This morning Asha started the pre-primary grade at ballet, graduating from her pink leotard of choice to the mandatory white studio leotard...things are getting serious now! New colour, new teacher, new music and new moves, ahhh how refreshing!
With all three of my kids now at school or kindy on a Friday I feel an expectation is upon me that I will fill my idle time (ha ha) in the office. So this morning I ventured in and found that a lot has changed in the last five years. Of course I know the business, the building and the ongoing politics but the new computer system sent me for a bit of a spin. I used to be able to negotiate RMS in my sleep however today even the exceptionally sim
Aaden is by far my fussiest eater, especially when it comes to fruit and vegetables. Even sandwiches can be a challenge as he refuses to eat any filling other than Vegemite and cheese or peanut butter and honey (he doesn't need to know that this is actually tahini and rice malt syrup). Today however, as we drove home from school pick up and the girls started to devour the left over food in their lunch boxes, Aaden hungrily ate a piece of Charli's chicken and avocado sandwich! Obviously the mistake I have been making is not marinating his sandwiches in a hot school bag before serving. 
Thanks to our visit from ex-tropical cyclone, our local pool was badly damaged causing swimming lessons to be relocated to sister pools in Robina and Miami. Visiting this pool reminded me how lucky we are to have our pool by the sea, with it's sun filled space, fresh sea breeze and breathtaking views. Although the atmosphere (and overpowering smell of c
Here is our very first look at our brand new niece and nephew Drew Elizabeth Rose and Jack Attenborough McCoy. After a long and anxious wait we were overjoyed to hear that they had been delivered tonight. Although we know little more than their names and that they are around 3 kilograms each in weight, we are so relieved that they have arrived and that both babies and their mum (although exhausted and in pain from an unplanned c section) are healthy. Oh and we know one other thing...they are just a wee bit adorable!
With our business now on the market, the thought that someday soon we may not live so close to our beautiful beach, is a harsh reality. Today we decided to head out to the Burleigh Breaka Pro Surf competition on the Burleigh Headland, not that we have the slightest interest in surfing but it's time to live as the locals do! The sun was shining, the headland was packed and our take away lunch from RAW was delicious. I simply love Burleigh. Oh and I love that I managed to salvage some of the free flavoured milks the kids received from the promo girls and was able to sneak in some spinach and chia seeds before the kids devoured them for dessert!
With the kids heading up to Ga Ga's for a sleep over tonight we had the rare and wonderful opportunity to go to the movies. After our over indulgent December and January we have made February a kind of unofficial detox month hence choc tops and churros were off the menu however we did sneak in some organic popcorn and a super special treat of dark chocolate blueberries. As it turned out our movie selection 'The Imposiible' was so harrowing that I could barely eat, so our night at the flicks was even healthier than anticipated as we returned home with our unopened bag of blueberries!
Aaden told me a joke today...
At last the big day has arrived, Asha’s very first day of
school. Rising early, she quietly set about
eating breakfast, brushing her teeth and getting dressed in her new school
uniform...all without complaining about the shorts or the overwhelm of
blue! She then headed off to school hand
in hand with her big sister carting the world’s biggest backpack on her tiny four
year old frame.
Today was Charli's first day in grade two. On the way to school she was hoping for "the funny teacher" but considering she couldn't remember said teachers name or even gender we assured her that there was a good chance that she may get her wish!
Today it was time for Asha's six monthly dental check up and clean with Dr Brad. Asha was such a brave little girl, once Dr Brad had managed to prize her mouth open (and that was just to say hello). Charli on the other hand couldn't stop telling Brad all about her Christmas presents, holidays and how unlucky she was NOT to be in the dentist chair as she couldn't see the television! Today was also the first time Aaden has accompanied me to the dentist and after a little gentle persuasion he even climbed aboard the chair for a 'familiarisation' ride. By the end of the visit Aaden had warmed to the whole experience and happily accepted the gloves and dentist mask from Dr Brad for his dress ups....and just quietly, as I received our $130 bill, I couldn't help but think that I wouldn't mind having a dentist in the family
After a long, scary, noisy night, today we were continued to be hammered by ex tropical cyclone Oswald. My photo does not go close to showing the intensity of the storm, but with windows smashing around us and winds of up to 100km per hour, this view from our back door was as close as I was willing to get to a very angry mother nature today.
Today the Gold Coast began to feel the effects of ex tropical cyclone Oswald so there were no BBQ by the beach for us. Instead we headed to the local video store, hired Hotel Transylvania and had a family movie day on the couch. Tonight however we did decide to stick with our original plan of going out for dinner. After all Australia Day isn't just any day, it's Granddads birthday!
Today we said a teary goodbye to Doodies castle for the very last time. As the unit is now on the market, open houses are being held each weekend so we decide to depart a few days early to spend the last three days of our holiday at Diamond Beach Resort in Broadbeach. Tonight heralded the end of another era when we put all three kids to bed in the same room. Traditionally when staying in a holiday house, our youngest child has always shared our room (or walk in wardrobe if we could make the cot fit) but tonight we decided to give them a try all in a room together. This could be an interesting night!
The family that bounces together, stays together. Another fun filled, sun filled day at the Broadwater Parklands.
Another day another playground, but today we stumbled across a gorgeous little oasis hidden away just down the road from Doodie's castle. Complete with peacocks, ducks, water falls, tadpoles, swings, slides and even Big Foots cave, what more could the Butter-Smooch family ask for?
A shopping trip to Harbour Town just got a whole lot better for our kids...trampolines for the girls and quad bikes for AJ. If only all shopping centres offered such delights!
Just a few hours into our little holiday and we are already in the pool. Let the fun begin!!!
Luckily, at the last minute this morning I remembered that I had made appointments for all of the kids to have hair cuts before the new school term. I automatically booked the kids regular hairdresser Ziggety Snippets as the kids have always enjoyed all of the kid friendly features of this salon. I was surprised today however, when Charli refused to climb aboard the pink Barbie chair or even ride the pony chair choosing to sit in the plain white 'big girls' hairdressers chair. Just quietly, she didn't say no to the kids DVD or the glitter hairspray though bless her.
After months of pestering, today I finally relented and took the kids to a
new play centre in Robina, Kidz n Play. Just when I thought the coffee,
service, food options, noise and mayhem couldn't get any worse, three groups of holiday
program kids arrived taking the centre to capacity, with many kids who looked
suspiciously over twelve years old (the maximum age limit).
In an effort to make Asha's transition to big school as easy as possible, today we headed over to Sienna's place for a play date. Sienna is the younger sister of one of Charli's friends Kalan, she starts prep this year and most importantly she will also be wearing a blue shirt, just like Ash!
Apple and cinnamon muffins cooked for tomorrow's high tea with Asha's new friend Sienna...time to lick the bowl!!
Just when I think this photo a day blogging business is just too much like hard work, the kids pull out my 2011 blog book and read it cover to cover!
With the new school year quickly approaching, today we
headed out to buy school shoes. Asha,
usually my little Imelda Marcos, was a reluctant shopper, then again velcro
joggers aren’t really her style, especially when they remind her that big school is
looming. 
Asha loves to dig holes at the beach and she also loves to fill them with water. Today she swooped on an abandoned pre dug hole only problem was it's distance from the water. She soon discovered that her hat made a pretty good bucket, except for those annoying ventilation holes. Luckily Ash has a super fit Daddy/water bearer.
Look what I picked at the growers market today! Sweeter produce I couldn't have hoped to have found!
Ben's lunch today...Classic gazpacho, quinoa toast with a garlic rub, sun dried tomato and olive tepenade (with his trusty Byron Bay Chilli sauce of course) finished with a sweet treat coco-nutty crunch. Not sure how my hubby will handle it if he ever has to eat a packed lunch!
I remember doing this to my brother...oh the joys of having sisters. For the record, I did step in when Charli
wanted to put her undies on him!
Today Ben finally got a chance to assemble the girls Christmas present from Ga Ga and Poppy, a set of bunk beds! Of course the girls love their new beds and of course Aaden now doesn't want to sleep in his "boring old cotty-house".
After several weeks of over indulging I am feeling festively plump, lethargic and just generally unwell. So today was the day to take some positive action, especially if I am to make 2013 the healthy new year that I promised myself and my family.
Today we headed to the shops to exchange some Christmas presents. On this trip the girls decided that they would like to spend $5 of their own money to buy some new clothes. As luck would have it a new clothes shop has opened at Pacific Fair, the nothing over $5 shop! Each of the girls selected, tried on and finally decided on their new outfits which included a 'big girl' strapless top for Charli and a hello kitty top with matching harajuku girl inspired tartan frilled skirt for our fashionista Asha. As if to prove just how grown up she now is, Charli even correctly calculated her change out of $20.
For family day today we decided to take a mystery trip and just head south! Thirty minutes into our trip we exited the motorway and found ourselves in Pottsville, a small coastal town that I suspect would be typically very sleepy were it not the middle of the Christmas holidays. With the weather a sticky very high thirty something degrees, our wander through the beach side markets was uncomfortable to say the least although ice cream sundaes sweetened the deal for the kids (except for Charli who choose a hot dog, go figure!?!?!?). 
After years of pestering, today Ben and I finally relented and let Charli have her very first sleep over. As I dropped her at her friend Phoebe's house I struggled to hide my reluctance to let her stay, however Charli's overwhelming excitement made it obvious to me that she really felt ready for this 'big girls' adventure.
Today I took the kids to a playground that we haven't been to in a few months. I was a bit taken back to realise that for the first time in over seven years all of the kids could play on the majority of the equipment without my assistance. In the past I have dragged myself around too many playgrounds to mention longing for the day that they could do it by their selves! Today however I was glad for the swings when they all still needed a push from their Mummy!
Small win, tonight I found a way to get all three kids to take their cod liver oil and zinc/vitamin c powder with minimal fuss! Mix it with a little homemade coconut yoghurt, adorn it with a strawberry (or a piece of banana in Aaden's case) and call it a mocktail!
After far too many days of over indulging, today is the first official day of my Healthy New Year!Along with a re commitment to regular exercise and the commencement of a diet and lifestyle journal, I will also be continuing to explore and experiment with the raw/clean foods diet plan that I stumbled upon in 2012.
Nights away from the kids are great...but so is coming back home!