Sydney Shop Girl's tag ...

11:48

I was asked by one of my favourite bloggers – the famous SSG of Sydney Shop Girl – to participate in the 2014 edition of The Tag.

I’m a big fan of time wasting aka filling in questionnaires like this and like SSG, I find it soothing to allow my mind to wander and think up the answers to the questions. I love that some cause reflection of past memories while others remind me of truly fun fabulous times I’ve had.

Here are my responses to The Tag…

1. What time did you get up this morning?

A blissful 7am … The Toddler and S allowed me an extra hour on their 6am start by staying confined to downstairs and the playroom. (In the interests of honesty, there was a 4am bathroom wakeup but I went straight back to bed and sleep).

2. How do you like your steak?
I like it pink with no sign of redness… I’m especially fussy about my red meat and have found it best to stick with steak cooked by me, S or my dad. Usually I stick to a rub with some Vegeta stock and olive oil for flavour, I’ve recently discovered a local Bush Pepper rub by local Gold Coast company Murrumbooee and I’m hooked – this stuff is divine!

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?

This took some thinking but actually, it wasn’t that long ago … Saving Mr Banks with my sis. We have grown up adoring Mary Poppins and were overdue a sister date so it was a logical choice. That said, I’m reminded we are supposed to be seeing The Other Woman on Thursday night so I must email her now to confirm.

4. What is your favorite TV show?
The Blacklist! Is there any better actor on TV than James Spader? Love him! The show itself we pick to death and honestly, it doesn’t inspire any confidence in CIA (could they be any more incompetent?) but Spader… he is magic.

And again, in the interests of honesty, like SSG, anything that keeps The Toddler occupied for a period. In our house, that means most of the ABC Kids lineup.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Sydney or New York City … as long as I had my boys. Oh and as long as my parents and sister were there too.

6. What did you have for breakfast?
An enormous pre-natal vitamin, 2 raspberry leaf tea capsules and a glass of juice followed by a bowl of Sustain.

7. What is your favorite cuisine?
Italian complete with accompanying wines and Mexican complete with margaritas or sangria.

8. What foods do you dislike?
Have you got a month while I write the list? Keeping it short, most meats other than beef, bacon and chicken, pumpkin and anything fatty (ie pork belly).

9. Favorite Place to eat?
It depends on the who what when where … I love Grill’d burgers, Dumpling Republic, Montezumas, Benihana Teppanyaki.

10. Favorite dressing?
I’m not really big on dressings but I guess lately its Apple Cider Vinegar over a salad with make in the Thermie with broccoli, celery, red cabbage, red onion, carrot, green apple, salt & pepper.

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?
A soccer mum car whose key features and selling points were that it could comfortably accommodate a carseat and capsule on the backseat with room for an adult in the middle, the Bugaboo Donkey and a load of groceries in the boot and S and I comfortably up front (and not folded into the dash).

12. What are your favorite clothes?
Ones that don’t need consideration to bump or nursing accommodation. Unfortunately this means I won’t be wearing or enjoying my favourite clothes for about another 12 months unless I get the occasional hour or two off for good behaviour.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
Japan – the whole country again! I’d also love to see Vegas, New York and San Fran again.

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
It’s always half full if you look closely enough… unless its wine and then its half empty with always room for more.

15. Where would you want to retire?
Wherever my children may find themselves in the future … hopefully that is somewhere warm.

16. Favorite time of day?
The moment when E wakes up … he smiles, says hi and is just so cuddly and happy to see me that my heart melts and I’m reminded of how blessed my life is.

17. Where were you born?
A little town called Queanbeyan, just outside of Canberra. Not so little now I believe… my cousin has been telling me for years that it is the fastest growing city in Southern NSW.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
I’m a big fan of the Soccer but really only the World Cup, Socceroo and English Premier league matches. I guess I don’t mind the NRL and AFL but live, not on TV.

19. Bird watcher?
No but I’m a people watcher which is kind of the same thing.

20. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Night … which doesn’t combine as well as with having a toddler who si a morning person but I’m learning.

21. Do you have any pets?
No and no plans for one either although my parents are always trying to palm off their dog to us.

22. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
Give me a couple of weeks and I’ll have the sex, name and vital stats of B2 for you!

23. What did you want to be when you were little?
The first female President of Australia. Funnily I’m now a Monarchist and I work in Politics .

24. Are you a cat or dog person?
Definitely dog… I’ve just never warmed to cats.

25. What was your last drink?
Too many months ago – pregnancy puts paid to cocktails and evening wines better than any other measure.

26. Always wear your seat belt?
Ummm yes, that is a definite no brainer.

27. Been in a car accident?
No, I’ve been very lucky … touch wood.

28. Any pet peeves?
I can’t stand hypocrites, narrow-mindedness and stupidity … the last one because you just can’t argue with stupid!

29. Favorite Pizza Toppings?
Cheese, lots of cheese… and on homemade pizza, my favourite toppings are finely chopped shallots, basil, lightly fried prosciutto, quartered cherry tomatoes and bocconcini.

30. Favorite Flower?
Peonie. I considered changing my wedding date just so I could have peonies in my bouquet.

31. Favorite ice cream?
Connoisseur Strawberry but only when its half price otherwise Baskin Robbins rockin’ candy or rainbow sherbet.

32. Favorite fast food restaurant?
Mickey Dees gets me everytime.

33. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
I didn’t … much to everyone I knows’ surprise I suspect.

34. From whom did you get your last email?
My boss.

35. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Chanel … not sure my limit would cover anything in store though J

36. Do anything spontaneous lately?
Not that I can think of … its hard to be spontaneous while pregnant with a toddler.

37. Like your job?
Yep. I have a great boss who works hard and really wants to make a difference.

38. Broccoli?
Definitely – raw or steamed.

39. What was your favorite vacation?
My two trips to Japan with S – even the earthquake on our honeymoon couldn’t dim how much we loved everything.

40. Last person you went out to dinner with?
Is it bad that I can’t recall when I last went out for dinner? Probably my family … actually, yes, it was my parents and my brother, sister in law and niece with S & E. Chaotic, exhausting and lots of fun at the local Italian.

41. What are you listening to right now?
The printer and 90.9 sea fm radio.

42. What is your favorite color?
Loving blush pink at the moment … but don’t seem to have much of it in my wardrobe.

43. How many tattoos do you have?
Not one … too much of a wimp for tough man stickers plus they’re a bit permanent for my liking.

44. How many are you tagging for this quiz?
Ummmm just 3:

Kacie at Lady Bear - http://www.ladybear.me/

Mez at Domestic Divinity - http://domesticdivinity.blogspot.com.au/

Sam at Marriage Motherhood and Renovations - http://marriagerenovationsand.blogspot.com.au/

45. What time is it?
11:45am … almost time for lunch!

46. Coffee ??
Nope, but I love a good iced coffee.

fun

The Husband Survey

12:08

I posted this years ago on my old blog and thought it would be funny to do it again now, a few years into marriage...

How long have you been together: heading into 6 years

How old is he? closer to 40 than 30 now... he is 38, turning 39 in December

Who said I love you first? He did, he's the romantic one.

Who eats more? Definitely him... I eat super slow and usually end up full half way through a meal.

Who is taller? S is taller but that's no surprise, I'm shorter than everyone pretty much.

Whose temper is worse? We're pretty evenly matched on that one although I'm a bit more controlled yet more likely to fly off the handle about the small things.

Who does the laundry? Me! Would you really trust a guy to separate, handwash silk and run a delicate cycle? The clothes also tend to get forgotten about if he sets a load.

Who sings better? Neither of us, its definitely not a talent we have so I can only pity poor E and B2 for having to listen to our lullabies.

Who is smarter? Again, I'd say we are pretty evenly matched on this which makes for some pretty lively debates in our home.

Who does the dishes? mostly S has to do them as I do the cooking - our rule is the cook doesn't clean. Although sometimes he leaves them for a night and it drives me mad. I also like to use the dishwasher but if I do then I need to be the one to pack and unpack it.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me, apparently the left side is the only side S can sleep on... rubbish but it doesn't bother me either way.

Who pays the bills? I mostly leave it to S to take care of the household ones.

Who mows the lawn? Either S or our neighbour's son if he needs pocket money.

Who cooks dinner? mostly me but S does at least 2 nights a week and has become pretty proficient in the kitchen. We both hate having to actually think of what to cook.

Who drives when you are together? S, because we fight as I am a maniac, a racecar driver and a tailgater according to him. Its easier to let him do it and it means I can always have that extra glass of wine - when I'm not pregnant :)

Who is more stubborn? Both of us are very very stubborn people but we are getting better at managing this. We see a lot of our stubbornness in E so that's karma I guess.

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Usually S ... I guess this means I am more stubborn?

Whose parents do you see the most? Mine... I try to keep it pretty even but we live across the road from my parents so there is really no beating that.

Who has more friends? we are about on par by now as friends fall away and shift after marriage, children etc and you make new ones... his longstanding ones have gone the distance a little better than some of mine.

Who has more siblings? Me, I have 3 to his 1.

Was it love at first sight? Looking back now, I'd have to say yes. And on a sappy note, I can say I never knew just how much I loved him until I saw how much he loved E and what a truly amazing father he is.

Easter

April and Easter are almost here

11:19

bulletin

My Family

11:57

You might remember me posting in one of my weekend updates about a photo shoot my family and I did to celebrate the sponsored partnership of Surf Life Saving and DHL. Turns out the local newspaper picked the story up and here it is...

Clubbie colours are a real family affair for the Fife clan

MACKENZIE RAVN
GOLD COAST BULLETIN
DECEMBER 05, 2013 12:04PM

The Fife family (left to right) Darcy Abbott ,Nathan Fife, Marcia Fife, Mark Fife, Karly Abbott, Renee Whitehead, Chantel Fife and John Fife Source: Supplied

WHEN Mark Fife's father Jack first joined Bondi Surf Life Saving Club in 1936 he never would have imagined the family tradition he was starting.

Now, 77 years on, three generations of the Fife family have grown up through the surf lifesaving movement and the next generation is only a few years away from joining Nippers.

The family is now based at the Broadbeach Surf Life Saving club and their dedication to surf lifesaving is being honoured at a free outdoor photography exhibition in Sydney this weekend.

Speaking of the honour, Jack's son Mark, who is now the National Director of Lifesaving, said he hoped his family's story would encourage other families to join up.

"Surf lifesaving is great for families because it is something you can do together, whether that be competing together, patrolling together or watching the children compete," he said.

"It is definitely getting more popular for families as well because there's no age barrier and as you get older it helps you keep fit."

Mark said he first joined as a 15-year-old before stopping five years later to start a family with his wife Marcia.

"I got married at 20 and dropped out for about five or six years while we started a family but it was something I had always loved so when we moved to the Coast I thought I'd get back into it in about 1987," he said.
"Then the kids decided they wanted to do Nippers and Marcia got into it as well."

As his children grew up and started to fall in love, Mark said it became clear even their future partners would need to be mad about surf lifesaving.

"My son Nathan did a lot with the surf boats and he met his wife Chantal outside of the sport but it's infectious and next minute she loved it as well," he said.

Nathan, 33, said his sisters Renee and Karly's husbands were also involved in surf lifesaving and expected the family's dedication to the movement to continue.

"Chantel and I have an 18-month-old daughter Hayley now who comes to the beach with us every weekend and absolutely loves it, and my brothers and sisters will be bringing their kids up through the movement as well," he said.

"The club's just provide such great family atmospheres and everyone knows each other so well."

Surf Life Saving Australia general manager communications and business development Melissa King said the Fife family were among 10 profiles being used in the photography exhibition.

"What we tried to do was give a broad cross-section of the surf lifesaving community and the Fife family showcase a fantastic story as to how families get involved in the movement," she said.
"They have been an integral part of the Queensland landscape and Mark and Marcia have always been heavily involved as have their children."

For more information on the exhibition visit www.dhlsaferbeaches.com.au.

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/lifestyle/clubbie-colours-are-a-real-family-affair-for-the-fife-clan/story-fnj94iqm-1226775995141

I'm so proud of my amazing family and I'm also very proud to be a part of such a wonderful family that gives so much back to the Community.

baby two

The weekend that was

09:28

We had a bit of an unenviable early start to our weekend when we were woken before dawn by the sounds of E's very laboured breathing. Concerned as he appeared to be struggling for air, we woke him and were greeted by a very sad baby with a harsh seal like cough that frightened him (and us) each time. Poor babe also had a temp spike of 38.6 (not bad considering how many times we've nursed 39+). Whooping cough was the number 1 illness that popped into my head and given it appeared his breathing was affected, we made the decision to head straight to emergency. Luckily it was a surprisingly quiet night/morning and the triage nurse had one listen to E and admitted us immediately saying that we did the right thing bringing him in as he very much needed to be there.

The doctor's assessment told us he was suffering from croup in the higher end with 'stridor' breathing and that he needed a good does of steroids to help reduce the inflammation in the upper respiratory area. Despite being sad and sorry, E was a model patient accepting his medicine (even saying 'ta' to the nurse) and once the meds kicked in, he charmed everyone around during the hours we spent for observation.

Understandably he's been a bit sooky and whingy since we got home but wow those steroids kick in quick and he is much better than Friday morning. I'm warned he will have a cough for a while but it shouldn't be too barky and if he shows any hint of the breathing that took us to emergency, we are to bring him straight back.

So how do you cheer up a sad and miserable sick toddler? You put Christmas decorations up of course! Much to Es delight, we put our Christmas tree and other decorations up to keep him occupied and lift his spirits. It had the desired effect and he us utterly entranced by the tree, decorations,tinsel and the 'reindeer'. He hasn't been too destructive with the tree, only pulling off a few small decorations to inspect but I set it up so that the 'E proof' decs are at his height and we have no lights this year, instead we will put them up around the window behind the tree and they are already up on our balcony. I have to say, I adore Christmas and every time I entered our lounge area today, the decorations gave me the warmest happiest feeling.

Saturday was an entertaining day with a photoshoot of my entire family for life saving and DHL. they are celebrating a 10 year sponsorship anniversary and elected to profile our family as part of that celebration. We have been members of LS for over 20 years and we have all held a million positions between us, competed, won some prestigious and regarded awards and dad is the National Director. It was a lot of fun just hanging out with my family as it always is and the babies of course loved any chance to see and play with their cousins. E also loved being let loose on the sand and having a little wade in the shallows with grandad.

The rest of our weekend was pretty low key given Ethan wasn't well but we managed to get a bit done around the house, cleaning out odds and ends in preparation for the latest toy influx to come at Christmas and the arrival of another baby. I even was able to consolidate some of the toys in the playroom and clear out 3 full tubs by rotating some and moving others to Ethan's bedroom ... next up is organising E's big boy room and sorting out the spare room to set it up for B2. I also snuck in a shop for more ~~unnecessary~~ tree decorations and a quick lunch with a girlfriend Sunday so it wasn't all mummy duty here.

Charlie Brown

The weekend that was

11:20

family

What a weekend

12:56

Welcome to the new blog and thank you for reading.

Life is impossibly perfect right now ... Particularly after a long weekend with my little guy and the glorious end to Winter that Mother Nature turned on for us.

We were busy but not crazily so, leaving lots of time for backyard water play, playground visits with granddad, a morning tea meet with a cousin, lots of mummy cuddles, cruising' the neighbourhood, riding merry-go-rounds, baking fresh bread rolls (love my Kitchenaid), drawing on Father's Day cards, wrapping presents and celebrating a very special "dada" and two pretty fantastic Granddad's too.

We are in the middle of a Wonder Week right now so don't get me wrong, there were plenty of irrational full blown tantrums and similar but even they couldn't cloud the sunniness of my charming little boy... When he is 'on', he is really really 'on'!

It wasn't all about the boy though, S and I enjoyed a movie night complete with popcorn and the new release, Now You See Me. It was a fantastic movie and I loved the illusionist concept. It was fast paced and required a bit of concentration as it jumped around but it was definitely the kind I love to watch. S meantime is still not sure if he liked it and thinks he will watch it again. He's usually the family movie buff but he found this one a little hard to follow, particularly with one scene that flashed a few times. I would definitely recommend this one though as some thing different to every other movie out there.

S had to work on Sunday sadly but we managed to squeeze in an early breakfast with his parents and then hosted my dad and siblings for a BBQ dinner... Where I presented S' delicious new specialty salad - haloumi, pomegranate and fennel. It was a big hit and of course I forgot to take a picture! It was a bit sad not to have S around all day on Father's Day but he and the boy are hanging out all today and we will make up for it soon with a family day at one of the local theme parks.

I managed to get some household things done too including framing and arranging some photos of Ethan and his cousins, sorting through the 'stored' items in the spare room, adding a few decorators touches around the place and getting rid of S' clutter everywhere (does anyone else's husband leave odds and ends on the bench, shelves, tv cabinet, dining table ...? Drives me mad). I was also happy to finally had some of my favourite photos of Ethan and of our little family printed to fill some empty frames.

Pottering about over the weekend, I identified the need for a few home pieces to fill some gaps including a chair of some sort in our bedroom ... something low and well cushioned without arms, a caddy for our dining table to hold, an entrance stand ... something high and slim with a little storage, a mirror to go above the entrance stand and also a full length mirror for our walk in robe. Any suggestions?

Lastly, I have to share this photo of my littlest niece - her first ponytail. Isn't she the cutest!

Sydney Shop Girl's tag ...

The Husband Survey

April and Easter are almost here

My Family

Clubbie colours are a real family affair for the Fife clan

The weekend that was

The weekend that was

What a weekend

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