A birthday girl

My baby turned six this week

 

 

She is a rather shy little thing, but really enjoys her birthday...

 

She loves rainbows & requested a rainbow cake

 

 

3 of her favourite people helping with the cake eating mission

 

She lost her front teeth this week, just in time for her birthday 

 

She had two birthday requests, roller blades

 



 

and a new bike.

 

Happy Birthday gorgeous girl !!!

 

CHEERS

Trish xxx



A special birthday & an ADHD update

 

I can't believe my most favourite little man on the planet has turned 10 years old today, reaching double digits is a milestone in any kids life wouldn't you say, no longer a little kid, but not yet a teenager...a tween!!!

 

 

Now for those of you that have followed my blog for a while know that this gorgeous little man has not come without challenges as he has ADHD ( attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or if you want to simplify it a little, cheeky, annoying, obnoxious,aggressive, demanding ,challenging & difficult in general,lucky we love him bucket loads, no seriously there are lots of good qualities in this little bombshell as well!!

If your interested in catching up on our ADHD story you can read this post

here it tells our story of where we were a year ago. I have just re read it myself & it made me cry, you really do forget how things were once you move past that time in your life.

 

 

It was recommended by the psychologist that we get to a paediatrician & get our child onto a good dose of Ritalin,I wasn't keen to go down this path & thankfully we haven't had to. Through the help of our fantastic naturopath I can proudly say this little guy is now like a regular average "obnoxious" boy...as long as we keep him on the right diet...avoiding wheat, dairy & additives 102 & 211 where ever possible, we basically try to avoid processed foods. We continue to take the herbal supplements prescribed by the naturopath each month & after a 9month wait we finally got the call from the paediatricians office to schedule an appointment. I was able to say "Thanks but no thanks, we are doing just fine! "

 

 

We have moved him to a new school this year & I didn't feel it necessary to notify them of the ADHD as he was definitely a different kid. I didn't want him to be labelled as a problem child from day one, I wanted to see how he was judged by his current behavior.

 Well we got his half yearly report which by the way left me "gobsmacked", it was EXCELLENT!!! The first positive school report ever. I attended a parent/teacher interview & couldn't believe my ears, my eyes where filled with tears which I was furiously blinking away, I mean really, WHO crys at a routine interview with the teacher.Any way, at this point I decided to tell her our secret, she was amazed at how easy he is to get along with, but did say that it explains his boastfullness, he he he!!

 

 

So to finish this long but proud mummy post. I now have on my hands a beautiful, happy, loving boy with a wicked sense of humour, that I am proud to take any where I go & family life is so much nicer for all of us.

Now I'm not suggesting that this approach will be effective for all kids with ADHD but its definitely worth giving it a try, what harm can eating a really healthy diet do!!

 

Happy birthday my gorgeous boy, now lets go have some fun!!!

 

CHEERS

Trish xxx

 

 

 

 

 

Where have I been lately

Oh the drama!!!

I have disappeared off the planet of late, but I am now back to say HI!!!

I have missed everyone...

So...on to the excuse, or should I say excuses, he he he!!

This charming little man was the original cause of my sudden disappearance from blogging.

We got him an ipod for xmas and since he has had it we have gotten alert emails to let us know we are rapidly reaching our monthly downloads, but last month he used our entire months worth of Internet in a mere 2 weeks, sooo the whole family had to miss out on any Internet usage for the rest of the month.

He no longer has Internet access on his ipod.

has anyone else faced this issue after investing in ipods for the kids?

This precious little fairy turned 5 & had a fabulous rainbow themed birthday party, because she luuurves rainbows

A very tasty rainbow layer cake did the trick

and of course her favourite treat jelly, set layer by layer!!

We had a great picnic & a spot of fishing & swimming at the beach on the weekend. I also learnt to drive on the beach which was a blast. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend you do!!

Unfortunately my car is experiencing a few issues at the moment.

A man blacked out at the wheel of his car and ran into the back of mine, thankfully the kids & I weren't hurt but my car is undriveable.I will now be driving a hire car for any where up to 6 weeks, this doesn't please me at all...Grrrrrr!!!!

So any way thats it for me, I am back & looking forward to catching up on some bloggy action!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

An outdoor dining project

With the dream house taking a little longer to get off the ground than we ever imagined, we have begun to get a little tired of having a lot of our favourite things in storage.

The house we rent is much smaller than we are used to, it was only meant to be temporary, but, here we are two years later & no end in sight.

At our back door we had a nice big slab of concrete & nothing more, exposing the back of the house to the hot afternoon sun as well as the rain, so my ultra clever dream guy whipped up a fabulous alfresco area...

 We have a handrail all the way around with a gate to keep our enormous drooling dog out.This is what he does best mind you!

Its been nice to be able to have friends over & sit outside with nibblies & drinks

I stitched up some cushions from some bargain fabric that I purchased on sale at spotlight, originally

 $18.99 mtr, I only paid $4.00 mtr, YAY for me !!

My dream guy gave me this fabulous lantern as a birthday present, I burn a citronella candle in it which smells divine & keeps the mosquitos at bay....

Not only did we bring our outdoor setting out of storage, we also managed to find a place for my beloved "arles clock" . I got it at Freedom years ago, before big clocks became super trendy & I don't think I will ever tire of it!!!

Hope you love our new outdoor space, drop by & have a glass of wine with me anytime!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx



Birthday Bash times two

Ive been a very neglectful blogger this week & I'm very sorry!

Life has been kind of hectic here of late & when I haven't been crazy busy Ive been exhausted instead!!

As you know I recently turned 40, so I had a little party to celebrate & then a week later we had another party for dream child no.4 to celebrate her 4th birthday.

Two parties one week apart for over 30 people each time turned out to be an enormous task.

Not to mention a real estate inspection to ensure I keep this rental we live in in tip top shape.

Then there where the parent teacher interviews for all 4 of my children, I got to sit down with 11 different teachers across 3 different schools.

 Thankfully it was all pretty good. YAY!!!

 We have done an Easter hat parade at pre school & several doctor, dental & orthodontist appointments. Now it is the school holidays I can breathe a small sigh of relief...Ahhhhh!!!!

Any way on with the party pics....

This is me, last on the right, with my 2 sisters & brother at my 40th. I didn't take any food snaps or table scape pics, but I did have fun all the same. This party carried on until 6am the next morning, we did alot of dancing, which my sister has some fabulous action shots from our version of the nut bush, but "What happens at the party, stays at the party" LOL!!!

My sweet little birthday girl, she did have a lovely party dress on at the start of the afternoon, but, she was given new clothes in her first gift & promptly changed into them!!

I made a pile of these lovely tissue paper pom poms & because none of my party goers had seen them before everyone thought I was AMAZINGLY clever, hehehe!!

We had lovely little cup & saucers made from tic toc biscuits, marshmallows, 1/2 a musk lifesaver & a choc freckle, very cute & delicious as well.

( Not sure what happened to this photo when I uploaded it but it went a little wrong...ooops!)

nothing beats a mars bar car, these little chocolate treats are always the first to be devoured.

We had a cup cake stand for the cake & as I was pushed for time I let my kids do the decorating, they had heaps of fun & no two cup cakes looked alike.

Thanks again to fellow bloggers I was able to WOW my guests with cake pops, easy to make & a fantastic way for kids to eat cake. My 2yr old nephew enjoyed them so much he ate 4 before his mum had to say no more!!!

& this was our cup cake tower with a giant cup cake on top. The birthday girl loved it!

I have been sewing cushions & purchasing a few things to jazz up my house of late, but, that's for another post.

Have a lovely Sunday everyone & sorry for the neglect, shall be popping in to visit you all soon.

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Thank You!

I just wanted to say a quick, but huge

Thank You

for all of the lovely birthday messages from everyone, I felt very special!!!

I was very spoilt for my birthday & will actually be having a bit of a party this weekend to celebrate, so I am looking forward to that. I will have my parents 2 sisters & my brother all in the same place at once. We don't get togethor like that to often, so it should be lots of fun !

My dream guy and the kids took me shopping for my birthday & let me choose my own gift

 (apparently I'm fussy)

& seen as though I have a thing for mirrors at the moment that is exactly what I have chosen.

I found this image at Interiors Online , but I hope to take my own pic to share with you soon, along with some of the other goodies I was spoilt with.

Image via Good Life of Design

I intend on hanging mine in the formal lounge room in my dream house

I'm loving round mirrors over fireplaces, which is where I will be placing my mirror 

Althought they look pretty special in the bathroom as well, from memory I think this may be one of

Sarah Richardson's beautiful bathroom designs.

 Please correct me if I'm wrong!

At this point in time I will have to hang my mirror in my bedroom, but that's okay I will get to admire it every morning as soon as I open my eyes,

placed strategically so I don't have  to see my scary bedhead of course!!

Have a fabulous week everyone & thank you for being such lovely blog friends, I really do appreciate you comments & well wishes

xxx

CHEERS

Trish xx

Happy Birthday to me!

I can't be I am confessing this but today is my

40thbirthday!!!

I guess like they say

"Growing old is inevitable, but, growing up is optional!"

I recently spotted a T shirt that said

"I am not 40, I am 18 with 22 years experience"

You just have to love that!!

Any way,

Happy birthday to me, no doubt my lovely family will spoil me rotten, so i will get back to you on that later.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone, do YOU have anything fun planned?

CHEERS

Trish xxx



My Birthday Boy

My little man has turned 8 yrs old this week.

I can't believe how quickly he has grown up, especially in the past 12 months. He has matured greatly & is really growing into a nice boy.

We decided to let him have a slumber party this year & he invited the 6 boys that live in our street.he plays with these kids every day, rain hail or shine. we really are lucky to live in such a family filled street. between the boys & girls there is generally at least a dozen kids out in the street on bikes & scooters or just hanging out having a good time!

We call  the boys the scooter gang, 4 of them are 8yr olds & the other 3 kids are 11 yrs old. I was a little apprehensive about the older 3 coming, but they all got on like a house on fire & really had the most fun!

there was a lot of scooter action, they are certainly a daring bunch.

I purchased a NERF gun for each kid, instead of giving the traditional lolly bag.

They had some pretty awesome gun fights & once it got dark they launched a full scale night battle using nothing but lasers to guide them, total boy heaven apparently, or as they put it

"sick as!"

We took full advantage of Halloween & had a spooky theme for our party food.

Skeletons on the cake where a big hit!

We served lollies & chips in witches cauldrons...

Chocolate spiders in skull cup cake papers

&

unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of my best creation....eyeball jelly!

I made jelly in plastic cups & pushed plastic eye balls into them when it was set.

 Yes they where also described as "sick as!"

They went full speed until midnight & got back up at 6am, I awoke to a barrage of foam darts pounding my bedroom door!

They devoured an enormous amount of pancakes for breaky & then back to the gun battle & death defying scooter acts.

Believe it or not, the only injury was by the birthday boy himself...he was walking out of his bedroom & kicked his toe on the tall boy, split it open & it appears to be broken.

I couldn't believe it!!

All in all they had a wonderful time & I am exhausted, so I guess that's a sign of a great party.

Happy Birthday Big T

xxxx





A Great Weekend

Monday again & another weekend has passed us by.

We had a hectic but fun time this weekend.

My son has had his first season of playing soccer this year & I imagine there will be many  more seasons to come. In the under 8's it is just a friendly comp, so they don't have a grand final or any points score, they just learn how to enjoy the sport. My dream child No.3 was fortunate to start out in a team full of great kids & great families, we really made some nice friends from the team. The boys all played really well together & under the guidance of their coach they made it thru the whole season undefeated, that is, until this Saturday. The last game of the season they where defeated 1-0.

Now to the coaches credit, he spent the season not just teaching the boys the skills & rules of soccer, he also taught them how to play as a team & most importantly he taught them about good sportsmanship. Instead of being devastated about losing that last game & spoiling their perfect record, they shook hands with the opposition & got on with the end of season celebrations. I have to say I have never felt prouder of my son & his team mates... a lot of adults could take a lesson from this group of 7yr old boys, they are true champions!!!

Thank You super coach & to a wonderful bunch of families that make up this great little team, can't wait for next year!!!

My little guy is so happy to have his first ever trophy!!!

Now anyone that has been reading my blog for a while would know that about a month ago my dream child No.2 moved away to live with her dad & now lives 4 hours away from me. She has always lived with me since her father & I divorced, so I was EXTREMELY devastated to see her go.

 It was her 15th birthday this weekend & she wanted to come & spend it with me , so my very wonderful friend Beth drove her up, bringing along her own beautiful daughter & my dream girls best friend. We had the nicest time together & it was just the best thing ever to be able to share Dream child No.2's birthday.

 From left to right, Dream child No.2, her best friend, Beth's daughter & dream child No.1

Beth & I met when our 2 daughters began playing together at school in yr3, they are now in yr 11, living 4 hours apart & still best friends after all this time. Dream child No.1 & Beth's daughter will be best buddies for ever I imagine. I don't think a day goes by without them chatting. They even call themselves sisters & have made plans for flatting together when they leave home !!!

Thank You so much Beth for being such a wonderful friend & bringing my baby home for me to hug!!!

& here is my dream child No.4, she loved having her big sister home for the weekend & thoroughly enjoyed showing off for everyone at the local playground.

The weather was so perfect all weekend.

We watched soccer, shopped til we dropped, hung out at the play ground, had a party, ate cake, pizza, lollies, drank nice coffee & nice wine.

We cheered,  we chatted, we laughed & we cried, but most of all, we had a FABULOUS time!!!

Now to end my weekend on an even higher note I have to say a big THANK YOU to you guys, my wonderful blog friends!!!

Imagine my surprise when I signed into my blog on Sunday night, only to discover I have hit

100 Followers

WOOT WOOT !!!!!

I love that you find my blog interesting enough to actually want to be a follower. I love your comments & feed back. You have all been so helpful when I'm stuck on a decision for my dream house, & very supportive when I was sad about my dream child No.2 moving away.

Thank you for your friendship, your encouragement, your inspiration & all the wonderful things you share with me & teach me thru your own blogs everyday.

Thank You my Bloggy friends xxx

How was your weekend, I hope it was as much fun as mine!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

A happy birthday dinner

Happy Birthday to my dream guy!!!!

Now I am not one to get a lot of pleasure from cooking up a storm, so, unfortunately for my dream guy, his birthday cake was lovingly made at "Woolworth's Supermarket". It was a Delicious white chocolate mud cake & even though he did enjoy it, I'm sure he would have loved a scrumptious creation from Katena's kitchen at  Taylor made baking

We grew up in the same home town as Katena & know her well, so its fantastic to see her baking achievements on her blog, you should drop by & see her work, you'll want to hire her for your next party, I do!!!

I did how ever impress the big guy with this tasty little appetiser that I got from Alicia over at                       A Beautiful Mess

You need to drop by & get her recipe for this lovely Avocado salsa style dish, its easy to make(right up my ally) & YUUUUUMMMMMYYYY!!!!

She hosts a Tasty Tuesdays Blog hop, which is extremely popular. You are likely to find many delicious dishes!!!

I then went on to order a pile of pizza's to be home delivered , what a wife hey!
I do buy him his favourite beverage, BEER, to wash down all of these convenience foods....
So happy birthday Dream guy!

CHEERS
Trish
xxxxxx