This is what "after the fun run" looks like

I did it and I am thrilled. These two gorgeous girls did fabulously well too.

Me and my mop, we're breaking up (and a giveaway)

We were once so close, you and I.
Not so long ago, together, we loved to make those floorboards sparkle.
The winter sun would shine through the windows and not a speck of dust could be seen.
It was a magical time.
In my naivete, I thought it would never end.
I was wrong.

You and I, we made music together.
Swish, swish, swish.
If I listen in my mind, I can almost still hear it.
But that music rings a little hollow now.
The spark has gone.
I guess all good things change. Don't they?

It's so very different now, between you and I.
Since the kids came along.
The closeness we once shared has slipped away.
I find myself looking for time to be with you.
I so desperately want that sparkle, that shine.
But I have had to let it go, at least for a while.
There are other priorities in life.
The sand on the floor, the squashed sultanas, the spilled juice.
Those things don't really matter as much to me now.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that for now I have to accept we will be spending less time together.
Please understand, it's not you, it's me.
Our time will come again one day.
But for now I think we're (kind of) breaking up.
There are children who want to play with their mummy.

What is your relationship with housework? Have you broken up with your brushes? Or are you still madly in love? Love? Hate?

I received this very cute "Break up Kit" from Sabco today. It's full of no less than 9 (mostly lime green) coloured cleaning brushes and gadgets. There may have been chocolate in the kit too but.....whoops, I ate that. Being bright green, the kids were quite keen on checking out the various brushes. Little do they know, that interest may just get them a little scrubbing job helping Mummy tomorrow. *Cue evil laughter.*

Like to win one? 

• Visit Sabco Australia on Facebook here and "like" them
• Leave a comment on Sabco's Facebook wall which answers one of the questions above about your relationship with housework. 
• There are 10 "Break Up Kits" to be won.

See? Simple.

Winners will be chosen by Sabco on Friday November 27 based on creativity and interest.

Heart image We Heart It

Light in his eyes

Have a look at my big boy.

Pay particular attention to the light in his eyes.

Pay attention too, to the smile.

He is, for the most part, becoming more confident in himself.

He has learnt stuff, he can communicate about it, he has the capability to learn so many more things.

He KNOWS he has that capability.

That's where the light and the smile come from. The knowledge of his own potential.

This place, the Learning for Life Autism Centre have played a major role in giving our big boy that gift.

They do amazing work.

The work they do costs a fortune to deliver to children like the Batsman so Learning for Life raise funds to try to ensure that kids who need autism early intervention therapy get it.

Leonda by the Yarra is a stunning function centre by the Yarra River in Melbourne.

Next week, Learning for Life will hold their annual fundraising ball there.

Leonda have generously offered ONE DOLLAR to Learning for Life for every new Facebook "liker", Twitter follower, and LinkedIn connection for the whole of November.

So, all you have to do is click on the links above and make those social media connections and you have done something in the here and now to support children with autism to be all they can be and know it.

Thank you.

12WBT Week 7 - the one where I forgot to post completely

There are not enough hours in the day are there?
Many a blogging hour is spent in the gym these days so I forgot to post this week. Whoopsy.

Suffice to say, I love it.
I am loving this change of lifestyle.
I love it that people are giving me compliments on my weight loss.
I love it that I can go to a ball this Friday night and wear a dress that only a few months ago was a dream.
I love it that I am lighter on my feet.
Love. Love. Love.

Weight loss November 2 - November 13 - 1.9kgs
Weight loss since April 2011 - 15.9kgs

Oh and I love the Eiffel Tower too, that's why that picture is there.


Image via We Heart It

12WBT Week 6 - the quick one

www.weheartit.com

I am running so far behind with blog posts these days so this one shall be short and sweet.

Weight loss from October 26th to November 2nd = 1.6kg
Weight loss from April 14, 2011 - 14kg

Woot. Woot.

It has begun, the dance of the popit and the hipsy

They adore each other these two.
As each of their language skills develops they are beginning to have conversations with each other.
It's a whole new world for them.
Hilariously entertaining.
Most of the time, I know what they are talking about and the conversations cover topics like "how are you Batsman?, I'm good Bowler, how are you?" and "where's mummy? ummmmmm, she's in the laundry" and "can I have some of your sultanas please Bowler? nope".

These past few weeks, it has begun.
That secret language between siblings where the parents have no freaking idea what some of the words mean.
It's their code.
And it is oh so very funny. There are giggles and smiles all round when the secret words make an appearance.

So if anyone out there can help me out and tell me....

• what "popit" is and why daddy's gone to get some and....
• what it means when someone is "hipsy".

I'd be ever so grateful.

Have your children made up some great words? Share them with me!

12WBT Week 5 - the one where I get my run on

I'm excited this week. I have started to run. I have been able to run further and for longer than I ever have before. It's hurt a little bit along the way but largely it feels amazing to be moving like this. I have entered a fun run in December - my first ever. It's a 5km run along the water in Melbourne and I am excited and nervous about doing it. This week's training, in particular the Friday session where I completed the 5km on the treadmill has shown me that I can do it. I am beginning to see that running is a lot about the mind toughness and knowing in your heart you CAN do it. Sure you have to look after your body and at 42 years of age I am going to be prone to those niggly little injuries that come with "maturity" but I am starting to see what is possible by reducing my weight and increasing my fitness.

This week has also brought a much needed family holiday here. We are staying on a lovely farm on the most gorgeous country road. It sounds cliched but peace and serenity abound. I found the gym in Bright and I have been once but with scenery like we have here, it was time to take the training regime outside. There is nothing like making it up a huge hill and being rewarded with a view that stretches for miles of lush green farm land, cows grazing and kookaburras laughing at you. I haven't weighed in this week. There was just no room in the car for a set of scales. So I don't know whether I have lost weight. What I know is that I have stayed within my calorie limits, I have exercised and been active around the farm with the boys and I feel more relaxed than I have in a long time. And that can only be a great thing.

The week's workouts:

Thursday 20th - Gym (strength session)
Friday 21st - Gym (cardio session - 5km run/walk completed in 41 minutes)
Saturday 22nd - Gym (strength, cardio and core) = 800 calories burned
Sunday 23rd - Rest day and travelling to our holiday destination
Monday 24th - Gym (fitness session) - more running and feeling good
Tuesday 25th - Outdoor run - 3km and hill sprints (ouch)
Wednesday 26th- Walk - 4km (including hills)

Weight loss from October 19th to October 26th - ?
Weight loss from April 14, 2011 - 12.4kg

I have fallen in love...

...with this place. We have been on a family holiday this past five days. A farmstay holiday. It has been one of the best holidays I have ever had. Blissfully peaceful. Food for the soul. But it's drawing to a close and we must head for home. I don't want to. I've fallen in love. There are more posts on this magical place coming in the days ahead. I have lots to share. I had better go and pack our bags. Sigh. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, autism style

The Batsman and I were very lucky to be invited to go and see Classic Kids 3: Clowning Around with Melvin Tix on this Saturday just past. The performance was part of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's "Family Classic Kids" program which aims to introduce kids to the delights of instruments and music. I was so very keen for us to go to the concert (and take along the Batsman's best friend in the whole wide world, the Curly Haired Girl) but I was nervous at the same time given the Batsman's fairly regular episodes of extreme sensitivity to sound. Our Batsman loves music and so this opportunity was way too good to pass up. Sometimes you have to travel through a bit of a storm to get to the really amazing experience of a rainbow on the other side.

Lasting about forty five minutes, the performance of the orchestra gave children an amazing, close up experience with a full orchestra in an acoustically perfect auditorium. Wow. The genius in the performance is that friendly clown "Melvin Tix" is also the conductor, a fellow musician, balloon artist and all round funny (but gentle) leader of the show. His presence gave the children a pathway down which they could travel to find out about all the components of an orchestra. Intelligent, Accessible. Child-friendly. Fun.

When the full orchestra first played, the Batsman said "Mummy, it's too loud for me". The music coming from the orchestra was beautiful but yes, intense. Out of my handbag came the trusty headphones which he wore faithfully for the duration. They don't block the sound, they just reduce it so he was still able to hear and participate fully in the performance, albeit with a little less intensity for his ears. This was the very first time we had used the headphones and they worked a treat. The audience size is small so it really worked for the Batsman from an autism point of view, he wasn't overwhelmed by a huge crowd and there was the option of sitting right up close or a little further away. He also had the Curly Haired Girl by his side like she has been since they were both six weeks old.

Here's us at the MSO, autism style.




We have headphones!



Melvin Tix and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra



Conducting the orchestra with Melvin.



Bravo! Applause all round.


 I'm just so glad we took the chance (and the headphones) and did it.

Disclosure:

1) I received tickets for 2 adults and 2 kids to attend the performance as the guests of the MSO. The Batsman and the Curly Haired Girl loved the performance so I am writing about it. I also wanted families of kids with ASD to see that this is potentially an accessible, child friendly entertainment experience.

2) My photos are a little bit dodgy because I left the camera at home. Enter smartphone.

12WBT Week 4 - The one where the bullets hit the bin

I sabotaged myself this week. At least a little.

I still trained 6 days out of 7. I am beginning to run for longer stretches without stopping. I still ate well. I measured and I have lost 11cm off my hips and 7cm off my waist since 12WBT started. I still lost weight.

What undoubtedly kicked in this week was some complacency. I have, over many years, been very good at "mindless" eating. You know what I am talking about. Mindless eating is where I put food in my mouth without thinking, without measuring, without working out if I am really hungry or just bored/emotional/sugar addicted or whatever. The more I have thought about this the more I can see that it is almost like a reflex, it's automatic and this week, I told myself that I was doing so well and I let it creep in again. A piece of the kid's toast here, a swipe or two of the dip the kids are eating, a handful of chocolate bullets there. I have often used that kind of eating to "treat" myself to help me get through the crazy days we often have over here at "autism central". Does it make me happy? No. Does it help me stick to the program? No. Does it help me achieve the results I ultimately want? No.

So here I am, outing myself and my sneaky eating and declaring that it will stop.

And here are the chocolate bullets hitting the bin.

Oh and in the interests of my record keeping, here is what I did this week.

Thursday 13th - Gym (fitness session)
Friday 14th - Gym (aerobic circuit workout class. Trust me it hurt. Lots of running.)
Saturday 15th - Gym (strength, cardio and core) = 800 calories burned
Sunday 16th - Walked around Albert Park Lake for SIDS and Kids
Monday 17th - Gym (fitness session) at 6am and circuit class at 9am = 900 calories burned
Tuesday 18th - Gym (strength session)
Wednesday 19th- Gym circuit class and run (500 calories burned) and an evening pilates class.

Weight loss from October 12th to October 19th - 0.8kg
Weight loss from April 14, 2011 - 12.4kg


Go well this week one and all.

12WBT Week 3 - Keep calm and Zumba

I have loved the 12WBT program this week. Something shifted in my brain and I am finding that as each day passes I am becoming more addicted to exercise and being active than I previously thought possible. I even gave Zumba a crack, you know, just to see what it was like. It was fun but I found that even in doing all of the moves at a pretty intense pace I couldn't get my heart rate above 130 and subsequently I got nowhere near the bang for my buck that I had expected of Zumba. I think for now I am going to stick with my tried and tested gym workouts and circuit classes. My body shape is changing noticeably now which feels amazing. Oh yes, I really am starting to sound like one of those exercise junkies!


The other big thing I have decided this week is that I am going to enter my first fun run in December. I'm terrified about this but determined in equal measure so I reckon that might get me through it. That and a little bit of training.

And for my records, this is what I did this week:

Thursday 6th - Gym (strength session) & Zumba class
Friday 7th - Gym (fitness session)
Saturday 8th - Gym circuit class (strength, cardio and core) plus huge walk = 1000 calories burned
Sunday 9th - Rest day (had a massage which was much needed)
Monday 10th - Gym (fitness session) at 6am and circuit class at 9am = 900 calories burned
Tuesday 11th - Gym (strength)
Wednesday 12th- Gym circuit class and an evening pilates class.

Diet: I have begun using a calorie counting app and that has helped me so much with keeping track of what goes in my mouth. Every time I think of something I would like to eat, I look up the calories and think it through. No cheating!

Weight loss from October 5th to October 12th - 0.9kg
Weight loss from April 14, 2011 - 11.6kg


PS: When I can stay awake past 8pm I promise I will write a post about something else.

Image from We Heart It

12WBT Week 2 - things that make you go hmmmmm

I haven't blogged about anything else here on Segovia since my last 12WBT post. My exercise regime of getting up at 5:30am to hit the gym has meant that I am falling asleep on the couch before I have a chance to think about writing any other late night blog posts. Still, I feel good. I feel energised for much of my day and the high I experience when I arrive home from the gym post workout at 7am is slowly but surely becoming addictive.

The scales don't really tell the story I would like them to tell this week. I hopped on this morning and would you believe my weight has stayed exactly the same this week? Yes, that's right, no gain, no loss. Hmmmmmmmm.

This is what I did this week:
Thursday 29th - Gym (fitness session)
Friday 30th - Gym (fitness and strength session)
Saturday 1st - Gym circuit class (strength, cardio and core)
Sunday 2nd - Rest day (although I did do a big walk with the boys and the pram)
Monday 3rd - Gym cross trainer and treadmill (fitness)
Tuesday 4th - Gym cross trainer and weight work (fitness and strength); 2 hour walk pushing the pram
Wednesday 5th- Gym (fitness session)


Diet: I stuck to the 1200 calories per day every day except one. Saturday was Grand Final day here in Melbourne and I did have a glass of champagne and some potato chips. But that has been my only slip this week.
Weight loss from September 28th to October 5th - 0kg
Weight loss from April 14, 2011 - 10.7kg


I'm not disappointed with the no loss/no gain scenario, oh hell, maybe I am, but more than anything I am puzzled. I know that some weeks are better than others and I know this can happen but I just thought with all the hard work I would get a little better weight reward than this. Sigh.


Not having the result this week does make me more determined to get a good one at the next weigh in though. Wish me luck and if you have any theories on the no loss/no gain then I am all ears.

12WBT Week 1

The 12WBT program began only two days ago but already I can say that I love it.
I love the additional motivation that comes from being "part of something".
I love the advice on diet and exercise.
I love knowing I am accountable to the program. Having to track my weight loss and never wanting to be the "bad girl" is highly motivating for me.

The biggest breakthrough for me has been the power that comes from treating my exercise like an appointment and scheduling a week's exercise in advance. That is making the biggest difference for me in not allowing me to talk myself out of it when the going is tough and busy here at home.

So here is what my week looked like:
Tuesday 20th - Gym cross trainer & stair runs (cardio)
Wednesday 21st - Gym circuit class (strength) and pilates (core)
Thursday 22nd - Rest day
Friday 23rd - Gym cross trainer & treadmill (cardio); power walk (on the way to the footy!)
Saturday 24th - Gym circuit class (strength)
Sunday 25th - Gym (12WBT fitness test)
Monday 26th - Gym cross trainer and treadmill (cardio)
Tuesday 27th - Gym cross trainer and treadmill (cardio and fitness)
Wednesday 28th - Gym 12WBT strength workout
Diet - My nutrition has been good, lots of fresh salads and protein. The sugar cravings are a little overwhelming and I have succumbed a few times. I have tried to make up for this by burning more calories in my workouts but I have to come up with a way to control my sugar habit! I am pretty sure sugar is going to be a common theme for me through this program.

Weight loss from September 19th - September 28th - 1.2 kilograms

Weight loss from April 14th, 2011 (beginning of weight loss road) to today - 10.7 kilograms.

Go me!

Image from We Heart It

How to make passionfruit curd in your thermomix

We have had the glut of all passionfruit gluts at our house these past months. We have literally had hundreds of these gorgeous juicy creatures falling off the vine. I have made cakes, muffins, jam, sauce and syrup with them but by far the staple recipe we have used is one for passionfruit curd. 


I have mentioned before about Mr Thermomix coming to visit at our place, on loan only at this stage. This machine is amazing and the amount of things I can cook in reduced time is astounding. Passionfruit (or lemon) curd in the Thermomix is too simple for words. I made a batch on the weekend so I thought I would show you in pictures because the colour is glorious.


Passionfruit Curd
Thermomix recipe (recipe from here)


2 eggs, beaten lightly
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 tblsp lemon juice
¼ cup passionfruit pulp, (about 3 passionfruit )
60g butter, chopped coarsely

Insert butterfly into bowl. Add all ingredients. 

Cook for 8 mins/80C/speed 3. Use steamer basket on top of lid instead of the measuring cup.

Check to see if mixture coats back of a spoon, if not cook for a further 2-3 mins or until desired consistency is achieved. (I didn’t need any longer).

Place in a small sterilised jar and chill until thickened. It lasts 4 or 5 days in the fridge.


Stove-top recipe


Combine ingredients in a small heatproof bowl, place over a small saucepan of simmering water, stir constantly until mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat.
Cover tightly and refrigerate until cold.
Passionfruit curd is yummy served in any number of ways

• with meringues and berries
• spooned into little tart cases
• sandwiching a sponge together
• straight from the bowl (my favourite).

I was hankering after cake when I made this batch of curd so I made this buttercake (recipe halved because it is a huge cake). After it was all mixed up and in the baking tin, I swirled through a liberal amount of the passionfruit curd. 

Then I baked it as per the recipe. The result? A light but super moist cake with the unmistakeable yum-ness of passionfruit. We ate it with a dollop of extra curd on top.

Needless to say....the cake didn't last longer than a day! I heart you Thermomix! The End.

12WBT pre-season

There will be no eating real ones but these are sweet! We Heart It.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am just about to embark on the Michelle Bridges / Huggies 12 Week Body Transformation. Yikes! We kick off next week and so this week there have been a few tasks to complete in preparation. I have set some personal goals, made sure all my gear is ready to go (I still need to buy a heart rate monitor), cleaned much of the naughty food out of the cupboards and fridge and watched all of Michelle's podcasts. The slightly scary bit will be the measuring and taking photos of the "before" body.

One of the really important things that Michelle suggests is diarising your exercise and training program so that it really becomes another appointment to attend....like a meeting or a doctor's appointment. I know that if I have the conversation with myself about "will I or won't I get up early and go to the gym?", the won't sometimes might win out. If it is scheduled and in the diary there is little to no wriggle room for me to get out of it!

So this past week I scheduled my exercise and it's made a big difference to my approach (see my training program below). I have been exercising 3 - 4 times per week and watching my food for about 5 months now and in that time have managed to shed around 9 kilograms. There is still 8 kilograms to go to reach my goal weight so I am on the road and I am aiming for the 12WBT to be a big new challenge and motivator for me to achieve that goal by Christmas. Fortunately there are other lovely bloggy people on the road with me for support and encouragement. We will all need that.

I am going to blog weekly (on a Wednesday) so that I can keep a public track of my results. Having all of you to report into each week will be extra incentive too. So, here are this weeks results and training:

Monday 12th - Gym circuit class
Tuesday 13th - Gym cross trainer (cardio)
Wednesday 14th - Gym circuit class (morning) and pilates (evening)
Thursday 15th - Rest day
Friday 16th - Gym cross trainer (cardio)
Saturday 17th - Gym circuit (self directed)
Sunday 18th - Gym treadmill (cardio)
Monday 19th - Gym cross trainer (morning) and clinical pilates (evening)

Diet - pretty balanced; lots of sugar cravings and a couple of small break outs of a slice of cake and some chocolate
Weight loss from September 12th - September 19th - 1.8 kilograms
Weight loss from April 14th, 2011 (beginning of weight loss road) to today - 9.5 kilograms

I am thrilled to say the least. Bring it Michelle and 12WBT!

Beautiful Sunday

It has been a beautiful Sunday.
It has been such a lovely day that I feel wistfully sad that it is coming to an end.

There was a (small) sleep in.
A visit to the gym.
A slow and yummy breakfast for the boys.
Sunshine.
Playground.
Passionfruit curd was made (post on that coming soon).
A cake was baked.
Sunday newspapers.
Washing folded.
Saffron risotto for dinner followed by chocolate custard with home preserved cherries from summer.
A visit from the grandparents.
Household admin ticked off the list.
A lovely cup of tea made in a pot.

See, I told you it was a gorgeous day. Simple and family focused. It was great to feel spring in the air and have nowhere to be but together.


I hope that you had a beautiful Sunday too. Share with me?

Image from We Heart It

On customer service

I am often disappointed by customer service. A lot of the time it is as if those in businesses have forgotten the true meaning of the term. I have had customer service experiences in the last few months where I could have sworn that the so-called customer service representative truly thought they were doing me a huge favour by sauntering over to the register to take my money. That said, I do have some really positive customer service experiences in my world, but often they tend to be relationships that are built over time rather than exceptional one off consumer experiences.

This past week I had a great experience.

Back in July when I went to the "Blogopolis" conference, at one of the events we were given a voucher to redeem a free diary or calendar from Mooo. I love me a freebie and we do own a few Mooo products over here at the Pavillion so I was fairly quick to log in to Mooo and redeem my freebie. Some time passed and I realised the lovely red diary I had chosen had not arrived. Hmmmmmm.

I sent an email to enquire to Mooo's customer service team at 4:45pm last Tuesday and at 4:51pm the same day received an apologetic reply for the glitch with my order and a promise to ensure the diary would get to me quickly. Yes, it took only 6 minutes for a reply. You have to love that.

My diary arrived express 36 hours later. Wow. That's what I call great customer service.
This is not the actual diary, but it looks a little like this:



Image from Mooo



Thanks Mooo. Oh, and if you would like some freebie school holiday fun courtesy of Mooo, go here. Mooo are celebrating their 5th birthday and so there are loads of free printables available for all kinds of creative fun with the kids. Happy printing!


Disclaimer: This post was completely unsolicited and represents my personal opinion. I received the free diary as a result of my participation in a Blogopolis blogger gathering.

R U OK?

I am running a little bit behind schedule this week.
So at 10pm, with a couple of hours left of R U OK? day to go, here I am. Late to what would appear to have been a successful campaign. I saw yellow everywhere on my social media streams today, and that has to be a good thing.

I asked a couple of people today. And yes, I am clear that they are both ok.
A couple of my lovely friends asked me whether I am ok too.
It felt good to be asked and it felt even better to be able to answer with a clear yes.
In the last year, my answer would not always have been yes. As I have struggled with the Batsman's diagnosis and a house full of therapists nearly every day, there have been highs and some devastating lows.
I feel like I am standing a little more in the sunshine this past couple of months. I can feel it on my cheeks.

I am ok. Really. I am ok.

Wordless Wednesday - want

My bum (Part II) and the Michelle Bridges 12WBT

I wrote a little while ago about my bum growing keen attitude to exercise. In the last few weeks as my dodgy ankle came to the fore I fell off the wagon a little bit. Three to four gym visits a week had become one to two and combined with overly enthusiastic tasting of the goodies I baked for the kinder fete....well you get where this is going and what it means for my bum.

It is time to take things up a notch and while my ankle won't allow me to do the boot camp I was planning, I have found a substitute which I think may be even better. The Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation (12WBT) is an online program where everything you need to get off your butt and achieve your goals is provided - eating plans, exercise programs, motivation tapes, forums to get support from others - all of it and run by Michelle Bridges of Biggest Loser kudos.

So I have signed up.

I'm a little bit scared.
I'm a lot excited, particularly about achieving my goals.

I plan to work hard.
I am committed to losing another 7 - 10 kilograms by the end of this year.
I am going to be tough on myself about following the program and the rules.

And I won't be on my own. Loads of other mums have signed up for a 12WBT being run by Michelle via the Huggies website - a mum specific program designed to support mums with all the distractions of kids to achieve their fitness and health goals. There is also at least one other person I know who is going on the ride too. The very gorgeous Sarah from Ah, the possibilities is doing it too. Good luck Sarah, and hey, at least we know we can kick each other's backsides via the blogosphere should it become motivationally necessary!

I am going to blog updates on my progress along the way and would love your support and if necessary, a virtual kick up the butt to keep me going.

Wish me luck! We start on September 26.

Grateful for kinder community and how to make butterscotch buttons

Our kindergarten fete is tomorrow.

It is the biggest day of the year on our fundraising calendar. Huge.

An amazing array of goodies and activities will keep our local community entertained and raising money for four whole hours. This afternoon I went to the kinder to deliver my baking contributions and the place was buzzing with preparations and life - plants, cakes, jumping castle, farm animals, books, white elephant, craft, country market, show bags, auction, second hand toys, barbecue, coffee stand and more. It really is extraordinary and all from the 80 families who make up our lovely kinder community.

I'm grateful to be part of it and for my kids to have the opportunity of a day of fun in their neighbourhood. Thanks Maxabella for hosting our gorgeous gratitude fest too.

I have had a bit of a bakefest this week in preparation for the fete.
On my baking schedule have been passionfruit shortbread, muesli cookies, chocolate macaroons and cupcakes. I have also made lemon cordial, jars of preserved lemons and lemon and ginger marmalade with the abundance of lemons that have come from my parent's tree this year.

And there were also these little lovelies. Butterscotch buttons. They are so easy and so yummy I thought I would share the recipe with you. It comes from a Women's Weekly cookbook (circa 1991) called "Sweet Old Fashioned Favourites".


Butterscotch Buttons.



Butterscotch buttons (left) & passionfruit shortbread (right)




125g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1 and 1/4 cups of self raising flour

Beat butter, vanill, sugar and golden syrup in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in sifted flour. Roll 2 level teaspoons of mixture into a ball, place about 5cm apart on lined baking trays. Flatten balls slightly with a fork. Bake in slow (150 degrees C) about 25 minutes or until firm. Cool on wire rack. Makes about 40 buttons. Can be stored for a week in an airtight container.

Happy weekend everyone and thanks for being here.

Girl time

I had some girl time last night.

There were three of us.

We met at a little suburban Japanese place, after all the kids had started giving their dads the run around gone to bed.

We ate sushi and tempura.

We chatted, compared notes, laughed, shared stories and debated a couple of life's dilemmas.

It was lovely.

In the end, we were the last ones left in the restaurant and the waiter, doubling as clean-up guy, turned on the vaccuum cleaner. It was time to go. We stood on the street in the cold, still talking ten to the dozen. The shopping strip let us down. On a Monday night, there wasn't even a dodgy little bar open for coffee and a little more conversation. Booooooooooo!

There is not enough girl time in my life. There will be more.

I am hereby promising myself that.

An anonymous guest post: my friend has a new boyfriend

Tonight, I have an anonymous guest post for you. The post comes from a fellow blogger, who, for reasons which will become obvious as you read it, was unwilling to post this on her own blog. In my view, moral dilemmas make for great blogging so read away and leave some words of wisdom for Anonymous as she tackles this issue.

My friend has a new boyfriend.

I should be happy for her, I should be keen to have them over and to check him out.

But I am not. I am not happy for her, I don't want to meet him.

The relationship started 12 months ago, he is married, with two primary aged children. At the beginning he told her he would never leave his wife and family, he would never hurt them. His marriage was actually pretty great and he didn't want his children to suffer the consequences from a broken marriage.

I suggested she end it. I thought she had, but clearly she just hid it from me instead, knowing I didn't approve.

A few weeks ago he set himself up with a new apartment, changed jobs and then went home and told his wife he didn't love her anymore. He left. Into the arms of my friend, close to 20 years younger than he and his wife.

Imagine.

Apparently the wife is not taking it very well, and being "really difficult".

So here is my dilemma.

Relationships come and go, marriages break up, people fall in love.

Am I being childish? Should I at least meet him, without the voice in my head screaming, "you are a grubby, shit of a husband who treated your wife like crap and left her for the first piece of tight available arse you could get."

Should I be happy for my friend and not judge her as a 'home-wrecker'?

Is it right to be annoyed on behalf of a woman I have never met and don't know?

Am I being all moral high ground-ish? Or, am I right to think that my friend is not displaying traits I want in a friend, she isn't really gaining any respect from anyone and why should I pretend to like this new man, who I think is pretty scummy?


When you lose respect for a friend, can you maintain the friendship?

Grateful, happy 2nd birthday Segovia and you get to do the giving

It's two years ago today that I began to write this blog.

Happy bloggy birthday to me. Happy second birthday Segovia, my little corner of the internet where I began to write for me again, to put into words what moves and inspires me and to capture moments in the lives of our boys and the experience of being their mum. Segovia began slowly and intermittently and it has taken time to get into a blogging groove. Now, I couldn't imagine life without this little space, without my other blog, The I Love You Song where I tell the Batsman's autism story and without the amazingly gorgeous people I have connected with through blogging.
Thank you for being here. I love it.

I love it too, that people mark blogging milestones and birthdays. One year, ten years, one hundred posts or a thousand, it is a wonderful thing to mark the achievement, the words put down, the self expression, the connections - all of it. Lots of people having blog birthdays manage to arrange fabulous giveaways and the like to celebrate. I have not been anywhere near organised enough to achieve that however I want to turn the idea completely on it's head.

It's Segovia's birthday and you get to do the giving. Stay with me and I will get to the point.

I have written before of how grateful I am for this place. The Learning for Life Autism Centre provide the Batsman's home based early intervention program and have done so day in day out for almost  eighteen months. The program and therapy team have made an extraordinary difference in all aspects of the Batsman's development and Learning for Life deliver the program with compassion, expertise, grace and respect. I am just so very grateful for all they have done and continue to do to support our precious boy.

Each year in November, Learning for Life hold a huge fundraising ball to raise money. Early intervention programs of this magnitude and intensity cost big bucks and are beyond the financial reach of most families. In addition to their therapy programs, Learning for Life and their volunteers fundraise to subsidise the cost of programs for families who would otherwise be unable to provide this type of intervention for their child.

So here is where you come in.

As part of the Learning for Life Ball each year there is a live auction and a silent auction where an amazing array of donated goodies fall under the auctioneer's hammer. If you, or someone you know, is in a position to donate an item, goods or a service for the auction, then I would love to hear from you. So far, I have gathered donated items as diverse as a professional architecture service package worth $3000, a grove of semi-mature trees ready to plant, cases of wine, a hamper of deli goods and gift cards from big department stores. The only real provisos are that the item or service would need to be redeemable in Melbourne, Australia and be something that you can imagine a crowd of some 350 enthusiastic ball-goers would be willing to bid for. Think big, think small - it could be anything!

If you are able to donate an auction item and help a child with autism receive a program just like the one that is helping the Batsman be all he can be, leave me a comment below with details and I will email you.

Thanks so much for reading this and helping me celebrate Segovia's bloggy birthday.

Have an amazing weekend.

Let me know if there's anything I can do

I hear that statement a lot. The offer of "let me know if there's anything I can do" is one which gets thrown about a fair bit in our society. Sometimes I wonder though, how often the offer actually comes to fruition. How often does the recipient of the offer actually take it up and ask for the help they need?

I am someone who finds it difficult to take people up on this kind of generosity. It's not that I don't want the help, it's just that I find myself thinking about other people having busy lives and not wanting to impose on someone else's time.

I make the offer fairly regularly too. But it is rare, probably for much the same reasons, for people to take me up on it. Hmmmmm. It's perplexing this kind of generosity and kindness isn't it? It requires a directness and a willingness to say "yes please, I need your help".

Well tonight, it happened. I have made an offer of help a few times to a special person I know.

Tonight she needed some help. She called in the favour I had so willingly offered. I delievered.

It felt good. I hope it helped. I think it did.


Do you say to people "let me know if there's anything I can do"? Do they take you up on it?
Are you a graceful recipient of someone else's offer of assistance?

Image from We Heart It

Grateful for bloggy friends

Autism kicked my butt today. Anxiety and meltdowns were the order of the day for precious eldest. It was a tough afternoon with little rhyme or reason.

So often now, my online life is the place I go to for solace and comfort. I went there tonight. I blogged and I tweeted. Those bloggy friends, those connections forged through great gals being willing to read what I share and to share with me, they came in numbers to comfort, encourage, make me smile, share and empathise. Lucky me.

There are great supportive people in my real life too, it's just not as easy to connect, to share what's going on, to ask for help. Our online presence has certainly changed the way we do connection don't you think?

So this week's grateful shout out goes to those beautiful bloggy friends who cheer me on so consistently.

You know who you are.

Know that I am grateful.

PS: Thank you to all of you who read here. I love it that you are willing to read what I write. In case you didn't know, I write a blog exclusively about the Batsman's autism journey over here at The I Love You Song. I'd love you to follow me there too if you are so inclined.

PPS: Thanks Maxabella for the Grateful link up.

To sir with love on Daffodil Day

He was thirty seven years old when he died.
Cancer claimed him quickly.
He had six months from diagnosis to death.
Lightning speed to live out the last days of your life.

He was my teacher at high school. He taught maths mainly.
He had a sense of the goofy about him. His enthusiasm was infectious.
An easy laugh and a keen sense of humour made him popular school wide.
Kids loved to learn from him and he instilled respect as readily as he taught calculus.

It was coaching volleyball that he really came into his own.
Throughout my high school days, he was coach and volleyball mentor.
He wasn't a gifted volleyball player himself. In fact his regular awkwardness afforded many a team giggle.
But my oh my he could coach. Motivate, teach, push, direct, inspire.

With school days over, we continued to play volleyball together.
The team was a mixed bunch of ex-students, teachers and housemates.
Success was varied but we had the time of our lives playing each week.
The game regularly followed up by a parma and pot at the local pub afterwards.

His cancer diagnosis was devastating to many.
Fit, strong, non-smoker. It made no sense.
There is no reason in the cancer and young person combination.
None.

I spent many hours with him in the last weeks of his life.
Thin, weak, barely able to eat a lemonade icypole.
His attitude remained defiant to the end.
One of the hardest things was watching his ageing parents shrink with the knowledge that they were going to outlive their beloved son.

There were hundreds at his funeral.
Tears and roses.
They played "To Sir with Love".
Students in school uniform formed a guard of honour.

The words that have stayed with me since that day are worth sharing here, penned by another of his mourning friends:

The pain is over.
A muscular frame.
One so fit, fluid and full  of sun.
Bent, angular, tormented.
Sparkling glances that warmed and wooed.
A wide eyed knowing spare.
Pleading yet defiant.
Incomprehensible courage.
I shall carry the message of our friendship into the future.
Our laughter shall ring in the ears of the next children.

Garry, beautiful Garry.
Know that you are loved and remembered nineteen years on.
Your battle inspired and touched so many.
Proudly donating to the Daffodil Day appeal in your honour today

Buttermilk and chocolate chip muffins



I am utterly obsessed with baking at the moment.

The coldness of this winter in Melbourne has inspired me to spend a lot of time by the warmth of my oven.

I have baked and baked and then baked some more. Cupcakes, loaves, biscuits, muffins, tarts.

It was a windy old day here today and we spent most of the day inside while the Batsman recuperated from his winter ills. With the Bowler off enjoying a day at child care, a baking opportunity presented itself.

I often search through cook books and magazines for recipes to try and increasingly, the internet.

Today I found this gem of a recipe and it was so fabulous I thought I would share it.

Buttermilk and Chocolate Chip Muffins (recipe adapted from here)

220g of sifted self raising flour

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

3/4 cup of buttermilk (or regular milk)

1/2 - 3/4 cup of caster sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

150g chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with large paper cases.

Mix dry ingredients together and make a well.

Mix all wet ingredients together and pour into the well.

Add chocolate chips and mix well until just combined. Don't overmix the batter.

Divide mixture between the 12 muffin cases.

Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

Devour!

All kinds of flavour combinations are possible with this basis muffin mix. Substitute the chocolate chips for 150g of other flavourings. Next on my list to try are:

Pear and ginger.

White chocolate and raspberry.

Grated apple and cinnamon.

Banana and passionfruit.

Mango and coconut.

Grated orange rind and chocolate chip.

Mmmmmmmmmm.

Sorry. Is my obsession showing?

Wordless Wednesday - I'm two years old, what of it?

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