Taking Stock - How is it even August?!

Making : I'd put it of as long as I could, but the nagging of my eldest girl Isabel got he better of me and I helped them make slime! We had no food colouring, so it looked a little 'Something about Mary', but the girls added glitter and it turned out well. 

Cooking : Dinner last night for my brother and sister in law. It was the AFL South Australian show down between the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide. We watched in disappointment as Port got flogged, but ate well! I made roasted veggie couscous and creamy bacon and broad bean pasta. My SIL Margi, bought along carrot salad to go with our barbecue meat. 

The weather was rough as guts, with a high of 8, and a 'feels like' temp of 2! Not the best barby weather. Boggy set the BBQ up in the shed with the fire box going. 

Roasted veggie cous cous is as easy as roasting cubes of eggplant, pumpkin, capsicum, onion and tomato. Throw some peeled garlic cloves, cumin, salt and olive oil over the top and bake at 200 for 20 minutes. Mix through some prepared cous cous, and mix in some finely chopped preserved lemon. Add lemon juice and zest if you don't have preserved lemon. I served it with feta cheese broken up over the top. Delish.

Drinking : Eight dollar cans of UDL at the pub over the weekend. My friend Elle and I went to the Raw Muscle male revue show at the Sporties (local pub). It was a fantastic ladies night out! 

Trawling: Online shopping sites. Is it just me, or does everyone else has a multitude of unchecked out shopping carts, in their 'Other bookmarks' folder?! It's like an online wishlist reminder!

Wanting: For rainbows to actually have a pot of gold at the end, and that rainbow to end on my front door step!

Looking: At online plant suppliers to cheaply fill the gaps in the garden where I have pulled out other stuff and gotten rid of ivy. I have a big space to fill that is shady and am thinking Hydrangeas or Camellias. Big beautiful plans! 

Deciding: What my lesson plans will entail for my upcoming Tiny Tots classes on Friday. I started teaching gymnastics to a class of six, 4/5 year old children this term. Challenging, as I have never done it before and I am still getting to know the kids. Challenging too, as the end of year concert is in early term 4 and I have to have them skill ready to perform. I am not putting too much pressure on, ten lessons isn't much time to reinforce a well seasoned four year old gymnast! 

Wishing: I don't usually enter, but I am hoping, like every time I see it come on, that the Sunrise Cash Cow would ring my dear old darling Dad. If anyone deserves that call he does! Hopefully he isn't on the dunny when they call!

Enjoying: A Pinot Grig(io) after my footy dinner party. 

Waiting: For my new phone to turn up. I am going to love, love the 13 megapixel camera. My camera/phone is so last century!

Wondering: Wondering when my kids will stop being sick. The first week of school holidays I had Isabel home from school for two days with a bug, and this week Summer has had a sore belly and an on and off temp. I need a break!

Loving: That Survivor is back on again. It fills the hole from Masterchef and gives me something to get excited about watching when the kids go to bed. I have not gotten on the Netflix bandwagon and can't see myself making the time for it either. Mainstream TV is floating my boat at the moment. I have always been daggy like that.

Listening: Well, intending to listen to Woogsworld podcast called The Hot Flush. I think I had my first hot flush on Saturday night before going out. My face and neck felt so hot and I found myself fanning my face in an attempt to cool down. The rest of my body was cold. Husband was worried I was sick and coming down with something. My cheeks still felt hot as I ordered tea, and thank goodness it had settles down before dinner arrived and the impending male review show! LOL.

Considering: Ordering menopause herbs and concoctions!

Buying: New undies. Is there any pleasure that is better? Besides new sheets of course. Now there's a debate.

Watching: Old reruns of the Kenny Everett show. Oh the memories of being a teenager in the eighties. It's still ridiculously funny. The teenage must watches or die a horribly devastatingly death of FOMO, was missing Kenny Everett, Countdown or The Goodies. Monkey Magic too for argument sake :)

Hoping: I have a carefree, stress free week. There seems to always be something lately that throws a spanner in the works. 

Marvelling: At my gorgeous little ray of sunshine, Summer. She came home from school telling me her friend(a boy) was doing Gangnam style dance at school. You know the wrist on wrist pony move. So she joined in doing the waving the wrist in the air and holding on the reigns move with him. Too bloody cute. I would have loved being a fly on the wall. She said no one was watching, and it resonates with me with the quote to dance as though no one is watching. A total five year old initiative. 

Cringing: At myself. I realised at the end of the day, as I reclined back on my couch, that I'd had my tracky daks on inside out all day! Total bogan move. It didn't look that obvious and I realise I I don't spend enough time on myself in regards to getting dressed in the morning. 

Needing: I am sure I say this way too much, but a holiday on my own.I have to plan a weekend away before we go away to the Goldie at the end of the month.

Questioning: Whether it was wise to buy a whole cask of Pinot Grigio. It was out for $11, surely too good to leave in the bargain trolley. 

Smelling:  An auntie Janet died a while ago and my uncle had her old perfumes and passed them on to my mum. She's been sharing the smelly love and I ended up going through it and picked out a few of still good old school Avon scents. Brings back memories. I also went through the five dollar bargain bin at the chemist and got some eau de parfum, so I am smelling fine.

Wearing: Comfy, warm clothes. I wish I had a pair of good ugg boots. I don't. So it's thick warm socks and slippers inside. It's super cold right now.

Knowing: I am more aware of the need to make the time I have during the week when the kids are at school, and my husband is at work, to do all the things I need to do to make my life easy and happy. I am learning to leave all the rest for whenever, like housework and the things that makes everyone else comfortable. The next important thing is making sure the kids are happy. I am not responsible for my hubby, he's on his own, and big and ugly enough to pitch an look after himself. 

Thinking: I need to keep up with making an extensive list of jobs at the start of the day to make sure I am on task for the week. The easy things are feeding the animals, a dog, a cat, the chooks, the canaries and the hook beaked birds in the aviary. The extra stuff is lesson planning for gymnastics and keeping my son on an even track with his appointments and life goals. I do realise I have a little more responsibilities than the average Joe, which is why it is so important to keep on top of things. 

Admiring: Teachers everywhere. I only have two classes a week for gymnastics, that I have to lesson plan for. I have total respect for teachers who lesson plan an entire year of classes, every day of term. 

Getting: An understanding of being a committee member and employee of a sporting club. Lots of extra work that goes unseen and unappreciated until you become a part of it. Get involved and help out if your your child is part of sporting organisation, if you can. 

Bookmarking: Unchecked out shopping carts, for you know, a rainy day. I can assure you that some of these shopping carts will remained unchecked out!

Opening: A can of whoop arse if my sons flatmate doesn't cough up some rent money this week! I am a ninja warrior bitch mofo, so look out sunshine! I am one of those people who gives a bit of slack and then all of a sudden whips like a rubber band to the ball sack. It worked last time anyway. #takenoprisoners #itstoowetfoyoshittobeoutonthestreet

Closing: My account with Booking.com. I can't cancel a booking who has not paid a deposit, can go suck my not existent balls.

Feeling: Good.

Dreaming: Of the warmer weather of the Gold Coast at the end of the month.

Hearing: Rain drops.

This is before she put on her footy boots. They were caked in mud from the week before!

Celebrating: My little Isabel fairy, getting her first improvement award at footy. Go my girl. Here I was dreaming of her winning medals for her gymnastics, and she's given it away to play footy. My son played footy for Tant for years. I thought my days of waiting at footy practise and weekend footy days were over. You never cease to amaze me my girl x 

Pretending: This parenting shiz isn't hard. It's bullshit hard. Just when you think you got it licked, it kicks you in the reals. Just when you don't need it to. Little fuckers. Also pretending that when I yell and carry on like a pork chop passers by can't hear it. I am such an optimist!

Embracing: My new role at the the Millicent Gymnastics Club. I am loving it. It's early days and I am an accredited coach, but it feels like I am faking it as I make it. I have loved the first term of Kindergym and am loving and acing it. Of course there is the new challenge of teaching four and five year old children gymnastic skills and I am nervous and stepping in unsure ground. I am sure my kids are going to yell "the ground is lava in 3,2,1" at any moment! I have nightmares about this shiz you know!

An InLinkz Link-up

Roadtrip to the footy

After reading through a few #IBOT posts last night, I got onto cooking cupcakes for the photo day/morning tea at kindy tomorrow. It's not usually a kindy day for us, I'd have rather bummed around the house than had to be there at a quarter to 9 on our 'day off'. Oh well.

While the cupcakes cooked I uploaded these photos from our weekend in Adelaide. Twas a good one, except for the bit on Mother's day on the way home, where I sat in the back squished between two car seats with my annoying darling children either side.

It was like a little holiday. Except when we got home, I felt like I really need a holiday. Alone!

We stopped in Kingston, across the road from the Big Lobster to eat our ham sandwiches. The girls ate chips.

Keeper of the stereo aka Jake

So glad my boy decided to come with us.

On our way home, Mother's Day. We stopped at the Hahndorf Farm Barn. Rubber boots
is the best footwear. You tread on a lot of poo.

Summer was fearless. I was worried the goats were going to eat her jumper off her back!

See the paper feed bag. A deer would later take it and eat it, food, paper and all! It was hilarious.

An arvo at AAMI, Port vs Carlton

On Saturday arvo, along with forty five thousand others, we made our way to AAMI Stadium in West Lakes, for the last of the AFL home and away matches. 

It was a snap decision earlier in the week to go and see Port Adelaide take on Carlton. It's the first time we'd been to AAMI, and the girls first ever AFL footy match. 

It was packed, the atmosphere was awesome, and the kids were perfect. The only complaint from Izzy was when she couldn't hear my phone from all the noise in the last quarter, she took numerous photos of the back of the head of the man in front of us. Summer slept through most of the last half and woke to chants of 'Power, power, power', and the raucous that comes with a close tussle.

Port dominated up until the last quarter when Carlton came back from nowhere to win by a point. I like to think Kenny (the port coach) told the boys to take it easy in that last quarter, to save themselves for this weekends final against Collingwood. That's my theory for Port losing and I'm sticking by it. 

I heard a Carlton supporter yell out "Carlton are playing like shit, and we're still beating them", keep thinking that sunshine, they let you have it. 

I haven't really followed much of Collingwoods games this season, so I'll will be torn watching this Saturday night. I'm a sucker for going for the underdog, so I think my heart will be with Port. I am a South Australian after all. 

The sun sunk below the members stand during half time, so we got some reprieve after that. Lots of sunscreen before then.

Dad's influence. Throwing undies up into the fan, and watching them fly around the room.
It had us all cackling in the hotel room that morning.

It's footy season again!

If you live in the southern states, you would be well aware that the 2013 AFL footy season has begun. This past weekend, the second round of weekly games were played. For the second week in a row, I have sat down and watched the Port Power game, all of it, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm excited about their season, excited to see the new talent(more about that later, wink..wink).

While Collingwood is and always will be my one and only, I do have a soft spot for Port. After all, I am a South Australian who loves the Magpies, Port Adelaide was my favourite SANFL team. Port Power happens to be my hubbys team too, or should I say, is still his favourite team. After their dismal embarrassing grand final loss several years ago and their poor performance since, he was ready to disown them.

Summer is supposed to inherit his Port support, like I claimed Izzy for the Maggies. She did have a little Port jumper when she was about 3 months old, but we(or he) has failed to buy her any Port paraphernalia, you know, the scarf, the beany. Gotta do something about that. Izzy is all kitted out with a Collingwood guernsey, beany and scarf. There has even been talk of going to a Port game when we go to Adelaide soon. Dunno how that is going to go with two small kids! I am not sure about how much footy we will actually see (coz u know I won't be trying to catch a perv of the new talent!).

Port have started the 2013 season amazingly well, it is good to see. However the teams they have played aren't the best and I fear after the fourth round they may find it tough, and lose their place near the top of the ladder. One can only hope that an early run of wins will give them a boost to keep playing like champions. 

One player that is already marking himself as a Port legend is Jay Schulz. After the gutsy and controversial goal on the line last week, and the goal this week that put Port in the front in the second quarter. The team never looked back, beating the Giants by a shit load ( that would translate into about 8-9 goals).

Chad Wingard
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The dynamics between Jake Neade and Chad Wingard were exciting to watch in the third quarter, just bloody football magic to be exact. I am so bloody glad I witnessed that. Thank god  for channel seven broadcasting that game! There is no Foxtel in this house, and with the promise that 7, will play every SA game, I am hoping to hell they play the Showdown next weekend or there is going to be a HUGE hissy fit in this household!! From me!! For those not in the know, the Showdown is the game between the Adelaide Crows and Port Power. I hope to Christ the Power get it right up the Crows and win! 

Jake Neade
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Lastly down to the (h.. hmm) new talent. It's the dark horse that appears in the last quarter for Port in both games. Rookie Kane Mitchell, with his Daniel Day Lewis(circa 1989) hair do. It has me and Brett asking "Who is this guy?". Well I went looking and found this photo, ah blur blah blah blur blur!!! Lol. God damn!! I just like Port Power more and more!

23 year olds aren't meant to look this good. Are they?
New bonds(james bond!!) man? Move over Pat Rafter!
Crikey!!
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