Fortnight in review....

Wow I really am slipping on this blog huh...
 So what have we been up to?

 Blocks, Teela has recently rediscovered building blocks and has been making quite a few castles, towers and dinosaurs.

 A trip to the grocery store and a bribe with the Clifford ride, I can remember when these things were 20c, sadly no more :(

 A few trips to daddy's work and some delicious coffees and hot chocolates for this cold weather we have been having.

The Rodz rock'n'roll festival.  This is highlight of the year for us living in the pine shire.  We are not to bothered by the bands or the carnival food but we are 100% there for the cars, sweet sweet car love.

The almighty SLR5000, my ultimate dream bogan car.  They sure aren't the prettiest car out there and they are certainly not the most rare or loved of the Australian muscle cars but they have always held a special place in my heart, I would give anything to own one, swoon....

 The thing that my kids look forward to the most at the car show, a ride on the dodgy carnival rides, again  another good behaviour bribe.

The unfortunate reality when you leave two under fives in a naughty mood in the TV room for some rest time alone.   Since this incidence the craft box is now located in a locked cupboard and the games and puzzles have been moved to the top of the linen cupboard. 

It is not an ideal situation and I hate that they sometimes do things like this, I hate it more when I can't get them to clean it up.  I wish I had the perfect system and routine in place to avoid messes like this but I am not super mum and I am not aiming to be, I have to wash and cook and clean and my kids can't and don't want to be with me all the time while I preform these menial tasks.  For the most part my kids are great, they have wonderful personalities, great manners and I love them dearly.  On the other hand they are stubborn and difficult and can be rather naughty, this was just one of those days when the naughty kicked in..
  

Mexican night...starring the famous chicken enchiladas.  I have not made this dish in almost thirteen years and my husband has heard about it a million times from myself and others, I finally caved and made a quick version of it, almost as good, so very close but nothing beats marinating chicken for 12 hours and fresh hand made tortillas.

 Pumpkin pie.  This is not an Australian dish at all and is something that I associate with Autumn, log fires and turkey.  It was a really nice dish not too sweet and with the perfect amount of spice.  My husband was not a fan and I don't think it is a dish I will make again in a hurry but it really was lovely and paired up with the right main meal and company I can see me using this recipe again.

Week In Review....

 Healthy Lunch.  My kids are amazing eaters but I kind of hate the daily routine of sandwiches and fruit bars so on non kindy days I am implementing healthy lunches.  The best thing is they actually eat all of this without being hassled or bribed.

How many four year olds do you know that love spinach?  Miss T is a odd ball child who often chooses to eat a salad over things like chicken nuggets and chips and will eat spinach straight from the container in the fridge rather than crackers.

Chocolate fudge pie, the burnt crust was a nice extra touch :(

In all seriousness though I used to bake for a living and I had my own business supplying cakes and slices etc.. I have not properly baked since I closed up but I did get the urge to bake during this week.  Too much going on, kids interrupting and an unfamiliar oven all led to a nice fudge part and a sad and burnt over cooked pastry.  Am going to go back and attempt it again at some stage.

Lately....

                                      

• The Easter decoration aftermath.  I do not really get into the spirit of holidays (8 years of retail in malls will do that) but I decided to go all holiday mode for the kids this year.  Should not have bothered, ten minutes hanging out the washing and that is what's greeting me inside.

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•  It has been hair clip central here for the last few weeks.  I am done for a while but the hard parts start now, choosing a name to operate under and selling some.

•   Enjoying the last of the warm sunny days, sadly I think that this day was the last that we will enjoy untill next spring :(

•   Helping my amazing friend out with her kids clothing stall, I love being around so many beautiful things that she has hand crafted on her own

•  Mixed berry cheesecake.  I used to make these bad boys for a living in so many diferent flavours, I used to make lots and lots of them every week, it has been two years and this is only the second one I have made.  It bought back all the good feelings that I get when I cook/bake and it tasted pretty amazing as well.

• J considers himself the baker in this house and weekends we are usually indugling in some home made bakery treats, usually bread but sometimes he will make something indulgent like this brioche that was not really anything like brioche but still tasted too good to be healthy.

• Scrubbing walls, yep scrubbing the walls of the house, not the greatest activity that comes to mind but something that must be done.  Two years of little grubby kid hands is starting to bother me, super spring clean here I come.