May Photo a Day

Ok, so I totally fell off the wagon at the end of April but I really REALLY want to succeed in the May Photo a Day challenge which again comes from the awesome Chantelle @ Fat Mum Slim!

PEACE!

SKYLINE
From where I work. We have the most amazing sunsets up here

SOMETHING YOU WORE TODAY
My Fave jeans that I have just started wearing again since
before Master K came along. And my Huni's Warriors
Hoodie. Super comfy. Go the Warriors!!!

FUN!
A night out with Loz, meeting and dancing to DDub!

BIRD
My last years Mothers Day pressie from my daughter,
from tikidub.com. Pretty huh!

YOU
...and my babies.

I have to switch my days, I will be seeing a person who inspires me tomorrow so here is

A SMELL YOU ADORE
What is better then a baby washed in Johnsons Bedtime Bath bubbles,
then sprinkled with baby powder?

SOMEONE WHO INSPIRES ME
^^^^This lady^^^^^
Not only is she MD for a primo company, she is a mother of 2 ataahua kids,
an awesome fitness instructor, and much, much more.
She inspires me to keep fit, get into shape, and to push myself. Also, that
it is possible to run a business, a family and look after myself.
Thank you NK! xx

SOMETHING YOU DO EVERYDAY
Blog, Coffee and watch the kids play!

KITCHEN
Dishes done, pizzas cooking

SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY
Putting my son down for a sleep to come out and
have this waiting for me!

MUM
with me, my sisters and babies

LOVE

WHAT I'M READING

SNACK
Mmmmmm, Master K loves chocolate brownie

Things I Am Grateful For

Looking thru Fat Mum Slim's April photo challenge and see one day is Something You are Grateful For. I decided I can't really have just one. I have loads to be grateful for.....

My Mum and Dad
They have been living 7 hours drive away but still have so much to do with the kids, Mum comes up every 3 months to spend time with us, they are always helping out when and where they can, they are happy to take Miss A away with them, and nothing is too much of a hassle.
We love spending time with them, my Huny spends the most time with Papa, but that is all good! We love you both and are very grateful for everything you do for us.

Happy Healthy Kiddiwinx

These two monkeys are the fire in my heart, they make me laugh, and I am often, while I'm at work, I think of the little things they do and I am smiling.

Don't get me wrong, they do test my patience, especially at the moment with Master K teething and completely changing his routine, and Miss A, who has such a strong personality and is very strongwilled, but all in  all, they are awesome happy healthy kids, I love them to the moon and back.

Whanau Time

I am grateful for being able to spend time with our neice and nephews (where is Noah????)

They have spent a week with us and it has been a very busy household, but I love it. Now we await the arrival of another little bubba (Aunty Ms not me!) to add to the clan, due in the next few weeks!

I am grateful for my job! It's pretty flexible with the hours and I do have a good group of girls to work with! But I do have goals to have my own thing going on in the future!

I am grateful for JW, the kids homebased carer educator. Miss A has been with her since she was 8 months old and just loves JW. And Master K seems to have fit in quite nicely too!

Oh and I am grateful for my amazing June Bugs! We meet every single day in our group, we are a facebook group of mummas who were all due around June 2011, we share the ups and downs of motherhood, womenhood and everyday life! And I love being apart of this group. Most of us are spread around NZ and some in Ozzy but they are a pretty good part of my life! Love ya ladies!

Lastly, and obviously, I am grateful for my Huny. Nearly 13 years together, 2 mortgages, 2 dogs, and 2 kids. We are very much home bodies and have yet to do some travelling but that will come later and I look forward to all the adventures we will enjoy together. I love you!

FAMILY ADVENTURES: MUSEUM & MEMORIAL PARK

This week has been another busy week! We have had more family come to stay, Miss A has loved loving her cousins, Aunty and Uncle staying with us!

Today, Aunty M and I took our 5 kids and their cousin K to Exsite at the Waikato Museum followed by a picnic at the newly rebuilt Memorial Park. Exsite is a hands-on area perfect for the kids to learn and have fun at the same time, so many different activities to keep them occupied for hours!

 

There is another part downstairs that has an earthquake booth that gives you an idea of what it would be like, it looked quite scary! And you can learn all about the Waikato River, it's natural inhabitants and surrounding factors. The kids each got a bat mask to color and cut out and coloring in posters!


Next stop, Memorial Park. Such a beautiful day for a picnic and a play in the new park! Next time I will make sure we have a change of clothes and towels, today we didn't even think of that so the kids had to only paddle thru the water. But there are plenty of other little gardens for them to explore and the aviary is again full of beautiful birds. So much fun for the kids!

Been Busy!!!

Well, last week was sooooo super busy and this is why.....

 My parents and sisters live in the awesome city of Wellington, last week was full of visits! Papa came up for an overnighter for a job interview (which he got and we are SUPER DUPER excited about). The next day, Oma, Aunty Midge and Aunty Banana flew up for 4 days! In that time, we lunched and shopped and explored the Hamilton Gardens!
This Mumma had an evening out with Oma and Aunties on Thursday, went to a wedding expo at the Novotel, then found a bar that does AH-MAZING cocktails and dessert (took a while to arrive but was worth the wait), then to the casino for a bit of a flutter!
Also, a movie night was had! I'm glad it was just a oncer because I'm trying really, really hard not to eat after 7 to loose these last couple of kilos!
Was such a great time with them all! Missed them as soon as they left, the kids just love the extra loving!

SAVING CHACE

Hey guys, I have been following the progress of this gorgeous and very courageous little man who is fighting Leukaemia. He is only 3 and right now is in London on a super ridiculously expensive drug trial. Please visit this site for updates and to make donations or help fundraise.
I am planning to do an online bake sale as a fundraiser, I just need to figure out the best way, maybe on trade me. My amazing FB mummas group have some very talented and creative mums who are also keen on donating some of their goods. Even searching their homes for things to auction off and donate to this cause.
I will also be going to donate blood next week and putting my name down on the registry as a bone marrow donor. I never thought I would want to be a donor but after losing an Aunty who was a donor and hearing of the people who benefited from her passing I have definitely changed my mind! And hearing that there is not enough Maori or PI donating blood or putting their name down on the registry I am keen to do my little bit for amazing kids like Chace.
So please try and help out, even $5 donated would be appreciated!

Chocolate Feijoa Cake

I had a recipe given to me by my Huni's Nan but have lost it in my piles of collected recipes! Thank goodness for Google and Pinterest, I now have what I believe is the same recipe! And thanks to my Opa who has just bought a place with well established fruit trees, I am able to make my beloved Feijoa cake and other fruity baked goods!

Here is the recipe from Thinking About Food

185g butter
3/4 c caster sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 c peeled chopped feijoas
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2c Self Raising flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c cocoa
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c sour cream.

Heat oven to 180c.
Combine feijoas, brown sugar and cinnamon in bowl and set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Stir sour cream into feijoa mix and combinewell.
Sift dry ingredients into creamed butter/sugar/eggs and add in feijoa mix, combine well. Transfer batter into prepared tin (I use a ring tin) and smooth top evenly. Bake 40-45mins, or until skewer/knife comes out clean. Sit for 5 mins before turning out.

Top with a dark chocolate ganache. Enjoy!

THINGS I'M LOVING

Welcome to another week of Things I'm Loving thanks to Paisley Jade!!!! I love her TIM this week! Congrats on the anniversary Kristy!!

Today is Good Friday, I'm loving a day with my family (but my Huni has now gone to play tennis with his bestie)! I'm loving that we have been to the lake for a play and Mumma got to go for a run for the first time in ages!!!

I am loving Hot Cross Buns

warmed up with butter inside

I am loving Easter treats

from our lovely neighbour

And I am definitely loving these 

FEIJOAS!!!! 

I feel sorry for all the Kiwis in Ozzie who don't have

these easily available over there!

Oh and I am also loving this:

Getting out in the garden.
Miss A loves planting flowers that she can pick and gift to people. She has planted panseys and sweet peas while I have planted my fave flowers for spring

Freesias and Daffodils 

Family Adventure: Animates

Miss A has been begging me to take her to the pet shop everytime we head out to the Base. And something always prevents us from going, either we've spent more time at the mall then planned or Master K has fallen asleep or I have to get ready for work! So Sunday we had nothing planned and checked out the new pet shop in town, not as big as the Te Rapa one but still fun!

They had a great time watching the animals being fed, I think it made Master K hungry, he was chewing on the glass!

I really want a turtle or two as well! But the setup and looks really expensive, and I really suck at cleaning fish tanks out so doubt I would be any better with the turtles.  The rabbits are so cute too! I wouldn't mind a couple of them but I don't think our Mookie would be too keen! 

Miss A thought the rodents were super cute! Eeewww! No thank you!!!! She is a huge animal lover, anything and everything is cute! Master K would just squish or pull hair off the animals or even try to taste them.