutt

Cost: Free – no booking required

Push Play fun – featuring Ki o Rahi (a skilful, traditional Māori game for all ages)

There are activities for all ages including T-ball, soccer, badminton, volleyball and unihoc.

Date: Thu 26 Jan 2012

Time: 1.00pm – 3.00pm

Location: Linden West Park, Main Rd, Linden

Cost: Free – no booking required

Summer Sampler – Belmont Regional Park

Want to explore the lower end of Belmont Regional Park? Join the ranger for an evening stroll up the Korokoro Stream to Baked Beans bend and beyond. Be in to win a spot prize from Dwights Outdoors.

Date: Thu 26 Jan 2012

Time: 6.30pm

Location: Belmont Regional Park, Cornish St entrance

Cost: Free

From Ngauranga, turn left from SH2 at Cornish St, or if coming from the north, follow the signs to Korokoro, then turn left into Pito-One Rd.

Films by Starlight: Labyrinth

Enjoy four outdoor film nights in the Botanic Garden this summer.

Date: Thu 26 Jan 2012

Time: 8.00pm

Location: The Dell, Botanic Garden

Cost: Free

1hr 41 mins. Weather cancellations are made by 2.00pm each day.

Sand Sculptures

Enjoy the Petone foreshore with some creative guidance from our talented education team.

Date: Thu 26 & Fri 27 Jan 2012

Time: 10.00am – 12.00pm

Location: On the beach in front of the Petone Settlers Museum

Cost: Free – no booking required

Summer Sampler – Kaitoke Regional Park

Starting in famous Rivendell, this is an easy guided walk exploring some of the park’s natural and engineering marvels.  Suitable for the whole family.  Be in to win a spot prize from Dwights Outdoors.

Date: Sat 28 Jan 2012

Time: 10.00am – 11.15am

Location: Kaitoke Regional Park, Waterworks Rd entrace

Cost: Free – no booking required

Follow SH2 and turn off at Waterworks Rd 12km north of Upper Hutt. Meet at Pakuratahi Forks carpark.

Build a breathtaking balloon racer

These awesome toy cars are pushed along by the power of your breath escaping from an inflated balloon.

Date: Sat 28 Jan 2012

Time: 11.00am – 12.00pm

Location: NatureSpace, Level 2, Te Papa, 55 Cable St, Wellington

Cost: $3

Summer Sampler – Hutt River Trail

Join the ranger on this short section of the River Trail includes fish passages, plantings and a walk next to the beautiful Hutt River.  Dog friendly.  Be in to win a spot prize from Dwights Outdoors.

Date: Wed 1 Feb 2012

Time: 6.30pm – 8.00pm

Location: Hutt River Trail, Silverstream to Stokes Valley

Cost: Free – no booking required

Cross the Silverstream bridge, turn right at the round about, turn right into the carpark by the bridge to meet the ranger.

Salsa @ Sunset

Try out salsa for free in a stunning outdoor setting. No need to bring a partner or experience. Led by Rafael Ferrer, Salsa @ Sunset explores dance styles including salsa, cha cha chá and reggaetón.

Date: 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 February (Wednesdays)

Time: 6.00pm – 7.30pm

Where: Band Rotunda rooftop, Oriental Parade

Cost: Free

In case of bad weather, check the CubanFusion website for cancellations. Decisions are made at 4.00pm on the day.

Hutt News Petone Rotary Fair

The Petone Rotary Fair an established annual fair in the centre of Jackson Street Petone, with over 300 stalls, arts & crafts, plants, music, ethnic foods, amusements.

Date: Sat 18 Feb 2012

Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm

Location: Jackson Street, Petone

Cost: Free (stalls, amusements, food charges apply)

Thank you Meghan from Exploring Beauty with MNM’s for sharing this tip with us!

“At certain times of the year, it does seem like a never ending stream of kids birthday parties to attend which usually means presents and cards to buy too. Save yourself the time on shopping for individual presents for children by building a Present Stash.

When you find something that you know a kid will like that is also really great value, why not buy a few more of the same item to go in the present stash. That way you will always have a ‘go to’ for the next birthday, or if you get caught out at the last minute you won’t have to make a dash to the shops. We’ve done this so many times with books, GI-Joes, Smiggle stationery, and crafty kits in the past.

If your child gets given something for their birthday that they’ve already grown out of or have something very similar, just add it to the present stash.

And either make your birthday cards, or buy cards in bulk either from a $2 Shop or when Whitcoulls is having one of their 50% off sales.”

By Meghan, New Zealand

Mother of 2

www.meghanandmark.blogspot.com

We all have tips that we use around the home to make our life a bit easier. Why not share them with us?

Some examples could be: Tips on making life easier in the kitchen, housework, being healthy, parenting, how to balance time for yourself, or some encouraging words on motherhood.

Looking forward to hearing from you! Contact me here.

Leilani is one of the most down to earth people I know, and such a lovely person. I’m so proud of her!

(Fellow blogger, Shawni from 71 Toes has a video as well. You can see it here)

This week, I am showcasing some of my favourite Halloween finds.

Enjoy! Mika xo

Edible Worms!

Halloween Decorations made out of Rubbish Bags

Source: How About Orange

Printable Halloween Paper Craft

Simple Witches Hats

Printable Halloween Banner

Source: The Paper Nut via Skip To My Lou

(Plus ONE MORE: Don’t forget the cool treat bags that I blogged about, by Cheri from I Am Momma – Hear Me Roar.)

As part of Family Home Evening on Monday, we watched the final of the Rugby World Cup, All Blacks vs France. Guess who we were supporting?!

These are the treat bags I made for the kids.

I was totally inspired by the adorable bags that Cheri from I Am Momma – Hear Me Roar made for Halloween. Check out the photo from her site, cute! She includes a really easy to follow tutorial on how to make them.

Halloween Treats | I Am Momma – Hear Me Roar

For my treat bags, I put the logo of the All Blacks, but you could print anything on them! I was thinking they would make great themed loot bags or prizes for birthday parties.

Themed Loot Bag Tutorial

Copy and Paste the image of your choice onto Publisher, Word or whatever equivalent you use.

Adjust the size of the image to fit the size of your paper bag, leaving enough room for the stitching and a slight border. It does not need to be exactly centred, because you are cutting the image out.

You may find that you need to tape the paper bag to some paper or cardboard before putting it in the printer. My printer caught the bottom (flat part) of the bag, just fine without taping it to paper.

Carefully sew around the image, leaving an opening.

Depending on how you printed it, and where you left the unsewn space to place the lollies in, you may need to cut your bag to access it. As you can see from my bag, I printed it so I could use the opening of the paper bag as my entry point for the lollies.

Sew the opening shut. (This is where you find out if you have over stuffed your bag with lollies! You may need to eat a few lollies to close it, but that is the price you have to pay, ladies!)

Now, all that is left is to cut out your shape, and you are finished!

I am linking up with:

Our Creative Space

Strut Your Stuff at Somewhat Simple

Made by You Mondays at Skip to My Lou

DIY Under $5 at A Little Tipsy

Talent Tuesdays at Vintage Wanna Bee

I’m excited about the various guides and tutorials that I get to share with you this week.

Toddler in Tow has lots of information on fun things to do with your children. They mainly cater to Porirua parents, but quite often they list events in other areas. Their school holiday listings, for example, covered activities in Wellington through to Upper Hutt.

Skip to My Lou has created a great resource for those homemade-present-makers out there.

I have now added crochet ripple blanket, Rapunzel hair, and yummy bread bowl to my ‘things I want to try’ list. (Which is growing at a rapid rate!)

Enjoy! Mika xo

Toddler in Tow

Rapunzel Hair | The Weekend Homemaker

[via Valerie from Family Fun Blog's Pinterest Board]

Bread Bowl Recipe | Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Handmade Gift Tutorials | Skip to My Lou

Crochet Ripple Tutorial | Attic24

[via Kate from Mummy Adventures]

Source: Belfast Telegraph

We were set to win against the French in the final. The All Blacks were the only team in this year’s tournament that were unbeaten. We even defeated the French in the pool match with ease.

It was supposed to be a great game to see the All Blacks do what they do best – WIN.

But……we were told over and over again, “do not underestimate the French”.

“They are unpredictable”, commentators and players from past and present repeated.

Unfortunately, we got to see it first hand in the finals of the Rugby World Cup.

To the All Blacks credit, we hung in there….

….but we weren’t supposed to just “hang in there”, we were supposed to topple the French.

That just didn’t happen. What they all said was right, the French were indeed, unpredictable. The team that came to play in the finals, was a different team to what we have seen throughout the tournament.

They made us work. There was no room to move. Both teams wanting to be crowned, the World Champions of 2011.

In the end, there was only ONE point in it! ONE POINT!

And it was OURS!

Source: Getty Images

When other teams would have lost focus and discipline, the All Blacks dug deep for the entire 80 minutes, and made us proud!!

It seems too crazy to be true… the first-five eighth, who kicked the crucial penalty kick to ensure we stayed in the lead, was not the replacement for our injured Dan Carter. No, he wasn’t even the replacement for the replacement. He was the FOURTH choice!

Stephen Donald came in, after all THREE first-five eighth were injured during the tournament (poor Aaron Cruden was injured in the final). The legend goes, he was fishing in the Waikato 2 weeks ago, before he received the call to join the All Blacks in the World Cup squad. Just look at where he ended up! The hopes and dreams of New Zealanders on his shoulders in the Cup Final! Boy, did he deliver!

Rugby World Cup Champions!! Sounds sooo goood! **happy dance**

The irony:

In 1987, we played and won against the same opponent, in the same (upgraded) pitch, when New Zealand and Australia hosted the first World Cup. We had not won the Rugby World Cup since.

I was 10 when we won the 1987 World Cup. My oldest daughter is now, 10.

Favourite Part of the Game: Prop Tony Woodock scoring an amazing try from a set move at line out.

Worse Part of the Game: Being ONLY 1 point ahead for the majority of the game. I mean, talk about nerve-racking!! If they scored a try, it was over. If they got a penalty goal, it was over. Aarrrgghhhh!!

Favourite Part of the Night: Richie McCaw getting his hands on the Webb Ellis Cup. As we like to say in New Zealand, “YOU BEAU-TY!!!!”

Did anyone else feel sorry for the French after their defeat? They looked sooo gutted (another kiwi term?)

Maybe it was because we KNOW how they feel? Unfortunately, we have been where they are, and it is oh so bitter. The feeling of anticipation and hope, followed by crushing defeat.

We have become experts, because we have lost the last 5 attempts at becoming World Champions, since our win in 1987.

This year was our year, and we are so proud of the All Blacks for delivering! Our win is dedicated to all the All Blacks teams, who were number one in the world leading up to the World Cup, but weren’t able to take home the trophy.

Richie, Graham Henry and the boys, as a nation, we sure are proud of you!!

Source: Getty Images

And how cool is this photo!

Israel Dagg & Cory Jane making snow angels in the confetti

Source: Facebook

As I finished getting the kids into bed last night, a thought popped into my mind:

“What super power would come in handy as a mother?”

Here are some things that I came up with:

• Mind Reading Power: I can imagine this would come in handy with teenagers.
• Super Patience: Just when you think you’re going to lose it, you get a huge whoosh of calm energy to last to the end of the day (or until your side kick arrives).
• Super Energy: Two hourly feeds during the night or the witching hour before dinner, is no match for the super hero who never gets tired.
• Super Intelligence: You will no longer be stumped with what to say or do when faced with sibling rivalry, toddler tantrums or teenage angst.
• Mary Poppins Power: The specific power I am referring to, is when she clicks her fingers and was able to clean a room “spit spot”. Nice!
• Power to Turn Back Time: This would be helpful in sooooo many situations!
• The Ability to Clone Yourself: Perfect for when you have 3 kids talking to you at one time, or when you have to breastfeed, play with your toddler AND get dinner ready, all at the same time! Phew!

I am curious….if you could have any super power, what would you choose?

This cute little owl key ring was inspired by the owl ornament tutorial at Juicy Bits by Jessica and the lovely turquoise felt that I had in my felt stash.

I drafted up a pattern, because I had a different look in mind for my owl.

Then I stitched it together while listening online to the fab Gen Conf talks, when hubby was out of town.

The felt and key ring were all purchased from Spotlight.

Happy creating, everyone at Our Creative Spaces.

Filed under: My Creative Space Tagged: Craft, homemade ]]> http://jugglingmotherhood.com/2011/10/20/my-creative-space-felt-owl-keyring/feed/ 9 Juggling Motherhood juggling motherhood felt owl http://jugglingmotherhood.com/2011/10/07/hello/ http://jugglingmotherhood.com/2011/10/07/hello/#comments Fri, 07 Oct 2011 08:03:47 +0000 Mika http://jugglingmotherhood.com/?p=5928 Continue reading →]]> Hello my poor wee neglected blog…

Gosh, it’s been a while, but then again, time seems to be whizzing by lately.

Life has been really full with things that ‘need’ to be done (house stuff, Playcentre stuff, etc etc) as well as lots of fun things like meeting up with friends and family (two words: chocolate buffet! yum!) and trips to the beach.

I have a new calling/position at church. I am part of the Relief Society Presidency in our ward/congregation. (The Relief Society is the women’s organisation of our church.) I feel really good about this calling, and really excited about it!

I’m looking forward to the next 2 weeks. A break from school/drops offs/pick ups and hurried pace of life.

Has anyone else started thinking about Christmas?? 2 of my kids are born in November, so I have birthdays on my brain. (PS if you have already finished ALL your Christmas shopping, please lie to me and tell me you haven’t started! hehehe)

I am participating in PaisleyJade’s Things I’m loving.

I am actually a day early for her meme, but there are a list of things that I am grateful for today.

When you have a house full of sick children, and you are not feeling too hot yourself, you start to feel grateful for the simple things:

• Soft tissues, that don’t feel like sandpaper after the third use. (Kleenex Aloe Vera 3 ply Tissues never lets me down.)

• Lots of fruit in the house. Perfect for a quick and easy snack for hungry kids (yummy plums!)

• Peace. Even though, I have all 4 kids at home with various sniffles, temperatures, sore throats etc, everyone seems to be happy doing their own thing, or chilling out together. If there was such a thing as a “sick mother’s wish list”, this would be right up there!

• Last week, we were really, really busy in the evenings. This week, we have been busy during the day. I am grateful that I have nothing big planned, for the next few days, so we can concentrate on getting better.

• On the plus side, my health held up for the cupcake sale that another mum and I organised, to raise funds for the school camp. I wish I got a picture of the lines, because they were HUGE! It was fantastically supported, and we didn’t have any cupcakes left over, and no one missed out!! Awesome outcome!

I made those lollipop cupcakes

I thought I would try my hand at making a cookie monster cupcake and a sheep cupcake. Both were lots of fun. I got a bit stuck on how to do a sheep’s head. After trying lots of different things, google images came to my rescue. (That is black food colouring applied with a skewer, not drawn on by a pen…just incase you’re wondering…).

Our experiments with the sheep’s face, inspired my daughter to make some pig cupcakes. She thought, that one of the noses we tried for the sheep, would look better as a pig’s nose. Since we had white & pink marshmallows, the pig cupcake was born. I loved her creations.

PS And I am loving my new 50mm 1.8 lens for my camera. I took all of these photos with it. Usually, I would have to tweak the colour in Picasa after taking photos, but these are straight out of the camera. And boy oh boy the bokeh/blur/depth of field is AH-MAZING!

My sister-in-law sent me a text the other day:

Woohooo!

For us Kiwis…who remembers this ad? (and who actually tried to memorise the words?!?!)

Ok…I’m off to Maccas, to buy a KiwiBurger **happy dance**

Do you have a unique burger where you live? Here are some other McDonald Burgers that I found:

source: www.tikifish.com/titlepage.html

McDonald’s Canada

Cheese, vegetable, pepperoni and deluxe pizza

Poutine (available only in Quebec)

McDonald’s Thailand

Samurai Pork Burger – A sandwich marinated with teriyaki sauce.

Sweet Corn Pie

McDonald’s New Zealand

Kiwiburger – A hamburger with a fried egg and slice of beet

McDonald’s India

Maharaja Mac
“two all lamb patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.”

Veggie nuggets (with masala and chili dipping sauces)

McDonald’s Netherlands

McKroket
100% beef ragout with a crispy layer around it. It’s topped with a fresh mustard/mayonnaise sauce.

McDonald’s Philippines

McSpaghetti – Pasta in a sauce with frankfurter bits

McDonald’s Uruguay

McHuevo – A hamburger with a poached egg on top

McDonald’s Paraguay

McMacos

McFilet

McFiesta

McDonald’s Italy

Vegetariana Salad
with lettuce, corn, olives, carrots, cherry tomatoes and more.

Marinara Salad
with shrimps and salmon in fresh lettuce.

Mediterranea Salad
with cheese and olives

Fiordiriso Salad
with rice, tuna, ham and mushrooms.

McDonald’s Hong Kong

Curry Potato Pie

Red Bean Sundae

Shake Shake Fries

McDonald’s Ireland

Shamrock Shake
(although these have been available in the past in Canada around St. Paddy’s Day, I include them because they are served in Ireland year round, and no one’s seen them here for a few years.)

McDonald’s Chile

McPalta
tomatoes, avocado,mayonnaise, onions and mustard

McDonald’s Bahrain

Veggie Burger

McDonald’s Sabah & Malaysia

McEgg

(not a mcmuffin, a BURGER)
Fried Chicken

Pineapple Pie

McDonalds Mexico

McBurrito a la Mexicana

McNifica

McDonald’s Japan

Teriyaki McBurger

Green Tea Shake

French Fries With Seaweed Flavouring (nori)
(also in curry, mexican, and barbecue)

Chicken Tatsuta Burger
(this I actually ate – It is a grilled breast of chicken with a sort of ginger-soy-mayo sauce. Very good!)

Macaroni and Cheese Burger
(I dont know what this is called but I saw it in a limited time promotion in Tokyo. By the time I got around to eating at a McDonalds, the promotion was over!)

McDonald’s Portugal

Bica
(a type of espresso)

Pasteis de Nata
(Portuguese style cakes)

McDonald’s Siwitzerland

Vegi Mac
(vegetarian burger)

McDonald’s Singapore

The Love Burger
prime cut chicken grilled to tender perfection. Smothered with the tangy taste of honey mustard sauce and topped with a delicious combination of juicy tomatoes and fresh lettuce

Kampung Burger
farm fresh lettuce, cheese, a patty of chicken sausage and a tangy slice of chicken, topped by a slice of pineapple – all packed between two old-fashioned toasted muffins,

McPepper Burger
Two beef patties smothered in a thick, spicy black pepper sauce and topped with diced onions

McTowkay Burger
an egg and a beef patty marinated in a special “towkay” sauce, crispy lettuce and mayonnaise, all sandwiched between a sesame bun.

Kiasu Burger
extra large lean chicken patty seasoned with extra spices, marinated with extra sauce, topped with fresh lettuce, all sandwiched on an extra large sesame seed bun.

McDonald’s Sweden

“The world’s first “McSki” opened in Sweden with Ski-Thru service. Skiers can ski up to the counter and order their favorite McDonald’s sandwich without missing a beat on the slopes.”

Fisk, Kyckling och Vegetariskt
Dryck
Dips�s och Dressing
Plusmeny
Presentcheckar
McFeast & Co
Stora Menyn
McFish & Co
ViktV�ktarmenyn med McChicken
ViktV�ktarmenyn med McGarden
McGarden & Co
McAroni inkl. mellanstor l�sk

McDonald’s Argentina

The McNifica
a hamburger sandwich with cheese, tomato, onion and lettuce.

I’ve got a neat selection of Great Finds from the wonderful world of Pinterest.

 I wish that the photography cheat sheet came out a year ago! I had a heck of time, trying to figure out what-was-what on my DSLR camera. 

I can’t wait to try out all those tutorials. There are just sooo many great ideas out there!

Enjoy! Mika xo

Edible Bracelets | FamilyFun

[via Angela Noelle's Pinterest Board]

Quilled Monogram Letter Tutorial | Craftastical!

[via Rio Pereira's Pinterest Board]

Manual Photography Cheat Sheet | Living in the Stills

[via Centsational Girl's Pinterest Board]

DIY Vinyl Stickers Tutorial | One Pearl Button

[via Tina Oglesby's Pinterest Board]

Jelly Slices

[via Lacy Gibson's Pinterest Board]

Two thoughts crossed my mind when I found these photocopied $20 notes on the floor:

What are my kids up to???

and

Where in the world is the original $20 note?!?!

My bored 10 year old decided to do some baking. (Yus!)

Chocolate Chips Muffins

Apple Crumble

Thank you Edmonds Junior Cookbook for her inspiration! (We added rolled oats to the apple crumble recipe, and swapped out the blueberries and added chocolate chips to the muffin recipe.)

I love the illustrations in this recipe book. It helped my daughter do the majority of the baking by herself.

I remember collecting illustrated recipes similar to these ones from magazines when I was her age.

The recipes are written and illustrated by Mary Pat Fergus, and she has illustrated other recipe books as well (although, a lot of them were published years ago.)

By the way, this isn’t a paid review…although it sure does sound like one! hehehe