A little swim

Remember the days as a kid that you just didn't care how cold the water was, you just wanted to be in it. A time when we weren't so sensible, and just did want we thought would be fun. 

I thought maybe he would just walk around in the water, I wasn't expecting that he would sit. 

But he Loved every minute of it.

Linking up with Trish at My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday, and Bree at Twinkle in the Eye & Sakura Haruka

Sunday Trading in Perth

This weekend Perth is being dragged, kicking and screaming (it seems), into the 21st century.
And boy am I excited.

You may take it for granted.
I did when I lived in NSW, and then in the USA, where many grocery stores are open 24/7 and most shops until at least 8pm at night including weekends.
When we moved back to sleepy old Perth I kept getting caught out. Oh yeah, most of the shops are closed on Sundays.

But not anymore, this weekend marks a new era for our city, Sunday trading (not all day Sunday, but from 11-5, we will take what we can get). Cue the fireworks, this is something to get excited about, or not, depending on your point of view.

Most of the news I have been hearing lately has been pretty negative, especially if you listen to talk radio. It seems that the sky is falling and small business owners especially seem to despise the idea. Claims are being thrown around that people don't want to SHOP on Sundays, no only browse. Hmmmm, I wonder if this is research based? Have you been to Fremantle on a Sunday? Due to weird tourism zoning regulations Fremantle is allowed Sunday trading, and it is always packed. I am pretty sure I may have seen a couple of people with shopping bags as well that potentially could have some purchases in them, just saying. I hear Joondalup (NOR) is pretty busy too, but that is so far away from me that I consider it to be a different city. The city also has had shopping from 1pm Sundays, but we rarely make the journey because I don't feel like paying a million dollars for parking!

 But then again trying to find a Perth shop with online shopping or even their products listed online is a bit of a challenge (I mean c'mon get with the program, it is 2012 people, you NEED a website). I guess I was just spoilt for choice in the US, where you can look up every product under the sun and know which store stocks it and how many it has, and that was over five years ago now.

Don't get me wrong, I love my city, but this is something that has bugged me for a long time. I don't understand what has taken so long.  I would think that it would make sense to be open on a day that most of the population is not at work? Especially for dual income families that don't want to fight the hordes of people at the shops for our one night a week where shops are open past 5.30pm, Thursday night shopping.

Years ago, we even had a referendum about it, and it was voted against. Yep, apparently the  Sunday trading debate is a big, big deal to people here.

 If I go to a big shopping centre on a Sunday and a bunch of the shops are closed, well then that is just annoying, and of course people wont want to shop on Sundays if they are unsure if the store they want to go to will actually be open.

So, if you have never been to Perth, maybe this will entice you, we have shops, that are open half-days on Sundays, pretty awesome right!

Karen xx

Toddler Lunch: Quesadilla

A favourite in our house. Even Ez stuffs them in his mouth!

Whole Tortilla, Cheese, Spinach, Tomato, Pickles and Avocado in this one, served with Yoghurt. 

Often I will use sliced turkey breast if we have some or beans work as well. 

Simply place the ingredients on one half of the tortilla, fold it in half.

Put a bit of oil in a pan on medium heat and lightly toast each side until the cheese is melted.

Cut in slices and serve with Sour cream/Yohgurt/Guacamole 

And Enjoy. It is a good lunch for adults too! 

Linking up with Trish at My Little Drummer Boys

Wordless Wednesday: Toddler Snacks

I was inspired (and got the recipe) to make these muffins by another Mum at my Mothers group, our 1 year olds were going to town on them. I love finding new healthy recipes for snacks and lunches for my now toddler. These muffins have zucchini, capsicum, ham, mushroom, parsley and mozzarella cheese, and were delicious!

This is the original recipe HERE

Linking this week with Trish at My Little Drummer Boys

A week in Snapshots

It has been a busy week. Here are some snapshots of our week. I am having a hard time believing that my baby is turning 1 tomorrow. But we have been busy getting organised for his Birthday, and doing lots of gardening, which I loathe, but I appreciate what it looks like in the end. We took Ez to his fourth football game, the Western Derby (Eagles v Dockers), he loved all the excitement, and the fact that his team won. 

View of the Swan River looking south. Beautiful day!

Now hope I can keep these Mandarin trees alive and bearing fruit!

Teeny Tiny Baby Snail on the path

Purple Haze! Heading to the Western Derby, can you guess what team we support?

There ain't no better toy than a cardboard box, especially when your Daddy plays with it too. 

Gentle Angus, carefully removing the food from Ezra's hand. Ezra is bribing him so he won't mind if he hangs onto his tail for the rest of the day. 

Heart attack moment, when you spot your not yet 1 year old is standing on a skateboard, all on his own. 

It is a certain little mans birthday this weekend, I have been getting the decorations ready! So FUN!

About to hit the playground. Mummy Vans and Baby Vans. 

Linking up here!

Tales of an Ex-Music Lover

I almost started this post with "in my younger years" until I realised that made me sound really old and boring, I'm not even 30 yet. So I decided I can't start it like that, because I am not old and boring. Or at least I don't want to be.

So, that said. I used to be a music fanatic, I remember waiting patiently to record my favourite songs off of the radio, or ordering punk rock cd's through my favourite mail order catalogue then sit on my bed reading the lyrics from the little booklet that came with them. I spent many Saturdays at 78 records in Perth scouring the shelves and then heading over to their listening stations with an arm full of CD's. I would save my money and go to as many concerts as I could, the very first being Silverchair at the tender age of 13, back when Daniel Johns was the heart throb of every teenage girl in Australia. I listened to music all the time, doing my homework, falling asleep, I would even read books and listen to music, which I could never do now.

Since becoming a Mum  I don't listen to as much music as I used to, which I assume is pretty common. I find myself listening to the same thing over and over again because I don't have the time to search for something new, my son isn't at the 'I want to listen to my music age' yet, but I do often stick some Yo Gabba Gabba on, because I don't mind it, and it beats the Wiggles!

This week, I made a conscious effort to listen to more music, and new music.

Wow, I remembered how relaxing it is to have music in the background while I am cooking dinner, or doing the dishes, it just makes the mundane a little more entertaining. Ezra loves music, so some days we have just been rocking out together having fun and a laugh, music is definitely my stress release.

Here are some of my favourites from this week.

Kid's Birthday Party Printable Themes

I finally get to plan a child's birthday party! Yay, I am so excited about Ezra's 1st Birthday. But I am realising that it is in just over a week and I have barely organised anything,  it is not going to be a very big party, so I don't have that much to do, but for me the biggest job as always is cleaning the house! I have loved looking for 1st Birthday party themes!

In my search for lovely party themed things I have come across so many amazing printables on Etsy.

For almost every theme imaginable! How great is that, I no longer have to scrounge around the expensive party stores to find a specific themed item, only to be sorely disappointed when they don't have what I am looking for. Basically they are packs of Invitations, banners, cupcake papers, food labels, party favour bags and a whole lot more that are all matching a theme. So many of them customise them for you as well, like putting your child's name on them or the colours you want. I actually don't even have to leave the house, although I may have to run down and buy a pack of nice white card to print my party printables onto!

Here are some of the gorgeous items I have found in my Etsy searching!

If you follow me on Instagram you may already have guessed what my theme is!

Have a wonderful weekend.
Karen xx

1. Pirate Theme by BeeAndDaisy
2. Vintage Carnival by 2PartyPrintables
3. Airplane Biplane Party by Dimple Prints
4. Nautical Party by SpaceShipsLaserBeams
5. Sock Monkey Party by BelvaJune
6. Mickey Mouse Club House by Amanda's Parties to go