Lucky

My Mum came down to visit over the weekend, because J is away for another two weeks travelling and she felt sorry for me spending the weekend on my own. Yes, J is travelling a lot at the moment and yes, it is hard, in fact I'm borderline not coping some days but hoping our move to Hong Kong means a bit of a decrease in the travelling or at least the introduction of a maid! But anyway, I suspect that's another reason why Mum decided to come down.

My Mum still works full time so it's not always easy for her to visit and when she does I really appreciate it. It means she has a two hour drive each way and uses her only days off to help me out. We had a fun weekend, my sister came over for dinner and they bathed the kids, then we had a few wines and made some pretty funny lip syncing videos. Average family stuff, for our family.

After Mum left on Sunday I hung out with the kids, who "helped" me do some packing for our move. We packed up a lot of books and also got rid of a lot. The whole getting rid of things aspect of the move is probably my favourite so far, it's so cleansing. I feel like with every physical thing we get rid of a metaphorical weight is lifted from my shoulders.

Going through all our books I found a few daggy reads and some funny things too, like a diary J had written in 2005 (before we met)! And no, I didn't read it all but I got a taste.

I also found an album we'd made of all our wedding cards. Going through them and reading all the messages again over five years on was really special. I was blown away by some of the sentiments, which may not have affected me so much at the time in the whirlwind of the wedding/presents/holiday atmosphere. It also really brought home to me where our life began and how we got here, and how important it is to focus on our relationship. Quite an important reminder when your husband is on the other side of the world and you're home packing for his job relocation! Because oh that's right, we DO love each other!

So even though today, Monday, I have had a really frustrating, busy, stressful day on the whole - I feel very lucky. Grateful for my parents, thankful for my siblings, and so damn lucky to have a loving husband and two healthy kids and just to be alive.

*breathes*
Z x

Breakfast For Dinner

Sometimes when J is travelling I like to indulge in my guilty pleasure - eating breakfast food for dinner. This can be anything from cereal to eggs on toast. I was particularly guilty of this when I was pregnant, once eating three bowls of cornflakes covered in sugar.

Yesterday the kids and I had heavy leftovers for lunch and J was on a late flight home from Melbourne, so I decided to try out a recipe from a Donna Hay kids issue for Banana Honey Pikelets that H could also take to vacation care today. They are sweetened purely with the honey and banana so a bit healthier than most pikelets.

They were super easy and needless to say they were gobbled up! 

W had his with greek yoghurt and raspberries which frankly looked delicious. 

Banana Honey Pikelets

Ingredients

1 cup self raising flour, sifted

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 mashed banana

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

2TBSP Honey

Method

1) Mix the flour and baking powder together in a bowl and make a well in the centre.

2) Add remaining ingredients to a separate bowl and whisk until combined.

3) Gradually add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until smooth.

4) Heat some butter in a non stick frying pan. Spoon tablespoons of mixture onto the pan and cook until bubbles appear. Flip and cook for about another minute.

5) Serve!

The recipe didn't make that many if you are cooking for a larger family. I would probably double it and freeze any leftovers for snacks.

Z x

Where I'm At

I've  been wanting to write for a while now but feeling like it's all too hard because I've left it too long. You know, like when you put off ironing and suddenly have an overflowing basket on your hands? Guilty. So I've decided to copy a few other blogs I read and give a bit of a snapshot of where I'm at right now...

Making : Two beds in my room every morning - ours and the mattress on the floor that H has been sleeping on. SIGH.

Cooking : Banana Honey Pikelets.

Drinking : Tea as always.

Reading: Sadly, Outlander. I was desperate.

Wanting: A leather jacket.

Looking: Like I need a makeover.

Playing: Shopkeepers. Again.

Wasting: Time on Instagram. I just started following celebrities…Help Me!

Sewing: Seeds of our new life - in Hong Kong! We're moving next month. 

Wishing: Relocation were not so time consuming.

Enjoying: Little W's apparent transition to one nap a day - in typical Walt fashion he has done this with no fuss and no intervention on my part, he's a treasure. 

Waiting: For him to wake up, because now I'm paranoid he's slept too long…what's wrong?!

Liking: School holidays - in PJs until 10am.

Wondering: What to buy with my Country Road Spend and Save.

Loving: Mine and H's new shared hobby - colouring!

Hoping: Both kids sleep through the night tonight…yawn.

Marvelling: At the fact that I've somehow gotten drawn in to The Kardashians. But I really enjoy it. I'm not proud. 

Needing: A sugar purge. Blerrrrgh Easter.

Smelling: The Peppermint Rock Road Easter Egg I just dug into.

Wearing: Ugg boots, boyfriend jeans and an oversize jumper. Change of season!

Following: Trends I shouldn't follow e.g. boyfriend jeans.

Noticing: Wrinkles, on myself and everyone else. Mostly because way too many people I know are now getting Botox.

Feeling: Really excited after a positive call from our Hong Kong Real Estate agent. Looking forward to this change!

Knowing: It will be hard but trying not to think about it.

Thinking: About who my favourite Kardashian is. Okay it is on in the background.

Bookmarking: Peter Walsh - Clutter Organiser. Helping me so much with my packing. 

Opening: The Country Road website…surely I need something.

Where are you at right now?

Z x