the end of challenge

:) The No takeaway challenge is complete! Hiccups 3/21 is not bad... one being a anniversary pizza dinner. (hubbys back was thrown out the day b4)
Thank you to Maria for joining on with me! :) That was some great support!
and thank you also to my hubby for reminding me that i was on a challenge when i really wanted something deep fried or home delivered! :)

Happy Birthday Maria

Have a good one!!! Hope u get nicer surprises in the mail!!!!!!!!!!!

Another great chocolate trip.. i mean city trip ;)

What a day! Im glad to be absolutely energy-less! :D
We missed our train that would have gotten us there on time, it seems they have put more trains on in the morning (as usually there was a train 1 hr after that one) so there was only a 15 minute gap between the one we missed and the one we got on! (which was waiting already) The morning was awesome! Windy, cold-ish and some light rain! What a break from the heat and sun!

Got in and waited for the other special people to arrive, read in a directory about the clock how it does this marionette opening thing on the hour. maria and jenna arrived and we waited for the clock thing.. and so was 2 different school groups and other tourists.. it was 3 minutes late! funny!Off to the usual chocolate feast place, max brenners. Jenna had a Popsicle fondue (very interesting!) Maria had a 1/2 or 1/4 strength cappuccino in a kangaroo mug, it has a extra pouch at the side of the mug where melted chocolate can be licked.(photo below) (Tia had a milk hot chocolate (which i didnt actually ask for, but oh well.. she can consider herself spoilt for the day) and a chocolate lick now $2.20 (gone up 20c)I had a dark chocolate mocha which was rather on the dark bitter side than i expected and a rich brownie(which the waiter forgot about til i said i was still waiting on it, she still did a good job remembering our order off the top of her head, how many times did we test her? lol).
Tia enjoying the ribbons from the presents Maria & Jenna gave us! Also wearing her funky necklaces that she got! *forgot to try out the torch tonight, will have to try it tomorrow. ;)Maria and I!
Presents i received. YAY! presents! =D Much appreciated! A Tea towel with christmas theme, (we have survived with only 2 tea towels all year.. lol!) a purrrty basket with mini christmas puddings inside, a good health magazine (which i thought would be great to read on the trip home, but spent more time pointing at 2 pages that were 100kj & 400kj with tia pointing out chocolate, chips, strawberry, cheese, sushi etc lol!) a sample of some special baby bath stuff and some stickers! whoot! ;)

A trip to krispy kreme while the queue was short picked up a chocolate glazed creme filled, to share with hubby.Breadtop for lunch! Wishing there was a local one! Love their little buns, rolls, donuts not keen on pork floss buns or chicken & mushroom donut lol! But they have alot of yummy stuff. Also decided to pick up for later. Some choc chip buns & some Red bean Mochi.Central Groceries? Is the asian imports grocery shop where i stock up on mens pocky and look at the daifuku & other mochi (made in taiwan tho, i rather either Japan or Aussie made.. picky arent i)
A visit to L'Occitane, came across a Honey Massage nectar.

Light and soothing. Blend of propolis, royal jelly and honey from Provençal hives soothes; linden extract and bisabolol extract calm and help reduce irritation. Natural honey aroma pleases the senses. Use as a comforting massage lotion or as a body lotion. Suitable for adults and children ages three and up.

On my wish list! Not oily which is great, i hate giving a massage only to get oily hands and think about how terrible it is for hubbys skin.. especially if he falls asleep. Smells good, not over bearing like some cheap stuff!

It was great day! In L'Occitane Tia was asked if jenna was her sister, lol! And after that Tia was very happy to call jenna 'sister'. Tia cried when went to go home on the train, she wanted her sister! lol! Very cute.

Now to get some sleep... Night all! ;)

Thank God its friday!

This ones for my buddy Maria!!!! ;) Thanks for being there!

whats on my mind lately.. well..
Isn't it odd when you get advice from strangers? im sure they mean well.. I think their main mistakes are having to assume.. assume you dont know your babies different cries, assume youve never watched dr phil ('well is it working for yah?' sorry could help myself), assume you weren't bought up in a house full of kids.. anyways you get my point. As hubby says 'assumptions are the mother of all f**** ups!' That advice has been a Godsend, even with the profanity.. eeerrr. yeah.. 0.o

Im no angel ive said 'aww shes hungry' once to a friend of mine when her bub cried.. and then regretted it.. the kind reply i got from her was 'really? i just fed her!' oh! Oh no! i've just done it haven't i? Im grateful she was sweet about it.. had it been me.. i suppose i would have been dumbstruck or just quietly seethed until i could no longer hold it and have to vent! (her 3rd bub mind you!) oh, yes i say alot of dumb things..

I picked up cosmopolitan pregnancy magazine this week and i've loved it! They had advice on how to handle the situation with those other dumb things people say like 'my gawd your boobs are huge', 'my mother/wife/sister wasnt as big as you'.. and my favorite the beauty therapist doing a bikini line mentions 'youre a bit loose' LOL!!! Ah the odd things the pregnant woman goes thru.. there was tons of pretty expensive maternity clothes, underwear all modeled by pregnant women.. i've been disappointed with other pregnancy magazines, mum n bub mags, parenting mags but this one is a winner.. and yeah its not a cheapie! x.x So many good articles! ;)
Tia had time out today at childcare for a punching! After that she was more behaved than usual.. im glad its coming down.. im still not happy that she punched some poor kid! im wondering who she is hitting, is it over sharing? is it provoked? I'm still having to ask the workers how she went, when i'd rather (and ive done my share of working with kids) they would come to me and tell me how she went without asking..

Ive just informed hubby that im not cooking any meat!!!.. if i smell cooking meat i will head for the toilet.. for sure.. and im still winning! Tonights dinner was 2 minute noodles!! I have been getting my meat fixes from takeaway.. not good i know x.x

Enjoy your friday night & the weekend all!!!

another saturday

Oh have u seen christines new tattoo?! wow! kudos to you, i couldnt sit that still or grin my way thru that pain.. thumbs up on the choice! just the buzz u hear outside a tattoo place gives me the creeps! as much as the sound of a dentist drill! eep!

Another saturday goes bye and i want to go back to the city, back to max brenners cafe.. theres always next saturday.. hahaha..

Thanks Maria for sending my that funny body flex vid, how on earth does someone come up with stuff like that?! very funny!

I thought this was funny.. Jim Carrey..(i dont endorse anything he promotes.. lol! certainly not the curling iron to plump up the lips but a interesting use of washing machines..)

Adventured again to the make-up aisle.. never going back to k-mart, yes they have sales but they never seem to re-stock, look after the testers etc.. its a nightmare when it comes to foundations in whichever form to find that there are no testers or no stock of your colour.. think i will find my price line card again and go there as they always have someone willing to help and are always stocked up on everything! I ended up going with a tru-blend covergirl foundation.. and a bottle of make up remover, which i have needed for ages, its not a good look to wake up with panda eyes.. yuk.. arent baby pandas just so cute?! i want one!!!!

City trip

Loved the birthday card!! Thanks Maria!

(ahem just had to answer the door.. not mormons.. i think 7 day adventists? they offer the watchtower and awake magazine.. i was all smiley and said 'no thankyou but thanks anyways' and they said 'thanks for coming to ur door' um yeah in my pjs on my birthday..)

Yesterday...

Went to melbourne central. (id been thru melb central train station and seen a food court on my way out to the city.. i had no idea it was a huuuggge shopping place!)


I met Maria!

Yay! I thought she oozed self confidence! Go chicky.... and so very thoughful! And patient with me being such a city-noob, oh and that we were a bit late coz i missed the 9am train as the time on my mob was 2minutes slower and apparently the train was running on time if not a wee-bit early.. i almost went on the train without buying a ticket for Tia, she is now 4 and now she has to have a ticket

me im a bundle of nervous energy (but then when aren't i?!) even on my birthday im a bundle of nervous energy.. i tried to think of some sort of conversational piece but my brain was either scrambled in awe or blank..

i thought maria was a awesome, brainy conversationalist. Maria gave me a nutrimetics foot balm and foot scrub and a awesome new bible with a fancy cover, never had one with a spunky cover! Thank you sooo much!!!! Its so special ;)

First off was Max Brenners... and yum! Heres the shop bit:

lots of yummy chocolates! & u can buy the hug mug suckatoo and other fancy mugs & powders to make the drinks...















Maria's drink.. suckatoo? i cant remember the spelling.. way to sweet for me!








Heres my drink the dark java chocolate with orange zest in the hug mug. yumm... rich and filling for a drink!



















tia & her $2 dip n lick.. melted chocolate











Looking at steve madden shoes, i saw one pair i liked, tall steep chunky for $229.00 definately out of my budget! (and for most normal people too!!!!!!!!)
Tia loves shoes!















the blue fire grill place had a chocolate fountain!!


And the pizza was ok.. but i like my pizza to have cheese on it not just a cheese sprinkle was meant to have mozzarella & Parmesan (sp?) Tia wasnt interested in pizza or sitting still, there was this big ottoman and a mirror.. and she loves looking at herself in a mirror.. i think tia was a bit more behaved in that, yes she was not doing the whole 'being good eating out' thing but there was a group there that were heaps rowdy, loud (altho happy) to be cont..