Park Fun

So I got back on that horse and took the kids to the park. We've actually gone a few times now, no incidents to report. Today there was no one there so I got to do the monkey bars and slides and swings, the whole bit. Thrilling. I decided as long as I had dragged myself out of the house I should get in some physical exercise. Wow, I am not as fit as I tell myself I am. While there I got to wondering where all my gymnastical talents went.

As a kid I was like 1/2 monkey -which genetically explains why Gabe is 1/4 albino monkey. Somewhere in the mix of junior high, crushes on boys, high school {okay, those 3 are all synonymous} college {still synonymous} marriage {nope, not anymore. Just kidding!} and kids I lost my gymnastical talents! I didn't even really notice until now. I am a complete chordo up there! And I almost really injured myself trying to prove otherwise.

It might not be of any help that I bought the only pair of "exercises" shoes that I own 6 years ago when we first got married, and they still look basically brand new. Now don't go all jumping to conclusions on me like it's so unfair that I'm not overweight. The reasons for this are many fold:

First and foremost, I get plenty of physical exercise getting myself in and then out of trouble, which can be done wearing any kind of shoe. This has been evidenced many a time on the blog. I also get lot's of exercise laughing at myself. Second, when I do formally exercise, I have a very bad habit of not wearing shoes. I guess this happens quite a bit with informal exercise as well. Sometimes my feet are bare or depending on what I am doing, I may also be wearing flip flops. Other times I am borrowing shoes {and socks, thanks for lending both to me many a time through the years Chris!} because I have forgotten to bring them along or out of possible laziness. But I digress..

Anyway, I am going to take every chance I can get when there is once again no body around at the park, and I am going to get all gymnastical again. If anyone is looking for a great way to keep in shape, I highly recommend investing in a bike trailer. Though as I am typing this I am realizing this will be of no benefit to my single or childless friends. You will look pretty crazy riding around with one of those on the back with no kids in it. Though it could be great for groceries or any other gear you want to haul around. Anyway, we bought one before we left and thank goodness because no one has heard of them here! Ours is so great, it converts into a jogging stroller, which I have never had. I took it to the Castle Towers, where I do my grocery and clothes shopping. My butcher litterally asked "what the heck is that, is that a tent?" He'd never seen one before. My kids LOVE it and I love it too, it is really fun exercise that I will actually do. Pictures and more information on our specific model to come, as well as before and after pics of our previous "double" stroller.

For now, here is that little albino monkey himself. We enjoyed the park over the long ANZAC weekend. Happy belated ANZAC day everyone!

Mission Accomplished

I know many of you have just been on pins and needles, wondering when the day will come that you hear more about the Kangaroo Mince. How was it? Was it weird? Was it gross? How did you eat it? Well, that day is today. We did it.

A few nights ago, I pulled it out to thaw in the fridge, forcing myself to face it. I kind of forgot about it and then rediscovered it 2 or 3 days later and realized that I better just do it or it would be spoiled by the next night. I decided on making a Kangaroo Shepherd's Pie {I know, it makes it sound like I made it out of the Kangaroo Shepherd}. My plan was two-fold: 1. It would be a dish that would do it's best cover up some of the taste. 2. Another added bonus was that it had so much other stuff in it, which could make it seem like I ate a lot if indeed I just ate the potatoes and green beans and moved the meat around with my fork.

The best part was when I said to Laine, "Guess what we're having for dinner tonight... Kangaroo!" She just laughed her head off and said, "Mom, you're funny!" "No, I'm serious, we really are ha...oh nevermind"

I was totally prepared for it to be really gross and even more prepared for it to be gamey. It actually really wasn't! It tasted so much more like beef than I was expecting. In fact, though my gag reflex was in hyper-drive, I know in my mind that it tasted really good. If you could get past the fact that you aren't eating something "normal" then it actually would taste excellent. I however really couldn't. I ate my helping that night {helping, what am I, on a ranch?} and then had another for lunch the next day and called it good.

Would I do it again? I guess I have to at least once more. I freakin' bought a 1 kg package and I didn't make that size of Shepherd's Pie. I just browned the rest and froze it. But would I buy it again after that? I think it would be a funny joke to play on visitors actually, so probably yes, yes I will! I've said too much...

So I posted the recipe up on Hot Garlic. The bio is pretty much the same as here, but the recipe turned out really pretty good. Let me know what you think!

What we've been up to

Well the terrible 2's came early this year. Gabe went to bed one night and woke up being a completely different little boy. Old Gabe we want you back, we need you back!

I think part of the problem, if not the entirety, is that the shipping company lost the screws to both Gabe and Laine's beds {Thanks once again A-1 Pioneer!} . For this reason, Gabe has still been sleeping in his pack and play and learned out how to climb out of it this week. Yay, a 1 1/2 year old who won't nap anymore! We just can't thank you enough A1P!


It's also really awesome when you run the dishwasher, open it and start unloading, then then look, and what do you see? What the? The remote control?

I also really love it when, at church, you discover that your baby's diaper was only covering half his butt. I won't elaborate on the horrific events of the discovery or the clean-up, but it was bad and we ended up having to leave.

To top the day off yesterday, I completely racked my whole body on the tub. I was washing Laine's hair when I simultaneously lost both my focus and my footing. My head ended up in the water, the upper half of my body slamming against the inside of the tub, my midsection and pelvis hitting the top of the tub {an immediate bruise forming} and my legs and feet hitting the outside of the tub with brute force. I would have been laughing and crying at the same time, but I had just gotten the wind knocked out of me like I have never experience before. It kind of reminded me of the time I just fell out of the tub shower for no reason. I was washing my own hair that time and just completely fell through the plastic shower curtain right smack on to the floor. I still to this day have no explanation for how a grown woman falls out of a bathtub. As for yesterday's fall, I blame Gabe and his splashing.

As far as Laine goes, I am just trying to get a word in edgewise between her constant stories of Spaceships / Outer Space and now superheros {and asking for treats}. She is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo into talking right now. We've had to add in a talking segment into her bedtime routine. We now read two books then sing Twinkle Twinkle. Then we turn off the lights and say prayer and then have our talking segment. I really needed a break from "Mom can you talk to me about school and the spaceship?" so I decided to tell her about our days together when she was a little baby. I guess I made it sound really great, what with all of the walks together and the snuggling and kissing and falling asleep together. Now she will not stop asking to be changed back to a baby. The fact that it is not possible is not any kind of answer to her request. Today she asked me to find my magic wand and make it happen.

We're laughing {and limping} about it all today. Ahh...kids!

Painting the town Red

Just a few quick pics of our night out on the town. Ben had to go down to the city this afternoon to check out some hotels for a work conference. We decided to get a sitter and make a night of it. The main hotel was in Chinatown, so we walked the streets and took in the sites of "home" {one of them, well two actually}. It was so fun seeing all of the Peking ducks hanging in the windows and the red lanterns and lights everywhere. All of the herbal medicines and dried sea animal fillets...

Then we strolled over to Circular Quay and perused the pier for the perfect restaurant. Here we are goofing off and having a great time. We got our waiter to take a pic, but the quality is so poor that it looks like I photoshopped us in. We only had Ben's phone so we were embarrassed to ask some one other than our waiter to take a pic so we had to take the rest ourselves. Unfortunately Ben's high quality phone can not capture the beauty nor the ambiance of our surroundings! Big cities are the best, it was so fun. It only takes about 25-30 minutes to get to the city, would it be weird to get a hotel and stay for a week?!

Don't forget to notice the jackets and scarf. It truly is Autumn here, Boooooo! Enjoy your spring you lucky SOB's.

The girl is a natural!

Since making this video she we have been practicing every song she knows and Twinkle Twinkle is kind of old news. We'll get working on the next installment ASAP! Once again, the bags and the lighting we are going to have to do something about...

At the risk of completely embarrassing myself, I am going to post this video. Ever since Laine was little she has LOVED singing. She sang well before she talked. She would just sing the melody of her favorite songs over and over and over again all day. So far it never gets old to hear my children singing, I really love to hear their music!

Laine seems to be really talented with it and has now begun harmonizing! It's really amazing, so far I haven't taught or encouraged her at all, she does it all by herself. I don't know where she gets this talent from, it obviously isn't me {as you will all see in a minute}. I am a terrible singer, and it's gonna be a little pitchy for you doggs, sorry! Also pardon the diaper and dirty clothes of Gabe's and the SERIOUS bags under my eyes! We had been gone all day and were getting the kids ready for bed when Laine started her concert.

My sis Katie

All I can say is THANK-GOODNESS my sister Katie now has a blog to document this and other antics she gets into. We are so alike, and as you will see, both still live our lives like it is our freshman year in college. Ashleigh you are no stranger to this concept. Anyway, I saw this on her blog this afternoon and wrote to her that I thought it was HILARIOUS in a way that I have never meant before. Here is "The Gorge" in her own words. And if you ever want to check out what other crazy stuff she is up to, her blog is "Katie" under my Family tab.

If you are thinking that this post has anything to do with Dave Matthews Band please don't read on. I don't really know exactly how to explain what took place on Sunday, but I will do my best to describe the events. Two years ago, I made Lisa a "Skor" cake for her birthday, and she told me that she thought if I left her unattended she could eat the whole thing. So, we have always joked that someday I was going to make her one and have her eat the whole thing. Naturally we told our other room mate MJ about it and she said that she thought she could eat an entire carton of ice cream. I started thinking about it and I don't really have a high tolerance for sweets so I said that I had to pick a food item. Anyone that knows me knows that my favorite food is meat. I am embarrassed by this fact, but it's true. My name is Kate Gildea and I am part carnivore. Anyways, so I said that I thought I could eat an entire chicken, or "the bird" as I refer to it. The three of us have laughed about it all year long and it has come up at various events like work party's and my birthday party and before we knew it we had all sorts of people on board. We had 9 people that participated in the event, only 4 completed the challenge. Note, it was called a challenge not competition. This was about personal best. So, here's everyone's challenge.

Abbey's: An entire gallon of milk and a dozen Krispy Kreams.
Challenge: NOT COMPLETE, 2/3 gallon of milk and 10 doughnuts. Just shy of her goal.

Casey: 2 entire Large Pizza's.
Challenge: COMPLETE, he was the first finished!

Tim: 2 entire Marie Calander's Pie's, one cream based, one fruit based
Challenge: NOT COMPLETE, finished the fruit based but only made it a couple bites into the cream based. No where near his goal.

MJ: One carton of "Loaded" Ice Cream and an entire package of fudge striped cookies.
Challenge: COMPLETE! Jenn: An entire loaf of Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches.
Challenge: NOT COMPLETE, she did have a great tactic though smashing the bread down to make each sandwich include at least 6 slices of bread.

Carrie: And entire box of Mac & Cheese and a loaf of French Bread
Challenge: COMPLETE! It was carb overload but well worth it to complete the challenge!

Katie Jo: 8 Burger King Rodeo Burgers
Challenge: NOT COMPLETE, but SO close. Made it to 7 but could not physically go on.

Lisa: An entire Skor Cake
Challenge: sadly enough, NOT COMPLETE. She made it almost half way.

Kate: An entire rotisserie chicken (Colossal, serves 5-7)
Challenge: COMPLETE!

To be honest, this was probably the funniest thing I have ever done in my life. Everyone, well not everyone, but most people were pretty sick afterwards. Others knew their limits. We only had 2 hours to complete, so yes it was a timed event. Here's some pictures during the event.

Here's everyone in the beginning, we were so happy then!

Success! Look how excited she is, she had polished off the cookies. Thank you Abbey for making sure you were in the picture with your doughnut.

Here's the 3 originators of the Challenge at the half-way mark. Still going pretty strong....

For any of you who have watched FRIENDS, you know what happened next. I got the "meat sweats."

So then we decided to take it outside, Casey was helping Lisa make some room

Helping me "stretch out" for the remainder

It's hard to say if this picture took place before or after the milk curdled in her stomach. Her stomach is usually flat.
These 3 needed to take a break.....

After the event of course I was pretty sick, like to the point I threw up. But, the more I think about it the funnier it becomes, especially when I see the pictures. And I learned a lot about myself during the challenge. For example, I learned that I have more willpower than most, I won't stop until I get the job done. And I learned a lot about limits, I mean now I know exactly how much chicken I can consume, I mean if someone was to ask me to eat a checken that serves 7-9 I will have to say no. I know my max, it's a bird for 5-7 people, no more.

Bula Fiji!

Sorry Laine's video is clearly not working, I've tried everything and have been trying to upload it for over a week. Hopefully Ben can help me tonight when he gets home, stay tuned! Since shooting that video, I have sung every song with her that she knows. Her voice kind of wavers while she tries to find the harmony, and then she finds it and it is magic!

We just got back from an AWESOME trip to Fiji! We absolutely loved it there and hope to go back as soon as we can. We went with some great people that Ben works with down here, which made the trip all the more fun. It was one of the most beautiful places we've been. Even though all of the weather reports indicated we would most likely be rained out everyday, the gorgeous Fijian sun graced us with her presence all but 1/2 of one day which we were of course overjoyed about.

The kids really had a great time. Laine especially loved the Bula Bus that took us around to all of the resorts and into the Port Denaru Marina and markets. Laine still can't stop talking about it! We got the kids a babysitter one day and she told me all Laine wanted to do was ride the Bula Bus, so they rode the loop around and around for hours! The Fijian people were so warm and loving, and Laine really got into the Island spirit shouting "Bula!" to everyone she saw. I got into the spririt in my own way as well, I said "Menaka" to everyone, which I thought was "thank-you", only to find out on the way to the airport our last day that it is acutally "Vinaka". I'm retarded.

We chartered this little skiff to go Island hopping. It was so beautiful. The main island that we were located on, near Nadi, was surrounded by sevaral smaller islands. Gorgeous! Here we are dipping our feet in as we headed to Musket Cove. On the way we saw flying fish and sea turtles!

Please look at the beautiful sandbar behind me and not me in my suit!

Heading to the reef. We saw so many gorgeous fish and they were very friendly! One of them owes me a steak dinner if you know what I mean.

The island furthest to the left is where "Castaway" was filmed! We got closer to it but this was the only picture we took. We were wishing we had brought along a lighter and a volleyball for some awesome photo ops, but alas we ran out of time anyway.

Of course the kids loved the pool and all of the attention that our group gave them. We loved it too! Laine jumping to Mel over and over and over again.

One of the tables at dinner, this is only half of our group. Unfortunatley Ben was in charge of everything and was also the designated camera man. I hope you enjoy the one photo of him from above as it is one of the only shots we got of him the whole trip.

Gabe with his girlfriends Mel and Tanya

Our last day in Paradise, Boo! Gabe and Laine and I swam until we had 15 minutes to get onto the bus to go to the airport. See, I like to live life on the edge and show up with a healthy 45 minutes before take-off. No one seemed to like this idea. We ended up with 2 hours which seemed like forever! I got to see more of the Fiji airport than I had seen of any airport in a long time.

Goodbye beautiful relaxing Fiji, we'll miss you!