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Crispy Rice Tuna Avocado Bowl

This crispy rice tuna avocado bowl has become a favourite in our house. Think of it as a tossed salad, but hearty enough to be a full meal. I chop all the salad ingredients, add the crispy rice on top, drizzle a light creamy dressing, and toss everything together. It’s simple, protein-rich, and full of fresh flavours. I don’t measure anything exactly; instead, I go by taste and texture, just like my mum used to cook. That’s exactly how I recommend you make it too. Why this recipe works so well It’s perfect for a quick lunch or an easy dinner. Tuna, edamame, and an optional egg on top make it filling and protein-rich. My son is all about the protein these days, and he has given this recipe a big thumbs up. It’s flexible, so you can tweak the ingredients depending on what’s in your fridge. It’s quick to make, tastes fresh, and everyone can serve themselves just how they like it. Crispy Rice Tuna Avocado Bowl Recipe Ingredients Crispy rice Cooked white rice Olive or sesame oil Soy sauce (Lee Kum Kee is my favourite) Salad base Canned tuna, drained Canned edamame, drained Avocado, diced Cucumber, diced Cherry tomatoes halved Fresh coriander, roughly chopped sliced red onion Dressing A small spoon of mayonnaise (I use S&W whole egg mayonnaise) Lemon juice Soy sauce Optional drizzle of sesame oil To serve Optional soft-boiled or fried egg Method 1. Crisp the ricePreheat the oven to 200°C. Spread the cooked rice on a lined baking tray. Drizzle with oil and soy sauce, then toss to coat. Bake in 10-minute bursts, tossing each time, until the rice is crisp and lightly golden. Go by feel rather than exact time. Set aside to cool slightly. 2. Prepare the salad baseChop and place tuna, edamame, avocado, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, sliced red onions and coriander into a large bowl. 3. Add the crispy rice and dressingAdd the crispy rice on top of the chopped salad. Drizzle the mayonnaise, lemon, and soy sauce dressing over the top, then toss everything together until well combined. 4. Optional finishing touchTop your crispy rice tuna avocado bowl with a soft-boiled or fried egg if you want extra protein. The runny yolk works beautifully with the crispy rice. Make it yours This Crispy Rice Tuna Avocado Bowl recipe is highly adaptable. Add chilli oil, sesame seeds, shallots, or swap the tuna for salmon or tofu. You can adjust the dressing to suit your taste. If you want it creamier, just add more mayonnaise. If you’re watching calories, one teaspoon of mayonnaise in the dressing works perfectly. Quick, protein-rich, and fresh. Perfect for take-to-work lunches, or a handy meal to have in the fridge when, like us, your family is coming and going on different schedules. Happy cooking, and enjoy your crispy rice tuna avocado bowl!

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December Recap

8 Comments / Family Life, Hello Monday, Home

Hello, lovely friends! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’m so glad to be back linking up with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Can you believe how fast the festivities flew by? To kick off 2026, I thought I’d do a quick December recap and share some of the things we got up to. Thanks so much for stopping by! December Recap The Last Day for 2025 Walking out of work on the last day of the year, December 19, never felt so amazing. I think I got home and didn’t move off the lounge for about two days. My husband said, “Wow, it’s so good to see you getting right into holiday mode.” He knew exactly how tough the year had been at work. The truth is, I was completely done. Kaput. Done. I know I always feel tired at the end of the year, and I usually have a good old whinge about it. This was next-level tired. It wasn’t until I was at home by myself on the first Saturday evening that I started to feel a bit better after a little cry. It was so weird because it wasn’t like I felt sad, but I must have been, and I wasn’t really sure why. After all, it was holiday time, so there was nothing to be sad about. I was exhausted but couldn’t relax or fall asleep. Every time I was just about to drift off, I would jolt awake like I was falling off a building. I guess I was emotionally and physically confused, haha. The good news is that I soon got out of the funk. When Monday rolled around, we went straight into happy holiday mode with lunch at one of my favourite places, The Grounds of Alexandria. Our Lunch at The Grounds The Grounds always look amazing, and for Christmas, they went all out with a traditional festive theme. It was so pretty. Christmas Dessert Prep The next day, Tuesday, I made a chocolate hazelnut filling for the small tart cases I’d bought from Woolworths. I wanted to get a head start on some Christmas desserts for the big day. Date Night Then, in the evening, we headed out to Martin Place to have dinner at a restaurant called Epula, which is in the Fullerton Hotel and right near the giant Christmas tree. The restaurant had a lovely, relaxed feel as well as beautiful decor. The food was pretty spectacular, too. After dinner, we wandered around Martin Place and soaked up the Christmas atmosphere in the city. Christmas Eve Christmas feels like a decade ago now! We had our big family celebration with the cousins, although our older son and his partner couldn’t make it. His partner’s family also celebrates on Christmas Eve, and in the past, they’ve managed to attend both gatherings. Since last year, though, their celebration has moved to another relative’s house, which is much further away. My cousin, who hosted our gathering this year, has also moved, and it would have taken them well over an hour to get there. So we decided in advance that we would have Christmas lunch with just the five of us at my place on the 25th. We missed them both, but it certainly made things easier for them. My son’s partner is the best, and we couldn’t love her more. For many years, she cut her own celebration short to attend ours as well, but the distance is now just too much. Christmas Eve was a huge feast followed by some crazy games. I’m pretty sure the whole street heard us shrieking. Loved the Star Wars Christmas crackers my cousin found. Christmas Day It was such a lovely, calm day, and after the endless hot weather, we finally got a break. Instead of temperatures in the high 30s, Christmas Day sat in the low 20s, which was perfect weather for eating. And eat we did. I was really happy with how the table turned out. This year, I picked up the tablecloth and plate chargers from Kmart, and the gold napkin rings came from Amazon. We’re a bit behind here with Amazon, or maybe it was just me, but until December 2024, ordering from Amazon didn’t feel like such a big thing. I used to read posts about “what I primed this month” and think, huh? Now I get it. I still try to be intentional when it comes to buying things, but the cute gold napkin rings are something I know I’ll use often, and not just for Christmas. We started with seafood. Then turkey, ham, roast potatoes, beans and gravy. Pavlova and hazelnut tarts for dessert. Boxing Day What better way to spend Boxing Day than a trip to Ikea with one of your favourite people? That’s exactly how I spent mine. My lovely friend booked us into a free gingerbread house-making activity at Ikea. New Year’s Eve Steve and I had planned to stay home, make a trifle we didn’t get to make for Christmas, eat, drink bubbly, and see the New Year in just the two of us, as Sam had a fun party invitation. But the day before, my friend texted to see if we wanted to come over to their house. Of course, we said yes. They made a delicious meal, and we took our trifle over for dessert. It’s a Mary Berry recipe, and it not only looked spectacular but tasted really good too. So good, even without any jelly, that we will definitely be making it again. It’s interesting. If you want to grow a relationship, I definitely recommend cooking together. Haha, we had creative differences, pushed through, and even learned how to make the darn sugar decoration thingy that nearly broke me. Five attempts later, it finally worked. I wasn’t going to let it beat me! Holiday Projects Now that I have some time on my hands and plenty

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My 2025 Recap of the Year

14 Comments / Hello Monday, Home

Hi friends. I wanted to pop in to say hello, share a quick recap of the year, and wish everyone a wonderful Christmas. Before I do, I need to acknowledge how incredibly sad and shaken we all are after the senseless shooting at Bondi Beach yesterday. I have no words. I know so many of us turned on the TV and watched the breaking news unfold, feeling shocked and heartbroken. My phone started pinging over and over yesterday while I was folding the laundry. When I opened our family group chat, I couldn’t believe what I was reading. A shooting. Here. No way. This doesn’t happen in Australia. We have gun control. We all started checking in to say we were safe, and then my heart dropped when I remembered Sam had left earlier, saying he was heading to the beach. As I tried to text him, my fingers wouldn’t work, and I fumbled around. But he must have seen the messages coming through, too, because his reply popped up almost instantly. He was safe; he’d gone to another beach. Thank God. You know that instant calming relief you feel after panic? That’s what I felt. And then, straight away, I thought about those who weren’t so lucky. Those victims who will never get to send their families that message, I’m safe. So sad. My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and everyone affected by this terror attack. I just hope there isn’t any retaliation and that everyone stays safe. It’s hard to switch from something so awful, but as this will be my last post for the year, I wanted to recap 2025 and share some of the highs as well as the not-so-highs of the year. Thanks so much for being here today. I really appreciate you stopping by. My 2025 Recap of the Year Well, I have to say that 2025 has been my favourite year since 1984. That’s a long time between favourite years, isn’t it? I don’t want to make it sound like nothing good happened in between all of those years. Of course, amazing things did. But 2025 just feels extra special and will always be for me the year I started doing things outside my comfort zone and let myself experience the most amazing adventures. I liked it! So instead of going into every little detail and putting you to sleep, here’s a quick recap of the highlights. The Highs Travel in 2025 I survived a long-haul flight all the way to our epic holiday in North America. Yeah, I don’t love flying, so this was huge! On this trip, all my dreams came true when we visited Disneyland and Universal Studios. We spent a week on a road trip through Arizona, Nevada, and Utah We hiked the freezing cold Narrows in winter. I snorkelled in Hawaii Back home, I braved another plane ride in June and spent a couple of nights in Melbourne with my lovely cousin. Family Highlights Cousin Connect gatherings throughout the year are always the highlight of every month. We had some small birthday celebrations for me, my husband, and both of our sons. I’m a low-key party person when it comes to our family birthdays, but invite me to yours and Party Ruth will pop out, I promise. Home Wins I totally reorganised my office space and made it all cozy. Friends I’m so thankful for the wonderful friends in my life and the fun adventures we got to have during holiday breaks in 2025. Over many years of friendship, they’ve been there through the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I couldn’t ask for better people by my side. The Not-So-Highs Work We can’t have everything, right? Even though 2025 has been my favourite year in almost every way, work has been incredibly challenging. In my 28 years as an educator, I’ve never faced a year like this, and it really tested me. As much as I wish I could share more, I can’t. But if any educators are reading this, I would really like to know. Was it just me, or did you feel the same about this year? I was so tempted to walk away, and I have never even thought that before. Not ever. Sigh. My Blog This year, I stopped posting as frequently as I had in previous years. My husband’s work schedule changed, which meant we could spend more time together in the evenings. He’s always been so supportive of my blog. Haha, he never reads it, but he likes that I have a creative outlet. So I still blogged, but dinners at home or occasionally out, along with time on the couch binge-watching all the shows, became too tempting. I decided to scale back and post three times a week. But as the year went on and work really started to wear me down, my energy disappeared. Writing stopped feeling easy and started feeling hard. I began questioning everything and telling myself my blog was awful. Why was I even writing about my everyday life? Who would want to read this? Where did my energy for sharing about fashion, recipes and home organisation go? That negative thinking took over, and after long days, I was simply too tired to think, let alone write. So I started to disappear from here a little. But it’s the last week of preschool, and from this Friday, I’ll be off work for five glorious weeks. I’m going to take a short break, pull my socks up, and find my mojo again. Before I sign off, I wanted to end on a good note and share this photo. Here I am with a few of the lovely ladies I work with, and I’ve blocked out some of the faces because I didn’t ask permission to post. Not all of my work buddies are in this picture, but if it wasn’t for them, I don’t know how I would have got through this year.

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Christmas in Australia

6 Comments / Christmas, Home

Every year, when Christmas rolls around, I have the same thought. I really wish I lived in the northern hemisphere. I can’t help feeling a bit of Christmas envy when I picture snow, winter coats, Christmas markets and mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows. It all looks so cosy, and it just makes sense. It matches the idea of Christmas I have always carried in my head. But I live in Australia, and my Christmas is very different. And even though that winter fantasy never truly goes away, I have realised there are things I do love about the season here. So come with me as I share about some of the things that make Christmas in Australia special to me. And no, it’s not the beach, or swimming, or spending the day at Bondi Beach. Haha, this non-beach lover has other favourites! Christmas in Australia Christmas in the Summer It’s summer over here, yep, we have opposite seasons to most of the world, and I know it blows some people’s minds. While half the globe is bundling up in scarves and coats, we have our air conditioners on full blast. I have to be honest, I don’t love that Christmas is in the middle of summer. But I do love summer itself. Hello, long evenings, bright sunshine, and cold drinks. Yes sir, summer is my favourite season, and I’m lucky I can handle the heat pretty well. This afternoon, I walked home in mid-30ºC temperatures, and by the time I got home, I was a sweaty mess but a happy sweaty mess. I guess there’s a reason a friend used to call me Sahara. Christmas probably makes winter more fun, but I still love our quirky upside-down version. Quirky is good. Double Christmas Fun One of the things I love about this time of year is that I feel like I get two Christmases. At preschool, we’re wrapping up the school year and getting ready for the end-of-year concerts and graduation. Our school year ends in December and starts again in the last week of January. The kids are so excited (not always in the best way, yikes!), and there’s just this general buzz in the air. It also helps that I work with some of the most fun people on the planet. This time of year is definitely my favourite, and even though it’s chaos, it’s good fun chaos. Then, once school’s out (ten days to go but who’s counting?), we kick off round two of Christmas prep at home, making sure everything is ready for the “real” Christmas. Two Christmases in one. I love that. Food For Christmas lunch, it’s often the custom to go for food that suits the weather. Things like prawns, oysters, cold ham, turkey and salads. I enjoy all of that, but I also love the traditional Christmas food like turkey, glazed ham (I have the most amazing glazed ham recipe), roast potatoes and gravy, always lots of gravy. So I do what a lot of people who celebrate Christmas in summer do and combine both. We start with seafood as an entrée and then tuck into the more traditional Christmas fare. It’s the best of both worlds! Carols, Music and Summer Nights One of the things I love about Christmas in Australia is Carols by Candlelight, like the one held in the Domain in Sydney (and similar events in other cities). I’ve never been to the Domain myself, but it’s televised, so I watch it every year while I’m wrapping presents. The audience is always in summer clothes, and there’s no snow, no frosty air, but it still looks very Christmassy to me. Lights We have pockets of streets where decorating houses with Christmas lights is a real thing. It kind of moves around from year to year, depending on how the decorating fever hits. You know how it goes: one house goes all out, then the next one gets inspired, and before you know it, the whole street becomes famous for it. Not everyone decorates their house, but those who do really go for it. I don’t know if it’s the same overseas, maybe in the northern hemisphere it is, or maybe that’s just a Hallmark movie thing, you’ll have to let me know. The funny part is, because it’s summer, it doesn’t get dark until after 8 pm, so the lights can’t really shine until then. The news often runs a segment announcing the best streets to see, and suddenly everyone rushes over. I used to decorate our house, it was me and the neighbour across the street. Now it’s just the neighbour across the street. I got tired of untangling the lights and acting like a cranky Grinch. How do people even keep their lights tidy? The Decorations That Never Match the Weather I laugh on the inside when I stop and think about the mismatch of winter decorations in a hot climate. Snowflakes on windows. Reindeers in 30-degree heat. A fake fireplace on the TV while you’re sitting there in shorts. And then we have Christmas cards that try to represent us better, with Santa in shorts surfing. Too funny! So that’s what I love about Christmas in Australia. It’s hot, sticky and sweaty, but a picture-perfect traditional winter white Christmas is only a long-haul 14 to 24-hour plane ride away, depending on your destination. Lucky us, right?

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My Anti-Bucket List: Adventures I’ll Skip

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Hi friends! Today I’m sharing something a little different: my anti bucket list. These are adventures and experiences I know I will never do or even be tempted to try. Some are way too terrifying for someone like me, who likes to keep both feet firmly on the ground, and others are simply a no, thank you. Before I begin, I just want to say that this is purely for fun and not a judgment on anyone. Because if any of the things on this list are for you, then Yay!! Go you! These are just some of the things I’m happy to leave to everyone else. No FOMO here, I promise. My Anti Bucket List Skydiving Free-falling from a plane? Yikes! I couldn’t think of anything worse. I’ve been working on my fear of flying, and I’m not as bad as I used to be. But I’m still that person who likes to keep an eye on things like the wings, the noises, and I scan the cabin to make sure the flight attendants look calm. Because if they’re calm, then that’s a good sign. But then again, they’ve been trained to look calm. So who can be sure? You get me, right? Yep, that’s how my brain works, so there is no way I would ever jump out of a plane. No way. A couple of my brave cousins have done it and say it’s amazing. I’m happy to take their word for it. Bungee Jumping Just thinking about jumping off a bridge, or whatever bungee jumpers jump from, even with a safety harness, makes my stomach flip. Risky Hikes for Views or Photos Earlier this year, I had the best time hiking in Bryce Canyon, but only along the safe trails. The epic views were incredible, and I loved taking it all in without putting myself in danger. So I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw a few people who looked like influencers ignoring barriers and danger signs, posing on the edge of clifftops in gym clothes during winter in minus five-degree temps. I wasn’t sure if I was more worried about them catching pneumonia or falling off. I so badly wanted to yell, “Please come back where it’s safe and put on a jacket! What would your mother say?” Get a Tattoo I don’t think I would like to wear something on my skin that’s so permanent, and it looks like a painful process, too. Botox I don’t love seeing lines, extra eye bags, and saggy parts on my face when I look in the mirror. I’m like, “Who is that… oh, it’s me! Haha, hello older me!” I also don’t really like the “I’m growing old gracefully” line. I’ll probably continue to grow old disgracefully, fussing and whinging the whole way because it was so much fun being young. And as much as I wish my face wasn’t slowly falling south, injecting anything into it isn’t for me. Hot Air Balloon Ride There is a recurring theme here! I clearly don’t like heights, flying, or anything that might make me feel like I’m about to fall out of the sky. I’ve seen beautiful photos of colourful hot air balloons floating gently in the sky, but it’s still a no from me. Go Grey I have a lovely friend who let her hair go grey a few years ago, and she looks fantastic. Her hair is healthy, and she doesn’t have to worry about chemicals or regrowth popping up overnight. But I just can’t see myself going grey. Maybe it’s because of my mum. She always said she’d never go grey, and as she got older, when she couldn’t colour her own hair anymore, I would do it for her. She made me promise I would keep covering her greys. I remember giving her a quick root touch-up the day before she went to the hospital for the last time. I was completely heartbroken because I knew she was very unwell, but I wanted to keep my promise. I’m glad I was able to do that for her. Host a Birthday Party for Myself I love parties, celebrations and fun events, especially when there’s dancing. But I really don’t like being the centre of attention. I even get super self-conscious when people sing Happy Birthday to me. That song seems to go on forever, or at least it feels like it does when everyone is looking at you while you blow out the candles. Eat Spicy Food I can cope with a minuscule amount of spice, like the gentle kind you get from sweet chilli sauce. I even add a few dried chilli flakes to my chilli con carne, maybe ten for the whole pot. But that is about as adventurous as I will ever get. I just cannot do spicy food. If I ever accidentally eat something hot when I am out and feel my mouth or throat start burning, I immediately get anxious and think, Oh no… I am going to choke in front of everyone. Like the time I made a huge mistake and thought the blob of wasabi on my sushi box was avocado and put the whole thing in my mouth. I was having lunch with people I didn’t know very well, and once I realised what I had eaten, it was too late. All I could do was pretend to be calm and swallow it. But for a minute there, I was sure I was going to die. Thanks so much for stopping by today and reading along at some of the things I’m happy to skip. I think I’ve covered everything I’d ever want on my anti bucket list. What about you? Anything you’d never do? I’d love to know—maybe I’ll add them to my list 😉

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Friday Favourites

5 Comments / Friday Favourites, Home

Happy Friday, friends! I’m wrapping up the week by sharing a few things that made it feel extra bright. Here are this week’s favourites. A Small Joy This lollipop brought me so much joy the other day! I was craving something sweet and found this little treasure in my work bag. It was a Halloween treat from my fun, treat-supplying friend and colleague I’ve shared about before. She’s such a cravings lifesaver. I’m so glad I deliberately carried it in my bag for a day when I really needed a sugar fix. A Product I’m Loving You know, when you wish you could go back in time? That’s me, every time I look at this little bottle of room spray from the Hearth & Hand with Magnolia range I picked up in LA. Why oh why did I buy just ONE? What was I thinking? In my defence, it was only day two of the trip and I didn’t want to overload my suitcase too early. We were at Glendale Mall, I walked into Target, and just about lost my mind when I saw the Magnolia range I’d only ever seen on Instagram. The scent is like nothing I have ever experienced before. It’s pomelo and smells fresh, warm, a little fruity, and I absolutely love it. Every time I spray it, I instantly feel like I’m back in that Glendale Target aisle. This room spray is basically my LA trip in a bottle. Luckily, my travelling cousins recently came back from Ohio and brought me another one, so I’m rationing it like it’s liquid gold. A Favourite Moment My aunt hosted an early Christmas get-together last weekend, and you should see her house all decorated for Christmas. It is AMAZING! I shared some photos on my Instagram if you’d like to have a look. My Christmas spirit has been a little dim this year, but after seeing her place, I think I got a spark back. I love how much my aunt loves Christmas, and I do too, but for some reason, up until last weekend, I just wasn’t really feeling it yet. We had a delicious charcuterie board followed by dinner, and by the time we got to desserts, we barely had any room. After dinner, some cousins headed off to the Metallica concert, and the rest of us listened to music and painted Christmas rocks. We used a cute kit my aunt had bought that’s meant for kids, which was perfect for us “big kids.” It came with paints and Christmas-themed instructions. Do you like my Santa rock? Haha. I’m feeling more excited now, especially after we started planning our Christmas Eve get-together that night. Since then, my aunt has sent me a bunch of Instagram reels on how to decorate for Christmas, which has helped a whole lot, too. Something I’m Learning I love Canva and have the paid version, which I use for this blog as well as for preschool resources and other preschool-related projects. I’m still discovering all the incredible things you can do on this app. I’ve been trying to figure out how to bulk-create things like end-of-year certificates for the preschool children. I could type each name out individually. But I figure that since we do these certificates every year, it will be a really useful skill to know. I also started working on the children’s Christmas cards using Canva at work today, but I’m not completely happy with them yet. Once I get going, I just can’t stop because I want them to be perfect. I really need to calm down! A Fun Outing Steve and I went to IKEA yesterday to “find out” how to get a replacement light for our oven we bought about four years ago. Haha, I could have found this info online or over the phone easily, but I totally agreed with him that these things are better done in person. 😉 It was so fun wandering around, and it was amazingly quiet for a Thursday night. The best part was the Christmas section, where I bought some wrapping paper, cards, a Christmas-scented candle, the VINTERSAGA mulled fruit drink and a big star lamp for our window. Oh yes, and we also picked up frozen meatballs. You can never leave IKEA without the meatballs. Something I’m Looking Forward To Tomorrow the Danish Christmas markets are on, and I’m going along with a group of friends. It’s a tradition now, and something I look forward to every year. I’m sure the markets will give me a great big boost of Christmas spirit! What are you up to this weekend? I hope you get to enjoy a little festive fun too. Thanks so much for stopping by. Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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Cleaning Caddy Essentials: What’s in Mine

5 Comments / Cleaning and Organising, Home

Before I bought my cleaning caddy, I kept my cleaning supplies in different spots around the house. Some things were under the kitchen sink, others were in the laundry, and I would constantly go back and forth trying to find whatever I needed. If I had a dollar for every lap I did gathering my cleaning supplies, I probably could have paid someone to clean for me. I finally realised a cleaning caddy was the answer (not sure why it took me so long?), and today I am sharing what is inside mine. I just have the essentials because I have stopped buying ten different sprays for the same job. Simple is the goal, friends! My Cleaning Caddy Before I show what’s inside, I should say I do not love this caddy. It’s a bit shallow, and the compartments are oddly shaped, so bottles tip over if they don’t sit just right. It’s kind of annoying, but it keeps everything in one place, and I can carry it from room to room, so I’m not in a rush to replace it. If you’re on the lookout for a cleaning caddy, I would say get one that is deeper and has better-shaped compartments for bottles. I may eventually get another one, but for now, this one works–until it drives me completely nuts! What’s Inside My Cleaning Caddy Domestos This bottle of Domestos is the hero! I love that the nozzle is long, so I can squirt the liquid into all the edges and grooves of the shower. Bleach is fantastic for mould and stubborn grime. So far, the shower has stayed mould-free for years. Phew! Bath and Shower Spray This citrus bath and shower spray is such a nice change from the heavy-duty ones. It smells fresh, and it’s not harsh. You know those cleaners that promise big results but leave you tasting chemicals in the back of your throat? This is the opposite of that. Fresh, light, and it doesn’t make you feel like you need to evacuate the bathroom and run outside for fresh air. Toilet Cleaner I always pick the tropical blossom one because it smells the prettiest. Disinfectant A splash of this in hot water is perfect for cleaning around the cat litter boxes and other cat-related messes — ick! My cats are generally very clean, but you know how cats are. I also use it for general disinfecting around the house. Floor Cleaner This is a great low-cost floor cleaner that gets the floors clean, which is all I really need. Oh, and it smells good too, with a subtle fresh scent. Gumption Gumption is perfect for scrubbing the shower floor in our main bathroom. We have one of those plastic floors where no spray will do the job. Sometimes you just can’t escape the Cinderella-on-your-knees method. Cloths and Gloves My cleaning caddy also has some cloths for cleaning the bathrooms and general dusting, plus a pair of rubber gloves to save my hands. And that’s what I keep inside my cleaning caddy. All the basics, nothing extra — anything more wouldn’t fit anyway, which is probably a good thing for someone like me who likes to keep things minimal. The caddy helps me stick to my simple cleaning routine, doing a little each day to stay on top of things and aim for the ultimate goal of having nothing to do on the weekends. It’s a big goal I haven’t achieved yet, because there’s always something to do, isn’t there?

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How I Show Gratitude

3 Comments / Beauty and Self Care, Home

Hi friends, and happy Wednesday! It’s time for the November edition of Let’s Look, and today we’re chatting about how we show gratitude. When I first quickly read the prompt, I focused on the word gratitude and thought, oh my gosh, I don’t have a gratitude journal, routine quiet time, or any kind of guided gratitude meditation ritual. Yikes, I must be the most ungrateful person on the planet! But then I realised the prompt isn’t about how grateful we are, it’s about how we show gratitude in the little things we do every day. And, of course, the good English student in me (always my favourite subject in school) had to look up the definition of gratitude just to be sure. Phew! I realised I am thankful, and I do show it by noticing the little things and taking small actions to make life easier or brighter for the people around me. Here’s how I show gratitude in my world. Small, Practical Gestures I’m a doer and love to do things to make someone’s day easier. It can be anything from washing someone’s lunch containers that have been left in the sink at work (we’re supposed to do our own) to offering to feed my neighbour’s cat while she is in Fiji on holidays next week. Humour If humour were a love language, it would be mine! I love to laugh, and I love making others laugh. Life is too short, and working with children is too hard, to take everything seriously. Showing You Care I think it’s really important to be consistent. Following through on promises, really listening when someone is talking, and turning up when you say you will are all ways I try to show gratitude. Send a Thoughtful Text I’m not much of a card writer, but I do send texts to let someone know I’m thinking of them, to encourage them, or to say thank you for something. It’s a simple way to show that someone notices and cares, and a really nice way to show gratitude Random Acts of Kindness Small, unexpected gestures go a long way. Holding the door or letting someone cut in front of you while driving (even though they don’t usually say thank you-hehe) Give Encouragement and Recognition It’s important to notice the effort, not just the outcome, and it’s always worth saying out loud. Something as simple as “I saw how hard you worked on that” can really make someone feel seen and appreciated. I’ve been working on this myself because I have a habit of thinking it, but not actually saying it. I don’t know why people can’t just hear my thoughts! Show Gratitude to Your Family I’m a big believer in showing gratitude to family, and it shouldn’t be left at the front door. I send texts to my husband and kids to let them know I’m thinking of them. With all of us working different schedules and having days off that don’t line up, I think it’s important to stay in communication. I learned this from my husband, who is much better at communicating than me. I also like to acknowledge the little things my family do, like when someone empties the dishwasher or takes out the garbage, without being asked. My boys are good eggs, and they deserve a thank you. Gratitude for Myself Along with showing gratitude to others, I’ve been learning to show it to myself. I’m rewiring my brain to be more positive, taking breaks when I need them, resting, eating well, and noticing the little things I actually manage to get done each day. Go me! Those are some of the ways I try to show gratitude every day. I’d love to hear how you do it, too. It’s amazing how the little things can mean so much. Linking up with Erika and Shay

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October Favourites

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Hi friends! I hope you’ve all had an amazing week. I’m excited to be back to share some of my favourites from October. It’s an October Favourites edition! Which feels just right, since (can you believe it?) it’s the last day of the month. Oh, and by the way, Happy Halloween! I’m pretty sure I say this all the time, but whoa, didn’t the month go by so fast! We said cheers to the first day of October with a yummy snack of salami, crackers and halloumi. Spring School Holidays In October, I had a relaxing school holiday break and enjoyed the gorgeous spring weather. First on the holiday agenda was a fun catch-up with friends for lunch. The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney I also did a day trip to the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney, where my funny friend and I admitted we do not have a great sense of direction. To be fair, the garden is huge! We ended up using my phone to guide us to where we wanted to go. My iPhone has this feature where you hold it up and giant blue arrows appear to show you which way to walk. They reminded me of the arrows in a Mario Kart game, hehe. Here are a few pics of the beautiful gardens. Pamela Allen Exhibition After the Botanic Gardens, we went to see The Pamela Allen Exhibition. Pamela Allen is a children’s author from New Zealand who made her name in Australia. She wrote Who Sank the Boat? and Alexander’s Outing. We read her books to the children at preschool all the time. Such classics! After a big day out, you really can’t go wrong with a chicken and leek pie. It was so nice to sit down, eat, and chat. Cousin Connect In October, my aunt hosted Cousin Connect. Most of us managed to get together before some of our travelling cousins went overseas. October is Birthday Month Our younger son turned 21! We got lucky, and all five of us, the three of us plus my older son and his fiancée, had time off work during the day. At the birthday boy’s request, we went to see a movie and then had burgers and chips for dinner at a place called Mister Gee. We saw the Leonardo DiCaprio movie One Battle After Another, and it was so good I didn’t fall asleep once! In October, my eldest son turned 32. He came over our way with his fiancée, and we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant, Lilong. Then it was back to our house for cake. Let me tell you about the funny cake incident. Since Luke moved out, he’s always come over for his birthday dinner — but this year, we were all less than amazing at communicating. I didn’t want to assume he was coming in case he had other plans, and he figured I’d automatically know he was coming over. So when he rang me while I was at work and said, “Hey Mum, I’ll be coming over at 7,” I was of course super excited… but we hadn’t actually planned dinner or a cake. I rang my husband and he came up with a plan: we’d go out for dinner, and he would ice and decorate a banana bread he’d baked and pass it off as a birthday cake. No one would ever know. Well… everyone figured it out immediately. At the very first bite: “Hey, isn’t this Dad’s usual banana bread? He’s just put lollies and choc chips on top!” Hahahahaha!!! “He thought we wouldn’t notice!!” It was very funny, and now we’ve made it official, Luke will be coming over for his birthday dinner every year, and next time he’s getting a spectacular birthday cake! A Day of Action In October, some of my work colleagues and I went to a day of action in the city. We’re standing up for fair pay for preschool staff and against the Premier of NSW, Chris Minns’s proposal to turn community preschools like the one I work in into long‑day care centres. If it goes ahead, I know I’d seriously be looking at my options. Community preschools are different to long day care centres. They mostly run during school hours and only during term time, focusing on the year or two before school. They offer more structured play-based learning, are not-for-profit, usually run by a parent committee, and have smaller groups with long-standing staff. One of the reasons we have less staff turnover is because we get term breaks. There’s no way I could work in such a demanding environment without those precious term breaks. I really don’t understand why the Premier wants to mess with something that works so well. Some of the signs I saw at the rally were very clever! Mochi Ran Away Last weekend, Mochi, our indoor cat, ran away! She got out into the courtyard and hid behind some pot plants. We didn’t notice and accidentally left her out there, which gave her the perfect opportunity to jump onto the neighbour’s garage and disappear into the neighbourhood. We walked up and down our street, knocking on doors, but she was gone, and we were so sad. I Googled “how to get your runaway cat back”, and it suggested going out late at night or early in the morning when everything is quiet and calling her name. So at 2 am, I went outside and did exactly that, and she appeared. I waited until she came to me and then gently picked her up. Well, I may have gently-ish grabbed her because my heart was pounding! Phew, what a relief to have her back home again. And that was a glimpse at a few of the things from our October. Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

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Celebrating a 21st Birthday Party at Home

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Hey friends! It’s great to be back linking up with Holly and Sarah to share a little about our weekend. Sam, our youngest, celebrated his birthday (which was actually two weeks ago) with a party. Not going to lie, I’m so glad it’s over because party planning is way outside my comfort zone. But the good news is that Sam and his friends had a great time, and my house survived the event! Woohoo! A couple of months ago, Sam asked if he could have his 21st birthday party at our house. That’s a reasonable request, except our house, although very comfortable and one I truly love, is more of a cozy, compact space than an entertainer’s home. We tossed around the idea of having it at a pub or a restaurant. But he was keen to celebrate at home with his friends. When we rattled off a list of things we’d have to do to get it all organised, he said, “Mum, don’t worry, it’ll be fine. We’ll just order pizzas and have some music.” Bless his positive, easy-breezy attitude. You and I both know that was never going to be all we needed to pull off a 21st! We were all busy with work, study, and everything in between, and Sam’s relaxed approach was a bit contagious. That is, until last Monday, when I started to panic! I thought, “Oh my gosh, we have only a few days until the Friday night event!” We all kicked things into high gear, ordering things off Amazon, shopping for snacks and drinks, preordering the pizzas for delivery, and organising the decorations. We hired a few bar tables and stools, and got an LED party light that pulses with the music. The boombox we wanted was unavailable. But luckily, my boss was able to lend us hers–phew! Then it was just a bit of furniture reshuffling, and I thought back to my post on entertaining in small spaces. I stopped panicking, pushed through, and it all came together. I stayed away that night to give them some space to enjoy themselves and celebrate. My husband was at work until 3 am, but our oldest son came over and helped keep things running smoothly. When I got home, I was super impressed with how all the rubbish was bundled up into garbage bags. And apart from the sticky floors, Sam and his friends had done such a great job cleaning up. It was clear they’d had fun, and I couldn’t believe how well they’d looked after everything. To be honest, I was expecting a total frat-house kind of mess like the ones I’ve seen in movies, so this was a very pleasant surprise. I’ve met most of Sam’s friends and always thought they were good eggs, and their party clean-up effort confirmed it big time! I was also happy to find that the only thing they ended up using from the “just in case” kit I left was the mozzie repellent. On top of the party being a big success, Sam got completely spoiled with presents, which none of us were expecting. He got money, Chanel cologne, and nine of his friends even chipped in for a ticket to Bali. So now he’s off to Bali with them for a week at the end of January 2026, gulp. I’m sure they’ll have a wonderful time, but I’m already looking forward to their safe return. Happy Monday, friends, and thanks so much for stopping by!

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