Jamie Oliver HomeCooker {Mother's Day}

I was spoilt this year.  Normally not much happens to mark the occasion on Mother's Day but this year I put in an order and was given the Jamie Oliver HomeCooker.  Jamie Oliver is so wonderful and his cooker is just as good as I would expect from a product underpinned by him.  

I got the Cooker with cutting tower and also the pasta and steamer trays.  This lot cost me $300 on sale at Harvey Norman and there is also an extra $30 to come off that via a promotional cash back deal running right now.  It all made it such a great deal.

The big difference between this machine and the Thermomix, other than the price, is that the HomeCooker does not have built in scales and the cutting tower is used instead of having the built in cutting system.  I can live with that when you consider this was $1700 cheaper.

I have used it a lot as I may have opened it before Mother's Day, I just couldn't wait!  It really does make tea time so much easier, put ingredients in, press button, beeps when something else needs to happen or stirs until you are ready to eat.  Simple!

The whole thing is dishwasher safe too which is a big plus in this house since we recently put a dishwasher in.  It is easy to assemble and clean and so far I have not found anything I don't like about it.

I love the Jamie Oliver cookbook too.  There are more recipes online and because I registered new recipes get emailed to me.  It is not hard to cook most of the foods we like using this system so a lot of old favourite recipes are being cooked as well.

I had originally wanted a Thermomix but I am glad I didn't rush out and buy one as there are now a number of similar products about.  I won't claim they are exactly as good but I do think this goes close and if value for money is important this is a much better option for us.  

Term 1 {Catch Up}

On the last day of Term 1 Possum got to wear 'crazy socks' as a reward for having earned 10 merit awards. I did not have any socks so decided that stripes on stockings under her sports shorts were crazy and would count.  She looked great and was so proud of herself.  In addition to her Bronze Award for merits she also got a reading award so she had a great day at school.  Kindergarten also hosted the final assembly for the term and Possum had memorised her readings and spoke clearly and well into the microphone; yay!

The holidays included a trip to Nan and Pop's for the children, craft and a quick trip to the Northern Rivers area of NSW.   ANZAC Day also featured and Possum wore her school uniform and marched with the school which was a nice experience for her.  It was not a nice experience for the rest of us as Blue hit his head when he fell off a fence so the Mr and I took him up to the hospital for some glue and we missed the big event.

Little Athletics also finished up last term.  We still have to have the presentation night but I am looking forward to having a few months off with quiet winter nights on a Friday in front of our fire.  I am trying to be less busy but I have no idea how long that will last ;)

This term I popped my head in and helped the Kindergarten class do some cooking for Mother's Day.  Possum was so excited to see me in her class as a 'teacher'.  I will have to do that more often; it was fun to help the younger Kindy children as I work with Year 1 and 2 and also help Year 3 and 4 with reading groups a couple of times a week while I am there but had not helped in my daughter's class at all as I was worried that she would find it hard to switch between mum the 'teacher' and mum the parent.  It wasn't an issue which was great.

Family Events

My brother got married recently.  It was so much fun seeing all our family together and having fun.  I wish I had taken more photos but things were just busy; my sister did snap a couple of photos for me on the day.  Our wedding anniversary was the day after my brother's wedding; The Mr. and I have been married 7 years and I still thank God every day because I would not trade places with anyone.

Over the Easter long weekend we went to Mt. Kaputar.  We don't go as often as I would like given how much we always enjoy ourselves up there.  The children went rock climbing outdoors for the first time which they enjoyed.  They didn't really climb much as they were just getting used to the feel of the harness and being lowered down again but this is the first step.  How exciting that we have found a place to climb that is safe to take children now that they are that little bit older! 

We hiked a total of 4kms in addition to the climbing; there really is something for everyone up there and the views are amazing.  Possum took the photo of us below on my phone which shows the Mr and I with our packs on.  Both of us need new approach shoes as our Mountain Masters are well past their prime and falling apart; there is always just one more thing on the wish list!

Dorrigo National Park

Awhile ago we went off for a weekend camping and hiking around Dorrigo National Park.  It was too wet for the camping side of things so we ended up finding more suitable accommodation but we decided to set off on the 6km hike regardless.

We got off to a bit of a shaky start when Blue decided he did not want to have his photo taken with Possum while on the Skywalk.  The tears were short lived at this point so we set off into the rain forest below. 

The rain did add an element of discomfort as well as beauty.  By the time we finished the 6km we were all soggy but we had dry clothes to change into so things could have been worse.

Possum hiked the whole 6km without assistance and Blue did most of it under his own steam too.  I am so proud of them because it was not easy.  

The rain bought out the leeches.  100's and 100's of leeches.  I am not exaggerating much either; I have never seen leeches like it and the children did NOT like them at all!  There were more tears (and some screaming) when Blue realised a leech had crawled into his mouth.  Not nice for him at all but thankfully easily removed.

The children are now saying they had fun, but at the time they both said they never wanted to walk in another rain forest EVER again.  Ha ha; hard to blame them after the number of leeches we flicked off, or that fell off eventually.

Having a break behind a waterfall was fun.  We stopped long enough to eat our fruit (and remove more leeches) and then continued.

Before we do another trip like this I need to get the children some suitable long pants.  I had a lot less issues with leeches due to my long pants but I did not think of this before we set out.  Live and learn!

2013 Reading List

It is that time of the year again when I have to start a new reading list before I forget which books I have read over the summer break. I really enjoy keeping a record of which books I read so that I can reflect upon my choices at different points in time and I will link this post into the 'I'm reading this...' blog button in my sidebar in case anyone else wants to check in here and there with a suggestion or just to see how I am going. I am off to a good start to the year but suspect that my reading run will slow from here on in as I get busier.

If I think it is a book that I would happily read again at some point I will list it in italics. 

1. Divisadero - Michael Ondaatje
2- The Red Queen - Philippa Gregory
3. The White Queen - Philippa Gregory
4. Legend - David Gemmell
5. Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade - Diana Gabaldon
6. Little Red Riding Hood and Other Classic French Fairytales - Jack Zipes
7. The Crucible - Arthur Miller
8. Red Dog - Louis  De Bernieres
9. Cloudbusting - Malorie Blackman
10. Genesis - Bernard Becket


The 2012 List (12 books read)
The 2011 List (7 books read)
The 2010 List (18 books read)
The 2009 List (57 books read)

Blackboard

We had a sheet of timber in the sheet left over from something.  I love being able to use left over bibs and bobs so we bought some blackboard paint and used it to add a large blackboard to the children's cubby house.

sans blackboard, the cubby sitting in the orchard.

They seem to be enjoying it.  

I was going to put the blackboard inside the cubby, but by putting it on the verandah I can see what they are drawing from the front yard which is nice.

First Day (week) at School

I could not blog about Possum's first day at school as I was close to tears all day if I thought about it so this post has become a first week at school story instead.  I kept thinking about how things are different now that we have a child in school, soon it will be two children, high school, university... In my mind I have them grown up, which I know is silly but this is such a milestone.

Possum started Kindergarten on Wednesday.  She was happy about it and was ready to go.  We got to school early and her new teacher took her hand and off they went.  Simple as that!  I was trying hard not to cry.  The school had the urn and some morning tea ready for the new parents so we went and had a cuppa.  Some of the older students came in to talk to us and welcome us to the school, it was a nice way to start.

I saw Possum at school a few times throughout the day and she was doing really well.  Her teacher told me at lunch time that she was glad to have her in the classroom as she was attentive and listening and a good example for some of the other students.

On Thursday Possum came home as the 'Star of the Day'.  She told me it was for taking her time to do neat school work and her reward was getting to spend some free time on the iPad.  She is super excited about school and about being the classes first 'Star of the Day'.

Friday is sports day.  Her size 4 sports shorts are a little bit big, but they did pass the 'jump up and down and hope they don't fall off' test!

Today in Possum's school bag I found two cards.  One was to Possum from her buddy with a photo of them together and a nice message.  The other was from the school to me welcoming me to the school community.  It is nice to be made a part of this experience and to feel so welcome.

After the first week I can say possum has settled in well and in having fun at school.  She likes her new teacher and I am so glad we picked this school for our family.  I really do love it.

p.s. Contact really is the worst stuff, especially when you use a coloured contact followed by a clear contact to secure the pictures and labels.  Next year I may buy book covers instead!