{The Powerhouse Pt 2: Love Lace}

{read part one here}

Well, If you are ever taking the kids to the powerhouse and are remotley 'arty', 'crafty' or appreciate such divine things.....SEE THIS EXHIBITION!!! If you know me at all, you will know that this was something I loved and wishes I wasn't starting to feel the sore muscles of the (as I found out later) worst flu! Taking the idea of lace into many mediums and interpretations was refreshing, inspiring, fascinating and just plain flippin' jaw dropping! :)

{The powerhouse & the FLU monster!}

At the end of last week I took my big boy on a surprise adventure trip. He didn't know where we were going and all he knew was that we were catching a train (which is a huge novelty). It was just my big boy and I and Jr was at preschool (strategical choice of days for this outing).

I put together a folder of fun little puzzles, games and activities for the train trip. Some of these were a HUGE hit and will have to share soon!

The Powerhouse Museum is located in Ultimo Sydney {click here for details}. We took a train to central and then walked there slowly enjoying the beautiful weather and sights along the way.

Then we arrived at our destination and he was excited to explore. My big Kindy boy is always very hungry to discover new things and this has mainly been in the area of books and reading so far. However, he is quickly becoming fascinated with all things science, space, transport and experiments. The powerhouse was a great choice for a school holiday outing.

The current wiggles exhibition is (like everything else they do) incredibly well put together! It is very interactive, houses memorabilia from their vast 20 years of contributions to the Aussie music landscape. There is something for all ages in there. My big boy will say he doesn't like wiggles anymore, but this was one of his favourite parts of the day! 

Towards the end of the trip I saw an exhibition called love lace that I will write about separately {click here} that I wish I had more energy to see, but I was feeling quite sore and tired. I didn't understand it until I got home and it turns out I was hit with a massive flu that lasted for days. This is why I haven't posted this yet. 

After the museum I picked up Jr from preschool, got home and collected eggs from the chickens, hopped in the shower while the boys were in the bath and soothed the muscles. The I hung out on the couch as the temperature rose and the chills multiplied. Until hubby could rescue me from doing dinner and let me sleep. Jr fixed himself a nutritious dinner of marshmallows and chips whilst Mr 5 was in control of the movie remote. Jr covered my feet in "bend-ends" (baind-aids) which are his thing at the moment. As he (sat but naked) emptied multiple dollars of them onto us both, I seriously didn't care as it was the closest thing I got to a foot rub which I needed. Thank goodness I am feeling better now! THE. FLU. SUXXX! 

I seriously recommend the POWERHOUSE for school kids, especially if you want to encourage or inspire a love of all things science, environment, wiggles or whatever other cool exhibitions are on (narnia coming soon - your welcome ;)

Lauren x

Did you do anything fun these school holidays???   

{Confessions of a Handbag: Reclaimimng My Bag Pt 1}

Recently I was at a women's event at church and we played the handbag game. You know the one where someone calls out a list of items 'typicaly' found in a handbag and the woman with the most items wins a prize? 

Wake-up Call!

Had the list comprised of the following I would have won. HANDS DOWN!!!

- a soggy apple core from the car trip that night (or the day before if I am being 100% honest)

- some loose sultanas

- a pair of my sons shoes (that don't even fit him any more)

- a speciman jar with some sort of gel (to numb the throat - from my son's hospital visit the week before....I know right!)

- a few soggy receipts from said apple core above

- phone case with credit cards and license (the only amount of 'normalcy' I found in there)

Ever since that night I have been on a mission to "RECLAIM MY HANDBAG". My youngest boy is now almost 3 and I don't need any of the typical 'baby' items any more and so - it is time!

{I'm a Medical Mystery}

A story I haven't shared on here before is about an ongoing battle with health that has been a part of me for longer than it hasn't. I don't know if you have ever been on the receiving end of a health issue that puzzles doctors and leaves you feeling helpless and mysterious, it can be infuriating!

 {My side profile after and before pictures of me in my 'condition' of ???? 

This bloating can happen several times a week. Looks preggas right?!?!?!}

My battle started officially on a Wednesday night 15 years ago. I was in grade 8 in high school and my Dad took me to the local GP's office with extreme abdominal pain. They rushed me to hospital

{Fashion Diaries}

A little while while ago, I heard Coles supermarkets were starting a clothing line. Like many of you who heard, I was VERY skeptical!

I am lucky enough to have two Coles nearby that stock the Mix range and to my surprise, I have actually quite taken to it. Every piece of mix clothing I wear out, I get a comment on (not kidding)! The amount of times I have watched that look of shock as I explain this dress was $15 or this singlet was $5 from Coles, I've lost count.

{School Holidays Ideas : Photo Chase/ Nature Walk}

Well, in NSW we are about to embark on a few weeks of school holidays. I love holidays! I love getting to hang out with my big boy, I miss him so much at school and I love not having to have the 'leave the house by 8' deadline for a change and planning fun activities. The special thing about this year is that it is my first year of 'official' school holidays and I also get two days a week just with my big boy.

Here are two things I have planned for the next few weeks.

{Happy Easter Cake Pops}

Well, I wanted to say thank you to some very special teachers and friends that are a blessing to my boys.

This was the kind of activity that I did most of the prep for myself. Had my kids been slightly older, they could have helped with more than pouring the sprinkles on. But I just loved these do much, and was very happy with how they turned out!

If you need more detailed steps, click here for a good tutorial.

Basically it's done in less than 10 steps:

{My Mini Kitchen Apprentices}

I found these salad knives at Victoria's Basement recently for a few dollars ($2.50 from
memory) and knew they would be a big hit on two levels.


Firstly I was able to get their favourite colours (Orange for our big boy and 'Lello' for junior).
Secondly, our boys love to help and especially in the kitchen. Cooking is a big part of our house. These salad knives are shaped like a chefs knife, only it's a plastic aerated blade. Much safer.