Visit to Great Nana's

Everyone loves my Nana.  No more than we do of course, but she is an awesome lady.

She's 90, lives alone (unless you count her birds), and still sends birthday cards to every person in her large, extended family .  She loves her family,  her cockatiels, doing find-a-words, watching the tennis, Bold and the Beautiful and the Saturday night gold lotto draw.  She tells me she only wants to win lotto so she can give it all to us.

Whenever we go to my parents house, we always try to catch up with Nana. If it's a Sunday morning - there will definitely be fresh baked scones and cream.   But any time you drop in, there will always be a cup of tea made with extra love.

Here's a recent picture of her at her 90th back in October 2011 (because she won't like the pic I posted of her already because she hadn't brushed her hair)..

i don't like kindy :(

It appears I was too quick to blog about how my kids feel about kindy. Apparantly the first day often goes well, but it's the second day, when the children realise that this is their new reality, and the crying begins.

I got the shock of my life on that second day when I dropped both children off to the day care centre.  Neither of them wanted me to leave, although it was only Lola who could articulate that.  However she chose to skip the words that day, and launched straight into the crying and screaming.  The kids are in two different rooms - at alternate ends of the centre, but there was a point that morning where it didn't matter where I was - I could hear both of them crying. I'll admit I was more shocked than sad.  I just hadn't expected the distress, after both kids having had such a great first day.  I phoned the centre about 5 times that day to see whether they wanted me to come collect the kids - but each time they reassured me that things were manageable - and to call back in an hour if I wanted.

We all made it through that day. And I'd like to say it's getting easier for everyone, but it's still hard.  It makes me sad that they think I wouldn't come back for them.  But it's my favourite part of the day when I pick them up.  They are so happy to see me, and Lola always has things to show me. She still says 'i don't like kindy', but her teacher assures me that she's participating in the activities and settles down quickly each morning after I leave.  Andrew cries when he sees me at pick up time, and  crawls to me so fast and wraps himself around me when I bundle him in my arms.

I'm certain they know that we love them, but even so, we tell them a lot more now.

our new table (and chairs)

There has been a new labour of love in our household this week.  Last weekend, we welcomed a very heavy, very old, and very well loved new dining table into our kitchen. 

After much sanding (we're talking hours and hours and hours), the natural grain of the wood was so pretty that we decided we'd only add a clear layer on top to protect the wood.

And while there was nothing wrong with our old table, this new one is bigger and I was definitely ready for a change.

To our old table:  thank you for your service over the past 10 years, and all the best at your new house (thank you gumtree for helping me sell it so quickly!).

To our new table: Welcome to our home.  We hope you like it here. We look forward to sharing many meals with you, and we hope you like your new chairs (well, new to us, but purchased as 'seconds' from here).  We think you go together very nicely :)

silly boy...

new year, new beginnings

Both my babies started day care this week at a C&K kindergarten near our home.  As expected, I had very mixed feelings about it all.

For Lola, I knew it would seem scary at first (she's never been to day care before), but I also knew it would be a fun environment full of kids and crafty activities that she would ultimately revel in.

For Andrew, I worried less about how he would cope because he's still so young, and is such a content little guy that the transition would/should be fairly smooth.

For myself, I must admit I was looking forward to 2 days without having to be solely responsible for the kids, even if I did have to work for most of the time. I was excited about the challenge of returning to work, and being in contact again with adults :) But I was also confident that the kids would be ok. I hoped that we'd taught them enough social etiquette to survive, but most of all I prayed that the word 'bum cracker' never came out of Lola's mouth..

At the end of their first day, Si and I picked them up together. Andrew charmed his carers (of course) and they thought he was just gorgeous. And Lola had a fantastic day with only a few tears in the afternoon after she woke up from her afternoon sleep (no doubt wondering where she was?). The only issue of the day was something I did wrong - packing Lola a peanut butter sandwich which she wasn't allowed to eat because of the centre's rules regarding peanuts and allergies. I apologised profusely (there is a kid in Lola's room with a peanut allergy) and won't make her peanut butter sandwiches again (I promise!).

I was so proud of both of them.  It's nice validation when other people think your kids are ok :)

Lola's sleep sack (passed down so generously from Eliza, and pony-ified by me)

the only pony that lola took with her to kindy (it was to help her go to sleep)

Labelling everything the night before (I had to sticker over George's name - the original shoe owner!!)

the kindy bags, the lunch bags, the nude food containers, the sticky labels.. it was never ending..

the morning finally arrived, and this was the best shot I could get of the two of them just before we left

my sweet, beautiful, confident, funny, cheeky, pony-lovin' 3 year old daughter.

Spearman family soda bread

In a large bowl, add the following ingredients:

270g Plain Flour
300g Self Raising Flour
1 teaspoon of Bicarb Soda (make sure you crush it in your hand so there are no lumps)
1 tablespoon of Caster sugar
600 ml Buttermilk

And now the all important part of the process - which is super easy once you see it, but not that easy to explain in words.. So below is a demonstration from my Mother in law Lily..

Happy baking!

today you are ONE

Andrew, today you are one. 

Right now you're still warm and sleeping soundly in your cot - but soon you will be awake.  

We can hardly wait to scoop you out and start today with you. 

This afternoon we will have a party for you, and you can eat as much cake as you like.  

You will be celebrated by all our family, friends and loved ones. 

They will look at photos of you and marvel at how much you've changed this year.

They will squeeze your cheeks and your expression will make them laugh.

You bring everyone around you so much joy Andrew Lucas, and we love you so much.  

Christmas parties

On Sunday we went to Simon's work 'family' christmas party.  It was held in the carpark of their office, and cost $25 per child.  It was his/our first time attending, and it was fantastic. There were rides, an animal farm, a magician, and of course Santa arrived and handed out the best presents to every child.

It was really nice to meet so many people I'd heard Si mention, and also watch him introduce his kids to his workmates - who'd obviously heard so much about them.  I tell you - those Electricians sure know how to breed :)  and I know it's a generalisation, but I reckon they all love their family's too.

christmas sweets

The annual 'get together and make the christmas sweets' event has been and gone for 2011. Four generations of women got together last friday and cooked/rolled our way through approx 8 batches of rumballs, 4 batches of gingernut balls, 2 trays of rocky road, and 2 trays of spiders (recipes are written out below - after the photo's in this blog post)..

My daughter, myself, my mother, my Nana and my mother in law spent the day together preparing for another festive season and enjoying one another's company. Lola is still a bit young to be of much help (even getting her to roll the rumballs in the coconut was a bit of a challenge), but maybe by next year she'll be a lot happier to join in.  However she did enjoy putting up Nana's christmas tree after the baking was done.  Andrew was there too of course, but he was happy crawling around and eating sultanas off the floor - so I didn't count him as one of the 'helpers'.

It really was a fun day, and I am so lucky to have such wonderful mothers in my life.

Nana Brown's rum balls

8 weetbix
1 cup mixed fruit
1 cup coconut
2 tablespoons of cocoa
1 tin of condensed milk
2 tablespoons of rum

Mix together, roll into small balls, roll in more coconut.

Gingernut balls

90g butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1/2 cup condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
250g packet of gingernut biscuits
1 cup sultanas
1 cup coconut

Melt butter in saucepan.
Add golden styrup and condensed milk.
Stir in vanilla, crushed up biscuits and sultanas over medium heat until well combined.
Cool to room temperature
Roll into small balls and toss in coconut.

Saturday afternoon

Last weekend, the kids and I ventured into the city. We only live 15kms away from the town centre, but we hardly ever go in there. I always loved going to town before I had children. I love the fact that the people you see in there aren't just the kind of people who live in your own neighbourhood. You get all sorts :)

I felt really nervous taking the kids in there. I feel like the city centre is not a place for kids. I can't explain why - maybe because there's little room for them to run free on, and also too because it's just so damn busy.    The potential to lose them is quite high :)

But I thought a trip in on a Saturday afternoon to see the Christmas windows in Queen street mall would be a good place to start. It wasn't too busy, and we drove in because we had a cheap parking option and also so I could make a quick getaway in case things went haywire.

But I'm pleased to say it was a fantastic afternoon. Lola loved all the tall buildings. Andrew happily stayed in his pram the whole time we were in there.  We saw Santa, we had Royal Copenhagan icecream in the mall while listening to live music and we crossed the bridge to Southbank and played in the waterpark.

It was a successful mission, and it totally reminded me how much I do love the city.