A Cake or Two

One of my crafty hobbies is cake decorating. For years I  have watched Cake Boss, The Next Great Baker and similar shows on Food TV and wished that I could create these beautiful works of art. 

While living in Auckland with a baby, I felt like I needed a hobby to get me out of the house and talking to people about things other than how my baby had slept or pooped or met her milestones. So I signed up to some cake decorating classes through Millys and ended up taking four sets of Wilton classes! 

I love playing around with different techniques and my Pintrest board is filled with gorgeous cakes for inspiration. 

Recently I have had two requests from friends and family to decorate cakes, which has been so much fun and a great excuse for me to have a play around! 

First off was the Chocolate Madness cake- coated in vanilla buttercream and then drizzled with chocolate ganache and an assortment of yummy confectionary including home made meringues and fondant stars 

 

I was then asked to make a cake for the father of my sister in law. He is Irish and so she requested a large cake with a Celtic theme- but no leprechauns, rainbows or shamrocks! 

This was the result- a 30cm double layered Annabel Langbein Ultimate chocolate cake,  filled with chocolate buttercream, covered in vanilla fondant and then piped with royal icing. 

 

 

I have also been asked to decorate a wedding cake for my cousins wedding later in the year, which will give me the chance to perfect my gumpaste, wired flowers. 

A Crappy Time

It is coming up to nearly a month since I last blogged. I have been filled with good intentions and have been snapping pics ready to blog. I have ideas about posts and have drafted them in my head many a night. It has just been the physical act of sitting down to write that has escaped me.

This past month has been one of the hardest months I have experienced. Poor little Buttons has been sick for 7 weeks and counting- and she is only 10 weeks old. She has had bronciolitis and then a nasty cold which left her so congested that she would choke on the gunk in her airways and turn blue. We have had four doctors visits and one overnight at the hospital. And there is not much we can do but just wait it out. We are doing all the usual cold and flu tricks and ending up hibernating at home  in order to keep her warm and avoid exposing her to any other nasties. 

Her being sick, the absolute terrifying scare of seeing her turning blue and the broken sleep has taken its toll on me and I have been a wreck. You can see it physically- my skin is breaking out, my hair is getting oily very easily and I feel achey. Emotionally, I have been hideous. Tears at the drop of a hat and swearing like a sailor- and I NEVER swear- one of the side effects of teaching! I feel so tense and stressed all the time and like I fail to exist beyond a milking, cracker providing, nappy changing machine. There has been no crafting, reading or any of go to activities beyond watching Food TV mindlessly.

And then there is poor Miss Muffet. She has also been full of a cold and has been suffering from not enough attention. We are right in the thick of the terrible twos- with tantruming occurring daily. My darling little drama queen has developed a penchant for throwing herself on the ground and shrieking and for throwing sweeping her plate of food off the table if it doesn't meet her exact ( and not communicated!) wishes. Her little two year old body shakes with anger and frustration and she can turn from sunny and happy to a fire storm in two seconds flat. I have to keep remind myself that I am the adult and that however frustrated / tired / fed up I am, me yelling will just add fuel to the fire. But damn it is hard to keep your cool when you find that she has explored all of the spices from the spice rack... All over the kitchen floor... That I had just mopped! 

I am so thankful that even though I feel like we are in the middle of a really crappy time, that we are in our home town and surrounded by family and good friends. My mum and amazing siblings who have visited and cooked meals and vacuumed and folded washing, my fabulous bestie who talks to me everyday and and visits with baking, and my Bestie # 1 who although living in another city, manages to ring and text and brighten my day. I am lucky to have these wonderful people in my life. 

The To Do List

Tasks that weigh on your mind are like little alarm bells constantly going off. They pop up on your mind when you are in the middle of doing something else and make you feel guilty for not tackling them. I get into bed at night and think " I MUST get onto that to do list" and then life promptly gets in the way. 

 

Credit- www.carlawordsmithblog.com

Some of the jobs on my To Do list are actually important and are time specific, like getting Button's thank you cards out. Some fall more into the category of well that would be nice to do and would make your life easier, like weed out the newborn clothing which Buttons no longer fits, clean them and store them away for Baby No 3. Other tasks are more of the wish list variety and are likely to be on the To Do list the longest, like organising our digital photos and ordering some to be actually printed instead of just hanging out on our phones and computers. 

Every weekend Action Dad and I negotiate what needs to get down while there are two of us available with two little girls who need us, and what we want to do so that we actually spend some time having fun together.  On Saturday morning, the weekend seems to stretch out and is filled with time to get things done and play and relax and enjoy ourselves. On Sunday night, once the kids are asleep I look back and think how did two days just disappear? Why does bloody Monday stretch on for days, yet Saturday and Sunday are gone in seconds? It's like some mystical time bending magical trick. 

Gretchen Rubin writes about this in her books "The Happiness Project" and "Happier at Home". She recommends taking the jobs on your To Do list and breaking them down into two categories. Number 1- if a job takes less than 5 minutes, then you do it immediately and stop dragging it out. Things like replacing the screw on the handle to the pantry so that it stops falling off. Or picking up the small purple bead under the coffee couch that I can see every time I sit down to feed Buttons. The second category is for the larger jobs on your To Do list. Rubin's recommends setting a timer and spending a set amount of time on a particular job until it is actually completed. Her example, funnily enough is also organising digital photos- she sat down for 15 mins every day and uploaded and deleted and organised photos for a few weeks until the job was completed and could be crossed off the To Do list.  

 

Credit - www.greatist.com

Sometimes I think I spend so long procrastinating and stressing over how many things I need to do, that it immobilises me and I spiral further into my To Do list where nothing is getting done. I find myself overwhelmed and end up sitting on the couch, drinking hot blackcurrant and watching crappy tv ( have you seen Dance Moms????? How bad is that show, that it is actually all kinds of fabulous!)  I think because I am so organised with the regular, routine stuff in my life that I find it hard to do the one off jobs that populate the List. 

Update! Apparently writing this post was exactly what I needed to do to shame myself into action- Button's Thank you cards are written, addressed and posted. Yay!!! Tick! 

Baby Bookworm

I am a prolific and passionate reader- I seem to continually have at least two books on the go, plus I also follow a host of bloggers. I completed a BA, specialising in English Literature and one of my absolute favourite parts of teaching was reading aloud novels with a my intermediate aged kids. 

Up until now Miss Muffet has been far too busy to sit and actually listen to a story, which you could imagine broke my heart a little. Action Dad and I persevered and played around with different times and places to read to her and found that the winning combo was reading to her while she was in the bath and was fairly contained. She also insisted on only being read Hairy Maclary From Donaldsons Dairy, complete with different voices for the various dogs. And only Hairy Maclary From Donaldsons Dairy. If we attempted to read anything else she lost interest, so over and over we read the kiwi classic of the adventuring dogs and her personal fave " Scarface Claw, the toughest Tom in town!"  I even made her second birthday cake, a Hairy Maclary cake 

 

 

Just after Buttons arrived, Uncle Bogey gave us a collection of board books which his three boys had grown out of. The perfect present for a toddler who has recently gained a baby sister - we have put the basket of books by the sofa where I breastfeed and I invite Miss Muffet to come and read with me while I am feeding. It's lovely to be able to give her some special attention during this crazy time where frankly she is getting half as much attention as she is used to.

 

There are lots of awesome books in this bundle- classics like Spot, Peepo and other books by Lynley Dodd and some more modern titles like the Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child. 

Being Miss Muffet, with all her quirks, she has latched onto one particular book. It has become the new Hairy Maclary From Donaldsons Dairy. The book I can now recite by heart.

 

Miss Muffet adores this book and her favourite parts are of course the flaps for lifting. It is a cute, rhyming story and is short enough to hold her attention. The pictures are sweet and the book is sturdy enough to stand up the toddler test . 

To be honest, I don't care how often I have to read Miss Muffet's favourite book of the month. I think it is so important to read to kids every day- they learn vocabulary, phrasing and it extend their world view. It is a special way to bond and share attention with children. It sparks curiosity and creativity.  I hope Miss Muffet and Buttons inherit my love of reading and this is the best way I can think of to introduce them to the world of reading. 

To b

Sick Bubbas

The Wellington winter colds have finally come and knocked on our door and us on our butts. Buttons has earnt herself a new nickname-

At the moment I am chained to the couch ( where I usually do my writing) with a very miserable Buttons. In my eye sight  is a pile of washing that I am dubbing Mt Washmore. 

  

In front of me are the kids PJs, a billion threading beads that Miss Muffet has thoughtfully strewn all over the floor, assorted blankets, baby clothing and the contents of my nappy bag. 

Buttons has been sniffly and snotty for the last three days and had started to wheeze and snort a lot so off to the doctors for us yesterday. I actually hate going to the GP after a previous doctor made me feel like a complete hypochondriac by questioning my need to be there. I very rarely go for myself and often feel guilty for being there- like I am not actually sick enough and am wasting everyone's time. But with the kids it is different, and our new GP since we have moved is fab and has reminded us that it is always better to be safe than sorry. 

Buttons has earnt herself the unfortunate new nickname of Schnortle Pig due to her lovely, unladylike noises. It  is said with love and affection but we needed something to make us smile while getting up to her for the umpteenth time each night! 

Poor Buttons has managed to get bronchiolitis and all she wants to do is feed and snuggle on me. It is AWFUL to see a six week old looking so pathetic and . I have turned to my arsenal of tried and true illness busters to try and help her feel better. 

 

 We are also doing the whole tilted bassinet trick and using a vaporiser. Funny story about the vaporiser- my lovely sister in law gave me a present and in the card had added the disclaimer that her presents were not cutesy but were totally practical and that I would come to need them and understand their importance. She gave us her vaporiser  that she had used with her three boys and also a pair of navy blue puddle jumpers. Sure enough, both of these items have been used so many times already with Miss Muffet and I am sure that Buttons will get good use of them also! My sister in law is super organised, down to earth and practical 😀

Hopefully Buttons bounces back quickly and is back to her lovely, gorgeous self. Send us healthy vibes, energy and super strong coffee. Xxx

Chicken Parmigiana Casserole

 

Photo credit to www.thrivinghomeblog.com - I was too hungry to wait and take a picture! 

Tonight's dinner is a result of an absolute Pintrest win. I enjoy cooking and try to make something new each week- it keeps meal planning interesting and who knows, I may actual stumble upon a meal that Miss Muffet will actually eat! 

When I was trawling for meal ideas, I had set the following criteria - had to be a chicken dish ( big chicken fan here!) And it had to be able to be freezer friendly as I wanted to cook a double batch and freeze one portion. We tend to eat a lot of Asian and Mexican food so I also wanted to explore a few Italian recipes as well. And low and behold.. Up popped Chicken Parmigiana Casserole from www.thrivinghomeblog.com. I adapted the recipe slightly: 

Ingredients

3 skinless boneless chicken breasts 

1 cup grated cheese 

1 cup Panko bread crumbs 

Oregano

Basil

Pepper

Tin of Watties tomato and herb pasta sauce *

Method 

Cook chicken and then shred.

Coat casserole dish with spray oil

Combine pasta sauce and chicken and then add to dish.

Sprinkle grated cheese over the top

Combine Panko, herbs, pepper and a dash of oil, then sprinkle over the top. 

Cook for 20 mins at 180 degrees 

Serve over pasta or rice or even as is! 

This meal was super easy to make and was absolutely delicious. A lot less fiddly than making actual parmigiana! Next time I would make my own tomato based sauce as I prefer it and it is less sweet. 

Eating in Survival Mode

 Buttons is now a month old and it feels like she has always been with us. We are deep in the dark of living on very fractured sleep and are learning how to operate as a family of four with two little girls.

You may have noticed I haven't written for a week- I gave myself a wee break as I inched towards meltdown zone, holding everything together. 

One thing that we ARE managing to do well is eating proper dinners. While I was pregnant, I made it my mission to fill the freezer with as many home cooked meals as possible. It was actually a lot easier than I expected- I just did double batches of dinners that we were eating and immediately froze half in tinfoil containers!  I am a big fan of Pintrest and like to try new recipes so trawled through there to find lots of tasty meals, trying to avoid having lasagna every night for a month! I also asked advice from the awesome mummies on a Facebook mummy forum I belong to, and got some great ideas. 

I really like using recipes from 

www.carlsbadcravings.com and from www.skinnytaste.com. Both are American sites, with fab crockpot recipes and a lot do Asian, Thai and Mexican inspired meals- yum! We have been enjoying sweet chilli Asian chicken wraps, baked sweet and sour chicken, tortilla soup and lots more.

I also went to one of my favourite NZ chefs- Chelsea Winter , and stocked up on her recipes- so far we have been loving her sneaky rissoles, satay chicken and glorious sausage quiche. 

Combined with our amazing Bellyful meals and meals that wonderful  family have made, we probably have amassed about 20 frozen meals. In the four weeks since Buttons came home, we have been heavily relying on these meals to keep us going- each morning I grab a meal from the freezer to defrost and then Action Dad is in charge of preparing it as Buttons cluster feeds from 4-7ish.  To keep our supply going, I have been cooking meals in the weekend to keep the stock pile full. This has meant that we have only had to resort to takeaways once!!! 

A couple of tips for those of you who want to make your own freezer full of meals-

- Double up your weekly meals and freeze half. 

- Make sure you have a variety and don't end up with all pasta- I did soups, casseroles, curries, quiches, burger patties, meat balls, stir fries etc. 

-  As you package up your meals, write the cooking instructions on the lid! Nothing worse than trying to find the right recipe at 5.00 at night when you are hungry and tired! 

- Keep a list of what your freezer contains on your fridge so you know what you have and what you need to buy to accompany it. Eg salad, buns, etc 

My mum keeps telling me that at six weeks things will get easier and we will fall into a routine. Right now, I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel but every night that we grab another frozen meal, I am so thankful to pregnant organised Me for thinking ahead! 

On another note- VERY excited to have my first official follower who is not family and therefore forced to read my writing! Blogging takes on a whole new level when you realise people are reading!! Xxx

A Fond Farewell

This week I bid a long overdue farewell to an important player in my life.  We have been together for four years, at first just as irregular acquaintances when the weather turned but after the arrival of Miss Muffet and the associated endless days at home, we became firmly entrenched in each other's lives. 

 

 

These are my ugg boots. Dark brown and cosy. Previously sheep skin lined but sadly now lacking in any kind of fuzz at all. The soles are now worn down and have become slippery. The heels are collapsing. They are HAD IT.

Actually, they were probably well past it last year. I have been muttering about needing new slippers for months and months but didn't actually do anything about it. It's as if I felt like maybe if I waited long enough, that new ones would just magically appear in my closet. It's funny because if the girls even remotely need anything, then you can bet your bottom dollar that I will arrange to get whatever they need as soon as I can. I have no problem spending our money on them- in fact, I have a self imposed ban on going in Cotton on Kids as I can't be trusted not to spend all our grocery money in there. But when it comes to spending money on myself.... Well that's another story!  Suddenly I become very budget conscious and can put off spending money on myself for months. 

After Buttons was born, I went for a skid while holding her and wearing my uggs. The time had come when enough was enough. Time to shop. Being a Mumma of a newborn, I did what any other mother does and turned to the Internet. I searched in all of my regular haunts and found the perfect replacement slippers. But did I buy them ? 

No. 

I looked at the price, $99 and went " oh that's too much". Never mind that I wear slippers every day at some stage. (I don't wear them out to public places . Yet.)Never mind that I have not bought anything new for myself since I had to buy maternity jeans in November. I just couldn't justify spending $100 on a) myself and b) on slippers. 

So I didn't buy them and just kept visiting them on the website, like I visit Facebook. Just checking they were still there. And checking the price.

Coming from Farmers, I knew that they would come down in price if I waited. So I watched and waited. Until finally, on Saturday, I bit the bullet. Action Dad parked the car with both girls in it and I ran into the store and bought them. No dawdling. No being distracted by pretty clothes and make up. In and out in less than 15 mins. 

So I present to you, my new favourite foot friends 

 

My feet are cosy and thankful. 

Toddler Tantrums

This is not the post I had planned to write. Had taken lovely pictures for and mulled over in my head and been thinking about all night. Instead this is an emotionally driven, so tired I can't even think straight kind of post. 

Toddlers. I mean seriously. I almost can't even put it into words - how emotionally charged and dramatic and infuriating they can be. I have to add the disclaimer that when I  say " toddlers", I really only have my own experience with Miss Muffet to draw from. And I will also add the disclaimer that she can be charming and gorgeous and delicious and at the end of the day I love her to pieces. 

At the moment, I just don't like her very much. 

Ugh. That makes me feel so guilty to say that and think that and immediately I feel like a bad Mumma. 

Let me paint the picture. Buttons waking every 2 hours for feeds. Been awake since 5.30am. Raced around getting Buttons fed and Miss Muffet dressed and Buttons dressed and Miss Muffet fed and Buttons fed and Miss Muffet's hair done and teeth brushed and gulped down a coffee and Buttons fed and threw on some clothes and got everyone in the car plus the pram and the front pack. Whoops, no breakfast for Mumma or even brushing my hair- mum bun and birdy wash with baby wipes for me! 

Arrived at Miss Muffet's gym -ON TIME and got everyone out of the car and safely into the building with only a wee detour to jump in puddles on the way. Shoes off and "don't swing on the gate". And finally...: time for the weekly gymnastics class. 

Miss Muffet was not playing the game today. She screamed and threw herself on the ground. And refused to follow the very few rules there are in place- like one at a time on the trampoline and don't take equipment off other people. Did I mention the screaming? Like ear piercing, shrieking, yelling. I tried gently reminding her of the rules. Nope. I tried distraction. Nope. I carried her off to a corner to talk to her quietly and give her some time out. Nope. 

After being there for TEN minutes, I had had enough. I  picked her up under my arm, had Buttons in the front pack and a bag in the other arm. An angel of a mum came and held the door for me and helps wrangle shoes onto Miss Muffet. 

Got everyone back in the car. Shut the door. Yelled at Miss Muffet from the private safety bubble of my car. Burst into tears. 

(Drove off and bought peanut M&Ms from the petrol station. I have since eaten ALL of them)

Miss Muffet is only just 2 with a new baby sister so I should expect tantrums. And I don't care about the cost of the class. It's more the effort to get there and the fact   that she loves gymnastic equipment and is always hanging and swinging from furniture at home. It's more that I need to make friends in this new suburb and it's hard when your child is being  "that child". It's more that I feel out of control and like I am battling with a tiny tyrant and losing on an epic scale. It's that I am so damn tired. And more importantly it's because in those moments, I don't like my child.

As I write this, she is cuddled up beside me and totally happy, babbling and watching some inane cartoon. We have played with her trains and done some washing and read some books. 

Toddlers. I mean, SERIOUSLY. 

Makara Beach Visit

As far back as I can remember, my family have visited the rugged coastline of Makara for beach walks and BBQs, Sunday drives, rock pool scouring and hot chocolates at the nearby cafe.

 I have strong memories of visiting there as a little girl 

When Action Dad and I first got together, I introduced him to the rocky shore and we regularly frequented the cafe to read magazines and drink coffee while the wind  outside shook the windows. 

This weekend we decided to introduce the girls to Makara and managed to pick the perfect weather for it. It wouldn't be Makara without bone chilling cold and wind so strong it pushes you backwards! After winding our way through Ohariu Valley, Buttons needed feeding, so I sat in the car watching Miss Muffet and Action Dad playing outside. 

They threw rocks in the sea and chased the sea gulls. Miss Muffet tried to compete with the howling wind by shrieking. She had an absolutely awesome time 

 

I love this picture of her, all rugged up in her woollen coat that Nana made! Note the pigtails blowing backwards in the wind? 

 

We had to bribe her to come in from the cold with hot chips from the cafe. The Makara cafe has been there as  long as I can remember, with the same menu, old magazines and mismatched chairs. 

We had a really lovely family outing and I hope my girls will grow up with fond memories of Makara, just like I have.  

Saturday Smiles

Each Saturday I try to reflect on my week and think about the things that have made smile. 

 

Mr Expressions, the Baby Whisperer. 

We have been trying to get out of the house a wee bit more, as Miss Muffet has been slowly going a bit stir crazy and therefore driving everyone else crazy. It may take me two hours to round everyone up and leave the actual house- but we are getting out there in the big wide world! I took the girls to visit Mr Expression, who is totally in love with his newest cousin. He insisted on holding her all by himself and when he got his wish, sat there utterly blissed out. I love this pic, it makes me so happy. 

 

My Little Helper 

Miss Muffet has decided that she is my little helper which is both a blessing ( when she is actually helping) and a pain in the butt ( when she insists on helping me use the toilet!!!?!!)  She has her own squirty bottle of water and cloth and likes to assist me in the cleaning the bathroom. This photo was taken before she soaked herself and the floor ....

 

Girls Night! 

Action Dad went to the rugby, leaving me at home on a Saturday night. What's a girl to do except for rent some chick flicks and eat takeaways with her sister and mother??? 

Three Wishes

 

I am feeling pretty sleep deprived at the moment- Buttons is feeding every two hours and has taken a dislike to the bassinet. I believe my words at 3.30am were " Please, oh please just go to sleep and stay asleep!" So I apologise in advance if this post is a little loony tunes.

But as I was sitting there rocking Buttons, I got to thinking about what I would wish for if I had a fairy godmother to grant me three wishes. 

Beyond sleeping children- because I am not wasting wishes on that. My kids will sleep- eventually! 

Magical Wish Number 1. 

I wish I could have a bath. A nice big, hot, deep bath with delicious soapy bubbles from Lush. And to be able to stay in there for half an hour, by myself. With no little visitors to lean over and play with the bubbles and throw in plastic bath toys. Having a good book and a bowl of jelly tip ice cream to keep my entertained and indulged would make it perfect. ( Action Dad thinks I am nuts for liking ice cream in the bath. I tell him that I don't need that kind of negativity in my life ) 

Magical Wish Number 2

I would like to wish for my craft nook to be tidy and wait for it ... To stay tidy. Since we have moved into our new house, I have probably cleaned the cupboard about 15 times but it happens to come off our living room and is a convenient place to stash stuff when people are visiting. My lovely younger sister charmingly called it a "crap cupboard" and said that everyone has a spot like it in their house- the place where everything that doesn't have a home ends up. 

Avert your eyes if you get scared easily....

 

( so embarrassing!!!!!) 

Magical Wish Number 3

Ah.. My final wish. I would like an extra 1.5 hours for my day. But I need to be specific here- this time must only come at the end of the day, once the kids are in bed- NOT during the witching hour. This time is to be used for hanging out with Action Dad ( lying on couches watching The Block doesn't count as hanging out)  or crafting, or for visiting KMart. It is magical time so it doesn't make me more tired. It is not for cleaning or cooking or organising. It can be used for snuggling in bed with a book.

If you had asked me three years ago what I would have wished for, those wishes would be very, very different. And I bet if you ask again in a year or so, they would be different again.

But right now, they are what I really really want. Pretty please with a cherry on top 😍

Saturday Smiles ( on Monday!)

Oops. I realise it is Monday and I have managed to already miss my first Saturday Smiles follow up- bad Mumma, bad Mumma!  

But I am going to claim the infamous newborn brain fog combined with my own sinus infection and poor Buttons' very first cold resulting in NO sleep being had in our house. 

Oh well, who needs sleep? It's not vital to our sanity. Or health. Or ability to conduct ourselves in a civilised society. 

Anyway.... The fog is lifting a little, so here is my belated Saturday Smiles- the things that have made me happy recently. 

Bellyful Delivery 

Amazing Sister referred us to Bellyful, realising that with Action Dad being back at work and Buttons' inclination to cluster feed from 4pm was resulting in not a lot of dinner making. For those of you who don't know, Bellyful are an incredible organisation who deliver meals to families who have recently welcomed new family members or who are experiencing illness. You can refer other people or even nominate yourself, and there is no financial criteria- they are just helping out people who need support. 

 

When the lovely lady dropped off four meals for us, I came to the door with a screaming toddler attached to my leg and a baby in my arms- and I could have kissed her. An amazing organisation and when I am on my feet a bit more, I plan on volunteering for one of their cookathons. 

Oreo Chocolate 

 

Breastfeeding. Sleep deprived. Sweet tooth. Any excuse really- this strawberry, biscuitty, chocolatey goodness is hitting the spot and making me all kinds of happy.  

Book reading 

I am a huge bookworm and have been feeling like I have lost a limb, or at least a few brain cells as I have not managed to read much of anything lately. As a kid, I was known for bringing a stack of novels with me everywhere, even for a trip to the supermarket. I have a soft spot for chick lit, young adult novels and anything by Nicky Pellegrino. Before Buttons,  I was averaging two books a week, reading every night before sleep. 

Post Buttons.... It has taken me just over a month to finish "Delicious"

This book was very aptly named- it follows Billie, a new journalist graduate who has recently gained a job at Delicious, a food magazine. She discovers some mysterious letters in the magazines library and decides to try and track down their author. Some history, some romance, some mystery- all set within the backdrop of a chefs kitchen meant that this book made me feel cosy... And quite hungry. A great read and finishing it has meant I feel like I have atoned for some of my lost brain cells while watching Geordie Shore.

Overwhelmed

This week I am feeling really overwhelmed. There is no other word that I can think of that which can do it justice. 

I knew that welcoming a newborn into the family would mean broken sleep and mess and that Miss Muffet could well feel jealous and act out. ( Gosh I am a know it all!) Lots of lovely friends and family had talked to me about adjusting to life with a toddler and a newborn and I had listened to their advice so I figured that I had some idea about what I was in for. 

I wasn't. I'm not. I'm overwhelmed.

I had forgotten the actual brain ache that comes with feeding a newborn every 2 hrs. I forgot that you had to rush through the shower because babies have an incredible sense that alerts them to when you are trying to take 5 mins for yourself- no mummy no! I had forgotten about eating one handed and having cold cups of coffee littering the house but none actually inside your system. 

I hadn't realised how hard it would be to have two little people that need me ALL the time. I feel like at the moment I am continuously saying " in a minute" "no! " " just wait" to poor Miss Muffet, who is utterly bewildered as to why Mumma isn't at her beck and call. This morning she was literally tugging on my hands as I was trying to feed Buttons, while simultaneously tugging on my heart as I know I am not giving her enough attention. 

Miss Muffet is naturally acting out and pushing every single button that she can so that she can get attention. She has been driving me up the wall with whining and grizzling and climbing on the benches. I was talking to a friend about the situation and she recommended that I make the time to spend at least 15mins with her each day, just playing and following her lead. No telling her off or directing the play- just spending time together enjoying each other's company. 

So yesterday, while Buttons was snoozing, I ignored the 1001 things I needed to be doing (vacuuming, folding washing, showering, making dinner, eating lunch, getting properly dressed...) and Miss Muffet and I had a lovely time colouring in and playing with stickers. My job was to take the lids off the felts and peel the backs off the stickers and resist the urge to try get her to colour in one place or on just one page at a time. 

 

 

And it was so nice. I felt so much better not having to tell her what to do or tell her off. And as a result we had a much nicer afternoon- even when I had to go and tend to Buttons, she was happy to stay and play with her Pom poms. 

 

My friend's advice was just what I needed and probably just what Miss Muffet needed too. A small victory for us and a step to feeling like I may be able to get there with this whole raising two little people business .

Best Ever Burgers?

One of the things I did when preparing for the arrival of Buttons was to stock my freezer with as many meals as I could in preparation for days of cluster feeding, exhaustion and general can't be botheredness. And jeez, I am so glad I did! There is nothing better than taking a meal out of the freezer in the morning and then heating it at dinner time and adding a salad or stir fry vege. 

One of the meals I made and froze was a recipe I found on Pintrest - The Best Burgers . I actually made these for dinner a few weeks back and just doubled up so that I was killing two birds with one stone- dinner and some for the freezer! 

Action Dad and I are HUGE burger fans and we can usually get Miss Muffet to eat them as well, as long as we deconstruct them. So when I went recipe hunting on Pintrest and found The Best Burgers, I figured I had better give them a go! 

 

These are YUM! The pattie are half beef mince and half pork mince and they are super moist and flavoursome. I managed to make 12 patties out of the recipe so we actually ended up with four meals- bonus! 

I would definitely recommend making these- so much tastier and cheaper than bought burgers.  Delicious, thank you Recipe Rebel! 

 

Crafty Goodness Progress Report

You may remember that I have imposed strict crafty rules for myself and must finish one project before I start the next. I have been trying to push on through with my Dimensions Christmas Stocking, despite falling a wee bit out of love with the pattern- don't you hate that!?

I have been trying to snatch a half hour of cross stitching at least four times a week, in the hopes that I can get over the hump and be inspired by seeing some progress. I usually Cross stitch in front of the TV while waiting for Button's last feed or until it becomes acceptable for me to go to bed! 

Here is a reminder of what my project looked like a few weeks back ....

 

And here is what the finished product should look like....

 

And finally- where I am up to....

 

Hopefully you can see a difference- the thing with these detailed patterns is that the progress is so slow, you feel like you are not getting anywhere! 

Saturday Smiles

At the moment I am surviving on very broken sleep, a lot of coffee and copious amounts of sugar. I have a constant foggy brain and am needing to write down anything that even remotely needs remembering. I am also learning to quickly survey double meltdown situations where both of my girls are howling and decide who I need to attend to first and who can manage to wait for a few more minutes before they implode.

Luckily, I have a lot of lovely, kind and funny people in my life who help me to smile. So for the next few weeks I am going to try and write a post every Saturday which details some of the moments in my week that made me smile.

My Choo Choo Girl

Funny little Miss Muffet is a big fan of trains and we are very excited that her slowly expanding repertoire of words includes the word " choo choo". The other night, as I headed off to bed, I stopped in to check on Miss Muffet and make sure that she was actually in bed and not asleep on the floor. This is what I found:

 

Little Miss Muffet fast asleep and cuddled up to her favourite trains, which she has smuggled to bed without Action Dad noticing. Love her!

Daylight Robbery
Today we went to visit Amazing Sister, Mr Darcy and Mr Expression. Mr Expression sidled up to me and showed me a wee plastic bag of his treasure- a collection of small stones he had decided were Very Important and Most Special. Mr Expression very kindly offered to gift me one stone which I accepted. He then sat and thought for awhile before announcing that he was going to go outside and that he required a table because he was going to sell his stones. Amazing Sister and I tried to convince him that this may not be the best idea and I offered to buy a second stone. I scrounged $1.20 in loose change from my purse and counted out $1. Mr Expression gave me my original stone! I offered him the further 20 cents, which he took. When I asked what that would get me he replied - " one! And you already have it! ". That boy is going to go places.

Flowers

We were so lucky to receive beautiful bunches of flowers to celebrate the arrival of Buttons. I have had them all sitting on our kitchen bench and everytime I see them, they make me smile. 

 

Letting go

 

I am sitting on my couch, nursing my week old baby, watching Miss Muffet tear around the house and trying to avoid looking at all the chaos and mess around me. 

The pile of washing to be folded keeps catching my eye. The washing in the machine keeps nagging at me to go and hang it on the line. I can see every crumb and speck on the carpet. The breakfast dishes and empty milk jug are calling to me from the kitchen bench. It feels like Miss Muffet has strewn every single toy she owns from one end of the house to the other. 

I would turn around and hop back into bed, if only they didn't need changing! 

I hear you laughing and saying how I need to just focus on looking after my two girls and that the housework will always be there.... But it's hard. 

For the last ten or so years ( coincidentally since I have known Action Dad!) I have become increasingly organised and routined.  It brings me a huge amount of peace and satisfaction to know that every Tuesday the bathrooms will be cleaned and that every single pair of brightly coloured tights can be found in their drawer in Miss Muffet's room next to her little singlets. I am one of those people who writes a weekly agenda and knows exactly when I can fit in grocery shopping, visits to the park and mopping the floor.

Whenever life intervenes and reminds me that actually no, I am not in control of everything, and the proverbial poo hits the fan, I don't cope all that well. 

Everything piles up around me and becomes unmanageable and I find myself lying on the couch watching Toddlers and Tiaras marathons and hoping I can create a dinner out of the half pumpkin, oven chips and relish floating around in the fridge. It literally feels like everything is too hard and I can't find a place to even start. Once Miss Muffet arrived, I really couldn't cope with feeling out of control, so employed my control freak cleaning schedule, weekly routine and meal planning missions. 

My cleaning schedule is based off of the one below, just rearranged to suit our week and adapted to fit our house's needs.

 

Credit: www.bonfiresandwine.com

I like doing half an hour or so  of cleaning each week day as opposed to doing a total clean, one day a week. And I know that even though Miss Muffet is actually moonlighting as a professional house demolition crew, the major jobs are done each week. 

But now we have welcomed Buttons into our family and we are all shifting and readjusting our lives. We have chosen to breastfeed which means a lot of couch time and when I am not feeding, I am changing kids clothes, making snacks and dinners and making sure that I spend some time with Miss Muffet. Poor wee thing is used to Mumma being available to her nearly all of the time and has not really cottoned on this whole sharing palaver. 

So, I am having to turn off my inner control freak and ignore the fact that our house is not as clean as I would like. Life will eventually settle into a routine, albeit new, and I will find new ways to juggle a busy house and home. 

Because what is really important at the end of the day, and what my family will remember, is the cuddles and love and fun that we share. There are no awards for having the cleanest home and no one is going to report me for feeding my family cheese on toast and the odd takeaway over the coming weeks. What really matters is the time spent together.

 

A Tale of Two Rascals

 

Miss Muffet, Mr Darcy and Stinky Teddy

Miss Muffet is incredibly lucky to have a whole bunch of cousins who all adore her and spoil her rotten. One of the major reasons that we wanted to move home to Wellington was so that she could grow up with her extended family around her. She has five cousins on my side, who are all boys; three cousins on her dads side, who are all girls; and three half cousins! They range in age from 10years -18 months and she is quickly establishing friendships with them all. 

Two of Miss Muffet's most favourite people in the world are Amazing Sister's little men- Mr Expression ( aged 4, insanely intelligent and wins the prize for best use of eyebrows and hand movements for expression) and Mr Darcy ( aged 3, tall, dark and handsome, cuddly and funny) Miss Muffet's whole face lights up when she sees " her boys" and they spend all their time racing around, playing trains and giggling uncontrollably. 

On Saturday, Mr Expression and Mr Darcy came to visit us at home and spend some time with Buttons. They were heartbreakingly adorable, cuddling her and marvelling over her tiny hands and cooing at her- Real melt your heart stuff! 

 

Mr Expressions and Buttons 

 Mr Darcy and Buttons sharing a smooch 

Action Dad and I were enjoying a cuppa with Amazing Sister and Awesome Uncle when we realised that A) Miss Muffet and Mr Darcy were no longer in earshot and B) the house was suspiciously quiet. Action Dad went on a hide and seek hunt to try and find them, calling their names and opening doors and cupboards searching for the two missing minors. 

When he came to our bedroom, he immediately noticed that our wardrobe door was closed- unusual and totally suspicious. Upon sliding the door open, he found Miss Muffet and Mr Darcy on the floor with a quarter bottle of sparkling raspberry soda, sharing swigs like naughty 14 year olds with rocket fuel before  a dance! 

Apparently they both had absolute deer in headlights looks on their faces and the fact they were caught red handed and with raspberry stained mouths and that they were dead end in the wardrobe all just added up to a hysterically funny tableau- I wish , wish, wish that Action Dad could have taken a picture! 

Miss Muffet and Mr Darcy are all kinds of naughtiness together and I am looking forward to hearing what antics they get up to when Miss Muffet joins him at Crèche in a few weeks time- I feel very sorry for their poor teachers! 

Blessed

  

Our darling daughter Buttons 

It is amazing how much life can change in the space of a day. This week our family welcomed our darling daughter into the world and our whole world changed again. 

Buttons arrived on Tuesday 24th May after my lovely midwife managed to get us induced early- those of you who have read my earlier posts will know that we were expecting Buttons to be between 10-11pounds and I had been becoming increasingly uncomfortable so was more than happy for an induction to happen! 

 

Action Dad snuggling an hour old Buttons- check out those tired eyes! 

Button's birth was long- she didn't arrive until nearly 13 hours after the induction began and the whole experience was more painful than Miss Muffet's as the epidural didn't work very well. One day I will write my girls' birth stories but at the moment it is a bit too raw! 

I will never forget the moment I looked down and realised my baby was a girl- I had strongly felt she was a girl for most of the pregnancy so to have it confirmed after a hard labour was just the icing on the cake. 

Our other big surprise was that not only was our gorgeous baby a girl... But she was a teeny tiny button of a thing. I knew that the minute I saw her, that she was smaller than Miss Muffet and well smaller than 10-11 pound. After all the worry and stress and extra scans- Buttons came in at 8 pound on the nose. 

She is an exact replica of her big sister, just in miniature and has so far spent the week sleeping on her bean bag. She barely cries and when she does, it is more of a mew.

 

Miss Muffet meeting her teeny tiny sister 

I am filled with happiness and love and am in a kind of sleep deprived crazy state of bliss. I am so thankful she is here and in our arms at last. The weather has been atrocious lately- on the day she was born, Wellington experienced an intense, crazy thunderstorm! So I am more than happy to snuggle on the couch with my two girls and ignore the washing and vacuuming for a wee while. 

 My gorgeous girl with the button nose - just like her mum and sister xxx

Will you be my buddy?

 

As a kid, it was so easy to make friends- you were put in social situations such a coffee groups, kindy, school and even sports groups, of your parents choosing and for the most part happily rubbed shoulders with the kid in the sand pit next to you. "Best" friends were made and broken depending on whether they were going to invite you to their party and if it all went to custard, well, then Mum or your teacher would sort it out. 

I would consider myself quite shy and find it hard to jump into friendships as an adult. I care far too much what other people are thinking of me and because I get  all worked up and nervous, I am prone to saying stupid things and knocking things over. I over think things and have even find myself pre- thinking things to talk about with new people so that I have something to say. It's funny because when I am working with kids I feel totally at ease and have no problems talking away but as soon as adults come along I revert back to a stuttering idiot! 

Just before Miss Muffet was born, Action Dad and I moved away from Wellington - our home town- to Auckland. A place where we really knew no one. It was damn hard moving away from our family support systems and away from our friends, the people who were totally comfortable with and with whom everything was just easy. For months prior to moving, I was anxious about our move and imagined I would be stuck at home with a new baby, talking to the walls. 

But that move was probably the best thing that could have happened for me- it forced me to step outside of my comfort zone and learn how to make friends. A skill I had never really needed to learn, having always had childhood friends close by and then making friends with their friends until Wellington's social circles all seemed to overlap. 

I learnt to say "yes" to every invitation I got in those first few months. I signed up to baby classes and made myself talk during discussions and even more importantly over the cup of tea during break time. On the second week of a Baby and You class, another mum asked me to come along to her coffee group and I said Yes, and promptly found myself in a complete strangers house, surrounded by other mums in various states of new baby fog, talking about nothing and everything. At the end of that first coffee date, I invited everyone back to my place for the next week session- so I could be sure I would have people to talk to and something to look forward to.

I looked up acquaintances in Auckland and either invited myself over or asked them to our place. It was almost like a project- finding my place and my people in this new city. I made sure I always had a full calendar and that I was out and about everyday  and seeing real live people. Until.... I found I didn't need to anymore. I turned around and realised how many wonderful friends I had made, from all sorts of backgrounds and careers and stages of life. 

Now Action Dad and I have moved our little family back to Wellington and I am finding I need to employ those "friend finding " skills again. I have reconnected with primary school, high school and Uni friends. I have been set up on blind "friend" dates by caring people who know people with kids who live close by. I have joined up to kids music classes and put our names down on waiting lists for play groups. And I have even been that mum in the playground, chatting away and wondering when I should take it to the next level- inviting them to our place or for coffee without it being awkward and kind of creepy. 

Kiwi Mummy Blog Review- Caffesso

Action Dad and I are committed coffee drinkers. Back in the days before we had kids, we had a regular cafe which we stopped at on the way to work and easily spent between $10- $15 on take away coffee daily.

Our last big "us" purchase before we had Miss Muffet was a Nespresso Citiz + Milk Delonghi and it has become a much loved member of the family. With continuous nights of broken sleep, it's easy delicious coffee has saved our sanity and kept us going on many, many days. Action Dad and I have our go to faves, with him preferring Kazaar, intensity 12 and me liking Rosabaya de Colombia, intensity 6. Each of these retail at $1.13 per pod. 

When Kiwi Mummy Blogs offered to send me some Nespresso compatible pods to review, I eagerly responded and promptly sat by the window waiting for the courier van to turn up.

www.mycoffeecapsules.co.nz

sent Caffesso's Grande Gusto Medley packs for us to test out, savour and review-  a job which we took very seriously!

The Grande Gusto Medley is a sampler pack which contains one of each of the ten different varieties of pod that Caffesso produces. It comes packaged in a small rectangular cardboard container and each pod is easily differentiated by colour. The Grande Gusto Medley retails at $7.50 which means that each pod only costs 75c! We really liked the fact that Caffesso are producing a sampler pack as this enabled us to try out a range of their pods before committing to single variety packs when you have found your ideal coffee. www.mycoffeecapsules.co.nz has a great table which explains which of their blends is most like Nespressos eg Roma compares to Indiano.

Unlike other non-Nespresso branded pods we have tried, we were really pleased that the pods went into the machine easily and didn't "clunk" or feel like you were forcing them in- these pods are truly compatible with Nespresso machines.

The pods make rich, fragrant, fresh coffee which is really enjoyable to drink. My favourite is in the Sidamo blend which has a strong flavour with rich fruit notes. It is definitely comparable with my personal Nespresso fave, Rosabaya de Colombia and is nearly half the price!

I am really pleased to see that Caffesso pods are fully recyclable- a quick rinse of the pod, or even better putting the grinds in the compost bin and then the actual pod can go into the green recycling bin. 

 

Why blogging?

 

I have been slowly telling friends and family that I have been writing a blog- it's a bit of a weird concept. Hey! Come and read all about my funny little life! pry into my thoughts! It's interesting, I promise!! It's kind of like writing a journal and then wanting people to read it. 

Most people have been super enthusiastic ( although they comment in person instead of on the blog! Hint hint Amazing Sister....) Well, at least they have only said nice things to my face, who knows what they really think. I came across a funny situation the other day where my sister in law was having a wee rant about why on earth you would want to read someone else's blog, not knowing I had recently begun mine- cue red faces from both of us! 

I have been reading other people's blogs for a while now- you can see some of my faves in the gadget column to your right if you are on the full web version. I find it really interesting reading into other people's lives and especially people who are in similar situations to me- Kiwi mums, some of who are crafty, some who tell funny stories about their kids, some who review products and some who seem to be able to put into words exactly how I feel. I have found that reading blogs is like when you join a new coffee group- you lurk in the background for a while before making a few comments and hoping that someone will reply!  I find myself reading blogs when I can't sleep, when I am having a coffee or when Miss Muffet is happily playing independently. Most posts are short and you can read them in one sitting- no story lines and characters to remember for this sleep deprived Mumma! 

After reading blogs for about a year, the idea of starting my own emerged. I found that I would think about things- usually at stupid times like 2am, and clearly they were genius so I wanted to share them. Social etiquette deems calling people or texting at that hour kind of rude so writing them down serves to get my thoughts out of my head so they can stop whirling round and round and I can focus on other things- like remembering to buy rubbish bags. 

A bonus is that my blog serves as a way of almost scrapbooking some of my family's moments- I never get around to printing photos and I worry that I will forget the funny things that happen so my blog acts as a kind of time capsule as well.

I read a post by Happy Mum Happy Child the other day, which was coincidentally about starting a blog. She wrote about making sure you write for yourself and having your own voice instead of for an audience, especially when your blog is so new. I find it hard to manage my expectations about who will read what I write- I figure when it comes down to it, you write because you have something to say, and you want someone to hear it .