|| Mumma Daze ||

Christmas is a joyous time, a time to spend with family, rejuvenate...and stress to the max. But it is a season of conflictions... Summer diet to look your best at the beach V work Christmas parties, drinks with friends to see in the season, three helpings of Christmas lunch, and late night snacks as you revel in not having to get up for work at 5am. Which of those sounds like more fun? Being grateful for what you have and what you receive V maxing out the credit card to buy the BEST gift EVER for Aunty Annie, so you're the favourite nephew. Since when did buying a gift become about ensuring what you purchased was exactly what the recipient wants or needs at that very moment. What about it's the thought that counts, searching in 20 boutique shops for that little (yes LITTLE) something that you think is just perfect for your best friend, niece, sister, son - rather than bombarding the department stores for a piece of Made in (somewhere foreign and cheap) junk that is like...

Tonight we went to a family dinner for a birthday celebration and were asked to bring dessert. Given it was a Birthday I thought chocolate cake was appropriate and I happened to have seen a recipe for 'moist chocolate cake' and thought I'd give it a whirl. The recipe intrigued me as it required the sugar, water, cocoa, butter & bi carb to be simmered before adding flour & eggs! This is the end result... And YES it was beautiful and moist! I finished it off with a simple butter frosting and served it with dollop cream :) I found the recipe here: http://www.stayathomemum.net.au/recipes/baking/moist-chocolate-cake Enjoy x

You know that awkward moment, when it's just a few days before Easter and you realise you're the Easter Bunny....and you don't have your eggs yet :S For weeks now I've been scoping out where I can get the 'good' eggs, cross checking quality VS price. I've made the decision as to what will magically appear in our garden on Sunday morning, ready to be hunted. I know where to purchase all these luscious items. But as yet, I am yet to do so. Now the deadline is approaching, we lose one day of shopping due to the most relaxing day of the year, Good Friday. Thursday late night shopping prior to said relaxing day is just not an intelligent thing to do. So this evening I will brave the closest department store to purchase the Cadbury goodness my husband craves, Saturday I'll pay a visit to the local Darrell Lea store for the those extra special Easter treats that have become tradition for me and along the way I'll grab some yummy, toddler friendl...

and the entire house was exhausted! I have resorted to what I call the 'cop out' of parenting...turning the TV on and leaving the child to be glued to it like a brainwashed robot. Why you ask? I is tired! and I have much to get through, and whilst I want my little guy to help me with all the fun stuff, the style of whinging that only comes from a nearly 2 year old is the very last thing I wish to experience today. The weather is dreary, again, which makes standard housework even more unappealing. Who wants to hang washing out when it isn't sunny and beautiful outside?! I have sneakily switched the channel to an animal doco, still enticing enough that the little person will let it capture his attention for a few minutes at a time (hello going to the toilet in peace!) but not enough to have him glued to it for the entire day. Perhaps after his nap I will put my responsible parent cap back on and turn the TV off.

soooooooooo per previous post, I have some baking to do for Christmas... Went to major supermarket to complete the grocery shopping.......... visited the biscuit aisle for a major ingredient requirement............ THERE WERE NO MILK ARROWROOT BISCUITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! just plain unacceptable, surely the little people in the biscuit factories are churning more of these out than ever come mid November to ensure the nation is not in short supply of chocolate / rum balls come Christmas Day? Shall be stalking all supermarkets within radius of home over the next two days to locate these imperative items!!

Shopping bill always elevates a little at this time of year....mixed fruit, toasted muesli, extra SR flour, plain biscuits.....lots of goodies are produced from that little stash though! This year the bake off will consist of: chocolate balls apricot muesli balls cinnamon biscuits a fruit cake (!) and the very dapper choc brownie santa hats that have gone viral on the web this past week! yummmmmmmmmmmmmo!

the joys of being a working mum. with technology what it is, working from home is now just as easy (read :: normal) as working in the office. this means when the little people are sick, you don't go INTO work, but you still work. juggle, juggle, juggle. I wish I could juggle balls, blocks or firey sticks as well as I can juggle my time. It would be much more entertaining!