You know you're a Mum when....

you can't see the TV show you're watching clearly for all the greasy fingerprints all over the screen!

Can someone please tell me....

why it is exactly that ECE hours are only applicable for three and four year olds?


Perhaps I've the wool pulled over my eyes, but it makes sense to have it for one and two year olds too, right?


The reason I ask is, I'm looking at going back to work and holy heck daycare is UBER expensive. YEESH. It really is for the rich and famous!


Is there anything that caters for parents who aren't so keen on footing up close to $300 for 3/4 days of care?


Now I know it's what's best for your child and if I know that Redford will get the most super care at creche out of anywhere else then I'm happy to pay the bill, but honestly, is there even a choice? 


What about parents that need to go back to work and can't foot the cheque? Or single parents? What happens then? Where do their kids go and how do they afford the care?


I just don't get it....

Little Red turns one.

So the wee monster turned one on Monday and we celebrated in style the day before. A great day was had by all, even Redford who took it all in his stride (and thoroughly enjoyed his piece of cake). The highlight? Putting him in the sailor suit that his Daddy wore 31 years ago when he turned one!


The feast! And all homemade! We had lamingtons, cheese straws, rice paper rolls, animal biscuits, pikelets...

and then there were pepperdews stuffed with brie, egg, ham and salmon sammies, mint truffles and lime and white chocolate rocky road. Yum!

We even had goody bags! No party is complete without goody bags.

But who could forget the most important part? The cake! Vanilla butter cake with vanilla buttercream icing. Mmmm!

There was plenty of bubbles for the adults....

Me and the birthday boy (who's not all too happy about wearing such a silly hat) x

Family photo! Daddy's not too happy about the hat either - "But I look simple!"

Opening presents, what a lucky wee boy our Redford was!

Cake time! A big happy birthday followed by the clap game.... which was pretty short seeing as though there was only one clap....

Redford wasted no time in munching down his piece of cake (we may have created a monster) with Daddy.

The infamous sailor suit!

Cuddles with Daddy - recreating the 1980 photo with the next generation.

Redford's actual birthday - his first fluffy (which went down a treat, particularly the marshmallows!)

Eyeing up the $350 wagon that he'd quite like for his next birthday. Dream on, buddy!

Holy heck! I'm IN the mirror! Admiring himself at Te Papa.

And to top off a lovely day, naked fun times with the balloons. Red thought all his birthday's had come at once.

Now it's Mummy and Daddy's time to celebrate! We crack open our bottle of 2008 Alana Estate Reisling Aperitif, bought waaaay back on our first trip away together. Bliss!

And thus concludes Redford's lovely birthday! Bring on number two, I say! I'm planning it already....


x

Counting down to the big O-N-E!!

So my baby boy is one in T minus four days!! I can't quite believe how fast yet slow this past year has gone. I find it absolutely incredible how much Redford has developed in such a short time. He's gone from a mewing, wide-eyed newborn to a grape guzzling, trolley pushing wee character and I love him more and more every day.


We're having his birthday party on Sunday which started off low key but has grown somewhat.... 


My favourite part has been concocting a scrummy menu for all the peeps to eat! We have cheerios and T sauce for the littlies (and for the oldies - who doesn't love a sneaky cheerio?), iced animal biscuits, cheese biscuits, lamingtons, brie and pepperdew bites, avocado, cucumber, ginger and coriander rice paper rolls, pikelets and finger sammies. All homemade (minus the cheerios)!


And of course, who can forget the main munch - the cake! I'm attempting a vanilla number 1 cake with butter cream icing and edible decorations. Oh, and there's take home bags - mint truffles and lime and white chocolate rocky road. Mmmm....


I promise pictures aplenty come Monday for onscreen drooling!


Now to work on a gift that Little Red will enjoy just as much as the paper it's wrapped in....

You know you're a Mum when....

you thank your lucky stars for a sleep-in. 


I.e. You get woken up by incessant chattering at 7:20am - a whole twenty minutes later than usual! 


Yippee!