Cleaning Out My Closet.....

I've been printing out The Organised Housewife's 20 day Challenge task sheets. There was way too much going on here to even think about starting on day one, but I bought a folder and I've been printing out the sheets each day.
I'll start when I think life is calm enough!

There are some great ideas in there and I love the idea of the 5 minute jobs.
I already have a reasonably organised house, I just wish everyone else would put things back where they belong!

I really enjoy seeing all the linked posts on the weekend, some more ways to get ideas for my home.

Life begins at 40....

A few weeks ago I received a postcard in the mail. Now that's not so unusual but this one was from a stranger. Kate from OurLittleSins started a postcard project where she sent out 100 Pantone postcards over 100 days (or close to !) and I was number 80. You can see her post about sending the postcard off here-
Day 80

Kate did a round up post after the 100 postcards were sent off and from that post I saw a couple of other people have started postcard projects, including Steph of Steph&Husband who is sending out Super Heroes! 100 Superheroes

Now I have a couple of box sets of postcards here but I've used some out of each box, and I also don't think I could ever find 100 people to send postcards to, but encouraged by Steph I've decided to do a 40 postcard project. Why 40? Well it's my 40th Birthday on Monday!

I'm not expecting to send 40 postcards in 40 days or anything that ambitious but hopefully by the end of the year I'll find 40 people to send them to.

I'm sending postcards from McSweeney's Greetings from the Ocean's Sweaty Face box. These postcards are odd, so sending them out like this is great as I always send other postcards from my collection as some people may find these ones offensive or just down right strange!

Of course I'd love to get some mail in return to I will be putting my post box address on the back. To start with I'm going to send them to mail bloggers who have their addresses on their blogs, some of my penpals and some of my friends. I'll also find addresses from lists on blogs like Good Mail Day and Send Something .

But I will have lots of spares so if you want one of these rather unusual postcards, comment below and I'll contact you!
And if you know of any mail bloggers or anyone else who might like one, let me know!

Well, I guess I'm freaking forty....

Inspired by Tiff's post at Mythreeringcircus ....

I'll be 40 in just under a month, I haven't really thought about what I want to do on my birthday or even what I want for presents. I already have all that I want really.

I'd like some washi tape I guess, new books are always welcome, and maybe some perfume.

I'd also like- to go to the bathroom without anyone knocking on the door, a whole nights sleep and to solve all the problems in my life at the moment, all these are unlikely!

What I will get is a day with my family, no matter what we do or who is or isn't here, someone will say something cute, someone will do something nice, the baby will give me her beautiful smile and I won't have to cook dinner!

Like Tiff I have a list of things to do. I want to learn to drive, I want to see more of Australia, maybe go back to New Zealand again one day.

I always wanted to go up in a hot air balloon but I'm too scared to do things like that anymore.

Some things I have done in my life-
I have given birth 5 times, 2 "naturally" and 3 csections.
Been pregnant 6 times.
Watched a friend give birth.
Been married twice
Had a church wedding
eloped
Been in a abusive relationship
Been a bridesmaid twice
I've had skin cancer
Been a "troubled" teen
Won 3 holidays including a "money can't buy experience"
Had a poem published in a book
Went to New Zealand 3 times and went on a ferry between the 2 islands.
Been in an advertising shoot for a book publishing company.
Walked under the Brisbane River
Travelled on the first electric train out of our town.
Been in an icebar, a gondola,a hovercraft and in a train drivers cabin.
Been on lots of camps.
I was on tv once, 
I went to Open day at Expo 88.
I've volunteered at school,at the War Veterans home, for Endeavour, and at Riverfestival.
I've Lived at 18 addresses
I've been a sister, a friend,a wife,a girlfriend, a mother, an aunt, a daughter and a granddaughter.
I've made many mistakes and done some dangerous things.

I'm sure there's a lot more to come... I wonder what the next 40 years has in store for me?

Eight Days a Week...

I wish I had eight days in a week! I might be tempted to use that 8th day to sleep though!

I'm a listmaker. I also have a diary and an iphone.

I use reminders on my iphone a lot as well as the calendar. I know I can somehow sync an online calendar with my iphone but I'm not clever enough to have worked out how exactly.

My diary is a Mum's Memory there are a couple of small things I don't like about it but mostly it works for me. I spent a long time looking at diaries before buying the MM. I've had the MM 2 years in a row now.
One of my main problems is that it's just too big to carry around with me. So it stays on my desk and I check it every day and try to write appointments in straight away.

I also bought an InnerB Mums agenda in a lovely pink but I haven't actually used it yet. If MM ever stops being made then I'll buy a refill for the IB.

A friend of mine made her own diary using a Levenger journal and some ideas from DIYPlanner.

Some other diaries I considered were-

OTI
InnerB
Masterplan 
Tiny Me Design your own
BabyBrain
Personal Planner


There are so many family organisers available. I've tried a few different things, I have a magnetic whiteboard family planner but I don't really use it. 
I've made our own family folder with ideas from some of these sites-

My Org
Did You Remember the Milk?
KikkiK
FlyladyOrganise your life
OrganisedHome

I keep our takeaway menus in it as well as school papers like tuckshop lists, uniform price lists etc.
There's also a section for family holiday ideas and a section for menu planning.
I also have copies of any organising printables I find on the net.



For menu planning I'm currently using a 5 week planner from Picklebums blog.
Kate has lots of useful printables on her blog (as well as some great family recipes!).

I find working our meals 5 weeks ahead works well for us at the moment. I can write a shopping list each week a lot quicker and I can swap meals around if I need to.

These things all help me stay organised to some extent but I could still do with that extra day!

These are a few of my favourite things....

Here are a few of my favourite things- I was going to include my favourite baby items but have decided they will get their own post!

So... Pascalls Marshmellows, yum!

 I love the coloured pack with the yellow ones, Banana yum! The new choc covered ones are pretty nice too and I did get sucked in by the Pascall swirl ones for a while.
And the very best way to eat them? Buy some crispy MandM's as well  and shove them inside the Marshmellows!

Cocacola Zero   and  Nescafe coffee,  Caffeine is a big part of surviving 5 kids!

TimTams Is there anyone who doesn't love Timtams? So many flavours to choose from! I love the good old original ones, just have to hide them from the kids! Right now you can win some great prizes by buying Arnotts biscuits from Woolworths including a years supply of TimTams! There's also a pretty cool Timtam advertising promotion on now where you can be a star in your own ad! 



Pineoclean wipes, My kids make lots of mess, these are great for cleaning up mess, rather then the kids just moving the mess around with a sponge.
PineOclean Glen 20 spray is awesome too, the crisp linen fragrance is the best!

Omo Sensitive Again, mess control! We've tried lots of different powders and liquids but this one does the best job!

Garnier BB Cream  Thanks to Daisy I tried BB cream and I love it, sun protection and a light foundation in one! Thanks Daisy for your recommendation !

Lynx deodorant, the new Anarchy for girls, but also Dark Temptation, both my teenage girls prefer Lynx over "girls" deodorants. (And not just because I won an amazing holiday from Lynx!)

Apple products,

This is our household collection, the ipad, iphone, classic, the mini and 2 of the shuffles are mine. I was devastated when my original ipod was stolen when our house was broken into.
I've only had the ipad for 2 weeks but it's the most brilliant thing ever!

My Milkshake brings all the boys to the yard...

I didn't breastfeed my first 3 babies, my first husband said breastfeeding was "for poor people" and that "women only do it because they want men to perve on them". Turns out those were his mothers opinions.
I probably should have fought harder but first time round everything was pretty overwhelming as it was and all the other mothers I knew at the time bottle fed their babies.
3rd time round I did want to breastfeed but when the nurse asked he answered for me with bottle feeding thanks.
My 4th baby was breastfed for 6 months with formula topups, My 2nd husband is much more supportive about breastfeeding. I probably could have fed baby 4 for longer if I'd had a bit more information. I thought I was low on milk but now I know a lot more about breastfeeding I know I probably was doing fine, I was just thinking about it from a bottlefeeding view, "It's only been 2 1/2 hrs he can't be hungry again".

This time I've fed baby H 51/2 months so far, bar some formula on her 1st day to help settle her blood sugars and that was tube fed anyway not via a bottle.
I hope to feed her for at least 12 months, it's just so convenient and easy, and I love feeding her early in the mornings.
She's my last baby so I'm glad to have gotten it right this time round.

But trust me on the sunscreen…

I'm a readhead, a "Ranga", Carrot top and all those other horrid names.
I didn't bother much with sunscreen or hats as a kid or as an adult and now I'm paying for it.
Currently I have about 30 stitches in  the back of my head and it hurts.
I've lost count of the sun cancers I've had removed but I've had one skin graft and at least 2 big removals both on my face and now my scalp.
Wish I'd worn a hat now.