THE DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES OR HOW AM I GOING TO SURVIVE 6 WEEKS SCHOOL HOLIDAYS!!

Grotbag had his last day of Kindy yesterday. Because we are now in Summer here in Australia the School year is a Calendar year so Summer school holidays also started yesterday!


This was Grotbag on his first day of Kindy. I can't believe he has completed the year and has amased a great group of friends as have I with the Kindy mums.


He looks so young in this picture and I have to remember that he was only 3 when he started Kindy! He was just a baby!!!


Of course big changes happened in the first week of his Kindy in that I gave birth to his little brother so our household had alot of adjusting to do - and so I am really proud of him!


Below is Grotbag now - a precotious 4 year old who often sounds like he is 14 - God help me when the teenage years come!



So, we got a letter home saying that the last day of school there would be an incursion where a Magician would come in, they could dress up (Ben 10 is Grotbags hero of choice) and to bring a plate of "healthy" party food!


Now I am all for the healthy stuff, but come on it's the last day of their first ever year at school! So I have rebelled on behalf of and made Mini White Christmas Chocolate Crackles.

Recipe is from my Happy Baby Womans Weekly Cookbook and are really easy:

35gm Rice Bubble/Crispies or whatever you call them in the country your from

35gm Coco Pops (pretty sure these are universal)

70gm of Mini M&Ms

200gm of Melted White Chocolate

Mix all the ingrediants in a bowl and divide into 24 mini muffin cases then refrigerate for at least 10 minutes!

Now that is party food!!!!

THE MAKING OF A MAGICAL CHRISTMAS OR ANOTHER BOY IN THE HOUSE!

Meet Chris the Elf our little Santa's Helper that's come to stay at our house.


I asked Santa if he could send an Elf to us who had finished helping make all the toys and he sent Chris (who looks suspiciously like Grotbag?).

Chris is a little mischievous Elf who gets up to no good when we are all asleep. He also might leave little tasks for Grotbag to do or even hide so Grotbag has to search for him. He is also reporting back to Santa on Grotbag's behaviour.

Well this is what I have told Grotbag anyway.

This again is not one of my brilliant original ideas as all of those have already been light bulbs above somebody elses head. No I just stole it from Raising Z who wrote her post about Park The Elf arriving at her house a couple of weeks ago.

It seemed like a great tradition to start but the Elf Magic Website didn't post the Elves to Australia and I thought it was a bit late to start so thought I would do it next year! But then...I would like to say...magically...I saw Chris the Elf in a gift shop window in Melbourne literally 5 minutes before I had to leave for the airport and so dashed in and got him and brought him back to Perth.

Where, as luck would have it, they had a whole heap of Elves just like Chris in the Airport gift store...go figure?

So once Grotbag had gone to bed I pulled Chris out from my under my mountain of new clothes, bags and shoes I had purchased in Melbourne (yay) and started to tell Hubby the story when he pulled a funny face at me and made pointing motions to the door. After 5 years of marriage and 7 years of being his partner in Pictionary/Dramatic Charades I took this to mean that Grotbag and sneakily got out of bed and was listening at the door. So I told Hubby the story of Chris that I wanted Grotbag to know and then once Grotbag was asleep I put him at the end of Grotbag's bed for him to find in the morning.

Yeah, should have known my son a little better than that! He ran out in the morning asking where the Elf was and had completely missed him at the end of the bed! But once he found him it was like he was glued to Chris. He took the Elf EVERYWHERE with him all day.

I said he could take Chris to bed with him but he was a bit freaked out at the fact that Chris might come alive at night so left him with us.

So, below is how we left Chris last night for Grotbag to find this morning. Playing the Wii and eating Freddo Frogs (Grotbag's favourite chocolates!)

When Grotbag got up this morning we heard him gasp and start whispering to Chris and telling him off for eating the chocolate. Then Grotbag came storming into us to tell us what the naughty Elf had been up to. It was great fun I must admit! We also had to take Chris to school so he could tell his teacher about him so he has been a big hit with Grotbag. Tonight we are going to complete one of Grotbag's puzzles and make it look as if Chris has done it.

Any clean suggestions (all the dirty ones have been giggled over by me and Hubby!) as to what Chris can be getting up to at night will be appreciated in the comments!

Please also don't forget to vote for me...what am I on about...read yesterday's post HERE!

VOTE FOR ME - YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!!!

I have entered Grotbag into the Merry Effing Christmas competition over at Parenting BY Dummies. I have some stiff competition but please GO VOTE FOR ME!!! We are picture #3!

If you want to read the back story to the picture it's HERE.

You may have wondered where I have been...or maybe not...but I am going to tell you anyway!!

I flitted off to Melbourne last week for a little shopping holiday with some of my bestest girlfriends and ate loads, spent loads of money in the pre-Christmas sales and had a jolly good old time! Yes that's right..sans kids and Hubby!

Came back to reality yesterday afternoon! With a thud! Still at least I have come back to reality with some nice new clothes, bags and shoes!! I did miss my boys though and Hubby did an excellent job of keeping them fed and watered and didn't gasp in horror and all the shopping I did! He even managed to take them into the city and get their photo taken with Santa!

How much shopping you ask...well my case weighed 15kg on the way there and I had no hand luggage just my handbag.

My case on the way back weighed 19.6kg and I had another full sized cabin bag as hand luggage which I had to buy while I was there to fit all my new stuff in!!!

I am a happy happy camper I can tell you!!

Anyway, as a side note I do not know how I am going to keep blogging and reading blogs over this silly season so the posts might be a bit thin but I think we are all a bit like that aren't we?

Only 11 more days till the fat man comes woo hoo!!! Better do some more Christmas shopping.....

WHY YOU SHOULDN'T TRY AND TAKE CHRISTMAS PHOTOS OF CHILDREN IN THE AFTERNOON WHEN THEY HAVE HAD NO SLEEP!

My cousin Bling called me the other day and we were trying to arrange a time to go into the city so that her son Pickle (8.5 months), Grotbag and Bugalugs could have their photo taken with Santa. We are such social butterflies we couldn't sync our schedules so I suggested a little photo shoot at my house which we did this afternoon.

Now granted doing the shoot in the afternoon wasn't one of my most brilliant ideas. Especially since Grotbag had been to a play centre in the morning with his buddies from Kindy then went straight to a swimming lesson and so was kind of exhausted. Bugalugs hadn't slept all morning so woke up just before the shoot and poor little pickle hadn't slept all day either after a morning of swimming and mum's group. Yeah I know, set our selves up really didn't we!!

Anyhoo I wasn't very organised (ha funny that!!) I originally thought about doing the shoot outside on the grass (I thought the light would be better) but that would involve me actually picking up the dog poop when Hubby would be home tomorrow! So we decided to do it inside but I have brown leather couches and no Christmas Decorations up yet (Hubby home tomorrow and is the first job on his list, after the dog poop!!) so thought I would improvise with a bit of background colour. Naturally I thought red so I fished around in the linen cupboard and found Grotbag's single red fitted sheet to drape across my dull unfestive brown leather couch. I fitted it on but I had put it on the 3 seater instead of the 2 seater and realised that the boys wouldn't be able to sit on it without it pinging off. Grotbag, who loves a photo shoot, had been on at me all afternoon about taking the photos and instead of waiting (like he had been told 10 million times!!!!) he just jumped on the sheet.

Well it all happened quite quickly really and before I knew it all 4 corners had pinged off and completely surrounded Grotbag! It made him jump as he wasn't quite sure what was going on and then proceeded to burst into hysterical tears and try (unsuccessfully) to wriggle out of it.

So I did what any caring mother would do....I laughed hysterically and took photo evidence!

After he finally got out of the sheet he took off his Santa hat threw it on the floor and stormed out of the photo shoot! The male version of Naomi Campbell in the making!

But through the whole thing all I kept thinking was.....WOW! This is going to make a great entry in Parenting BY Dummies Merry Effing Christmas Competition. If you haven't checked out Parenting By Dummies you must having been living under a Blog Rock! It is one of my favourite blogs, so get out from under the rock and go check it out!! So have submitted the above for the competition and I am still laughing thinking about it!!!

The afternoon wasn't a complete disaster. After cajoling Grotbag to come back to the shoot we got underway. I now know why they say never work with animals and children (is there a difference?).

Here are a few choice picks of the good ones...not brilliant...but OK!

Bugalugs & Grotbag

Bugalugs

My gorgeous little cousin Pickle

Da Boys!

Think we might co-ordinate the photo shoot a bit earlier next year!!

So what are you waiting for - off you go to Parenting BY Dummies and vote for Grotbags picture - I might win a prize!!

I'M SO EXCITED I THINK I PEE'D MA PANTS!!!

OK excited doesn't even begin to cover it - there must be a better word...read and then let me know if you can think of one in the comments!!

GEORGE MICHAEL IS COMING TO PERTH AND I GOT TICKETS TODAY!!!!!

(I really do think a little bit of pee came out my pelvic floor isn't what it used to be!!!)

Now people....you really really really do not know what this means to me...OK so I will tell you!!

I think I must have been the original WHAM! fan...no really I LOVE(D) WHAM! Now for those new followers and those lurkers out there (yes I can see you...press the FOLLOW button already!!) I was born in London and lived there until 1985 before emigrating to Perth in Western Australia with my Mum and Step-dad. In 1985 WHAM! were doing a concert at (the old) Wembley Stadium. I pleaded with my Mum to take me but she declined saying something stupid like I am too young or something equally unfair *pokes tongue out*. I have held it against her ever since (no really...just ask her!)

Anyhoo you can imagine my excitement when in 1988 George Michael comes to Perth on his FAITH tour. Little old Perth - the most isolated city in the world!! I was 15 and even to this day when I explain to people how the show opened I still get emotional and start to cry! Yeah I know. This is how it happened:

The lights suddenly went down, the white sheet in front of the stage dropped and behind it a HUGE cage slowly opened to reveal one of the first laser screens to be used at a concert featuring the words SEX, LOVE, FAITH and a woman walking across the screen and then the guitar starts and George comes out and sings Faith...well he tries because the whole of the Entertainment Centre sings it for him...he later in the show sings it again *sniff*

Excuse me while I go get a tissue...

That's better!

I don't know if I get emotional because it was the first concert I went to sans parents (and only my second concert ever after seeing Billy Joel a month or so earlier) or because it spawned my love of concerts. His songs are always my fall back when I can't think what to listen to on my ipod and all his songs speak to me about some part in my life or some relationship. God I love him (obviously not in that way!)

So a few days ago it was announced that he was coming to Perth next February. Not only that but he was ONLY coming to Perth and then Sydney - that's it (sucked in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane...OMG sorry, it's the 15 year old in me coming out again!)

So me and my friend H seemed to come together in a dream like sequence and I knew that I would be going to be going to see him with her. Well actually she said she wanted to go on Facebook and I was the only one who said I would go with her...but she was waiting for me..she said so!

We then joined every site possible so that we could hopefully get pre-sale tickets. You know ones that go on sale a few days before the "Public" get their mitts on them. So today I received the email to say that I could get them TODAY but needed some kind of code word from some site I realised that I hadn't joined. H hadn't either. So we decided we had nothing to lose but guess the code word. I thought of Freedom but that wasn't it then H said try Faith - AND GUESS WHAT THAT WAS THE CODE WORD! (more pee....)

Oh you gotta have Faith.....It was a sign!!!!

So we secured our tickets ($300 later!!! and they were not the most expensive), I secured a babysitter...it's Mum...well she owes me for the WHAM! at Wembley incident!

So now the count down is on.....and I had to tell Hubby how much his wife, who doesn't do any paid work has spent $300 on a George Michael ticket...just before Christmas...the same wife that wants and iphone...ooh and a laptop!!

I HAVE THE BEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD!!! He even guessed that I would spend $200 - I told him higher and he spluttered a bit but the wonderful man that he is doesn't mind. He just said that we might have to go without the turkey this year at Christmas and eat baked beans on toast for 3 weeks...but you know..whatever...I AM GOING TO SEE GEORGE MICHAEL!!!

So my question for my wonderful commenters today is who would you pee your pants to see? Who did you see at your first concert and has it affected you like it has me...you know a bit crazy? OK and if one of you even mentions that you have met George I want proof and I might have to unfollow you....I'm harsh that way!!

Bad Blogging Friend

I have been a Bad Blogging Friend... I know...

Over my past few posts I have received some wonderful comments and also attracted a few more followers but have not had the time to reply to my comments or come and check out your blogs. This has been because of The List which I am loving plowing through but it has taken me away from my new best friend - the blogesphere!

I love reading comments and checking out new followers and their blogs so I will spending the next few days, not working on my posts but coming to check yours out and replying to my wonderful commenter's and checking out their blogs too!

I can't wait to meet you all you new bloggy friends and re-acquaint myself with some old buddies!!

The Lazy Blogger - Part Three

After a look at all my clothes in my wardrobe today I was reminded that I should really be watching more what I eat now that Summer will be here in 3 days time and I might have to squeeze into come swimming attire. I was going to blog about my on going weight issues and then remembered I already had....before I had any readers! And so another instalment of the Lazy Blogger is born.....

The Weight Debate
I am currently attending Weight Watchers Meetings. Yes, hello, my name is Amanda and I have an eating problem. Well it's not a problem as much as a niggle (or jiggle) in my side.

I have never been ultra slim although looking back at photo's of me when I was at school I was pretty average and would be happy to be that average again. My weight started creeping on after I left school. I blame this on not riding my bike once I got my licence and having a disposable income to spend on takeaway. In my early 20's I realised that my height (158cm) was not conducive to my weight so I joined Weight Watchers and lost 5kg which was great and I felt fantastic, fitted into my old clothes etc.

At 23 I moved out of home and slowly it all started to creep on again, went to the UK a couple of times and added some Heathrow kilo's and so on and so on.
6 months before I got married I joined a gym, went everyday and lost a bit of weight but the change was mostly inches and toning of my muscles which I liked. A few months after I was married I fell pregnant with Grotbag and it's all been going down hill ever since.

After Grotbag I gave myself some leave and then we started trying for another baby so naturally my attitude was "well what's the point I will be preggers soon" and low and behold 18 months after Grotbag I did fall pregnant but unfortunately miscarried. The messing with hormones, the unhappiness of it all plus still wanting to fall pregnant again made weight loss a very low priority. 9 months later I fell pregnant but again miscarried. It was all too much, but I suddenly realised I needed a new focus as the baby making was all consuming.

So again I joined Weight Watchers along with Bling (my cousin, who is more like a sister and will make many an appearance in my blogs. So called as she likes a bit of Bling!). I lost 9kg just in time for my work Christmas party and felt fantastic. Then Hubby and I were told that to have another baby we would need IVF. I will probably talk about this in detail another blog but needless to say it involved lots of emotions, lots of drugs and lots of luck. And lucky we were. First time lucky and 9 months later Bugalugs entered this world! Through my pregnancy I got gestational diabetes and also had a hemorrhage which meant I couldn't do anything that raised my heartbeat which meant no exercise or even walking too far.

And so here I am again, carrying baby weight, emotional weight and the occasional Hungry Jacks weight. It's coming off. A lot slower this time and fluctuates depending on the time of the month but I have managed to shed to date 3.1kg (6.8 pounds) and feel much better for it too. I know I have to lose the weight. Having gestational diabetes means I am 50% more likely to get Type 2 diabetes when I am older and this is something that I really want to avoid. I have no more excuses, no more babies on the way and I need to be fit to keep up with my two growing boys, and I want to be a good example for them.

Some days are harder than others. I love food and love cooking so it's all about balance. But I will get there...because at the end of the day I have no alternative!

*** Post Script

I stopped going to Weight Watchers and the fluctuating weight (I was told this was to do with my hormones still correcting themselves after having Bugalugs) each week was doing my head in even if I had had a great week I would sometimes have put on half a kilo - it was too devastating. I realise that what I really need to do is exercise but so far it's just a theory! So the saga continues....