Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Egg and Bacon. Wow, I have a wonderful imagination. (Older kids are happy with this, younger kids had 3 minute noodles)
Tuesday - Chicken mince rissoles with baked vegies
Wednesday - Chicken caesar salad
Thursday - Mince pastries
Friday - German Farmers Breakfast which I found here (thanks Connie) It sounds yummy and a nice quick meal to finish the working week with. A few tiny alterations to fit our lifestyle but can't wait to try it.
Saturday - Home made Pizza. (Full house this weekend and kids love making these.)
Sunday - Parmesan Dijon Chicken which I found here (thanks Julia)

That makes 2 new recipes this week. Should be fun.
Don't forget to visit Laura for hundreds of Menu plan ideas.

Nothing much else going on this weekend. Took things pretty easy. Soooooo tired.
We did even forget to take Renee to a party on Saturday!! Im still so ashamed!! I was sleeping on and off and Brett went to work and we both just forgot. I have bought a present for her to give him plus I have written a little note to the parents apologising seeing as how I had accepted the invitation. That is the first, and last time, I will ever forget a party!
The girls came back from their dad with a few step mother issues lol. Im pretty sure before the year is out, Bec will no longer be going to her dads house. She has had enough.

DURAN DURAN CONCERT!!!

I went and saw Duran Duran at the Entertainment centre last night. It was just over 2 hours of them with no support act!! Woooooooooooooo! It was AWESOME. This is the 3rd time Ive seen them! November 16th 1983 was the first time. Is it sad I remember the exact date this many years later?? Yes, probably!! Then of course, back in December 2003 when they came out with Robbie Williams. I remember the day I heard I was getting Duran Duran AND Robbie for the price of one ticket!

We were chatting with people sitting around us beforehand doing the usual, whats your fav song, who is your favourite guy etc. A complete stranger said I was obscure hehe. I have never met anyone else that fancied Roger the drummer. My friend likes John and of course Simon Le Bon is a big winner but my choice is somewhat obscure, but its only ever been Roger for me.

They played loads of old and new stuff, kept us all entertained and I had a great night. So glad they play The Reflex which is my fav. I don't actually have a copy of Red Carpet Massacre and after hearing the opening few songs I know I have to get it!!! I realise they are getting on a bit age wise but gee they sure still have 'it'. 'Young' Simon still has all the moves! Fantastic night!!!!! Oh and Kris and I would have been on the younger end of the audience age group. I also overheard a conversation about menopause which I NEVER thought I would hear at a concert. I have had a headache all day today however!
Worth it though!!!

Had a meeting with our boss just to see how we are getting on with the new jobs. Shaz and I weren't allowed to leave as we had miserable looks on our faces. hehe
We are flat out and trying to work out what takes priority which is hard. Hopefully it will get easier.
Paid the last part of Nic Soccer reg tonight. We are paying all the match fees up front this season rather than at each game. Makes it easier for me anyway.
Don't plan on being awake to post tomorrow night so Ill do concert update on Saturday.

Busy at work as usual. Cut short Renees dance class today as Sarah had to be at St Marys Don Bosco for a party by 5.45pm. She got a lift home and when I asked her how it went she said 'Awesome'. How many teenage parties are awesome these days lol.
Spoke with Chez again. She definately needs Insulin. She has to have her needle before going to bed, have a snack and then off to bed. She has to keep to the diet and also check her levels the next 2 mornings and get back to the Doctor. She is definately having the baby by May 19th at the latest.

Back to work today after a lovely Easter break. Even with a housefull of kids it was nice and relaxed lol. Spent the day Scanning files...woo hoo (full of sarcasm this week)
Convinced Nic not to do Soccer training tonight as it has cooled down a bit and she is still sniffing and coughing.
In the process of clearing all the stock and my desk into the cupboards here in the garage as Im itching to do some scrapping and just don't have the room. Brett told me to use the dining table but I don't want the hassle of having to clean up everything when we want to eat.
Chez called me in tears this afternoon. Not only is she dealing with gestational diabetes, now she is going to need Insulin!!!! We talked for around an hour, haven't done that in years!!! The girls were quite amused hehe!! Chez has an appointment with her Dr and her Obstetrician tomorrow to find out just how much and how often she will need the Insulin. Surely this is the end of the drama for this pregnancy!

Menu Monday

Better late than never!

I will be cooking but not eating much of the following due to reasons previously mentioned!

Monday - Chicken Stir Fry (Cooked by teenager daughter woohoo!)

Tuesday - Spag Bol

Wednesday - Chicken rissoles and potato

Thursday - Chicken Tarragon Meatloaf with cooked vegies (cause I can't have raw veg) Mmm I have a craving for Spinach.

Friday - Toasted sandwiches. Probably chicken or ham. Just 3 of us on Friday nights.

Saturday - Chicken wraps. Coat chicken in herb and garlic mix and sautee. Yummo!

Sunday - Vegetable Lasagne (not that I have a recipe yet lol)

I badly need some more family friendly meals. We eat a lot of chicken and mince. I don't cook much red meat cause Im not a big fan although I know the kids and hubby do like it. Im the only fish eater lol

Check out what others are eating over at Lauras.

Hannah Who

Felt REALLY sick this morning. I can definately not eat Chocolate at the moment. Im down to dry toast and rice cakes with vegemite. Grrrrr. If I don't lose weight cause of this bug I will be very angry.
Managed to drag myself to the movies at Penrith to see Hannah Montana 3D Movie with Nic and Renee. I must admit it was quite entertaining. The girls loved it. Afterwards cause I was in a good mood we went into Target and bought them a Hannah CD. I didnt realise they didnt have any of her CD's lol.
Chez and family popped in. She is now following her diabetic diet. She left me a copy of the foods and measurements seeing as how Im off practically everything but air! She also gave me a map of where the Hospital is and where to park etc for when I get the call!
Sarah made her Chicken stir fry for dinner tonight but with less Chillie. It was yummy, and because the vegies were cooked and not raw and it was chicken, I ate a bowl full. Makes a change from rice cakes.

Happy Easter

The girls woke up early to eat their Chocolate. By lunch time Renee was tying to give away her leftovers lol. They didn't have much really to start with so maybe she isn't going to be a chocoholic like me!
Fairly relaxed day, Brett made Garlic Roast Chicken for dinner...YUMMOOOO! I told him there wasn't enough Roast Potato. He said it was my fault because I insisted on him cooking all the Pumpkin. I think he should make this every sunday till he gets it right!!!!!

Did some last minute shopping as nothing will be open tomorrow. Have talked the girls into the Movies Monday rather than today. Can't wait to see Hannah Montana 3D Movie (insert sarcasm) The room swapping is going well. Brett did a bit of heavey lifting but apart from that we have left them to it. Quite a lot of stuff has been thrown away...woohoo!
Need to stay awake long enough to do the Easter Bunny thing.

Sleeeep

Im having trouble with the no milk part of the Doctors orders. I have a tiny bit of milk in my coffee, not enough to make a difference I would think but only time will tell.
Did nothing much today, Brett took down the bunk Futon on Sarahs room and we will sell it on Ebay. Moved one of the beds from the other room into their for sarah and then the other girls will swap rooms over the next few days. Nic and Renee will go back to having bunks so will have a lot more room.
Easter bunny has shopped ahead of schedule which is good for a change.

Relaxing day at home. Nipped out to the Post Office and that is about all. Slept for a few hours too. Still feel like S^%T.
My turn to take Sarah to Basketball and Ex will come by to fetch Nic for soccer around 6pm. Hopefully he is dropping her back at 7.30.
Had a brief chat in the car to Bec as she again asked when she is getting her new camera. Reminded her that both she and Sarah currently get money each month in the form of Mobile phone credit and if they wanted anything else they need to step up with their chores. Bec has 3 nights of kitchen duty and Sarah has one night plus bathroom duty. I also said that kitchen duty does not just mean load the dishwasher. Everything else gets left and I end up having to wash up anyway so what is the point in the girls being there in the kitchen. I will reinforce it to the girls on the weekend.
I have promised to take Nic and Renee to see the Hannah Montana 3D movie this weekend. It is only on for 7 days and only at either Broadway or Penrith!!
I emailed my TAFE contact just now and he rang back. He told me that the fee I would pay to start now is $445 for Semester 1 or the $890 for the whole year. The course is apparantly do able in one year. I told him I would be paying the Semester Fee next week. As I have already got the passwords he said I can go onto the site now and get started if I want. Woohoo!!!!! If I felt better, Id do a cartwheel!!

What else is there....?

I had my appointment this morning. I felt ill when I got there. Nerves were a big part of it I know. Anyway I explained that I was there for the Pap but I had other icky issues and she really didnt think I should have the test as any other ailments would interfere with the accuracy. Once she said this I burst into tears. Pretty daft thing to do really. She took my temp and apparantly I have a fever. I also have a Gastro bug type thing starting with 'M' and she was quite surprised I was still going to work. Also talked about the dizzy/fainting feeling Ive been having again and I reminded her that one of her previous suggestions was Panic attacks. I described what happened last Friday and then again at work Monday and she said that its not usual for a Panic attack to happen because you are worried about something. They tend to build up and just happen out of the blue. (That is my understanding of what she said.) She has lent me a book about Panic Attacks and wants me to have a read and see if it relates at all to what happens to me. Some cosy Easter reading lol. Anyway, regarding the Gastro - I have to cut out Milk and Dairy, Red meat, Raw Vegies and Fruit!. Ummm.......which leaves me with.....?
I rang work and told them what is going on and that I was not going to work tomorrow. No problems there of course. I did get told that we have been asked to help out on yet another job for the other department. In particular, me. Also was asked if I could work extra hours. Shaz explained to other Boss that I could only work school hours but could probably work extra days. I told her that I could definately use the extra money lol. I had already decided on the extra days when we got the extra jobs the other day. I really really hope when it comes to reviews in June/July that they acknowledge how much help we have been. Last years pay increase was pitiful and left us with a bad taste in our mouths.
We have a new guy in the office (transfer from other office) who is proving quite entertaining from a 'you've got to be kidding' point of view. I have never met such a Male Chauvanist. He was quite surprised apparantly when we were asked to do the extra work yesterday, as if we were only capable of answering the phone and making coffee. He is by no means rude to us, he just truly believes what he is saying. He is in his late 20's and was born here in Oz but his parents are from OS. Different beliefs I guess. So far, quite entertaining.

Does anyone have Supernanny's phone number?

Not so bad today at work. Still feel quite yucky so looking forward to Dr appointment on Wednesday.
Spoke with Chez this afternoon to get an update on 'Luuuuke'. Much to everyones shock she has developed gestational Diabetes. She has 9 weeks to go. She has a check up on Wednesday to sort things out. She has not lost or put on any wait the whole pregnancy.
Sarah cooked dinner tonight. Chicken stirfry that she made at school. She did a good job except got a bit carried away with the Chillie and we were all gasping for water between mouthfulls. She did see the funny side thank goodness.
Might do Menu Plan Monday on Tuesday.
Brett had a text earlier tonight from his oldest daughter J. She wants to know if she can come stay with us from March 31 till the end of the school hols. Very strange. I know her mum/stepdad are taking the family to Adelaide in a week or so. Maybe she just doesn't want to go. Dontcha love it when teenagers rebel!!!! Hoping she will enlighten us in the next few days. We have already worked out between us how to make it work so all we need to do now is tell J yes! Still curious as to what is going on!

Weekend - March 15/16

Not a lot going on. Bit of housework. Went up to motherinlaws for lunch on Sunday. Yummy Chicken Caeser Salad. Brett worked on her computer for a while. Sandy arrived after driving back from Brisbane. She has been away in Brunei for about 8 weeks.

Absolutely the worst day Ive had at this job! The other departments filing is back logged and no one knows where missing files would be. There is no in/out systems for files so they could be anywhere in our office or the Parra office. Grrrrrrrrrrrr. I had Nic with me so left around lunch time. (thankgoodness!) I plan to have a few words with my boss next week as I really want it laid out in front of me exactly what my job is. Do we still have a Junior? I had a bash at some of our filing and didn't realise how far behind that was as well. Grrrrrrrrrrr.
Brett took Sarah to the Basketball as I was feeling crap and didnt think I could drive into the City. As I was taking the girls to ex I started feeling dizzy and hot and clammy which hasn't happend much since last year. I have an appointment with my Doc for Wednesday for 'that' test so I will end up with a list of ailments at this rate. Brett and Sarah had fun, pity the Kings lost though. B took some good photos including the dancing girls..surprise surprise lol.

Yumm

More of the same as yesterday at work. Ive already decided I need to work tomorrow as well. Brett asked if we got a pay increase as well as the new jobs, I said well yes in a way cause now I need to work more than 3 days a week to catch up on the back log hehe.
We had a farewell lunch today at the Regatta Kitchen and Bar. I had Chicken Caesar Salad. Yummo!! Actually didnt have to rush off as I normally would have to leave work around 2.20pm. I remembered Brett was going to work from home this afternoon so rang him and he was able to pick up the kids. I got home around 4pm..woohoo!
I managed to get tickets to tomorrow nights Sydney Kings game. Not great seats but not horrible either. The first ones the system offered me were behind one of the baskets so I knocked them back and tried again. $20 each, not bad. Should be a fantastic atmosphere.
Bec and Nic are at Soccer. I dropped Nic off then got petrol ($1.46/litre) then came back for Bec. We planned that Brett would then go pick up Nic, get hot chips for dinner (No, not on the menu plan I know!) and I would fetch Bec (further away) and we'd meet back here eventually for dinner. What is actually happening - We got to soccer and Bec realised she had forgotten her boots!!! I came back here to fetch them, we changed the plan and Brett took them back to her then will fetch Nic then get chips* and I will get Bec etc etc etc. I just went out to move my car for Brett to get out in the other one and just sat there looking blankly out the window...Brett called over to me and I just looked at him and said 'What on earth am I doing?'
I am both tired and confused**.
*When I got home, Brett and Nic weren't there with the chips. Apparantly soccer training goes till 7.30pm starting tonight and of course they didn't tell anyone!!! Brett had to hang around for 30 minutes..
**Bec told me that from next week her soccer will only be Tuesdays, altho 6.30 to 8pm. Once the season starts (first weekend of April) Nics training will only be on Thursdays 6 to 7.30pm so only one soccer girl per night! PHEW!!

Filing

Spent my work day learning the filing system for the other department where I work. Now that our receptionist is going to our other Branch, our team of 3 have split her jobs. We already answer the phone when she can't so that is no biggy! Plus a new computer program that keeps track of that other departments files. My head is spinning!
The Sydney Kings managed to draw the final series 2 all so now there is one last Final on Friday night here in Sydney. Guess who is already begging for tickets??? Im sure it will sell quickly but Ill see what I can do. She will need to be happy with the cheap seats though!

Nic's zone carnival was on today @ Blacktown pool. She had 2 swims, 50 Freestyle plus the relay. I was gobsmacked because she actually outdid Bec and Sarah in swimming. All the girls have made it to Zone each year no problem but have never placed in heats or anything at Zone and the journey ends. Nics journey has ended for this season but not before she stormed to the front in her 50m free heat and won! I nearly cried lol. She was in the first (slowest) of 3 heats and didn't make it to the final which surprised me. One of our teachers was officiating and so I asked him to check for me how far off she was. Apparently she was 5 seconds slower than position 8 (slowest finalist) in the Final. Those other 2 heats were fast lol. She swam 47.55 seconds which is her fastest by about 3 seconds. I enjoy swimming carnivals even cheering on the other kids from the school and watching Nic and her friends swim. She had about 5 of her buddies there today so it was good fun. Renee has still got NO interest in swimming. I'm heartbroken *snif* *snif*.

I received the TAFE paperwork today in the mail. I will be studying Certificate IV in Information Technology (Website Design) just as soon as I find the $$. I don't quite understand the fee structure for TAFE. This will either cost me $890 or $445. I will ring the IT guy again tomorrow I think.

Menu Plan Monday

No new recipes this week. Im way to tired to be that clever!

Monday - Chicken Rissoles and mash
Tuesday - Cajun Chicken
Wednesday - Homemade Hamburgers
Thursday - Chicken Pastries
Friday - Crab and corn cakes
Saturday - Lasagne
Sunday - Garlic Roast Chicken (made by hubby)
More great recipe ideas can be found here at laura's.

Had a belated birthday bbq today. Matt and family came which was surprise. He took away with him the rest of our Slides from days gone by. He is getting them all put on Disc so we can each have a copy and do what we want with them. Looking forward to seeing all our child hood pics (hope they aren't all too embarassing) There are some good ones of mum and dad in their younger years. My girls have only ever seen older ones of dad so can't wait to show them younger pics.
Sorted out this weeks menu, and went shopping. Nic now has soccer training 2 nights a week to add to the mix so should be a busy week! Ill put the menu up later!

Wen to a Housewarming/Birthday party out near Kurrajong. Gorgeous area. Party was good fun. Friend of Brett has a humungous property. I would LOVE to just sit on his back lawn and gaze at the backyard/bush. Reminds me of growing up in the Blue Mountains. We could never afford a place like that but its nice to dream. He had a band called Monkey Wrench play, they do Foo Fighters stuff amongst a lot of others...very good too!
Maz was at home looking after the kids for us plus also with our 2 nephews. She certainly had her hands full and we had the night off!!

Mandy, Sean and Kelly

I took Bec and Sarah to see Kelly Clarkson last night. I found out a couple of days ago that one of the support acts had changed and I would have to sit through Mandy Moore!! I hate to admit it but she was actually pretty good. To me she sounds a bit like Alanis Morriset. Bec didn't agree with me lol. Sean Kingston was LOUD!!! thump thump thump sean kingston sean kingston thump thump 'what up G?' When SK hit the stage, Becs face lit up she was so excited to see him. Kelly Clarkson was Great! She chatted and sang, fluffed her words, tripped over the mike stand...all good, and as she said, proof she was doing it live! She has so many hit songs, you don't realise until she sings them all in the same set. I think she sang for about an hour and a half. She has a very strong voice. I would definately go and see her again, no problem.
Ive managed to catch Bretts cold and haven't been to work since Tuesday so this months pay packet will be down. Woke up with the added bonus of a sore throat. I sware I wasn't screaming at the concert last night!! Maybe Im too old to go to a concert and be human the next day!!

Ta Da!!

Picked up Nics glasses this afternoon. The Optometrist was amused with Nic as she put them on and was sooo excited when she looked across the road and could read a sign!! Over 4 lanes of traffic. She was absolutely amazed at the difference. Believe it or not I'm only $50 out of pocket (thanks to private health insurance) and soon I will be only $25 out of pocket when ex pays for half lol. It does help that Ive been going to the same Eye guy since I was about 19.
I'm hoping this will be a boost to her confidence as she was pretty down the other day with the pressure of her School work. I'm sure the fact that she can't see clearly wouldn't have been helping.




Menu Plan Monday - I'm disappointed not to be doing this for this week but money problems at the beginning of the Month shot it down in flames. Can't plan food when you don't know when or if the money will turn up. Im still cooking meals and not resorting to takeaway so Im happy. The expected monthly payment arrived today, 4 days late, but the Centrelink money is still in hiding! Grrrr!!

I let Bec drive to Soccer training tonight, one suburb over. She definitely needs to brake a bit further back when approaching a Red light!! I found myself at least twice trying to brake from the passenger side - it doesn't work!! hehehe. One interesting thing though - she headed out to the car with her soccer boots in her hand and I said you will have to put shoes on before you drive. Well then she said she drove on Sunday from her Soccer game back to dads without shoes!!!!! When I picked her up I told her I had double checked and its against the law the drive without shoes even when you are no longer on P's. I told her not to break any laws while she was on her L's. I sware sometimes my ex husband leaves me speechless!!!

41!

Breakfast meeting for work, then a choice of Chocolate Mud Cake, Caramal Mud Cake or Coffee cake for morning tea. Our receptionist couldn't decide which cake was suitable for my birthday so she bought some of each. A few phone calls with many people singing Birthday greetings down the phone. Good fun! Bec was the only one up when I left before 7am and she had bought me a card plus some Toblerone and Ferrero Rocher.
Had to postpone the Optometrist visit till tomorrow as even though Nics glasses are ready, I didn't have any money to pay for them. Grrrrr! Had a nap instead lol!!
Maz came over for dinner and bought me some chocolate (are you sensing a theme?) and also replenished my Kahlua supply!! Woohoo!!
All in all, it was good Birthday!

Birthday Eve

Most of the morning was spent with Renee saying 'are they here yet?'

Brett has been working since early this morning and is also very soon going to cough up a lung Im sure. Coming down with the flu but still had to work. At least he can do it from home.

Chez & Co arrived early afternoon complete with Birthday cake and candles. She thinks of everything!!! White Mud Cake!! Hmmmm....guess she knows me pretty well. Brett stopped long enough for everyone to sing Happy Birthday to moi.

Chez recognised the course at TAFE Im interested in and said there was actually a 4th one which she was sure was more to do with Web Design and sure enough there was. I had only looked at the OTEN site as I wanted to do it from home but on the general site. It is available at a TAFE near me via 'Flexible Delivery - This attendance allows for learning and assessment in a variety of modes. This may include on campus, off campus, distance learning, online learning and combinations of any of these' so I will be calling them this week so investigate. Maybe I can get started in Semester 2 (more likely to have the money then to pay!!)

Whilst we were looking through the TAFE site my favourite God Son pointed to the 'Over 45' label in Menu and said 'Aren't you guys lucky you don't have to look there yet'!!

Hmmmm ....did I say Favourite????

Don't forget Oh Godson, Your mum is not the only one who has embarassing photos of you!!!

Fairly quiet day. Mainly housework. The Menu plan for this week didn't quite work. Still made all the meals except tonight we had fish and chips.

Ive now got 2 choices in my head for TAFE/UNI courses to do. I need to make up my mind soon. The Uni course is only 1 unit and doesn't seem to be connected to a Bachelor of something. Although it can be included in a Bachelor of General studies. The TAFE courses are Information Technology ones. Basically I want to do Websites. The making of, design of etc etc. I taught myself HTML long ago and want to expand on that. I also want to know how to get the sites up on the web etc. The Uni Unit covers all that but is not connected to anything else and the TAFE courses briefly touch on that once I get to the 3rd level. The TAFE one can be paid for in 2 instalments but the Uni one can be deferred like a HECS debt although its called something else.
Both can be done at home. TAFE through OTEN and the Uni one is Open University.

Im going to pick Chez's brain tomorrow as she has both done Uni and teaches at TAFE

*sigh*