Hearth & Health
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DVD & BluRay Organisation
We have finally found the perfect solution on how to tackle DVD & BluRay Organisation!! 🙂 Wrestling our ever expanding DVD & Blu Rays into some semblance of organisation has long been the bane of my existence. We have tried a few different solutions over the years, some with better success than others. When my friend Jenn over at Wildflowers and Marbles shared that she had THE solution to DVD & Blu-Ray Organisation you better believe I paid attention. Jenn is the Queen of organisation, furthermore she had trialed this for months before sharing. We’ve now had this method in place for a year, so I can verify this is the solution…
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Bushfire, Evacuation & Desolation
It’s nearly a fortnight now since The Fire began and we’ve only just regained our equilibrium. It began as an ordinary weekday and finished in a whole ‘nother way. Wednesday 15th – Feast of the Assumption Actually it wasn’t an ordinary day it was the Feast of the Assumption, so we began the day by attending Mass. When we arrived home at 10.30am we noticed fire in the distance, thought no more of it and proceeded with our day. By 3.30pm however we were certainly paying attention. Huge clouds of smoke were billowing up and ash was falling, it was quite obvious the bushfire was close, only a kilometre away. Planes…
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Creating A ‘Trampoline’ Garden
Most years PC and interested children plant a garden (I fall into the black thumb category). Our garden however has never really thrived, unrelated to PC’s dedication and talent. More to do with it’s location as the garden was tucked away in an area of insufficient sunshine. It was long on PC’s list to relocate but as a man possessed of a long ‘honey do’ list and with little time, giving his garden the attention it needed was a dream but not a priority. Jack Jack (11) is passionate about gardening, following in the footsteps of his father and paternal grandmother. It was JJ’s persistent ‘encouragement’ that bumped the…
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How We Manage Our Laundry: Large Family Logistics
This is the second of an ongoing series addressing how large family logistics play out in our home in relation to household organisation. If you’ve ever wondered how we manage in any area of household management feel free to ask, either in the comment box or send me an email. 1st Post: How We Daily Keep House Last month we tentatively shared with you how our family ‘Daily Keeps House‘ and were amazed at the interest and encouragement shown, the comments we received here and on facebook and the private emails have motivated us to continue this series. It appears that you do not find chatting about large family logistics…
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How We Daily Keep House: Large Family Logistics
This is the first of an ongoing series addressing how large family logistics play out in our home in relation to household organisation. If you’ve ever wondered how we manage in any area of household management feel free to ask, either in the comment box or send me an email. Two friends on the soccer sidelines recently shared their observations regarding my household that has set me on a path of reflection. Our conversation began with their comments on; ‘how clean my house was when they’ve visited’ and queries as to ‘how did I manage to achieve a clean home with a houseful of children?’ Their surprise at…
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KonMari and Culling Books
In my previous post KonMari and Large Families I shared the desperation that led me to ‘listen’ to KonMari, how I adapted this method to met a large family’s needs and to what degree I ‘let go’ of many items in our home. It took us a week to blitz the whole house leaving the books till last. My ‘letting go’ muscles were by now well flexed and it was time to cull our books, all eight thousand of them. How did I do it, what questions did I ask and how did I let go? Our library is a collection gathered over years, many are inherited from…
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KonMari And Large Families
KonMari first came to my attention via internet buzz, I read posts and forum chat with interest and was 7th on the library reservation list. A few weeks ago my friend began reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and sharing daily updates with me. We wondered what could a Japanese mother of one whose method is influenced by her Shinto faith, have to say to us, Aussie Christian mothers of many with children over a wide age spread, initially it appeared that the differences were too great. Culling certainly looks different for a family who still have children at all stages, and as for thanking belongings for doing…
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Experimenting in the Kitchen
I’ve been trying a few recipes in the kitchen adding a new favourite and discovering a few ‘don’t repeats.’ Seed & Nut Balls – A huge favourite that we are making just about daily are these Jewel Bliss Balls, full of goodness with almonds, chia seeds, pepitas and sunflower seeds as well as yummies of dates and dried apricots. I suspect the ultimate yummy is the choc chips we have substituted for cocoa nibs, perhaps not so healthy. Totally happy to know we are eating all the goodness of seeds and nuts. Thanks to Marijke for the pin. Seed & Nut Bars – Thinking more seeds I trialed a different…
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Kitchen Creativity: Wins & Losses
I’ve been enjoying a creative time in the kitchen recently, claiming quite a few wins along with a spectacular loss. Wins Kale Juice I was rather dubious about the look of kale juice, it was so green! A friend reassured me it didn’t taste green and it didn’t. I love kale juice, it’s so refreshing. My usual ‘go to’ choice for breakfast and it always leaves me energised. My recipe: Squeeze 3 oranges, 2 kale leafs (strip off stalks) and a pear (optional) Blend and drink, that simple. Spinach Quiche Spinach quiche has long been a favourite here, PC in particular loves it, which I know makes me very…