When preparing for E's arrival, we bought an Avent DECT monitor and figured we'd bypass the need for video given we had the Oricom Babysense breathing mats for peace of mind. Fast forward to E's arrival and a few months later, us seeing the value in a video monitor to save us constantly checking up on him while napping. We bought the Oricom Secure700 digital video monitor when he was about 4 months old I think and haven't ever regretted it since. Its been on holidays with us and I can't tell you what a Godsend it is in a two storey house.

We have decided we definitely want a video monitor for B2 but we aren't ready to not have one for E yet - hopefully he will be transitioned to his own room by the time baby arrives and given its location from our bedroom, I would feel a whole lot more secure knowing I can check on him anytime.

I don't really want to have two parent handsets to lug around if by some wild crazy chance of fate, I have two children napping at once (hey, I can dream right?) so I considered an app based monitor that allows me to view baby on my iphone and this seemed like the way we would go ... indeed I had placed an iBaby monitor on hold in preparation.

So to be entirely truthful, I was still not one hundred percent sold on the Thermie when it arrived - worrying given the cost but my mum was so enthusiastic on hers that I figured I'd fall in love eventually. Fast forward a few days and I am head over heels! Everyone needs to have a Thermomix now in my mind.

So when your Thermomix arrives, the consultant delivers it to your home, does a little run through of assembling and washing the machine, flicking through the manual and cookbooks and then gets you started by assisting to make a vegetable stock paste from scratch. Can I say, what a breeze it is to make stock! Roughly chop a heap of ingredients, toss it in and 20 mins later, fresh homemade stock paste.

Sunday was my day to really 'attack' the Thermomix as we made it to the markets in the morning to stock up on fresh produce and then the supermarket. My mum had already made us cheesymite scrolls in her TMX previously and we were all a fan so I thought fresh hot scrolls would make E and I a yummy lunch. They took all of ten minutes to prep (not including dough rising time obviously) from tossing the flour in the TMX to sliding them into the oven with relatively little mess or fuss. Hot out of the oven, E finished a whole one with gusto and I scoffed at least two... maybe three. Buoyed by the ease of preparing a tasty lunch for E and I in record time with no unknown extras, I was looking forward to dinner!

I had decided we would try the creamy tomato and salami fettucine from the Basics cookbook for S and I. We unexpectedly had my niece for a few hours in the afternoon so E went down late and it was 8pm before we were ready to get started on our dinner ... this would be a true test of the TMX value in our eyes - could it provide a healthy dinner quickly and with minimal cleanup. We took our time working through the steps, double checking instructions etc and threw in a few extra's but within 30 minutes we were sitting down to a restaurant quality pasta and both 100 percent sold on the investment.

S has started enjoying cooking but likes to follow a recipe to the tee and is very precise with his measuring, chopping etc which of course takes time and creates a lot of mess. I'm a little more haphazard with quantities etc born from years of cooking and experimenting. Both of us loved that the TMX weighed each ingredient as required, cooked it all in one pan (instead of having frypans, saucepans, knives and boards to clean), timed and stirred it and beeped when ready. It was as good as eating at a restaurant and S told me he was so happy we bought a TMX!

Feeling confident after watching me prep dinner, S got up early this morning and made us some CADA - a fresh muesli of coconut, almonds, dates and apples in the Basic cookbook. He added some greek yoghurt and fresh mango to serve and told me he couldn't believe it only took him 4 seconds to chop the ingredients for a breakfast he would pay over $10 for in a cafe.

I'm looking forward to trying out a few other recipes this week and so our menu looks like this:

Mon
Chicken cashew nut with steamed veg and a soy ginger sauce all prepared in the TMX

Tues
Balsamic steaks on the BBQ with a side of Mediterranean quinoa salad prepared in the TMX

Wed
Chicken and veggie sausage rolls - filling chopped and combined in TMX

Thurs 
Beef stroganoff on mash all done in TMX (including unpeeled potatoes mashed to a creamy texture that disguises the skin!!)

Fri
Home made pizzas with dough made and veggies/toppings chopped in TMX

I will also make up some apricot balls and mini quiche mix for baking one night this week in the TMX to cover E's lunches and snacks.


So, while I've always had a healthy approach to E's diet and at the very least, a balanced one to S and my diet,  I've never been one to read labels every time or rigidly monitor additives etc. but knowing that I can prepare fresh food quickly for my family that is wholesome and healthy definitely makes me happy. I can also see how valuable the TMX is going to be for time saving once B2 arrives as in those early days with E, and even now, there are nights we have toasted sandwiches at 9:30pm because we are both exhausted and can't be bothered prepping anything else.

I would love to hear some of your favourite Thermomix recipes to try.

It's our third wedding anniversary today and in true romantic style, S has gone above and beyond with a gift to commemorate it.... He agreed to the purchase of a Thermomix! I know, it doesn't get much better than that and to say I'm excited is an understatement. Enough to make up for the fact that I'm home watching The Block with a sleeping E while he is playing soccer. That said, we did have a night out earlier in the week to make up for it.

So If we were following gift guides, it should have been leather on the traditional list (hmmmm could have been interesting) and glass, crystal or pearls on the modern. I wouldn't say no to a strand of pearls but hey, a thermie will end up being a heck of a lot more useful and particularly with B2 joining us soon.

As you know, B2's sex is a surprise - my restraint and resolve in this regard is nothing short of unbelievable as no one thought I would last and honestly, nor did I.

I attended a friend's baby shower over the weekend and the subject of a shower for me to celebrate B2's impending arrival came up as a result. A few were quite enthusiastic about the idea and assumed it was a given. A few others suggested a Sprinkle instead of a shower. I have noticed the rise of the Baby Sprinkle in recent times for second and subsequent pregnancies - it's basically a baby shower on a smaller scale for those of you wondering.

1. Make nuts and bolts - it's an Aussie thing involving nutri grain cereal and curry powder amongst other things.