Fruitopia

If there's one thing i'll miss about life in tropical oz, its the FRUITS!!! I'm a fruit freak, and mangoes and pineapples top my list of all-time favourites, due in no small part to growing up with them. These are the real deal, not the gassed, tasteless, flavoureless stuff sold in supermarkets. So here's my tribute to my good friends from the plant kingdom, who knows when we'll meet again....

Meet the Papaya (paw-paw) - entire books have been written about the health benefits of this fruit, and especially the seeds. A slice before breakfast, and my system is sorted for the day. They're even better than prunes and pears for you know what...

The green prickly strange looking thing is a fruit called sour sop. It's just that, sour and sweet, creamy white juice with an aromatic tropical flavour. This is the first time in years that i've had sour sop, and as with many of these tropical fruits, its as much about the childhood memories they evoke. I remember my parents getting the juice (can't think how) and freezing it - voila healthy troppo icecream! Turns pink when cooked. Just thought you needed that bit of useful info. Getting carried away here...

Bucket of mangoes from the local market - $6!! Juicy, you can smell them as you walk in the kitchen. The kids have been feasting on about 4 each a day, more if i let them. They grow all over Mackay, dropping onto the street, locals not interested. These are not a sought after variety as they are a bit fibrous.














Lady finger bananas, as they are sometimes called. Tiny, sour sweet and light.

Well, as i sit here avoiding the endless cleanup job and watch baby frogs hopping around the room, thanks to the storm we just had, here's a warm invitation to keep Queensland on your list of places to check out sometime!

Tropical summer

Amy comfortably slides into a split. Doing flips and sommersaults with her is a treat in her book.
Need a tree, maybe some gymnastic lessons....


















This little bastard sums up the season. The rains are here, and so are the hordes of mosquitoes, literally arrived overnight. It is INSANE!!!! Its like living in a beehive! I was crazy enough to go outside today to do some weeding (must do things before vacating this house), i covered up from head to foot, only my face exposed, and that too covered in repellant. Well, after 20 mins of sweltering work in the beehive, i ran indoors for shelter, jumped in the shower, and felt itchy all over. Hubby nearly had a fit when he saw my back, there were about 30-50 bites all over- through clothing. One bite on my leg through jeans!! Honestly, this is one aspect of the tropics i can't wait to leave behind!

Meantime, got a new camera today, so very snap happy! Will be doing a post on the more yummy aspect of the troppo lifestyle - fruits!!!!

A little bit of lipstick

When getting home and contents insurance, i wish there was a clause in there to cover 'toddler incidents', such as the scene i was greeted with today. After a hectic weekend of a wedding and house guests, i was just getting a handle on the endless clean up job, when i realized i hadn't heard Amy for quite a while. Hmmm, we all know what that means.... Enter bedroom, into wardrobe ,and there she is, perched on a foam cube to reach the shelf where mommy's oh so tempting make-up lives, where she knows little fingers are not allowed.... I saw red.... and then pink. Little missy was covered from hair to foot in 2 entire tubes of lipstick, the rest of which was smeared all over the shelves, onto folded clothes, on doors, on the cube, and to top it off, engrossed as she was, she peed all over the red and pink mess.
Unfortunately my camera broke yesterday so no pics, but i'm sure you get the picture. By the way, any questions on stain removal of any sort, send them my way.... i think i've scored a degree by now in that department. Many hours later, all the stains came off.
This brand new lovely rental property we currently live in has been lovingly blessed by the creative endeavors of my two darlings, in ways which defy every chemical known to man. And yes, we will be vacating this property in a few short weeks, by which time it must return to its former spotless glory. Wish me luck, and lots of elbow grease. I've spent countless hours researching, shopping for and scrubbing away at out concrete garage floor which functions as the family/playroom. To no avail. And every day, new embellishments are added.
Sometimes i feel like Mr Mess is the culprit for most of the outbursts i have with the kids.

Grocery math

Spontaneous math lesson: looking through junk mail, Danny starts picking out numbers, so i asked him to cut out three thinks he would buy. Glued them and wrote down price, added manipulatives (shells) and got him to count the shells for how much money we need to go shopping.
I try to incorporate basic math concepts in every day situations, to make it as 'real life' as possible at this stage. With preschool only 2 months away, I'm getting more formal with the abc and 123 stuff, and hoping that school will not steal the incredible curiosity and creativity in this little homegrown kiddo.

Change is the only stable thing....

The past 2 years has seen our family make a few big moves and trips - from Adelaide to Townsville, then a transfer to Mackay, and now we're on the move again, back to Adelaide.
A lot of thought and prayer went into this decision, but i'm sure we're doing the right thing, everything is falling into place like it does when we trust a Higher Power to guide our actions.
Many reasons for the move, Mackay could never have been a long term place, not with the center of gravity being in Adelaide. So when a job offer came up a year earlier, we had to decide. Chasing butterflies around the country is great, making new freinds, enriching life experiences, but at some point, there comes a need to settle. To be near people who love the children 100%, who will be there if something happens, who really care... I had to leave that to truly appreciate it.
We leave Mackay on 22nd Jan, via Sydney for the big Baha'i conference, and back to Adelaide to look for a house... :)

Fishy birthday...

Here's some pics from a big day out to the Great Barrier Reef, 90mins drive from where we live. The great barrier reef is one of the 7 wonders of the world (according to tourist guides...), the Whitsundays is a section of the reef composed of 94 islands, a number of which are inhabited and set up for big time tourism. We did a one day cruise of three islands - Hook, Daydream and Whitehaven beach. This was a treat for my 30th birthday - and what a treat!!!

Coral covered beach. The coral pieces are broken off by some type of fish and washed ashore.

Whitehaven beach - pure quartz, white, fine, cold sand. Among top 10 beach in the world. (fishing for visitors here...)

More pics on facebook, blogger is such a pain to work with...

Amy do it!

'I'm 2 and i can cut my own food!! What could possibly be more exciting?' I'm sure every parent can ditto that. Toddler insists "I do it!" mom pleads, "no you can't, I'll help you", followed by hysterics because she wasn't allowed to do it. I'm still there a lot, but occasionally, years of reading up on various forms of education filter through my 'heat of the moment' brain, and tell me to step back, bite my tongue, gulp, and LET her do it. For a little bit. SUPERvised! Result: no injuries yet (touch wood), confident kids, a bit too independent, will eat anything they cut themselves (wink). Even toilet training went much better after i stepped back and let Amy do it herself, with steps up to the seat. (potties and I don't go together).

Mackay surrounds

Sugarcane train, we nicked a few for a taste:) Funny that locals don't eat them at all - only the end product, by the truckload (trainlaod?!).



















Banana tree

Don't talk to strangers?!

I was reminded of this phrase after an event in a playground. My friend and I were having a picnic lunch in a quiet park, 4 kids between us, when a man carrying a bottle walked past us, and stopped to talk, obviously drunk and trying to make a pass. We both ignored him and carried on, but the children watched him with interest and Danny (with his usual exuberance) responded and waved as he walked away towards his friends in the distance (also bottles in hand). My friend then told her children: "Remember I always tell you not to talk to strangers, see!"
I'm sure millions of parents out there tell their kids the same. What puzzles me is, how is a child supposed to know who a stranger really is? In this case a stranger who intends some harm to the child. Do we stop children from talking to everyone they don't know just because there is a ??? chance that one person may mean trouble? And if a person really does mean trouble, wouldn't they be smarter than that..... All I'm saying is I'm sure there's a better way to train children to be safe rather than the blanket statement "don't talk to strangers". Its hard enough getting basic courtesy from so many kids these days. What do you think?

Sand and tree house day

A visit to my friend Lotte's house is always a treat. First the scenic drive through canefields and farms, then the charming house on the hill, the eco-friendly, animal loving atmosphere and to top it off, a real tree house and sand pit to dig into - one amazing lady who has single handedly put it all together. This time, we took the sand pit experience to a whole new level. Amy was not to be seen for ages as she "cooked" and mixed the water from the drum (complete with tap), absolutely rolling in the sand and mud, making a brief appearance to claim a piece of dessert with sand-pie fingers! The joy of watching a child play with dirt is something i feel is sorely missing from life in concrete jungles. No toy can ever replace the thrill of 'getting your hands dirty' and do it without a stressed-out parent breathing down your neck to stay clean. And don't get me started on my early days, so filled with the simple joys of a truly splendid childhood - exploring the jungle( the real deal, west african style), digging out trenches in the yard with my partner in crime (little bro) and filling it with water, building cubby houses with branches, spending large chunks of my time perched up in an avocado tree reading.... Fast forward 20+ years later to today: my kids spend lots of time indoors, playing with toys, watching tv (a little bit;), lots of time being driven around - playgroups, shops, freinds homes, not a whole lot of time in nature, and little access to DIRT and carefree ways... One thing i can't really put on the shopping list..hmmm.












Great beach lifestyle here, this one is from a picnic at a park by the beach, with families of staff from Vahid's work - great bunch! Danny ended up in his togs after going for a swim fully clothed. His current best buddies on either side.

Grandparents...

Amy doing what she does best - eating off other people's plates. Hey, it tastes so much better if its on another plate, or 'baba's plate'; pictured here in her permanent spot on her grandpa's laps EVERY morning at breakfast. These two are literally bosom buddies, and poor dad hardly ever gets a peaceful breakfast when we're around. This scene epitomises what i miss most now - the children and their special bond with their grandparents. When Danny was little and we lived in the granny flat behind them, it was wonderful in so many ways, but sometimes both parties needed more space. But we were'nt quite thinking 2600km type of space.... Life has strange ways of interpreting our wishes....

crayon cupcakes

Crayon melting is nothing new, lots of ideas abound on blogoland, but this was our first attempt and was greatly enjoyed. Inspiration from Sabrina. Colour quality on paper wasn't that great, i used very cheap broken crayons. Wax rose to the top and pigments settled. Love the colour effects tho!

Open a book...

TV. If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they'll have with twenty-six. Open your child's imagination. Open a book. ~Author Unknown

Jewelery stand

Block of wood (off cut), wrapped in paper and decorations, punched in a few nails (beads for decoration) and voila! A much tidier space. The challenging part was the "helpers".... notice beads on floor...

Good enough to eat!

First attempt at soap making. Special request from my grandma (mummy joon), says its the only thing that stops her hair from falling out:) This is a basic cold process soap with a mixture of oils fromt he supermarket and a swirl of chocolate. Yup, plain old cocoa powder. easy peasy, with a stick blender it takes under an hour for the whole operation. Eager beaver sliced it up before dinner - big mistake. Little bunnies were starving and nearly had a slice to eat!

Bake your own, peoples!

You can tell I spend A LOT of time at home, living in the 'country' now!! Exhibit A is what happens when you are so distracted you forget to turn the bradmaker on and return 5 hours later to bake it. Very yummy super fluffy bread!!!
I've been baking using a breadmaker for years now, and i coudn't live without it now. Here's why:
- it takes 5 mins to put the stuff in, 5 mins to slice the freshly baked loaf. no running to the store.
-it tastes WAY better than anything you can buy
-its MUCH helathier, there are some real nasties in store bought bread, of the preservative kind.
-its cost effective - the breadmaker pays for itself in a matter of months.

So if you haven't started yet, just visualize the smell of fresh bread as you walk through the door, or wake up in the morning.....and get baking!

the quest to reduce mess

Paint on an open cardboard box. I've also just discovered poster paints (been avoiding them due to trying to expose kids to 'quality art materials' drill) but hey, this stuff washes off. Blues and purples can be harder to remove.
Tip from a friend: use hairspray to remove just about any stain of clothing, spray on, throw in the wash while wet.

Toddler at work

All it takes is a few seconds, turn your back and tada...!
I've been reading this book to the kids called "Ill love you forever" and this reminds me of the part where the 2yo flushes his mother's watch down the toilet, yet at night, she rocks him to sleep with:
"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as i'm living, my baby you will be." Hard to remember that part sometimes!!

Original pillowcases

While Amy slept, Danny and mommy did some sewing and artwork using fabric markers on a pillowcase. Danny's comments as we sewed: " Mommy, i can sew now!!! Now i don't need to play any other games, i can just do this. " When he completed his sewing (a circle) on a not so new pillowcase, i gave him some Crayola fabric markers and his joy was complete!! Especially when he realized it was an object he could actually use. "Mommy, we are not putting this on the shelf, this goes on MY pillow, no other pillowcases ever." After he had covered every inch of the hoop, I ironed the design on the reverse, and we'll find out soon how it holds up in the wash. Another design mommy made earlier, below.

8 Ways to Make Birthdays More Meaningful for Your PreSchooler

8 Ways to Make Birthdays More Meaningful for Your PreSchooler

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'Auntie Velda'

Short and sweet visit by the lovelyMorisco ladies, Maya, May and Velda. They were very quickly recruited into the job of "read book" for Amy and Danny, book after book after book until they left town!!!