Friday Finds....

I Love this gorgeous custom necklace from Amiella Rose by Design.

The colours are just gorgeous, with mothers day not to far off, start dropping hints now!

Easter is also not far away, and just how cute would your little cherub look in this cute bunny hat!! These can be found at Love-Lys Creations

I love these gorgeous light switch covers

from The Owl & The Elephant

Perfect way to personalise a rental!

We love searching for gorgeous new products! Until next time......

Generation Sunny!

I wanted to share this blog post with you, I thought it was a GREAT read, with a wonderful message behind it.

Take a read, because, as written, we are bringing UP the next generation!

Be sure to always make your words sweet, in case one day you have to eat them....

2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

Welcome to 2011. A whole new year! As it's the 1st day of the new year, it's a great time to sit down and think about what you would like this year to bring to you.
You have 365 days ahead of you to make your future whatever you would like it to be!

For us here at WAHM head central, we have a dream to REALLY promote the WAHP industry this year!

Regular guest blogs (we would love to see your submissions btw, so if you have something awesome to contribute, let us know!) , tutorials, and... oh my.... we have visions!!! We have HUGE visions!!!

I cannot wait to put them into practice and share them with you all!!!!!!!

In the meantime, as you go to bed each night, just remember, tomorrow is your future.....

Fill me in!!!

Wow, its been a long time since I have blogged. If its any consolation, I'm pretty sure that my house is currently looking just as unloved.

BUT, I do have an excuse...
I am in hospital. I have been for a few weeks now. I had a miscarriage which resulted in me losing far too much blood, and needing a transfusion, not to mention other complications. I'm hoping to get home soon, and its having that to look forward to which is keeping me sane at the moment.
I have had a little bit of time to do some 'surfing' and have found some amazing WAH women with some amazing products! I think I have nearly sorted my xmas shopping! Or at least what my family can buy for me:)

So come on ladies, I need the goss... I am bored out of my brain, and need to know whats happening out there in the world!!! PLEASE fill me in!!!!

Sunny Sundays

We had a lovely productive weekend! Got so many jobs done and spent some time with the kids. While we dont often get time to just sit and play, we involve them with everything with we do, yesterday was car washing, baking, and tending to the chooks - moving them, feeding them, collecting the eggs and watching the new baby chickens emerge from their eggs! It was amazing! (the kids thought it was pretty special too!)

Saturday was a trip to town to do the groceries - the kids love coming, and help to pick out the fruit vegies for the week! They look so cute smelling the strawberrys to work out which ones are the tastiest!
Sunday morning we sat down to bacon and eggs and felt I was in 'Little House on the Prairie' - Free range bacon, home grown eggs, freshly squeezed juice from home grown Tangello's. If only I had gotten up early enough to bake bread! Um, no, on second thought, that is taking it a little too far!

As I sat back with a coffee on Sunday evening, smiling at a weekend well spent, I felt a little ashamed of myself.
I have been known to whinge that we never do anything, we never go anywhere, we are always too busy, we need this, we need that, we need somthing else etc etc.

This was, truly, one of the best weekends we have spent together in ages, everyone happy, no tantrums, no fighting, just enjoying each others company doing our daily routine.

I turned to my hubby, and thanked him.
"This has been the nicest weekend.
I love our little family, we dont need EVERYTHING, we dont need the BEST of everything, we have each other. We have fun with each other. These are values that our kids are going to pass on to their kids, we are shaping a generation!"

And thats exactly right! I want to instill values into my children that they can pass onto their children and so on. Our values lay in our family. In each other.

I am going to leave you with a quote from my husband.

"... It is our job, as parents, to teach our children to be responsible adults, not how to be a meance to society..."

Lunchbox fun

What a lovely Sunday it was. I was lucky enough to get a sleep in this morning, and then I attacked! I washed the car (seriously, 4wd's were not made for short people, I needed to use a step ladder!) Tackled a mountain of ironing, enjoyed some sunshine with the kids and my hubby, and prepared and planned a weeks worth of dinners and school lunches.

I find School lunches such a chore! It is the one job that I really need to be organised for, or it can very easily be vegemite S/W's for a week! Dinner I'm ok with, as I have all day to plan for this, and really do love to cook.

If you are like me and need some lunch box inspiration from time to time, then you are in luck, because here are some of my NEVER fail lunch box recipes!

Slap Happy cakes/muffins

These are seriously the yummiest, easiest, and greatest cakes on the earth!

This recipe is from the best cake maker I have ever met, my Pop! He doesnt measure, he doesnt do anything that the CWA women swear you must, and his cakes are always amazing!

Ingredients:

SR flour

and egg or two

some milk

some mixed fruit

a little sugar if you so desire

a touch of vanilla is nice, but not essential

You literally just add all this into a bowl until you have enough mixture and the consistency that you are happy with it. Pop in the oven, and in about 15 minutes, voila... the most delicious little cakes EVER!

These cakes are always good, but are amazing fresh from the oven, with a little bot of butter on them!!

Pasta Salad

So easy to slap together the night before school, and so tasty the next day!

Ingredients:

Pasta - I like the spirals but whatever you have

Mayo, or any dressing that you have! (coleslaw, potato, ANYTHING works! even italian! )

Any veg that you want to add! I like to use:

Grated carrot

Capsicum

grated cheese

cucumber

corn

finely sliced shallot

sometimes a little ham or chicken

broccoli

Combine cooked pasta and vege ingredients, then stir through enough to dressing to help it combine and add flavour!

DELICIOUS!

Here is a list of some of my other homemade Fav's!

• Fried Rice
• Home made LCM's
• Anzac cookies
• S/W sushi
• Vegie Stir Fry

I like to send my kids to school with the least additives and preservatives as I can, they do get some crap, tiny teddies, museli bars etc to fill it up, and loads of fruit! But where I can, I like to fill it with homemade goodness!

I have been asked to do regular contributions to the school newsletter (after the teachers scoping out our lunchbox!) so, I will add them here as well!

Happy Baking

...But it wont kill them!

I have been wanting to write this post for a while, it has been written in my head many times in the last few months, but, in fear of causing too much of a stir, I have let it lay.

Today I am thinking that I have found myself enough knowledge, learnt enough words, that just maybe, I will be able to write it with each and every person agreeing with me, with no one being upset, with the world being happy, and hopefully, if I do it properly, if it all goes down on paper as well as it is sounding in my head, then I just might be onto something. WE might be able to start a revolution, a new way of thinking for future generations. WE might be able to stop the behaviours that, in this society, are causing so much pain to mum's everywhere.

So, here I go.

I am a mum to 3 amazing children. I support Breastfeeding. I am a member of our local Australian Breastfeeding Association. I attend the meetings. I have breastfed all of my children.

I support Breastfeeding. I think it is the BEST thing you can do for your child.

I support Breastfeeding. And it makes me cranky when people dont even want to try it.

Please don't switch off because of my above statements. Please keep reading.

I am a mum to 3 amazing children. I support breastfeeding and I attend ABA meetings when I can, I love the social side of it, and being with people who have children the same age as mine.
I love being there, because you can feed wherever you like, and its ok! You dont feel uncomfotable, you dont worry that you are making others feel uncomfortable, and its nice to have the support.
I find that if I have to feed in public, it changes a lot of people. A lot of people wont even look at you, let alone speak to you. Conversations instantly come to a halt. It almost makes me feel bad for feeding my baby.
I am not one of these people that like to make a show of breastfeeding, I like to be discreet, but I dont feel I should have to segregate myself from the world. I have seen some women that make a rather huge spectacle out of the fact that they are feeding their baby, some that even make me feel uncomfortable!

Each of my children were breastfed, for different periods. Each one has gradually been for a longer time. I am nearly up to 12 months with this one, and in all honesty, I dont think I am ready to stop any time soon. I would love to have my body back, to be able to leave my child sometimes, but I really do cherish those quiet times that we get together. I know I can still have them if we use a bottle, but its not the same to me, she wont need ME then.

I know what you are thinking, I am just another breastfeeding Nazi and you dont want to read anymore. But please bare with me.

Breastfeeding for me, with each one, was DAMN hard! It was hard for weeks! I would brace myself each time I had to feed because of the pain. My nipples were cracked, bleeding, and excruciatingly sore. But I REALLY wanted it to work, so put up with it. Once that passed, it seriously is a walk in the park!

My 2nd child was breastfed and bottle fed, he was a greedy little thing and needed more than I could give him. While it was frowned apon by many, it worked for us, and thats all that mattered. All that ever matters is that it works for you and your baby!


While the world is out there telling us that breast is best, that we should all do it etc etc, is anyway actually saying that using formula is ok too? That formula will not harm your baby? That if you can't breastfeed, formula is perfectly acceptable?
There are so many formula advertisments around, each one claiming that it has some amazing added nutrient. But no ad's for breastmilk.
There are so many advertisments for baby bottles, but none for boobs.
There are no ad's purely saying, congratulations, your having a baby, this is what you ca do adn both are FINE!

It seems that there is no level playing field when it comes to this topic. Women who breastfeed are made to feel uncomfortable in public, whereas bottlefeeding women dont. Bottlefeeding women get to hear about how much better breast milk and are made to feel guilty. But it seems that no matter what you choose, no-one is happy when the topic is brought up. Breatfeeding mothers get on their high horse and carry on about it, talking down to everyone else, and bottlefeeding mothers get their backs up and become defensive.
This needs to stop, no matter how we choose to feed our children, no-one should be made to feel bad! We should all be supported! Hell, we are new mums!!!!

Which brings me (Finally) to my point.
My mission statement.
The one thing that I want you to take from this and pass around the world.

Breast milk is a wonderful amazing thing, designed soley for the feeding of our babies. Those that can do it easily are extremely lucky.
Formula is also a wonderful amazing thing, designed soley for the feeding of our babies, and while we know breast is best, formula isn't about to kill anyone!
As I wisely read recently - Fed is Best!