Point & Shoot: Back to work

After two weeks and one day break, I'm back to work this morning and so is Hubby. Life is back to normal. I quickly snapped this photo last night after dinner, because I totally forgot to take one on the weekend. It's taken from our balcony.

How was your weekend? What did you get up to?

Want to play Point & Shoot too? Read here for details. Share a link to your photo below. x

The Blogger Awards

I thought it might be fun today, in spirit of the Academy Awards, to do a little round up of awards for my favourite blogs and bloggers. There is no glitz, glamour or red carpets here... just a nice little list of the best blogs in my reader list. To be taken to the award-winning blog, just click the image.

The Happy Home gets my Best Aussie Blog award for being a great all-rounder. Belinda is exceptionally talented at writing and creating, as well as mothering and blogging. Love her work!

Cakies is my favourite blog at the moment. It's got a little bit of everything, and I always come away feeling all warm & fuzzy. Head over and see her creative pregnancy announcement. Too cute for words!

If you want real life drama, with little bits of everything for everyone, Maxabella is the blog to visit. I'm loving seeing Maxabella blossom into a must-read blog. She writes beautiful posts, with stunning images to match. Perfection.
Oh! Love Gabby's wardrobe! Gabby gets the best dressed award for me. It was hard to pick... but I had to pick the one that aroused the biggest pangs of wardrobe envy and Young, Fat & Fabulous won!

I dare you not to laugh at Kerri's funny antics on her blog Life & Other Crises. So funny is Kerri that she's penned a book that will hit stores in May. Keep your eyes peeled for When My Husband Does The Dishes...

Sheye is an amazing blogger, mama and photographer. I love her work. Her photos are magical and take me away to faraway places. When I see that Sheye has written a new blog spot, my heart skips a beat. It seriously does.

My best international blog award goes to Girl's Gone Child. Rebecca is one of my most favourite writers. She pulls at my heart strings and has me nodding along in agreement as I read. I wish I could have a dash of her talent.

The blogging community is a lovely one with loads of lovely supportive bloggers. Liss has always been there for me and always has the best advice. Love her. xx

What are your favourite blogs at the moment? Who would win the awards in your eyes?

February Giveaways: And the winners are...

Thank you to everyone that entered the giveaways in February. Here are the winners! I have all of your emails and will be in touch soon.

The winners are:

Urban Nest Artworks
Owl: Jule
Tree: Hayley
Aliens: Belinda

EucoFresh Laundry Powder
Fiona
Jay
Loueze
Alex
MarissaF
Corinne

Candy Rings
Kat's Creations
Becc

Pilot Pens
Simone
Leimay
Chelley

Congratulations! xx

{image}

The day I earned my superhero stripes...

Yesterday as I drove to pick up Lacey from Kindy I witnessed something. A bus swiped a parked car, almost completely tearing off the front bumper.

Hubby once told me that if a bus has any sort of accident they have to stay parked, offload the passengers and wait until some bus-type officials come and assess the situation. Well, not this bus. It went on it's merry way.

I channeled some sort of action/thriller type movie and decided that it was my duty, being a witness, to chase that bus down and get the details... and then put them on the parked car. I'd be devastated if someone had done the same to me.

So I followed the bus, and risked having to pay $5 per minute for picking up Lacey late for school. It was a thriller, I tell you.

Whenever I'm stuck behind a bus, it usually seems to stop at every stop, blocking teeny Bondi streets and making me frustrated and delayed to where ever it is that I'm headed. Not this bus though, it didn't seem to want to ever stop. Never fear though, I kept following that bus.

Fifteen minutes later it finally stopped. I whipped around to the driver's side {still in my car}, honked the horn and motioned for the driver to open his window. "You hit that car back there," I said in my best cranky mama voice, "You didn't even stop!"

The driver looked at me with a puzzled look on his face, "What?"

My experience as a nanny for 12 years, a mother for 3 years and a wife for almost 6 years has allowed me to see 'playing dumb' more than once. "You hit a parked car at your last stop and you just drove away."

He maintained the puzzled look on his face and pretty much gave me nothing. In true action-type fashion, I was blocking traffic and the drivers around me were growing increasingly frustrated. They honked and showed me their frustration. I had no choice but to move on.

As I hesitantly moved forward and out of the way, I looked in my rear-vision mirror. The car that had been swiped all those streets ago sped up to the bus and parked in it's path, forbidding it a quick getaway, an irate man exited the car and approached the bus driver.

I performed a fast u-turn, parked the car and gave the irate man my number, "I saw him hit your car, followed him to tell him. Call me if you need anything."

Through his anger he mustered a "Thank you" and grabbed my phone number from my sweaty palms.

I drove off as a superhero and arrived just in time for pick-up without incurring the $5 a minute fee, making me a super-mum of sorts too.


When is the last time you did a good deed? What did it involve? Did you get that warm & fuzzy feeling afterwards?

{image}

Update on things here on FMS...

Hello! I just wanted to let you know that I've turned off the Disqus commenting system here, and it's back to good old blogger. Disqus wasn't working the way I'd hoped, so I thought I'd go back to what I loved in the past {the blogger commenting system}.

The problem with that is that I lost all the comments from everyone over the past few months. I still have all the giveaway comments in my email, so I'll pick a winner from there soon.

Thanks to everyone who commented in the past few days. I was hoping to get back to commenting on your comments today... but now they're... gone.

I hope you're having a lovely day. I've been making cheese and bacon rolls for Lacey for when I do the kindy pick-up. She's going to be in heaven!

{image}

There's no place like home.

{image: yvette inufio}

I love getting out of the City and away from home, but there is nothing like putting that key in the front door and arriving home. Last week we headed off to celebrate my father-in-law's 70th birthday, but unfortunately moments after we arrived he fell ill and had to be taken to hospital. We extended our stay to be with him... and arrived home yesterday. He's still in hospital but will hopefully be back to his cheery old self in no time.

To focus on the positive I thought I'd share a few things that I love about returning home:

♥ it's as simple as putting the key in the door. I just seem to relax and enjoy that I'm home
♥ unpacking & washing all my clothes. I love {weird, I know} sorting through my clothes and getting everything fresh & clean
♥ the smell of home
♥ restocking the cupboards & then cooking a home cooked meal
♥ I love getting mail, and getting home and sorting through my mail makes my heart sing. As you can imagine, coming home to 6 parcels yesterday was a lovely little treat
♥ seeing friends & family again
♥ visiting my favourite sushi place. Yesterday we jumped out of the taxi, dropped our bags and heading for a good sushi fix. Delish!
♥ being near my places: my favourite beach, my shops, my restaurants... I just loving having them there when I need

What do you love about heading back home after a break? Or would you rather not return home?

Jennifer Aniston's new hairdo. Did you ever get a 'Rachel'?

As a teen I remember heading to the hairdressers more than once with an image from some trashy magazine of Jennifer Aniston, and asking to have her hair. Or at least a cut the same. The first time I wanted exactly the same look, and walked out looking nothing like Rachel {from friends}.

The second time I tried to adapt the look to my hair and asked for longer layers, and I still left not looking like Jennifer Aniston at all. I was a teen in the 90's and hairstraighteners didn't exist. We used to straighten our hair with the old iron... and even then it was a bit of a failure.

Jennifer Aniston has unveiled her new 'do in Spain. Well, not really unveiled... she basically had it cut and hit the red carpet.

Is it sad that I love it and 15 years since I first walked in with that torn out magazine page to the hairdressers, I want to walk in again with this one? Have you ever tried to copy a celebrity's hairstyle? Did you ever ask for a 'Rachel'?

{image}

Makes me feel like dancing.

It all started at High School at the disco, that's when the love affair really began. Each time the song started to play my friends would grab me, because it was my song. After the school years were over and I made new friends and we spent night after night in clubs {mainly retro clubs and other pubs}, they knew my song as well... and we always danced.

Years went by and friends from school married and during the reception we found ourselves dancing to my song whilst wearing wedding dresses, and even with babies in our bellies. The times may change but our songs never do.

My song is the Jackson 5: Don't blame it on the sunshine.

What song always gets you on the dance floor? What song is your song?

Oh, and by the way, when is the last time you danced?

{image}

Five Faves: Online clothing stores

I remember searching for a size 16 dress for my year 12 formal, and it was sheer hell. I contemplated not even going because it was so depressing. Eventually I found a mediocre blue dress hiding in a store corner, and snapped it up reluctantly.

Fast forward a decade and a bit {really? Has it been that long?} and finding plus-size fashion is easier, and actually even... fun! These days with the wonders of the world wide web fashion from around the globe is available at my chubby fingertips. Here are my current five favourite places to shop online for clothes...
Evans.co.uk has on trend pieces, and I've found the quality to be really good. Last year I picked up a Beth Ditto collection cardigan and the quality is the best I've seen.

Gap.com rocked my maternity world when I was pregnant. I love them for basics likes jeans, camisoles, and singlets. Isn't this little black dress super cute?

Virtu is one of my latest finds, and I'm already in love. Whilst some of the styles seem a little daggy... if you search through the pages and pages you'll find a few sweet pieces. They've got a great sale on at the moment with prices as low as $9. You've got to love that. {This dress above is reduced from $90 to $29}.

ASOS.com stocks the best clothes... ever. Sometimes the quality is hit and miss, but the price is always right. At the moment they seem to have an ongoing promotion for free shipping worldwide {I am crossing my fingers that it's forever!}. I'm coveting this beautiful floral dress right now...
City Chic is one store that I have nearby to home, so I often go in and have a look at the clothing available. Okay, often is an understatement. I was in there so much last year that the sales assistant knew me by name, as well as Lacey too. In fact, as I type this I'm wearing a City Chic maxi dress. I love them... and I love this jacket too.

What's your favourite online store? Where do you find yourself shopping most often?

The most beautiful Rose.

Her name was Rosey, and she was the sweetest person I've ever known. I don't recall her ever being mad or even raising her voice. She only ever wanted us to be loved and happy.

We lived three hours away, so every few months we'd pile into our air-conditionless car and trek from the country to the City. Ma drove and my three siblings and myself fought over the front seat {big Sis always won}.

It seemed worlds away from where we lived, with busy roads, traffic lights, small yards with fences and gates. Each house in my Nanna's street seemed to be filled with people from different cultures. It wasn't like back home.

We pulled into her driveway, off the busy road and she was always waiting with her fluffy white dog in her arms. She oozed love and smiles, from her frail little body. He skin was always so soft and fragile, and her hair as white as the clouds above.

She always baked for us, but played it down as if it was no effort at all. There were pumpkin scones and peanut butter biscuits. She gave us cola and green cordial, treats that were taboo in our home but a welcomed and adored treat in hers.

Being at Nanna's house was like stepping back in time. She had an old fashioned television and phone, dated but meticulous furniture, a big wireless radio in the dining room and an old hand-wound clock in the lounge room that boomed every hour, scaring us as it echoed through the house.

After each stay we'd pile back in the car for the drive back home. Nanna would stand behind her gates, in her beautiful garden, waving her hanky and shouting at a gentle "Hooroo" to us as we drove off.

We'd crane our necks and watch her for as long as she stayed in sight.

Slowly as the years passed, our Nanna deteriorated. Her smiles faded, along with her memory and she could no longer take care of herself.

She lived with us for a short while, with her fluffy white dog, but as a self-concerned teen I didn't really appreciate her company as much as I should have. Eventually she deteriorated so much that she needed to be cared for in a nursing home.

By the time she is in full-time care, I'd matured into an adult and moved to the City. Every second Friday I headed out west to visit her. It wasn't the same without the cola and the cookies, and the smiling happy Nanna I remembered from my childhood.

Each fortnight I sat with her for a few hours. We walked into the quaint courtyard and soaked up some sunshine. We didn't talk about much, but just kept each other company.

After about six months of visiting Nanna Rose, I arrived one Friday and we sat again in the courtyard. The nursing home cat purred at our feet. Nanna looked at me with a vacant stare and asked, "Who are you?"

She continued, "You keep coming week after week, but I don't know who you are. I asked the nurse and she doesn't know who you are either."

I giggled and tried to explain who I was without upsetting her. I was heartbroken, not so much that she didn't know who I was but more that I was losing my Nanna.

I stopped turning up on our Friday dates. My heart ached and I couldn't bear to go anymore, especially alone.

With months between our visits I noticed that Nanna was deteriorating with dementia. Some days were good and she'd remember us and the past.

Other days she'd sing songs from her childhood but couldn't recall any of us.

Months later Nanna Rosey passed away. As we sat in her small funeral we all held one of Nanna's hankies, and through tears we said our own "Hooroo" to her.

It's now that I miss her most, as a mum and seeing my own mum as a wonderful nanna herself. My own mum said a few weekends back as she collected flowers with Lacey is in the backyard, "Nanna & Lacey would have been great friends. They would have chatted and pottered around."

I wish that she was here to see us now, to meet Lacey, to see me as a mama. I'd love to see her smile, to watch her one more time, standing in her garden waving us goodbye.

{image}

Point & Shoot: Beach Time.

Hello, and happy Monday! This morning my Point & Shoot is a little bit cheeky, as it's actually from this morning and not from the weekend at all. At the moment we're on holidays {well, not really holidays but not working at the moment} and I snuck out for an early morning walk on the beach. It was quiet... with barely a soul in sight. It was just me and this little seagull.

I also had a dip in the ocean and it was beautiful. Chilly at first, as it always seems to be, but beautiful once I was in.

How was your weekend? What did you get up to?

Want to play Point & Shoot too. Read here for details. Share a link to your photo below. x

Inspiration: Do what you can...

Everyday last year Parker Fitzgerald combined a polaroid photo and a quote in his 365 day project to create a pretty cool collection. This is one of my favourites, but you can see the rest here. Be inspired. xx

February Giveaways: Don't forget to enter...

Don't forget to enter to win in the giveaways for February. They end on Monday, and you won't want to miss out! Enter here. x

{image}

Happy weekend...

Have a great weekend everyone. I hope this week has treated you well. xx

Letter to Lacey: Thirty Four Months

You ran in from outside and asked for your hat.

"Mama, I need my hat!"

I told you where to find it, and you ran around in a hurry trying to get it as fast as you possibly could.

With it clutched in your hands, you quickly ran for the door. "Kissy?" I asked.

You took a moment to plant a kiss on me, and then headed hastily for the door. "Love you Lacey!" I yelled after you.

I heard your footsteps down the hallway, until all of a sudden they stopped and they started heading back my way.

You poked your little head around the corner and declared, "Mama. I love you so much!"

And off you went.

I love you Lacey. We love you. xx

BLOGversation: Time management

Hello! It's time again for a little BLOGversation. BLOGversation? It's where we chat about a topic that's blog related. Feel free to jump on in and share your perspective.

Today the topic is time management. How do you fit blogging {or even blog reading} into your schedule. Do you make it a priority, or is it somewhere down the bottom of the list? Do you take a little time out each day to blog... or is blogging your job and you do it all day long?


When I was nannying I definitely had my time management more under control. I woke early and did a little blogging at my favourite time of day {before the sun and baby are up!}. Now because I work online all day, it's easy to get distracted by work and leave blogging behind {something I am working on fixing!}.

I look forward to hearing your time management tips. Join the BLOGversation below. x

{image via cherry blossom girl}

Stuff my kid says.

Me: Come on. Let's go.
Lacey: Huh?
Me: Come on, we're going to the shops.
Lacey: Huh?
Me: We're going to the shops.
Lacey: Huh?
Me: Don't say 'huh?', say pardon.
Lacey: Huh?
Me: Say pardon.
Lacey: Pardon.
Me: Good girl. Come on, let's go.
Lacey: Huh?

Kids say the funniest things. They also sometimes say the most annoying things. At the moment Lacey is saying 'huh' all the time. It's slowly driving me bonkers. What have your kids said lately that's driving you a little bit crazy?

{image}

Taking a tour of Choice: What I saw.

I am a self-confessed dork. I created my own homework to do during school holidays. I liked {and still do} hearing how things work. I used to read our encyclopedias, as a kid, for fun. When I was 8 I created my own computer program that solved maths problems. I've shared too much, haven't I?

When Choice emailed and asked if I wanted to take a tour, I jumped at the chance with excitement.

Choice was my online bible when I was pregnant. I loved reading all the info on things to buy for baby, and making my decisions based on them... so to see how they came to those conclusions was intriguing for me.

Our first stop was the Choice kitchens, where we saw the end of the slow-cooker testing. A bunch of the most popular slow-cookers throughout Australia were tested by Fiona {the Choice kitchen guru}. Each item tested by Choice is tested under exactly the same conditions, and the slow-cookers were no exception. They had the same meal cooked inside, for the same period of time, under the same conditions.

What happens once all the food is cooked? Well, those Choice staffers have a mean lunch, of course! An email goes around the office that there's a lunch going around and everyone heads down for a yummy meal. I would have liked to be there for the ice-cream testing {note the ice-cream containers in the background}, perhaps next time!

Next we headed into the small appliance testing area {think coffee makers} and into baby-related product testing. Antonio is the guru for this kind of testing. We saw how dummies/pacifiers are tested, as well as toys and more. We even got to see in the cupboard of the toys that didn't make it onto our store shelves.

We then moved onto the area where bassinets and cots are tested. Antonio is the lucky guy to put all these cots together. There's so much that goes into testing any product, but baby products are uber important. They test if fingers can get stuck, if heads can be jammed, ventilation and so much more.

{Light globes being tested}

Our last leg of the tour took us to the pram testing area, where prams undergo rigorous training and testing. Training, I hear you ask? Yep, every pram spends hours and hours on a treadmill with the equivalent weight of a baby in it's seat {strapped in for safety, of course!}.

The tour eventually came to an end, after we explored every nook and cranny of Choice. I had one burning question I had to ask though, "What happens to all the tested toys once they're done?"

Well the ones that pass the Choice test get generously donated to charity. Doesn't that leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy?

Read more about Choice here.