Picture of the Month

rain rain go away

come again another day... PLEASE

we are on holiday... YAY

at the caravan... YAY

it's been raining since noon... NOT YAY

and my washing really suffered.... 2 loads this morning @ $3 per load... 1 of nappies, 1 of clothes... hung them on the line, cause the wind was awesome for drying... within an hour it started pelting down... and nearly 7hrs later, it's still raining...

So I chucked all the washing in one machine {another $3} to wash again as you can't just select a spin cycle up here... and then threw it all in the dryer {$4}... *sigh* todays washing has just cost me $13

Merry Christmas!!!

Obviously this post is scheduled.  I'm busy spending the day with my family :) I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.  I will be back in the next couple of days with photos.

A new feature

Every month on the 29th, 30th or 31st I will post what I deem to be the Picture of the Month :) I love taking photos and there is always one each month, that I think is the best... and I would like to share these with you all.  So keep your eyes peeled at the end of December

I hope you enjoy this feature as much as I will

The joy of Bubbles

Goodbye Primary School

Well Friday marked the official end of Primary for Paris and Josh.  Off they went to school, with gifts for their teachers and x-mas cards for their mates.

They informed me on the way to school, that it was "signing day" at school.  I enquired as to what "signing day" was and was promptly told "it's the day we sign each others shirts of course"... well of course - why didn't I know that?? I really didn't want them participating in "signing day" when I could get perfectly good money, for selling their perfectly good second hand uniform items... but alais, who am I to mess with apparently "ancient tradition" haha

School finished at 12.30 and they both headed off to their best mates houses for an afternoon of fun.  I'm not sure it's dawned on them just how different next year is going to be for them...

Proud Moment

Wednesday was Paris and Josh's Primary School Year 6 Graduation. I went along, proud as punch to be watching both Paris and Josh graduate {as I think any parent would be}
It was so awesome watching them go up on stage to collect their Graduation Certificate along with the rest of their classmates.  And they looked so nice too all dressed up in their Sunday Best.

What I was not expecting was to hear my baby girls name called out during the awards presentation. Out of 6 kids nominated for the 2010 Attitude and Effort Cup, Paris won!!!  I was soooo shocked, and proud, and close to tears all at once {luckily I held the tears in}.  I know that Paris does have an awesome attitude at school, and always gives 110% in everything she does.  I also know that she is well liked and respected by teachers and students alike, but I never in a million years expected this :)

Well done Paris, I'm so very Proud of you xx

And here are some pictures

Paris with her trophy and medal

Josh looking very swish

The two of them together



The end of an era is upon us...

or at least the end of our first 6 years at school... I cannot believe my baby girl is due to graduate from Primary School tomorrow...   She is excited about this... me - I have so many mixed emotions... my baby is no longer gonna be a "baby"... She is going to go to intermediate school, meet a whole new lot of friends {which means a whole new lot of friends parents for me to meet}, and become a young lady...

I'm not so sure I'm ready for this... but I can't stop it from happening can I??.... I feel like screaming from the top of lungs

"Stop the world - I want to hop off"

Cause thats kinda how I feel about it off... If I hop off the ride - things will remain status quo right??? LOL I'm dreaming I know...

Time for a change...

Well we think it is... but most days Cammy doesn't agree...

See he loves Madagascar 1 & 2 and Ice Age... so for the last 3-4 mths thats ALL we have been allowed to watch... this afternoon I thought I would try my luck with Finding Nemo {after all, it's just a great movie}

And....

Success!!!! He has been glued to the movie, laughing, commentating, telling me to watch lol

YAY for change... Wonder how long we get away with not watching Madagascar???

Tis the season...

 

building and "fluffing" the tree

Just about ready to decorate

a little boy waits

Finally able to help :)

Nearly finished

All done

with lights

And that folks is our Christmas Tree

From the garden...

Look what I picked from our vegie garden yesterday

Peas and Brocolli - YUMMY

and we ate them with dinner last night too :)

I got one...

remember this post I made not so long ago...?

Well I got one... $20 at K-Mart... I can't wait till the weekend so I can try it out at my inlaws when we go there for our family christmas get-to-gether

I'll keep you updated :)

25 weeks

I can't really believe that I am 25 weeks already... this pregnancy seems to by flying... maybe it's because I'm too darn busy to pay any attention lol

This photo was taken by Paris today:

I'm feeling rather huge to be honest... and am measuring 5 weeks ahead.  This is because I have Polyhydramnios {google it if you must} which is excess amniotic fluid.  I will be having a scan at 28 weeks, to make sure there is nothing wrong with bubs that could be causing it, or whether it's just "one of those things"

no excuse

There is no realy excuse for why I have been so slack blogging lately... other than maybe - I'm tired... and I'm busy...

I just got home from another St John Camp for which I am one of 2 co-ordinators for, so you can only imagine how busy I have been the last few weeks...

I also have hit some medical hurdles with the pregnancy, which are leaving me drained {more on that another day}...

So while this post is boring - it's really just a sorry post... I'll be back real soon, I promse xx

I want, I want, I want....

A CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN!!!

need I say more...

I can, I can....

Sushi Fun

I love Sushi! But I suck big time at making it... every attempt I have made in the last 5 years has resulted in mushed up, squased up, falling apart rice, meat and veg haha

So when I saw this wonderful Sushi tool at Stevens I HAD to have it... however, I didn't have the $40 at the time... just as well, because it's on special this week... $30... so I bought one...

Looks cool aye??

And so of course, I had to try it out immediately... I mean, I needed to make sure it worked ;)

Ingredients sorted

check out that perfect rice roll :)

and dinner is served!!

Nay's Chocolate Swap

Awhile ago, I signed up to be a part of Nay's Chocolate Swap... I love chocolate, so this seemed like a perfect swap for me...

As Renee had an odd number of people, this swap was more of a "pass it on" style swap, ie:

Person 1 buys for Person 2.
Person 2 buys for Person 3.
Person 3 buys for Person 1.
 
So the person buying for me was Helen from the UK.  Helen doesn't have a blog unfortunately so I am unable to direct you to her... but here's the wee stash she sent me:
 

I've taken two pics so you can kind of see it all... the Milky Way Magic Stars were such a hit with Cammy, that I have hidded the rest of the choccies and only eat them when he is in bed :)

The person I had to buy for was Benay from Japan I did a bit of reading on her blog before purchasing and sending her goodies to her, so I hope she likes :) I have had word from her in the last couple of days that she has recieved the parcel.

Our Vegie Garden

At long last we have moved house, and are now fully settled in...

So it was time to plant out the vegie garden... Now being in a new house, we had to start from stratch {when I say me, I actually mean Ian and the kids - cause I'm too pregnant lol}

I didn't get any photo's of them digging the garden as I was too busy inside looking after Cam, but here are the pics of the finished result:

The brocolli and the pumpkins were started off site in pots at the old house, but they have transferred well, the Tomatoes and Capsicums are all newly bought and planted - still have carrots, radish, and cucumbers to plant

Strawberries and Peas transported from the old house... these are growing really well, so we won't transplant them into the ground

Borne Naked Liner - Winner

Picked using Truely Random Number Generator

And the winner is:

Comment #10

Belonging to Jodie from Jodes Spot!!

Massive congrats to you Jodie.  Email me at aleesham79 at gmail.com with your address and I'll arrange postage :)

Last chance to transform your handbag.....

and your life...

head to here for your last chance to enter the draw for a Borne Naked Liner for your handbag...

This has totally transformed my life, and people are starting to notice that I no longer spead 5mins hunting for things in my bag...

Half Way...

It's hard to believe, but I am already half way to my due date...

so here's a pic of me a couple of days ago, at 20 weeks 5 days

PS: sorry to those of you who have already seen this pic elsewhere xx

Borne Naked Liner

I was one of the lucky blogging mummies from Kiwi Mummy Blogs to be picked to review a Borne Naked Liner.

One of the reasons I wanted to trial this product is because I am sick to death of never being able to find any of lifes important things in my handbag... such as:

• lollypops {I love these, and often have one on the drive home from work}
• cellphone
• work ID and building swipe card
• work keys
• st john keys
• deodorant
• lipbalm
• pens

you get the drift - right?  Check out what my handbag looks like on an average day:

That picture doesn't really do the mess in my handbag any justice - so.....

And on the weekends it's worse - as I have to fit a drybag with a spare cloth nappy, cloth wipe, and a wet bag haha

When my Borne Naked Liners arrived, I was sooo excited to open the box and find two beautifully packaged liners in it

So I put one of them to the test - and must admit, my stuff looks great in it :)

The last couple of days using the Borne Naked Liner, have actually made my life soooo much easier... and best of all... my handbag looks awesome

Now the lovely folk at Borne Naked, gave me two of these awesome liners... One for me to test and review, and one for you to win :)

For your chance to win a Borne Naked Liner simply leave me a comment with your name and email address. Simple isn't it! 

If you blog about this competition, including a photo of your handbag in it's natural state explaining why you must have a Borne Naked Liner, and leave me a comment with the link, I will give you another 2 entries.

I'll draw the winner next Monday 1st November. Comp open to NZ residents only please.


For more chances to win this liner, head to Kiwi Mummy Blogs as there were serveral ladies choosen to review and giveaway this product.

Slack

I've been really slack on the blogging front the last few weeks, what with moving house and St John Camp... so starting tonight, I promise to make more of an effort again :)

See you all tonight, with a fab post and another giveaway :):)

And the winner is....

Using a random number generator the winner of my book giveaway for the book Fierce September is....

Karla from I have foot in Mouth Disease

Congratulations Karla

Please flick me an email with your address to:

aleesham79 at gmail.com

Don't Forget...

today is the last day you can enter my book giveaway...

http://leeshshighway.blogspot.com/2010/10/giveaway-and-book-review-fierce.html

Should be packing...

but I'm not... *sigh* I just don't have the motivation for packing haha

I'm off to camp this labour weekend... Paris is coming with me, and Ian is taking the boys up to the caravan... I love camp, but this particular camp is special... see, it's at Motatapu... for those of you who don't know, Motatapu Island is attached under sea level to Rangitoto Island.  Motatapu is an old Army Base, and is a rocking place for a youth camp.  So tomorrow night, myself, 45ish other leaders and 200ish kids will be boarding a barge for the trip over the water... then we hike - yup you read that right, we hike to the camp... I'ts fun, I love it, and even at 20 weeks pregnant I'm looking forward to it :)

Catch you all on Monday

GIVEAWAY and Book Review: Fierce September

Fierce September - by Fleur Beale

Juno and the Taris inhabitants have to leave their dying island and go Outside.  The young people are entranced despite the hate campaign against them - they love the fashions, the technologies and, best of all for Juno, the freedom from extreme control. But, only days after the group arrives, a pandemis hits that has drastic consequences for Juno and her people.

Juno is shocked to find the island held more secrets that any of them knew.  She wants to bury her head, ignore what she's discovered and forge ahead to find her own place in this new world.  But Juno finds she can't stay hidden in the background when danger threatens the people of Taris.  It will take courage and determination to save them

Another magnificent, couldn't put down read.  This book had me in tears at times, and in fits of laughter at other times.  It bought back many fond memories of my teenage years.  Fleur Beale, once again had me entranced from the first chapter of the book.  It was so hard to put the book down {which I had to do many times, as we were in the middle of moving house}.  Just like with Juno of Taris I felt like I was right there, walking beside Juno, as she searched her new life to find out what the world had in store for her and her friends/family.  Juno cements firm friendships in this book and also gathers a few enemies along the way - nothing short of real life for today's teenagers.

Another book that I would recommend to all.  It should be compulsary reading during English at highschool if you ask me.

GIVEAWAY:

I have one copy of Fierce September to giveaway.  If you wish to win a copy of this awesome book, simply leave a comment, telling me your favourite time of day and place to read.  This giveaway is open to everyone, so please feel free to spread the word.  Entries close 5pm Monday 25th October.  If you blog about this competition, you will get 1 extra entry, leave a comment, with a link to your post.

Happy reading :)

Book Review: Juno of Taris

Juno of Taris - by Fleur Beale

Juno is Young; she has no authority, no power, and to question the ways of Taris is discouraged.  She knows what it's like the community withdraws from her - turning their backs and not speaking to her until she complies.

The Taris Project was the brainchild of a desperate twenty-first-century world, a community designed to survive even if the rest of humanity perished.  An isolated, storm-buffeted island in the Souther Ocean was given a protective dome and its own balmy climate.  And now Juno is one of 500 people who live there - but what has happened to the outside world in teh years since Taris was established?  The island has not been in contact with Outside since the early years of it's existence.

Juno yearns to know about life Outside, just as she yearns to be allowed to grow her hair.  It is a rule on Taris that all must have their heads shaved bare.  But is it a rule that could be broken?  Danger awaits any who suggest it.

What can I say?  The blurb on the back of the book had me hooked... I started reading at 10pm the first night, and didn't put the book down for 2hrs, see, if the back hadn't of hooked me, the first chapter certainly would of.  Fleur Beale, is an author I hadn't heard of before now, and I can't for the life of me figure out why.  She writes so well.  I honestly felt like I was right there, standing next to Juno, every step of the way.  I highly recommend this book to all, and think it would be a great read for teenagers.

Look out for my next book review on "Fierce September" the sequeal to Juno of Taris.  The fierce September review contains a giveaway.

Happy reading :)

All Moved...

Well the move is done and dusted, and went off fairly well... but I'll still be absent for a while, as we have no phone or internet connection at the new house due to a major line fault.  They *Telecom* reckon that we may have services restored by Saturday - to be honest, I'm not holding my breath...

last night...

tonight is our last night in this house... and we are spending it, rushed off our feet, stressed to the max, getting ready for the movers at 9am!!

*sigh* why do I do this to myself...

On the upside - I have today, moved 95% of my kitchen into the new house and have put it all in it's new rightful place...

so anyway - best be off, it's nearly 11.30pm and I would like to sleep tonight...

catch you all from teh new house...

boxes, boxes, and more boxes...

let the record state here and now - that I hate packing... I love moving, but I loathe packing my house up... I also hate unpacking lol...

right now - my house is in total disarray - there are boxes here, there and everywhere... it's unsettled the cat something wicked, not to mention Cammy...

Paris has been brilliant with packing her room up... Josh on the other hand - hmmmmmmmmmm... well lets just say that if I have to pack it up, none of it will make it to the new house at all...

My bathroom, is a pretty empty space... as is my kitchen... my tupperware collection takes up 3 massive boxes *whoops*

The upside of packing of course - is the sorting one does of their life and belongings... we have delivered so many bags of clothing to the local clothing bins, and still have more to go I'm sure {after all, I haven't even started on my drawers yet}...

right - well, I'd best be getting back to it... if you don't hear from me for a few days - it's probably because the boxes have swallowed me whole...

School Holidays - 1 week down

Well we have come to the end of the first week of the September school holidays... Josh has been at his mum's all week, so I've only had Paris to worry about.

She has spent the week with my mum {she has still been home at night though}... the first day they discovered a massive sale at the Quicksilver shop at Dressmart - 70% off everything in store... my sister spent up a storm... and when they told me it about, it got me thinking... so I sat Paris down and asked her if she still believed in Santa - thankfully her answer was no... Phew - I avoided THAT talk haha...

So then I told Paris that she could go to the quicksilver with Nana and choose some items for her Santa Sack... she got several great items and it didn't break the bank {$400 worth of gear for $120}...

Over the week they did a few things, but the best day according to Paris was today... They caught a bus into town, spent the day there, then caught the train home! Paris loved it!!

Next week, both Paris and Josh are off to Rotorua with my Aunty from Tuesday to Friday :)

Happy 2nd Birthday Cammy

Today is my baby boy's 2nd birthday... and what a glorious day it was weather wise... we started the day by giving him his new train set, he loved it!!!

Then it was off to Plunket for our 2year check - all is well, and Cammy is progressing nicely :)  What more can a mother ask for?

After that, it was off to daycare, where all his little friends {and teachers} were waiting for him to arrive so they could start the party - I made cupcakes for his daycare cake:

I left the camera at Daycare so they could take some photos of his day... these are 2 of my favs:

After a busy day at daycare it was off to Nana's for a lovely family dinner of Chinese takeaways...

and cake

At my house...

• the sun has been shining for 2 days in a row - this people is a miracle... spring has finally sprung - sure it's late, but least it's arrived right...?
• washing has been getting dry the old fashioned way - on the line {haha - I talk about my washing heaps}
• we have found a new house, and move in 2 weeks eeeeeeek... this means I should be packing - not blogging, but oh well :) ... the new house is so gonna be great for us... 4 bedrooms + a study, 2 lounges, open plan kitchen/dinning, fireplace in upstairs lounge, a lovely deck - leading onto a fully fenced section!! a clothesline in the carport - so even when it's raining I can get my washing dry hehe... 2 bathrooms... ahhhhhh I can't wait to move... if only someone would come and do my packing for me....

to see whats happening at other bloggers houses this week, go visiting here

Daylight Savings has Arrived

Which to me spells the start of summer, bbq's, kids playing outside for hours, fun at the beach, my caravan and a whole lot more...

And yesterday, we just happened to put a new BBQ on layby - I'm so excited... it's not for use at home though - it's for the caravan, but thats ok - it's everything I need up there for when Ian is back at work, and I'm alone with the kids trying to watch them AND cook their dinner... it's a 4 burner hooded BBQ with a side element :)

I only hope the weather starts to get a bit better... so far so good today :)

yummy pineapple

I just can't get enough pineapple at the moment... it's all I think about from the moment I wake in the morning till the moment I go to sleep at night... and I'm pretty sure, if I could just remember my dreams, that I may be thinking about it in my sleep also... 

I eat half a pineapple in one sitting I love it soooo much...

One Lovely Blog

Thanks so very much to Kelly from Vintage Mum, Modern Child and Mel from Mels World for nominating me for this award.  I feel very honoured, as I have never been nominated for anything like this before.

Now here are the rules:

1. Accept the award. (Post it on your blog along with the name and link of the person who has awarded it to you.

2. Pay it forward to between 5 and 15 other bloggers whom you've recently discovered.

3. Contact the bloggers and let them know that they have been chosen.

Here's My List:

Chocolate Fishies {Formally Maehe Girl}

A Girl and a Glue Gun

M.N.M's

Our Precious Memories

Just Breathe

Be Strong and Courageous

My Spirited Baby

Jodes Spot - Life is a Journey
Paisley Jade

I'm becoming a nana

Just lately I've found myself having to be in bed my 9.45pm at the latest as I am sooooo tired... and it doesn't seem to matter how much sleep I get, I'm still tired...

I think that I am getting old lol or it could just be that this baby likes it's sleep {which would be a first for one of my kids}

I used to be up most nights till 11pm ish.

The world through Cammy's eyes:

I'm almost 2, and when I get hold of the camera - this is what I see

Mum really needs to fold the washing

My book

me!!

My chair at the big table