An Afternoon Snapshot

I quickly snapped this photo this afternoon before either of my girls moved... it was so sweet to look up from the kitchen bench where I was preparing dinner to see them sitting side by side watching Play School together.

Notice the DVDs strewn across the rug in the background?  That's thanks to a certain little one who is on the move, crawling about in her unique 'pull with her arms push with her toes' style, creating a path of destruction as she explores and investigates every corner of our house...

Lots of time has been spent here playing on the living room rug this week in front of the heater.  We've had wet and wild weather the past few days and braced ourselves last night for the strong winds and rain that were forecast to hit in the early evening.  Thankfully our only casualties were two rose bushes that fell over in the strong gusts.

Enjoy your Wednesday evening...  I have a pasta bake (pastizio to be precise) bubbling away in the oven.  Comfort food is one of the best things about winter!

Beauty Product Recommendations Needed

My beauty regime is rather basic these days and as for make-up, the days I'm free of it far outweigh the days I actually wear it.  At the moment, I have a few products I'm due to replace so I thought I'd turn to you all for some recommendations...


Tinted Moisturiser

Unless I'm going out somewhere extra special (and seeing as I can count the number of times I've been out at night this year child-free on one hand), I don't tend to wear foundation.  If I'm home, I'll just stick to moisturiser and if I'm heading out and about, I like to use a tinted one.  I've been happy with the Clarins one I've used for some time now as it's a great shade for my skin, but it doesn't have a very high SPF factor (it's only SPF 6) and it's not oil free, two things I would prefer in such a product.


Lipgloss

I find these days that even if I have other make-up on, without something on my lips, I look washed out.  A simple lip gloss is my preferred option for day to day use.  However, I'm yet to find 'the one'...one which is not sticky and that my hair doesn't end up plastered to, in a natural looking shade.


Fake Tan

I tan quite easily if I spend time outdoors but I've become very sun conscious and would rather turn to a tanning product to achieve that golden glow.  The only one I've ever used was the Palmer's Body Bronzer, a 'build up gradually over time' type product.  I'm on the hunt for one that isn't orange, doesn't streak, won't stain clothes and is easy to apply.


So ladies, do any of you have any recommendations for the above?  I'd love to hear what brands and types you prefer or your thoughts on ones you've tried in the past...

Image above from Coeur Blonde

Sibling Similarities

Having had two girls hasn’t necessarily meant I’ve been able to use lots of Grace’s old clothes for Sophie.  With Grace being a winter baby, she lived in cosy jackets, jumpsuits and beanies.  Sophie on the other hand spent most of her first few months in just a singlet and a nappy.  Sadly, I’m finding now as I’m slowly passing on outfits Sophie has outgrown, she hasn’t even worn many of the cute outfits  I’d saved of her big sister’s. 

There is one piece however I have been able to use for both times around – a brown pinafore one of my best friends gave Grace.  Looking back on photos, it was interesting to see both of my girls wearing the same outfit at roughly the same age (Grace at four months and Sophie a few months ago back at 5 months).

I often get asked if Sophie looks like Grace did when she was a baby.  While there are definitely similarities (blue eyes, blonde hair, round face), I can honestly say they have different features. And slowly, as the days go on, I’m noticing Sophie developing her own unique little personality too.  

Priorities And Projects

I used to be quite an organised person.  Cupboards and drawers were neatly arranged, my car was spotless without a speck of dirt or sand and paperwork was promptly filed away.  However, circumstances here lately have led me to feel extremely disorganised.  Around the time of Grace’s party, when the girls were also unwell, I felt as though I was struggling to stay on top of things.   My to-do list contained far too many items to ever be achievable, sorting out tea each night was becoming a mammoth task and as far as the housework, I was falling further and further behind.  More time consuming projects such as organising or craft were WAY down the bottom of my list.

Over the past few weeks, I have changed my mindset and tried to be less of a perfectionist.  I have accepted that I can’t do it all.  That my life has changed and I can’t be that once super organised person I was.  My standards have dropped.  And that’s okay.   I have decided to focus on one word – prioritising and made a list of the top things I need to take care of daily in my role as a stay at home Mum and displayed it on the fridge where I can see it often and remind myself of what’s really important.  

I've also decided to focus on one major area of home life that is bothering me each week.  I sat down and made a big list of all the areas I feel aren’t running as smoothly as I’d like, that need to be better organised and that need time allocated to them in order to be remedied.  Things like having a decent supply of home-cooked frozen meals , listing some unwanted items on Gumtree, sorting through the contents of our wardrobes, editing and deleting photos and coming up with a better system for managing and responding to emails (our inbox currently has 2537 emails sitting there) will all have ‘their week’. 

Last week’s focus was ‘Operation Baby Food’.  I made a whole range of dishes and pureed and froze them all ready for the coming months for Sophie. Hopefully they should take us through to her starting on finger foods.  This week’s focus is ‘Operation Stock-Up’.  Running out of things lately has really been annoying me (and Paul who I am constantly asking to stop at the local supermarket on his way home from work).  I used to have a good system in place for my grocery shopping and ensuring I had ‘back-ups’ of frequently used pantry items and toiletries.  Now I have no idea what it is I'm running low on.  

I’m finding myself more productive with my focus for the week as I’ve tended to flit from project to project, ending up with lots of things half done.  Having a weekly priority and knowing that I have one thing I’d really like to accomplish come Sunday is actually achievable for me. 

How do you deal with things when you are feeling overwhelmed and disorganised?  I’d love for you to share your strategies…

Cute notebook above available from Fresh Words Market on Etsy

A New Simple Soup

One of the things I enjoy most about the cooler winter months is being able to cook lots of delicious soups to warm our bellies. More often than not at this time of year, we have soup on a Sunday night for tea with something simple alongside like a toasted sandwich. Last weekend I tried out a new recipe from ‘Frost Bite’ and it was a winner here. If you like tomato based soups like minestrone, than this one’s for you. Here’s the recipe:


Tomato, Zucchini & Basil Soup

Serves 4

olive oil
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 x 400g tin Roma tomatoes, crushed
2 tbsp tomato paste
5 medium-sized courgettes (I used 2 small zucchini instead), sliced
large handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
3 cups vegetable stock
sea salt & pepper


Heat oil in a large saucepan over low heat and add onion and garlic.  Cook for a few minutes until the onion is translucent. Add remaining ingredients and stir well.  Cover with lid and simmer for 20-25 minutes of until the vegetables are tender. Puree or blend.

I've been cooking up a storm here this week in our kitchen.  However most of it has been in the form of baby purees for Sophie which should now last me for many weeks ahead.  Grace and I did manage to make a muesli slice though which we've been enjoying the last few days for afternoon tea.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend ahead.  It's the Foundation Day long weekend here in Perth.  In our household we'll hopefully be resting, relaxing and (fingers crossed) catching up on sleep.  Do you have any special plans?  I'd love to hear what you'll be up to...