My littlest Candy Bow

Today I used little Miss L to model some of my new Candy Bow's baby tutu's.  Aren't they just GORGEOUS?

Oh I just LOVE that smile :)

These beautiful tutu's are suitable for tiny little girls ages 6-18 months and they come with a gorgeous matching mini hair bow.  For more information please click this link:  www.facebook.com/CandyBowsAustralia

Off piste at Taronga Zoo

A couple of days ago I took Master J and his best buddy Master C to the zoo.  They were FULL ON from the minute they got in the car.  “Lets see how long we can hold our breath for” Master C says.  “One, two, three, GO!”  “You made a noise, so you’re out!”  “Nah”, ‘Yeah”, “Nah”, Yeah”, “Nah, Yeah”, “NAH!!” “YEAH”!  “BOYS!  I shout from the front of the car, how can either of you be holding your breath if you’re talking to each other??”  “Oh, yeah” they giggle hysterically.  “Let’s go again………” I roll my eyes – this was going to be a loooong day!  

Such a pair of little dudes!

I couldn't help but chuckle, listening to the conversations of these two 'almost' six year olds.  “What are your private parts?” says one “It’s a penis and a vagina”.  “Nah!  It’s what’s under your clothes!”  “Yeah, like your penis and your belly button!  “Yeah, and boobs!!”  More hysterical giggles.  Then their voices become really hushed, so that I can supposedly not hear then.  “Lets say the f-word.”  “Ok, one, two, three…….f-word!!!”  “Boys’….. I can hear you!! I say.  Silence.  “We didn’t say ANYTHING!”  they protest in-between more giggles.  “You know the f-word is very rude don’t you??”  I tell them.  “If you say it at school you’ll be straight down to see the principle!”  But what does it mean mum?  Master J asks.  “It means fabulous!  “NAH, they giggle, you’re tricking us!!

We arrive at last and they dash off ahead me like two little out of control rockets!  It’s great exercise for me having to run after them with Miss L in the pram.  By the time I catch up with them they’ve climbed to the top of two giant poles.  “What are you doing?” I shout up at them.  “We’re trying to see if we can see over the zoo roof, Mater J yells back!”  “Well, get back down now!   I don’t want to take you home via the hospital.”

Just like a pair of monkeys

“Ok boys, I have one rule!  If you can’t see me then you’re gone to far!  Ok??”  “Yeah yeah” they say, and before I have a chance to get them to repeat it, they’ve broken it already!  Sh***T where are they now?  I have visions of having to tell Master C’s mum that I lost him at the zoo.  What on earth possessed me to think it was a good idea to come to the zoo in the school holidays???  Eventually I spot them.  “Boys!!  What was my rule??”  “If we can’t see you it’s bad?”  “EXACTLY!!  Now, could you see me??  “Yeah – you were just over there!!”  Deep breaths, deep breathes!  I’ve been stumped by two 5 year olds. 

“PLEEEAAAASSSE can we go over there and see the snakes?”  “PLEEEEAAAASE” they both say, wringing their hands for effect.  “Oh alright.” (Of course they’d want to see the spiders rather than a friendly giraffe).  “YESSSSS!” and once again, they’re gone.  Short memories.  “BOYS” I yell after them again – “what colour is the pram?”  “PINK” they yell back!  “Phew, at least they have something to look out for if they’re lost!  The spider and snake section is a long narrow tunnel that goes through what feels like a cave.  It’s dark and has glass cages the whole way through it that are filled with every kind of deadly creature you can image.  Being school holidays, it was absolutely packed and once I was in I couldn’t turn around and go back.  This really is my idea of hell.  I could just about make out the boys’ ducking and diving their way through the crowds before they disappeared.  With Miss L is the pram, I and was trying to go as fast as I could to catch up with them.  “Excuse me, excise me, can I just get past you?”  I found myself saying a hundred times.  I couldn’t help feeling a bit panicked.  How strong is the glass on those cages??  My mind started wondering and I had visions of the crowds screaming and dispersing as two little boys had managed to let a couple of snakes out!!  Oh god that would just be so typical of them!!

Making friends witha  local blue tongued lizard

Fortunately when I reached the end of the tunnel I was still alive and so were the boys.  I found them sitting on a wall holding a lizard.  I think the zookeeper had taken a liking to them, with their big smiles and tilted baseball caps and a zillion over-enthusiastic questions.  She was carrying a python and asked if they wanted to hold it.   Of course they did!! I should have expected nothing less.  “Whoa, easy boys” says the zookeeper as they just grab the snake!  Honestly NO fear at all.  The python’s head is whizzing around their faces and they don’t even flinch.  Me on the other had – is taking deep breathes again!!  “Ok, so who is going to hold the head boys?” she asks, “ME, ME, ME, ME, ME!!!” they shout at the same time, hands in flying in the air.  “Lets do rock, paper, scissors”, she suggests.  Master J wins and just grabs the python’s head.  Oh, my god, I think, just hurry up and take the picture will you!”  They’d drawn quite a crowd by this point and later on that day when we went to the information desk to collect their photo, the lady on the desk knew exactly who they were the minute we walked in, and I didn’t even have to show my ticket!  I must admit – they did take a pretty awesome picture.

Rock, paper, scissors

I just LOVE the expressions!

“Do you want to go and see a show now boys?”  “Nah, they’re SOOO boring!  Can we go to the kids bit?”  “Are you sure?” I ask.  “What about the seal show?”  “Awww we hate the seal show  - it’s for babies!!”  “Ok, fine”, I say, “lets go to the kids bit.”  Once again they’re off and I’m left yelling – “What colour is the pram boys???” “PINK!!!”  I wonder behind them, looking at the animals and the beautiful view.  They’re not interests in the slightest. 

Trying to blow each other out of a cannon!

In the kids bit they enter a competition where they have to identify three different creatures to win a plastic magnifying glass.   As soon as they got their magnifying glasses they were off, crawling ‘off piste’ through the bushes trying to find “things’.  “Boys, there is a path here for a reason – get back on it!”  Either they can’t hear me or it’s a great case of selective hearing but they take absolutely no notice of me.  They seem to be having so much fun, that I decided to just leave them to it.  However, I can’t help thinking at the back of my mind what I would tell Master C’s mum if he gets bitten by a snake or falls off a rock!! 

Far happier playing 'off piste' than sticking to the tourist paths!

Best to be safe, so I drag them back on piste again and off we go.  On the way back to the top we pass the seal show and it’s just starting.  “Are you sure you don’t want to watch it?” I ask  “Nah” they say together.  “Fine!” I think.  Lets just get going.  However just as we past the entrance they dash in.  “Honestly!!!  I park up the pram and push my way through the crowds to try and see them.  They’ve managed to push their way in front of everyone and get a seat in the front of a completely packed out arena.  Well, if they can get away with it I think……..  I wait outside for them, sticking my head in every couple of minutes to check they’re still there.  They come and find me once the show has finished and I ask, “So how was it then?”  “AWESOME!!  They reply!

You gotta love them!  So different to spending the day with girls

My week in pictures. October school holidays week 1. Love Instagram

Miss H is not going to give me a smile this evening!  Cheeky!

Early evening walk along the beach on Friday night.  It has been the most humid day of spring so far and the breeze on the waters edge was just amazing!!  I think I might be down there every evening when summer arrives.

He just adores his baby sis.  I've only just got used to him carrying her around without feeling totally on edge that she might get dropped on her head.

Getting their toes wet!  Early evening fun - only allowed when there is no school in the morning

Picnic under the trees at Clontarf

My little beach bubba!

I'd be pushing her for hours if she had her way

Monkeys!  I should have left them at the zoo!

A bunch of crazies!

Still climbing

One of my favourite walks with Miss L

Watching the sun rise over the ocean just before a 6am training class.  It makes the pain so worthwhile

School holiday craft!  I am not a fan of paining at home I must admit - I have to take deep breaths to overlook the mess.

Such big blue eyes

Master J and I coming home on the bus after a surf!  (well, he surfed - I watched).

That Skirt!

“Mummy, you can choose what I wear today” says Miss H with a little twinkle in her eye and half a smile – as if she is doing me some sort of favour!  “Oh thanks” I say, “Are you sure??????”  (I lost the battle on what she wears a good few months ago now and have really had to dig deep to allow her out the house dressed in ‘her choice’ of clothing!). “Yes!” she yells out from under the cover in my bed (she’s not a morning person either)………………… “but NO shorts! And NO trousers!  Oh, and no blue shirt!  Only purple!  No, just pink!  Yes, pink!”

Wearing her gorgeous "Candy Bow" tutu.  If you'd like one, visit us on fb at www.facebook.com/CandyBowsAustralia

She is so strong willed and it doesn’t matter how hard I try to reason with her……”but that shirt doesn’t match that skirt sweetie, why don’t you try this one???” ‘NO!”  “Here, let me show you – this one has butterflies and this one has butterflies!  Why don’t we put them together??”  “NO!”  “But that’s mummy’s MOST favourite dress, I’ll be so happy if you wear it today”.  “NO!”  “I’ll give you two smarties, if you wear this one?????” (Sometimes you just have to resort to blackmail).  “NO!..... but I’ll do you a deal mum”, she continues, “How about I wear this one (not my choice) and you give me two smarties???”.  So you can see how I just can’t win anymore!

Some days she actually impresses me with her choices (although I might have cheated ever so slightly by only putting things in her wardrobe that I know she won’t be able to get too wrong), but other days I just learnt to roll with it!  As long as she is happy, it can’t be a bad thing!!  (I can also always here my mum’s voice in my head saying, “pick your battles Robs!!).  Mr D doesn’t seem have the same battles as me, but then it did take me at least 6 months to teach him the difference between legging and tights!!

Gotta love the white socks!

Miss H has definitely inherited a passion for fashion and it does make me chuckle!   When  a new dress arrives in the post (I’m an internet shopper) she wraps her arms around it as if she’s just found her long lost favourite teddy and gushes “Oh I LOVE it mummy, it’s soooo beautiful!”  It’s too cute! 

Reading Vogue from an early age!

Skirt! and shoes!

The other day I popped into our local department store to get some things for little Miss L (who is growing out of her baby clothes faster than I can keep up) and Miss H clapped eyes on this brightly coloured rainbow skirt!  (I must admit, it was a pretty cool skirt).  Before I could even blink she had rushed over pulled the skirt off the hanger, ripped off the tags, flung her dress off and had the skirt on!  “Look at my beautiful new skirt mummy” she said, with the hugest smile!  The lady standing next to me looked straight at me and said “That skirt! Is coming home with you!” and how right she was!  I was not even going to attempt to get her to take it off.  That skirt has been worn every day since and has even bed to bed with her!  “At least you’ve got your money’s worth,” says Mr D!

This morning I managed to get Miss H into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as the weather looked a bit chilly and she was off to Kindy.  We arrived at Kindy at exactly the same time as one of her friends who was wearing a skirt!!!!  Oh god, I just knew what was coming.  I tried to rush past, waving a quick Hi and making it look like we were in a hurry, but it was too late!  She had seen the skirt and the water works started!  “I’ve got just the thing for you Miss H”, says Shelley (Hollie’s very enthusiastic teacher coming to the rescue), and she pulled a bright pink, sparkly skirt out of the lost property basket.  Miss H was not impressed and clung to my leg.  The more I tried to peel her off the more she clung on, tears pouring down her chubby little cheeks!  I couldn’t quite make out if she was saying ‘I want a skirt” or “I want my mummy”.  Either way I felt terrible.  She usually has such a happy, skippy drop off.  Shelley peeled her off me and Master J (who is on his school holidays) and I ran out the door as quickly as we could.  Now I know that she will be absolutely fine, but I still couldn’t help having the horrible feeling at the pit of my stomach that I’d abandoned her, guilt made even worse by the fact that Master J did not have to go to school.

When I arrived to pick her up later that afternoon, Shelley caught my eye and told me she’d had a GREAT day.  Phew!  I knew she would but it did make me feel better hearing it from her.  As we got in the car, I asked Miss H my usual question “Tell me about your day Mouse (her nickname)?”  “Mummy”, she said, “I had a very sad feeling”.  “Oh no sweetie, why did you have a sad feeling?” I asked her.  “Because you left me………………………….(instant guilt pangs from me as she pauses) and then she continues “because you left me with no skirt!!!”

Embracing Christmas Aussie style!

I popped into the mall yesterday and was quite shocked to find a FULL Christmas display up in one of the department stores already – It’s not even October yet!!  I don’t know why I’m so surprised really, the Christmas hype seems to get earlier and earlier each year!  Anyway it must have worked as it got me thinking about Christmas.

Last year was our first Christmas in Australia and I must admit I found the whole experience a little hard to get my head around.  For a start the sun was shining!  Christmas just doesn’t feel like Christmas in the sunshine.  I wasn’t really sure what the Aussie traditions were, so I decided that I would stick to what I knew and have a full English Christmas (as best I could).  My mum and dad were coming to visit us for the first time so I was beyond excited.  I wanted to have everything just right for when they got here. 

Firstly the tree!!  Where on earth do you buy proper Christmas tree in Australia??  They’re sold in every garden centre and just about every street corner in England – over here, NOTHING (well that I could find anyway)!!  We did have a fake tree but the Australian customs and immigrations refused to let us bring it into the country (even though I assured them several times that it really   was plastic, they were still having none of it.  That went for ALL our decoration too).  My new Aussie neighbour told me that I could buy a fake tree in the departments stores or you just chop any old tree from the garden.  Well, I wasn’t doing that! – A Christmas tree needs to be a Christmas tree!! (Besides, who knows what creatures might find their way out of the tree and into my bed!!!)  So off to the shops I went and bought a fake tree (after almost fainting at the price!!).

I slowly collected a few decorations over the next few weeks from various shops and finally, exactly 12 days before Christmas (can’t break traditions), the kids and I unpacked the tree and stared to decorate it.  We had to tune into an English radio station on the Internet to get us into the Christmas spirit as none of the Aussie stations played any Christmas carols at all.  Once the tree was decorated we all stood together to switch the lights on and there was a massive BANG followed by a cloud of black smoke!!!!  They literally blew up!!!  Mr D rushed over to check them before the tree caught fire and he discovered that our UK tree lights (the only Christmas thing we managed to get into the country) were not compatible with Aussie power!  I just had to laugh!!  The next morning we set off to go and get new lights.  You wouldn’t think it would be a difficult task to buy fairy lights at Christmas time but we looked everywhere!!  I mean everywhere!!  Sold out, sold out, sold out!!  Eventually we managed to find the last set of lights in a Christmas warehouse store (which is open all year round ironically – next time I’ll have to remember to buy lights at Easter time).  The only problem was that the only set they had left was 50 meters long!!  Of course we had to buy them and I’m pretty sure we had the twinkliest tree on the Northern Beaches!

This morning I was taking little Miss L for a walk along the beach pathways and I stopped to take some photos’ of the beautiful spring flowers that are popping up everywhere.  As I was doing so, and old man stopped and said to me “Aren’t they spectacular!  I do love this time of year, with all the kids out, the sun shining and the red and yellow flags are back on the beaches.  It really makes me feel all Christmassy”.  I politely smiled and nodded in agreement and he continued on his way (surfboard under his arm).

Ok, so I seriously need to embrace the Aussie Christmas if I’m going to really get festive this year.  My idea of Christmas is being wrapped up tight in my warmest coat, gloves and scarf, seeing my breath when talking to someone outside, snow, Christmas songs on the radio, the smell of cinnamon, berries and orange spices, roaring fires, twinkly lights, and warm red wine!!  Not quite sun, sea and surf boards!

I absolutely LOVE Christmas time, so if anyone has any suggestion on how to embrace Christmas Aussie style – please do tell.

My week in pictures! Love Instagram

I love my iphone!  I actually don't know what I would do without it.  Mr D thinks it's wasted on me as I don't use it anywhere near to it's full potential!  I do think I'm a little bit behind when it comes to technology, especially on the social media side.  I mean,  I've only JUST got myself a twitter account!!   I think if I admitted that to the teenagers of today they'd think I used to live with the dinosaurs - and I'm only in my 30's!!!!!  (you can follow me on https://twitter.com/MrsDandCandybow).

The things I love most about my iphone is the camera and my instagram app.  I love that I can can take photos of anything, anytime, anywhere!!  Then with the click of a button, Instagram can transform them into something really cool.  It's the perfect app for someone like me who LOVES photography but will never be a photographer!

My week in pictures!  Love Instagram!

Best friends (well, most of the time anyway)

Three in the bed!

Shopaholic!  Now where coud she possible get that from??

In the bumbo at last!!  And ALWAYS smiling

Outdoor fitness!  Those stairs are ABSOLUTE torture, but LOOK. AT. THE. VIEW!!!!  I even managed to get Master J to join me for some early morning boxing!!

Boys will be boys!

Making chocolate crispy crackles to take to the boys' after school.  That's why we LOVE little sisters!

One of the many spectacular walks I do with little Miss L when it's just the two of us - special times x

Me and my littlest

Grandpa Cockatoo.  He sits outside our house every day.  Mr D wonders how he flies with so few feathers!!

Some other apps I like using to play around with my photos are 'Snapseed', Halftone, Picframe Pro, and Tweegram.  
If you know of any that I may love then please let me know.