Natural Mosquito Repellent

Help!!! We have mosquitoes the size of dragons!!!

This is our first summer at this house so we weren't prepared for these critters.

I would love to sit out on my verandah without smelling the chemicals of mosquito coils burning.

Does anyone know of a proven natural mosquito deterents?

I am not happy to put any RID on Paddy's skin. Are there any baby friendly mosquito repellents out there that you have used?

Thanks friends...

Operation NICE

If you haven't checked this site out give it a go - Operation NICE

This week's assignment is to be nice to yourself.

I think I am going to give my feet and toes the much needed attention, and moisturiser, that they crave.

It is a great site to check in to when you want to feel the love that is out there....

Another Roast Success in the Slow Cooker

This time with Topside Beef Roast. Got the meat on special for a bargain.

6 hours on low with oregano and garlic.

It just fell apart and was really beautiful.

This slow cooker roasting is so easy! How come I have only just discovered this...

This week I have been....

...consumed by work. In my other life I run a business with my brother and my husband. I am able to manage the two fairly well but this week has been a really tough one.

4 weeks ago our Graphic Designer had a baby. 2 weeks ago my brother wanted to fire her because we could only communicate on email and she wasn't producing good work, if she produced any work at all. This is when the bond between mothers came in and I said I would work closely with her to produce what we needed.

I called her to discuss things and she was in real trouble. Her 4 week old wasn't sleeping through the day and was screaming the whole day. She wasn't breast feeding very well at all and she had just cottoned on to the fact that he might be hungry. So the dilemma of switching to bottle feeding and the harsh self-judgement that comes with that was the place she was in. My heart went out to her.

So I basically did her job for her for these last couple of weeks - sourcing every bit of information. All she had to do was put it together.

And she did a bad job. And I have had to tell her that we won't be using her anymore. That decision was really really hard for me. I don't want to be one of those business owners that puts moral decisions on the back burner but the stress associated with her not producing the work we needed is at its peak. But still the decision was really hard for me.

So all week I have been desperately trying to find a way out of letting her go and that has meant my other role - which I love the most - has been put on hold this last week.

Unfortunately this week will be consumed with finding someone to replace her and getting the work done in double quick time.

I look forward to getting back to doing this really soon....

How do I use up milk?

One of the great mysteries of the universe - why when I buy two litres of milk we never finish the bottle and when I buy 1 litre of milk we always run out?

I have gone to always buying the 2 litres now and the off milk I give to our dog as a treat. But I always look at it and think how I could use the milk in our food before it goes off.

Can you freeze milk and use it later?
Any recipes that use up a lot of milk that can be frozen?

Thanks for your help!

Godparents

I have two god-daughters. With these two girls I feel an extra special bond.

We aren't a religious family so Paddy is not christened or baptised and we didn't go through any other ceremony when he was born.

I'm not worried about this - the down side for me though, is that he doesn't have any godparents. I know he will have so many people in his life that will love him. I just wonder whether he is missing out by not having a close connection with someone other than us.

Any thoughts? Do your children have godparents?

Cutting Corners

Last night I cut some corners which I am paying for this morning.

The usual routine is to wake Paddy up around 10pm, feed him, change his nappy and play with him for half an hour or so until he is ready to go to back to sleep.

But last night I fell asleep at 9pm, didn't change his nappy when he woke at 11pm, was woken up every 2-3 hours through the night when finally at 5am he woke and was absolutely covered in wee.

So since 5am I have had a bath with him, changed his cot and finally got him back down.

So this morning I vow to not be lazy and never try to cut corners again.

But I was just so tired......

It was 6pm...

and we were still outside playing.



I love it when winter is finally gone!

Taking Snack and Drinks

I am forever buying a snack or a bottle of water when I go out. And every time I do I get so cranky with myself.

There are exceptions when it makes me happy like the banana smoothies from our local cafe or the to die for sausage rolls at the bakery. Oh and let's not forget the doughnuts!

But those things cost $4 and $5 a pop and to do it a few times a week just adds up.

I feel cranky because I can easily fill up a bottle of water at home and save myself $3 and I can put a snack pack in my bag for when I need a boost.

So my monthly money saving habit for September is to take snacks and a drink with me whenever I leave the house.

I will get my hands on a little snack bag. It might be kinda fun to find recipes to make that I can pack in my snack bag.

I predict this will save me at least $20 a week and over the course of a year that will be over $1000!!

First test is meeting up with a girlfriend tomorrow at a park which conveniently has a cafe attached. Fingers crossed I don't succumb to the tasty cakes in the window...