Best ever chocolate chunk cookies recipe!

Chocolate chunk cookies!

These don't last long at our house, at all and I havn't made them in awhile as I'm trying to burn the fat not add more but they are fantastic and I suggest you try this recipe, it makes about 40 cookies! They are delish warm! This is not a hard biscuit they are soft with a chewy texture.

200grams softened butter
100grams white sugar
150grams brown sugar
2 beaten eggs
300grams plain flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp baking soda
300grams good quality milk chocolate
I like to use milk choc drops signature range brand from countdown but any kind will do.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C, line your tray with baking paper. Beat together the butter and sugars until light and smooth. Beat in the eggs. Add flour, vanilla essence and baking soda, then stir in your chocolate. Place spoonfuls of your mix onto your lined tray no need to press them down they will melt in the oven into nice flat biscuits so leave space in between each spoonful to allow for spreading. Bake for 10 -15 minutes, depending on your oven as everyone is different, but keep an eye on these babies so they don't overcook they can turn pretty quick. They will be quite soft when you take them out of the oven, you will need to use a spatula, place on a cooling rack, they will firm up as they cool.
Have warm with cold milk, amazing!

Wow 2012!

Time sure does fly! Big will start his second year of primary school this week! So exciting, we had a bit of drama last year, he says "the day is too loooong" and that he misses me so we have had a few tears last term. He has really enjoyed the Christmas break I just really hope we can get over his anxiety which reared it's ugly head due to big changes in his class half way through the year. This ment he had 3 seperate teachers for writing, reading and maths plus his regular teacher. Now mine is a boy that dislikes change in a big way. The reason he was going out of class was so that his teacher could focus on the new, new entrant children as Big was reading etc at a higher level than the newer kids, to be expected when big had been at school longer. Anyway the change has disrupted him and is kind of making him dislike school which is not fun, for a child or the parent, it breaks my heart to see him sad on school mornings, I even creid a couple of times. I took him to the school last week to check out his new class and to boost his confidence and his new teacher was there I am sooo happy, she is just fantastic and I had a great chat with her, she has two boys of her own and her oldest had similar issues last year, such a relief to know she gets what's going on! So things are looking up for big!

Little starts kindy next week and he is so excited it's right next to Bigs school which is very convienient for me with my kid mover, what I call my van as not only do I have two boys of my own but I also care for 3 other littlies for a living, my life is filled with lots of kids and lots of fun but yeah kindy and school drop offs with 5 kids in a van means five seat belts to buckle, unbuckle and buckle again, (Big is helpful with this!) 2 littles in a double pram and 3 kids walking plus carrying school bags, nappy bags etc etc it's just a mish twice a day! So Little is excited, bought him a new lunch box and drink bottle, cut his hair ready for term 1. I just can't believe he will be four years old in a few short months. Four? your thinking don't children start around three years old, yep, unless you have been on the waiting list since he was 2 and then AKA decides longer hours for kindy kids are a good idea so the 90 children allowed to be enrolled in Kindy drops to 40 children so you have to wait an extra year. Yup frustrating. So we had a look at another kindy and went for a few weeks but it just didn't fit, didn't feel right, so we waited and I got to spend an extra year with my little guy. We went and visited our Kindy and the teachers were as warm and kind and caring as they ever were and it felt good. So Little starts on Wednesday!

Our new addition

I couldn't help it, it was love at first sight. He stared up at me with those take me home eyes and I caved, plus our dog Nook needed a friend, so the next day I convinced my man to come and have a look...we brought him home half an hour later, Yay! Obi is our Shih-Tzu x Maltese pup and he is just the sweetest thing, super fat and cuddly. He also doesn't shed hair and is hypo allergenic-OMG! Yes, he cost a bomb but is so awesome and worth it, plus, you know, I'm turning 25 in 2 weeks so its kind of an early present and our dog and cat adore him...look at me trying to justify my outrageous spending. I try so hard to reign in that ever growing grocery bill and make my own cleaners etc. But hey everyone has to indulge sometime and I don't do things by halves. Hmmm will put up photos of our darling pets...eventually.

Bigs 5th birthday photos

This was Bigs cake, we got the idea from greatfun4kids blog-this woman is amazing! Then I was browsing through a 1,2,3 dollar shop(always a great place to find partydecorations and loot bag stuffers for cheap) and found these sparkler candle which I thought would be a great way to make our volcanoe "erupt" the effect was awesome and exactly what I wanted.

Bigs pinata, a last minutes idea from Big so not exactly dinosaur themed but still pretty awesome. I was going to make a dinosaur egg filled with goodies but we just ran out of time. Hint: when doing a pinata use wrapped lollies as they are going to explode out of it and land in the garden and all over the place, we put glitter and sparkles in ours too.

Bigs Ben10 cake, yes he had two cakes for his birthday as we went out for dinner on his actual birthday to celebrate. I got the edible icing image from the cheesecake shop, they have alsorts to pick from and the cost about $15.oo(they are purely for looks though they taste pretty blah)

Good-bye Kindy kid and Hello big school boy!! Bigs playdough cake and birthday crown, made with help from mummy!

Mayday!

What a busy month! March was so hectic for my family, of course its fun and exciting, filled with birthday parties and what not, but after Christmas and New Year festivities, the extra long holidays and then the buying of lunch boxes and school bags and stationery for starting school... I'm tired, it seems there has been quite big events happening every month so far and so I'm really looking forward to May. For starters May is colder and I love the cold! Autumn is my favorite season oh and also EXCITING NEWS...Little starts Kindy in Term 2! Yes my littlest lad celebrated his 3rd birthday at the end of March and is now starting a new and exciting phase of his wee life. Very, very cool! I'm proud and a tad nervous but mainly happy about the whole thing! We had an awesome birthday party with a very cool morning tea on the farm theme. Hmm I should really put up some photos of our boys birthdays, I'm proud to say I think I out did myself on the cakes and themes for this year...Go Me!!! But as I was saying I'm looking forward to May. May will be a month of getting into more of a routine for our family, I crave organisation and clean cupboards and children who pick up toys when asked....ha, ok well that last one probably won't happen, but yeah, organisation is the plan. These school holidays I'm going to get sorted in preperation for May-my month of routine and relaxation after an extremely busy time so, you shall hopefully see photos of before and afters, of the de-cluttering of my wardrobs, kitchen cupboards and of organising my laundry...ahhh laundry, I feel like I never see the bottom of my washing hamper and as my man pointed out it often spills out onto the floor. All of my cleaning products are in a box on top my dish washer... yes my dish washer it's in the laundry and you'll understand why when you see a picture of my soon too be organised yet still tiny kitchen. So I'm looking forward to reporting back to my blog with good ideas and inspiration for all of us mummies with messy houses in need of organisation, especially as our kiddies will be spending more time indoors as the weather gets wetter and colder in the coming months. Tomorrow, I'll be looking some cheap and cheerful (and hopefully a tad creative) storage options, so watch this space...

The big FIVE!

Well Big has turned five and boy did we celebrate! I awoke at 4am to the sound of clicking in the lounge. It was big he had found his GIANT automatic nerf gun set up on the coffee table next to his presents with a big, blue bow on it and had decided to give it a go. I opened the door to find him with the biggest grin on his face. Seeing him with a smile that big was worth being up at 4am. I let him have a play for half an hour and took some photos then he jumped into bed with me and eventually fell asleep again until the sun came up where there were more surprises in store. He opened his presents excitedly after he was finished I said "Oh, I think there's one more thing, just something small, it's outside." I ran outside to capture his reaction on camera. He ran out and yelled OH YEAH! throwing his fists in the air and jumping up and down at the sight of the huge trampoline in the middle of our backyard. (Mummy and Poppa were out in the rain putting it up in the dark, ahh the things we do for our kids.) After a bounce we all got dressed and went to McDonalds for breakfast. Big wanted pancakes and I was going to be super mummy and make them before leaving for kindy but it just didn't happen. Then we headed to his kindy farewell. I helped him make his 5th birthday crown and playdough cake whilst taking a bazillion photos. And yes I admit I shead a tear or two, onto a new, exciting and more grown up stage of my little lads life, who wouldn't need a moment to collect themselves. He chose a yellow cape to wear and we all sang Happy Birthday and the Schooldays song and all his little kindy peeps came and said good bye and Big gave them a stamp on their hand. But its not really good bye as Bigs Dinosaur party is happening Saturday so he would see his friends again. He got lovely cuddles from his teachers, those ladies are just awesome. As we walked out the gate and I caught his cheeky grin on camera I felt a little sad but so excited and extremely proud if this lovely little boy standing before me.  After a relaxing day playing with his new toys, that night we went out for dinner with family. OMG to meals out in one day I hear you gasp! Chill out, it's his birthday. I also made a huge Ben10 birthday cake which I was really rather proud of and it tasted delish. Once he was home and in bed I had a chat with my man reminising Bigs baby days and marvelling at where those five years went and also how awesome they've been. Happy Birthday Big, my school boy! xoxoxo

Home Grown Kids


I thought I'd write a post about what I do for a living. I've always had an interest in art, being creative and I see myself as a caring and positive person. I had children at a relatively young age, I found I was pregnant a few months before my 19th birthday. It was completely unplanned but there was no question in my mind that this was the path I was ment to take. Because of my age I never really got to explore my career options, motherhood was to be my career and I was going to do my best. For me there was no other choice, I had decided to be a stay at home mum. After having Little I started thinking, raising two children is pretty difficult and with a fiance that works sometimes 50+ hours a week how would I manage a job once they were both in school that would enable me to pick my children up at 3pm, give them the time and attention required for homework and to just hanging out with them. I have to do all my usual cleaning, washing, meal preparation, baths, stories, bed time cuddles not to mention find the time to get out in the garden and do all the other boring bits of house maintanence. With a new job I'd be having to impress my employer, make a good impression, I would need to be flexible not the job. I considered career options, I thought about retail as I'm a bit of a people person and had experience in the area. I thought about nursing but that job rarely leaves time for family. I decided I wanted a job to do with children, a kindergarten teacher, hours that were flexible enough to be there for my kids, an outlet to be creative through art and teaching and dancing. Helping children to learn through play, yup that was it, the perfect fit for me and so I started my Degree in teaching-birth to eight-the early years, through corospondence... Argh! study from home, with two boys running around?! Challenging yes, but I was up for it.  I got through my first semester and did pretty well but then everything changed. An offer came up to buy a home that we couldn't refuse, so I left study, for now. I looked for a job and this is where I came across Home Grown Kids my sister had children in her care and she had a chat with me about it all. I would be able to do what I always wanted to, care for children, help them to learn through play and reach their goals. I could look after my own home and children. I could plant my veggie garden, bake scones, visit play group and feed the chooks and these children could have fun doing all these things with me! I needed a police check, as did my man, a safety check to prove my home was a safe and nurturing place to care for children and once I ticked all the boxes I was up and running. I turned my home that was alredy full of educational toys, art and animals into virtually my own kindy but more personal.  Mums and Dads come in and have a chat with me. They get a written account of what their little one has been up to today in their journal, whether they have been grizzly had a runny nose or learned a new word. HGK is a great company to work for, they are so willing to help with any questions. You can care for children from your own home or be a nanny in someone elses. It works so well for us. If you think you'd be interested you should take a look at their website below. I am very busy but I love how the kids have fun and that my children have made some good friends because of my job. I love that I can still cater to everyones needs. I feel because of this career move we have a great work/life balance and I can't ask for much more than that.

http://www.homegrownkids.co.nz/