Happy 2014!

So after a week of chilling up at the Lake and stacking on the kilos with Christmas festivities, the boys and I decided to have New Years Eve at home with a movie marathon. The deal was that we had to watch movies we hadn't seen before and that we could choose two movies each… that's 6 movies. I decided that we would start our cinematic sit-down at 4pm, assuming all the movies ran for about 90-100 minutes, and that would take us through to midnight… boy was I wrong!

We also decided that we would have a different food with each of the movies, which when we put them all together, sounded horrible, but when you have a two hour break between each one, it's not so bad. So here is a taste of our program for the evening with corresponding foods:

Esylium - with English Muffins (a bit of an afternoon tea appetiser)
Knowing - with chicken Korma and rice (the main meal)
Jobs - with Strawberries and Jelly (for 'S'teve 'J'obs)
The Heat - with Hot Fudge Sundae (as a 2nd dessert)
Pain and Gain - with Popcorn and finally
The World's End - with White Chocolate

Believe it or not, we did do a Google search on names of foods starting with 'E' K' 'J' 'H' 'P' & 'W' and they were the most liked, and easiest to make without missing out much of the movies.

Not realising that most of the movies were actually over 2 hours long, we were only coming to the end of 'The Heat' when midnight turned over. We started watching 'Pain and Gain', but our heads were nodding, and by 1.23am the night was over with 1.5 movies to go (and some White Chocolate). So we're going to finish our movie marathon in the morning.

As for 2014, I have many resolutions - especially to focus on finding balance in all aspects of my life and be happy, to be discovered as an author and be published, nurture my boys in their education and aspirations, have courage, stop being so hard on myself and just appreciate the positive aspects in my life. I do not know what adventures we will have, what inspirational moments or what each day will bring, but I know that, as a wise 40 year old, I have no expectations and I can only live each day the best that I can. Happy New Year everyone! I hope it's a blast! xx

Happy New Year!!!

Hey everyone! It's around 1am here in old Melbourne town and my party goers have fallen asleep. So I'd thought I would wish my loyal followers, friends and family a Happy New Year for 2013.

But before I do, I'll give you a little bit of what we did to celebrate the New Year in. We decided not to go to our usual New Year celebrations because I had a bout of tonsillitis since Christmas, and I really don't think the penicillin I'm on and copious amounts of alcohol would do me any good, so we opted to have a quiet one at home instead. We decided earlier in the day that we would have a spread of cold cut meats, salad vegetables, fruit, Brie, Naan bread for the lovely Morroccan style Dukkah my mum bought me for Christmas & rice crackers for the cheese, and top it off with some Lindt balls for dessert. We also had a fine spread of juices to make mocktails for the boys and I discovered 'cocktails in a cask' for me... Cosmopolitans & Midori Splices on tap in the fridge... what a scary proposition to live with that all year round! (doctor said it was OK to have a little bit of alcohol on penicillin!) We made our mocktails, complete with strawberry stuck on the edge and paper umbrellas and indulged in our spread!

We sat and watched 'Real Steel' on DVD, followed by the behind-the-scenes shots, which was pretty amazing and then decided to play Cluedo by candlelight....

oh... and glow stick! It was actually quite fun finding Peacock with the dagger in the bedroom, especially after we convinced the 9 year old that he had to stop guessing so quickly because he kept getting it right!!

We played a little balloon volleyball using the dining table as the net then sat down and watched the fireworks on TV. There was talk about watching another movie after the fireworks finished, but somehow my boys got cosy and fell asleep on top of me. 

This week has been a fabulous week for us enjoying each other's company and just being a family... a team in every possible way. I love my boys and love the joy they bring to me.

I hope you and your family have found the same warmth, love and happiness I have in my little family and that 2013 brings more opportunity to just enjoy the little things, harness the big things, have some amazing adventures, enables you to get out of your comfort zone, and helps you find the real You in 'you.'

A toast to good health, good hearts and great happiness in 2013!

Cheers! xx

Happy New Year!

Speaking to many people, 2011 was a year of hardship for some, a year of uncertainty for others, and there were a few who were happy with how the year panned out. Every New Years Day, we come up with a series of resolutions that have good intentions to brighten the year ahead, but most fall on their feet within a week.

A friend of mine introduced a new thought process to her life when she left her husband three years ago... She called it her 'Year of Yes.' If someone suggested she do something, there was no argument about it, she would do it. She went mountain horse-back riding, where she took her sister and her sister's boyfriend, and they were airlifted by the ambulance after a serious fall. She took up cycling, ice-skating, pole-dancing, anything to brighten her life. No matter how scary, dangerous or stupid it was, she went with it and is now living life to the absolute fullest. Cycling is a big part of her life, as is ice-skating, and each time I see her, she has a beaming smile and a sense that she has taken control of her life.

I know a lot of you don't have the finances to go too adventurous, but if you start small with things like hiking in your local forests, learning to pamper yourself with a footrub each night (get your kids to do it!), forsaking chocolate bars for saving up for something that you've always wanted to do, getting lost in a book (if you can't afford them, libraries let you have them for free!), whatever it is, give yourself something to work towards, something to look forward to, something that inspires you to get out of your rut and make 2012 an exciting year.

To all my loyal supporters, I hope 2012 brings you life-changing moments, readjustments in your thoughts to bring positive, enlightening epiphanies and good health, happiness and harmony with your loved ones. Thank you for being there through my hardships and happiness. I hope I've been inspiring to some extent, touched a chord with you in others knowing that my stories are parallels to your own and give you a reassuring place to seek warmth, honesty and a friend who understands what you're going through.

Here's to 2012! Bring it on!!!