Ruth(playworkeatrepeat), Author at PLAYWORKEATREPEAT

Amazon Finds

Hey friends! Welcome to the March edition of ‘Let’s Look’. Today we are sharing our Favourite Amazon Finds. I really enjoy linking up with Shay and Erika on the second Wednesday of every month to ‘look’ at how we do life. We cover a range of fun topics and this is what we have looked at so far… In January we looked at Organising A Busy Family and in February we opened up our Medicine Cabinets to share all the things that we keep inside. And as I mentioned before, today we are going to share our favourite Amazon Finds. **Disclosure: The links provided in this post are affiliate links. I will be paid a commission if you use these links to make a purchase Favourite Amazon Finds WINDSHIELD SUNSHADE It has been insanely hot over here with temps as high as 38°C. This amazing foldable sunshade is a fantastic investment as it protects the car from harsh rays. And I don’t have to worry about having to find a shady parking spot. Best of all my fingers don’t get burnt when I touch the steering wheel and seatbelt buckle. Ouch! The windshield shade keeps my car at a comfortable temp. And I don’t have to be afraid to get inside the car even on the hottest days. CEDAR BALLS These cedar balls have been brilliant for keeping the moths away from my jumpers. I was so annoyed last winter when a couple of my work jumpers had holes in them where some moths had enjoyed a feast. I love that these cedar balls also leave a faint cedar smell which keeps my jumpers smelling fresh. So much nicer than the smell of moths balls which are made out of highly toxic naphthalene!! HOLLYWOOD FASHION TAPE This Hollywood Fashion Tape is a must-have! The double-sided tape holds my clothes in place perfectly. I don’t have to worry about my blouses gaping or stubborn necklines that have the scary potential of accidentally revealing way too much! ICE CUBE TRAYS I bought this set of 2 ice cube trays a while ago. They make big round ice balls and large ice cubes. And I made some really fun ice cubes to go in our Christmas punch. If you add berries or sprigs of herbs to the ice cubes then they make your drinks look very fancy. My cousin also has one of these trays and she used hers to make large round cranberry juice ice balls to go with refreshing Prosecco. CAT/DOG GROOMING BRUSH This pet brush has been brilliant for keeping my lovely little cats fur from going all over my furniture. She loves being brushed and then all I have to do to get the fur off the brush. Is push the button at the back and it all comes off as one clump. So easy! BURT’S BEES KISSABLE HOLIDAY GIFT SET I’m a huge fan of Burt’s Bees products and I especially love their lip balm. These fun shimmery colours are really pretty and they keep my lips moisturised throughout the day. And there we have it! Six of my favourite Amazon finds for this month. Thank you so much for stopping by today and I really hope that you have the best Wednesday!

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Weekend Highlights

8 Comments / Hello Monday

Hi everyone! It’s great to be back again today linking up with Holly and Sarah to share a few of my weekend highlights! I hope that you all had a great weekend. Even though it’s now autumn here in Sydney. I don’t think that we will be feeling any cool temps for a while. And this is totally ok with me! And by the looks of this week’s weather forecast we are in for a scorcher of a week! Anyway, I’m so glad that you are here! So let’s jump right into some weekend highlights! Friday Night I felt so tired on Friday night but I wanted to get ahead and do a bit of prep for our Saturday night family dinner. Luckily I had ordered my groceries online so I didn’t have to go anywhere near the busy supermarket. My order arrived at 7 pm and after I packed all of it away. I used up the last of my energy to make some hummus that I wanted to serve as part of the cheese platter. This is such an easy recipe to make. All you have to do is throw all the ingredients into a food processor and you’re done! It’s so easy peasy and you can find the recipe right here. A Big Family Dinner Saturday was our monthly family dinner or ‘cousin connect’ as we call it. And it was my turn to host so on Saturday afternoon my kitchen looked like this. I made some Mediterranean chicken. Which is just basically chicken thigh fillets cooked in a tomato-based sauce. Then sprinkled with feta and black olives over the top. I like to pop it back in the hot oven so that the cheese melts a bit before I serve it. I also made spinach, feta and ricotta pie. There was also a big salad, rice and sausages because I always panic that we aren’t going to have enough food! About 10 minutes before everyone started to arrive I was scrambling and only just had enough time to put this together. Phew! Luckily I had already made the hummus the night before. For dessert, I made a super easy peach cobbler and I completely forgot to take a pic when I took it out of the oven. But here is a photo of it just before it went into the oven. A Fun Night It was so good to see almost everyone. My son’s fiancee had to work and my cousin’s girlfriend couldn’t make it as she was busy packing to move house so we missed seeing them. But there’s always next month! I really look forward to our monthly dinners and so this was at the top of the list of weekend highlights for sure. It was so funny, the whole family kind of arrived at almost the same time. We were all excited to see each other and we were hugging and saying hello etc. Then as soon as they found out that the black car parked in our driveway was actually Sam’s new car. Everyone went back outside again to check out his new wheels. Everybody was so happy for him! I was so thrilled that we got to eat outside in the courtyard because it can get a bit squishy in our small dining room. The weather forecast had predicted thunderstorms but luckily they were wrong. Instead, it was a beautiful night and we stayed outside finished dinner and chatted for ages. Until a cricket jumped on my aunty’s head and then the same cricket went down my top. After all the shrieking we quickly moved into the lounge room 😂. Sunday I walked to church on Sunday and it was such a beautiful day! So sunny with bright blue skies. We are studying the book of Acts and after the sermon, we sang one of my favourite songs” In Christ Alone”. I can never get past the last few lines without choking up every single time! I get so emotional whenever we sing this beautiful song in church. “From life’s first cry to final breath Jesus commands my destiny” Afternoon Tea When I got home I had some lunch and then before Steve went to work we shared a nice cup of tea and some carrot cake. Quick Trip To Aldi Later on, I walked to our local Westfields to grab a few things from Aldi. This is our quiet street. Then if you walk for about 10-15 minutes you’ll walk right into a very busy suburb with lots of shops, restaurants, cafes and tall apartment buildings. I really love where I live because it’s peaceful and calm, but still has a great buzz nearby. Here’s that amazing Aldi nighttime face cream that I mentioned the other day. I had just managed to scrape the last bit at the bottom of the jar the night before. While I was there I also bought some porcini mushroom and truffle triangoli. It’s a fancy kind of ravioli and you can’t find it in any other supermarket. I’m going to make this for dinner on Wednesday night and I’m really looking forward to it because it’s absolutely delicious! I have had it a few times before but not recently. And that wraps up my weekend highlights. Weekends, when I get to spend time with my family, are always the best ones. Now I’m staring down the barrel of a very busy week and I have something on every evening except for Wednesday. But they’re all fun things except for one so it’s all ok. I hope you have a great week and I look forward to being back here on Wednesday. Happy Monday!

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Favourite Moments Of The Week

10 Comments / Friday Favourites, Home

Happy almost weekend, friends! I am beyond ready to recharge and unwind after a long week. The week sure does feel like it has gone by in a flash. Yet I remember waking up on Monday morning and Friday felt like it was an eternity away! Anyway, it’s great to be back again on this very rainy Friday. And as usual, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika to share some of my favourite moments of the week. More Birthday Surprises! Well, the birthday surprises kept on coming! I went to my cousin’s surprise birthday lunch on the weekend and I came home with some birthday presents for myself that her family gave to me! I totally didn’t expect that at all and I was so touched by their kindness. They gave me the most beautiful Swarovski rose gold bracelet as a gift. And I love that it goes so well with my watch. In addition to the bracelet, I also received a lovely candle and a luxuriously soft scarf. So many beautiful surprises! They also gave me this delightful card which made me laugh! It’s so cute!! Pork Knuckle Dinner The last time I went to Costco was almost two months ago. And I made sure to buy a couple of pork knuckles. They are such a deliciously simple meal to put together so quickly and easily. The knuckle comes pre-cooked so all I had to do was rub oil on the skin, add salt then pop it in the oven for about an hour. Once it was ready oh my goodness that crackling was something else! It was so crispy! All I had to do to complete the meal was to quickly chop up some potatoes and pumpkin. Then I just threw them all in the pan with the pork knuckle. And as they cooked they soaked up all the delicious juices. This pork knuckle is one of my favourite go-to easy meals. Wednesday Night Date Night Steve and I went out for dinner on Wednesday night and I decided to wear a black pencil skirt and my cute leopard print sling-back pumps that I hadn’t worn in ages. It was fun to dress up a bit after being at preschool all day in shorts, sneakers, a T-shirt and blue hands from the finger painting activity! The view was beautiful. And we both enjoyed our meals as we watched the pretty sunset. Favourite Moments At Preschool I have a few favourite preschool moments to share with you guys this week. Look at this amazing hairstyle from one of our little preschoolers. Her mum is so clever! Even though I tried I couldn’t quite work out how she managed to create this work of art! This week we also had another cute lunch box. And another one of my big favourite moments of the week was a really fun incursion at preschool. We had a lion dance show! And two young guys came in to tell us all about the origins of the Chinese New Year and why the lions are so important. Most of the kids were absolutely thrilled. A couple were a bit unsure and a bit freaked out by the big lion costume so they needed extra cuddles and reassurance. But on the whole, everyone loved it. The kids got to take turns playing with the cymbals and making a whole lot of noise! Which is always a big hit with the little ones. It was a great show and it was really good that the kids were able to learn about Chinese New Year in such a fun and interactive way. I guess that wraps up a few of my favourite moments from the week. I’m so excited that it’s the weekend. And I’m looking forward to tomorrow night. Because it’s my turn to host our monthly family dinner. I’m waiting for my shopping to be delivered so I can get started on some prep just to make things easier for tomorrow. I’ve planned a Mediterranean-style menu this time. And I look forward to being back here on Monday to share some weekend highlights. Happy Friday!

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Happy Updates

11 Comments / Family Life

Hi, everyone, can you believe that it’s the first of March? Woah, I know February is a short month but really…March already??? Anyway, I’m happy to be here for this month’s edition of ‘Currently’ so I can share some happy updates. And I’m excited to be linking up with Jennifer from Overflowing With Thankfulness. Today we are looking at what we are currently Loving Starting Finishing Trying Going Loving I have been absolutely loving this summer season!! Summer in Sydney came quite late and I remember wearing layers and jackets as late as November last year. Which was quite unusual! Then once the warm weather finally kicked in. We’ve enjoyed days and days of bright sunny weather. We’ve had storms and rain in between but overall I think it’s been a good summer. I won’t mention the humidity that messes with my hair and sleep. I refuse to say anything negative about my favourite season hehe! It’s been such a treat to be able to hang out with friends and family to enjoy long sunny lunches and dinners. Soak up the warm weather and indulge in some really delicious food and drinks. I find that it’s just so much easier to get out and do fun things when the weather is good. The sunshine, bright blue skies and warmth just make everything more enjoyable. I also love being able to wear light clothes like shorts, sandals and sleeveless tops. Not having to bundle up in layers and coats is so refreshing. Of course, I know that all this is coming to a sad end soon. And today is the first day of autumn. But until the cold sets in. I’m going to make sure that I keep on relishing the warm weather. Starting I’m starting to get used to Sam having his license and driving his own car. Phew…..I said it! As you know I’m still in the process of getting used to this. And the thought of him behind the wheel makes me a bit nervous. I mean I know that he is careful and sensible but the roads in Sydney are just so very busy. I have to admit though that it’s been really great that he has been getting home from his weekend job much earlier than when he was catching public transport. Finishing Well, I’m down to the end of my favourite go-to night-time face cream. I usually use the Lacura brand from Aldi and it is really great. As it leaves my skin feeling soft, hydrated and nourished. When I first started using it I was a bit sceptical. I mean how can such an affordable face cream be as good as the fancy creams? But it honestly is! Every once in a while, I like to treat myself to a fancy cream just to mix things up. But after my little fling with the expensive creams is over, I usually come back to my good old Aldi cream. Trying I’ve been on a quest to be more organised with my meal planning. And so far so good but I have to admit that it’s still only March. My goal is to stick to being consistent for the whole year. And I’m happy to say that I am actually enjoying my new routine of sitting down on Sunday afternoons and looking through the internet for ideas and recipes. I’ve been really focused on making sure that I incorporate more veggies into my meals. The other night I made a satay chicken stir fry and I added a bag of stir fry mix rainbow vegetables. It had a whole lot of delicious vegetables and then I added a red capsicum that had been in my fridge for a while and had seen better days. That’s the thing that I love about stir fries. You can add so many vegetables that might otherwise go to waste. Going We are actually not going anywhere really. I have another five weeks before we are on term break and I have been looking at some local getaways. I would love to go somewhere to relax and unwind for a couple of days. But so far we don’t have any major exciting plans. And I guess that just about wraps up some happy updates for this month. I love this linkup because it really makes me stop and reflect on what has happened in the last month. Thank you so much for joining me today. And I hope that you have a wonderful rest of the week!

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Hello To A New Week

8 Comments / Hello Monday

Hi friends, have you ever had one of those weekends that just seem to fly by in a blink of an eye? Well, that’s exactly how I feel about this weekend. I blinked and it was gone and here we are again saying hello to a brand new week! I hope that you guys had a great weekend. Thanks so much for stopping by today and letting me share with you a few of the things that I got up to. Friday First up Friday afternoon I literally raced home from work. I had a super fast shower and got changed. Because it was finally time to go see Ed Sheeran in concert with my lovely friend! I can hardly believe that we bought the tickets almost a year ago. Here I am saying that the weekend flew by. But I think that it really feels like time has just hit fast-forward! But first…..Sushi Anyway, my friend and I both decided that it was a good idea to grab a bite to eat before we went to the concert. She brought some delicious fresh sushi. And we tucked in while we caught up on what had been going on with us over the last couple of weeks. Ed Sheeran Sydney Concert Then it was time to get going and luckily we got through the busy Friday evening traffic ok. As a result, we were at Accor stadium just before 7 pm. And oh my goodness there were SO many people! I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t been to any big events in a couple of years. But I felt kind of overwhelmed by the number of people everywhere. We walked around for a bit so I could get used to the masses before going inside the stadium. And I’m so glad that we did because this is what it looked like inside. The concert was completely sold out so eventually all of those seats, even the ones right up at the very top. They were all full. I loved that Ed Sheeran appeared right on time. And it was really fun to do the countdown with the crowd in the last ten seconds before showtime. Then all of a sudden bam there he was on stage. It definitely was a night to remember. The atmosphere was electric and the music was incredible. He is a very talented musician and he seemed very down to earth. It was such a fun night! Saturday Saturday morning I had to go to the shops to pick up a few things. Before I set out I made sure to have a coffee and make a list. Because there were a few things that I had to make sure that I didn’t forget. I also made sure to grab my list before I left home. I can’t tell you the number of times that I have gone to the shops and left my list at home grrrr!! On the way, I realised that my outfit matched my shopping bags ha! Then in the afternoon, I really enjoyed some downtime. I had a really late lunch while I watched a movie on Netflix called “The Strays”. Have you seen it? I can’t say I loved it but it was one of those movies where you feel committed enough to watch. Because you want to know how it ends. Well, it sure didn’t end the way I expected. In the evening, Sam came home from his part-time job and we had some dinner together. Then we watched the latest episode of “The Last Of Us”. Now, this is one show that I am really enjoying. And I especially love that Sam and I are watching it together. Steve works in the evenings so he hasn’t been watching it with us. But I’m pretty sure that he is secretly pleased because zombies scare him. And there are plenty of zombies in this one! Sunday was a fun day because I went to my cousin’s surprise birthday lunch. Her husband organised a really cute birthday cake. It had a picture of all their beloved cats singing happy birthday. So cute! In the excitement, her husband forgot to bring birthday candles. But it was all ok, we still sang nice and loud. After lunch, I came home and got to work on my meal planning for the week. I’m determined to do this on a Sunday afternoon. Because it really helps to keep me on track with my healthy eating goals. And it’s also great to not have to worry about what to cook each night of the week. Then I worked on my blog and before I knew it, the afternoon had flown by. Overall, it was a really great weekend and I’m thankful for all the fun times. But it was also really nice to have some time to unwind and recharge as well. It’s a bit tough saying goodbye to the weekend but I’m feeling ready to say hello to a brand new week. And tackle whatever the new week throws my way. Really I am 😜 Happy Monday! Linking up with Holly and Sarah Sharing on ;

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This Week’s Favourites

6 Comments / Friday Favourites

Hiya friends. I know I say this a lot but seriously! This week really went by so fast!! It’s been a good week with a whole lot of good things happening. This week has been all about some lovely treats. As well as some big things that I just have to get my head around. I kind of feel like I’m a bit all over the place but I’m happy to be back here today sharing a few of this week’s favourites! Pizza And Margaritas! I had an amazing birthday weekend which ended on Sunday night. When my family came over to my place for pizzas and Margaritas! Birthday Surprises I had a fantastic start to the week! My lovely friend surprised me with some amazing birthday goodies on Monday morning. She has the sweetest family and I love them so much!! Now I have the best mug in the staff room at preschool. And drinking out of it it really just makes me so happy!! Flavoured Tea When I got home on Monday afternoon after work. Sam’s lovely girlfriend was visiting and she gave me a lovely variety of teas from T2 as a birthday present. I love a nice cup of tea in the evenings and I especially love tea from T2. Lollies! My cousin gave each of us a treat jar filled with our favourite lollies as well as a gift card for Christmas. As you can see I have more self-control than Steve or Sam. They have finished all their lollies but I’m making sure that I make my favourite snake lollies last! Avocados I have been eating lots of avocados that I bought from the farmer’s market. These are a perfect size to pack for lunch. Strawberry Milkshake! Strawberry milkshakes are my favourite and when my work colleague sent me this pic on Tuesday evening. I was inspired to make myself one too. I used this delicious Hersheys syrup but I got carried away and splashed a huge amount so my milkshake was super sweet! Macarons! Then on Wednesday, another lovely friend gave me these delicious macarons for my birthday. So Wednesday evening after dinner I ate three of them and they tasted so good!! Thursday was a big day because Sam bought himself a car!! It’s a lovely car and mechanically sound but I have to get my head around this big purchase. I’m still not used to the fact that he drives. And now that he is responsible for his own car. Well, that just about messes with all of my emotions and my brain is playing catch up. How did the years go by so fast, I mean it feels like he was a little kid just a minute ago! Wow, what an amazing week it’s been, packed with some more birthday surprises and some majorly exciting events! Although I must admit, even good things can be a little bit overwhelming, so I just need a bit of time to fully take them all in and savour the excitement! Anyway, I’m keeping today’s Friday favourites post short because I am just about to head off to the Ed Sheeran concert in a minute. Thank you so much for being here today and letting me share a few of this week’s favourites with you. I hope that you have the best weekend! See you back here on Monday 😊 Happy Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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February 2023

12 Comments / Family Life

February 2023-Hi friends! February is such a short month! And when I checked my planner the other day I could hardly believe that it was already the last Wednesday of the month. It sure crept up so fast! Anyway, I’m here today linking up with Shay for the February edition of ‘What’s Up Wednesday’. And we are looking at what we’ve been up to during this very short month. So let’s dive right in. What We’re Eating This Week I’m happy to report that I have kept up with my weekly meal planning! Yay, go me! Now I just have to be consistent for the rest of the year. Monday- Chicken pie with mashed potato and veggies Tuesday- Grilled Barramundi with chips and salad Wednesday- Lamb cutlets with vegetables and jacket potatoes, sour and chives. Thursday- Turkey bolognese with garlic bread and salad Friday-leftovers because I’m going out Saturday- Roast chicken with baked potatoes and salad Sunday-Teriyaki salmon with rice and vegetables What I’m Reminiscing About My super fun birthday weekend which you can read all about here. My sweet colleague whose birthday was the day after mine (but she is decades younger!) has declared this week as birthday week too. She inspires me happy all the time. So I think I might do the same 😊 I’m also reminiscing about when Sam was little. It feels like only yesterday that he was wheeling around the house in his plastic car. And now after passing his driving test he is looking to buy a real live car with a motor and everything! What I’m Loving We have been having some really hot days this month! Summer arrived late this year so hopefully, this means that it will also leave late. I just love the hot weather so much. The only thing that I dislike about the hot weather is the bugs and the spiders! Thankfully I haven’t had any major run-ins with giant cockroaches this summer. But I nearly walked into a huge spider web that sprung up overnight. Isn’t it massive!! Luckily I sprayed the awning where the web was hanging from and ran inside the laundry. Sure enough, I heard a scuttling sound and then this dropped down. I think it’s a huntsman spider which isn’t deadly. But it could surely scare me to death!! It doesn’t look huge in the pic because it’s all shrivelled up from the bug spray. But believe me, it was BIG !! What We’ve Been Up To Just the usual things like work but with lots of fun times spent with family on the weekends eating delicious food. Ha! I guess this is why I called my blog play, work, eat, repeat. 🤗 What I’m Dreading Thankfully I’m not dreading anything at the moment. What I’m Excited About I’m going to the Ed Sheeran concert on Friday night with my bestie! What I’m Watching I’m still watching The Sopranos and I’m up to Season 2. I haven’t had a lot of time to watch much else. Although I’m really enjoying The Sopranos, I would really love to watch a feel-good show. I need a good viewing balance so if you have any recommendations I would really love to hear them. What I’m Listening To Right now I’m listening to the rain and thunder. It was a really sunny day until this afternoon and now it’s all humid and rainy. I checked the weather forecast and it looks like we are in for some much cooler days ahead. Oh well, I guess Autumn is coming. What I’m Wearing Here is a recap of a few things that I have been wearing this month. It’s been all mainly about summer clothes!! What I’m Doing This Weekend I’m going to a surprise birthday party on Sunday. Don’t worry the person who is being surprised doesn’t read my blog so I haven’t spoiled anything. What I’m Looking Forward To Next Month Sam starts uni next month and he has chosen to do a Bachelor of Nursing. So I’m excited for him and praying that he likes his course, is able to keep up with juggling part-time work as well as study and that he can cope with the commute. The uni he will be going to is one hour by car or nearly two hours by train. He doesn’t need to go in every day which is a good thing! What Amazon Purchase Did I Love This Month I found these fantastic grey microfiber cleaning cloths that I use only for the kitchen. They are amazing for cleaning up any spills, they are also super absorbent and they wash really well. I really like having neutral-coloured cloths and dish towels for the kitchen so these are perfect! I also bought these coloured ones for the bathrooms, laundry and other messy areas. They are fantastic and they leave my bathrooms all fresh and shiny. Plus I love that they are all different colours because that means that they will never be confused with the kitchen ones. We bought Sam a new gaming monitor as a combined Christmas and high school graduation present. He had been researching the best value-for-money monitor for the longest time and he decided that this one was the best. So far he has been so happy with this monitor and he tells me that his gaming experience is out of this world! So I guess that just about wraps up this month’s edition of ‘What’s Up Wednesday’. Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope that you have the best day!

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Birthday Weekend

17 Comments / Discovering NSW Australia

Hey there friends! Woah Monday sure came around fast!! I’m not feeling quite ready to let go of the weekend because it was such a fun birthday weekend! But I’m happy to be back again linking up with Holly and Sarah for today’s ‘Hello Monday’.Thank you so much for being here, I always appreciate you guys stopping by to have a read. Ok, so I have to confess that I don’t usually love celebrating my birthday. I’m pretty shy and being the centre of attention always kind of freaks me out. I’ll have to tell you about my wedding day someday! Plus there’s also the fact that getting older doesn’t excite me. Anyway this year instead of moaning about being a year older I decided to embrace all the celebrations wholeheartedly. And I’m pretty sure that it’s because after such a horrible 2022. I am learning that every minute on earth is a precious blessing not to be taken for granted. Birthday Weekend An Amazing Birthday Lunch! I decided that last week was birthday week and so this weekend was definitely going to be birthday weekend! And we kicked off the celebrations by going to The Grounds Of Alexandria on Saturday. This is one of my favourite places to visit and we hadn’t been there for ages. So when my husband asked me where I wanted to go for my birthday this was of course my first choice! I did a blog post about The Grounds Of Alexandria a while ago and you can read all about it here. If you’re ever in Sydney then I would say that this is one of the places that you really should visit! This time we didn’t eat in the cafe instead we ate in the restaurant called ‘The Potting Shed’. The Grounds has a big cafe and a restaurant where you can enjoy lovely meals. There are also different function areas for wedding receptions and other big and small events. The Potting Shed was just amazing! I loved the whole atmosphere, the decor and the super friendly and attentive staff. And to top it off the food was just incredible! We’ve eaten at places before where it’s all about the atmosphere and vibe. But not so much about the food. Or the other way around where the food is great but the place is dull. The Potting Shed has both a really great ambience and incredibly delicious food. So much greenery everywhere! Fun Cocktails! Steve and I started off with some cocktails and they came served like this! Ha! Isn’t it just so cute!! Two pot plants with ice and the cocktail in a small watering can. For our entree, we shared some mussels with crusty bread in the most delicious sauce. Oh my gosh, the sauce was so good that I honestly just wanted to pick up the whole bowl and slurp it all up! But don’t worry I didn’t. For mains, we both ordered the Morton Bay bug tortellini. Moreton Bay bugs are a type of seafood that is native to the coastal waters of Australia. They have a sweet and delicate flavour which is often compared to lobster or prawns. I really wish they would take the word “bug” out of the name. Such delicious seafood shouldn’t be called a bug eeewww! I try not to think about it because it really tastes divine! Then we finished off by sharing a red velvet skillet cookie with mango and passionfruit and white chocolate sauce. Afterwards, we wandered around The Grounds looking at all the fun Disney displays. The theme until the end of April is celebrating 100 years of Disney. And The Grounds Of Alexandria has been turned into a neon fantasyland. I would love to go back at night because it must look even more spectacular when all the neon displays are visibly lit up. Verandah Bar After our long lunch, we went home and hung around for a couple of hours before we got ready to go out for the evening celebrations! We met up with our friends, another couple and headed to the Verandah Bar in the city. I wasn’t very hungry after such a big lunch earlier. But we all shared some arancini balls and a really delicious Butchers Board which had cheese, prosciutto, hummus, relish, flatbread and a whole lot more. The cocktail jug was great too. And the DJ was incredible, playing a great mix which kept us on the dance floor the whole night. Sunday Even after a big night Steve and I somehow still managed to get up bright and early on Sunday morning for swim club. The races started at 7.30 am and I helped with the timekeeping. Steve did quite well in his races and he was just so happy being in the cool water on such a hot morning. I enjoyed the beautiful view of the water and was perfectly happy staying dry. The races went on until midday and then we enjoyed a BBQ lunch. There was steak, sausages, chicken and a variety of salads. Oatley Amateur Swim Club sure do a great BBQ! In the afternoon Steve went to work and my family dropped in to wish me a happy birthday. My cousin and his girlfriend brought their baby Zila to meet our cat Sushi. Not sure if they’ll be best friends yet. They just stared at each other until Sushi got annoyed with Zila who was jumping around all excited. And then the deal breaker was when Zila went onto Sushi’s bed. Nope, she wasn’t impressed at all which really surprised me because Susi is the friendliest most chilled cat. But I guess everyone has their limits- even cats that are usually calm. We ordered pizza, I made a quick salad and then everyone sang me Happy Birthday! My lovely aunt surprised me with a delicious carrot cake. It was truly an epic birthday weekend! Getting up to go to work this morning was a

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Birthday Week

17 Comments / Friday Favourites

Happy Friday friends! It’s that glorious time of the week again when we can take a deep breath and finally welcome the weekend. I am so excited that the weekend is finally here. Probably because It has felt like such an incredibly long week! We hit the ‘week three blues’ at preschool. The new children have now realised that saying goodbye to mum and staying to play is not as exciting as it was in week one. Sigh! Anyway, I decided to call this week ‘birthday week’ because it’s my birthday this Saturday. And to celebrate I decided to try and remember to treat myself every day. It’s been so good that I may carry ‘birthday week’ into next week! Today I am linking up with Andrea and Erika to share a few highlights from ‘birthday week’. Thank you so much for stopping by today. And I really hope that you all had a great week. But I’m pretty sure that if you are like me. Then you are super thankful for the weekend. So let’s jump right in with my first favourite for birthday week. Spend And Save It was ‘Spend and Save’ at my favourite clothing store Country Road. This was a week-long promotion where if you spent over a certain amount then you saved by getting a discount. I’m pretty sure that if I hadn’t spent at all I would have definitely saved. But hey it was birthday week! So I just had to treat myself. I bought a chocolate-coloured top, a black sleeveless top, a pair of black pants and a cute cap. Can you tell I like dark colours? Flowers In my front garden, I noticed the flowers facing the sun that I planted in the spring blooming beautifully. While the ones that are in the shade are really struggling. It made me think of how important sunlight is and how we all need a bit of it to thrive! These look nice and healthy! Look at these poor guys. You would never think that they were planted at the same time as the others! Fruit And Veggies! I have been really excited about eating a wider variety of fruit and vegetables. I think that my visit to the farmers market on the weekend inspired me! On Monday, I roasted some capsicum and eggplant. I packed myself the most delicious sandwich with Turkish bread, ham, cheese, eggplant and capsicum. And I toasted it for lunch at work on Tuesday. It was so good!! Drivers’ License Sam passed his driver’s license test on Wednesday!! So we can finally say bye-bye to these. And hello to these! Dinner Date Steve and I went out for dinner on Wednesday and we had a fabulous dinner for birthday week. He’s working on Saturday when it’s my actual birthday. So Wednesday night was our own date night celebration. We had Alaskan king crab and prawn stack as well as bruschetta for entrees. Then for mains, Steve had the steak and I had a huge half lobster mornay with chips and salad. It’s so funny how almost every time we go out I always end up with the biggest meal! Hehe. A Dessert Bar Afterwards, we went to a dessert bar where we saw a big strawberry chocolate fountain. We were so full from dinner but we still had some room for dessert. We decided to order a sharing plate because there was no way that either of us would be able to finish a whole dessert on our own. Coke I was walking home on Thursday and I stopped off at 7-Eleven to buy myself a treat for birthday week. I bought a Coke in a glass bottle because I honestly think that it tastes better that way. We hardly ever buy coke and if we do we usually just get the bigger size that comes in a plastic bottle. But I’m convinced that Coke always tastes better from a glass bottle. Doughnuts My Friday birthday treat was some doughnuts with fun sprinkles! Strawberry-flavoured anything is my favourite!! It brings back all kinds of nostalgic memories from my childhood. My mum would sometimes treat me to a strawberry milkshake and I remember blowing into the straw to make bubbles until they almost spilled out down the sides of the cup. Ha! those were the days!! Valentine’s Card Oh yes and I nearly forgot that it was Valentine’s Day on Tuesday. Valentine’s Day is not really a huge deal here in Australia but it was nice to get a sweet card from my husband. In the end ‘birthday week’ has been a real blast. It’s amazing how taking the time to celebrate yourself can lift your spirits! I am really grateful for all the moments that made this week pretty special. I hope you all have an amazing weekend and I look forward to being back here on Monday! Happy Friday! Previous Posts In case you missed some posts from earlier this week. On Monday we talked about ‘House Rules’. And I shared some of our rules that give our family structure and stability so we can enjoy our home life. On Tuesday it was all about ‘ Teaching Children About Sustainability‘. And how important it is to teach our future generation to care for our precious earth.

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Sustainability-Teaching Children About Sustainability

2 Comments / Insights Into Early Childhood Education

Are you a parent or an educator looking for fun and engaging ways to teach young children about sustainability and caring for the environment, but not quite sure where to begin? Then you are definitely not alone. But keep in mind that teaching young children about being eco-friendly doesn’t have to be dull. In fact, there are many interesting and creative ways to present these important topics to young children. Teaching young children about sustainability can be interesting and fun! So let’s explore some strategies we can use to teach this very important topic to young children that will inspire them to grow up to be responsible caretakers of our precious planet. Why Is Teaching Young Children About Sustainability So Important? Before we jump into looking at some methods for teaching sustainability to young children and how we can incorporate eco-friendly practices into our daily routine. Firstly we need to explore why this education is so necessary. Young children are the green guardians of the future! Therefore it is vital that they understand how important it is to care for and protect the environment. In addition, teaching young children about sustainability has many learning and developmental benefits. For example, it teaches children a sense of responsibility as well as self-awareness. It fosters empathy and understanding of how their actions impact others and the world around them. Furthermore, teaching sustainability at a young age will ingrain positive practices and values that they will carry right through until they are adults. Introducing young children to sustainability will ensure that they will grow up to be a mindful and responsible generation of people who will actively preserve the earth for the future. How To Teach Children About Sustainability Explore Nature Together Exploring nature together is one of the simplest and most practical ways to present sustainability to young children. Spend some quality time exploring nature together! Go on a fun nature walk and talk about all the different plants, animals and insects you can spot. This will encourage lots of discussions about the importance of preserving these delicate ecosystems. Incorporate Sustainable Practices Into Everday Routines Incorporating sustainable practices into every day routines is a very effective way of teaching young children about sustainability. Encourage your children to do simple yet important things like Turn off lights whenever possible. Switch off electronics if they are not being used. Teach them to open the blinds and curtains to use natural light as much as possible. Don’t waste water by making sure to turn the tap off when your children are brushing their teeth. Encourage children to take shorter showers. All of these suggestions are small yet they can make a big impact on the environment. Don’t forget to have lots of conversations with your children about why doing these things is so important. And how these everyday practices will help to look after our natural resources. Use Environmentally Friendly Products Using environmentally products is yet another fantastic way of teaching children about sustainability. Talk to them about why it is important to use reusable water bottles and food containers. Pack them a sustainable lunch box every day for preschool or school. And teach them to recycle whenever possible. Be A Good Role Model Children learn more from what we do than what we say. And they are always watching! So don’t forget to be a good role model and make sustainable choices. For example, take your own shopping bags every time that you go to the supermarket. Make a conscious effort to not buy unnecessarily packaged food. Perhaps visit a local farmers market and let them help you choose fresh fruit and vegetables. Let them see that food doesn’t have to come out of a plastic wrapper. Plant A Garden Young children love to get their hands dirty and explore. That’s why planting a garden is such a great way to teach them about the importance of growing their own food. Children love to care for the plants by watering them and they are absolutely fascinated when they can see plants growing and producing food. When it comes time to harvest their food. The excitement on their faces is such a joy to watch! And it’s amazing to see them be so willing to taste fruits and vegetables that they have grown themselves. Have A Worm Farm Another fun way to teach children about sustainability is to keep a worm farm. Children can learn all about the benefits of composting and the natural process of decomposition. Furthermore, children will gain an appreciation of the amazing role that worms have in our ecosystem. Looking after a worm farm can also spark lots of conversation about the importance of reducing food waste and how food waste can be repurposed instead of going into a landfill. Children will also really enjoy looking after a worm farm and they will be amazed to see how fast the worms manage to chomp through food scraps to produce nutrient-rich soil Use Natural Materials Children can be incredibly persistent about wanting to buy toys. But try hard not to give in to pester power. And instead of buying expensive plastic toys that will keep them entertained for a short amount of time. Why not use natural materials like clay, cardboard boxes, old magazines or fabric? This is much more sustainable and the added bonus is that they will spend hours using their creativity and imagination. Make Recycling Fun And Engaging To make learning about recycling engaging you could try some fun games and crafts. Make your own matching games or create an art project using only recycled materials. In Conclusion Teaching children about sustainability can be a lot of fun. Engaging in activities like exploring nature, using eco-friendly products, embracing sustainable practices in everyday life and being a positive role model. You can nurture and instil in your child a real passion and respect for the environment that will last a lifetime.

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