Gift ideas part 1.

With the dreaded "c" word fast approaching and it now being an unavoidable reality I thought I would share some gift ideas with you.  I am one of those get in early and get it done types of people although you will still find me racing around like a blue ass fly on chrissy eve getting a last minute pressie and wrapping the stuff that has been sitting there for ages!!  Although this year I am way ahead and have pretty much got 80% of the stuff and just need 5 minutes to do a little online shopping!!

0-3 year olds 

foam shapes for the bath.  Yes it is annoying as hell packing them all up but they provide hours of fun and they are generally cheap as chips.  Santa is bringing some new ones for us as the ones we have have pretty much had it.  They have lasted a year and seen some serious bathtime action!!

this would have to be one of the most used and unbreakable things we have!!

 books, books, books.  We have a tonne of books already but you can bet I have read each one we have a million times or more!! A new book always goes down well!!

 dvds are great too.  So many options!!  I love introducing my kids to movies I loved as a kid.

 hours of fun for the kids and hours of packing away for the parent!!  It is one thing my kids will sit still and play quietly with!!

 old school toys are awesome too!!  Santa is bringing Speedy one of these!!

 When in doubt ASK!!  I don't have a lot in this age group to buy for but I do double check for birthdays and Christmas if there is anything the child needs or that the parent wants.  I have very strict limits on how much I spend and do not go over.

I hope this is helpful, I have seen people saying they have no idea what to get as presents.  These are just some little ideas that we have been given or I got that were awesome.  Tomorrow I have some more ideas for everyone else!!  Sometimes the simplest things are the best

Lastly, I am trying to pull together a little online party in December.  Stay tuned for details!!

Linking up with One Mother Hen for Open Slather.

FFS Friday/ Things I Know- 36 days until Bon Jovi

Another week another round of the eye rolling and smiling.

THE BAD 

No sooner had I pressed publish on last weeks post my planned quiet weekend came to an end.

A 2 year old with scabby eye and a phone call saying we were having visitors on Saturday.

Off to the chemist we went as I very cleverly remembered you don't need a prescription to get scabby eye drops.  After giving the chemist my diagnosis of what it was (yes I am highly qualified thanks to years of tv medical show watching) we walked out of there with the eye drops and a bottle of clarentine.

Trying to get eye drops into a 2 year old successfully deserves a medal.

Spent Saturday getting ready for our visitors, the 4 year old took himself to bed at 930am and me totally being moty thought he was just being lazy and not wanting to help tidy up.  Fast forward to just after bedtime when he got up with a very high temperature.  Turns out he had not been feeling well all day.

Sunday afternoon and all of Monday I felt like shite with some weird aching joints like when you get the flu but without the flu.

Tuesday afternoon the 4 year old had some weird rash, took him to the chemist before preschool on Wednesday morning to see what it was.  The chemist said it looked like a reaction to something and suggested I give him clarentine which I then had to buy another bottle of or walk home and give him the stuff we already had.

Wednesday and Thursday high temps for the 2 year old.

Hopefully that has ended the week of illness.

After being sick on Monday I wrote a killer #ibot post on Tuesday in my "quiet time" (the time before the kids get up in the morning) all that was left to do was publish and link it up.  In the time it took me to put the clothes in the washing machine and turn it on my post was half deleted and the other half all ass about face.  Thanks kids.

Thursday in "quiet time" I was working on something which I came up with and then could not get to work.  No post then either.

THE GOOD

It was nice to have visitors on Saturday and I got to show off my culinary skills!!  Mashed potato bake and Mini frozen lemon cheesecakes were a big hit.  I really love summer nights where you can hang out relaxing outside, despite the mossies!!

After the great quality street eating debate on facebook and instagram I very sensibly stashed the tins I had brought and did not crack them open.  For now anyway!!

We have s very busy Sunday lined up, our local markets, a car show an 18th and mums group chrissy party.  Not sure how we will fit it all in and also it is supposed to pour with rain all weekend but looking forward to all of it!!

I also can't wait to catch up on Homeland tonight and then get my Jax/SOA fix on Saturday night although I do wish we had foxtel then I would be up to date and not watching dvds of old seasons.

Also happy ciderday!!  Well earned this week!!

Linking up for Things I Know with  Miss C who is back from her blogging break and Dear Baby G for FFS Friday.

Wordless Wednesday- life lately

Cider, smilea, my new dress, a lovely card, 2 babies, a bird and trouble x3!!

Sleeping cookie monster 3/11/13, fire truck fun, eating of the hands, sleeping on the lounge, 3 little chickens, my gorgeous new blanket, dinner, cat and boy, sleeping angel.

Biggest brother and littlest brother 5/11/13

Linking up with My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday.

Things I Know/ FFS Friday- Wrecking Ball

What has made me roll my eyes and say FFS this week-

The kids let Shiraz the cat out by accident on Tuesday night while I was in the shower forcing me to spend a fair bit of the night outside in my pjs calling for Shiraz.  Luckily it was windy and raining a little so not too many people saw and heard me sound like a desperate wino.  The cat rocked home the next morning as if nothing had happened.

Not only did channel 9 get rid of Days Of Our Lives but they got rid of The View too and have replaced it with a movie.  Some movies have been awesome but seriously the amount of swearing in them is ridiculous.  Yes I am chained to the lounge for 95% of the day feeding a baby so I am an authority on daytime tv at the moment.

Also why are there so many home shopping channels on??

We had our local fair last weekend.  It was awesome except when we got there my thong broke.  I had to hobble around looking for a stall that sold shoes when there wasn't one I had to hobble to the surf shop and buy a new pair of thongs.  I have no idea how people walk around with no shoes on I got about a thousand bindis stuck in my foot.  Ouch.

The fair has given me a new addiction which is gozleme.

The 4 year old walked around the fair like some kind of rock star with people yelling out to him and saying hello.

I have been replying to blog comments via email this week only to discover heaps of them are no reply addresses.  Also while sitting on the lounge feeding the baby.

There are 2 building sites on our street at the moment with heaps of activity and always something to look at when we walk past.  There is also a heap of workers cars/utes around too.  We like to walk and spell and count on our walks.  Yesterday there was a ute with a sticker on the back and me being mother of the year was not paying any attention to what was on it until I hear F.U.*.K H.I.P.S.T.E.R.S what does that spell Mum out of the 2 year olds mouth.  I out right lied and said I didn't know!!  What the hell is a hipster anyway??!!

Lastly on Saturday I was watching some music video show when Miley Cyrus came on licking a hammer as she does, sat Speedy up to burp him and watched him sit transfixed at the film clip.  Yep apparently he likes it and just to make sure it wasn't a fluke I you tubed it and he sat there again.



What made me smile this week

Thanks to the fair I nailed a tonne of "C" shopping and thanks to the pre school fundraiser toy catalogues I have nearly finished everything including the nearly 3 year olds birthday presents too.  Patting myself on the back for that one!!

The fair also meant catching up with some very special friends!!  I can't wait for next year when we have a carport up and we can sit and watch the street parade which basically starts at my front door in comfort!!  Although boo to the fact the paraders can't throw lollies at the crowd anymore.

This is basically our last free weekend until the end of December.

Its Friday again which means ciderday or wineday I haven't decided yet!!

Thanks Mother Nature for the cooler weather and rain this week.

Oh and thanks for all the comments this week, I ended up emailing ANZ Stadium and got a reply and will be speaking to someone from there today, will keep you posted!!

Linking up with Dear Baby G for the weekly whinge and A Parenting Life for the small amount of Things I Know.