Fast Friday Funny - Tinker's Pick

The little Tinker is mad about funny animal videos on YouTube. I made the mistake of showing her one video of a swimming cat and ever since, she demands a new video once a day. Today's video is this silly fat cat dancing. She howls laughing and says "ok now watch it again please" over and over again. So you can thank Tinker for this week's FFF.

Have a great Friday and a great weekend!

Tinker's Threads - Clown is Cool

So the little cheeky one chose the top today, can you tell? She loves it.
If you are interested in buying one let me know and I'll fish out the link. I bought this top when I was pregnant they have such fun prints there. Such a sweet little design as well.

She also loves shuffling about the house in her little leather elephant slippers from NZ. Tinker is big fan of elephants after visiting an elephant rehab farm in Chiang Mai. If anyone is interested I will post up some snaps from that holiday.

*click to enlarge pictures*

Something new from The Tinker?

Let me know what you think of my latest idea, ok?

I have noticed that so many blogs feature a weekly or a daily outfit post.

Since I'm sitting here in a pair of aqua velour trackpants and an orange cashmere cardi with a hole in the sleeve you can be sure I won't be posting pictures of my outfits.

However I thought it might be fun to show you the little outfits my Tinker wears since she is so amazingly cute and I just love love love kids clothing. What do you think? Boring? Lame? Tell me your thoughts.

Often when I post pictures of her I get a few emails asking where I found her top or her dress etc so I thought this might be a fun segment. She was quite a good little model this morning gladly covering her face a la Michael Jackson kid fashion. You know I don't want her face pimped on my blog so you won't be seeing that, but her outfits are too cute not to share. So let me know if you think this is a fun idea or not.

Here is today's trial post:

Tinker is wearing a Yo Gabba Gabba long sleeved t-shirt from Myer, some Crazy8 straight leg jeans, a knit vest from Purebaby and her pink moccasins with brown bows are from Janie & Jack. The pink beret with little brown scotty-dog is from Gymboree. Cuteness- all her.

*click on pics to enlarge*

Tuesday Snapshot - Brushes

See, I told you I lead a very exciting life. Every time I use my makeup brushes (after yesterday's post you might have been thinking I walk around makeup-less all the time, well I don't) I sit them in some hot water and baby shampoo.

The Tinker calls it a "face brush bathie" and that is what she said this morning when I was wandering about the kitchen with her looking for something to feature for this week's Tuesday Snapshot. So here it is. I never promised these pictures would be thrilling.

We don't have much on today at all, thankfully my parents are about to play with the little one because I'm still hobbling around after Friday's injury. How one manages to trip and fall while fiddling with a baby carseat buckle I do not know, but however I did it, I managed to sustain what the doctor at the Bone & Joint Clinic said was an "annular tear" in my lower spine. It is a disc issue apparently. It is most inconvenient, means I can't sit down for long periods and I can't lift anything except maybe a block of chocolate... or two!

Thank you all for the kind thoughts about the little Tinker as well, we saw a wonderful paediatrician on Friday (yes it was outside his office that I had my rather embarrassing fall) and the little one has now been given the all-clear. What a relief.

Have a lovely Tuesday, just think, you are one day closer to the weekend than you were yesterday and that's gotta be good!

P.s I've been thinking up some new ideas for a fun segment on the blog and I hope to post it up later today or perhaps tomorrow. Stay tuned. x

Let's Talk Bad Weekends

Last week was a nightmare, we were all looking forward to the weekend. It got off to a rocky start when my best friend was told that she didn't win the competition I told you all about here. The consolation prize was haircare products. Nice touch when you are fighting cancer and you have lost all your hair. Don't start me.

Sunday was meant to be spent on a morning picnic before I toddled off to one of Retromummy's sewing classes. Instead it was spent with my heart in my mouth as our baby girl was rushed to hospital in an ambulance after going grey, then blue and losing consciousness for about 7 minutes even though it felt like 70. At the hospital all manner of tests were conducted and they found no apparent cause. We have to take her back for an EEG.

This blurry photo taken on my husband's crackberry shows our brave little Tinker listening as the kind nurse sang all of her favourite songs. She was so lovely and quite the jukebox.

Tinker was impressed, she is never that still when I sing. It isn't humanly possible to be still when I sing, I'm so bad that even my dogs get agitated when I belt out a few rounds of Miss Polly.

Who is that hottie on the left cutting a striking pose in the navy and white trench complete with hands on hips? Why that is me of course. What you can't see is that under my trench I wore animal print flannelette pj pants, bed socks and tan loafers. My hair was clipped back with one of Tinker's polka dot ribbon clips and I had no bra, nor had I brushed my teeth.

Oh yes I totally rocked hobo sloth chic this morning. Even I didn't dare ask the ambulance to wait a minute while I changed out of my PJs. What kind of shamefully vain mother even stops and considers such a request? Ok so maybe I did think about it but only for a super quick split second... or two.

For anyone who follows me on Twitter, you'd know I have been on a cooking strike much to my husband's dismay. It came about after a string of failed projects. I thought I might break the strike with some corned beef in the slow cooker. Ok that worked. And a batch of cupcakes. The neverfail variety. You know Nigella's recipe for the food processor? I added 3 punnets of strawberries and some pricey but yummy vanilla beans.

Failed again. The first 12 didn't rise and remained gooey, the last 12 were like rock cakes. So I think I'm going back over the picket line. The strike has resumed people, the strike has resumed.

So tell me, how bad was your weekend? I'm not up for cheesy smiley stories. Give me some ratty grumpy ones so I'm not the only whinger here. Come on, you know you want to...

My Very Own Poorly Bear

No blogging today friends, I am looking after my very own little poorly bear.

Poor Tinker has bad tonsillitis. After her terrible night I took her to the ER knowing something was not right with her and although they made us sit there all day waiting and I conducted my own internal triage of every faker in the room we finally got to see a very nice doctor.

He said poor Tinker had bad tonsillitis, my poor little bunny. That explained everything.

This sweet little fellow has been named "Doctor Bear" Tinker was such a good little patient at the ER yesterday that the nice doctor gave her this bear as a gift. So last night Tinker, Dr Bear and I all dined on chicken noodles, watermelon and icecream. She has been awfully brave and managed to have a full night's sleep so I think she will be feeling even better tomorrow.

As you see above, she is being very sweet with her little friends. I asked her what she was doing just now in front of the heater and she said "feel warm babies" she loves her little brood and Dr Bear fits right in. Henry our dog is supervising the little poorly bear and her friends today so we are in good hands.

Have a very happy almost-friday and I'll be back tomorrow to draw the winner of this week's giveaway. Don't forget to enter it is as easy as anything and the prize is fantastic. Just follow this link. xx

What's For Dinner Wednesday? Beef & Carrot Ragout

It's 4am here, and as I sit here typing this out my little redheaded friend is sharing the sofa while she watches In The Night Garden. Screaming banshee act started at 1am, nothing would settle her so I figured we'd sit on the couch together instead of the fruitless settling we had been trying. Little feral! She is as happy as larry now, chatting away as I type this out.

Ok so for this weeks' easy as pie Wednesday recipe I have gone for the ultimate in fuss free cooking. Anything involving the slow cooker is perfect when you are tired or busy... or both. Just prep in the morning and throw the lot in and hit start. Your meal is ready in 6-8 hours. Perfect.

image and recipe via taste.com.au

Beef & Carrot Ragout with Pasta

Ingredients (serves 4)

1/4 cup plain flour
1kg gravy beef, cut into 5cm cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large brown onions, cut into wedges
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock
3 sprigs thyme
3 large carrots, peeled, roughly chopped
cooked pappardelle pasta, to serve

Method

Place flour in a snap-lock bag. Season with salt and pepper.

Add beef and shake bag to lightly coat beef in flour, shaking off excess.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half the beef. C

ook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes or until browned. Spoon into slow cooker. Repeat with oil and remaining beef.

Reduce frying pan heat to medium. Add remaining oil and onion to pan. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute. Pour in wine. Bring to the boil.

Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until wine has reduced by half. Add stock, thyme and carrots. Bring to the boil. Spoon sauce over beef and stir to combine.

Cover and cook in slow cooker on HIGH for up to 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon over pasta and serve.

Tuesday Snapshot- Laundry

Today the Tinker and I did a lot of laundry. How thrilling is that? So bloody thrilling that I HAD to capture it for my Tuesday Snapshot post. Don't you love the entertainment on this blog?

See how she sits on the top of the dryer as I pack it? She has to sit there or she runs into the dogs' bedroom and pulls all their biscuits out of the bowl and then attempts to "skate" on them.

Tinker loves sitting on the dryer because she gets to shove her fingers into my Jo Malone candle that sits there on the top. No idea why, she just loves the scent I think. Anyway that was my day today. Massive! We did fit a little interlude in between the loads of washing, we went out for coffee and playgroup and then my friend came round for a visit with her little baby.

Tomorrow we are off to the zoo. Very excited about that, it could all end in tears though. Every time I go there I try to convince one of the meercats to come home with me but they never seem keen. They are the cutest little critters!

A Winner! A Winner!

Thank you so much to the lovely folk at fermLIVING Australia for this week's cute giveaway.

Sorry I was slow to draw the winner today. Miss Tinker went on an excursion with her Grandad this morning so I had to wait til she had had her afternoon sleep before drawing the winner!

Not being much of a creative thinker I struggled to come up with a novel way for the Tinker to pick today's winner. So I turned to the clever folk at 3M and I wrote all the names on Post-It Notes and stuck them on the wall above her toys and she picked the winning name.

Tinker might not forgive me for posting pictures of her with bedhair (she had only just woken up when I enlisted her help with this prize draw) isn't she cute in her jammies and overalls. Meg you might recognise the navy blue Pork Chops on her feet!

So our lucky winner is Jessica, Max's Mummy. How exciting! I bet Max will love his mushroom wall decals. You must shoot me through a photo if you get a chance. That goes for all the giveaway winners, I think it would be fun to post pictures of you enjoying your little prizes.

Hint hint lucky winners shoot me some pics if you get time!

I hope everyone has a great weekend, nothing in particular going on here. The last swimming class of the term tomorrow and then Tinker starts her Mandarin school on the 1st of August. We decided to skip the coldest term of swimming since she struggles so much with the cold. Even in her baby wetsuit. Shame! She doesn't have the layer of fat insulation her mother has.

p.s VERY EXCITING GIVEAWAY AGAIN ON MONDAY.

Snapshot

I took this picture yesterday. That's my Tinker on the left and her BFF on the right with Nanny. The girls had the most wonderful time at the Playschool concert. They sat on the table together, hugged, kissed, danced and sung together. It was adorable.

This is such a sweet little age for the best friends, they have had playdates since birth and they have always enjoyed being friends but now they are older it is so sweet to see them loving each other. They do swimming together on Saturdays and poor Tinker has been a bit sad because her BFF has been sick for the past two weeks. It is so sweet they way she misses her and asks all weekend about her.

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately that mention the 365 day photo challenge where you take a photo each day for your blog. I'm not sure I can do it every day but it might be nice to post one each Tuesday. Is that boring? Let me know.

We are heading out early this morning so I'll take the camera and see what I can come up with for you. I see that so many bloggers are really talented photographers. I'm not one of them so you'll have to bear with me.

Have a great morning, I'll be back this afternoon.

A Little Catch Up

Please forgive me for being brief, I have my lovely in-laws visiting so I don't want to be antisocial in front of my computer for their entire trip! We are having a ball and little Tinker is thrilled with the attention of FOUR grandparents every single day. Very lucky little bunny.

She has learnt so many new phrases while they have been here and she is really amazing us all with her gorgeous personality. She was such a little doll at playgroup today, she went and hugged a little girl who was crying and she continued to offer her toys to all the other children. Cue the gushing proud mama! Sorry I can't help it.

We will be back to regular programming on Thursday I promise.

***********

Now before I forget, my friend Kel over at Natsukashii tagged me with this little quiz so here are my answers:

Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention & add one more question of your own.

Tag eight other people:

Like Telle, I am leaving this bit open. Tag yourself if you have not already been tagged!

What is your current obsession?

Cancer. My best friend is fighting it and I’m looking for a fancypants doctor somewhere in the world who will fix her.

What’s for dinner?

Well we have just had dinner. Chicken & Parmesan schnitzel with salad. We had an apple and berry strudel with thick cream for dessert. Yes I am on a diet. I just forgot. Again.

What’s the last thing you bought?

Today I paid for my two Griffons Bruxellois to spend the day at the dog grooming place. They look like smooth Ewoks.

What are you listening to right now?

My mother and my inlaws are in the family room watching Grand Designs. I can hear that from here.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?

Savannah might be nice this time of year?

Which language do you want to learn?

At one time I was studying 5 languages and fluent in 4. Now I’m struggling with English. I’d like to learn Mandarin.

What do you love most about where you currently live?

It has everything. Amazing views, lovely people, nice things to eat, nice walks and stunning harbourside parks. We are very lucky here, we chose well.

What is your favourite colour?

Navy blue

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?

An LV brown silk cardigan with delicate little pearl buttons. It is exquisite and reminds me of more carefree times. It hangs on a brown velvet hanger and has been afforded pride of place with a good two inches either side so none of my ratty clothes dare to touch it.

Describe your personal style?

Do even have one anymore? Before my post-baby body when all my clothes fit me, I’d say it was along the lines of Charlotte from SATC but now it’s more like Miranda when she was going through that messy fat-bellied post-baby phase. It’s not hot.

If you had $300 now, what would you spend it on?

Shoes and a parking fine I got yesterday because the evil oncologist kept us waiting an hour. Cow.

What are you going to do after this?

Fold washing and call my husband to see if he made it home before curfew. Yes we have a curfew. Sydney airport won’t allow planes to land between 10pm and 6am.

What are your favourite films?

Not a film person. Weird isn’t it. I’d struggle to name one film I adore.

Your favourite smell?

Gardenia- my wedding flower.

Do you collect anything?

Regrets

What makes you follow a blog?

Quality writing usually.

Do you like to comment on blogs or just lurk?

I always try to comment because I hate that feeling where it seems I am talking to myself so I always say something.

What’s one thing you dream of doing?

So many things. I am a day dreamer. I’d love to have a few amazing holiday homes in exotic locations.

What is your biggest regret?

I have too many to list. I am a really regretful person. Is that even a word? I am very hard on myself and that’s how I like it so I regret a lot of things and which I'd done them differently. I remember my mistakes.

What is your favourite thing to do on a rainy day?

Leave on a plane bound for sunny skies. Don’t you love taking off when it is raining? Makes it all the more exciting.

Do you have a tattoo?

Absolutely not. I really hate tattoos, boganic. No exceptions sorry.

If you could be anyone who would it be?

Queen Rania of Jordan. I totally have a girl crush on her. I'd love to be her. She is brilliant. Wise, beautiful, a fantastic mother, wife. Queen Rania does such amazing things for the women and children of Jordan. She also gets to wear a crown. She is awesome.

Are you left handed, right handed, ambidextrous, or a little of both?

Right. Isn’t ambidextrous a little of both so I don’t think I get the question.

What is the single most defining moment of your life thus far?

Becoming a mum I’d say.

You say Pajama I say Pyjama

We have another winner!

I'm so pleased with the great response we had to this week's giveaway. If you missed out, don't worry because we have another great giveaway on Monday. I'm going to try and start each week with a wonderful giveaway.

The lovely Vanessa from Gingerlilly Sleepwear kindly donated a pair of her gorgeous baby PJs and the lucky winner, as chosen by The Tinker is...

Number 10... it's you Amanda Jane! Your little cherub is going to love her new jammies. Please shoot me an email with your favourite baby PJ style and size and your address so we can send your prize out to you.

Thanks again Vanessa, we love your store!

'Tis the end of the week so I bid you all farewell. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

The little Tinker is going to be spoilt rotten. My inlaws arrived yesterday and they are here for a week. They came bearing a fabulous little tea set for Tinker. You can see it came in that adorable little suitcase used to pick today's winner. She adores it. As soon as her Gra presented her with the present she has been making us all cups of tea non-stop. First thing she said this morning after telling me she wanted noodles for breakfast was that it was time for tea!

Here is a little pic of Tinker and her Gra taken yesterday with the new tea-set.

Blog Bickering

I predict I'm going to cop a bit of abuse for this one, but I'm doing it anyway because...

A.) This is my blog and I can say what I like (insert 4 year old child symbol with hands on hips and tongue poking out)

B.) I've had a grumpy week so why not end it on a grumpy note?

C.) I *think* some of my lovely readers might just agree with me. I hope so anyway.

Ok so some of you might remember THIS post of mine a while back? Where I mentioned buying a little backpack harness for my sweet Tinker. Well I ended up buying the Panda. Tinker absolutely loves her "Pahndah" and it means that shopping with her is no longer a battle. Strapping her into a pram meant she would sob hysterically begging me to let her walk. Unfortunately she refuses to hold my hand for more than 30 seconds so letting her walk basically means letting her run in front of cars. So not going to happen.

With her little Panda on she can toddle beside me and touch things, pick up leaves, pat the dogs as we walk them to the park. You get the picture. I hold the end of the Panda's tail and she toddles in front. No dramas, no tears, only little chuckles as she trots along enjoying our walks.

Recently I read an article written by Wil Anderson, published in the Sunday paper and HERE on his blog. It really upset me so I decided last night to shoot him an email. I'm not normally one for wasting my time with such bickering but having been one of "those" people mouthing off about parenting before I actually had my daughter, I thought I should give Wil the benefit of the doubt and offer him the chance of enlightenment.

Here is a paragraph taken from his article:

I mean what is next? A collar with a bell and their phone number on it? Or why stop there, if you are that worried about them going missing take them down to the local vet and get them microchipped.

I’m sorry, but every time I see this it makes me feel uncomfortable. Surely a child is not a dog, despite how tempting it must be when they go to the toilet on the carpet to grab them and rub their nose in it.

So for me, the leash is one step too far.

How are you going to exercise your child, take them down to the park, throw a stick and get them to fetch? (Or will they be too busy sniffing the other kids’ bums?)

Then it’s only a small step to tie them to a pole out of the front of the shops while you duck in to grab the newspaper, and when they are crying too loud just put them in the backyard with a squeaky toy and a bone.

Again, I stress that I am not a parent, but I hope that if I am lucky enough to be one I will teach my kid boundaries and not just tie them to a rope and five them a three-metre radius.

I mean if you are that worried about letting them out of your sight then why stop at the leash, why bother even cutting the umbilical cord in the first place?

Then they will never get too far away, and for fun you can bounce them up and down like a yo-yo.

In fact while I am on a roll, maybe it is time we considered bringing in a parenthood test before we let people breed.


Here is a copy of the email I sent him:

Hi Wil, I like your blog and I really enjoy your column in the paper.
Your piece about "baby leashes" really irked me.
I thought I might invite you to spend some time walking with me and my toddler. I'd like to see how you manage without the "leash". Seriously.
I live in (my suburb) Sydney and my daughter is 17 months old. See attached. Really cute, really sweet but full of beans.
She won't hold my hand for more than a minute. She will throw herself on the floor and scream hysterically and then sob for 15 minutes if I do not allow her to walk.
So I let her walk and she runs off. She is too young to be trusted to walk on her own, she will run in front of cars. The "leash" is the only answer. This is her "leash" it is a backpack one: http://www.goldbug.com.au/collection.php?s=56

Let me know if you are up for the challenge. It might be funny.
Carolyn

He replied this morning and this is what he said:

hey carolyn,yeah that column has certainly divided people. and certainly i have had some negative feedback (admittedly only from people who use them, but they- like you- have explained their reasons why).all that said, i must admit that my position remains pretty much the same. i acknowledged in the original column that i am not a parent i think it's fair that we all have the right to have our opinions. it doesn't make your decision wrong, but it's also okay for me not to dig it. and i don't dig it.all the best,wil

So what do you my lovely readers think? What should I have sent in reply? This is a copy of my reply:

Fair enough Wil. It was just pretty harsh, what you said about needing a license to parent. I certainly know all about bad parents having been a Children's Court lawyer...I'd love to hear your suggestions though, an alternative? Perhaps the prison on wheels- The pram?Strapped into a pram, my sweet little Tinker will sob hysterically. She misses out on touching leaves, picking up sticks, running up to our dogs and generally toddling about. It seems such a cruel thing to do, but perhaps more palatable for the nonparent to see a hysterical child in a pram than a happy one in the backpack harness.Carolyn

All that glitters

My daughter Tinker (her name for the purposes of this blog) just got some new shoes and they fit beautifully. This is them, everyone needs some gold sneakers, surely?:



I also bought her a pair of these sandals but they don't fit. Way too big. Oh well, given my record one out of two isn't too bad!