Just one more....Freddo Frog

Something I hear often during the day.  When she's sad, when she falls over, when she misses her Daddy or just when it feels like the 'right' time.  Just one more Freddo Frog, please.  You see, the constant and ongoing food battle is something that I come across in my world every day.  Teaching them to eat better and to choose the healthier options. It's not always easy but it's part of my job, or that's how I see it.  And sometimes, now and then, they are allowed a few vices, just like the rest of us!

  My kids have had their favourite treats over the years, and it's depended on where they are in the world.  In England it's Cadburys milk chocolate buttons, in the States its Milky Ways Little Stars and in Oz, it's Freddo Frogs.  I guess they really love their chocolate!  Poppy in particular, has a passion for them and I actually have to limit her intake, or she'd probably live on them.  Nom Nom Nom!!

Today as usual, I heard the familiar.. 'Oh Mummy, just one Freddo Frog, please'....and who could resist that sweet little angelic face, with all that naughtiness hidden behind it? Obviously not me...

It amuses me, watching her eat one of these, and all the expressions of pure delight in that transparent little face!

Ahh, Heaven in the shape of a small brown frog with a silly name!

And who is this with a Freddo in their grubby little hands?

Ahh, she's learning from her big Sister..

Although I think she might need a few lessons in unwrapping it first!

Biff in the Burbs

This is our second year of attending Biff in the Burbs, and it's just such a fun evening for the kids. Free outdoor cinema, popcorn, and a bouncy castle.   This year it was at our old stomping ground, the Brookfield Showground and Ice Age 3 was playing.  Huge picnic blankets were spread on the ground, yummy food was shared and passed around and kids were snuggled under blankets. 

My lovely friend Vanessa and I drove down there in convoy, dropping David off at the busstop on his way to Brissie to watch the Broncos, with my lovely friend Vanessas equally lovely Hubby, Gerard.  Hope they find their way home from the pub ok.....Mmm, maybe, I should have slipped the directions for the way home into his pocket...

I wasn't surprised when I had to leave an hour before the others....there's only so much fun a 17mth can take - and Lucy had come to the end of hers after a little while.  She did love racing around with the bigger kids though, and trying to sneak her way onto the bouncy castle when nobody was looking.

All tucked up in their beds now, and my lovely Daisy-Woo has just walked in the door, after her Yr 7 Canberra trip.  She's been talking non-stop since she flopped herself down on the sofa, and her voice is almost gone now, so I've packed her off to bed.  Night night crazy ditsy blonde girl of mine, sweet dreams! Night night tired sleepy little ones...sleep well and give your Mama a lovely lie-in will you please?

First day of Spring!

This house, this garden, this little sanctuary that we all live in.  I still can't believe that we own this place sometimes, this little piece of land, this tiny part of Australia.  It's totally ours and I feel so lucky.  The garden is the best place to hang out right now. Spring has arrived, along with growing chicks, flowers on our strawberry plants, and little shoots pushing their way up through the soil just about everywhere.  The birds are singing (loudly, its pretty deafening sometimes), and there is a warm breeze caressing the whole of Queensland, it's just magic.

Apart from the fact that she always seems to want to go up and down the bloomin big stone steps, (touch wood, no accidents yet), and we're always trying to guide her away - the garden is the place that Miss Lucy wants to be.  She runs around, the wind blowing in her curly curls, chasing her brother and sisters, and it's just the greatest thing for me to take a seat, (with my Canon, of course) and click away...ahh heaven!  Poppy drags out her princess dolls, teddys, crowns, fairy wings and enters the make believe place that only Poppies can go, singing away quietly to herself as her imagination takes her on a journey.  And Joey is a little fireball of energy, bouncing on and off the trampoline, chasing Poppy and running from Lucy.  It's a busy hive of activity around here at the moment, and so fun just to sit back and watch them all...

And when Daddy comes home at the end of the day, it's another race to see who reaches him first..

I'm going to make the most of this Spring, and from me over here in Oz...G'day! :)

Popping and Jumping!

A-Poppin.....

Popcorn - food of the Gods.  That's what I used to think as a little girl, and I still do.  Katie and I would sit with big wooden bowls full of the hot, salty buttery goodness on our laps as we watched our very favourite series, 'Little House on the Prairie'.  Back then, we thought of it as some sort of gourmet luxury, in the same category as truffles and Samphire, (a delicious wild edible seaweed, that grows on estuarine mudflats in Norfolk) .  Kind of odd when you think that our 'basic' diet consisted of the green sea-salty Samphire (when in season), peanuts, all raw vegetables including avocados, globe artichokes, and whole lemons.  
I often wonder, had I been born ten years later along with my little Sis, Fiona, whether I would have had her very different but just as bizarre eating habits. No fruit or veg for her as far as I remember.  Just  bucket-loads of bacon, pizza base with only cheese on top, turkey burgers and taramasalata dipped chip-sticks.  Her friends used to stare in disbelief as they were offered pink coloured fish-egg dip with vinegar flavoured  chip-sticks as a yummy snack!   This though, is the girl whos best friends were Sadie the Dog, and Henrietta the Sheep, who thought she was a dog.  The girl who, aged 7 decided to 'run away to live with the horses' and was found miles from home, with half a loaf of bread wrapped up in a spotted hanky, hanging on the end of a long stick, slung over her shoulder.  I think that years Panto, must have been Dick Whittington.  Yep, another odd one for sure, but I think life's more fun that way!  And speaking of slighty kooky, here's another one...

Not only does she do a very good visual impression of her Mama, but 'Little Em' also seems to take after me in the popcorn department.  It doesn't come from David, who tells me that he can't stand the stuff.  I have noticed though, that he manages to polish of half a ginormous boxful of those 'polystyrene balls' when at the Cinema.  Bit weird that, but I guess eating popcorn must be compulsory while watching a movie.  


AND A JUMPIN

We've owned a trampoline, on and off, for the last 7yrs, but I did wonder when this one arrived just under a year ago, if it would get much use.  It was so hot and the pool was the place to be...but during the Aussie Winter months, it's been an absolute god-send.  I wouldn't be at all surprised if there were little round worn away jumped on patches on it.  Whenever I can't find the kids....this is where they are....

Hehee, Little Minx!!