From the creators of Despicable Me, Illumination presents SING, a musical comedy about finding the shining star that lives inside all of us. Sing your way into stores today to pick up a copy of SING Special Edition on Blu-ray and DVD featuring 3 mini movies and more music!
We saw SING at the movies, however since then the kids have been asking to see it again.
The twins were so excited and happy to finally have their own copy of SING. Now they can watch it whenever they wish and can entertain friends during the school holidays.
SING is a heart warming film that kids and parents will all love. The music is fabulous and you will catch yourself tapping your feet and singing along. While others might want to get up and have a dance while the characters in the movie strut their stuff.
My happy girls loved sharing the SING film on DVD with their Meena the Elephant plushies.
Snacks and Treats for SING Family Night
To make the whole movie night more fun the twins and I made cupcakes.
Now these weren’t ordinary cupcakes. We decorated some as pigs for Rosita and koalas for Buster Moon.
Buster Moon (Koala) and Rosita (Pig) Cupcakes inspired by the movie SING.
If you wish to recreate my pig and koala SING inspired cupcakes here is what you need to do.
1. Make 12 cupcakes. I chose to have vanilla cake mix to make it easy. You can either have chocolate or make the mixture by scratch.
2. I added dark chocolate bits to the mixture. It is up to you, you might prefer to add something else like say banana instead. Be inventive and have fun!
3. Once the cupcakes cooled down I decorated them.
Koala icing: To get the grey icing colour I added some black icing pen to just icing sugar and water. You can add as much black as you wish to get the desired colour. I did read somewhere that you can get black food colouring but I have never seen or heard of this, so I did the next best thing. I think it worked out well.
Pig icing: I mixed icing sugar, water, and some red food colouring to get the pink colour for the pig cupcake. Mix until the desired colour of pink is achieved.
5. I created 6 koala cupcakes for Buster Moon and 6 pig cupcakes for Rosita.
6. Decorations for Buster Moon: Marshmallows for the ears, dark chocolate bits for the eyes and a chocolate coated almond for the nose.
7. Decorations for Rosita: Marshmallows for the ears (Pink), dark chocolate bits for the eyes, a marshmallow stuck horizontally with 2 dots of black icing for the nose.
8. Now all the SING cupcakes are done, the only thing left to do is to eat them!
All the SING cupcakes ready for our movie night. Rosita (PIG) cupcakes and Buster Moon (Koala) cupcakes.
You must have popcorn for movie night and that is why everyone had their own box of special homemade popcorn.
The girls loved watching the popcorn pop in the microwave and were amazed at how much each bag made.
To make it more of an event I got little popcorn boxes. This made sure that each person had their own popcorn while watching the film.
Having movie night with my girls. We are so happy and excited to be watching SING on DVD.
The SING DVD has great extras
They are:
• Gunter Babysits
• Love At First Sight
• Eddie’s Life Coach
• The Making of the Mini-Movies
Love at First Sight Mini Movie Sneak Peak
Movie Night is Great Family Time
Sharing a film with your kids is so nice. Laughing at the same things is also an enjoyable moment.
Do you love having family movie nights? For your family movie nights do you ensure that you have ample treats on hand to enjoy your film?
My kids love to have movie days also and more so in holidays.
The living room becomes one big bed. Pillows, blankets and more are added to the floor and then we all get very comfortable to watch some favourite films.
Soon it will be holidays and I’m sure your little ones will be wanting to relax and have fun watching SING. Have fun dancing, singing and more!
Movie nights are so much fun, especially with a fun film like SING.
Enjoy your home movie night. I hope that you all have a fun time.
Getting away is always great. A huge holiday to a foreign destination is fab but in my book just an escape to somewhere different and for a few days is just as good. It is even better when you stay somewhere where the cooking and cleaning is all done and you can just relax. As a mummy this part is one of the best, not having to do much at all.
On our way to the Hunter Valley.
The Hunter Valley is a great place for a quick weekend escape, and a great place for the whole family.
We drove to the Hunter and I thought that would not be fun with three kids but it was not as bad as I thought. The trip was broken up with a lunch stop and so that we could have a rest.
One thing that was said multiple times from hubby was that we were travelling in a huge heat wave. Predicted temperatures in the Hunter were meant to get to over 40 degrees. In fact, it got to 44.5 degrees on one of the days while at the Hunter… the whole family thought this was a good excuse to visit the dessert café and order a whole lot of very cold ice-cream and drinks. Mind you some don’t need an excuse to have ice cream at all.
I received tickets to go to the Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular this year. Luckily this year we could go, last year I was very pregnant with Alexander (at the time we had no idea if it was a boy/girl) and thought that a trip when we had no idea when the baby would come might not be a good idea.
However, the same time this year I’m not pregnant, or just had the baby and we can get about more easily with a family of three kids.
We were all looking forward to seeing the lights; on the Hunter Valley Gardens website, they have such lovely pictures of all the different gardens and videos so that you can experience a little bit before you go. A great idea to get you all super excited.
What Can you See at the Christmas Lights Spectacular?
There are many different gardens that are decorated with such lovely displays of lights and characters. Some of the things on display are:
Candyland
The Twelve Days of Christmas. This is a sound and light display. I loved this one. You need to stay for a little bit to see all the days and enjoy the full display.
Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
Fairy Garden – the girls loved this one
Waterfall and lights – This was another one of our favourites. You can see dolphins, the waterfall and all the creatures lit up on the water. Very magical.
Underwater scene – whale, jellyfish, fish, and shark and much more.
Mega Trees – Trees had lights displayed in them and some were moving and very mesmerizing.
North Pole Scene
Santa’s Plane
Present Tree
Music Room
And so much more….Trust me you will be amazed at all the lights, work and detail that has gone into this wonderful event.
Tokens for individual rides in the Fun Zone are $6 each, unlimited rides* wristbands are $15 pp.
“This awesome Fun Zone includes: unlimited play on the super fun Jumping Castles, Obstacle Courses, Arcade Alley and the massive, colourful HVG Super Slide (weather permitting). Please note that the Fun Zone requires an additional entry fee alongside Christmas Lights entry).” Fun Zone is open during the Christmas Lights Spectacular from 5.30pm – 9.45 pm daily.
The girls loved the huge mega slide and the obstacle courses and the jumping castles. The Fun Zone is located near the food and beverage area. While the kids play you can relax with a drink and they can run wild for a while.
The mega slide at The Hunter Valley Gardens
The girls loved the slide and had about a million goes, I lost count.
My little photographer. She loved taking pictures with her new camera she got for Christmas.
This girl was amazed at the wonderful colours of the lights.
Alice In Wonderland. She is at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
Look Tinkerbell is behind the girls…. shhhhh they have no idea!
Cinderella’s castle and her huge wedding ring. Now where do I find a ring like this, and a real one!
I loved these pretty flowers.
Look dinosaurs! Be careful!
This was a huge tree and so pretty with all the different coloured presents.
So what did we do while we were at the Hunter Valley?
We had fun at the Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular. Did you know that the Hunter Valley gardens has over 60 acres of gardens to look at. No wonder we were all tired when we got back to the hotel, well we were exhausted after we got back to the car.
Enjoyed relaxing at our hotel The Mecure at the Hunter Valley – this was a great place to stay due to the fact that it was right next to the Hunter Valley Gardens.
We all cooled down in the pool at the Mecure due to very hot days. The pool was a huge hit with the kids and even Alexander finally felt comfortable enough to get fully into the pool for the first time. He had only ever wanted to put his feet into a pool before.
Relaxed! Did nothing for a while.
Where did we stay and why?
We chose to stay at the Mecure at the Hunter Valley Gardens. This was for two reasons, firstly that we would be really close to the lights and secondly that it looked like a lovely family friendly place to stay.
First I looked online to see what types of rooms they had on offer and we were lucky enough to book a family room. Our stay was with the lead up to New Year’s Eve and therefore many places were booked out as were many restaurants.
The people at the Mecure were so helpful, friendly and nothing was an issue. It was very family friendly and the room was great for kids and adults. We were in a huge room for just everyone and that was fine for us. Maybe next time when we have more time to book we will get a bigger room or say two rooms, one for the kids and one for us.
Breakfast at the Mecure was yummy and filled us up, the kids were happy that they could make their own pancakes and they had weet-bix as well. As per usual our little boy made a mess but we did our best to tidy up so that we did not leave a horrible disaster for the lovely staff. Make sure to get breakfast with your room package as it really made it so much easier.
Having a cold drink in 41 degree heat. It was much needed. We were waiting for our dinner at Harrigan’s Irish Pub.
After he had some strawberries Harrigan’s Irish Pub.
Jumping castle fun at Harrigan’s Irish Pub.
The kids loved the jumping castle at Harrigan’s Irish Pub.
NOTE: If you book make sure to organise dinner reservations. I did not think of this until we were at our hotel room. I normally do this but it did not happen until we were at the hotel. It must have been forgotten about in the rush to pack and leave the house.
We managed to get a booking at the Mecure for dinner Friday night, and the Thursday night we ate at local pub down the road at Harrigan’s Irish Pub.
The kids settled in well in our hotel room.
All three kids loved the room, and so did we.
Hubby had to cool down with a bath while the kids and I went off to the pool.
The buildings and grounds at the Mecure are just amazing. So looked after.
This is where we ate dinner at the Mecure at the Hunter Valley.
The area where we ate dinner had a massive fireplace.
My chicken dinner that I had at éléments
Steak dinner that hubby had at éléments
Dinner was good tasty food that hit the spot. The kids had fun at the jumping castle at Harrigan’s before and after their food and this allowed them to run off some energy that they needed to do due to our big drive to the Hunter Valley. Our plan was to eat something before we all went off to see the Lights at the Hunter Valley Gardens. I’m glad we did that as there is lots to see although if you did not manage to get dinner before going to the lights at the Hunter Valley Gardens there are some food stalls that you can purchase some food and sit back and relax while the kids have fun at the Fun Zone while you can relax with a refreshing drink.
Dining on Friday night at the Mecure was such a treat. The meal was divine and so tasty. The restaurant is called éléments and the Executive Chef Jean Marc Pollet fuses French cuisine with Australian produce. The soup for our starter was so tasty and our main meal was excellent as well. The kids loved their meals too.
A HUGE thank you to The Hunter Valley Gardens for the tickets to the wonderful lights. We all had a wonderful time. Also a big shout out to the lovely people at the Mecure at the Hunter Valley for booking us in with not much warning and giving us a room that we could all fit into for our two night stay. We loved our time at the Hunter and are keen to come back soon.
Make sure you check out all the things you can do in the Hunter Valley and keep it for a nice escape for just you and hubby or you and the wife, or a family getaway with the kids. The Visit NSWwebsite has a great list of places to visit, wineries, place to stay, drives to do and all things to keep everyone entertained.
We went to Vivid last Saturday night. Hubby and I had never been, either had the kids. I must say that we were rather excited about our impending adventures.
However they were dashed quite quickly. The crowds and very rude people made the night not as fun as it was meant to be.
I know we chose to go on the long weekend, we chose a weekend and you have to expect it to be busy and crowded. BUT I did not expect to be pushed at every chance anybody got. I like others were on top of others just trying to walk to the Opera House to see the lights. During this horrible walk I had many people try to walk on top of my kids, one lady in particular try and push me away from my family and I lost touch of the twins. I had to have a word with this terrible person. I told her that I don’t know where she was going but pushing people and making me lose my kids and family was not on, not in a crowd like that.
The kids and I at Vivid last Saturday. This picture was taken when we could finally move around freely and not be on top of others. It was nice to be able to walk and to sit on our own. One thing that was lovely was the amazing view and the lights. Please forgive the graininess of the photo. It was dark and hard to get a good image with the phone.
I also chatted with a lovely man who was helping his mate in a wheelchair walk back from the Opera House. He said that it was feral. People were not seeing the wheel chair and trying to walk on them also. Just chaos!
At one point hubby had to yell at a woman to watch what she was doing. Her bag just narrowly missed the babies head. Yes no one seemed to see the pram either. I think we all turned invisible that night as many people decided they could not see us. Maybe we were wearing Eric the Viking’s Cloak of Invisibility? If so it finally works!
The walkways were a free for all. I would have thought that one side would be for getting to the Opera House and the other for going back to George Street and the trains. It was not to be. Due to all this chaos the kids only experienced two hands on lightening installations at the Quay. There was no way to make it to other installations and get there in one piece. From our perspective it was very dangerous. If there was a disaster or say fire happened I’m sure we would have been trampled as the crowed would have stampeded to safety.
I do understand that this is a popular event. Sydney has many visitors and therefore this means crowds. However we picked late afternoon to early evening to make sure that we were not in the way.
Maybe in the future there could be more family friendly events and times? I know that they said it was family friendly but we did not experience this last weekend.
How about having more control over the crowds. Having people police the crowds and monitor lines: having one side for one direction and the other for the opposite. Just common sense actually.
I’m not sure if they are doing this currently but maybe having free shuttle buses to other destinations around the city would encourage more movement of people (they did close many streets to help with access and this was a good thing to do. It was a good help and one of the only pluses of the night) This way the crowds are always moving and not staying in one spot all the time. I know this would cause other issues such as waiting for buses and other connections but maybe with frequent buses or trains this could be avoided. Or the wait would be very small compared to the possibility of being pushed and shoved to see the pretty lights.
One thing that I could not understand. Vivid closed a section of the walk way to go towards the Opera House. They then made you go back onto the road to then walk around this closed section of walk way, this meant that we were again on top of many if not hundreds of people. Once we then turned the corner we noticed that the walkway was all open once you got around the bend. Why would they close this small section to have you in human traffic chaos! Just a disaster all round if you ask me. Why not have all the walk way open to encourage people to go everywhere and to of course to not have an angry mob happen.
Once we did get out of the bumper to bumper human traffic it was rather pleasant. Due to us having the baby and a pram we were able to access the bottom walk way at the Opera House. This allowed the kids to run around, me to sit down with the baby and to marvel at the lights of the Opera House and the rest of the harbour.
It was a HUGE pity that we did not see and do more. We were expecting so much more.
Did you go to Vivid? Were you at Circular Quay? Or did you go to Taronga Zoo? How about Darling Harbour or The Botanical Gardens?
What were your thoughts? Did you have a great time or were you stuck in human traffic with extremely rude and horrible people like us. Let us know.
The other week we celebrated International Women’s Day. Lately, there have been many articles about women and girls; the topics range from equal pay, pocket money, women not being in leadership roles, how women manage money, and more!
Inequality is still a major issue and I’m sure I am not the only one that finds this appalling. Yes, it is 2016 and we are still not treating women and girls as equals. Why is being female such a negative thing? We are strong, we have children, we solider on just like men do, and we manage the household, we manage kids and work and also have a career to boot. Plus some of us, myself included taking time out to do unpaid work of looking after kids and family. This unpaid work is not easy as there are no holidays, sick days, or thanks for the majority of the job. However, if you don’t do something it gets noticed instantly. Have two kids sick and you are ill and struggling, you are on your own. You cannot call in and tell the boss you cannot come in that day. Oh, how I wish this was the case!
Girls and women are more highly educated than ever before and it is reflected in the workforce. More and more women are striving for the top jobs and also entering into industries that were seen once as male-only domains, such as engineering, IT and much more. I for one believe and so does hubby, that jobs should be matched on a skill basis. If you fulfil the skill and job requirements you should be seriously looked at for the role, and your gender should not be a factor to determine if you get a job, or if you get a promotion or if you get a pay rise or paid the right amount of money.
Here is my rant about the inequality that women deal with. Yes, I have my cranky pants on and I’m not apologizing for being angry. Everyone should see this as unforgivable. If you have daughters would you want or accept that they will always be underpaid and undervalued? I would hope not!
Gender Pay Gap Stats. Image from https://www.wgea.gov.au/sites/default/files/Gender_Pay_Gap_Factsheet.pdf
Why are top female sports professionals so underpaid?
The Matildas are Australia’s national soccer team. The team have been very successful in the FIFA World Cup and in the lead up to the Olympics. There has been a pay dispute with FFA (Football Federation of Australia), the team wish to have equal pay like the male soccer players.
For example, Each Matilda player got $500 in match fees for the knockout game with Brazil. However male players receive $7,500 for the same thing. (Convery, Stephanie: September 11, 2015, “The Matildas’ pay dispute could spark real change”, abc.net.au)
— $500 per group-stage tournament game, $600 per round of 16-tournament game, $750 per tournament quarter-final, $1250 per tournament semi-final or third or fourth-place playoff and$1500 per tournament final
— Plus an equal share in 30 per cent of all prize money
SOCCEROOS
— A share in commercial profits from matches played and sponsor bonuses
— $6500 per standard international game
— $7500 per group-stage tournament game. $8500 per quarter-final tournament game, $9500 per tournament semi-final or third or fourth-place playoff and $11,500 per tournament final
— Plus an equal share in 30 per cent of all prize money
— Or, $240 daily wage
As you can see a match fee for men that is $7,500 to the women’s pay of $500 is a massive difference. A difference of $7,000 is just not on at all! Not fair if you ask me. Very rude to The Matildas to not value their skill and success and not pay the same as the men are getting.
“”In my next life when I come back I want to be someone in the WTA, because they ride on the coattails of the men,” Moore said. “They don’t make any decisions and they are lucky. They are very, very lucky. If I was a lady player, I’d go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born, because they have carried this sport. They really have.” (Rothenberg, Ben: 2016, March 21, “Indian Wells boss Raymond Moore says women tennis players should be thanking men”, The Sydney Morning Herald.)
Serena Williams “rejected the notion that Moore’s comments could have been misconstrued.
“There’s only one way to interpret that,” she said. “‘Get on your knees,’ which is offensive enough, and ‘Thank a man’? We, as women, have come a long way. We shouldn’t have to drop to our knees at any point.”
“Williams expressed particular shock that Moore would make such comments after last year’s US Open when excitement over her Grand Slam bid caused tickets to the women’s final to sell out before the men’s final for the first time in tournament history.” (Rothenberg, Ben: 2016, March 21, “Indian Wells boss Raymond Moore says women tennis players should be thanking men”, The Sydney Morning Herald.)
Graph looking at data for full-time wages and the gender pay gap. Image from https://www.wgea.gov.au/sites/default/files/Gender_Pay_Gap_Factsheet.pdf
Why is it when there is media coverage regarding Hilary Clinton’s race for the white house, the question is, “How do you feel about a woman president?”
Why is being a woman a major issue?
I understand that America has not had a female president but you don’t hear the same questioning for a male wanting to be president. I would think that they would find this line of questioning rude and not seeing their credentials for the job rather than focus on gender.
If a woman is successful in her career and life, why is it that she is singled out due to her sex? We can see instantly that she is female and that is not a major thing to notice. Who cares!!!
The only thing that should be looked at and worried about is, can she do the job? A woman needs to be noticed for her skills and achievements not just due to gender.
You never hear in the press, that we have a man in this job and it is a first. I wonder how he will do? Why are men not put through the scrutiny women are? Why are men getting more money for the same jobs?
Why is it when men don’t hit their objectives/KPI’s in their job that they still get higher bonuses than women?
Ridiculous if you ask me. Isn’t the whole idea of the reward system to reward the workers that hit the objectives and performance indicators? Not the person that does not achieve?
This could be a woman or a man, the employee just has to hit their targets to be in the running for a bonus not get one without doing so.
“Despite getting the same performance ratings as their male colleagues, women get smaller bonuses on average, according to a report from human resources consultants Mercer.
Even men who only partially met their performance objectives got bonuses that were 35 per cent larger than their female counterparts.” (Perkins, Miki: 2015, November 4, “Gender pay gap higher in bonuses, report finds”
Looking at the gender pay gap from 1995 to 2015. Image from https://www.wgea.gov.au/sites/default/files/Gender_Pay_Gap_Factsheet.pdf
“Boys earn $13 a week in pocket money on average, while girls get $9.60, according to a survey done for the Heritage Bank and released in time for International Women’s Day this week. The bank made similar findings in 2014. (Fitzsimmons, Caitlin: March 8, 2016, “Girls get less pocket money”, The Sydney Morning Herald)
How atrocious that boys even when little still get paid more! I wonder how this works?
Why would parents pay girls less than their boys? I know I wouldn’t.
According to the article from the Herald, it says it could be down the types of jobs done by boys/girls or how the child negotiates. Or maybe the fact that girls are expected to just do housework or jobs around the house for no pay… If this is the case that is just horrible! Living in 2016 and just due to your gender you are expected to do things for no pay. Wrong I tell you! Also if this is so and the reason, showing boys that housework or other chores around the house are not to be valued and not paid is not right at all.
I don’t understand why having a penis makes you earn more over a lifetime. Maybe I need to get a fake one to improve my chances?????
Why is this discrepancy occurring? As an employer, what makes you underpay women?
Why is it okay to pay female employees less?
Women are equally deserving as men, women have the same education and skill base, women are focused and high achieving, and would like to be promoted and go places just like men. This is not something different.
Just because we are female does not make our wants and desires any different to a man. We are just working harder and for less money!
When I was working in the corporate world, I was keen to be promoted and to progress in my career. I saw the men get promoted but when I put my hand up and showed interest I always got told not now, you don’t have the skills yet (although I was already doing the job but did not have the new title and new pay to accompany it) and much more. During my time at many companies, management changed and this meant it was mostly men that took up positions of power, and therefore brought along their mates, who were of course male. I must say that there were a few powerful and lovely women who did a great job and I greatly admired them.
Why is ambition from a woman seen as a terrible trait to have? If I was a man I’m sure the outcome would have been completely different.
Ambition is a great attribute and I should be rewarded. I wish I would know what it would have been like if I was a man, would my life and career have looked different? Would I have been the CEO of a company by now? Maybe it is best not to know, if I knew how it could have been, I think it would make me even angrier.
I was always taught, that you study hard, work hard and do well, good pay will follow. Gender did not come into it. I really don’t see how your sex should determine pay.
Women live longer than men and therefore need more savings to live. Being short-changed in the earnings department means that women’s superannuation is much less than a man’s and even lower if they have had a career break to look after children or other family members.
“The gender pay gap is worst where pay is kept secret and women often find out they are being paid less than their male colleagues after years on the job,” she said.
The gender pay gap is currently at a 20-year high of 18.8 per cent, according to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. It means that, on average, women earn $298.10 a week less than men. Put another way, they have to work an extra 66 days a year to take home the same amount as a man. (Gartrell, Adam: 2015, August 2, “Greens call for an end to ‘salary secrecy’ to help bridge gender pay gap”, They Sydney Morning Herald)
Pay gaps are broken down by state. Image from https://www.wgea.gov.au/sites/default/files/Gender_Pay_Gap_Factsheet.pdf
Wow! Women earn $298.10 less each week compared to men! That is a lot to not be earning.
That is a loss of $15,501.20 per year in earnings.
Fancy missing out on 15K per year. That is a HUGE gap! I am not sure what industry that these figures were taken from or if this is just an average of many women interviewed and data collected from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.
If businesses did not keep pay secret then women would know what men and women in similar roles were being paid.
This would help negotiation for salary and make sure that women are not being underpaid. Making pay transparent would also help everyone, not just women. Not knowing what certain roles are being paid and what you can ask for is definitely hard.
If you know what the value of roles are, you are so much more informed, plus employers will, of course, get highly trained individuals that will work hard and wish to grow with the organisation.
The Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has been focusing on innovation and technology. My girls are very interested in the STEM subjects, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Hubby and I have encouraged this as we believe that the jobs of the future will have some or all of these skills. Also if the twins focus on these subjects and are good at them, they can get a job that pays well in the future. Why are girls not participating in these areas as much as boys? Why are we not encouraging girls to give it a go?
“A recent OECD report found less than one in 20 girls from OECD countries considered careers in science, technology, engineering and maths. In 2013 in New South Wales a tiny 1.5 per cent of girls took the trio of advanced maths, physics and chemistry. Yet a recent study by PricewaterhouseCoopers revealed that in the future 75 per cent of the fast-growing occupations will require STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills. We are locking ourselves out of the workforce. If we are going to earn the same as our pipsqueak brothers, we will have to think hard about the choices we make.” (Clarke, Ruby, 2015: June 28, “Teenage girls need to change themselves to affect the gender pay gap”, The Sydney Morning Herald)
How low is 1.5% of girls participating in STEM subjects in New South Wales! We need higher numbers. What do you think?
There is also the argument that women work in part-time roles or choose not to work due to kids and other commitments. That might be true.
However, for the women that wish to work, it is rather difficult if you do have kids as well. Juggling motherhood, career and life is tough. Not horrible but just more things to organise and get lined up to make sure everything happens.
I for one would love to work part-time or say full time. A couple of days in the office and the rest from home. My jobs have all been online and therefore can transition to work from home roles. I can put kids in care for the days that I’m at the office but don’t want to have kids in full-time care. Firstly it is too expensive and, secondly, I will never see them.
I don’t have the luxury of living near relatives and therefore I am the one that does all kid-related activities. School run, and after school activities is all down to me. Being the only one doing all this is limiting and therefore I have created my own opportunities with my blog. My own online presence, to hopefully build my empire! (You can only put it out there. You never know right?)
“Sure, if women are simply choosing to work shorter hours in lower-status jobs in lower-paid industries – perhaps because they choose to take on the bulk of the task of looking after children and the home – then there is no problem here.
But – and here’s the rub – perhaps these are not choices freely made.
Perhaps women don’t want to retire with no superannuation or other savings after all. Perhaps they would like to earn a pay-packet the equivalent of a man’s, but they’re too busy looking after those male’s kids for free.” (Irvine, Jessica, 2015: July 31, “Apples and oranges: Gender pay gap is worse than you think”, The Sydney Morning Herald)
Many women would love to get the job after kids to fit into their new lifestyle, however, many companies are still stuck with the mindset that you have to physically turn up to a job in an office.
How about job share? Part-time in the office for 2 days and work at home for 3 days. Work some hours in the day and some in the night and weekend? Flexible hours as long as the work gets done.
Understand if you need to be online or on the phone for meetings or in the office. You can always have a catch-up meeting every fortnight or month?
Depends on the business and workload.
With technology, I don’t why more places embrace telecommuting. It would save the company money and also allow them to get quality employees that will stick with the company due to allowing them to be flexible and work from home.
Think about all the women with fabulous skills that are itching to get the job that businesses are overlooking!
“Clearly society has to change in order for women to rise, but we, the teenagers of Australia, also have to change our attitudes and perceptions. Major corporations must set targets to increase women’s participation in managerial positions.
Men additionally need to take more responsibility for child care and share the load. Unionised workforces also tend to be higher paid workforces so if women join unions, their rates of pay should increase.
But. It’s also down to you and me, ladies. We need to change, too. We need to think about what kinds of lives we want. What kinds of jobs will get us more money? Are we going to be in charge of our own futures or are we going to rely on men to pay for them? If you want to work with children, how are you going to pay for a house in Sydney now the average price has hit almost a million dollars?” (Clarke, Ruby, 2015: June 28, “Teenage girls need to change themselves to affect the gender pay gap”, The Sydney Morning Herald)
When I see a role that is just perfect for me and of course will pay a full wage. Why is the money for child care seen to only be taken from my wage?
Why is child care seen as something that the woman needs to sort out in order to work?
Isn’t child care an issue for both parents?
Having an extra wage would help out the whole family and therefore it is an issue that the family need to address not just one person.
I agree that men need to take more responsibility for child care and help with this more. Some men do this and there is no issue here. However the more equal it is, the more easily women can re-enter the workforce and contribute to the family, society and build for their future as well as their families.
It is 2016 and sex is still seen as an issue regarding pay. I would have thought that this would not be the case.
I hope for my girls that this is not the case when they are older but I would have thought that it would have been already resolved by now. So I’m not holding my breath, however, I can live in hope.
As I have said before, gender is not an issue for pay. The only important issue is, can you do the job, and do you have the skills?
Pay for the role not because someone has a different anatomy than another.
Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks for reading my HUGE post about this issue!
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Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have been very busy dealing with our latest addition.
Our third child was born on the 7th of January, exactly on his due date. Yes how prompt is he. We had a little boy and his name is Alexander. The twins are super excited to be big sisters and to give him cuddles and help out.
Our latest family member Alexander was born exactly on his due date. How clever is he! Only 5% of babies do this. Maybe he will be a prompt person? You never know right?
Ever since I had my third child I have had no time. Yes you can probably relate if you have just had a baby. Up all night feeding, expressing breast milk and just trying to settle the baby. The house is a total mess, laundry needs sorting, folding and to be put away. Things need to be tidied, chucked out or just put away. The essentials are happening, we are clean, have food and all is well, although life is a bit of a mess at the moment while we adjust to another person and trying to get into a routine. This is especially true due to having two kids who are full of beans that don’t seem to remember not to run, jump and bounce everywhere. It is not helpful once you have finally got the baby to sleep. Plus school drop offs and pick ups and also after school activities makes it harder to keep a routine. I have just planned to have food for Alexander, change of clothes, nappies and be ready if he needs anything while we are out.
This is my little boy. It was taken exactly when he was 5 weeks old. He looks very grown up here and also to a bit cheeky. I love the fact that you can see what he might look like when he grows up but also to that he such a cute little baby, well if I do say so myself. I am bias, I’m his mummy so I am allowed to be.
Our latest addition is hard to settle after a feed. He did not latch on well to the breast. I did try breast feeding but he screamed the place down that he had not gotten enough milk. I thought all was good as he was asleep after these feeds and then attempted to put him to bed. Once tucked into bed he screamed the place down. He gave all the signs that he did not get enough and was indeed still hungry. Oh how could you be hungry???? You have just had some from each boob and now you are claiming you did not get enough! Oh well. I did more and more and that did not fix the issue.
Breast feeding was terribly painful and I thought it would get easier. The midwives said it was normal to have a bit of discomfort and you will get used to it. They came and saw how the baby was latching on and to see how I was dealing with the feeds. I did everything they said but due to the baby being fussy and getting into such a state he was angry and then very unsettled for feeding (It was like the baby was angry that the café or restaurant did not have his food ready at the time he requested. Terribly annoying when you have such bad service!) This is not the time to try and be putting him on the boob. I then got annoyed, angry and stressed and this was the same for the child. Not ideal.
I then came to the conclusion that I should just express my breast milk and feed the baby like I did with the twins. Our new little person seems much happier getting more milk in the bottle. He is still getting breastmilk and I am less stressed about feeding and he gets it when he needs it.
Expressing my breast milk while in hospital.
However due to him not latching on properly he hurt my nipples and this in turn made me get ill with mastitis. I left hospital to only be back one night and that one night I was up all night dealing with the baby. He feeds well when it is in the bottle but sucks in too much air and therefore holds a lot of wind. Trying to burp and wind a baby is tough when it goes on for over 4 hours!
Yes, it is stressful and exhausting. Then once you hit the 4 hour mark or less you are due for his next feed and you have to do it all over again. Plus add changing nappies for a child that screams like you are killing him while you try and get rid of the pooey nappy.
I have tried to write this post for days now and today he has been all over the place and very unsettled, so I have been adding to my post in stops and starts all day. He seems to like cuddles and wants to be with you. This is nice but when you have a house to look after, other kids and things to do it gets difficult. Maybe when he finally sleeps I can sleep too or get something else done. Lately I have been more focused on sleeping, hence why other things like house and blog have been unloved for a while.
As mentioned I was only home for a short time and that time I was hot and bothered with a fever, I also got extremely cold and had the worst headache I’ve ever had (I could not handle light and found it hard to see). I had temperatures that were 38.9 and an hour after having Panadol it came down to 39.6. So not much of an improvement. I felt terrible; very ill and like I had an extreme case of the flu or more like the walking dead. I called the hospital and they suggested I come in to be looked at. They agreed that I had mastitis and I ended up having antibiotics via an IV drip and stayed in hospital for another 3 days. Not fun, the IV antibiotics burnt when it went through my vein and made me have a very tender hand for the next week or so.
The cannula for the IV. I always hate having them done. Very painful.
I did mention to the hospital before I left that I was burning up and was feeling all hot. I was told it was my hormones and that it will all settle down soon. It was obviously the infection starting and it just got worse when I came home. One of the midwives at the hospital said that I did the right thing by coming back to the hospital as she said it only gets worse if not treated.
I was convinced that I would have the baby earlier than it coming exactly on my due date, which in fact only 5% of babies do. So he is terribly clever to have done that. Maybe he heard the doctors say when he was meant to come, so thought he would adhere to that date. Maybe he might be a prompt person and always on time. I have no idea, but it is weird he came exactly when predicted.
I was so over being pregnant. I was approaching my due date and still no baby! Any week over 34 and 2 days for me was overdue; I had the twins at this time and any time after this felt like an eternity.
As I said, I was ready for the baby to come and was trying to coax it out. Here are some of the things I tried:
I was doing squats
I was having raspberry leaf tea
I went walking and tried to be more active
I ate chilli
I even had talks to the baby in my belly and was telling it that it needed to come soon as I was over it all. It of course did not listen.
As many women who are in the last trimester of their pregnancy you get to the point where you just want it to be all over and done with. I did not want to have the birth and was a bit worried about all that due to the drama from the twin birth and was concerned that it might be repeated.
My pregnant belly. Taken on 2nd of January 2016. Little did I know that just 5 days later the baby would be born.
I could not bend over. I was having pains and could feel things starting to move in the right direction but no labor had started. Damn! How annoying.
The hospital was doing their standard freak out as they were telling me that if I don’t have the baby by 39 weeks or I go over my due date they would like to induce me. What the????(The hospital said that if I go too far over my due date that could be high risk and they are not equipped for this, so if this happens then I would need to go to Nepean to have the baby) I have had an uncomplicated pregnancy. It is one child and not two like last time. I am not high risk, I did not develop gestational diabetes and have remained active throughout. I have even only gained 8kgs during the whole pregnancy so that was something that was good news for me. Although I felt like it was a lot more and I was HUGE.
I woke up at 4am on the 6th of January and noticed that things were happening. Yes 4am seems to be the lucky or weird hour that things happen. When I was pregnant with the twins my waters broke at 4am so this was strange that it all started again at this time. This was the day that the twins were going to vacation care and I had to get their lunches ready and all organised so that we could drop them off. I could not go back to bed and ended up having painful contractions that were extremely painful and I found it hard to walk and do anything. I checked the internet to see what needed to happen before I went to the hospital. The sites that I visited said that if I cannot walk and talk during contractions and if they are coming more frequently, if I lost my mucus plug, if I am in pain and not coping and so on. I thought this was all the case so phoned the hospital.
I spoke to a midwife who then said that it sounded like things were progressing and if all of the above had happened then it might be wise to come in and get looked at. She also mentioned some other things like breathing and something about pillows and my back and hubby helping. I was finding it hard to concentrate due to the pains that kept on coming and going.
Once hubby was we dropped the kids off at vacation care and then went straight to the hospital. This was just after 9am and they gave me a once over. The midwife we saw said that I was only 1 and half centimetres dilated and that I was not ready. Damn! Why can’t the baby be ready! All that pain to only be slightly ready…..very annoying.
13th of January, not even a week old.
While at the hospital the midwife told us that if we had the baby before a certain time we could come to Katoomba Hospital. If we had it after 7pm that evening then we would need to go to Nepean as Katoomba during this 24 hour period did not have a Doctor on call for the maternity ward and therefore could not have births there during this period. What the???? I go to a hospital for all my maternity care and now I cannot have the baby at the hospital of choice. Hubby and midwife suggested maybe mind power can help make the baby not come in this 24 hour period. I told both of them that I don’t think this would happen, as my body was doing things and feeling like it would be soon.
The midwife said that the way I was presenting that it will all kick off at 7pm and therefore would need to go to Nepean. I thought no way. But this lady sees a lot of women so maybe she knows what she is talking about. I thought we will see.
Hubby and I had plans to have lunch with some of our close friends so we went to the local pub all while having contractions. We went to the shops and although it was very slow going for me due to the fact contractions made me seize up and it was like all my legs, lower back and pelvis was in a muscle spasm. I could not move while it was happening, and during this I could feel the head banging to go further down…. YES painful!
7pm comes and we are reading stories to the kids and tucking them in for bedtime. My contractions were super painful and getting closer together and it was harder to talk and to do anything. They were 5-6mins apart at this stage.
I think the midwife jinxed us, as she predicted the time and the fact that it would all happen. Damn now we have to go down the mountain to Nepean due to the local hospital not being able to have us there. I called the hospital and this was a hard phone call due to being in pain with contractions coming and going. They said that we cannot come there, and that they would call ahead to Nepean and we needed to leave now due to the time it takes to get down the mountain and the times of my contractions. Oh great………a trip down the mountain in a car while I am screaming and in pain.
Hubby and I are in the car and screaming down the mountain due to impending birth (well I was definitely screaming). During our trip a P plate driver decides we are trying to race him and he revs up his car and tries to get in our way. A learner driver nearly crashed into our car, a truck nearly collected us and people did not get out of lanes so that we could get there more quickly. During the trip I of course was screaming and yelling due to the pain and the pressure was getting intense in my pelvis due to the baby pressing and pushing with even more gusto. I did not want to have the baby on the side of the road, or in the car. I was just hoping we would get to the hospital in time.
When you were pregnant did the hospital of your choice close at the time of labor or was not available for whatever reason? Did you have to race to go somewhere else when labor hit? Let us know.
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Today is Father’s Day. Today it was seven years ago I went off to hospital to have the twins. It was more like waiting a week to have them but it was on Father’s Day that it all happened. It makes me wonder when it will all happen with this baby? Will it be Christmas Day? New Year’s Day or will it be on time? Who knows. The only thing that has been happening is that whoever is in my belly is jumping around and is very active. I must have a trampoline in there?? It feels like that is the case at times.
The kids and I have secretly put all hubby’s surprises on his desk.
Father’s Day Presents for HubbyArtwork to celebrate Father’s Day
What did we get him you ask?
I decided to make him something as I did not see really anything that he could use or might want. One of the girls who was with me picked out a special cookbook that came with cookie cutters.
Star Wars Cookbook that hubby got for Father’s Day
One of the girls helped me with picking something from the cookbook to make for daddy for Father’s Day. She picked Chewy Chocolate Cookies. We got all the ingredients and then made our big batch of cookies. The reciepe made heaps of dough so I had heaps of cookies to make.
The kids are rather taken with Star Warslately. They know many of the characters and like the action and the stories.
One child also purchased some Anzac Biscuits at the school Father’s Day shop. I think daddy will have plenty of snacks to eat and of course more to cook in his cookbook.
We are taking hubby out for lunch to celebrate Father’s Day. I have not booked anywhere so I hope we can get in. I did not think to make a reservation and just hope that we are lucky to get in for lunch where we like or at least somewhere else.
What are you doing for Father’s day? Did dad/hubby like their presents?
We all went to Ballarat for the winter holidays in 2015. Read below to find out what we got up to.
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Okay it was our winter holiday.
I was drooling over sunshine, beaches, swimming and just balmy days.
Just so you know, the Blue Mountains is freezing during winter, so a nice warm change was needed and deserved.
So where did we go for our ten day winter holiday?
We flew to Melbourne to holiday in Ballarat. Yes the weather as you can imagine was very much the same, COLD! Although I was not keen due to the cold … we had a fabulous time. Yes a wonderful time was had by all.
There was plenty to do and we kept ourselves very busy indeed. I must say due to picking a colder location there were not a lot of people where we were. This surprised us due to it being school holidays, but maybe it might have been different if we chose Fiji as a destination instead. So think about this for your next holiday. Go were others are not, and you will avoid the crowds and still have a brilliant time.
So our first hurdle was to get to the airport with everyone intact, no tantrums and everyone relatively happy. We managed this and then made our way to check in our luggage and get our boarding passes.
My tips to keep kids happy on a plane:
1. Have electronic devices fully charged and ready to go. I make sure to charge the iPad and iPhone the night before so that they have full battery power. This way the kids can make use of the inflight entertainment.
2. If they get bored with the electronic entertainment I make sure to have pens/pencils in a bag with a colouring or activity book. Even a blank book to allow creative drawing is ideal. This way your little artists can go mad and draw their masterpieces.
3. Have some snacks just in case they don’t like what is on offer on the plane. I have two very fussy kids so making sure they have some snacks that meet their approval is ideal and also creates less arguments and annoyance. (Mainly for the parent – really this is for you to make sure you have a calm and stress free flight)
4. Since I have twins (even if you have more than one child) one parent sits with one child one way and then we swap on the way home. This way each child gets a chance to sit next to mummy/daddy.
5. When we book in and get our seats we try to get a window seat so that each child can have the view if there is any out the window.
6. One big tip is we make sure the kids go to the toilet before we all board the plane. I know they might not really need to go but I make them anyway. If the worst does happen, there is a toilet on board but you don’t want an emergency dash to the loo to happen when you have to remain in your seats for take-off!
We arrived at Melbourne airport, got our hire car and then we were all on our way to Ballarat.
Due to the fact our kids are fuss pots with eating we thought that a good pizza would be the way to go. The kids I am sorry to say are not that adventurous, so they stuck to the cheese pizza.
The Forge had a great cheese pizza for the kids and was kind enough to take off anything green like parsley or fresh herbs. Yes if there is anything green on it, it gets met with a confused look and the kids just freak out. The team at this pizzeria understand kids and made sure that the pizza was all cheese!
For the adults they have an excellent choice of pizzas with all sorts of wonderful ingredients. Anything from pumpkin, pulled pork, garlic prawns to sauerkraut.
While we waited for our pizzas to be cooked the kids occupied themselves with colouring in and drawing at a big table at the end of the restaurant. This was great as the kids were happy being there and due to it being at the end of the restaurant it was safe and you could keep an eye on the kids.
The environment is rustic and very warm. The tables are recycled and some are very long that it allows big groups and families to all share dinner or lunch together.
Once we received our pizzas we were amazed at how wonderful they tasted. The dough was so light and just melted in your mouth. Devine! Simply amazing. I was not planning on eating the whole pizza but ended up finishing it due to how tasty it was. I could not help myself.
We were so taken with the place that we had to come back. A few days or so after our first meal at The Forge, we came back for our second meal. The waitress that helped us when we were first there was working that night and remembered us. She even remembered what drink I was drinking and organised it all for me. She was very helpful and how amazing to be remembered.
If you are ever in Ballarat you must try The Forge Pizzeria. You will be in love with it as much as we were. It is family friendly, tasty meals, kids had a blast and so did we.
I was craving dumplings and due to having fussy eaters we did not entertain going to a dumpling restaurant for dinner. However we stumbled across Fu Man Lou and saw that they had Chicken Sang Choi Bao, Fried Rice, Prawn Chips and more. The kids would love this and they can try the dumplings.
We love dumplings well hubby and I do and have been craving some while in Ballarat. This place looks amazing and so groovy. Cannot wait to try some!
The first thing you will notice about Fu Man Lou is that the place has a sense of humour. Even their menu is fun. Instead of saying entrée, they call it the small stuff, the mains are referred to as the bigger ones. If you wish to have just water or soft drink that is in the no booze category. Plastered all over the walls is Fu Man Lou propaganda poking fun of the Maoist Regime.
If you are like me and crave dumplings every now and then, you can have a dumpling taster or just order a few dumplings and then see how you go.
It was great for kids as they made sure that the kids got their food first. The girls loved the Chicken Sang Choi Bao and did surprise us when they tried some dumplings.
Fu Man Lou is fab for families and has a fun atmosphere. My favourite dumpling was the Wontons in Chilli Oil, it is so yummy!
If you are ever in Ballarat and need to get a dumpling fix, Fu Man Lou is your place.
We all had a great time in Ballarat and surrounds. Initially I wanted to be somewhere warm and sunny. However we had a great family holiday and we did not have to fight any crowds.
Maybe we need to look at where others might not go next winter? Nope I still want to go to the beach!
Did you plan to go somewhere and then it did not work out.
Was it the beach and you ended up somewhere cold or was it the reverse?
Let us know. Did you end up having a great time anyway?
Learn about all the fun places we went in the Winter 2015 School Holidays.
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We have been keeping very busy and have been out most days exploring. Below is a list of the places we have visited and you can learn what we did there and see some of the photos from our visits.
We all had a great time at the Wildlife park. Kangaroos, emus and the like are free to roam. They seemed quite tame but I did remind the kids that they still have big claws and are still wild animals.
The kangaroos let the kids pat them, feed them and be very close. They seemed very used to human contact and were very good around children.
Show times below are for weekdays and if you wish to find out weekend show times, just click here
1:30pm Reptile round.
2:00pm Koala round.
2:30pm Wombat round.
3:00pm Crocodile OR Alligator round.
3:30pm Tasmanian Devil and Quoll round.
4:00pm Eagle Show
As you can see shows are every half hour. So this will keep you busy and make sure that you are not waiting around for hours to see one show.
There is plenty to do at Sovereign Hill and you will not be bored. If anything your feet and legs will be very tired from walking around all day.
You can try your hand at decorating candles, watch gold being poured, see lollies being made, try your hand at gold panning in the creek and have a ride on the stage coach.
Just one thing to remember:If you purchase a family pass make sure to get it validated. If you do this you can come back for a second day. We did this and it helped as our first day we arrived at about 1pm so that we had plenty of time to see the sights and then stay for the lights that evening. We promised the kids a coach ride with the horses but missed out the first day. We managed to do the promised horse coach ride on day 2 and all was happy then.
I also did not know that with the price of the family ticket to Sovereign Hill we also got an automatic ticket to the Gold Museum for everyone.
Holiday Program open till 30th of July 2017 so you have a few days to get there if you can.
One of the girls is chasing the lollies that are falling down the building
See a train go across a building.
A view of main street with the snow and the lights.
After our first day at Sovereign Hill we went to the Gold Museum. The museum is in the same complex as Sovereign Hill so if you are there for one you may as well see both.
The museum is open from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm every day except Christmas Day. Last entry is 5.20 pm.
One exhibition that I was amazed by was the photographs of the whole of Ballarat. I have forgotten the photographer but he climbed up to the top of the town hall and took a 360 degree view of Ballarat at the time. The images were amazing and so sharp so that you can see every detail.
On Sunday we went off to the Daylesford Markets. It was a lovely sunny day and a welcome relief from the overcast days we have had. The drive was not too long from our hotel and was a pleasant drive through lovely countryside.
Once we arrived to the markets we walked around and looked at all the stalls. It was your typical markets, trinkets, clothes, and the like.
The kids got their faces painted while at the markets and then we went off to lunch at a local pub.
After lunch we visited The Amazing Mill Markets. These markets is a huge warehouse complex that houses many stalls of antiques and collectibles.
The kids new clothes
If I had heaps of money and did not have to post all my purchases back I could have gone crazy. I did purchase a jumper and a scarf for one kid and the other got a coat and a scarf also. I must say that the kids look rather stylish in their new clothes.
We wanted to come into Melbourne to see the Museum and catching up with friends that have decided to move to Melbourne was a great excuse to spend the day there and to see some great exhibits.
Dinosaur Bones at The Melbourne Muesum
It was a HUGE day as we had a bit of a drive from Ballarat to Carlton and also to back to the hotel.
So what did we see there?
Well we learnt about the human body, saw the real Phar Lap, dinosaur bones, and of course a giant squid. There was so much more. The museum was enormous and it was so well done and we were super impressed.
Phar Lap at The Melbourne Museum. I did not realise that he was so tall!
The building was just amazing and the facilities were impressive compared to what we are used to. Some of the museum’s in Sydney are in older buildings and are limited for space. The museum in Melbourne seemed purpose built and has the space they need for all exhibits.
If you book online for tickets you get a great deal. You don’t pay for kids that are under 12.
Also for parking if you book online you pay $20 for a full day of parking. What great value is that.
I hope this gives you some ideas on where to take the kids on the holidays and the weekends.
We are flying home tomorrow and the kids cannot wait to see their teddies again. We have all had a fabulous time and wish our holiday could last forever but we have to go home to our life and jobs.
What have you done these school holidays? Have you had a great experience somewhere that you would love to share? Let us know.
NOTE: Just so you know I realised after purchasing all the ingredients that the online recipe can be altered for the number of people who you would be cooking for. I only used 2 capsicums cut in half to not make too much for an individual meal. However I did end up with a lot left over and that went in the fridge for the next night’s dinner.
The following ingredients are for 4 people. If you need to change this. Click on the number and change it with the up or down arrow on the link above for the recipe.
Making the stuffing: Cooking the beans, rice, and with all the other ingredients.
Ingredients
1 1/3 cup cooked brown rice
1 1/2 small zucchini diced
3/4 small red onion diced
4 red capsicums
1 cup kidney beans drained & rinsed
3 1/2 tablespoons of heaped fresh coriander finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon rind
3 1/2 tablespoons pine nuts
Salt & pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil + splash for cooking
I substituted the following: Instead of coriander I used parsley, due to hubby hating it. Instead of purchasing pine nuts I used almonds due to having them already. I added some parmesan cheese to the top of the capsicum so that it would add to the flavour and give a nice consistency.
I used almonds instead of pine nuts. I already had almonds at home and thought it would be cheaper to use what I already had.
Jackie from Body Beyond Birth told me that you need to pick food choices that work for you. If you don’t make things from scratch all the time it will be hard to keep up. Eat well and incorporate it into your every day life. Make it easy for you.
Instructions
I put my oven on to 180 degrees as my oven is gas is old and funny. The instructions on the recipe say 150 for an electric oven. Make sure to your line your baking tray.
I halved and cleaned out my capsicum pieces. I like to make sure that they are ready.
Cook brown rice, drain, pour back into pot & cover off heat for 10 minutes.
Cook zucchini & onion in a fry pan with a splash of olive oil on medium-high heat for a few minutes
Once softened & starting to brown, take off heat & set aside.
Combine all ingredients together except capsicums.
Spoon mixture into capsicums.
I added parmesan cheese and left off the olive oil drizzle in the recipe.
Bake for 30-40 minutes until soft & cooked through
Serve immediately
The capsicums ready to be stuffed.
I know I added some things to this dish and it was not exactly as listed. It tasted amazing and the addition of the lemon rind made it have an extra burst of flavour. Having the almonds made it have a nice texture and it was a great addition to a fabulous and easy dish.
Making it a main meal option
If you would like to make this as a main meal you can.
You can add mince or meat if you are not vegetarian. One good tip is to make sure that the capsicum pieces are a little bigger if it is a main meal, or have a few more if smaller.
You can play with what you add to the stuffing for the capsicums, and have different fillings for different menus. You could have a totally vegetarian dish and then switch it up by maybe adding some cheese in the stuffing mixture, or say shredded chicken and other root vegetables. The choices are endless and you can be as creative as you like.
Rice & Bean Stuffed Capsicums ready to eat. Yum. Just right for a side dish or for a main meal.
I hope this helps with some dinner ideas or maybe for lunch? You can have it for both. This is super easy dish and helps to make sure that you are getting more vetables in your diet. Well I suppose it depends on what you put in the stuffing.
Happy Valentine’s Day. Yes it is that time again where romance blossoms, you get wined and dined by your lover.
Getting romantic on Valentine’s Day?
I mentioned to hubby that this Saturday was Valentine’s Day and he looked shocked, upset and worried.
I have interpreted his reaction to mean; He had no idea, he was not planning anything, and he forgot.
In reality I am not that fussed and would appreciate the following:
“Honey, you sit in the living room. Here is a glass of red wine to sip while you watch your favourite show. I’ll organise dinner and don’t worry about the mess, I’ll tidy up as well!”
It is hard to get whisked out to a dinner or to a surprise event when you have kids. I suppose the kids could come as well and I am not opposed to this. However if kids did come it could cramp our style or not allow the magic romance to bloom if you get what I mean!
Valentine’s Day is a special day for me. It was the day I found out I was pregnant. I was under the impression that I was having one child at the time not two. I did not find out I was having twins until we had our seven week ultrasound. Now that was a pleasant shock!
I am not sure if hubby has anything up his sleeve… and it does not matter. Maybe a dinner or simple show of affection is okay with me.
What are you doing this Valentine’s Day? Got anything planned?
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How was your Mother’s Day? Mine was lovely. The twins created cards at school and were very secretive about them. I was told not to touch their bags on Friday and that they will organize, well that is a first. It was only due to the cards being in the bags and the kids needing to find a place to put them so I will not see till Mother’s Day.
The twins secured a place for their secret surprise for me and I was told to stay away from the oven. The kids have a set of draws they call the oven and it is in their room. Not an actual oven. The surprises were put in the draws and I was told to stay away! I did explain that when you hide things you don’t tell the person you are hiding the secret from where your hiding spot is. They did not get this and were more than happy to tell me where it was. Very funny!
The twins Mother’s Day cards they made at school
Yesterday morning I got woken by Julia excited about the cards and telling me to get up and go into their room so I can get the surprise. I went to their room with two very excited girls to be presented lovely sparkly cards that they decorated and wrote in themselves. I loved it and it is wonderful to have cards written in their own hand writing. They did a picture of something they like doing with mummy and underneath the teacher wrote what it was.
Lillian’s card for Mother’s Day
Each child’s picture and activity was different and very them. Lillian loves swimming with mummy and Julia loves reading stories and books. I thanked the girls for their excellent cards and told them how proud I was of them and keeping the secrets. My clever girls are doing very well with their art and writing. Did you get some great cards that were created by the kids? Did they have a lot of glitter on them? Mine did.
Julia’s card for Mother’s Day
I then opened my presents to discover I have bright pink slippers and speakers for the computer. I have not had speakers for ages so finally getting some will be nice.
My stylish and warm pink slippers!
Yesterday we also visited family and had a lovely lunch with my nana, aunties, sister, mum and cousins. It was a great day but a long one.
How was your Mother’s Day? Did you have a good day? Was it relaxing? Let us know.
