A Visit From The Tooth Fairy

Last night we had a visitor.... madam tooth fairy.

Alex lost a tooth (not entirely unaided by princess herself)..... so it was left out overnight for the tooth fairy to come and collect.

To her surprise she got $5 for this tooth..... and yes she came out of her bedroom beaming!

Reminiscing and looking towards the future....

I decided to add labels to all of my posts. This in itself is a huge task considering how long I have been blogging about the House of Murray!

It has also given me a chance to reminisce about what we have done over the years. A lot of fun has been had, many good times but unfortunately some sad times also. One thing that has stood out and yes, I have known this for a long time, is my obsession to have a relationship with my sister. With all that has happened between us, it made me realise it doesn't matter what I want, if she doesn't want it then it's not going to happen ~ simple as that.

I decided yesterday that I am going to shut the door on this part of my life. I am not going to lock it behind me for who knows what the future will hold. I have also decided that Claire needs to know once and for all how I feel now so I have decided to contact her one last time by letter and truly leave the ball in her court.

This is what went in the mail today....

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Dear Claire,

Whether you read this or not is totally up to you!

I have been putting off writing this letter as I keep hoping that with every new day our situation would change. BUT sadly this will be the last time I am going to contact you by my choice.

I want you to know that I do have your new mobile number although you have not given it to me and probably don’t want me to have it. I will only use it if there is an emergency concerning Mam as I believe you should hear certain news from family.

Thankfully we are all now starting to see your boys more than ever and it’s wonderful. It’s good for not only Oliver and Alex to spend time with their cousins but I too am enjoying it as now I am getting to know my nephews.

With regards to me seeing Jamie ~ you probably consider me as an enemy right about now. To be perfectly honest I don’t care what you think. You lost my respect when you chose to shut me out of your life and lie to me especially when you had the chance to tell me the truth.

As for us ~ it’s no longer an option for me to cry anymore about our broken relationship and lack of friendship. I have stopped worrying what I may have done wrong and/or if there were things I should have done as your sister.

Just remember I will always be your sister ~ nothing can change that. As it has always been and will always be you are welcome to contact me but as of now that will be your decision.

Needless to say, I do wish you and your boys all the best with the upcoming move and the beginning of a new chapter in your life. I hope things turn out the way you want them to and that ultimately you are happy with your choices.

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Whether she reads this or not is totally up to her, whether she responds is also her choice. But I have tried and cannot waste anymore of my energy trying. I have probably over-dramatised the situation and you are all probably sick of reading about it ~ but mentally and emotional I am over this chapter in my life's story and it's time to move on.... with or in this case, without her.

Time will tell what the future will bring..... hopefully joy and happiness as I focus on me and my family!

Healthy plans....

Well after what really wasn't an argument but more of a pointed discussion about healthy eating all is back to normal in the Murray household. As I have struggled with my weight since as long as I can remember (and now Noel is too) I just wish and hope that Alex doesn't end up experiencing the same things that I have over the years. So I have made the conscious decision to take the lead and promote healthier eating at home.

Saying this I have rejoined Weight Watchers to help me on my weightloss journey and hoping to lead by example. So far a loss of 5.1kgs. (And I am quite happy with that!)

Last night's dinner was great - a Vietnamese noodle dish which actually surprised me as to it's outcome. Low fat in fact no fat used at all in the cooking and filling and so full of flavour. If you want to treat you and your family to something different then gives this a go. It's called Chicken Pho and it is a dish that will definitely get cooked again. Everyone liked the fact that it was a basic noodle broth to which you could add your own extra herbs, vegetables and sauces to create your own signature dish.

As you can probably tell I was quite excited by this dish. I get excited about cooking anything especially for the first time. But what I love more than cooking itself, is when the kids get involved, and they did last night. Oliver cooked the spices until fragrant, measured all the ingredients out for the stock while Alex helped with getting the vegetables ready.

When we all work together on something it makes the outcome even more special ~ no matter what the project is!

Treasurer for another year....

Last night we had the Annual General Meeting for the Junior Football Club. The 2009 Committee was disolved and a new one elected.... guess who's treasurer for the 3rd running??? ME!! I am glad as I do really enjoy playing such an important role within the club. It is a little demanding of personal time but not that bad.

Saying this I wasn't fully focussed this year due to all the happenings within my family and with health issues.... like a fellow committee member said "2010 is going to be a better year" ~ I agree!

Menu Plan Monday....

I would normally post this over on A Dash Of Flavour but I don't think by doing so as a sidebar item is giving it justice. Nor do I really like the look of it.

This blog is about our family and what we are up which would include menu planning. A Dash of Flavour is about cooking and recipes and although it is fitting to include Menu Plan Monday over there I would prefer each post to be a recipe, if you can understand that. (I hope I don't confuse anyone that normally goes to A Dash Of Flavour.

So here is my first Menu Plan Monday on this blog. As per usual our week starts Saturday and you will get used to it, this is due to us normally food shopping either Friday night or Saturday afternoons.

Saturday - Steak and salad

Sunday - BBQ (beef kebabs, hamburgers and sausages), cauliflower au gratin, salad

Monday - Parmesan Crusted Rockling with Fried Potatoes with Sundried Tomatoes and vegetables

Tuesday - Pork and Capsicum Hot Pot (slow cooker)

Wednesday - Chicken Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)

Thursday - Thai Beef with Cashews and steamed rice

Friday - Big Bucket in the Sky Chicken with homemade wedges

So there you have it.... well that's the plan so far. Unfortunately I do have trouble sticking with this but I know I have to learn to...

To see what other wonderful people are having for dinner, don't forget to visit I'm An Organising Junkie.

An afternoon with family....

I have to admit I am sitting here one content little Aunty having spent the afternoon with my nephews..... I love them to bits but given the circumstances with my sister I have to be patient and see them only when my brother in law agrees. As he only gets them every second weekend it definitely is his "quality" time with them and I don't want to impose too much. It's very strange how much closer we have all become since my sister seperated from him but I truly admire him for letting the children see each other ~ let's face it if he didn't then my kids would not see their cousins!! Prior to the seperation, we hardly saw them so we have already missed out on so much!

Kyle, Alex, Stuart and Oliver

Angus

Alex

Stuart

Oliver and Kyle

Wesley

As you can see we had a bbq lunch and the beef skewers were a hit! Bathurst was on but I spent most of my time watching the kids playing together. Jamie also painted our laundry ceiling for us as it was peeling due to the heat of the dryer.

Families definitely work in strange ways ~ some ways people just don't understand. But it is wonderful that we can have Jamie and the boys over for lunch even though, sadly, my sister wasn't included. I guess it all depends who puts in the effort to keep families together and in this case it's obviously not my sister!!

The weekend has suddenly become busy....

The weekend has suddenly become busy.... but I really don't mind at all....

Working until 12 takes a huge chunk out of Saturday but it's extra spending money and more time Noel can spend with the children by himself. He has been working long hours this last few weeks and has hardly spent any time with them, seeing them just before dinner and then they go off to bed. So Saturday mornings are his "quality" time.

It is a beautiful day here in Melbourne, the sun is shining and the wind calm.

This afternoon we are off to get the family portrait done. This should be interesting (especially seeing what Alex will decide to wear) but I am looking forward to it. The portrait itself will be framed and only costs $10 with all profits going back to the school. The trick is to walk away with the portrait only not the whole package that these companies put together so you are tempted to spend extra money. We did this a few years ago and I ended up purchasing the whole package for about $200... but they were nice photos.

We are all getting a little excited as I have confirmed a get together with Jamie and the boys for tomorrow. They are coming to our place for lunch and it will be great to see them again. It's been a few weeks but as much as I would love to see them everytime they are with Jamie, it is his time and he needs to enjoy all the time that he gets. While they are visiting, Jamie is actually painting the laundry ceiling for us as the paint is flaking from the heat of the dryer. Cost for painting the laundry ceiling is free lunch.... lol!!

So before we know it the weekend will be over but it will be enjoyed......

TGIF!! The weekend is here...

I am looking forward to this weekend... good weather has been forecast for the whole weekend so hopefully we can venture outside at some stage.

Not quite sure what we are planning although it must and will incorporate cleaning at some stage, as boring as that sounds ~ it does need to get done.

Getting our family portrait (photo) taken Saturday afternoon so that should be good. It wasn't a planned event, actually a fundraiser through the school. We had it done many years ago so an updated version will be great.

Better fly the weekend has started.......

Happy Birthday Mam....

~~ Happy Birthday Mam ~~

We hope you have a wonderful birthday!!

Back to school..... holidays are over!

Well I cannot only complain about the weekend passing by fast again but these two weeks of school holidays did also. I guess it was harder with the fact that Noel and I worked through them and the kids spent most of their time with Nana and Grandad.

We had a wonderful weekend, it was really good to spend some quality time together.

Saturday night we babysat Christian for the first time overnight. Confession firstly, we spent most of Saturday afternoon childproofing the house for a two year old. Ornaments up a little higher, etc. Now that both of our children are older you don't think about the little things until you start looking at where they.... Christian wasn't bothered at all by the fact that his mam and dad were leaving him with us, however I think mam and dad felt differently. We all waved them off and then before we knew it Christian had run back into the house without a second thought about his parents wanted to wave to him as they drove past the house again (after doing a u-turn of course). Sean and Vicky were off to a birthday party, to which no children were invited. I am not a fan of these occasions, its a rarity when ares are not with us as well.
After a huge cooked breakfast (healthy of course) we all went to Myuna Farm in Doveton. Noel and I hadn't been there before whereas the kids had been with the school. It was actually quite good considering I really didn't have high expectations.

The highlight I have to admit was watching the kids on the pony rides. At first Oliver didn't want a ride, but as we got closer he changed his mind which I was glad about and doing so he went first.

Then Christian who I just didn't think would go anywhere near the horse (to be honest Shetland Pony) but he seemed to enjoy it.

Alex giggled all the way through her ride and I have promised now to take her horse riding at a proper horse farm! Now that's going to be interesting!!

After dropping Christian back of at his home, it was time for our next adventure for the day. Our last adventure for the school holidays. We had pre-organized tickets for Gold Glass to see Julie and Julia, and decided that we would have dinner out just to make a night of it. Dinner was at Hog's Breath Cafe, which we all enjoyed and I have to be honest and say that I did eat too much. It was the first time that the kids had been there so it was quite novel to them.

But gee did their eyes light up from the minute we got to the cinema.... Gold Class is such a different experience to the normal cinema's. We ordered our drinks and were then ushered to our seats or should I say arm chairs? It was funny to watch the kids change the positions of their seats, up and down, up and down but they enjoyed the novelty of it all! I thought the movie was great as did Oliver, Noel thought it was good but Alexandria was bored. Julie and Julia is a movie about a food blog writer and a cookbook writer. Julie Powell sets out to cook every recipe from Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering The Art Of French Cooking, whilst at the same time the film showed Julia Child writing her cookbook. Well worth seeing if you are a foodie with a cooking blog like me. At time I could see the looks on my family's faces and knew all to well that they were thinking "that's exactly what mam is like or does at home".... lol it was funny!

Although school holidays are over I must say that my beloved weekly "routine" is back to normal or well it is at least for the next 10 weeks when school holidays starts all again!

Another quick weekend....

Well another weekend over and it was a quiet yet full, if that makes sense.

Friday night saw us out for dinner with the kids and Noel's parents to celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary. We went to La Porchetta in Mentone, which I have to admit wasn't the most brilliant meal we have had, considering we don't mind La Porchetta (the Frankston one is better!!) It was good spending the evening together and catching up. Not only had we not seen the kids for the whole week but we hadn't seen mam and dad for awhile either.

Saturday after working only for a few hours, a little shopping on the way home and we settled in to watch the Grand Final. We were meant to go over to a friend's house but Alex complained of being sickand dizzy. She actually slept from around 3 pm until the next morning.

Unfortunately, as far as the football went, it wasn't the year for St Kilda this year and they lost to Geelong. Oliver cried his little heart out when the final siren sounded much to the surprise of Noel and myself. Like all good supporters we were dissappointed but glad that it in fact was a good game.


Sunday, after having a sleep in (which I enjoyed) we decided to take the kids to the cinema. We went and saw G Force in 3D... the kids loved it even if as adults we struggled to concept guinea pigs being secret agents for the FBI! Not to mention the trained cockroaches that carried minature spy cameras into place where normal agents just couldn't go!! LOL!! The kids look really nerdy with their 3D glasses on - it made me giggle.

Unfortunately, the weather was miserable all weekend but we enjoyed our time as a family. The kids are back to their grandparents again today but only for tonight. Home tomorrow evening until Thursday. School holidays are a pain for working parents who need to organise sitters left, right and centre but we make the most of every day we have together the best we can......

Happy 16th Wedding Anniversary.....

16 years ago I married my best friend

16 years later he is still my best friend

~ ~ o0O0o ~ ~

WOW I really cannot believe that it has been 16 years... it seems like only yesterday we were getting married, dancing our bridal waltz to Rod Stewart's 'Have I Told You Lately", giving birth to our beautiful son, Oliver, and our princess, Alexandria, now watching them grow, moving to Sydney and then moving back to Melbourne, etc.... always sharing the good and surviving the bad TOGETHER!!

Have I told you lately that I love you?

Have I told you there's no one else above you?

Fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness,

ease my troubles that's what you do.

For the morning sun in all it's glory

greets the day with hope and comfort, too.

You fill my life with laughter and somehow you make it better,

ease my troubles that's what you do.

There's a love that's divine

and it's yours and it's mine....like the sun.

And at the end of the day

we should give thanks and pray to the one, to the one.

And have I told lately that I love you?

Have I told you there's no one else above you?

You fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness,

ease my troubles that's what you do.

Take away all my sadness, fill my heart with gladness,

ease my troubles that's what you do......

I love you Mr Murray..... very very much!!

Another earthquake....... two to be exact!!!!

I couldn't believe it last night.... there I was doing the housewifey thing of mopping the kitchen floor and felt a huge rumble and a noise resembling thunder. Thinking no more of it as rain had been forecast I just went along on my enthralling business only to feel the same yet stronger seconds later and this time I noticed the chandelliers shaking!

Listening to the news it was reported that two small earthquakes had hit Melbourne's Mornington Peninusla region at around 6.20 pm and were about 14 seconds apart which explains what I had indeed esperienced.

They recorded magnitudes of 3.0 and 2.6, with the epicentre in Warneet about 25km south of Frankston. So far no major damage has been reported - all's good at our house!

And there I was thinking I "was just having a moment".... LOL!

A quiet house....

It's school holiday's and as we both have to work due to lack of annual leave up our sleeves (saving what we have for Christmas holidays) the kids have been packed up and shipped off to Nana and Grandad's for the majority of the holidays.

They were dropped off yesterday morning by Noel on his way to work and he will pick them up on Friday night on his way home.

Needless to say last night when I got in from work the house was TOO quiet. Not even a little idle chatter could be heard it was just me waiting for Noel for finish his overtime.

It's funny how deafening quiet can be.....

Another family day...... and yet another fast weekend!!!

Noel and I decided we needed another family day and yesterday was perfect weather wise so we go up and without even telling the kids where we were going we all got dressed and were out the door by 10am.

The car had a buzz of excitement about it, especially as the kids had no idea where we were going and we did!! All the way from the back seat we heard "Are we going to...?", "Are we going to...?", "What does it start with?" and "What's the second letter?" etc etc. It was quite a fun trip although we were only in the car for 40 minutes.

We took the kids to Narre Warren to the circus. I had got the times mixed up and thought the show started at 11am only to find that it didn't start until 1pm. So instead of having lunch at a quickie takeaway such as McDonalds etc., we went in search of a nice cafe or restaurant to have some food. Narre Warren really didn't have something that suited so we went into Berwick and to Beno's Cafe and Bar.... and boy, was it good. We all enjoyed our food and we all ordered differently, I had Beno's Big Breakfast, Oliver had Beno's Gourmet Beef Burger, Alex had to have the kids' nuggets and chips and Noel decided on the Tapas Plate.... I won't go into each meal but I can tell you that we were all so full that dinner lasts night consisted of toasted sandwiches at 8.30pm!!!

The circus was fantastic also. Circus Olympia, consisting of several Russian performers and it was mentioned that it was the show's first time in Australia but I would have to investigate to confirm that. The kids had a ball, so did Noel and I. I get great enjoyment watching their faces and seeing the enjoyment and how they light up at even the simplest things. There was some animals in the show and quite enjoyable and varied performances which lasted two hours. Well worth going..... we purchased ring side seats so we were quite close to all the action.

Our house will be quiet now until Friday night. It's school holiday's here in Melbourne and both of us are working. This means the kids get to spend the weekdays with their grandparents, who thankfully help us out when they can and will no doubt spoil the kids rotten. Noel will pick them up on his way home from work on Friday, we will spend the weekend together and then do the same again next week. We have chosen not to have time of this holidays so we can have time together over the Christmas school holidays. Hopefully I will get chance to give the house especially their bedrooms a good clean during the evenings while they are not home...... garbage bags here I come!!

We have been soooo busy.....

We have been soooo busy lately that I just haven't had that much time to maintain this blog... we are doing too much and that is the problem... but you know us we wouldn't have it any other way.

So what have we been up to..... hhhhhmmmm let's see.......

Since Father's Day (6th September) which I cannot believe was nearly two weeks ago, we have been doing the usual school/work caper. Noel has been working a lot of overtime and I have been trying to finalise all the football club books in time for the Annual General Meeting.

However Noel and decided that last Sunday was to be a "special" family day so we took the kids to the city. Even though that doesn't sound too exciting it was a great day. We caught the train into Melbourne - this in itself was a novelty.

We caught the train in from Frankston - this is something the kids have been wanting to do for ages and walked around for most of the morning, ending up in Chinatown for lunch.

After walking the entire length of Chinatown we ate lunch at "Post-Mao Cafe" and had a wonderful banquet lunch for only $14.50 per head and we were full. I am definitely going to recommend this to anyone going to Chinatown.


All through lunch the kids kept asking if we could go to the aquarium... we kept saying no. Only to see the disappointment on their faces at the prospect of further walking around the city did we change our mind. So we hopped on a tram, and without telling them got off at the stop right outside the aquarium.... oh how their faces quickly lit up!!

The aquarium was great, as usual, but the added bonus of the new penguin display was magnificent. The Emperor Penguin are so majestic and mesmorising to watch, I could have stood there for ages.


As per usual I was fascinated by the jelly fish and just want a tank full of them at home. Another brilliant time waster that would be!! LOL!!


Although there was no sign of one of our favourites, the cuttlefish, and that the octopus was snoozing under a rock our visit to the aquarium was great and like everytime we visit it's great to watch the kids faces.

We got home late and were totally exhausted but it was a BRILLIANT adventure... I am sure the kids are going to ask what is next?

Tonight we have the junior football presentations. They are being held at Skateworld in Frankston and it should be interesting to see all the kids on skates instead of football boots. Alex will want me to skate with her.... hhhhmmm I have to think about that one.



PS I WILL PUBLISH SOME MORE PHOTO'S FOR THIS POST SOON......

Happy Father's Day.....

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To all the men I my life I wish you all a very Happy Father's Day... and a special wish of course to my dad, who I love and still miss very much.

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Today there is NO FOOTBALL and I don't think I am the only one that's a little bit excited about that. Instead we were still all in bed by 8am which is in itself a miracle for this house! And I have to say I enjoyed it.

Father's day saw Noel spoiled with presents that the kids had bought at the Father's Day stall at school and also a wallet, a cherry tomato plant and a foot stool. Oh and the Terry's Choc Orange!!! I think he was quite impressed with his bevvy of gifts this year.

Lunch was spent up at Mam and Dad's with Sean, Vicky and Christian. We had a wonderful time.... we got there for lunch but I don't think we walked in our front door until aroun 7pm.... oh well it was a good day.

Food - amazing and so much as usual!! Zucchini and Bacon Soup, Braised Lamb shanks and dessert (which I ate) who could have asked for me... not me - I didn't go back for seconds...lol... others did. Mam and dad did really well with the feast they prepared and served... and of course the perfect end to the day... watching the football and The Saints WON!!!

Vicky looked great - she carries pregnancy well! I am so glad and am looking forward to the new arrival, which is only in a matter of a few weeks really. I tried to find out whether it's a girl or a boy but both Sean and Vicky are not letting on (they know but don't want to tell anyone).... it's quite annoying but Noel and I did the same thing to the family when we were pregnant with Alex!! Go figure - why do I have the right to be annoyed at the decision they have made not to tell anyone?? Especially when we made the same decision 8 years ago.


All I can say is that I am really glad that I am part of a wonderful family....

Christian's 2nd Birthday.....

Monday was Christian's 2nd birthday (his party is coming on Saturday). We all went to Sean and Vicky's for dinner to celebrate this special little man!! This is our only nephew on Noel's side of the family although another little Murray is due in 15 weeks!


We all decided that he loves cake!!


Cheeky should definitely be his middle name!! LOL!!!


A "glowing" mam - Vicky looks really well during this pregnancy. And Sean is just such the doting dad!

And of course then there is the grandparents who idolise all of their grandchildren and play such an important and special role in their grandchildren's lives...... all three (and shortly four) grandchildren are loved greatly by these two beautiful people. I have to admit, I am very lucky to have them in my life also!!

The Boite Choir - Our Home Our Land

Both Oliver and Alex sang in The Boite Choir yesterday at the Frankston Arts Centre along with other children from Victorian Primary Schools.


They have been practising for several months now and have learnt songs that are meaningful to the land of Australia and it's people. A few of them using Aboriginal words and phrases. They performed with an Aboriginal dance group and it was such a brilliant event.

I took the day off from work to see them. I had planned with Vera to meet her there as Kayla was also in the choir. We all enjoyed the performance.

Once again I am really proud of our kids.