It was the week the girls went back to school…. and Christy got to wear the new school uniform for the first time…

It was the week of too much time spent at the uniform shop and a nice day out shopping with Amy – who didn’t go back to school until Tuesday.

It was the week Amy got her hair coloured…

and the week we celebrated Kevin’s birthday….

It was the week of poolside movies…

and a trip to the local pool so Christy could practice for her upcoming carnival….

It was the week I got my scrapbook desk tidied up and I ACTUALLY used it….layouts coming soon…

It was the week I bought myself this candle…only to move it to the scrapbook room as Kevin didn’t like the smell….

and it was the week of Harry Potter wand accessorizing….

It was the week Amy made a delicious apple crumble for dessert…

It the week of only one funny puppy photo to share with you…

and the week I started, and finished, The Hunger Games. What an awesome book. Thanks to the kindle, I’ve already started book 2 .

We had to wait till around 8.30pm so it was dark enough to see the screen. The plan had been to watch from in the pool but it was a little on the cool side. Only Amy was brave enough to start off in the pool.

Ideally we’d have some pool floats so you don’t actually spend the whole time “in” the pool. Looks like we also need some more lounge chairs.

We watched about half of Aladdin before the mozzies chased us indoors. It was definitely a fun event, we just need a few more supplies…. like citronella candles…and some popcorn!

After work, which we had to chase him home from, we had a nice family dinner.

Followed by cake.

And no, he didn’t really turn 10, but they were the only candles we had and Christy insisted we have some to blow out.

Gotta love birthday cake….

Can’t believe one whole month of the year has already passed by. That’s crazy!

I was up around 6am. Bailey often likes to lie out in the morning and will come back and wait at the door when he’s ready to come in. Often when I just sat down with my cup of tea!

I have my pain meds and fish oil while waiting for the kettle to boil.

Around 7am Kevin and Amy depart – it’s Amy’s first day in year 8 but I’m not allowed to take a first day of school photo.

After they leave I go up to wake Christy – Bailey helps. She isn’t feeling the best so goes to have a bath.

I then shower and dress, make the bed and collect the girls washing.

Christy requests french toast for breakfast. I have a half a bagel with cheese and another cup of tea.

Time to check e-mails.

I go outside to hang out the washing. Christy is watching a bit of Harry Potter while eating breakfast.

The pups take advantage and lie in the sun for a bit.

I need to use both clothes lines today.

Next is a trip to the chemist to get some medication for Christy.

Bailey has to come along.

Looks like a lovely day.

Shortly after I return Christy decides she’s feeling better and will go to school.

When I return I get started in this room. Mum comes to help me.

And 90mins later it looks like this…

I still have more sorting to do but it looks a LOT better and you can actually walk around the room.

Time for some lunch – my favourite falafel salad.

Enjoyed while reading blogs.

After lunch I take out some scraps for the chickens.

And collect some eggs. We’re getting 2-4 each day now but some are still rather small.

Time to do the uniform shop paperwork and count money while enjoying tea and a choc chip muffin.

At 2.30pm I get changed and make myself look presentable.

I drive into Wollongong to pick Amy up from school…

and drop her off at the hairdressers for her appointment.

When I get back home Mum has just returned from walking the dogs and Bailey has rather muddy feet. I hose them off for him so he can enter the house.

I was chatting with Mum when I realized Christy and Shantel were already supposed to be at dancing so we raced out the door. On the way I got a call from Amy saying she was waiting to be picked up, so after dropping the girls off I went to get her. Doesn’t her hair look fabulous? She’s really happy with it.

Amy got ready for dancing and I dropped her off. Kevin got home shortly after I did. And finally I got to sit and enjoy my naughty afternoon snack.

Then at 6.40pm it was back up to the school to collect the girls.

I was too sore to do much for dinner but we had some leftover pasta so I just heated that up with a jar of tomato sauce. Easy but yummy.

After dinner the dogs had a crazy play session.

And we settled down to watch the last episode of Whale Wars. Such a great series.  And having seen whales up close and personal in Alaska I’m so glad there are organisations like Sea Shephard getting out there and trying to stop whaling.

At 8.30pm I took Christy up to bed for a story. We’re reading another Judy Moody.

I then took off my make-up and did my nighttime beauty routine before heading back down to get a cup of tea and watch a bit more TV.

About 9.45pm we headed up to bed and I started a new book – The Hunger Games. I’ve heard lots of good things about it and it really does seem to be living up to it’s hype.

It was the last week of school holidays. Can’t believe they went by so fast. I’m looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet but I will miss the girls and lack of routine.

It was the week that started with a trip to Sydney to see Amy’s opthomologist where we received the wonderful news that her vision should return to normal given a bit of time. On the way home there was a trip to IKEA to buy furniture for Amy’s new bedroom, which was project of the week….

It was the week of Harry Potter plays…

and dog costumes for a movie project Christy and Shantel have been working on all holidays….

It was the week of multiple grocery shops…

and a very exciting basketball game…. where the Hawks ended up winning by around 20pts. Such an exciting game. My date was Christy.

It was the week of board games…..

and Aussie foods….

It was the week of special drawings….

and gorgeous skies…

It was the week we took the girls to Hangdog….

and enjoyed Thai for dinner on Chinese New Year…. close enough I say….

It was the week of lemon cake…

and cute puppies….

Amy turns 13 in just under a month and we figured it was time to update her little girl room. It became a great project for Kevin and Amy to work on together, with decorating input from me.

Step 1 – Get new furniture from IKEA….

Step 2 – somehow fit it all into a prius….

Luckily we didn’t have Christy with us ….

Step 3… choose a paint colour….

and start painting….

Step 4…. cart furniture upstairs and start assembling….

modifying current equipment where appropriate….

Step 5…. put up shelves…..

Step 6….. decorate….

This cute black couch is actually a sofa bed for when friends sleep over.

I LOVE it all, but this desk is just a dream…..

And her new bedding (which was the first thing we bought) is fabulous. It’s double sided with stripes on the back, which I think will make a nice change for Winter. It’s a silver colour with purple and pink flowers…

So what do you think? Here’s before…

and after…

I might be a long way from being a teenager but I could be totally happy in this room. It’s also got the best view in the house!

There was damper…

BBQ steaks/veggie patties and salads…

and pavolva for dessert…

Followed by this Australian Afternoon Tea that I picked up this morning… it didn’t really taste different to any other black tea but it was nice…

with Tim Tams and lamingtons….

Definitely a very yummy way to celebrate Australia Day. Unfortunately my arthritis was VERY bad so I spent the afternoon on the couch feeling sorry for myself while more painting was done upstairs.

It was the week I revisited an old friend…..

and the week the girls and I combined our nail polish collections….

It was the week of Harry Potter games…

and the week of new Harry Potter wands….which I didn’t get the chance to photograph…

It was the week of a special package for an online class I’m doing with Stacy Jullian….

It was the week of lunch and exploration at the Nan Tien Temple…

and the week I finally took my braids out…

It was the week of friends to sleep over…. and friends to have water fights with….

It was the week of another trip to the dog beach….

where the girls all got buried…

and Rosie dug a HUGE hole….

It was the week we took a family trip to Minnamurra…

where looks can be deceving. It was a beautiful spot but you couldn’t spot the strong current until you got caught in it. Both girls were aided by a person onshore, Kevin & I, who had left after them, managed once we realized you could stand a bit further around…. but it was scary for the girls. Of course, then we had to get back to the other side… which we managed by walking further up the sand and coming back on an angle. It was certainly an eventful outing….

It was the week of visiting birds…

It was the week of Sunday afternoon games…

and pasta making….

It was the week of a minimally processed food challenge so our menu featured the like of blackbean burgers….

homemade pizza and garlic bread….

rice paper rolls by Amy….

and healthy banana muffins…

It was also week we decided that our 20th Anniversary trip in December is going to be Walt Disney World….

and a Caribbean cruise…

It been 8 years since we were there and we (well, the girls and I) are VERY excited. Let the planning begin….

I’ve been a long time admirer of Heather and her blog Beauty That Moves. I took her 30 day vegan class last year and it was fabulous. Can’t wait for the new one Whole Food Kitchen. It starts 6th February so you’ve still got time to sign up. If you want to learn more about eating whole foods definitely go check it out. This class is not vegan, or even vegetarian.

Let me know if you’re going to be my classmate – I already know Jackie is.

As a bit of head start we’re having a no/low processed food week in our house. 4 days in and we’re coping surprisingly well.

We had a bite to eat and then walked down to the lotus pond, which is actually flowering at the moment.

There are SO many fish in the pond.

I love all the statues throughout the gardens. I’m sure this guy was here before but I don’t remember seeing him.

As for this guy – he’s part of the Chinese New Year decor.

We loved the lanterns hanging alongside the paths and on the buildings…

and these cute dragons…

If you’re ever in Wollongong you should definitely make time for a visit. And I’m always free for a chai latte at the cafe .