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I’ll have what she’s having!

We stopped to indulge in ice blocks this afternoon. It was a surprisingly warm day for winter. It’s really rather strange, I feel as if it hasn’t been that cold this year…Whatever, I’m not questioning it. Just enjoying it!

Miss charlie and I both got calippo icy poles. I got lemon and she chose raspberry. Oh, my gosh. How good are they, I haven’t had one in years!

She then pulled out the classic line,

Can I try yours? I don’t know what it tastes like … sharing is caring!

As I happily handed over my cool, refreshing indulgence for her to slobber all over (eww little girl germs!!), I couldn’t help smiling to myself.

Because, I have to hand it to her, she’s good. Really good. Definite skill working for her there and going the right way to getting exactly what she wants. Not just now, but forever.

As a kid, she’ll utter this line out of her sweet, little, innocent lips that don’t know any better and sway every unknowing suspect into giving her absolutely anything and everything on demand.

As a teenager in high school, she’ll use this ploy to her advantage so that she can sample all the cool foods that her friends buy from the canteen and never have to resort to the stale mouldy sandwich sitting in her bag. This reminds me of my high school years, the old.. “Oh you bought a Freddo Frog. Can I try? I don’t know what that tastes like”… Umm never mind the fact that it’s Cadbury chocolate!! That stuff really doesn’t change all that much. Well in taste anyways. But don’t even get me started on their packaging, that’s another gripe entirely!

And as an adult, Miss Charlie will roll out this line to successfully and artfully snaffle the delectably yummy desserts that her unwitting partner orders from the menu whilst out to dinner. This is an awesome technique, especially on awkward dates when you’re desperately trying to appear so cool, calm, collected and in control.

That’s right, I’ll have what she’s having!

… Miss Charlie, good luck to you. Stick with it sister, you’ve happened on to one of the great little skills that we women practice well. Just remind me the next time we go halvsies in icy poles to get my lick in first before it melts all down your arm.

The Little Monster Inside The Page Comes Alive

Miss Charlie was home sick from school today. It was awesome. Unexpected and meant that I had to swap around my plans for the day, but great nonetheless. Because to be honest and in my own personal opinion (disclaimer: I am not a doctor), there really wasn’t anything wrong, nor suffering. She wasn’t sick. It was perhaps more of a “mental health” day. Which is nothing to be ashamed of, even at the age of 6. Especially at the age of 6. Hugs and cuddles are so very important and she probably just wanted to get in on all the one-on-one time that I spend with her little sister each day.

So we spent an awesome day together, just the three girls in the house. We watched loads of movies and played on the trampoline, jumped in the pool and enjoyed an impromptu picnic (I introduced Miss Charlie to the concept of Mezze plates, she’s officially on board. Winning).

The best part of her being sick was that she completely got away with wearing her pj’s all day. I’m not going to lie though, this is simply the best. I am secretly prone to this fashion statement from time to time also.

The only hurdle we faced was this afternoon when we decided to wander over to the park and the playground. Because you see, Miss Charlie’s pj’s are not your usual flannel two-piece set. This week her sleeping attire of choice is a “onesie”. Which I hear is all the rage at the moment. Interestingly enough, I’m still not 100% sure why some adults are keeping pace with this trend, but I can totally understand the kids loving it.

So it seems as though I gained a new friend this afternoon, gone was Miss Charlie, hello little monsters. We did a great attempt at joining the cast of Where the Wild Things Are. I certainly enjoyed the amusing looks we garnered from those passing by, but hey, at least we brought a smile to their faces.

And yes, totes rocking socks and sandals. With a onesie. Vogue.

Come to think of it, I think I will have to go and dig that favourite book of mine out of the shelf and give it a twirl on the evening bedtime story slot. Grrr.

J’adore Le Chocolate Brownies On Friday Fun Day

Oh my goodness it’s Friday Fun Day again. The days have just flown by. You’ll be happy to know that we here at Nanny Shecando face the same challenges as you in fighting to fit more into less. Seriously, where did the week go? Even though I feel as if I barely made a dent on my to-do list, instead I think it probably got longer, we did manage to slow down a little for our beloved Friday Fun Days.

On the menu today was these delicious gooey chocolate brownies and some happy fun french lessons. Let me just say, j’adore le chocolate brownies! Miss Charlie is having a weekend-long play date at her friend’s house so I decided that a batch of decadent chocolate heaven in the form of these addictive little squares of chocolatey goodness (yes I just made that word up) would be the perfect thing for her to take along. So we got messy with the best ever excuse to eat chocolate (and brownies)! Who’s with me on this?

Horsemanship 101: Get Back On That Horse

A Display Of True Courage To Overcome Adversity

Means we’re walking away as winners!

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of joining the nanny family at a major dressage event (translation for all the non-horsey people = a horse show). It was so much fun! Kevin even came along for the ride too, (ha ‘ride’, horses, get it?) Ok, not funny.

This was the first competition that all the kids had ever been in, so it was brand new and super exciting. It meant their horsemanship abilities were put to the test! The promise of what was to come was infecting! The Twins were entered into a few horse and rider categories and Miss Charlie was entered into a lead category, whilst Mumma was out riding in the big leagues. The girls all share a pony called Marley; he’s 3 years old, about 12 hands tall and dappled grey. Like a typical pony, he’s 90% cheeky, 5% greedy, 5% oomph and 100% bomb proof. Wait, the maths, oh well, you get it. He’s also kind and loving to the kids whilst being the boss of the paddock. Yep, as strange as it sounds, it often turns out that ponies (the littlest in the paddock) often become the leader over all the other horses that they’re stabled with. Marley is no exception.

When we arrived on Sunday morning, I spotted Marley tied to his hook alongside the horse truck – we luckily have the use of the Polo club’s horse mover so that we can transport our large clan of horses all over the place for various shows. I could barely see him squashed in between two really big Arabian warm bloods, except for the fact that he had his ears plastered back and his “angry face” on. It seems he was in the process of commandeering the two other gelding’s bales of hay. Cheeky, cheeky, pony. I guess that was a tell-tale sign of the way the day was to go.

Half way through The Twins first event of the morning, we discovered a very unfortunate problem with the chosen location of the event. It seems the equestrian grounds was right next to the RAAF base. Yep, that sucks. Although why they felt the need to take off in their noisy planes on a Sunday, I don’t know. It baffles me. But they did. And all hell broke loose. Also, their complete lack of understanding and naivety shown when they felt it absolutely necessary to tow a glider only so many feet above ground over the top of the fields, displays a complete lack of professionalism. Frankly, as Air Force people, they should no better. It doesn’t matter how “bomb-proof” your horse is, by the time you’ve got hundreds of horses in an arena, separated from their mates, filled up on oats (like giving Red Bull to people) and running on the emotions of the children riding them, they’re not going to be so calm headed when loud planes fly over head.

Sadly, one of The Twins was disqualified from her event as cheeky Marley spooked and galloped away from her across the fields. She panicked and tried to hold him, which resulted in a bang to the head (the helmet banged her head as Marley rushed by) and a bruised ego. It turned out that Marley was only trying to get back to the safety of his truck where his half eaten bale of hay was waiting for him (yep, horses are comfort eaters too)!

After quite a few tears and many heart to hearts with the girls, who were scared and had decided to pull out of the rest of the days competitions, we finally managed to convince them to get back on and give it another go. Of course we assessed the situation and made sure it was safe to do so – the girls’ horse instructor got on Marley and gave him a strong talking too, rode out all of his cheeky-ness and turned him back into a placid little, sleepy pony.

By the end of the day the girls had learnt one of the most valuable lessons in life: Never, ever give up! Yes they were scared, yes their egos had been bruised and their pride a little hurt, yes the morning had not gone as planned. But they got over that and got back up on that pony and gave it another go.

Horsemanship 101: if you come off, you dust yourself off and get right back on!

The kids over came some serious challenges, took a gamble and came out on top. They took away multiple blue, red and green ribbons! Even better were the smiles. It didn’t matter to them that they walked away with fewer ribbons than they had anticipated, because they showed true courage in the face of adversity and strength when it counted. Most of all, they had fun!

P.S. How cute is little Miss6 all dressed up for her event!

Have you ever been horse riding? Did you love it or find it all a little bit daunting?

Bacon And Veggie Pasta Bake Recipe

Pasta bake is an old classic that kids are almost always guaranteed to love! Anything made on cheese sauce and then topped with grilled cheese is a pretty good sweetener for smuggling in vegetables. Whilst being a fairly simply and homely meal, it’s also great because you can control the nutritional value by adding in your chosen ingredients.

This Bacon and Veggie Pasta Bake recipe is perfect to make in advance and leave in the fridge ready to go for those busy evenings. Even better, the kiddos will devour it!

Recipe: Bacon and Veggie Pasta Bake

Main Ingredients

500g penne pasta, cooked & drained (or a similar pasta, bows & animal shapes work well too)
4 rashers of bacon
2 spring onions, diced (half a white onion works too)
2 large carrots, peeled & diced
3 large tomatoes, chopped roughly
1/2 cup corn kernels (frozen or fresh)
spinach leaves
salt & pepper

White Sauce Ingredients

knob of butter
3 cups of milk
2 tblsp cornflour
1/2 cup grated cheese (plus extra for topping)

Method

1. Sauté onions in a dash of oil, add bacon and cook until lightly coloured. Note: I’m fairly stringent on the oil as the fat from the bacon will even it out

2. Add carrots and cook until almost al dente. Add tomatoes and corn and cook for a couple of minutes

3. Season with salt and pepper, add pasta to pan and combine

4. Melt butter in a large, thick bottomed pot. Add flour and stir quickly with a wooden spoon over low heat to form a roux

5. Pull off heat and add a good splash of milk. Mix and smooth out any lumps. Replace on low heat and continue stirring

6. Gradually add all of the milk and stir, let the sauce thicken. Note: add more milk if too thick or more flour if not thick enough

7. Pull off heat and add cheese

8. Pour sauce over pasta and combine, add the spinach leaves and gently fold into pasta

9. Pour into a large rectangular casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese (I sometimes forgo the cheese to make it a little lighter)

10. Bake in pre-heated oven for approximately 10-15 minutes (longer if you’ve made it earlier) at 180°C (350°F/Gas 4) until cheese is melted

Enjoy!

#veggiesmuggled pasta bake is an easy make-ahead dinner for busy families @hopefornannies

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>>> Do you like cheese pasta bakes or tomato based pasta bakes?