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What’s Up Wednesday

Hi friends, and welcome to What’s Up Wednesday. It’s time to share some of the things we have been up to in September. Can you believe how fast the month went by? WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK Monday – Creamy chicken and mushroom with rice Tuesday – Chilli Wednesday – Leftover chilli Thursday – Barramundi, wedges and salad Friday – Turkey burgers Saturday – Cousin connect dinner at my aunt’s Sunday – Steak sandwiches and chips WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT I miss my mum every day. September was her birth month, and she would have been 97. I’ve been getting teary every time I think about it. There are also some things I really wish I could talk to her about, nothing major, just ordinary things that only she would understand. I miss her reactions when I shared things with her. She was funny. WHAT I’M LOVING I’m loving the warmer days, flowers blooming, longer daylight, and wearing lighter clothing. I’m also excited to see Halloween costumes and decorations popping up in the shops. I love the months from September to February; they are my absolute favourites. Right now, I feel like finding a mountain to spin around on and sing ‘The Hills Are Alive! WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO Apart from the usual routine of work, in September, we also enjoyed a trip to Ikea to buy things we didn’t know we needed. Dinner at our local Chinese restaurant, called Lilong. Our monthly catch-up with friends at the RSL. A fun lunch with great friends and a wonderful view. A whole lot of preschool prep. We enjoyed some sweet treats for R U OK Day. At work, our parent committee also spoiled us with cakes and a lovely pen for Educator’s Day. We celebrated Father’s Day a week late. I made a trip to Bunnings to buy some pretty plants for our front garden. As well as some things we needed for our preschool class to make Cress Heads. A delicious dinner out with colleagues for our once-a-term catch-up. It’s funny, I always think we didn’t really do much, then I scroll back through my photos and realise we did all the ordinary things and also enjoyed a few little highlights sprinkled throughout the month. WHAT I’M DREADING I love it when I can answer this one with a big fat nothing. WHAT I’M WATCHING We’re definitely late to the party on this one because I know it was really popular when it first came out. But we started watching Designated Survivor a couple of weeks ago, and we’re enjoying it so much. Kiefer never disappoints! WHAT I’M LISTENING TO SBS Chill, and it plays chill music that doesn’t stress Steve. He intensely dislikes chill music, but he doesn’t mind this digital station. WHAT I’M WEARING We’re still in that in-between season phase; some days are warm, others chilly. Some nights I’m in the full winter pyjama outfit with bed socks and everything, and other nights it’s just a T-shirt and shorts. I love the days when I can wear a T-shirt and have my arms out. When Sam was little and saw someone barefoot, he’d say, ‘Look, Mummy, they’re wearing feet!’ It always cracked me up. I guess now, since some days my arms are bare, you could say I’ve been ‘wearing arms’. WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND It’s the first weekend of the school holidays, and so far it’s looking like a relaxed one. All we have planned is our Cousin Connect dinner at my aunt’s house. WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH I’m looking forward to warmer weather, and October means my two boys have birthdays coming up. One’s turning 21 and the other 32, so they’re not exactly boys anymore, but they will always be my boys. And just like that, September is almost done. I hope your month was a good one. Thanks for reading along, and I hope October is good to all of us. 😊 Linking up with Shay

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Hello Monday

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Hi friends, it’s good to be back today after being MIA for most of last week. Life has just been crazy busy lately, and I’m counting down the days until Friday when we break up for the school holidays. That’s 3 days, 22 hours, and 51 minutes to go. I cannot wait! For this post, I had to scroll back through my camera roll to remember what I did over the weekend. I remember the fun parts, but not the in-between bits that make up most of the time. Turns out, I only took photos of food and one outfit. I know, I know, the weekend was only yesterday, but I needed a little reminder. I always think it’s funny how, on crime shows, the suspect instantly knows where they were on a random date and time. Then there’s me, who can’t even remember what happened 24 hours ago. If I were a suspect, I’d look instantly guilty for being so forgetful. Anyway, before I get myself in any more imaginary trouble, here’s a peek at what I got up to over the weekend. Friday Night Friday night was so much fun, I had no trouble remembering this part of the weekend. We went out for our Term 3 work dinner. Our preschool generously treats us to a dinner out every term at a place of our choosing. We usually pick a pub because they have a good variety of food and drinks at reasonable prices. This time we went to the Como Hotel. Even though I was so tired from our busy day at preschool, I somehow managed to race home, colour my roots, and get ready faster than I thought possible. There was a whole lot of grey showing where I part my hair, yikes! I had been putting it off because I always need an excuse to colour my hair. Definitely not my favourite job, that is for sure. I snapped a quick pic of my casual outfit. Then waited out front of my house for my work friend, who was giving us a lift. Her daughter drove us, and the party started the moment we were all in the car. These work colleagues are so much fun, always! The food was delicious, and we all grabbed the chance to chat without being interrupted, laugh at the funny things that happen in our world, and just unload everything from the week, term, and year. It was like a much-needed therapy session over cocktails and food. So you can imagine just how much we laughed that night! Saturday Normally, we have brunch on a Sunday, but this time we had it on Saturday. My stomach and my head were both craving protein and carbs to help me recover from the night before. Then in the evening we went out to see my cousin perform at her spring dance gala. Before the performance, some of my cousins and I went to the bistro for dinner. It was a great night catching up with most of the cousins. As always, I thought my cousin was the best dancer of the night, and I’m not just saying it because she’s ours. She really is so graceful and elegant on stage. Sunday A while ago, I did a post on my Sunday Reset Routine and wrote about how I used to do way too many household chores, but now I try to focus on relaxing and self-care. Well, I must have jinxed myself, because lately so many weekends have been all about playing catch-up and not just around the house, but with work too! What’s going on? Ha! Next term, things will be different. The staff reshuffle will be sorted, and I can get back to my usual routine. That means leaving the laptop at work locked in the cupboard. So Sunday was all about getting the laundry done (thank goodness for sunny weather), a few cleaning jobs, and writing up preschool stuff. Then in the evening, Steve was at work and Sam was at a friend’s house, so I had a date with my lounge room. Spaghetti bolognese for one in front of the TV, perfect. And that was my weekend ☺️ Thanks so much for stopping by. I’m planning to be back for What’s Up Wednesday. Hope to see you then.

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Hello Monday

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Hi friends, and welcome to a recap of our sunny spring weekend. I’m so glad you’ve stopped by! Saturday It was Father’s Day last Sunday, but we weren’t able to celebrate together then. So this weekend we had a belated Father’s Day get-together. Our eldest son Luke came over, and it was lovely to have lunch and catch up. We don’t see him as much as we would like, with work for us, study for Sam, our youngest, and the 40 to 50-minute trip it takes to come over. Anyway, it was so good to see him and hear all about what is happening in the world. I have mentioned before that I avoid the news at all costs. Of course, things eventually trickle down to me, and I find out what is going on. But mostly, I am more than happy not to know too much because it gives me so much anxiety. Luke is our facts guy, and I don’t mind hearing what he has to share. He has a way of explaining things so clearly, and now all my fears are perfectly justified. Yikes! We spent the afternoon talking and eating. For lunch, Steve made a slow-roast lamb. Yep, now he’s even cooking for his own celebrations! 😂 For dessert, we had Princess Cakes that we had in the freezer from one of our trips to Ikea. I’m so glad they have brought these cakes back again after being MIA for three or four years. Sunday Sunday was like the perfect spring day. With all the rain we’ve had over the past few weeks, the soil in our front garden was nice and loose, so Steve was able to pull out the old lavender bush. It was lovely when it flowered once a year, but most of the time it was woody and weedy. So I made a trip to Bunnings to pick up some colourful flowers to plant in its place, and when I got there, it was so busy, full of spring-inspired gardeners. I also bought some seed-raising mix and cress seeds because I have an idea for this week’s preschool craft. We are going to make grass heads! I put together this picture on Canva so the kids will know what I’m talking about when I explain it to them. This should be a fun activity that ties in perfectly with learning about spring and the life cycle of plants. Let’s hope Miss Ruth, the non-gardener, can pull it off. Fingers crossed! Back to my afternoon of planting. This time, before I went off buying random plants, I did a bit of research and picked up Petunias, Violas and Alyssum. According to Google, I even found out how to plant them, how far apart to space them, and what should go in the back, middle and front. Now I just have to look after them. Good practice before we do the grass heads with the preschool kids. And because I was sad to see our lavender bush go, I ended up buying a lavender plant. This time I’ll keep it contained in a pot. I also bought a jasmine plant. Wonder how long I have to wait for the sweet-smelling flowers to grow? And that was my warm and sunny spring weekend. I know the best is yet to come, with plenty more sunny days ahead. I’m so excited for summer. That is, until I come across the first giant cockroach of the season and start thinking maybe winter’s not so bad after all. No gross bugs around in winter! Happy Monday! Linking up with Holly and Sarah

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Friday Favourites

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Happy Friday, friends! We made it through another week, yay! I’m already so excited to sleep in tomorrow. This morning I woke up before my alarm went off, and for a split second I thought it was Saturday. Then I realised I was very much mistaken. Don’t you hate it when that happens? Haha! Anyway, I’m here to share a few things that made me smile this week. Thanks so much for stopping by. 😊 Last weekend, we went back to the Opera Bar, but this time with some friends. Sparkling wine, delicious food, and plenty of funny stories made it such a great Saturday, and it was so much warmer than I expected. I still took a thick jacket just in case I got cold. It’s that time of year when one minute you’re boiling hot and the next it’s freezing again. I carried my jacket around for most of the day, but when I needed it, I really needed it! That first gust of chilly wind made me very glad I hadn’t trusted the weather app too much. On Monday, I worked from home like a grown-up. When you work in early childhood, you don’t get to be in a city office, dress up for work, or even drink your coffee while it’s still warm. Working remotely doesn’t really exist for us, just one day a term to do developmental summaries, and I’m happy to take it. After a full day on the computer and feeling like my eyes had gone square, I organised some of my song visuals into my pretty pink binder. The summaries were mostly done, so this was my little reward. I haven’t changed much since high school, even though it’s been umpteen years since I finished. I’ve always preferred making my binder pretty over doing schoolwork. I nearly forgot to show you my Monday lunch. Steve made a cheesy omelette with ham, tomato, and avocado, and we had half each. Yup, I definitely enjoyed my work-from-home day a whole lot. Look at these bright yellow flowers. They’re right outside my front door, and every time I walk past, I get so happy to see them. Hello, pretty flowers! It was R U OK? Day on Thursday, and some of the staff brought treats. I convinced Steve to watch Breaking Bad! He didn’t need much convincing since we’re all enjoying Better Call Saul. Breaking Bad is such a good show, and it’s my second time watching it. It’s been about 10 years since I first saw it, so I remember some parts but not everything. I did remember the bathtub incident, though! Oh my goodness!! We went back to Lilong because we just can’t get enough of their delicious Chinese food. My work buddy supplied me with some yummy snacks. And those were a few of my favourite things about this week. How was your week? I hope it was a good one. I’ll be back on Monday and really want to get back into blogging a bit more regularly. I’ve been in a bit of a funk, and I’d like to shake it off. That’s the goal. Wishing you a very happy weekend!

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5 Things I Like to Do in Each Season

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Hi friends, and welcome to the September edition of Share Our Lives. Today, I’m sharing 5 things I like to do in each season, from winter to summer, spring to autumn. Let’s go! Winter I love lighting candles. Plain IKEA tapers, tea lights, scented, unscented, any warm glowing flame makes me feel a bit cheerier about my least favourite season. Yeah, I don’t like being cold, so I’ll do whatever it takes to trick myself into believing I’m not. For me, that often means having a virtual fireplace video with crackling fire sounds on my TV screen. Eat casseroles! Yum to chicken or beef casseroles on a cold night. Drink Swiss Miss hot chocolate, with or without marshmallows. I’m not fussy about the marshmallows, but the hot chocolate has to be Swiss Miss. It’s the best I’ve tasted, and I’ve tried all the ones our supermarkets sell: Jarrah, Cadbury, Lindt, Nestlé. None of them comes close! I wear chunky bed socks because if my feet are cold, the rest of me is cold too, no matter how many blankets I’ve got on me. Phew! I had to dig deep to find five things I like to do in winter. Now it’s time to move on to my favourite seasons, spring and summer. Spring I am in no way a gardener, but there’s something about the excitement of seeing sunshine and flowers start to bloom that makes me want to grow something, anything. I usually make a trip to Bunnings to buy some potted flowers for the front garden. Then I just try to remember to water them and pray for their survival. I love sitting on my front step and smelling my neighbour’s jasmine in the villa opposite ours. The scent is so strong it wafts right over, and what’s even better is that if I leave the front door open with just the fly screen, you can even faintly smell it inside the house. It’s spring over here, and I’m planning to go to Bunnings this weekend. Maybe I should buy a Jasmine plant. Open the windows and shout hooray, it’s spring! Only kidding, I just open the windows—there’s no shouting. Go to a spring fair or Oktoberfest. My sweet, kind friend and I usually find a spring fair somewhere. Last year we went to Cronulla… or was it the year before? Time goes so fast! Every year I say, “We should go on a picnic.” Spring is picnic weather, don’t you agree? I need to organise one pronto! Summer When I host Cousin Connect in the summer, I like to eat in our courtyard with the long fold-out tables, fairy lights on, music on and pretend we are in Italy. Drink Aperol Spritz Count down the days until the summer school holidays and get ready for Christmas. Find a rooftop bar, listen to live music, and enjoy the evening lights. I enjoy going along to my husband’s swim club on Sunday mornings when they have socials, like BBQs. They do amazing BBQs. We missed last year’s season because he gave himself a year off after his knee replacement, but this year he’ll be back. Notice I haven’t mentioned swimming or any water activities on my summer list. I’m more of an eater than a swimmer, and sand is definitely not my friend… unless I’m in Hawaii. Autumn I don’t love autumn at all. To get out of my funk about summer being over, I like to watch YouTube videos of cozy autumn living in Nordic countries. Cooler weather always looks better on the other side of the world. Eat apple pie and ice cream. I could eat it any time of the year, but somehow it cheers me up in autumn. Watch Hallmark movies that are “fall” related. Autumn looks like so much fun in the Northern Hemisphere. There’s pumpkin spice everything (not that I like the flavour very much, I want to love it, but I don’t), apples, crunchy leaves, scarves, boots, and of course, Halloween. All the cozy vibes I wish we had here. Celebrate Easter! Count the months until spring. Humbug. So there you have it, 5 things I like to do in each season. If you’re reading from the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll notice we do things differently over here in Australia because our seasons are the opposite. And here’s a fun fact: there are actually more countries up north than down here, which is why autumn leaves, pumpkin spice, and all those cozy vibes are happening while we’re still enjoying summer. And yes, that also means Christmas happens in the heat. Here, you can even find Christmas postcards that show Santa riding a surfboard instead of a sleigh. Funny, hey? Linking up with Adrienne, Dara, Jen, Joanne, and Sarah

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Friday Favourites

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Hi friends, it’s that time again to share a few favourites from my week. I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favourites, and I’m so happy you’re here 😊 Getting my shopping delivered and not having to do the weekly grocery run in-store is such a favourite. We have about three Woolworths nearby, so getting a delivery time slot is never a problem. I paid the yearly subscription fee for Delivery Unlimited, so as long as I spend over $70 (which is not hard with grocery prices), there’s no delivery fee. Woop woop! Our first Monday-of-the-month catch-up with friends at our local RSL for dinner was fun. I always used to order the steamed barramundi with broccoli and rice when the previous team ran the bistro, but now the menu has completely changed. It’s mainly all burgers, pizzas, steaks, and fish. The grilled fish with chips and salad was delicious, and I liked that they gave me a decent amount of tartare sauce. I love my sauces, well, most of them. Not BBQ sauce; it’s too sweet. I wore this to dinner on Monday night. Look, no socks! It was cool, so I still needed a coat, but not cold enough for my usual woolly socks. I almost felt naked! I made this chicken dish the other night. It was a hit! And yes, Steve has been really happy to cook dinner a couple of nights this week on his nights off. Last week, I shared that I sometimes have trouble letting go of control in the kitchen. My friends always tease me when they find out I have a chef husband and don’t let him cook. Times are a changing, friends! Another sign that spring is slowly coming along. This lonely yellow rose is growing in my front garden, and I can’t wait to see more pop up soon. God keeps growing these every year, because I have no green thumb. I had to pop out of work for an hour for a follow-up doctor’s appointment. I was so anxious leading up to it that I couldn’t eat a thing. Yikes — I really need to do something about this doctor anxiety before I give myself a heart attack. I felt dizzy and faint all morning. When I finished with the doctor, I felt my soul re-enter my body and, suddenly, I was starving. As a reward for surviving the dreaded appointment, I treated myself to sushi and ate it in the car before I went back to work. Thursday night was date night at Ikea, haha! Hot dogs for two, followed by chips and gravy. For dessert, we had soft serves–cheers! This time, Steve waited for me at the cafeteria while I walked the Ikea maze after we had our fancy dinner. It’s funny how you can always find things you didn’t know you needed—like this high pillow I got just for me. Steve asked, “I didn’t know you needed a pillow,” and I said, “Well, no, I really didn’t… but you weren’t there to convince me.” Lucky for him, I passed on the small Bluetooth speaker, brown glass vase, floor lamp, and footstool. And that’s a wrap for a few of my favourite things this week. Oh, it’s been a week! I wish I could share everything, but I can’t because it’s all work-related, and I’d like to stay employed. Some days have felt like living in a crazy sitcom. I’m grateful I can call it a sitcom and not a horror movie of a week, thanks to some of my amazing work colleagues. They’re a mix of personalities, sweet, kind, funny, supportive, and full of ideas they’re happy to share. And there’s one who is just downright hilarious. She can make even the worst days feel like the best days. How good is that? It would be so great to introduce them to you so you’d see exactly what I mean. I’m lucky to call them not just colleagues, but friends, and that’s my favourite thing of all. Hooray for Friday! I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

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Hello Monday

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Oh my gosh, I can’t tell you how excited I am to give September a big hero’s welcome. At the same time, I’m in total disbelief at how fast this year is flying by! On Sunday, I was in TK Maxx and saw Halloween mugs and decorations on the shelves—I thought, “Huh… but it’s only April?” I don’t know why my brain is still stuck in April. And then, at work the other day, I was filling out a medication form and accidentally wrote 2021. Yikes! Either something really significant must have happened in April 2021, or I’m losing my mind. Anyway, it’s great to be back on this sunny September Monday to share a bit about my weekend (before I forget what day it is). Thank you so much for being here! On Saturday, I caught up with a couple of friends I hadn’t seen in ages. We met at a café called Self Raised, which isn’t too far from where I live. It’s a tiny cafe with only outdoor seating, and we were lucky to find a sunny spot. I wore my woolly jumper and jacket so I felt nice and warm. We did have to hold on to our napkins and paper plates, though, because the wind was crazy strong! I ordered a coffee with a pepperoni and honey focaccia. You’d never think honey and pepperoni would work together, but it was surprisingly good, kind of like watermelon and feta. It doesn’t make much sense until you taste it, and then you get it. In the evening, I did some preschool work. I always swore I would never take the preschool laptop home and do work on the weekend. But with some temporary changes in the team, I’ve taken on more than my usual load. It’s only until the end of term, though. Then the laptop can stay at preschool and enjoy the weekend off, just like me. In the evening, I watched a Danish movie on Netflix called Maybe Baby. It was okay, entertaining enough, with a few little naps for me in between. There’s a Maybe Baby 2, but I’m not sure if I’ll watch it. Sunday The Gap Dust cleaner I ordered on Amazon the night before arrived on Sunday morning. I don’t know why, maybe because I’m a grown-up adult now, but cleaning gadgets inspire me. So there I was, still in my pyjamas, and I gave the duster a go under my fridge, and wow, seeing all the dust that came out was so satisfying. So I got changed fast out of my PJs, and dusted the ceiling fan, under the couches and so on and so on. I always try hard to stick to my cleaning routine during the week and keep Sundays for relaxing. But getting into some of the nooks and crannies was kind of relaxing… well, maybe not relaxing, but definitely satisfying. I even moved the bed. Why is there always SO much dust hiding back there? Steve and I had planned to go to the café for Portuguese tarts, but we never made it as he needed a big sleep-in. He had to work extra late on Saturday, and even though he’s cut back his days, sometimes, if it gets busy, he still has to do extra hours. I had those tarts on my brain, though! So when he went to work in the afternoon, I walked up and bought two. When he came home late in the evening, we enjoyed them with a cup of tea and two episodes of Seinfeld. Perfect way to end a weekend that went by way too fast. Enjoying something sweet and something funny. Happy Monday! Linking up with Holly and Sarah

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Friday Favourites

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Hi friends, it’s time to wrap up the week with a few favourites. Let’s go! Dinner with Friends First up, we caught up with some friends for dinner on Tuesday night. I wasn’t sure if I’d be in any shape to go out after work because it was a long day—work, then a meeting, and then a CPR refresher training course. I had visions of myself falling asleep in my food like Jane Fonda in Monster in Law–haha, have you seen it? Just the other day I watched it again—so funny! But knowing I had something fun to look forward to helped me push through the day. By the time we sat down for dinner, I was so glad I went. The food was good, the company was even better. Steve and I have known this couple since our teens—well, my teens, not his, he’s six years older than me hehe. What’s for Dinner I shared on Wednesday that I usually do the cooking. Partly because I enjoy having a familiar show on while I do it, and mostly because I struggle with letting go of my usual routine. But on Thursday, I finally decided to take up Steve’s offer to help. Normally, our conversation goes like this:“Hey, do you want me to make dinner tonight?”Me: “Oh, it’s okay, I’ll do it when I get home.” I must have had rocks in my head. I mean, seriously—who doesn’t take up the offer to have dinner made for them?! So he made roast beef and gravy using the pan juices. I always just use the Maggi packet mix. He also roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes in the air fryer, made a garden salad, and everything tasted amazing. The beef was so tender, and the gravy was incredible. He even made bolognese sauce for Friday, so we can have it with pasta (my favourite) or rice (Sam’s favourite—I know, right? Who has bolognese sauce with rice?! Haha). And just like that, I’ve decided he can have the kitchen on Thursdays and make us as many meals as he likes. I’m hanging up my apron. Well, not totally hanging it up. Oh yes—did I mention he’s a chef? Yep… I’m almost too embarrassed to share this, but I’ve been married to a chef for so long, and I’ve always insisted on doing the cooking. And I’ve been feeding him packet gravy mix. Treats Sweet treats brought to us by our fun work colleague are always a favourite. This week, it was a packet of mint slices and a packet of Gaiety biscuits. I’d never had the Gaiety before, but I’ve already put them on my shopping list—they’re layers of crisp wafer filled with smooth hazelnut chocolate cream, all coated in milk chocolate. So delicious—these biscuits had me at hazelnut! Last week was tough at work with all the rain and being stuck indoors, and this same wonderful snack-supplying colleague and kind friend surprised me with a little care package. It had a note that made me LOL, chocolates, creamy-filled biscuits, and a Vodka Cruiser. You know what I’m having tonight? Ya—all three! 😉 And that’s a wrap for this week’s favourites. I’m off to have a shower, eat dinner, watch something on TV, and enjoy my snacks. It’s going to be the best Friday evening ever! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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What’s Up Wednesday

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Hi friends, welcome to What’s Up Wednesday! It’s that time again to share a few highlights from August. Thanks so much for stopping by—I always appreciate you being here. WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK Monday – Chilli con carne with rice. To jazz things up a bit, I added some turmeric to the rice to make it yellow. It doesn’t change the flavour, but it makes the dish more colourful Tuesday – We went to Allawah Pub for dinner with friends. I had the chicken schnitzel with chips, salad and gravy, but after seeing my friend’s chicken and leek pie, I knew I should have ordered that instead. I had major pie envy! Wednesday – Roast chicken with mash and vegetables Thursday – Spaghetti bolognese. Friday – Roast beef Saturday – leftovers My husband convinced me to let him cook today (and for the rest of the week!). I’m not sure why I’ve never taken him up on his offer — he’s really helpful around the house and actually enjoys being in the kitchen. Part of me loves zoning out while I cook, but another part of me is starting to think… why not let him take over more often? He’s cut back on his work hours and could even look at retiring, but after watching the Netflix documentary The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner, we both decided we’d like to keep working. I’m happy doing full-time, and he’s happy to scale back, and it’s working really well. We get to spend more time together. That said, it has definitely shaken up my little evening routine, where I used to be home alone with my own schedule that included cooking. I’m enjoying having him around more, but it’s a change — and even good change takes me a little while to get used to. Do you get what I mean? Anyway, my weekly meal planning turned into a bit of a therapy session — thanks for letting me get that off my chest! 😅 In a nutshell… I think I might have a few control issues — yikes! WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT To be honest… I can’t think of anything. WHAT I’M LOVING I’ve spotted some flowers blooming in my garden and in other people’s gardens on my walks to and from work. After what feels like an eternal winter, I’m so happy to see evidence of spring starting to peek through! WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO The highlights in August have been Cousin Connect. We celebrated Steve’s birthday with a lunch at home, just the four of us. Then, on his actual birthday, we had breakfast at The Boat Shed and walked around exploring La Perouse–such a lovely spot! We had lunch at The Opera Bar last weekend. Those were the fun moments, and then for the rest of the month, it was just the usual work routine. WHAT I’M DREADING Tomorrow I’m leading an evacuation drill at work. This time, it’s a bigger scenario, and we have to evacuate to the local park. Hmph, just thinking about it stresses me out! First of all, this group of children are very lively, so rounding them up will be ‘fun.’ Then it’s roll call, grabbing all the necessary things (medication, etc.), getting them onto the walking rope, we’ll be using the walking rope with loop handles (sometimes called doughnut rings) and crossing a busy road. We practised a drill on Tuesday that was led by another educator, and I made the mistake of directing one of the boys to “hold on to the doughnut.” So he started chewing on it: “But Miss Ruth, you said it was a doughnut!” Lord, give me strength! WHAT I’M WATCHING The Gilded Age– it’s so good and reminds me a little of Downton Abbey, which I loved so much. I also finished watching Friends Like Her, a series from New Zealand. I’d never watched a show from New Zealand before, and I enjoyed it so much — lots of drama, but not the stressful kind I can’t handle at the moment, just entertaining drama. Then on Sunday night, we started watching Hostage. We’ve only got two episodes left, and I’m wondering if it’s a limited series or not. We’re really into it and can’t wait to see how it ends! WHAT I’M LISTENING TO This is part of my Music & Movement Spotify playlist. Most of these songs are new to me (except A Ram Sam Sam), and I’ve been practising the actions so I can get them right before introducing them to the preschool kids. WHAT I’M WEARING Still in winter clothes, BUT the good news is I’m down one layer this week. Spring is coming! WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND Coffee and Portuguese tarts on Saturday morning. Then I’m catching up with some friends I haven’t seen in ages in the afternoon. Sunday looks like it’ll be a stay-at-home day. WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH Spring! Hooray for spring! And that’s a wrap on August! I can’t believe how fast time is flying by. I have to admit, my favourite months are coming, and I’m so excited! From September onwards, it’s spring, the fun festivities are on the way, and everything just feels brighter and more upbeat. I hope you all had a great August, and here’s hoping September is good to all of us! Linking up with Shay

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Hello Monday

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Hi friends, it’s great to be back today on this sunny — yes, sunny — Monday! Woohoo, the rain finally stopped, and we got to enjoy a dry weekend. I was chatting to one of the preschool parents this morning, and we both agreed how spoilt we are living in Sydney, where the sky is bright blue most of the year. Hooray for that! Now it’s time to link up with Holly and Sarah to share a little about our weekend. Thanks so much for stopping by! Saturday We kicked off the weekend with a trip to the Opera Bar. After a week of rain, it seemed like half of Sydney had the same idea — Circular Quay was buzzing, and every harbourside restaurant was packed. We got lucky and found a table as soon as we arrived, right near the live music. It still amazes me that you don’t have to book — you can just wander in. The menu prices are pretty reasonable, too, considering the location and the view. You can even get bottles of wine that are cheaper than at some local spots. Opera Bar is changing hands after 24 years, with a new group taking over in mid-September. Fingers crossed they don’t mess with the magic or make it too fancy or exclusive. I love that it’s a fun, relaxed, easygoing place where you can grab a drink, something to eat, and hang out for as long as you like. Ha! Here I am, getting fussy about change before it’s even happened. I’m sure it’ll still be amazing… maybe even better. We ordered a hot seafood platter, and it came with a little mesh dome cover to stop the seagulls from pinching your food. Everyone had their plates covered, which I didn’t remember from our previous visits — maybe because we got there during the peak lunch period this time. We saw the trained border collies wandering around the bar with their trainers, keeping the seagulls away. There wasn’t a huge flock, just the odd persistent bird hovering here and there. I was a bit scared one might poop on my head — yikes! After lunch, we popped into a little patisserie for dessert. We were pretty full from lunch, so we shared a chocolate éclair with our coffee. Next time, there will be no sharing! Steve had to work in the evening, so I spent the night searching for new songs for our preschool music and movement time. There are so many fantastic ideas from some really passionate early childhood content creators — I need to get my zing back this year. Sunday Sunday is our brunch day, and we had scrambled eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, salmon, and sourdough. Steve went to work, and I walked to Westfield to buy some new pants for work — I’d worn my old ones to death. I used to just wear clothes from my wardrobe that I no longer liked. But they made me feel bleh because I was wearing clothes I didn’t like every single day. And they weren’t usually comfortable anyway. Now I just buy clothes especially for work from Uniqlo. My work wardrobe is simple with basic pieces I can mix and match. They wash well and are actually comfortable. Win-win! The pants I wanted were half price, so I bought a grey pair and a black pair. I also got a couple of ribbed long-sleeved T-shirts and a jumper. I was hungry after my shopping, so I treated myself to a Happy Meal from McDonald’s. It came with a toy, which I offered to my 20-year-old when I got home — he had a laugh but politely declined. I’ll give it to my oldest son, the 32-year-old who likes collecting things like this. Hehe. Then in the evening, I worked on a storybook version of a song about kindness on Canva. It has a lovely, soothing melody, but it’s a bit wordy for 4- and 5-year-olds. I figured pairing it with illustrations while we listened might help it stick. Who knows — this year has been all about learning to be kind. Pray for me! Happy Monday!

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