EDUCATION.COM - A World of Fun Learning

A few weeks a go I shared with you a post from education.com. You can find that post  HERE  They are committed to helping your child fulfill their learning potential no matter what stage of learning they are at. Concentrating on educating children from prep to grade five, education.com provide your children with in-depth understanding of reading, spelling and mathematics, just to name a few.

There is no such thing as "one size fits all" when it comes to education. Each child has unique challenges and goals and education.com offers many different resources to help meet the educational needs of your child.

Together with education.com I am happy to share with you one of the worksheets on offer, to show you and your child that learning doesn't have to be a struggle, that it can indeed be a fun way to raise kids' confidence in learning.

Dive into an under sea adventure with this fun maze

from Education.com !

Find more great resources for kids here.

Answer at the end of post 

How fun was that ? Education.com has more of these activities on their web site along with many more fun and exciting ways to learn. Head over and sign your child up today and show them that learning doesn't have to be a chore.

You can sign up 

HERE and put your child on the right path to learning 

beck xx

JULY - Health and Fitness Update

July July July where do I begin. 

I failed my self challenge for about half of the month. Then I had an epiphany of sorts, gave myself a good talking to and stopped dishing myself up so much food. Since then...

Success !

I've started drinking more water again and enjoying it.

Who knew !

Eight months in and still not a great physical change but inside I am starting to feel much better. I am sleeping better, I have more energy and even though you cant really tell as yet I have lost a few kilos. 

This past week I literally woke up and told myself enough is enough. Its time to ramp up this challenge and make it worth its while and I started exercising. 

And guess what...

My legs and arms feel as though they are about to fall off but I feel good. So good in fact that I look forward to my session each day. 

For the month of August, my challenge is to go meatless. I know that I cant go full on vegetarian. (I love meat way to much for that) but I am willing to go there and give it a go for the sake of the challenge. I am going to have to do a bit of recipe hunting for this one, as I just know that my family of men are going to turn their noses up at any food that does not contain meat.

On that note, is there such a recipe that is full on vegetarian that will fill my families bellies ? Please help a sister out with this one if you can.

As for everything else, I will continue to drink plenty of water, eat smaller portions and exercise each and every day. The year maybe eight months in and nearing its end (crazy) but I think that slowly I am getting a hang of this better, healthier living. 

beck xx

EASY CHEERIO SLICE

Looking for something tasty, easy and fairly healthy to serve your tribe for afternoon tea or as a lunch box filler ? Then this no bake slice is the perfect thing to satisfy the sweetest tooth without added sugar and takes only minutes to whip up.

This easy cheerio slice cereal bars are kid friendly, but also a tasty treat that even the grownups will enjoy with a cuppa.

Easy Cheerio Slice

* 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter 

* 1/2 cup honey

* 3 cups of cheerio wholegrain cereal 

Line a slice tray with baking paper.

Add peanut butter and honey to a large saucepan and sit over medium heat. Heat and stir until mixture just starts to simmer.

Stir the cereal into the peanut butter mix until evenly coated. Pour the mixture into the prepared slice tray and place in the fridge to cool and set.

Once set, cut slice into bars and store in the fridge. 

These have certainly gone down well in my family and is something that I will continue to make and keep in supply. 

Give them a go with your family. I am sure they will enjoy them as much as mine.

Enjoy

beck xx

TAKING STOCK - July 2017

So today is August 1st.
We are now into the eighth month of 2017. Can anyone tell me how this has actually happened ?
I mean wasn't it just last week we were ringing in the new year ? My mother once told me that the older you get the faster time goes.

Huh.
Seems she was right.

Pip had a great idea when she started Taking Stock. A monthly post of memories if you will. The good, the bad and the down right ugly. Everything that adds up to make the month that was.

Making - Plans for new gardens in the back yard. Hoping that our dogs are now old enough to leave well enough alone. That is the trouble with pets sometimes.
Cooking - Only six nights a week now that my eldest son has taken to cooking on one of his days off. Now if only I could convince the other members of my family to cook dinner once a week I would only have to cook on the weekends.
Drinking - Water and red wine.  Mmm Must give up the wine again.
Reading - THE PARTY by Robyn Harding. I cant stress enough how fabulous this book was. It had me sucked in from the very first page. I have my fingers crossed that this will become a movie. Do yourself a favour and read this one.
Wanting - A holiday desperately. We actually haven't been anywhere since our trip to Melbourne. That was two years ago.
Looking - For work. Its a slow process with so many others also in the same boat.
Playing - Candy crush. I know, I know pathetic.
Deciding - On paint colours. It is a big decision.

Wishing - I had a spare twenty thousand dollars so that I could send my son of to uni next year without financial stress.
Enjoying - These beautiful Winter days and cool nights. I am not looking forward to our long hot Summer. It is not that far away truth be told.
Waiting - Always waiting for my boys in the car. Same car park different day *sigh
Liking - Being busy, getting stuck into things around the house that sometimes get neglected.
Wondering - If the renovations on our house will ever be finished.
Loving - All the new growth on my indoor plants. Seriously they are going nuts !
Considering - Buying a new rug for under our dining room table, but don't know where I would start looking for a square one. Any ideas ? Anyone ?
Buying - Shoes and outfits for going on interviews. I didn't realise how much my mum wardrobe had taken over my life.
Watching - Housewives of New York City. This season is THE BEST !
Hoping - That I will soon see results of the diet and exercise that I have been throwing myself into. Its time to bring this old chick back to life and wave goodbye to all the damage that I have done to myself.
Needing - A few extra hours in the day. I am sure that I am not alone there.
Smelling - The sweet scent of Spring in the air. I hope we can hang onto it a little longer this year before feeling the full force of the North Queensland Summer.
Wearing - Shoes and not just thongs. My goal is NOT to have that thong tan line on my feet this year.
Following - Some amazing new accounts on Instagram lately. Maybe I will share my favorites in another post someday soon.
Thinking - About buying myself a pair of new ear rings. It has been way to long since I got something new and shiny for myself.
Admiring - All the ladies out there that have not let mental stress get the better of them and let themselves go. I am so mad at myself right now. I just hope that I can undo all the damage.
Getting - Nervous about my baby boy moving away next year. Time has just gone by way to quickly.
Opening - My eyes to the fact that not everyone in this world is genuine and stand by what they say.
Giggling - At Yummy Mummies...How is that even real ?
Feeling - Happy and enjoying spending time with my husband in the garden. Its nice to see the progress we are making together no matter how slow going it is.
Snacking - On apples and strawberries. I am trying SO hard to be good and stick to a strict diet.
Helping - My parents out while they are away by looking after there home and my mums gardens. That is the one things my mum has always had no matter where they live, beautiful gardens.

So that was July around here in a nut shell. Busy but easy going. I still cant believe how fast this year is passing us by. Have you done anything exciting ? Been anywhere ? Read anything that you think I might like ? If you have, please share.

beck xx

Linking for IBOT with the lovely KYLIE

CHICKEN PARM MEATBALL SKILLET

Its that time of year again where you look for and crave comfort food. Not only does the consuming of such foods warm the body and the soul, but they also warm up every nook and cranny of  the coldest of homes as they bubble away on the stove.

Feeding a large family brings with it all sorts of problems. With everyone having an array of different tastes, it can be hard to please everyone, every night.
One meal that does get the thumbs up and mouths watering when I dish it up is Julie Goodwin's recipe for Chicken Parma. Easy and delicious, this recipe puts the local pub Parma to shame. Try it for yourself, I dare you to disagree.

So while scrolling through Pinterest the other night I came across a meal that I just knew would be enjoyed by everyone at our dinner table, I just had to give it a whirl.

CHICKEN PARM MEATBALL SKILLET

500 grams chicken mince

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

4 cloves chopped garlic

1 large egg

salt & pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

800 gram can crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Extra Parmesan & parsley for garnishing

Crusty bread & pasta to serve.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. 

Make Meatballs - In a large bowl, combine chicken mince, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, half the garlic, egg and season with salt and pepper. Mix until combined, then form into meatballs.

In a large oven proof skillet, heat half of the oil over a medium heat. Add meatballs and brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate.

Add remaining oil to the skillet and saute the remaining garlic until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and stir until combined.

Bring to a low simmer and then return the meatballs to the sauce, simmering for a further 10 minutes.

Top with mozzarella and bake until cheese has melted and chicken is cooked through.

Garnish with remaining Parmesan and parsley, serve and enjoy.

This dish was such a hit that it will be on high rotation in our home during the Winter months. All plates were licked cleaned at the end of the meal proving that once again Chicken Parma can warm you up even on the chilliest of Winter evenings.

Enjoy 

beck xx

* You can find the original recipe on this website HERE

Linking up for IBOT

JUNE - Health and Fitness Update

Updating my health and fitness each month is about making myself accountable. Not every month this year has been smooth sailing, but writing it all here is making me asses each month, making me aware of the things that I need to improve, and those that are now coming second nature to me. 

Thankfully Junes monthly challenge was an easy one for me. I love stuffing myself with fresh fruits and veggies. I always have, so I know that I do get a good intake of fruit and veg for my health.

Fitness wise. I need to kick it up a notch, to find the time and also put in the effort. I know that I have become lazy where deliberate exercise is concerned. Not good I know.

Can you believe that at one time I attended the gym six days a week without fail. 

Drinking water has become second nature. At one time I would go days without drinking a glass of water. I just didn't enjoy it. Now it has become my main liquid intake, and its one habit that I am happy to have succeeded in. 

Next month it is all about downsizing my portions. 

A few years ago okay make that four years ago I lost a lot of weight. Downsizing my portions was a big factor in my success. Back then I purchased a smaller sized dinner plate to serve my meals on and so I will be pulling it out from the back of the cupboard to use again. 

Please don't ask me why I didn't continue using said plate. Plain and simple, I thought that I had won the battle and would not return to my miserable self again. 

Guess what...

I did and that is just life !

I hope that your fitness goals for 2017 are going well for you, and that you are enjoying the changes that you are making no matter how big or small they may be. Now please excuse me while I go put on my joggers and make myself go for a much needed long walk.

beck xx

TAKING STOCK - June 2010

Here we are again, the first day of a brand new month. Gee this year is whizzing by, I remember being told that as you get older time passes by more quickly, but this is getting mighty ridiculous. Seven months into 2017 and I still feel as though nothing that I set out to do has been accomplished. Do you feel that way too ? The upside being that we still have six months left to get our butts into gear and tick off a few things on this years bucket list.
At least we have the gorgeous Pip to thank for Taking Stock, to remind us that even though we may not be getting the big things in life accomplished, we are still making many small things happen within our every day lives.

Making ; more time to spend pottering in the garden. The cooler months give me so much more energy and motivation to get out and about in the fresh air.
Cooking ; dinner every single night, and biscuits every weekend. Feeding five hungry men is a challenge.
Drinking ; G & T's. I know I shouldn't be but, well, you know....
Reading ; My Mothers Secret by Sheila O'Flanagan and The Good Girl by Fiona Neill.
Trawling ; Instagram and Snapchat for fabulous new accounts to follow.
Wanting ; for call backs to all the jobs I have applied for.
Looking ; for new recipes. I am always on the hunt for new easy and delicious meals to fill my hungry crew.
Deciding ; if I should cut my hair. Do you think that a new style would make me look more professional ?
Wishing ; that the days would slow down a little. Before long it will be summer again yuck My last baby boy will be graduating high school and then Christmas will be upon us Noooooo
Enjoying ; my Winter garden and the pops of colour.
Waiting ; for the chance to prove my worth.
Liking ; that is school holidays and the horrible lunchbox is hiding in the kitchen draw.
Wondering ; how much life is going to change around here when and if I start working again, and when we no longer are the parents of a school student.
Loving ; having my two eldest sons home. Yes it is still going pretty smoothly for now anyway
Pondering ; life and everything that we could have, should have done differently over the years.
Listening ; to all the nineties music of my teenage years and reliving the memories the songs provoke. Thanks Spotify.
Considering ; getting my herb garden up and running again.
Buying ; food. Always buying food.
Watching ; Mad Men and loving it SO much. I only have four episodes left to watch.
Hoping ; that I will find the perfect hall runner soon.
Cringing ; at some of the music that I thought was fabulous back when. LOL
Needing ; coffee coffee and more coffee.
Questioning ; myself and why I am finding it so difficult to loose weight at the moment.
Smelling ; freshly mowed grass, Winter rain, the first coffee of the morning and the scent of candles.
Wearing ; my PJ's for more hours in the week than I should.  I am still doing the school/work runs in them of a morning. I really must stop this
Noticing ; just how grown up my boys are these days and getting a little weepy about it.
Knowing ; that it is just a matter of time before all my boys leave home and leave me wondering what is next.
Thinking ; about changing the name of my blog but not knowing exactly what would be involved. Mrs Clueless over here
Admiring ; women who seem to have life all worked out, and wondering what their secret of faking it till they are making it is.
Getting ; tired of my cranky, horrible back neighbour. I so wish that he would move.
Bookmarking ; new blogs to read. There are so many awesome bloggers out there left for me to discover.
Opening ; the fridge and wondering where all the food I just purchased has gone.
Closing ; cupboard doors after my husband EVERY SINGLE DAY ! It is just as easy to close them as it is to open them dear........

Feeling ; like I am going to be roundand chubby for ever.  ^

Hearing ; my boys laughing and loving that they are all so close.most of the time
Celebrating ; my blogs fifth birthday. Welcoming a new fur baby into our home and my decision to return to the work force hopefully finger crossed people.

So that has been my June. I must also say that my ability to stick with my healthy eating and fitness plan has gone way out the window this month. I have no one to blame but myself of course so I am calling myelf a June fitness failure. Lucky for me July arrived today which gives me a brand new month to get myself back on track.

There is always tomorrow.

How was June for you ?
Did you do anything special ?

beck xx