Won over by E-Books for Kids

I had stayed away from electronic kid's books thus far because I wasn't sure how I felt about them.  I feel like kids need that authentic experience of touching the books, physically holding them and turning the pages. I think that it is easier to engage in the book by having it physically in their grasp and feeling the pages and you just don't get that same feeling from holding an iPad. I didn't want to start an iPad addiction for my toddler too early in life, or have to share my iPad with him!!

Then, the other day I decided to try out some electronic kids books and made a couple of purchases. I pretty much only read books on my phone or iPad these days, I can't remember the last time I bought a hardback, and so it got me thinking about kids books again. I thought because we were going to be going on another plane trip this week (a 5 hour one eeeek), it might be worth investing in some.  So, I looked up one of my favourite kids authors, Nick Bland, the guy who wrote The Very Cranky Bear (my favourite kids book!!!). I found that there are some really cool versions of his books as iPad apps. I bought The Very Hungry Bear, and The Wrong Book. I love that they are narrated by Aussie comedians, they are interactive, Ezra spends most of the time touching the screen to make things happen and he really loves them too. You can also record and play back your own voice (handy for FIFO families), and they are just fun. They are easy to pull out at a Dr's waiting room to subdue a wild toddler, or if you are travelling and don't have lots of room for books, I read Fox in Sox twice a day for a week when we were in Broome, because it was the only book we brought, and it drove me batty.

So, I guess the E-books have won me over. I still don't want to use them exclusively, I  love real paper books. But, I definitely see the value in E-books for kids, and the cost savings is also massive. The electronic age that we are living in probably means that when Ezra and kids of his generation are older, they wont be reading physical books, or writing very often on paper. They will be relying almost entirely on a device that hasn't even been invented or imagined yet.  So, teaching them young to use electronics is not a bad thing, as they will need to be able to adapt and be prepared to use them when they are at school,  I feel it is just another part of adding value to their development.

Have you gotten into Electronic books for kids yet, or how do you feel about them?
If you have any good recommendations I would love to hear them too!

And of course linking up with Jess @ Essentially Jess for #IBOT today!!

Karen xx

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Moving On

Our old cottage

It's been a week since we moved. What a full on day, we decided based on financial reasons that it would be more viable for us to move ourselves and just hire a rental truck. Obviously, I couldn't help with much of the lifting, so we engaged the help of some of our friends, who were a HUGE help and massive blessing to us. I tidied and cleaned, without my little helper, who my Mum came and picked up. We managed to get it all done in one day. Well, almost, Joel didn't finish until after midnight. He was so exhausted, but knowing that we didn't have to go back and finish anything off on Sunday was a huge relief.

It's so weird thinking that someone else is now in our house. We were both a bit sad, thinking of all the blood, sweat and tears that went into making that house our home. We did so many renovations and projects in that old cottage, it was our work, our ideas and things we loved, so in many ways it was pretty emotional to walk out for the last time, knowing that we will probably never go back inside.

We moved in with my parents, who live about an hour south of where our old house is. An hour isn't a long way, but our old local places are no longer local, and we're trying to figure out where we can find the stuff that we are used to. Joel even stopped by our old local IGA to pick up with brand of Mexican food we love, because I can't find it around here, I told him to stock up. I am looking to find new local friends, and a playgroup for Ezra, it feels a little like starting over again, and that is a little hard.

Although, I love where we are living now. It is quiet, and it's beautiful. We can walk to the beach, and have a canal right out the back yard, with a little man made beach perfect for toddlers. We spend so much more time outdoors, and having no real yard forces us to go for walks with Angus during the day, which is great, because it is such a nice place to walk around.

We know we made the right decision. It was time to leave, and move on to the next step. Our block is almost ready for building, and we are excited about creating a new home for our growing family.
Change is always hard, but after all our moves and big life decisions, I have learnt to embrace change, and face it head on, because there are always wonderful things and people to discover!

Have you had to say goodbye to a house or place that was dear to you?

Karen x

My Maternity Style Wish List

Seeing good, comfortable and stylish maternity clothing has been on my mind a lot lately, as I am quickly running out of clothes to wear that I actually like, I thought as I was perusing the inter-web I would make a collection of some of the clothes I would LOVE to buy for this pregnancy. Finding good maternity clothes can be such a challenge, and it can be really expensive. I try to avoid the huge price tags and just find stuff that I feel good in.  So here is my list. Number 4 I already bought earlier this week because Esther clothing was having a half price sale, and I am anxiously awaiting its arrival in the post. Number 1 I bought a couple of months ago and wore while we were on holidays on the chilly evenings, they are soooo comfy and I think they look pretty good too! 

(I'm also hoping Joel reads this, because my birthday is coming up next month too!!) 

1. Powder blue Maternity Skinny Capri's from Jeans West $29.99 (or 2 for $50)
2. Deena & Ozzy Sandals from Urban Outfitters $29.95
3. Sass Jordan Space Leggings from Myer $39.95
4. Esther Bambi Maxi Dress $39.00
5. Topshop Maternity Wing Burnout Sweat $42.00
6. MinkPink Dance till I'm Dead tank from Surfstich.com $44.99
7. ASOS Maternity Supersoft skinny jeans $39.42
8. ASOS Maternity Woven Singlet $26.22
9. Ecote Intarsia Cardigan from Urban Outfitters $69.00
10. Sparkle and Fade knit maxi skirt from Urban Outfitters $44.00
11. ASOS Maternity Skater Dress $36.13
12. Toms Silver Crochet Classics $58 (USD)

Lentil and Haloumi Salad

We are all moved out of our house, and the new owners have officially taken the keys, it is a really good feeling to be all done with the hard stuff! I'll do a blog post on that soon, but, today a recipe, because it has been a while.

 Now that we are getting a bit more normality back into our lives, we are trying to get back to our regular healthy meals, rather than the last minute thrown together stuff we have been eating lately, plus our fair share of eating out. It feels good to have time to think about shopping and dinners again.

This is one of my favourites. When I'm feeling like something light and easy for dinner this is my go to meal. And, I love haloumi!!! Seriously cheese that you can fry in a fry pan, do I have to say more! Also, I know it isn't the typical toddler meal, but Ezra chows this down. He LOVES the haloumi too, and will eat big spoonfuls of lentils. Sometimes that kid shocks me with what he eats, but we have been feeding him a pretty wide variety of different foods since he has started solids, so I'm hoping he will keep his great eating habits! The strangest thing that he loves is the pickled ginger that you serve with Sushi!

Ingredients:

Green Lentils
1/2 Red Onion
Cherry or Mini Roma Tomatoes
Lemon
Bunch of Coriander
Olive Oil
Haloumi Cheese

Method:

Follow the instructions on the packet of Lentils for cooking, and I usually just estimate how much I need depending on the size of the group eating.

Halve the tomatoes and finely slice the red onion and pick a handful of coriander leaves and add them all to a large bowl

Squeeze half of the lemon and approximately 1/4 cup of Olive Oil into the bowl, and stir in.

When the lentils are almost ready, fire up a fry pan, add a teaspoon of oil and sliced haloumi. Cook the haloumi until it is crisp and golden on the outside.

Strain the lentils, and add both them and the haloumi to the bowl and serve.

So easy, so delicious.

Karen xx

As it is Tuesday, I'm linking up with Jess for #IBOT and Stacey at The Veggie Mama for Meatless Monday!

Moving Week

We've entered the final week living in our house, and it's not without drama!! Of course, what big move happens without any drama. Our air conditioning isn't working, which is not awesome when your about to settle on the sale. The service company are being turd burgers, and the whole thing has turned into a debacle (and an expensive one at that), and I haven't been able to get as much packing as I'd like done because last week was full of 38-41 degree heat, and there was no way I was motivated to even move, never mind pack in that kind of heat!

It's not ALL bad though. Due to the heat we spent three really fun mornings at the aquatic centers new water playground, and hung out with my Mum's group friends. Who I am going to miss living really close too!

Now we are getting into the nitty gritty of packing, and seeing we are moving Saturday, I'm feeling the pressure of getting it all done. I keep thinking 'when did we get so much stuff', it's amazing how much you accumulates after 5 years, and how much useless crap you tend to hold onto, well at least I do.

I just can't wait for a little more normalcy in our lives again, we are in that awkard half packed but still need to live in the house stage. Once we are out of here our new lifestyle will take a little adjusting too, because did I mention we are moving in with my parents!! I think it's going to be a good thing, my parents are awesome and they have graciously allowed for all of us, including Angus the dog, to disturb their peaceful, empty nester existence, and I know it will be soooo nice though to have my Mum around, especially when we have our baby girl! I may even get some rest during the day.

I think Angus is going to miss this house the most. He has a huge front yard where he can watch the world go by. He sits and guards all day, on alert, but in the most comfortable place he can find. 

I hope your week is peaceful, and lovely, and not stressful like ours, and please pray we get this silly air conditioner situation sorted quickly!!

Linking up with Jess at Essentially Jess for #IBOT 

x Karen

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Posted with Blogsy

Happy Valentine's Day

As much as I like chocolates, presents and flowers, I'm not a huge fan of Valentines day. But, something niggles at me every time it comes around. I start to feel the pressure of society to do something, if I don't, I feel guilty, which I hate having as my motivation to do something for the man I love. I would rather get or give a gift on a different day of the year, just because Joel thought of me, and wanted to do something special for me, not because of the date on a calendar. Still, that feeling that you missed out because everyone else got something special starts to make you wonder why you didn't get anything. It is so lame!!!

Saying all that, for the last few Valentines Days I have baked. I know that my husband really likes sweets and baked goods, and I almost never make things like that, as I have more of a savoury craving.
I have some old heart shaped cake tins from my Nanna, and so I like to use Valentines day as an excuse to use them.

Today was my first experience baking with a toddler (usually I do it while he's asleep). But, I thought it would be nice if we did it together, and so I let him try to destroy everything I was trying to make help. It was a bad decision. Not only was it impossible to stop him eating, dipping fingers in and sneezing in the cake batter, he was also desperate to put whole eggs, shell and all into the mixture. He wanted to control the mixer, and grab every item that I pulled out of the cupboard. Somehow though, we managed to finish it, and not only that, but it worked out pretty well. I mean, it looks good, I haven't tasted it yet though, so it could be disgusting.

I hope you had a lovely Valentines day with your love, your friends, your family and whoever makes you feel good about yourself, because I think that is the real point of the day, to let the people around you know that you love and appreciate them.

I'm off to relax, watch a movie with my love, and try not to think about the copious amounts of packing we still have to do.

The last picture is my gift from Joel, because I kept complaining he buys them for all the people he does presentations at work for, and never for me!!
Karen xx

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Girl or Boy: That is the question

I know, it has taken me forever to get this up here. I'm sure you have all been waiting with bated breathe, and desperate to find out (NOT ha).
Finally, we got through to Joel's folks last night and now we are free to spill the beans on the gender of baby number two.

And we are very, very excited to reveal that we are having a ....

Obviously we would have been really stoked no matter what gender baby #2 turned out to be, and we are so glad to know that everything is going as normal with baby's development and everything looks good. That is the main thing!

But, having a girl is very special. Joel is one of two sons, and I have three brothers, and their are two boy grandchildren only so far, so girls are few and far between in our families, so this is pretty exciting to everyone.

It took my Mum only one day before she headed to the shops to buy a pink pair of Paul Frank baby leggings! I am really excited about dressing up my little girl, there are so many gorgeous outfits out there for girls! I used to try to dress my little brother up as a girl when I was a kid because I was so desperate to have a little sister, so finally I get my chance with the girly stuff.

She will be a really lucky girl though, because she's going to have this amazing big brother to look after her as well. But she better be a tough little girl, because I'm afraid he is not going to be that gentle in the first part of her life on the outside.

Here are some of our photo out takes too! By the picture below it looks like Ezra was hoping for a brother. Who knows, maybe next time, if there is a next time!

Karen xx

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Baked Oatmeal Recipe

I hadn't heard of Baked Oatmeal until we moved to the USA. Even then, I didn't get around to trying it until a couple of months ago. On this lovely morning, Joel graciously let me sleep in whilst he got up with Ezra. He must have been missing home and hence had a craving for Baked Oatmeal (sometimes he gets these cravings from home, and he has to make something, or just go out and buy a can of Root Beer or something American like that).

I was pretty impressed, it was really good. Even better, the kid who is now a little bit too busy with life to sit still and eat, ate two whole bowlfuls of this. Although it could be because of the delicious taste of the maple syrup spread throughout.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Oats

1 Egg

2 Cups of Milk
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup (the REAL stuff)
1 Tsp Baking Powder
2 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Nutmeg
1 Heaping Tbsp Butter
Sprinkle of Salt
1/2 a Cup of Sultana and/or Walnuts optional

Method:

All of this should fit into a 9inch Pie Pan, or just a casserole dish like we used.
Mix everything thoroughly in a bowl and then pour into dish.
Cook at 190 degrees celsius for at least 30 minutes.
You know that it is ready when it is crunchy on top and is moist, but not too gluggy in the middle.

Serve it with milk in a bowl, and you have yourself a delicious breakfast. It usually lasts a couple of days around here as well!

I was trying to take pictures, and somebody could not wait for me to finish and through the lens of the camera I see a little hand, and a little spoon, helping himself to the oatmeal. I guess that's when you know you are on to a winner!


Is it just my family that was never introduced to baked oatmeal? Or is it not really that common here in Australia?

Check out some of my other family and kid friendly recipes  HERE

Karen xx 

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On a Sunday

Today has been a bit of a hard day.
Not for any particular reason, apart from just feeling exhausted.
Camping holidays aren't that relaxing when you have a toddler, and are pregnant as well. They are fun. But it wore me out. Especially those treks to the toilet blocks in the middle of the night!
Today is our first day back at home and I am in a bit of a daze.
It is hot, our air conditioning fan broke and needs to be repaired. Joel and I are both a little grumpy at each other probably due to the heat, tiredness and pregnancy hormones. Ezra had a hard night last night and didn't get to bed until late because of either extreme over-tiredness or his other teeth coming through.
I think we all have these days, where all you want to do is veg on the couch and do nothing, but then you remember that you have lots of responsibilities and lazing about is not really an option.
So you get grumpy.
We are pining for the seaside holiday that we just left, and everyone is just a little bit on edge.
I'm trying not to stress about the next few weeks, and all the work we have to do with packing up our house. The thought of it is a little daunting. I will be really glad when it is all over and done with.

We finished the day on a good note.  Joel with his glass of wine, and I whipped up a watermelon, blueberry and yoghurt smoothie for Ezra and I. Joel tried his hand at making Philly Cheese Steaks for dinner and we sat outside, where it is a little cooler, and ate, and laughed.
The kid went to bed easily (although I've heard a few groans and hoping they won't turn into anything more), and soon we will sit down to watch a movie, before having a pretty early night.

I hope your Sunday went better than ours, but everyday can't be perfect!

Karen xx

We'd rather be here! 

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