Mini Me

This is me. And mini-me.

The Sickness. And The Sickness. Oh and THE SICKNESS.

Remember when the Doctor got tonsillitis not that long ago. Since that time, he's had it twice. Which means two more rounds of antibiotics and a referral to an ENT to decide whether we need to have them snipped out.

The thrills don't get much bigger than this.

My little guy is completely fragile, sick of being sick, worn down, over it. Me too.

When the GP mentioned the possibility of having his tonsils out and his adenoids scraped, my little man cried. The saddest cry of all. As a mother, it was the most helpless feeling, not feeling like I could do anything to help him feel better.

I walked out of the GP grateful that she could make him feel better, but determined to find an alternative to general anaesthetic and medical procedures.

I don't expect anyone to understand this, but I'm not big on hospitals, medical intervention - unless absolutely necessary. If we can avoid it, we will, while always thinking - if it's absolutely necessary, then of course, we will do it. And when I say: I don't expect anyone to understand it, I mean - everyone's different, everyone's parenting is different; my gut is to look at alternatives before resigning ourselves to the surgery line.

I've done some research, asked friends, thrown it to the Twitterverse, and received some amazing feedback. We've got a couple of appointments lined up to visit a paed osteopath and some others in the pipeline, all before our November ENT appointment that will hopefully say - 'hey, gee whizz, this little tacker is a-ok!'

image of the Doctor climbing at Sydney Olympic Park. It's that cool.

Motha Stewart Meets Gaga

Take a leaf from Martha's book and get Gaga this Halloween. Glue some butterfly wings to your lashes and off you flutter. If it's good enough for Motha, it's good enough for me.

Well Hello Holidays!

This is a sponsored post.

I couldn't think of any better way to spend a perfectly sunny and Spring-a-licious Sunday than heading to the park. A really, really big park. Seeing the smalls run around, happy, it's a simple pleasure. Not to mention the benefits that come with an extended park visit. Kids that go to bed on time. It's win: win.

I love a good park, and I can wholeheartedly vouch that 'Kids In The Park' at Sydney Olympic Park is no ordinary park. It's huge. It's sprawling. It's green, and there are little hills that remind me of the Teletubbies. So fun.

Given the Doctor is learning to ride his bike, we decided to check out Newington Armory . The tracks are wide and flat, so it's perfect terrain for a beginner, with Tiny riding on her push-along. In fact, if the smalls hadn't seen the playground, we could have ridden all day. But they saw it, and while they were happy to explore the Armory, they were intent on clocking up some time climbing, swinging and sliding.

No matter, we rode for about 45 minutes, explored the Armory, checked out the Birds Australia Discovery Centre, where we saw live footage of a month old eagle in its nest - pretty rad. How often do you get a birds eye view? (BOOM BOOM!)

Then we rode back, had an iceblock on the grass overlooking the Rivercats cruising past, a quick coffee, then we were whisked off to the playground by our small companions.

If you're looking for something to keep the smalls active and entertained during the school holidays - whell hellz to the yeah, this is your answer: press this - so many activities to choose from, lots are free, or otherwise under $20. There's something for sporty kids, adventuring kids, or crafty kids.

I recommend it as a super place that we'll definitely revisit during the holidays to keep the kidlets busy. As the Doctor said on the drive home: "It's my best day ever."

Hell-o:: Date Night

It's been a long time between date nights, and thankfully my FIL stepped in and babysat for us so we could spend some very much needed, very overdue time together.

Matt and I headed to the Northern Beaches, following the re(a)d hot tip off by Briar of Sunday Collector that Mexicano was the shiz.

We'd tried to go there a week ago, turned up at 5:50pm - and were DENIED! Fully booked. So there's a red hot tip for you friends, you must book a table or you will drive all the way unhappy, unfed, and unMexicano'd and a big fat fail whale will greet you at the door.

We had such a blast, and I had one too many mojitos. Ouch. You know when it's fun at the time, then you go - oh dear, I had to take it that one step further. Yep. That's me. And in the morning - aye carumba. I even succumbed to my age-old hangover cure that I've not used in almost eight years, Coke with a bazillion slices of lemon. It was that bad.

But ANYHOOOOOOO - the beverages - they were not bad at all. I can't deny it. And the food - fresh, taste-a-licious, I'd do it again in a flash.

Mexicano

Shop 2

209-211 Ocean Street
Narrabeen

Make your bookings peeps - 9970 8975

While We're Talking Dirty

Laughing Out Loud. ROFLMAO.

I'm into the funny at the moment. I need the funny. Big stylie. When the chips are down, go for the funny.

So. Bloody. Funny.

Sunshine

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I do love Mondays. Well actually, it's a weird kind of love. I am home, which is great, but the smalls are at preschool and school, which is a bit of a drag. Most people would be slapping me in the face and saying: "Get outta here" - but Mondays feel kind of lonely. I know. I'm a weirdo. I should rejoice in the solo Monday, and I do, but it does feel lonely flying solo without my wingbabies.

I love doing the pick up. I try and pick Tiny up early so we don't have to rush. This Monday I parked the car in a different spot - and we got to climb the bridge over the train tracks. Tiny marvelling at the sparkles in the cement steps. Simple joys. There is absolutely something in that.

See That?

It's called grass.

And hot pink toes.

And shadows. Spring shadows.

I ran outside to feel some sunshine on my back in between... TIDYING!

Today I've spent the bulk of the day re-discovering our floor. Liberating it from a massive pile of crap. Crap that I have ruthlessly been tossing into the bin. Very unlike me. But when I don't have two smalls around, I am prone to get a little ruthless, toss some toys, toss some crap. File some bills (oh baby, I know how to have a great time). Mop the floors, crank up Lily Allen, tidy the house.

Hot damn. Mondays are full of miracles. We do indeed have a living room floor. And you can now walk on it.

Holy House Envy!

Have you seen this book? Aye carumba. I have house envy to the max.

I thought The Selby was top of the pops. Well he is, let's face it. But Design Sponge has me salivating. I may even throw some of my stuff out. Some may call it junk. I call it stuff. It's feasible that it could be stuff. It's stuff from other people's bins.

But whatever you want to call it, get your filthy doggone mitts on this book. You will not regret it. Mark my words homegirls!

PS - Check out this Neon Wedding. Be still my boom-ba-da boom-ba-da heart. I might have to get married all over again. (To you Matt, of course.)

Oh Spring!

Spring-a-licious! Well hello there. So glad you could join us.

Those big blue skies, with fairy-floss clouds scattered here and there. That sunlight. Warm, but not too warm. A gentle breeze that's saying farewell to Winter, blowing out the cobwebs. Lying on the green, feeling the grass between your toes. Oh Spring. I'm excited, so excited, for your arrival.

The Next Big Thing

Psst! This is my new favourite show. The Next Big Thing. So great. Such an insight into retail.

And love Australia's very own Yasmin Sewell at Liberty's of London (pictured).

Recommended viewing!

ABC1 - right now (Thursday, 9:30pm)

Who Let The Dogs Out?

If I was on X Factor, as requested by @GreenBeenFood, I would sing "Who Let The Dogs Out?" and work out some wild chorey, and probably wear a Wilbur suit.

That's just in case you were interested.

Otherwise, if you were just here to check out the calibre of my origami doggies, well WHOOMP! here it is .

Leanne, Emily, still interested?

Do you know how many completely rad songs I just linked to? But most importantly. Who let the dawgs out?

Feeling Crafty (And Quiet)

Excuse my absence, but I'm under the weather, bored silly by myself, at home, literally bored with myself. Folding origami cranes, folding origami dogs. Folding washing. Folding my brain into a cube and waiting until this illness decides I am no longer good company.

For the record: I AM NO LONGER GOOD COMPANY.

This is a great book for smalls. Papercraft: Kathreen Ricketson. Thanks Lisa for the introduction to such a great resource.

PhotoShop VS The Thumbnail

I saw this image as a thumbnail and thought - what tomfoolery was SMH up to? Surely they had photoshopped Miranda, Orlando and Flynn to be fully garbed in support of the Wallabies.


Closer inspection reveals that the Kerr-Blooms are legitimately big Wallabies fans.


I guess if they're into it, I'm into it too. What's good enough for the Kerr-Blooms is good enough for me. And quite frankly, if I can work Kerr-Bloom into a lot of conversations this week, I'll be happy.

image via the SMH

Behold!

Enough said.

Reading.

I know I've written about this book before, but I'm going there again because it is one of my all-time favourite reads. It's beautifully written, moving, and I marvel at it on each read. Given tomorrow marks 10 years since 9/11 it seems quite fitting to re-read it right now.
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I can still remember exactly where I was when I found out about 9/11. My Mum and Dad rang me really early to tell me to turn the TV on. I did, and couldn't fathom what I was seeing. Why was this plane flying into the building? The reality didn't register for me.

I then had to go to work, and spent the loneliest, greyest, longest day waiting for news. I worked in a store, by myself, and kept going to the cafe next door for updates. I remember that day, and can instantly recall that sick pit in my stomach. I can barely believe it's been 10 years already, watching those two buildings crumble, and the days afterward hearing and reading about too many people's last day.

There's a really good special report over at NY Times if you're interested.

Everyone Else's Cats

We'd just visited my sister's shop and were heading back to the car, when we met Tesco, the local cat. I love a cat that sprawls on the footpath for a pat. Oh for the life of a cat!

PS - Do you love Tiny's styling? Spiderman pants, Babushka skirt, Bensimon sneaks. The girl has a wacky style. But it works. She's hilaire.

Pencil It In

We've kept doing our pencil + drawing time in the evenings, every other night, under the guidance of our artist-in-residence, the Doctor.

He rallies the pencils and paper, and gets everyone to sit down for drawing time. It's so good for our family life.

Particularly when everyone's been feeling pretty low, and we can't seem to shake these lurgies, to stay sitting down together post-dinner, and just hang out drawing, it's fun. Good for the spirits. Good for the soul. Anything's that's good for the soul is just fine by me.

Have you been busy creating? Soul-enriching? Do tell. Spill.

PSSSST! How Can We Be Lovers If We Can't Be Friends?

Yesterday I spent the afternoon - between working - taking on the huge role of educating the younger members of our team on Michael Bolton and his hefty back catalog.

Between you and I - I once had a wee crush on Michael Bolton + his golden mane of hair. I even bought his Christmas album. Now that is devoted people. DE.VOTED.

So I am well-versed to educate the younger civilians in my life about Michael Bolton. Did you know, for instance, that he dated Ashley Judd? Yep.

However, in the last few years, I'd let my Michael Bolton knowledge slip. Thankfully after straying from the Michael Bolton path, my friend led me to the fountain of Bolton again. Have you seen this treat?

Song O' The Day

Just think of me singing "But I don't have any money" in falsetto. Gold.

By end of today, you'll be singing it too. Guaranteed. Or your money back. Wait - no transaction. No money back guarantees.

Fathers. Dads. Papas. The Old Man.

Happy Father's Day to my huge fatherly audience (that's you Matt and my Dad!).

What did you do to celebrate?

I was woken early by the Doctor wanting to give Matt his Father's Day present (a money box - cute). I rebuffed, pleading for an extra half hour sleep on a Sunday morning. Wish granted.*

Half an hour later, proceedings commenced from the comfort of bed.

And then I got up, made bills corn fritters (Dad, when you're back, I'll make them for you too), wolfed it down.

Later in the afternoon I flaked and slept for 3 hours. Sorry Matt. I did feel marginally better though.

What a beautiful sunny Spring day. What did you get up to?


* Tiny gave Matt a toy helicopter. That's all she wanted to give him. Cute.

Movie Review:: Rango

A couple of weeks ago I convinced the smalls they wanted to see Rango. Tiny was pretty keen - the Doctor, notsomuch. He needed a lot of convincing.

But we watched it - a couple of times. Who could resist a film starring Johnny Depp? Clearly, not I. Who could resist a film about a chameleon starring in a Western? Clearly, not I.

One of my favourite scenes - without giving too much away - is where he sheds his skin. If you've seen Rango, you may know this scene, he kind of freezes, and the skin cracks off. Exactly how my eye feels. Like a lizard shedding its skin.

But in the interests of reviewing this fairly, I'll review as two different people. The (wo)man in the mirror. And the (wo)man not in the mirror.

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1st review: from a mother of a 3.5 year old and a 6 year old

Finally a cool & quirky film with an all-star cast. I like Shrek, Cat In the Hat and all those others as much as every other person, but Rango is a bit different. Johnny Depp. Isla Fisher. Johnny Depp.

BUT Rango has some pretty serious, pretty dark undertones. The content is pretty heavy for a small person. There are some sinister characters - which - well so are there in real life, but these are condensed.

It's also violent. Gun-slinging, down and dirty Western style.

Both the smalls were a bit scared at one stage, and I had to stay planted firmly on the couch with them.

So as far as kids movies go, it was good, but be prepared, it's a bit scary. A bit dark. A bit sinister. But with a happy ending.

Now Tiny is obsessed with lizards and they're all called Rango.

3 stars

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2nd review: as a 32 year old woman

Well HELL-O Johnny Depp as a Hawaiian-shirt wearing chameleon. Hello Isla Fisher as a bug-eyed lizard.

Hello beautiful animation and quirky-cool storyline.

Couldn't fault it. Loved it. Funny. Fast paced. Laugh out loud humour. And I really did laugh out loud.

Well worth watching. A couple of times. It's a delightful movie with a moral. Yep.

4 stars

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There ends my DVD review. Have you seen Rango? What did you think?

Anna Wintour?

I've spent the last week in sunglasses. No matter if it's raining. I'm wearing sunglasses. My eye is still not better, so I've embraced the Anna Wintour. I wear my sunglasses at night. And inside. And while I'm talking to you. And while I am on the computer. And all the time really.

I could get all rude on this damn eye, but I'll just say, after weeks of being sick, I'm a bit fragile. I hate being sick. Sinusitis. Conjunctivitis. This is not a dream run.

I'm prepping for Father's Day. The smalls and I are making Bills corn fritters. This is on the up. But I can't find which book the recipe is on. Help a white wonky-eyed girl out.

Meanwhile my own Dad is on the other side of the world. We'll have to celebrate when he's back.

Camouflage

While I was in Auckland, I caught a cab. Not just any cab, a faux fur cab. Look how my jacket camouflaged with that baby. Meant to be. So meant to be.