Family Life

I can hardly believe that we are saying goodbye to August. Like how in the world did the month just fly by like that? Friends, it was a pretty good month and I am very grateful for that. I am so excited for the rest of the year because from September onwards there are so many fun things to look forward to. Once we hit September I start looking forward to the upcoming festivities and I am one of those people who loves seeing Christmas things at the shops from as early as October. But I’m getting way ahead of myself because today is all about August. As usual, I am linking up with Shaeffer and Shay for this month’s edition of ‘What’s Up Wednesday’. What We’re Eating This Week Turkey! My son is keen to eat more protein because he works out a lot at the gym and is into lifting weights. So he asked if I could make recipes with turkey. Apparently, turkey is low in fat, contains more protein than chicken, and also has many vitamins and minerals. Eating turkey can also lift your mood and make you feel more relaxed. Sounds good to me! I like to make sure we eat a balanced diet and I was more than happy to incorporate more turkey into our meals and also substitute chicken or beef with turkey. So on Tuesday, we tried turkey bolognese. Bolognese is not my family’s favourite meal but it sure is mine! The turkey bolognese did get a big tick of approval and everyone decided that it was very good. Later on this week I am going to make turkey burgers which are really delicious and much juicier than regular beef patties. Turkey mince is also much cheaper than beef mince so it gets two big thumbs up from me! What I’m Reminiscing About Back in January Steve and I enjoyed a very short but lovely getaway to celebrate our anniversary. Now that the weather is getting warmer I am really keen to go away somewhere again. I haven’t planned anything but I think that I would like to very soon. I have a big sore knot in the back of my neck and right shoulder so a weekend away that includes a massage would be ideal! What I’m Loving Gorgeous-smelling beauty products I have been loving some amazing health and beauty products from my friend’s online shop called “Simple Pleasures NZ“. She makes and sells an amazing variety of natural perfumes, soap, scrubs, body oils, and incense. All her products are sustainably made, biodegradable, free from animal testing, and ethically sourced. They smell so good and I love her products so much that I have been using them as part of my self-care routine. I will be sure to share more about some of her products that I have used very soon so stay tuned! Walking Another thing that I have also been loving is my walks to and from work. I have shared before that we only have one car at the moment. So luckily I live within walking distance of the preschool where I work. But even when we do eventually get a new car I think that I will keep walking because it’s just such great exercise. I do about 6km a day and I find that walking home in the afternoon after a busy and noisy day with the children is so calming and very pleasant. What We’ve Been Up To August has just been all about the usual things like work and school. Sprinkled with lots of fun moments with family and friends. What I’m Dreading Thankfully I’m not dreading anything at the moment. So that’s a huge blessing! What I’m Working On During August I have been trying to be more consistent with posting on my blog. I think that I am starting to get into more of a rhythm again and I am aiming to post at least 3 times a week. I also have to figure out what’s going on with my email subscription. At the moment for some reason, my blog won’t allow new email subscribers. In addition, my current email subscribers don’t seem to be getting notifications of any new posts. Ugh, the technical side of blogging can really do my head in sometimes. What I’m Excited About Spring!!!! I have been waiting for spring since Autumn. Sorry, guys I know autumn or fall is very popular but I’m not a big fan. Nothing fun happens in Australia during the cold months. I’m sure that if we had Christmas in winter then I would probably feel totally differently. I did try a lot harder this year to embrace the cold weather and even blogged about Ten Winter Essentials. I really enjoyed the cozy things about winter and all the delicious comfort food. But I am totally, completely, fully, and utterly ready for Spring! So super excited to see some of these pretty yellow flowers suddenly appear in the front garden! What I’m Watching I can’t get enough of Britbox. So many great shows to watch but I just wish that I had more time! What I’m Listening To I recently switched radio stations and now I am listening to Smooth FM.  I am really enjoying this Sydney radio station. It plays some really nice easy listening music and best of all there is very little talk. What I’m Wearing Some days have been warmer so I have been able to get away with not wearing such heavy jackets. I think that most August weekends I have been wearing my favourite white Superga sneakers because they are just so comfortable. What I’m Doing This Weekend We have our monthly family get-together on Friday night and it’s Father’s Day on Sunday. So it looks like we are heading into a weekend of fun, food, and family. What I’m Looking Forward To Next Month Spring break! We have three more weeks of preschool and then

Hi everyone! Well, I can hardly believe that it’s the last week of July and here we are back again for this month’s fun “What’s Up Wednesday” link-up with Sheaffer and Shay. I’m so excited that you have stopped by to have a read of my July recap so let’s jump right in and have a look at……… What We’re Eating This Week I finally got my act together this week and put together a meal plan! Yay, go me!! Sunday night I also made a big quiche that I sliced up and have been taking to work for lunch along with my usual salad. Sam has been having some when he gets home from school because he is always starving!! I usually make it with baby spinach but I didn’t have any so I used frozen spinach instead. It came out a bit greener and not as good-looking as usual but it still tasted great! What I’m Reminiscing About We spent a long time planning a surprise birthday party for my cousin’s 30th. For about two months my aunty, her son’s girlfriend, and I were super excited about pulling this off. Thankfully everything worked out and we had such a fun time. It was a Star Wars theme and because our whole family is nuts about Star Wars it was extra exciting. You can read all about it here and check out our fun costumes! What I’m Loving My freshly painted walls!! I’m so glad that I just went with white, not any white mind you. It’s called Casper white haha!! The house just looks and feels so much brighter. I’ve added a couple more plants in the dining room and lounge room and I’m just loving the fresh new look!! I still have the living room to paint so I have to go ahead and tackle that soon before I lose my motivation. What We’ve Been Up To It was fantastic to have two weeks off from work for the winter holidays. I’ve been back at work for a week and a half and the holidays almost feel like a distant memory now. I did a lot of painting during the two weeks that I was off from work but I also enjoyed a couple of fun outings too. The last weekend before I went back to work I visited Wollongong with my lovely friend. Wollongong is a coastal city about an hour away by train from where I live. We walked around the shops in Wollongong and we were having a really nice time until I realised that I had lost my wallet. We quickly retraced our steps and luckily I had left it in David Jones and a very kind shop assistant had found it and handed it in to the lost property. I was so relieved!!! After I had calmed down from running around frantically trying to find my wallet. We had some delicious burgers for lunch. On the way back to the train station we ate some ice cream. It was a fun way to end the school holidays. What I’m Dreading Sam starts his HSC trials next week. Gulp!! What I’m Working On I celebrated one year of blogging and I was so excited about that! I really enjoy blogging and have been working towards posting more often. What I’m Excited About A close friend of ours is having a birthday party this Sunday at St George Motor Boat Club. She’s such a fun person so I’m sure there will be lots of dancing. What I’m Watching I just started watching a British series called “The Split” It’s a legal drama and I’m really enjoying it. It was a bit slow going at first but I’m right into it now and it’s definitely worth watching. I have also been watching movies that I have watched a million times before like I love re-watching old favourites. What I’m Listening To I like having some soothing background music when I am at home. Because it’s winter it starts to get dark pretty early, usually around 5.30pm. So when I get home from work I like to light some candles and play chilled jazz on Spotify. Soft soothing jazz and glowing candlelight makes me feel cozy. What I’m Wearing All the coats and layers to keep warm! What I’m Doing This Weekend We are hoping to go and look for a new car. If you have been reading along you’ll know that my husband wrote his car off after swerving to avoid running over a couple of cats. Fingers crossed we find one we like and we don’t have to go on a waiting list. I’ve heard that new cars aren’t readily available at the moment. That wraps up my July Recap. As usual, my head is spinning because I can hardly believe that it will be August next week. I hope that you have the best Wednesday! If you live in the Southern Hemisphere stay warm and if you live in the Northern Hemisphere stay cool friends!

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend. Our family sure did, we managed to pull off a surprise 30th birthday party for my lovely cousin. She is a huge Star Wars fan along with the rest of us. So the theme for the night was…yep you guessed it Star Wars!! I’ll do a recap of that later on in the week. But for today I am excited to link up with this month’s edition of “Not Just A Mom” and talk about Family Food Traditions. When I was thinking about this topic I was a bit stumped at first and thought that we didn’t really have a lot of family food traditions. Except for the usual holiday celebrations like Christmas. But then when I stopped looking at the “big picture”. I soon realised that we do have many family food traditions in our ordinary weeks, birthdays, weekends, and even school holidays. Some of these traditions are ongoing and some were for a season in our lives. Sugary Cereal When my kids were little (which happened over a huge gap as my boys are eleven years apart in ages). I used to let them pick out a box of any sugary, preservative-filled cereal they liked during the school holidays. They used to always pick fruit loops until one year they discovered a small corner shop that sold American cereal. And they just about lost their minds with excitement. I have to admit that I did too!! We went through so many boxes of cereal during the school holidays. None of us could stop eating Lucky Charms, Reece’s Puffs, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Pavlova Luke, my oldest son, and I will always choose a Pavlova for our birthdays! We just love the meringue base, creamy topping, and fresh fruit combination. Yum!! Full English Breakfast On some weekends we like to indulge in a Full English Breakfast. Not very sure if it really is a true English Breakfast but this is what Sam calls it. This breakfast includes scrambled eggs, pork chipolata sausages, hash browns, cooked mushrooms, tomatoes, and toast. We also have orange juice and finish off with a steamy cup of tea. Weekend Treats Friday afternoons after work I like to pop into the supermarket and pick up some weekend treats for the family. These treats vary from week to week. Some weeks I will get some iced donuts, these are a very big treat because they are usually sold out by the time I get to the shops. I will also buy things like cheese, crackers, chips, chocolate, dips, and soft drinks. Without fail, I will always get my very favourite Bundaberg Ginger Beer. I try to keep our diet healthy during the week. But on the weekends we let loose big time!! Spaghetti Bolognese Nobody in my family likes spaghetti bolognese! How??? This is my absolute favourite dish and while I do make it during the year. I tend not to cook this very often because I know that they don’t really enjoy it at all. None of my boys or husband are fussy eaters so I’m not quite sure what they have against spaghetti. Anyway, on my birthday this is the dish that I will request. Actually, I don’t even have to request it anymore as my husband just makes it for me. And everybody has to eat it and smile!! haha. Once A Month Family Dinners Family food traditions are fun and I think that when we look back on the years (that go by way too fast). The best memories will usually involve the times when we came together with our families to enjoy a meal together. I think that one of the best decisions that we made as a family, including my cousins and their partners and children. Was to come together on the first Friday of every month and have dinner. We also take turns hosting to make things easier. Sometimes we will get pizza, other times we will have burgers, Mexican food, casseroles, or anything really. We keep it simple and boy do we have fun!! Sadly we only started this tradition earlier this year when my beautiful mum became very sick. This shook us to our core and we realised that we had let the busyness of our lives take over. We don’t live far away from each other yet we had slowly stopped getting together except for birthdays etc. I wish we had gotten together more often when my mum was still with us. But on the bright side, it’s never too late to start a tradition or a family food tradition and after writing this I am inspired to come up with some more family food traditions. Because it’s never too late!! ********** Sharing on Linking up with Holly and Sarah          

Hi!! It’s so great to be back again linking up with Shay and Sheaffer for this month’s What’s Up Wednesday post. I hope that you all had a great June. My head is spinning with how fast the year is flying by. How can June be over already?? Before we know it we’ll be putting up our Christmas trees again!! Well, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit but I really can’t believe that we are halfway through the year! Anyway, I’m really happy that you have stopped by to have a read and let me share with you what’s been going on for us this June. 1. What We’re Eating This Week Carbs, carbs, and more carbs!! I think the best thing about winter is the yummy comfort food. I’m always hungry and if I’m not eating I’m usually daydreaming about my next meal! So this week we have enjoyed some of my favourites like Meatloaf, mashed potato, roast pumpkin, and steamed veggies. With lots of gravy of course! Monday night I made Jambalaya for the first time and everyone declared it a winner. I also made a couple of spinach pastry rolls. I made up the same filling that I use when I make my spinach pie. Except that this time I didn’t have any puff pastry, so I used shortcrust instead. It still tasted good but I think I prefer the puff pastry. 2. What I’m Reminiscing About As this year is moving along at lightning speed I find myself thinking about how quickly my boys have grown up. My oldest son Luke has been living with his fiancee for about three years. Now my little Sam (as we affectionately call him even though he’s 6 ft tall) is finishing school in a few months. HOW??? He’s also trying to get his hours up with his driving. On Sunday he went to a safe drivers course which went for five hours. The great thing about this course is that it will give him an equivalent of twenty hours in his log book. Not sure how many more hours he needs to do before he can go for his driving test. That’s his Dad’s department because it’s too much for my head to cope with. He’s my baby!!! It honestly feels like it was only last week that he was driving around in his pop-pop bike. That’s what we used to call his little push-along bike with the plastic balls that would go pop pop pop as he drove around the house.  Those years just went by way too fast. 3. What I’m Loving A short while ago I mentioned that a brand new Mecca store had opened up at our local Westfield and my head just about exploded with excitement. Well, I treated myself to a new moisturiser. Up until recently, I had been using the Sukin brand which was great. But I was coming to the end of the jar and I wanted to try a different brand. So based on the advice of the nice consultant in the shop I went ahead and bought this Sunday Riley ICE ceramide moisturising cream. Now I have no clue what ceramides are but the bright dazzling lights in the Mecca store had me in a trance. Also, the box said plump-looking baby-soft skin, and so I was immediately sold. The cream comes with a fancy ceramic scoop thing which I really love. It just feels so luxurious when I apply it to my face! And the great thing is that my skin does feel soft. This girl isn’t getting any younger and she needs all the help that box promises!! 4. What We’ve Been Up To The usual, juggling full-time work at preschool, blogging (not as often as I would like to. But slowly getting back into it). As a family we have also been doing our monthly dinners, we have our July one on Friday and I’m super excited about that. Steve and I have also been trying to go out for breakfast more often. A couple of Saturdays ago we tried a new cafe that we both really enjoyed. I had the shakshuka Steve had the poached eggs, halloumi and avocado We’re hoping to go back to the same cafe this Saturday because the last visit was so great. The staff were very friendly and the food was so good! I’ve also had a couple of fun outings with my sweet friend. We went to Vivid Sydney and The Sydney Museum recently. I love to schedule some fun things to look forward to. 5. What I’m Dreading Thankfully I’m not dreading anything at the moment. Phew! 6. What I’m Working On I have really been working on being more in the moment and trying to relax. Before I go to sleep every night I like to listen to a soothing guided meditation. I am a terrible jaw clencher and shallow breather. Two big no-no’s!! So this month has been more about self-care for me and I am feeling much better. As part of self-care, I have been doing cosy things like Lighting candles in the evening Using face masks Drinking tea and hot chocolate in my favourite mug. Watching favourite shows or reading on my comfy beanbag under a cosy blanket with my little cat Sushi keeping me warm. My apple watch is also really great for reminding me to breath and be mindful! 7. What I’m Excited About Winter break!! This is the last week of preschool before we break up for two weeks and I am beyond excited!! We aren’t going away anywhere but we have some fun things planned. I also want to paint my bedroom and the hallway. I know that this might not sound too exciting but I am actually looking forward to doing some painting. Well, I guess I’m mainly looking forward to seeing how fresh these two spaces will look once it’s done. I also don’t mind painting. I usually

Hi Everyone It’s so nice to be back for today’s What’s up Wednesday post. Hope you have all had a great month. It’s so fun to peek into what people have been eating, watching, reading, and doing. I always enjoy reading these posts. As usual, I am linking up with Sheaffer and Shay. So let’s just jump right in and start with….. What We’re Eating This Week Being at work means salads on repeat for lunch. I jazzed things up a bit and instead of my usual salad with tuna, I made a really delicious marinated chicken breast instead. I cooked it on Sunday night then I chopped it up and portioned it out so that it would last me a for a few days. It was a nice change. This week we also had some delicious burgers. I used turkey mince instead of beef mince. My whole family loves the turkey as it is super juicy and tasty. It’s been a real winner! Monday night I made Paella. It turned out very tasty and the family enjoyed it. I made a cheats version which was super easy! I also made banana bread. It’s the first time in ages since I have baked anything. The cooler weather makes baking much more inviting. What I’m Reminiscing About Well, a lot of things that make me sad. I miss my Mum. What I’m Loving This big, long, warm jacket! I think that our playground at preschool might just be the coldest place on earth. But in saying that, I have to admit that I feel the cold extremely easily. I wore it for the first time last week and I felt like I was wearing my big warm cozy quilt. What We’ve Been Up To I guess we have just been up to trying to get back to normal life. Steve is working crazy, long hours and I am back at work. Sam is super busy with school work. He is doing drama as an HSC subject and so he has been busy filming. I have a starring role in his film. I have no real clue what it’s all about, but I just say the lines in my best creepy tone. Haha….apparently I do creepy well!! What I’m Dreading Thankfully nothing really. What I’m Working On I am painting the rooms in the house!! Well, I started strong when I was off from work. But now that the busyness of everyday life has taken over, I haven’t done much. I will definitely be getting back to this project during the next Term break which is only five weeks away. What I’m Excited About Cozy warm nights with candles, hot drinks, and fluffy blankets. I love Summer, but now that I have this issue with hot flashes….cooler weather is much more appealing. What I’m Watching I watched “Inventing Anna” which was very interesting and I just love her accent! I also watched “The Thing About Pam”. It was quite intriguing, but I didn’t love it. My sister-in-law recommended “Why Women Kill” so I gave it my ten-minute test and I was completely hooked! I watched the first season in a flash! The second season was good too. What I’m Listening To A lovely friend recommended a great podcast called “Separate Bathrooms”. Cameron Daddo and his lovely wife Alison talk very candidly and honestly about marriage. Camero Daddo and Alison Brahe were the “It” couple back in the late’80’s and early’90’s here in Australia. They were both involved in show business and modeling. They moved to America to make it big in the acting world. But… things didn’t go as planned. There was infidelity, bankruptcy, and a whole lot of other issues. They survived it all and through lots of therapy, they managed to stay very happily married and have raised a beautiful family. Their podcast addresses all these issues and I find their honesty so refreshing and inspiring! Highly recommend this podcast! What I’m Doing This Weekend I have just been invited to a birthday party! My lovely friend’s little boy is turning 4 and he is having his party at a play centre. I love her little boy and I am beyond excited!  It’s been years since I have been to a children’s party. My boys are all grown up and I miss those fun days. What I’m Looking Forward To Next Month Next month is The Queen’s Birthday long weekend on the 13th of June. I love three-day weekends. ******* Thanks so much for joining me today for this quick May recap. I really hope you have the best Wednesday!              

Hi everyone, wow how quick does time fly!!! I am excited to be back here linking up with Shay and Sheaffer for another What’s Up Wednesday post where I am sharing a little of what’s been going on this February 2022. So let’s dive right in! What We’re Eating This Week I am really excited that I have stuck to my meal planning. I know, I know it’s only the end of February but so far so good. Baby steps right? I have to say though, meal planning makes life so much easier. I write out my plan usually on Sunday and then do an online grocery shop. So far I have saved so much time because I no longer go to the shops after work like I used to. I don’t have to worry about thinking of what to cook every day and if I am really stuck then I have some backup meals in the freezer, compliments of “The Dinner Ladies”. So far this week we have had Chilli Quiche and Mediterranean chicken What I’m Reminiscing About The long summer break. I am really missing the carefree days of staying up late and not having to stick to schedules! What I’m Loving This delicious hazelnut coffee syrup. I bought this from Aldi ages ago and I really love it. I use it sparingly as a treat because it has so much sugar. So it has lasted me quite a while. I hardly go into Aldi anymore and they only sell this syrup occasionally. So I was lucky to find it when I ran in to grab something for work at the end of January. What We’ve Been Up To We have all been getting back into the swing of things after the long holiday break. I have been busy at work meeting new families and children. I’m still learning names and getting to know the kids in my class. What I’m Dreading I have been really stressed about my mum’s upcoming hospital stay. She is going in for a few days to help with her mobility issues. I know it’s for the best but hospitals really make me so anxious. What I’m Working On Mindfulness!! My Apple Watch is helping me to remember to stop, breathe and reflect! What I’m Excited About After my mum’s dreadful fall earlier this month. We were all left really shaken and realised that as a family we need to spend more time together. Because friends, life is short!! So my sweet cousin and I have decided that on the first Friday of every month we are going to get together as a whole family for dinner. Now, we know that because life is busy it means that not everyone will always be able to make it. But that’s ok. As long as we have a set date then whoever can come, will come. What I’m Watching I have started watching Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime Video, starring the lovely John Krasinski. It’s a great series and I am really loving all the action as well as the great storyline. I have also really been enjoying Benita Larsson on Youtube. She is a minimalist from Sweden and she shares about her daily life. She has such a soothing voice and so many great tips that sometimes  I watch her videos in bed just before I am about to fall asleep and I find them so relaxing. What I’m Listening To I have started listening to a great podcast series called “Every Little Thing”. So, listeners call in with questions and they find the answers! So far I have learned all about how the Ta-dum sound on Netflix came to be, Why do we shake hands, and How a Super Bowl Ref works the game. This podcast is right down my alley because it answers so many random questions! Really recommend it!! What I’m Wearing I have just been excited to be wearing my preschool capsule wardrobe. Earlier this year I bought three neutral coloured T-shirts from a cool shop called Muji. I have then made up a simple capsule wardrobe based around them. It means that getting dressed in the morning is so easy. I just mix and match them with shorts, skirts, or pants that are part of this capsule wardrobe.I love all things fashion but working with children means that I need to have a separate work wardrobe. And I can’t be too precious about what I wear to work because hey….paint!! What I’m Doing This Weekend So far this weekend looks pretty chilled! I am happy to be staying home and finishing the book that I am reading, and then getting ready for the week ahead. What I’m Looking Forward To This Next Month I think that I am excited about cooler weather. Yep if you know me then you know that this is highly unusual. I love summer and all the heat. But, something has happened to me and I seem to be having trouble regulating my body temperature( hello hot flashes) and so I am done with feeling so hot!! I am ready to embrace Autumn and get cosy.   That’s all for now, thank you so much for stopping by today. I really hope that you have a great rest of the week!

Hi all, I’m excited to be back for the first What’s Up Wednesday for 2022. As usual, I am linking up with Sheaffer and Shay for today’s post. Thank you so much for stopping by to have a read and let’s jump straight into What We’re Eating This Week Chicken schnitzel! I just love love love chicken schnitzel and this week I made a big batch of it. I thought I would have some to freeze for later but no, we ended up eating it all!! We had some for dinner with baked potato and salad. Then for lunch the next day I made schnitzel burgers. So delicious! I like to add some parsley, parmesan cheese, and garlic powder to the breadcrumb mix. Gives the schnitzel that extra flavour. What I’m Reminiscing About My Sam is going into his final year of school. How did those last twelve years just fly by so fast? It feels like yesterday that we were all excited about him starting big school. He had a big send-off on his first day of kindergarten. His uncle, cousin, and two grandmothers all come over to wish him well on his first day. Gosh, I’m starting to get emotional just typing this so I might just leave it there. What I’m Loving My new charging pad. How did I not know about this? I mean I kind of had heard about it but had not paid much attention. I certainly didn’t realise how life-changing it would be! The other day I was in Ikea with my lovely bestie and she introduced me to this charging pad. It only cost $9.oo. I don’t need to muck around looking for my charger to plug it into my phone. All I do now is place my phone on the pad and bam, the phone starts to charge. The great thing is that my husband can now charge his phone properly. His cable kept slipping out of the charging port and it was so frustrating for him. This charging pad has been a real game-changer for him too! What We’ve Been Up To Staying up late and sleeping in! Probably my two favourite things to do. Summer holidays mean not having to rush around or stick to schedules. Although I have mainly stayed at home, once again trying to be careful because of you know what. I have also been able to enjoy some really fun outings and activities. Over the last few weeks, I have also gradually gone through the house and done lots of cleaning and organising.  Even though that doesn’t sound like much fun. I have really loved that I have had the time to do this. It always feels so much better to start the school and work year with a more organised house. What I’m Dreading Going back to work. Waaaaaahhhhhhhh! I really do enjoy my job as a preschool educator. Like I have said before, I am really blessed to work with some super friendly, nice, and fun ladies. BUT, what I am really sad about is the going back to rushing around getting “all the things done”. I am not looking forward to that at all, in fact, I am dreading it. Big sigh!! What I’m Excited About I think that I am probably more nervous than I am excited. In order to distract me from my nervousness, my husband has made plans for us to go out for dinner next week and try some Korean BBQ. He’s worked out that if I am thinking about food and looking forward to a mid-week dinner date. Then I won’t be focused on being nervous about going back to work. Haha!! What I’m Watching Ok, so I have only just discovered “The Office”. Where was I and what was I doing when it first aired??? Who knows!!!! I never thought that I would find a sitcom that I loved as much as “Seinfeld” but I can definitely say that”The Office” is now up there as one of my favourites. I have to admit that it took me about four or five episodes to really get into it. Now I can’t stop and I have been binge-watching it every night. I love all the characters and I will be sad when I finish all the seasons. I’m up to season five at the moment. It’s hilarious!!!! What I’m Reading I dusted off my kindle and downloaded a book. It has been such a long time since I have done that! I even had to update my credit card details on my Kindle because that’s how long it’s been. I have always loved reading and growing up I would practically devour books. Up until a couple of years ago I always carried my kindle everywhere I went and I would read whenever I got the chance. Then just like Forest Gump suddenly stopped running. I just stopped reading. Earlier this week I enjoyed reading Joanne’s book review and based on her recommendation I thought I would give “The Good Sister” by Sally Hepworth a try. I am so glad that I did because it got my attention right from the first page. I’m not very far into the book yet but I can see that the story is heading into some kind of really interesting twist. What I’m Listening To Lots of soft relaxing background music on Spotify like jazz and chill-out. Trying to get into the calm zone before next week hits me like a freight train. What I’m Wearing It’s been great to be able to wear a variety of clothes from my wardrobe other than just my preschool work clothes. My feet have also been grateful for not having to wear closed-in shoes during the last six weeks. We aren’t allowed to wear sandals to work for safety reasons. You can imagine how hot and sweaty it feels during the summer. Having said that, I have had toys and equipment fall on my toes over the

Hi friends, I hope you have all had a great week and are looking forward to the weekend. Here are a few fun things that I am excited to share with you for today’s Friday Favourites post. As usual, I am linking up with Andrea and Erika. So let’s jump right in with favourite number one. #1 A Day At The Art Gallery My first favourite on this week’s list of a few fun things was a trip to the NSW Art Gallery to see the Matisse exhibition. Steve, Sam, and I caught a train into the city to enjoy lunch and see the lovely works by Henri Matisse. The three of us have made this a tradition where we see one exhibition a year. I love going to visit the art gallery and am happy to do it multiple times throughout the year. Ha! Steve and Sam, not so much. BUT both of them really enjoy the lunch part and they have also been really impressed by all the exhibitions we have been to so far. We always have a fun time together and Sam comments on how much he enjoys it. Are they big art buffs running to the gallery more than once a year? No, ma’am, that’s more my thing!! However, I do appreciate and love how they are happy to come along to something that I really enjoy (the lunch is also a big drawcard 😉) focaccia and burrata with figs for the entree We all enjoyed the swordfish with some fancy carrots as a side. #2 A Fun Shopping Trip I did another trip into the city again later in the week for a fun shopping day with my lovely friend. It’s funny how most of my weeks have been really low-key. Then this week I did not one but two city trips. I love going in so it’s been a great week for me!! My sweet friend and I also work together and are trying to squeeze in some last-minute holiday fun before real life hits us again real soon. #3 Muji My friend took me to a store that I had never been to before called Muji. It’s a Japanese retailer and they sell everything from clothes, household goods, stationery, to furniture. Apparently, some say that Muji is Japan’s equivalent of Ikea. Hmmm, not so sure about that. I really loved their dining chairs that were made from Oak. The prices for them started at $379 each. The bigger armchair-style dining chairs were over $1000 each. Definitely not like Ikea as far as pricing goes. It was fun looking through this store that was new to me. I really liked a lot of their clothing. They had some nice neutral basics so I bought three cotton t-shirts. I have purged a lot of clothes from my wardrobe that do not bring me joy.   #4 Wardrobe Goals My goal for 2022 is to build a capsule wardrobe just for work. Rather than wearing clothes that I really don’t like anymore. So I am starting with the three T-shirts in white, black, and sage that I bought from Muji.  The next step is to organise some pants, long shorts and maybe a skirt. Let’s see how I go. #5 Denim Shorts I found some really nice denim shorts in Myer. They were discounted to half price plus a further 20% off. I had already tried on some clothes previously and I just couldn’t be bothered taking my pants off again! So I tried my shorts over my black pants. I figured that if they fitted this way then they would fit just fine. Ha! #6 Yummy Lunch We stopped for lunch at a cafe in the QVB where I had a chicken and mushroom filo with lentil salad. It was very delicious and I didn’t realise how hungry I was until I started eating. My friend had an egg sandwich with a side salad. I think she kind of enjoyed her lunch but the gluten-free bread was disappointing. Not sure what’s up with gluten-free bread as I have never tried it. But sadly I often hear comments from many people about how it’s not very nice. Egg sandwich Yum! I had a big mouthful of my chicken and mushroom filo and then realised that I hadn’t taken a photo! I ordered a mixed juice which looked good but tasted just like rockmelon and rockmelon isn’t really my favourite. We finished off with some sweets! I had a raspberry friand and a cappuccino and my friend had an orange cake and a hot chocolate. Goodness, I was so full I could barely get up out of my chair!! So we kept browsing the shops to walk off some of our lunch. #7 T2 Look at all these gorgeous teapots! We went into a tea store called T2 where they sell every tea under the sun. As well as some lovely teapots, cups, saucers and anything tea-related! Such a beautiful shop!! #8 A Kikki K Find One of the last shops we visited was my favourite stationery and gift shop called Kikki K. Where I bought this lovely water bottle and glass that sits perfectly on the top. It was a bit pricey but so pretty that I couldn’t resist. Plus I thought that it was a good way to remember to drink water first thing in the morning as I have put it on my bedside table. When I keep a glass of water next to my bed, my little cat always thinks it’s for her to enjoy. So she won’t be able to stick her tongue into this cute bottle.     That’s it for now! I hope you enjoyed looking at a few fun things that I got up to. This past week was my last full week of school holiday as I’m back to work next Friday. Yep, somehow this year the school calendar has us going back on Friday for a

I think that one of the things that makes a strong positive impact on a kids life is traditions! Traditions are fun they strengthen family bonds, foster a real sense of belonging and create long-lasting special memories. Traditions can be big or small, they can be yearly traditions or traditions that occur often. Here are some of my favourite traditions from my own childhood and some traditions that my family and I do now. My Favourite Childhood Christmas Traditions My family is from Peru and they migrated to Australia in the ’70s. So growing up we celebrated Christmas Peruvian style. We got together with family on Christmas Eve and ate very very late. So late that as a kid I could barely keep my eyes open ! I don’t know how Peruvian children manage to stay awake Christmas Eve but they must be made of much stronger stuff than I was. Christmas dinner included the traditional turkey, salads and of course rice. Peruvians eat rice with everything! Then we would count down to midnight and at the stroke of midnight we all kissed and hugged wishing each other “Feliz Navidad”. Afterwards, we would open the presents and then lastly we would enjoy some hot chocolate with the traditional Italian Christmas cake, panettone! Fun times!! On Christmas Day we just slept in and ate leftovers. My Favourite Childhood New Years Eve Traditions Ok, so this is where things got a little crazy. It’s a Peruvian tradition to eat 12 grapes once the clock strikes midnight BUT you have to eat each grape with each stroke of the clock. Each grape is supposed to represent one month and one wish that you make. Do you know how hard that was?? I don’t think I ever got past five or six grapes. And I certainly didn’t have time to think of any good wishes because as I shoved those grapes in my mouth I was just wishing I didn’t choke and die! It was fun though!! Then I’m not sure if this is really a Peruvian tradition but it was definitely my Mums tradition. You see she was a keen traveller and she believed that if you grabbed an empty suitcase and ran around the block just afer midnight then that meant that you would for sure travel overseas that year. So just picture this for a minute 12 grapes then a sprint around the block. Easy peasy! Sure enough, we did this year after year.  We probably looked like we were on the run from someone who was trying to stab us!! But hey, we did travel, I got to go to Disneyland not once but twice!! Surviving my childhood traditions has meant that now my own family traditions are much much tamer. No more running around the block or potentially choking on grapes in the hopes of gaining a year worth of wishes. No,we do calm things like Eat A Non-Healthy Sugary Cereal During School Holidays. That’s right! Every school holiday my boys were allowed to pick any cereal they wanted. Fruit loops was a big favourite. Then one year my cousin gave us three boxes of American cereal for Christmas and we all just about lost our minds with excitement. We had Reece’s Puffs, Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. That was probably the best year of my kids lives!! Star Wars We are all huge Star Wars fans and have of course seen all the original. But we’ve made it a tradition to watch the latest ones together first as soon as they are released at the cinemas. We’ve even done things like go off any social media so we don’t see any spoilers. We want to make sure we all have the same reactions together! I love that we do this! A few years ago I managed to nab some free tickets to a Star Wars fan event held at the Sydney Opera House. My boys got some Star Wars merchandise signed by Harrison Ford and I touched the sleeve of his shirt ahhhhh…….sigh. I’m giddy just thinking about this! Haha. Going to this special event together cemented our love of Star Wars as a family forever!! Visit David Jones For Christmas Every year we visit the Australian department store, David Jones to see the Christmas window display. It used to be very elaborate but recently it’s been quite low-key. But we still go to have a look because hey it’s tradition! Years ago when my kids were little we would also visit David Jones to have “Snacks with Santa”. I would get some tickets for this event and we would get all dressed up to go. The ticket included party food and then a Christmas show followed by photos with Santa. My boys are all grown up now, but they do remember this very fondly. Family Movie Nights As a family, we like to pick a movie to watch together regularly and it’s usually a classic. We watched all the Godfather movies and gangster-type movies last year. With my husband’s new job working such long hours we haven’t done this so much recently. But it’s definitely a favourite tradition and something we need to do again soon! Take Turns Choosing Take Away We don’t get takeaway very often so it’s always special when we do. To keep things fair as well as fun we take turns choosing where we are going to order takeaway food from. Kiss Goodbye, Kiss Goodnight Traditions can be daily, for us kissing goodbye is what we do every day. None of us ever leave the house without kissing each other goodbye. It’s the same with bedtime, we always kiss each other goodnight too. Well just to be clear, I get all the kisses, my son and husband give each other a handshake and a pat on the back. Man style!! Traditions Are Special! Indeed, traditions are definitely special. They help lift us out of the ordinary everyday grind and help create