melmandy's posterous http://melissamandy.com Most recent posts at melmandy's posterous posterous.com Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:10:39 -0700 Life update http://melissamandy.com/moving-house/life-update http://melissamandy.com/moving-house/life-update Well things have been a bit hectic in the Mandy household (well at least in my head! hahaha).  My wonderful husband has gotten the opportunity to act as a team leader within the organisation.  So while that see's him on his career path advancing along nicely (I can't complain about the extra coin).  It means he is working longer hours and doesn't work from home one day a week and we all miss him. To be honest Monday is a right b*tch for all of us.  No one wants daddy to go to work and while daddy is enjoying his job more he doesn't want to leave us either.  Monday seems to start off easier if he has left before the babies wake. Miss two is about to start her first Kindy dance class.  Not that I think she understands yet but Friday will hopefully bring much joy and excitement and exhaustion! hahahahah Mr 7 months is coming along nicely.  We have started the teething journey and can I say I am not enjoying it much?  Is it me or do boys seem a bit less tolerant of pain than girls?  We have had a week of hell nights with him and the panadol has done nothing.  Meanwhile he still hasn't cut any teeth! ahhhhhh  I have gotten him one of those Baltic Sea amber teething necklaces.  He has it on for the first time today, hopefully this helps in some way.  Where Miss two got very clingy with her teething (oh and she has been cutting her 2 year old molars and we didn't even know!) he just gets really angry and cranky and frantic with shoving anything in his mouth.  Shows how different boys and girls really are. I think someone has been visiting Mr 7 months during the night.  The last couple of nights we have had chatting and singing from 4am for about 45 minutes.  While it isn't an ideal time for us because we all want to be in sleep land, I can say that I love listening to him babble and sing.  Pulls a few of those tender heart strings to be honest. Now for the big news... No I am not pregnant! hahahaha We are looking at selling and buying / building a house! You see we live in a 3 x 2 and it just isn't big enough anymore.  We have been looking around casually for a little while but last weekend saw us make a decision to do some serious research into the cost of actually doing it.  And it looks like we are. It will be really sad to say goodbye to this place.  We started the journey of our life together in this house and there is millions of memories here, but alas it is time to say goodbye and move on.  We need to make a few touchups to the place to get it "market ready" but it won't take long and then the selling / buying adventure really begins.  Wish me luck will you! Back at uni next week.  Doing 2 units again, but will just see how it goes.  So there you are, all up to date on the Mandy happenings.  Must be off, I think there might be a pooey nappy in my immediate future!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:37:01 -0700 I have an addiction for all things Apple http://melissamandy.com/random-facts/i-have-an-addiction-for-all-things-apple http://melissamandy.com/random-facts/i-have-an-addiction-for-all-things-apple
So I am a bit of a gadget junky.  Some people in blog land might just start sending me voodoo spells after this post, but I pretty much love all things Apple. It started with the humble iPod.  Used it everyday on the way to work (and at work sometimes as well).  Then I HAD to buy a stereo for my car with an iPod adapter so that I didn't have to carry CD's in the car. Then came my first Apple laptop.  Pre-order of the Apple Macbook Pro (back in 2006 mind you).  God how I loved that machine.  Spent many a night cramming for assignments and exams with that baby. Next came the Apple t.v.  Don't ask me about that, that's the husband's domain, but let me tell you since having it we have cancelled Foxtel and don't watch free to air t.v. EVER. Next came an upgraded iPod (love you wonderful husband for that Xmas present) with the Nike kit as well. Along came another laptop, because lets face it 3 years is a long time to have a relationship with a laptop.  So upgraded we went. Then out came the iPhone! OMG I had to have it.  Think of all the space in my bag I could save if I had one device for a phone and iPod.  (The real excuse to get wonderful husband to get it was that it would save space in the nappy bag, plus he had one and wasn't sharing).  Still having a relationship with the iPhone but the iPod has now been delegated to storage. Latest purchase has been the iPad.  Yes I have one! For all those haters out there, this thing rocks.  Does music and games and surfing the net (particularly handy when trying to stay awake a night during those feeds!!).  Blog from it, read, you name it does it. My PSP and DS have now been retired because lets face it, this device is pretty awesome! Now I am anxiously waiting for the iPhone 4 to arrive on our shores.  Yes I am getting one even though they have a "signal problem".  If I know Apple, by the time the phone hits the market here they will have sorted it out, plus Australia has better telecommunications that the USA, so probably isn't going to be a big drama. What will happen to my current phone you ask? Well my 2 year old daughter will probably get it.  See she loves gadgets too, and likes to look at photo's and play games on my phone, so she can have it and I will get the upgrade! Oh by the way, my husband also has all of these gadgets.  Yes that does mean we have 2 Apple laptops, 2 iPods, 2 iPhones and 2 iPads in our house.  Hey what can I say, we love technology. We even converted our bestie's to the way of the Apple!! Evil I know, but hey once you try it, you will wonder why you ever bought anything else. So what about you? are you an Apple fan? Do you own any Apple products, or are you a Apple stalker, want it but not sure about buying it?  Would love to hear from you...

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Sat, 10 Jul 2010 02:11:08 -0700 Rock the Ballet - a review http://melissamandy.com/entertainment/rock-the-ballet-a-review http://melissamandy.com/entertainment/rock-the-ballet-a-review Last night was mummy time. I went to Rock the Ballet with my mum. And it was. AWESOME. The program said its Ballet for the 21st century, and you know what, that was so true. 6 guys (with totally rockin bodies) and a beautiful female kept me and the rest of the audience entertained for just on 2 hours. Modern music (think Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay, U2, Michael Jackson and Queen), with simple outfits and video footage in the background. The lead male, who happens to also be the main choreographer and company director is a creative genius. Mixing modern, contemporary moves with comedy as well as emotionally moving routines. Sometimes I find contemporary a bit repetitive, but not this guy. I dont think they repeated a combination once. And the moves. These guys went hardcore for the whole show. If you like So You Think You Can Dance you will love this! Oh and if you can get them to do a couple of encores its totally worth it for your viewing pleasure!! Rock the Ballet on YouTube

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Sun, 27 Jun 2010 02:54:04 -0700 Life letter - Dear Hoons http://melissamandy.com/random-facts/life-letter-dear-hoons http://melissamandy.com/random-facts/life-letter-dear-hoons
Dear Hoons, I am starting to wonder if you have anything at all in your life, like at all? something that entertains you and makes you smile and keeps you happy besides burning rubber through our suburb late at night? What is it about our suburb that is so attractive to you people? is the road smooth? does it have the right bends and turns in it? what is it?  When I find out what it is I am going to do everything in my power to change it because  I. AM. SICK. OF. YOU. Come on, 10pm last night we had Hoons doing burnouts and others on dirt bikes tearing through the neighbourhood.  And its not just on the weekends and its not just in the middle of the night.  5am on a Monday morning on your way to work, you feel the need to do burnouts. I am sorry but I am a bit of an oldie, might be that I have two small children that like to get up early in the morning, like mummy and daddy to be full of beans ready for action to go and do things and play and run around and ask for lots of energy. Not only do you wake me up with all your noise but you also wake up my babies. I am also figuring you either earn more money than you know what to do with, or you aren't very good with your money and waste it on rubber, because you must be having to buy new tyres on a very regular basis.  I am willing to show you how to save money so that you can buy a house, or go on a nice overseas holiday.  Somewhere far away from me. I am waiting for the night that you miss judge your car and end up slamming it into something, then your going to want me to help you clean up your mess and get your butt to the hospital because you have hurt yourself. Be warned hoons, I am out for your blood, well more like your oil.

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Sun, 27 Jun 2010 02:41:11 -0700 Learning more than just my Masters at Uni http://melissamandy.com/uncategorized/learning-more-than-just-my-masters-at-uni http://melissamandy.com/uncategorized/learning-more-than-just-my-masters-at-uni Sorry for the disappearing act but I have been kinda snowed with the whole uni thing of late... Assignments, presentations, exams this time of year is a bit stressy in this house to be honest and its all because of mummy (how sad I know). anyway.... So those of you that don't know I am studying for my Masters Degree in Information Systems Management (not as scary as it sounds... ok wait some of it is!). The thing is that I am learning so much more than just my units at uni.  I am meeting these amazing people from all over the globe and getting the opportunity to understand their religions and cultures as well. My uni group is made of people from all over the globe.  We have people from Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Phillippines and India to name a few.  And its so interesting! Learning about arranged marriages, different foods and beliefs, some of the restrictions that they face in their country that we so take for granted here. These people are really brave in my opinion.  They leave their family and friends and come here to further their education so that they can provide more support for their families in the long run. Just imagine it for a second, you leave everyone you love and know, go to a foreign country that speaks a different (difficult) language, has different methods of education, the pressure to not only study but work to live (read that as don't work too much, you can only earn a certain amount while your here as a student). So so brave if you ask me.

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Thu, 22 Apr 2010 05:28:06 -0700 Is mother nature a bit mad? http://melissamandy.com/random-facts/is-mother-nature-a-bit-mad http://melissamandy.com/random-facts/is-mother-nature-a-bit-mad
I am starting to wonder if mother nature is trying to tell the world something. From memory the world has recently had a few earth quakes (Kalgoorlie, Adelaide, Los Angeles and I think South America?) Wild storms with flash flooding and hail the size of golf balls in Melbourne and Perth recently, plus the erupting volcano in Europe somewhere. I just think she is sending us some strong messages.  I think its time the world leaders stopped and took a bit of notice and made some serious decisions to get the planet back on track before there is no planet left (or at least no people left on it!)

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Tue, 20 Apr 2010 05:47:49 -0700 Is it vanity? http://melissamandy.com/uncategorized/is-it-vanity http://melissamandy.com/uncategorized/is-it-vanity So I was reading this post from Quioxtic Life and it inspired me to look in my hand bag, and guess what that lead to? me doing a bit of a life assessment and deciding I might just be a little bit vain! You see the contents of my hand bag is mostly made up of teeth / braces based things.  For those of you who haven't seen me in person, I have braces.  Yeap early 30's with braces...  So here is the story about how the braces came about. One sunny day (little miss still just a little miss) off to the Dentist for a check-up and clean.  Hmmm dentist says teeth are good (no fillings thank you very much) but the shape of your jaw at the back is not so great and it is causing a bit of decay on your back teeth (in reality your not cleaning your teeth very well).  Those wisdom teeth need to come out so that your other teeth don't suffer.  Ok no dramas, I'm a brave woman (with a whole heap of drugs and knock out juice thank you very much). So off I head to the maxiofacial surgeon (and yes she does also do face lifts and botox!!) anyway some x-rays later and the surgeon says wisdom teeth easy job, but that eye tooth has to come out...  Umm beg your pardon.  That adult eye tooth that is laying across the top of your jaw.  Now I still had a baby tooth in my mouth.  You see the adult tooth decided it didn't want to see the light of day and do its job but instead spend all of eternity just sitting in my gum or so I thought.  Seems the little / big bastard decided to move and is now pushing against my front teeth causing all sorts of damage to the nerves.  Surgeon says if that tooth doesn't come out you will be looking at crowns down the track because it is slowly stopping the blood flow to the front teeth.  Riiiiighht. Okkkkkkay. Alright ok take the damn thing out while your in there.  Well if I take that out your baby tooth is going to fall out and your going to have a great big hole in your smile.  So why don't you talk to the dentist about a strategy for fixing that.... Okay.... Get home and have a good look in the mirror and realise that that big whole is going to be really noticeable.  Right so the dentist's strategy goes something like this. 6 teeth to come out (wisdom teeth, rogue eye tooth and baby tooth).  Then you can have a titanium inplant put in with a fake tooth attached.  Right ok. Ummm is this going to send me broke?  Nah the teeth extraction will be on private health but the inplant will be $$$$ and so with the fake tooth.  Ok lets do it then.  Right well to do it you had better go and see an orthodontist about getting your teeth aligned so that the gap is the right size.  Okkkkkkayyyyy  (meanwhile the teeth are still in my mouth, we have had no action except a whole heap of appointments where everyone is telling me my smile needs fixing!) Right the orthodontist says no dramas we can put some braces on and move your teeth to make the gap big enough, plus while we are at it I will fix your overbite (my what, I have a what?) and I will straighten your teeth so that they are in the centre of your smile (ok so now my smile is wonky). So a lot of $$$$ later I have braces and all the accessories that go with it.  Electric tooth brush, springs (boy that was a fun time, imagine only being able to open your mouth a small amount and not move your jaw left and right), elastics (make talking so much fun, drooling all the time, and bedroom antics even more so), wax for the bits that stick out and into your mouth (tastes crap by the way so take it out before eating), little christmas tree cleaning things to get all the food out of the braces.  You know braces give a whole new meaning to the "is there something stuck in my tooth". I am half way along the path to the beautiful smile.  All the teeth are out and the braces have been on for a year and a bit.  Another appointment for the dentist to be scheduled for new moulds to start making the fake tooth and so the surgeon knows where to stick the implant.  And yes I will be getting my teeth whitened after all of this. what was the topic again, oh right... So the contents of my handbag is made up of emergency elastics, yummy wax,  tree thingo for cleaning, toothbrush and tooth paste and compact mirror in case of emergency. And my decision, yeap I'm vain I could have just had the teeth taken out and had a gap and used the money to go on a big overseas holiday with the family!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Fri, 02 Apr 2010 03:03:04 -0700 Toddlers and Teeth http://melissamandy.com/children/toddlers-and-teeth http://melissamandy.com/children/toddlers-and-teeth
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This is probably really appropriate considering the Easter Bunny arrives on Sunday, but how do you get a toddler to actually clean their teeth? Little Miss two likes to suck on the brush.  I have tried brushing for her but she takes after me and is way to independent for that.  We have tried making up  a brushing song, we have tried in the bath (although the actual bath is still a bit of a struggle). A friend of mine suggested all of us brushing together (yet to try that one). What things did you try to get your toddler to actually brush?

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:37:18 -0700 I realised I now live in "that" world http://melissamandy.com/children/i-realised-i-now-live-in-that-world http://melissamandy.com/children/i-realised-i-now-live-in-that-world
Don't you just love Facebook?  It can show people's true colours and their ignorance by the groups or pages they decide to become a fan of. Take my sister in law for example: Today she has chosen to be a member of the "I didn't go to the shops to listen to your child's tantrum" group.... Ohhhh I hear all you parents out their gasping (which is a sight more polite than what I did when I saw that news update and the fact that this particular group exists I can tell you!) And then I realised as I swore and thought of all the things I could have commented about her joining that group... she is ignorant because she isn't a member of the "I have kids and I love them no matter what" world like me, and I remember what I was like when I was in my mid twenties and unattached and childless. Picture it, young single girl out at the shops spending my hard earned cash on such necessary items like a new outfit for the weekend (because that's what lots of cashed up young single girls do, remember those days?) and there is a young child having a tantrum in the middle of the mall because his/her mum won't give them an ice cream.  Young single girl thinks "just give it to him/her, what are you stingy or something, its just an ice cream and if he/she stops crying all good"! Fast forward 10 years and now Mature married lady with kids thinks " oh that poor mother trying to deal with a tantrum in a public place with everyone watching, hope no old fart goes over and tells her what she should be doing to handle the situation, nosey bee's that they are". No matter what you say to someone that doesn't have kids (childcare workers and teachers excluded here) they just won't understand that type of situation and show compassion until they actually experience it as a parent. So if your proud like me to live in the "world only a parent understands" stand up and shout it from the roof tops!  See if we can't drown out that damn Facebook page!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Fri, 26 Mar 2010 06:35:38 -0700 I hate something my husband loves http://melissamandy.com/random-facts/i-hate-something-my-husband-loves http://melissamandy.com/random-facts/i-hate-something-my-husband-loves
I know I hear you all gasping in shock... how could I hate something that my husband loves.  I try and be supportive of his love, but I can't, I just can't. I hate that damn coffee machine! My husband has a bit of an obsession with his coffee.  He has a coffee machine and grinder and all this other coffee related "junk" so that he can make himself good quality coffee's at home. Now I know it saves us anywhere between $5 and $10 a day because he now doesn't have to buy good coffee at work (so obsessed he has a grinder at work now so he can have freshly ground beans when ever the need arises). I know its something he enjoys and I try and support that, but the damn machine and its mess and its smell drive me up the wall. In coffee's defense we were never going to get along, you see I don't drink it.  I don't really like the taste, or the smell, and it does some crazy things to my body if I actually drink it.  Like a racing heart, and a mouth that won't shut up.  Basically coffee for me is like drinking a can of Red Bull. But the machine takes up precious space on my kitchen bench, and now the new grinder thingo is so heavy that I can't move it if I need more space.  And he is now wanting a "whole" draw in the kitchen to store more of the "junk". And don't get me started on the grinds, I find coffee all over the kitchen.  Today I have been greeted with coffee on my clean dishes! the clean dishes, you know the ones in the dish rack drying and waiting patiently for me to put them away... Well now I have to wash them again! ahhhhhh I love you wonderful husband you, but that machine...

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:51:52 -0700 Programming is an emotional rollercoaster http://melissamandy.com/random-facts/programming-is-an-emotional-rollercoaster http://melissamandy.com/random-facts/programming-is-an-emotional-rollercoaster Sometimes I like to have a chat to my beautiful single friend in Sydney about all her dating drama's.  I love getting caught up in the emotion she portrays and the way she tells the stories...Waiting to hear about the flashing incident on Australia Day for a good old laugh.  Anyway I don't think I need her emotional fix anymore after last night... I had university last night and the unit is Introduction to Programming.  Oh my god talk about hard. For me the world pretty much runs in black and white and I need things to be logical to understand them.  I am even pretty good with the airy fairy stuff that is management (you know all the feel good stuff that you have to do as manager to keep your staff happy).  This I can do its easy peasy but programming... Last night I learnt how to code a mathamatical formula with more than one equation to it. It took me a while to get it to work but when I did the elation I felt was unbelievable.  You know that feeling of achievement you get when you finally nail something? And then the rollercoaster came crashing down again as I attempted to do another formula, this time for joining text together from different places over the program. I know it sounds relatively simple when you think about what I am trying to get the program to do, but to the language and all the symbols and spaces and stuff have to be in the exact right place otherwise the program thinks your doing something different.  God its hard. I have decided that I no longer need to live vicariously through my friend to get an emotional rollercoaster, I will just do my uni homework instead!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:18:31 -0700 The story of the party http://melissamandy.com/children/the-story-of-the-party http://melissamandy.com/children/the-story-of-the-party
So my little girl just turned 2 and we celebrated with a bit of a shin dig out our home. Let me tell you lots of work went into preparing for said party... Just a small party with a few of her friends... 40 people later... oh well.  Won't be doing another one like that for her until her 5th birthday I have been informed! Anyway... wonderful husband spent days preparing the outside, mowing, edging, weeding, washing, sweeping, you name it. I spent days planning food (just finger food as it was after lunch), kids activities and the before mentioned goodie bags.  Got Nanna involved also.  She makes the best, and I mean the best sausage rolls ever!  Oh and this amazing bread dip, so bad for you but oh soooooo good. Saturday was planned to be Mummy and Nanna in the kitchen, Daddy with Miss 2 and Master 2 months.  It instead went Nanna with Miss 2 at the park, playing dolls, playing kitchen, just playing playing playing.  Don't worry I did put her to work.  She folded clothes and vaccumed the floor. Mummy and Daddy did the kitchen with Nan supervising.  Now the reason for all this help and supervision is because I am not confident in the kitchen.  Not at all.  I am good at planning and organising and delegating (just ask my mum) but cooking is a big no.  People will tell you that I do make some pretty nice food but I don't like doing it. Saturday night when little ones were sleeping Mummy and Daddy iced and decorated and assembled the cake (see lovely picture). Sunday morning saw more time in the kitchen - fairy bread, sandwiches, dips, fruit and cooking of sausage rolls and bread dip. The party was a big success (well I think so), little Miss 2 had lots of fun with all her friends and family, everyone ate and had a jolly good time.  Nanna handled the kitchen, Daddy handled the kids and guests, Poppy handled Miss 2 and I ran around the whole time like a headless chook!  Trying to having chats with all the guests, passing out food, making sure the kids were playing nice etc... I totally over catered the whole event.  Have a fridge fall of food still ... and cake of course... Anyone for lunch?

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:28:35 -0800 My dream job is to work at Disney Pixar http://melissamandy.com/uncategorized/my-dream-job-is-to-work-at-disney-pixar http://melissamandy.com/uncategorized/my-dream-job-is-to-work-at-disney-pixar
Ok for those of you out in blog land can you please let Pixar know that I really really really want a job with them and will do anything to get there (well within reason)! My dream job would be managing one of the IT design teams at Pixar.  I think partly this might be from the fact that I have worked for a corporate regulator for over 10 years and I am sick and tired of all the politics and laws and rules and complexity that goes with attempting to acheive something satisifying. Imagine being part of a team that is only limited by their creativity! How awesome would that be. I am working towards my dream.  I realised yesterday that after this semester at university I only have 2 units left to finish my diploma of IT and then its 4 units to achieve my Masters in Information Technology Management! (yes that means I get a couple of fancy letters after my name! whoo hooo). Right better head back to reality now and get cracking on that assignment!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:39:15 -0800 Keeping toddlers warm in bed http://melissamandy.com/children/keeping-toddlers-warm-in-bed http://melissamandy.com/children/keeping-toddlers-warm-in-bed Ok so miss almost 2 has a major issue with sleeping under a blanket.  As in its impossible for her to do so because she moves around so much in her sleep, and no I don't mean rolling over loads, I mean turning around in the bed, laying across the bed, one leg up on the rail (or wall heaven forbid), one night we even found her asleep on the floor. Now last winter being the concerned mum that I am, I had the ducted heating running every night so that her room stayed toasty warm so she didn't get cold.  As you can imagine the electricity bill was out of control (to the tune of $700!), and because she is such a bean stalk (does not take after her mummy at all) I can no longer get her those cool button up pj's. I have bought her a growbag to try her in but my drama with that is - will she be able to walk in it?  I think I can teach her to unzip it so she can walk around but my hubby isn't so sure. So I am putting forward the question to those of you in blog land how do you keep your toddler warm in their bed without it costing the earth?

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:51:02 -0800 Kids parties are hard to organise! http://melissamandy.com/children/kids-parties-are-hard-to-organise http://melissamandy.com/children/kids-parties-are-hard-to-organise
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I know its been more than a week since I blogged, but we have just been on our first family holiday and I am now trying to organise Miss almost 2's birthday party. And I. Am. Struggling with it. I know what your thinking, she's only 2 you just have some food and cake and the kids run wild for a couple of hours and its all over, but the food thing is the whole problem. You see we don't let Miss almost 2 eat lollies or chocolate or soft drink or any of the foods really high in sugar, which is totally the prerequisite for party food. Don't get me wrong she has sugar based foods, like cake (not chocolate though) and biscuits and lots and lots of fruit and juice, but not sweets. And this is the cause of my dilemma. Do I do lolly bags or not? if so what lollies do I do? do other parents not let their little ones have lollies? ahhhhh my head hurts.... I think I am going to make gingerbread men for the lolly bags and add a lolly pop and be done with it. Now the party has a range of kids ages from 6 down to 2 months old as well as the adults, all with different eating requirements / desires.  Take this as a good example my dad (aka Poppy) will want chocolate crackles because he loves them and only gets them at kids parties, but I hate them! I love rice bubbles and coco pops like everyone else, but I don't really like chocolate crackles.  Do I make them to keep the old man happy or just say nah didn't have time?.... Plus what happens if its going to be really hot like it has for last week, the food will melt as soon as it served which won't look that great, do I serve hot weather friendly food? And if so, what the hell is it? And the drinks, do I do juice and water for the kids and soft drink for the adults? What if the kids drink the soft drink, will the parents think I am a terrible host because I had soft drink out at a kids party?  Do the adults expect to have alcohol? oh the dramas... I think I need some Nutella!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:55:22 -0800 I love Nutella http://melissamandy.com/random-facts/i-love-nutella http://melissamandy.com/random-facts/i-love-nutella Ok so my husband thinks this is really disgusting but I love to eat Nutella straight out of the jar. On a spoon. Straight.  Don't put it on bread or anything else.  To me its just like chocolate that has gone soft in the sun. So I went and did a bit of research on how Nutella was invented, and here are some of the things I found out.
  • Nutella was invented in the 1940's in Italy, due to a shortage of cocoa during the Second World War. It was used to extend the supply of chocolate.
  • It was invented by Mr Ferrero (as in Ferrero Roche).
  • It was originally sold in a loaf that could be sliced and put onto bread, but it was quickly noted that the children were just eating the Nutella on its own without the bread.  So it was changed into a spread.
  • It was first sold in the USA in 1983.  It is now marketed in over 75 countries.
  • It is usually stocked with peanut butter in the supermarket.
And this is the best fact - It outsells all brands of peanut butter combined worldwide!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:18:22 -0800 Move over Robert Pattison I'm in love with Tom Welling http://melissamandy.com/random-facts/move-over-robert-pattison-im-in-love-with-tom-welling http://melissamandy.com/random-facts/move-over-robert-pattison-im-in-love-with-tom-welling So at the moment I am a bit addicted to the Smallville television series.  And Superman is "hot hot hot"! Don't get me wrong I really like the series as well, but mmmm mmmmm he is a bit spunky.  Maybe I have a thing for tall, dark and handsome and the whole knight in shining armor complex. What is it with girls and movie stars characters / stars?  Who do you love at the moment?  Drop me a comment and let me know.

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:43:11 -0800 Thank God for Television http://melissamandy.com/children/thank-god-for-television http://melissamandy.com/children/thank-god-for-television I am sending a thank you prayer / message to the T.V angels for helping me get miss almost 2 back into the bath.
Little miss has been going through a phase of not wanting to wash. NO bath, NO shower. The only way we have been able to wash her is to get her in the splash pool with lots of bubbles or sponge her down.  Not an ideal situation for the middle of winter if this continues... It has been a really strange phase because she use to love the bath. And I mean really love it. In actual fact she loves water period. Swimming in the pool is a must when we go to Nan and Pops. She "normally" cries and throws a tantrum when it's time to get out of the bath not in.  So as you can imagine this has left us quite baffled. We have tried everything to get her back in, new bath toys (like she needed any more, she's happy with a couple of small bowls to pour with), mummy playing with the toys in the bath, bribing her with a new book if she has a bath, having a bath in the morning instead of before bed - you name it we tried it. Anyway to make a really long story short, miss almost 2 is a bit obsessed with Madagascar (the movie) at the moment.  Any lion is now an exclamation of of Madagascar where it use to be "roar".  Now we have these cute bath foam things that stick to the tiles and bathtub when wet.  These bath thingo's happen to be a lion, a giraffe, a zebra, a crocodile, a koala and a rhino.  The main characters in the movie. On Tuesday night I decided to try the mummy is having a bath to see if we could get her in the bathroom for a sponge down.  Enter bolt of lightning to mummy's brain and I start playing with the foam thingo's with each animal repeating lines from the movie (when you have seen it 1 million times you pretty much know them all), anyway... This had miss almost 2 quite excited about Madagascar being in the bath with mummy.  So mummy says would you like to stand up in the bath and play with them?  And we got a yes! Oh my god it was working.  Lets not push it here we say so she stands up in the bath and plays. When it came time to get her out we had tears.  Oh the joy of seeing her in the bath what a miracle.  This hasn't been a one off either, we tried the same trick last night and it worked again. So while I am not a fan of letting miss almost 2 watch too much T.V all I can say is thank you angels for the Madagascar film as it has gotten us through one of the toddler phases!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:01:12 -0800 I secretly envy the heroine's in chic lit http://melissamandy.com/random-facts/i-secretly-envy-the-heroines-in-chic-lit http://melissamandy.com/random-facts/i-secretly-envy-the-heroines-in-chic-lit
For those of you that don't know me very well, I am known as a bit of a book addict.  I LOOOOOVVVEE to read (you can read about it and other random facts about me here).  Not too fussy on the genre (don't do horror or sci-fi, hmmmm don't do horror or sci-fi movies either for that matter, bit of a theme running there I think)... anyway I digress. I love to read, I will pick books based on the author (have a few authors that I pre-order their new books how nerdy is that), the blurb, the cover and sometimes even the price.  I picked up my latest read by Maggie Alderson for just $4 from Borders. Borders by the way is a massive book shop in town, that I affectionately refer to as my own island paradise. It has books and international magazines, it has stationary, it has dvd's and music, plus comfy chairs and a Gloria Jeans inside.  What more could a book addict ask for.  I guess Borders is like Barnes and Noble in the USA, god I still remember how I felt when my friends took me to Barnes and Noble for the first time - like a kid in a lolly shop! Thanks Holly, Wade and Dang T. Anyway back to the topic, I enjoy reading chic lit (same as a chic flick just its a book), and my new book made me realize the real reason I like chic lit.  I am jealous of the heroine in the stories.  They always live in a major city like New York, London or Sydney, are on their chosen career path and seem to be quite successful at it, or getting there depending on the story.  They are terrible with their money (aren't we all) but always seem to be out socialising and soooo fashionable, and know how to shop of course. And this is where the jealously comes in. Take for instance an expensive pair of jeans (say $300 plus) and then team it with a $10 top from the local chain store, add some sexy shoes and trendy jewellery and ta da you have the heroine. I do not in any way have a good eye for style.  I can either get it right or sometimes really really wrong, but mostly I just stick with the basics.  I don't know how to work the fashion pieces for the season, but these characters seem to do it so well (think Sex and the City). The style envy mixed with the fact that I moved straight out of home with my boyfriend (mind you I was 26 when that happened), I just never did the "living with your bestie" thing and I sometimes feel like I might have missed out on something there. Team all of that with the fact that I didn't really know what I wanted to be when I grew up until I moved out of home I think adds to my love of chic lit. You should try it some time and see what I mean, live the fabulous life of some fictional character and experience all the things you wanted to for the small sum of $4! and the best bit is you can do it when ever and where ever you like time and time again!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy Sun, 14 Feb 2010 01:29:05 -0800 Will she be a girly girl http://melissamandy.com/girl-stuff/will-she-be-a-girly-girl http://melissamandy.com/girl-stuff/will-she-be-a-girly-girl Off I trot to the hairdresser the other night to get my 6 weekly mummy time.  We were having one of our usual chit chats about life and we got onto the topic of money (as you do).  I said that I would be heading back to work after my maternity leave finished as I like getting my hair cut very regularly and my other girly obsession of going to the beautician.  And then I realised it... I am a totally girly girl and its all my mum's fault!  My mum has always had nice hair and a good beauty regime, nice clothes and shoes (oh my mum and shoes, she won't admit its an addiction but it is), and I am exactly the same. I love going to the hairdressers and coming home with a new "do" to compliments from my husband.  I love looking at and owning handbags and shoes and jewellery (note to husband a girl can never have enough jewellery), anything shiny really. What does that mean for my little miss?  She loves the bling no doubt about that one and I am already teaching her its ok to buy her own bling (you earn it you can own it policy) but she isn't really a girly girl - well not yet anyway. Not so keen on wearing a dress, she prefers shorts and t-shirts and flip flops.  Doesn't really like having her hair done, although she is getting better.  But on the up side she told me my hair looked pretty when I got home the other night which made it all worth while. Will she end up like a girly girl like her mummy, nanna and grand nanna?  only time will tell.

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YHmkGLp6z6x melmandy melmandy