Organic and Environmentally Friendly Products

I have recently found an awesome blog all about organic and environmentally friendly products for your children and yourself.

Please go and check them out! They also have a competition running at the moment for someone to win a great prize. Here's a sneak peak at what's on offer.

I had a competition running for those who joined green mums during the month of may would go into the draw to win a Munchskins Natural Skin Delights Essentials Starter pack valued at $79.95.  Due to changes by the hosting company I now have to change the forum so will be extending the draw until the end of June so those registered have time to move and more can register.  I will also give away a baby pack with Munchskins Love Me Tender Baby Moisturiser, Munchskins Natural Skin Delights Bootylicious Botty Cream and Munchskins Natural Skin Delights Sweet Lullaby Massage Oil valued at $65.00.

You will find their blog here:

http://www.sweetbubbaecostore.blogspot.com/

Cass

Catch up... #2

Monique started kindy in February. She goes two days a week. As far as I gather she enjoys it. Her friend Chloe from daycare is in the same class as her and they tended to stick together for the first couple of weeks. During the Easter holidays she kept talking about another girl named Portia and wanting Portia to come to her birthday party. Each day that she has kindy we get home and she does a role play thing. It seems she's pretending to be the teacher and telling the kids what to do. I'm sure the teacher isn't as bossy as Monique plays out though!!

I was called into the teacher's office a couple of weeks ago after M & C got into an argument over a library book. Neither of them wanted to let go so the book ended up getting a big rip in it and they both spent a bit of time in the time-out area.

The teacher also suggested that Monique be referred to a speach therapist. None of us really realised that she had a problem with her speech. Apparently it's not major and could just be her rate of development but the waiting list to see someone is 24 months so at least she's on the book in case we do need it.

The same week she started kindy I found a gymnastics club in Rockingham to take her too. She enjoys doing the forward rolls, hanging on the bar (she can pretty much do a chin-up), and walking on the beam. It's a bit hard to keep her waiting in line and joining in the with other kids and I think it's because I also take her to a kindy gym at the YMCA that isn't structured. So she gets to run amok at that one and just assumes she can do the same at gymnastics. Give her time and she'll be right I reckon!!

Well I think that's enough for #2. Next time I'll update with Monique's 4th birthday party.

Cass

Catch up... #1

Well it's been quite a few months since I last posted to my blog. I guess I just got busy over the Christmas/New Year period that I didn't get the chance to sit and write. And then I kept putting it off because I knew it would be such a hard and long task to update everything.

Each time something happened over that time I though "I'll have to add this to my blog" but I couldn't add it until I'd updated everything else that happened before it. Then I just decided not to do it.

Karen and Locky flew over on Boxing Day for a little visit. Monique hadn't seen Locky since August, and it had affected Monique. They had been almost inseparable since they were born. 3 years is a long time to have a friend and then they're suddenly whisked away to the other side of the country. After seeing each other at least 2-3 times per week and then nothing... Well the main thing I noticed with Monique was that she didn't like me leaving her at Day Care. Prior to Locky moving she was fine.

We went to Hogs Breath for Karen's birthday. Very nice meal followed by a bit of a play at Time Zone. The kids had a ball.

While Karen was here we organised a get-together with another friend (Marc) who we had only just realised was living 10 minutes away from us, and had been for 3 years! Ben and Marc first met when they worked and lived together in Mount Isa, Qld. And he'd also lived in the same unit complex as Nigel & Karen in Mt Isa too. Such a small world. It's a pity we hadn't found him 2-3 years beforehand as we could've had a heap of great times while N&K were still together.

We're now catching up with Marc pretty much every 2 weeks when he flies home from his fly-in/fly-out job. It's good, he's such a great down to earth bloke and him and Ben take off for a bike ride every so often... The down side is Marc LOVES to ride his way too fast!!!! His girlfriend Sarah is really  nice too. They're trying to talk me into getting a motorbike so I can ride with them all... Hmmm, I don't see that happening anytime in the near future!

Well that's it for Catch Up #1.... Stay tuned for #2 which will include Feb/March and Monique starting kindy and gymnastics :)

Cass
xx

Christmas Eve

After our exhausing shopping trip that took about an hour longer than it should have, we got home to put the roast pork in the oven.

We finished wrapping presents, chopped the vegies, steamed the cauliflower... and then had a little rest.

Ben got home from work around 5ish, in time to crack open a Fat Yack (a beer brewed at Matilda Bay) and sit down at the table to wait for dinner to be served!

Monique got stuck straight into the crackle, I don't blame her, it's soooo yummy!

Mum and I shared a bottle of Gralyn Late Harvest Cabernet, a favourite of ours from Gralyn Estate in Margaret River. It can only be purchased from the cellar door but our new next door neighbours gave me a bottle... they must like me :P

As soon as we sat down to eat I realised I had forgotten too cook the carrots! Oh dear... They weren't really missed, there was enough food to go around. After we'd all had enough roast pork, roast potato, roast pumpkin, cauliflower cheese and gravy, I started on dessert. Puff Pastry Pinwheels with Strawberries and Cream and they were so yummy!!!

Monique fell asleep quite quickly that night. We didn't even have time to leave any biscuits or milk/beer out for Santa!!! After she'd been in bed for about 1/2 an hour we put out all the Santa presents as well as her bike.

I think I went to bed before the Carols by Candelight on TV were finished. I have no idea what time they finished but I crashed around 11.00-11.30pm.

Next blog: Christmas Day.... Coming soon :)

Cass

The lead up to Christmas

I've been MIA for a few days. I have thought about this site though because whenever anything interesting happened I immediately thought "I could blog that"!!!!

There may be quite a few blogs over the next few days while I remember everything that happened over the Christmas period.

Mum and Dad arrived last Monday, in time for them to come with me to pick up Monique from daycare. I was signing her out while mum and dad went in to get her. I heard mum say "Monique" and then I heard a very excited "Grandma!" and then "Grandad!". She was so pleased to see them.

We all went to Cockburn Gateway on Tuesday. Mum caught up with an old friend (no emphasis on the OLD, Aunty Pauline, lol. Just that we've known you for years and years and years!!!!) for lunch, while Dad and I visited my cousin. Looking at the attached photo it looked like a liquid lunch :P

Then we met up with Mum and Aunty Pauline at the shops where I was given some presents to put under our tree. (Thank you for my magazine by the way)

I think Wednesday we just had a day at home. My days are all scattered at the moment and I can't remember what happened when!

Ben got home Wednesday afternoon and helped Dad wash his car. Afterwards he came inside and was about to jump in the shower when he said "I'll go shopping tomorrow night to get a present for you and Monique". It was almost 7.30pm and I had to tell him that the shops weren't open Thursday night, being Christmas Eve, and that he'd have to get going right now!!!! So him and Dad took off down the shops. It was probably the quickest shopping trip for Christmas presents ever! After they got home Ben kept saying that he didn't know what us women complained about... But he only had to shop for 2, well make that 4 as he ended up spoiling mum and dad too.

On Thursday we went for a "quick" trip to Rockingham City to get some last minute things for our Christmas Eve dinner and a couple of Secret Santa presents. The quick trip lasted about 2 or more hours. It was so busy.

I had a little chuckle to myself at the amount of dads that were shopping with their kids. Being a SAHM it's a very rare sight to see!!

Well that's the end of this post, that's enough for now I think. When I get a chance to sit on the computer for a while and type I'll have my next blog about our Christmas Eve to do.

BTW, here a photo of my $282 haircut :P

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and Santa got them everything they needed.


Cass

Afternoon at the park

It's a lovely day today so I decide to take Miss M for a walk to the park. There's one literally just 2 minutes walk from our house. I'm a bit disappointed it's only 2 minutes away because it means I don't get much of a walk. There were a couple of mums there with their kids (roughly 2yrs old). They leave to go and see the ducks. Miss M overheard this and of course wanted to see the ducks too. I told her we'd go to the big park instead. The big park is only an extra 5 or so minutes walk from the little park.

We get to the big park and there's no-one there so Miss M has full reign of the whole thing. Then a young boy turns up (I'm guessing aged 7, 8 at the max) by himself. He's carrying a broken plastic ruler and starts trying to engrave something on one of the bars, and then again on the slide.... OMG!!!! He's 7 or 8 and already trying to graffiti stuff!!! Why is a 7 or 8 year old coming to the park alone? Surely in this day and age you would want to know where your young child is and what he's doing. Don't people care that there are people out there that are kidnapping kids, or worse?

Maybe I'm just a little overprotective, afterall M is still only 3 and does need to be watched constantly so she doesn't run off.

She did have fun at the park. Another girl came to the park with her dad a little bit later. He was doing laps around the oval area while she played on the swings, etc. M loved having someone else to play with, even if this girl was a few years older than her. Each time the dad came round for his next lap they'd both line up on the limestone wall and give him a high-5 as he ran past. I got to chat to the dad after he'd finished running. Turns out that his daughter (and son) go to the same school that M will be going to. He said it was a really good school. Although M starts kindy next year she won't be going to that school because they're too over-populated! The entire kindy grade will be going to a new school that's being built. When she is in pre-primary she will be at the same school. I wonder if they'll remember each other by then!!

Cass

Happy Birthday to my sisters

Today my twin sisters turned 31

We are all getting old

Happy Birthday Tracey & Natalie

I'm guessing this was 1979 because they look so big here. When they were born Nat (left) weighed 1380g and Tracey was 990g. They were born 8 weeks early and mum had no idea that she was having twins. I can't imagine the shock of waking up after anaesthetic to be told you had not one baby, but two! Only one heartbeat was heard on the ultrasound. Technology has come a long way since then!

And this was all of us, parents, partners and children included, in August. Tracey's in the purple shirt and Nat's in the black skirt. It's so hard getting a photo of all the kids looking at the camera. I love this photo because they're all playing up and not looking.

Earliness must run in the family. I was born 5 weeks early too and I think I was around 5lb 2oz. Monique was born @ 36 weeks (3lb, 14oz), Nat's daughter was born @ 28 weeks (1lb 7oz), Tracey's sons were born @ 35 weeks (4lb 11oz) and very close to full term (6lb). We have small babies in our family too. It's hard to believe that mum and dad's biggest grandchild was only 6 pound.


Not long until Christmas now. I think I'm all organised. I got all the kid's pressies in the July toy sale when they had the no deposit layby and you didn't have to pick it up until Christmas Eve. I picked it up in October sometime and have just posted the niece & nephews presents off to Brisbane for the other side of the family.

We do need to get Secret Santa presents though... It's going to be hard because the family that we're spending Christmas night with we don't usually see very often.

Mum and dad will be here Christmas Eve so we're having a roast pork. I bought some Christmas plates, a serving tray, a table cloth and some crackers last week. I hope that's all I need. I've never hosted a Christmas dinner before! I think we've decided that Christmas morning our next door neighbours will come over for a Champagne Breakfast. That should be nice, maybe just some croissants as we're having a big lunch and dinner!

Well, another late night.... I really need to start going to bed early but it's been the only time I get a chance on the computer lately when everyone's asleep.

Cass