We have so much going on at our Facebook [Family Value & Large Families] and Twitter [Family Value & Large Families] pages and we realise not all our readers are a member of these 2 social networking avenues, nor do we expect them to be, so here it is - the week in review….

Things to do at home with the kids

• Nicole at Planning with Kids has inspired with some Christmas Themes and planning for Christmas 2011
• Catherine at Squigglemum has an awesome idea having a Backyard treasure hunt
• Childhood101 has listed Playopedia Picks : Play Ideas for BIG Kids
• Tricia from Little Eco Footprints via Childhood101 has written an inspiring article on Creating Children’s Spaces in Every Corner of Your Home
• How to make magic sand
• Lego Quest Kids is a blog dedicated to children and validating their lego creations & imagination.
• Jean has written an article for Toddler Times 11 Activities to try with your toddler
• Ohdeedoh home, design & children has presented a wonderful article on How to make ‘clean’ play slime
• Grace has a step by step guide on how to make Fizzy milk bath bombs

Recipes & Cooking

• Chicken Balls by Planning with Kids
• Nicole has suggested ‘baking days’ with the kids to fill the freezer with lunchbox snacks (yes! we have learnt muffins CAN be frozen)
• Vegie Smugglers is a new blog / website we have discovered which has lots of recipes (lunchbox stuff too!) to sneak the good stuff in!
• The Organised Housewife has a very yummy recipe for Choc Coated Oreos, Oreo Cookies & Carrot Muffins
• Childhood101 has a recipe for a different brekkie Bacon & Egg Muffins

Things to do out and about

• To spend or not to spend on school holidays……… do school holidays have to be expensive?
• Family Capers has listed a comprehensive list of zoos around Australia.  What to do this weekend - playing with animals

General issues & conversation

• Jane from My Life At Home has written a timely article 10 Things I consider in buying toys for my (young) kids
• Awesome article by Kate at Picklebums on Won’t they miss out? , discussing about our children and whether or not they need to do extra-curricular activities.
• Moving Smart has an easy explanation why You can’t run uphill indoors
• Treating worms
• WifeSwap Australia is coming soon to our TV screens, and although I won’t be applying, FYI applications are due by 15th July.  All details for applying are here
• Motherhood the Musical is currently touring, soon to be in Sydney and we have secured a very special offer especially for our readers.  For more info click here
• WIN a night out with your Mothers Group to Motherhood the Musical

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: [5 year old boy]”There’s one thing good about having lots of brothers and sisters!” [Proud Mum] “What’s that?’ [5 year old boy] “Because I get more presents!”

Must admit Hubby Ian made an excellent dessert tonight - Golden Syrup Dumplings!  Disappointed I forgot to take a picture……. I’ll just have to get him to make them again! 

Hubby’s Golden Syrup Dumplings  -  SERVES 8

SAUCE:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tbs golden syrup
• 2 tbs butter

DUMPLINGS:

• 2 cups SR flour
• 2 tbs butter
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• milk  (as required)

Place sauce ingredients in a pan and heat.  Rub butter into flour, stir in egg and enough milk to make firm dough.  Roll into little balls and drop into the boiling syrup for between 5 - 10 minutes.

I wanted to make a yummy easy slice within half an hour.  So it was, I recalled the wonderful recipe I found at Sadie and Lance back in 2008.

 It worked a treat!  But this time I added hundreds and thousands on top!  YUMMMMMMMMMM-EEEEEE!

Brownie Recipe

Have you got some never fail favourites to share?

In my routine ‘cleaning out’ of my laundry cupboard I chanced across Electric Soda and ‘remembered’ back to 10 years ago when I purchased it!  I was all inspired when I was at a MOPS meeting and Barbara Lord (author of The Green Cleaner) was our guest speaker.  She was all inspiring!  It was here that I learnt the magic of Bi-carb soda, vinegar, lemon and eucalyptus oil……………….and I learnt you could make your own laundry liquid!  WOW!  So it was with enthusiasm I purchased pure soap, electric soda & borax from the supermarket.  I recall being very excited and decided I was never going to purchase commercial cleaning products again.  I also recall I only made one batch and I’m not sure that it was very successful.  It was a ‘fad’ that lasted ‘one time’ for me.

However, at the moment I am not wanting to waste products so once I found the Electric Soda I decided to search the internet for ‘kids craft activities’ using electric soda.  C3 and I enthusiastically scoured the internet only to find one activity - laundry detergent!  Ah well!  Let’s give it another go - after all I do still have all the ingredients!

With L2, C3 & K5 assisting with grating of soap and pouring of water I manage to make another batch.  I adapted the recipe I found as I didn’t have as much borax as the recipe required.  Here ’tis for other enthusiastic ‘green cleaners’.

• 3 cakes of Pure Soap (finely grated)
• 2 cups Borax (+500ml water)
• 3 cups Electric Soda
• 4 litres water

Method

• Cover the soap with water and slowly melt on stove
• In another pot boil borax with 500ml water until dissolved
• Add Electric soda to borax mix
• Mix 2 pots together and cover with lid
• Let mixture set overnight then stir to form a ‘custardy’ consistency
• Use 1/2 cup per wash.

I’ll let you know how it goes and how long I last making my own detergent!  Also, I must admit I am still planning to use Napisan as a stain remover.

Do you make your own detergent or anything else?  I would love to hear about it!

Also, if you know of a kids craft activity using electric soda I’m always happy to hear……

So I had good intentions today - attempting to be Supermum amidst the chaos.  With 3 children to play sport and 1 child to perform in the Mothers Day piano concert and Ian’s busy day at work, it was always going to be chaotic, however I planned to arise to the occassion by playing Supermum! 

THE PLAN

• Ian takes L2 to basketball (he gets the 8.30am early game)

• Family friend takes B1 to netball (he opted for netball, rather than basketball this week)

• C3 & BP (family friends son) was my responsiblity - basketball at 12.40pm. 

• Myself & Ian to take all kids to B1’s Mothers Day piano concert at 3.30pm (with a ‘platter of food to share’)

Bearing all this in mind I decided to be organised and prepare the ‘platter of food’ for the piano concert early.  I decide on Cheese, Corn & Bacon Muffins - but we don’t have any bacon on hand, so I decide to get creative and replace the bacon with tuna, and I also make the decision to do ‘double mixture’ so we can double up as lunch.  In hindsight - perhaps a bad decision - just ask the family!

My two culinary helpers today were C3 & B4.  They were both very eager and at no time did they question the ingredients we were putting into my muffins.  30 minutes before we were to leave for our 12.40pm basketball game - voila!  Cheese, Corn & Tuna Muffins cooked to perfection.  Perfect as a substitute for lunch!   Hmmmmm….. C3 proud of his culinary achievement enthusiastically bit into the muffin and promptly spat it out.  B4 ate hers but didn’t go back for another.  K5 promptly spat his back out.  Okay, message received, so we scurrily prepared the trustworthy cheese and vegemite sandwiches and ate in the car on the way to basketball.  I quite liked my creation so packed a few in a container to take along for the ride.  Then, L2 decided he would like to try our muffins.  That promptly ended when he took one bite, spat out what he had in his mouth, announced that he didn’t want it anymore and what does he do with the bit he just spat out.  I replied with “just eat it”.  He couldn’t stomach this thought so we concluded the best idea was to probably throw it out the car window.  Our visitor, BP,  whom we were also taking to basketball was curious about the muffins but when offered one decided he wouldn’t like to try one.  He politely declined. 

With little time between returning from basketball and leaving the piano concert, and NO home-cooked muffins to take to the concert I decided I would attempt the Supermum thing and bake some ‘yummy muffins’.   So, yummy muffin mixture I made, however, no time to bake them - time to go!  We’ll have to buy something on the way or subject our fellow piano friends to Cheese, Corn & Tuna muffins.

On the way to piano it’s Ian’s turn to try ‘the muffins’.  I ask Ian if he’d like to try one of my muffins.  I remind him that the kids don’t seem to like them but I reassure (or hope) it’s probably because they are expecting muffins to be sweet, not savoury.  So with the realisation that they are savoury muffins and Ian feeling peckish, Ian decides to ‘have a muffin’.  Ian  is ‘difficult to read’ at the best of times, so as he devours into his first muffin I eagerly try and read his reaction.  So far, so good.  Hubby is carefully  chewing the muffin.  I think ‘great he likes it!’ - then the reality sets in!  Ian comes out with a very profound comment - “I reckon these muffins are the worst I’ve ever tasted, they actually taste like dishwashing detergent”.  Great!  So even Ian doesn’t like them - they must be pretty bad.  Not to be left behind, B1 decides that she wants to try the muffins and after her first ‘nibble’ announces that she likes them, then she takes a BIG BITE and promptly announces that she’s changed her mind - they taste yukky.

Okay.   Now I concede defeat, probably not my best creation.  So, Tim Tams & Chocolate Royals from the local milk bar it is for the piano concert!   A successful piano concert was had with B1 playing Trumpet Tune composed by William Duncombe beautifully.  And, when we returned home I finished cooking the yummy muffins (Caramel & Choc Chip Muffins), and the family was content - the first batch devoured in one sitting.

So, if you want this combo of recipes - one for your friends, one for your enemies….. here they are.

Culinary Disaster - Cheese, Corn & Tuna Muffins

• 3 cups plain flour
• 1 1/2 cups creamed corn
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 120g Tuna
• 160g tasty cheese
• 2 tsp mixed herbs

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius, combine ingredients, spoon mixture into cases or muffin tray and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked.

NB:  This is double mixture adapted from my favourite healthy cookbook by Glowing Results.  I MUST STRESS that the culinary disaster is my own adapted recipe.  I’m sure if I had have followed the original recipe it would have indeed been a culinary achievement.

Culinary Achievement - Caramel & Choc Chip Muffins

• 250g unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• 2 tbsp boiling water
• 2 1/2 cups SR Flour
• 1 cup milk
• 200g caramels (melted)
• 1 cup choc chips

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius, combine ingredients, spoon mixture into cases or muffin tray and bake for 20 minutes. 

NB:  This is double mixture and adapted from my favourite little muffin cookbook 500 cupcakes by Fergal Connolly

1. I’d love to hear of anyone else’s culinary achievements and disasters - am I alone in my experience?
2. Experienced chefs, where did I go wrong with my culinary disaster?
3. Anyone want to try one of my muffins?

Goodness me.  What a long term this has been.  So much has happened! It is definately time for a break!  So a break we will have!  We’ve got lots of adventures planned, so be sure to keep checking back to read all about our holiday adventures.

Challenge 1306:  In 13 minutes & 6 seconds today I managed 1.95km, and In 20 minutes & 26 seconds I managed to do 3km.  Only 7 minutes & 20 seconds off my PB (Personal Best) 

And today I made some split pea soup!  I’ve never attempted to make it before but I rather think I did a good job for my first effort.  And Brooke & Kynan loved it!  This was my lunch!

 SPLIT PEA SOUP

• 500g Green Split Peas
• 2tsp Curry Powder
• 60g margarine
• 2 tsp chopped mint
• 4 chicken stock cubes
• 2 cups water

1. Put peas into saucepan and cover with 6 cups of water.  Bring to the boil and simmer for approx. 35 minutes
2. Add margarine and stir in curry powder & mint
3. Cook gently for 2 minutes and add stock cubes.
4. Add water until desired consistency is obtained

Also, is it bad parenting to let my 2 and a 1/2 year old watch TV and fall asleep instead of putting him to bed for a nap? (’cos that’s what I’ve just done!)

We’re having visitors tomorrow night and as tomorrow is such a hectic day I decided I would cook dinner tonight!, and I found the perfect recipe thanks to the AWW Oriental Dinner Party Cookbook. Did you know that Curry is best cooked 1 -2 days before to improve the curry flavour? I didn’t!, but I do now and I am very excited about dinner tomorrow night! Hopefully my visitors will share my enthusiasm. Unfortunately due to copyright I cannot share this fantastic Masala Lamb recipe with you, however, I can tell you it is on Page 51 of the AWW Oriental Dinner Party Cookbook . Haven’t got a copy? Why not look on ebay.

I just thought I would ‘blog around’ today and share with you what I find!

A Roaming Aussie Mum where ‘An Arabian Birth Story‘ makes for very interesting reading and there is a ‘bit of something’ that all us mothers can identify with! Then off to Baysidemama where I read an inspiring story from Delia Timms who founded Findababysitter! I love inspiring stories! Blissfully Domestic is an American Blog which just gave me my ‘celeb pregnancy’ goss. I’d forgotten that Nicole Kidman was pregnant for a minute! Then off to Cellobella’s Blog where I learnt some Cellobella facts and played a little game she invented on useful, random & untrue! Then off to downtoearth where I found some fantastic budget recipes. Which reminds me about Planning With Kids which always has wonderful menu plans and you should check out her lemon slice recipe. Looks delish! From there I found Journeyer’s Chronicles who listed some goals very similar to what mine should be! I always love to go and take a peek to see what picklebums is up to. How cute are these finger plays and baby songs! From there I visited The Happiness Project . This is a very inspiring blog I have just discovered. Take a look!

So that is all I have time for, time to do school pick-up, after school activities and prepare dinner.

Do you have favourite blogs that you want to share?

So what’s for dinner in the Family Value household?

Inspired by the NMAA Cookbook (I generally use recipes for inspiration and guidance and do my own thing from there!)
Tuna Quiche

Pastry (Puff Pastry base) I cooked it in my Tupperware flan form and placed aluminium foil over the pastry and weighed it down with rice. (Makes a fantastic easy to do base)

Filling

• 1 white onion
• 15g butter
• 2 eggs
• salt & pepper
• 425g can carnation milk
• 60g grated cheese

Method

• Cook onions slowly in butter for 5 - 6 mins. Allow to cool.
• Beat eggs, salt and pepper
• Add carnation milk, cheese and 425g can tuna
• Pour into semi-cooked pastry case and bake at 220 degrees celsius for 10 minutes, theh 190 degrees celsius for 20 minutes

What are you having for dinner tonight?

How do you entertain the kids while their brothers are out? Make cookies of course! For half an hour every Monday two of my boys and a girlfriends son learn to play tennis locally. We alternate weeks that we go and watch the boys / look after the ‘other’ kids. This week it was my turn to look after the ‘other’ kids and what fun we had in half and hour. We made Mrs Fields Choc Chip Cookies! If you don’t yet own this book it is a must have! If you don’t yet own one purchase one from ebay? Unsure whether you can still purchase them new in Australia.

Did you know that The Last Post is the bugle call that signifies the end of the days activities. More info regarding Anzac Day can be found at the Australian War Memorial & Australian Government websites. In Flanders fields & For the Fallen are two of the recitations reserved for ANZAC Day.

This is a picture of the kc-acrew (part of the Dambusters WWII)

My great Uncle Howard Gavin is pictured Rear row, furthest to left. Uncle Howard has many tales to tell. Do you have a relative who has fought in one of the wars?

Today brought much sadness on another level as we grieve with friends who are mourning the passing of their Poppy, Dad & Father-in-law. Thank you once again sadieandlance for the 5 minute brownie recipe today as I endeavoured to assist this family practically during this difficult time.

Tonight we are celebrating my brother-in-law & sister-in-laws combined 40th birthdays, but there will be no entry without a mask, so whilst I was out delivering my brownies, Ian & the kids tested their creative juices by making some rather unique masks. Here Ian has used sequins, mosaic tiles, toothpicks, paper plates and paint! Not a bad effort! Thank you family for organising our masks! You did a great job! Hopefully this will gain us entry!