Product Review: Johnson's Junior Range

This mop of hair, though beautiful, is the cause of many arguments in this house.

First, Abbey hates me washing it. She'll complain that the shampoo stings her eyes and that I'm, you know, touching her hair to wash it.

And she despises having her hair brushed. Every morning we have the same argument discussion. Me: "if you sit still, it won't hurt". Her: "No" and runs off. I then have to hold her down as she kicks and squirms, screaming each time the brush reaches a knot. And there are a LOT of knots in that mop of curls, let me tell you.

So when the people at Johnson's contacted me, asking if I'd like to try their Junior range, including no-tears shampoo and hair detangler... I said a big fat YES.

The big question, then, as I looked at these beautiful bottles of product, was: will they make a difference to our mornings?

And yes, they have. The last few days, I've explained the new order to Abbey: this shampoo won't sting, this spray will take the knots away. After a couple of days, she even began to believe me (because a toddler needs solid proof before believing her mother, apparently).

No more morning arguments over hair. Now, Johnson's, if you could just make a product that makes it easier for me to get her dressed...

[These products are available at supermarkets and pharmacies. I was not paid to write this post, but did receive some free products. You can be assured that I only review products here that I believe are right for me and my family, and will always give my honest opinion.]

Grateful - For Time

I'm joining in with Maxabella's Saturday Grateful post today; a chance to talk about the things I'm grateful for this week...

Friends. In a week with Steve away, it was great to catch up with some friends and have company. I've sat and chatted, talked on the phone and even Skyped to see my sister and her gorgeous kidlets.

Mothers and daughters. Earlier this week Abbey and I spent a day with my mum. The three of us lunched, played and even sang and danced. There's nothing like spending a day with your mum and your daughter to lift your soul.

Cuddles. This week saw Abbey come down with a cold and my independent girl turn into a cuddly little 'un. But oh, how I've enjoyed these cuddles as she's fallen asleep curled up in my arms every night. And on one particularly bad morning, I crawled into bed with her and we cuddled for another couple of hours.




And in a week where I thought I might be resuming full-time work (for just a matter of several weeks - the story of why that didn't eventuate will be brought to you at some stage), I'm really grateful to have the time to enjoy all of that.

Happenings of the Week

In a week of bad news around the world, let's look at some of the lighter things floating around the internet. Not sure you can call most of these 'news items' but they're the top 5 trivial things that caught my eye...

5. A discussion about middle names informed me that this film star has a full name of "Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland". Try fitting that on your passport form.

4. NASA announces there may be 'weird life' on Earth, after discovering a strange bacteria in an American lake. Weird creatures? In California? Surely not.

3. I've never been a Nicole Kidman fan, but I did like this interview - it's the first time I've identified with her as she talks about the difficulties in trying to conceive.

2. I'm often astounded at what some people spend their money on... like, say, over $6,000 for a single lock of Justin Bieber's hair. Not just that, but what on earth made him (or his advisors) think it was a great idea to donate his hair? Weird.

1. Tony and Maureen Wheeler sold the last of their share in a little book business they began in the early 70s... Lonely Planet. This article debates the pros and cons of the guide books that make the world so accessible to so many.

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The Challenge of a Lifetime

The more I write, the more respect I have for writers (and I had a lot of respect to begin with).

It's a tough job, full of ups and downs, battling your own self-confidence and pushing yourself beyond the limits you thought were there.

I knew it would be hard. As crazy as it sounds, that's one of the reasons I wanted to do it. See, I've done everything in life pretty easily; the challenges have been small. Sometimes I think I could have lived most of my life with my eyes shut, just on auto-pilot. I wanted - needed - something big, to prove that I have it in me to push myself.

For me, having spent just over a year writing, there have been a lot of wins so far. With my first manuscript, for example, I had another author asking to be part of it, even before it was written. That same manuscript has received some encouraging feedback and is currently being considered by a publisher.

I've had some wonderful successes with my blog: having people read it (!) and relate, being included in Kidspot's Top 50, receiving wonderful comments and opening up the chance to meet lots of different people. Being asked to speak at the Aussie Bloggers' Conference next month is a definite highlight, and there are more doors and opportunities opening as we speak.

A short story I wrote has been accepted in an anthology for charity, and I've had many articles accepted for publication.

Can you tell I'm trying to remind myself of these highs?

Sometimes, when you have a low, you need to do that. Really, I've had a wonderful first year of writing, and I need to remind myself of that during these times.

I took a bit of a blow recently. My second manuscript, my first attempt at a novel (for children), received some criticism that wasn't exactly glowing. Not all negative, but not great either. And spending the best part of a year writing something, only to be told that it still isn't good enough, makes you feel very low. The best word I could use is... weary. I just felt over it.

But as much as it felt like it, this isn't a step back. Anything that teaches me more about the craft of writing is a good thing.

And so I shall persist. I shall wallow for a small period of time, and then forget about it for a while before I can return to that project with less emotion. I'll work on other things and continue to put myself and my work out there so that I can learn from others, and become better and better.

I'll push past the nagging voice in my head that says, 'Give up. You're no good.'

This is the challenge I always needed, and I'm up for it.

Renovation Update

As it turns out, this is the part of the renovation where it feels as though nothing much is getting done. Hence the lack of renovation posts of late - no more rooms are finished. (For those who didn't see, I've revealed two completed rooms so far: the bathroom and Abbey's bedroom.) (And if you're really new here, you can see all about our renovation here - be warned, it's a big one!)

But we've still been busy, doing bits and pieces on various rooms...

We've had a new pantry built - and it's a relief not to have to search through buckets in the laundry for all our food now!

The boring stuff is slowly getting done - painting, new blinds installed, flyscreens bought, new heating system installed and cooling added to the extension. Oh, and lots of cleaning and sorting things out.

New furniture! - this is the exciting part, and we're making a gradual start on this.

And our ensuite has been tiled. Now to decide how to fit out the rest of the room.











So we're making progress, and hope to have another room finished and ready to reveal soon!

Happenings of the Week

Ah, news. We're all addicted to knowing everything that happens right when it happens - whether your source is internet, newspapers, radio, television or Twitter (!).

So many things happening in the world, so many important events. But these are the top five things that caught my eye this week - the weird, the funny and the thought-provoking...

5. I'm all for wanting to look nice, but sometimes it goes a bit far. Like when people talk about lash-growing stimulant - with one specialist saying he "had to stop using the drug on a couple of elderly male patients because their lashes became too long." Yuck.

4. Prince Harry is to be Best Man at the wedding. Can you imagine the buck's night he'll put on? I don't think Willsy is going to recover well from this one.

3. Want to get married? On a tight budget? Never fear - you too could have your wedding reception at McDonalds! This couple in Hong Kong thought it was the perfect solution; after all, they'd had most of their dates there. Me? If someone only ever took me to Maccas, I wouldn't be marrying them.

2. And then came one of those stories about a woman who didn't know she was pregnant until she felt something "slide out". Don't you hate it when babies just fall out of your body unexpectedly? Why do I love this story? Because she thought she was just bloated from drinking too much milk. The headline is so awful and nonsensical I had to share it: "Too much Big M made me a mum".

1. This one was a bit sad to read - the demise of Borders and Angus and Robertson bookstores. I found this piece on The Punch interesting reading.

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My Toddler Loves Books

I love seeing my daughter's love of books develop. I wrote an earlier post about how she came to love books (My Baby Loves Books), but I've noticed so many changes since then - as with anything in the time between growing from a baby to a toddler (Abbey is now just shy of two-and-a-half).

Aside from encouraging her to sit down and listen to stories, and teaching her to be gentle with them, I haven't given Abbey any 'instruction' about books. It's interesting, then, to sit and observe the natural steps she's taken in learning how to appreciate them.

I'm no literacy expert - just someone who loves books - but to me these steps seem so logical and important in a future reader's development.

Here's what I've noticed as the first steps in a child's reading life:

1. As a baby, Abbey would sit and listen to stories, although it took some persistence before she would sit and listen (read some tips here).

2. Then came the page-turning and touching (and chewing!) of pages - a baby's first interaction with these funny objects.

3. The stories got a little longer, and she asked for them again and again. Repetition has been the name of the game ever since, and she started having her clear favourites and those she just wouldn't - and won't - sit through.

4. The next thing I noticed was her beginning to interact with the telling of the story. This started with her talking about what was happening in the pictures and pointing to things as we read about them.

5. The next level of interaction was when I started leaving little gaps in the story; just little silences with the last word or a key word in the story - and she'd say it herself. Kids have such great memories. This is especially good with rhyming stories, as children start to sense a pattern and preempt what type of word is coming up (isn't it amazing how early they pick up on these things?!).

6. At about this point I started noticing (and it could have happened before this stage, but this is when it clicked for me) a real comprehension in storylines and phrases. For example, we'd read Oliver Jeffer's How to Catch a Star and the next time Abbey couldn't reach something she'd talk about wanting to 'jump up and grab it' (a line from the book). Or she'd take a word from a book that's not commonly used in day-to-day language and use it in the right context.

7. Another step towards longer books came, with her being ready for stories that are even longer again. She's now happy to sit through more detailed picture books and some longer books with less pictures (some Dr Seuss and Beatrix Potter books, for example).

8. And recently, another leap. She's begun taking a book and sitting either by herself or next to her dad or me, and insisting on 'reading' the story herself. She'll turn the pages and either make up little stories based on the pictures, or repeat a phrase that she knows (from repetitive reading of that story) comes on that particular page. It's so beautiful to watch - she puts on different voices, laughs, introduces the characters to each other and describes the things she sees in the pictures.

All of this has been prompted by Abbey; I'm purely going along with her lead and using nothing but instinct (although I've read books and articles on literacy, none of them talk about these steps; instead simply saying to read to young children lots, and leaving a blank between that and the formal process of learning to read). And Abbey seems to be developing a love of books in her own way and, even more importantly, at a point when she is ready for the next step.

It really is amazing.

Cook and Live: what do you feed your children?

Eating one's own feet is better than some of the food options out there

Excuse me while I climb aboard my high horse for a moment. (For any new readers... I don't rant very often - at least not on my blog! - so please bear with me here.)

I've written before, briefly, about healthy food options for kids when eating out. But what about at home?

There has been so much talk lately about how families eat. The extreme cases on television, such as on Jamie Oliver's shows and The Biggest Loser, make me angry. When I see these shows, I tend to yell and turn the television off.

Because it's one thing to eat badly yourself, but it's a whole other story when you're giving your kids these things.

When we become parents, I believe it's our responsibility to learn about health and nutrition. We're all so concerned about it in relation to those early days of breastfeeding or bottle feeding, but somewhere around the toddler years it seems to get lost.

All of a sudden, it's okay to feed children lollies, softdrinks and takeaway. It's okay for us, as parents, to be 'too busy' to think about what's going into their bodies.

There have been some articles around about homecooking becoming a lost art, that women shouldn't be expected to be home baking instead of out living their lives (as a side note, cooking is a shared responsibility in this household, and I never for even a moment would suggest it's solely a woman's job; I believe it's up to both parents, or if not, then it's an agreement as to who will handle it). But I'm not of the belief that it's an either/or situation. Cook or live? To me, it's cook AND live.

I was raised in a house of simple but healthy meals, with two full-time working parents, and now as a parent myself I can tell you that things are definitely not always fancy in this house either. Meals can vary from chops and vegies to a beautiful three-course dinner here, but on a day-to-day basis they err on the side of the former.

And I certainly don't want to appear as though I'm trying to come across as perfect. We, too, give in to the temptation of fish and chips or the like at times, and Abbey has absolutely eaten things that aren't wonderfully nutritious. But they are the rare exceptions amidst a healthy lifestyle.

It really isn't hard. And even if it is at times, isn't it worth a bit of effort? Don't people worry about these things anymore? Are we so caught up in the supposed convenience of takeaway or a frozen meal that we really believe they're providing the nutrients our children, and we, need? Or is it something that so many people find too hard to think about?

This is all a fairly recent trend - think back to our grandparents' generation; they didn't have these things. I know life was different back then, but as humans our nutritional needs haven't changed.

For the sake of our kids, we need to make changes. We need to look at what we're feeding our families, and I mean really look. Is this the food that's going to get them through a big day? Week? Year? Through their childhood? We need to teach them (and by that, I mean teach by example) how to cook, how to eat, how to look after themselves. To give them the best start in life - physically, emotionally, mentally and practically.

Our children are worth it. Aren't they?

The Week's Happenings

In a week of news, there are lots of headlines. Important news stories, world-changing political events and occurrences that will change history...

Forget all that. You're about to find out how shallow I really am, as I share are the top five headlines that caught my eye this week.

5. The team at Facebook compiled a new map of the world based on international connections on their site. I love this; it's social networking creating a new world on so many levels. Being able to instantly connect with so many people from all over the world still amazes me.

4. OMG! Stop the press! Michael Hutchence and Belinda Carlisle had a relationship. Having pictures of them together could have halved my poster collection as a nine-year-old. And who knows - maybe she inspired Never Tear Us Apart, or he was the one she kissed in the Summer Rain. It's an 80s dream!

3. TV presenter Larry Emdur signed a contract worth $800,000 a year. Seriously? Larry Emdur? 'Nuff said.

2. Ken doll turns 50. Forget Zoolander, this is the ultimate man model; you have to see this gallery of everyone's favourite plastic 'man'. What a laugh.

1. And, of course, Elizabeth Hurley comes to Melbourne. Not for a modelling gig or to promote a film. To visit Shane Warne. WTF? And I'd love to know how many paparazzi photographers were on the streets of Melbourne yesterday trying to catch a glimpse of them.

As an added bonus, I had to share this news headline with you (journalist Caroline Overington tweeted this one). How did this get through the editing process?

What were your highlights of the week?


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She's got the look. Or not.

My phone beeped as I walked out of the shopping centre. “She just asked to have a nap, and fell asleep in 2 mins flat!” I could hear his shocked tone through the message; after all, this is our two-year-old daughter who never naps during the day and certainly never asks to go to sleep. I responded as I unlocked my car and climbed in.

“Now that you’ve escaped a cranky toddler, be prepared for a cranky wife. On my way home. Empty handed. Yep.”

Earlier that day, the stars had aligned. Steve was home, with no plans other than to spend the afternoon with Abbey. More importantly, I had money, having been fortunate enough to win a gift voucher from a blogging competition. So, I went shopping.

It's been a long time since I’ve had the time and money to go on a shopping spree. Child-free time is spent on more important things, like working or sleeping or, um, reading, and being on one income means any shopping trips are kept for more necessary things, like clothes and shoes for our little growing machine.

Armed with my voucher and headed to Melbourne’s biggest shopping spot, Chadstone, I was excited. Super excited. I thought of all the things I’d buy: pants, skirts, tops, a dress to wear to an upcoming event, even a pair of shoes. (Money can go a long way in my imagination.) My wardrobe was in serious need of updating, and this was just what I needed.

By the time I arrived, those stars had moved. They were all out of whack. I wondered if I might be the only woman to walk through an enormous department store in Chadstone, armed with guilt-free money, and not find a single thing to wear.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. I found a few things I wanted to buy. First, I saw a beautiful pair of boots, but they were way out of my budget (yes, even my guilt-free voucher budget), and long boots never, ever fit my skinny legs anyway. Then I headed to the homewares section and found plenty of things I’d like to buy, and ditto in the book department.

But I was meant to be spending money on myself, not the house.

I arrived home, grumpy and disappointed, and looked at myself in the mirror. Jeans, t-shirt, ballet flats. Accessories: wedding rings, watch. Makeup: nil.

I was dressed for being a mum, not a pro-shopper.

Change the shoes to thongs or Converse All-Stars (yes, ballet flats are my version of dressing up), and this is what I wear day in, day out. The key to my wardrobe is comfort, the perfect ingredient for running around after a toddler.

Remove the shoes and you have my work attire. Working from home doesn’t require much effort in the aesthetics department, and wearing jeans – as opposed to pyjama pants – feels like being dressed up some days.

Really, shopping for clothes felt pointless and extravagant. I could buy more jeans, t-shirts, tracksuit pants and flat shoes, but I already have those bases covered. I could, of course, look at skirts and lovely dresses and heels, but what's the point? Where will I go wearing such things? Who will see me?

My practicalities are frustrating me. This is supposed to be guilt-free money, yet here I am feeling guilty and unable to be frivolous.

What should a SAHM / WAHM wear, anyway?

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What do you love about parenting?

I'm in this wonderfully positive headspace right now, having vented my negativity (thanks for listening and being so supportive!). So, I want us all to leave behind the frustrations and negativity today and think of the great things about being a parent.

So. What do you LOVE about being a parent?

Probably lots of things, right? Me too. But there's one thing I love above all else. My favourite part of being a parent.

When Abbey was little and learning to roll, I used to lie on the floor next to her, look into her eyes and tell her she could do it.

Abbey - 2 months

And I did the same thing when she was trying to crawl, walk, run, climb... I know, many people told me I was crazy to encourage her to move around, but I disagreed, and still do disagree.

Because this was the best part. My little girl would look back at me, with determination in her eyes. And she'd do it.

As she grew, I kept at it. I still do. These days, I do the same thing when she's learning something new or if her confidence falters a little. I look at her and tell her she can do it.

And then I watch as I am rewarded with the best feeling in the world. These are the times my heart feels like it might just burst, as she tries - and usually succeeds - in doing what she is attempting.

Abbey - 8 months

I love watching Abbey's confidence grow, seeing her joy as she realises she can do things herself.

What it shows me is that when someone believes in us, we can do anything.

My favourite part of parenting is encouraging my little girl. Showing her that I believe in her.

What's your favourite thing about being a parent?

Exciting News

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Me: "Guess what? GUESS WHAT?! I'm going to be published! I got into that anthology!"
Steve: "That's great, well done. Hey, did you ring the tiler?"
Abbey: "Mummy, I need to do wee on the toilet."

Life goes on here as usual, with my husband who really is excited for me (on the inside) and my toddler who is just going about her day.

Meanwhile, I'm jumping up and down with joy. A short story of mine has been selected as part of the 100 Stories for Queensland charity anthology. This marks my first piece of fiction to be published and, with a release date of March 8th (yes, in four weeks time!), I don't have to wait long to see my name and my writing in that book. And to read all the other stories that were chosen - with a requirement or each to be happy and uplifting, it'll be a pleasure to read them.

I'll keep you posted as to where you can buy a copy (with all proceeds going to Queensland's flood victims) - and, of course, I'll remind you with my incessant excitement when it's released.

Playing Mothers and Fathers

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Remember that game as a child? We used to play it all the time in primary school. Mothers and Fathers is a game of imagination - playing house, pretending to be parents and children - but it really reflected the inner workings of everyone's family life. We'd always fight over who played which part. (No one ever wanted to be the father because, well, he was a man. Gross.)

Back when I was in primary school, in the 80s, it was a pretty straightforward game. The mother did all the housework and looked after the kids, while the father went to work, then came home and ate dinner and sat on the couch. (Yes, really, this was the 80s, not the 50s.)

My friends were always frustrated playing this game with me, though. I'd try to change the standard format of the game. Maybe they thought I was trying to be different, or attempting to cause trouble, but really it was just because my family worked differently.

My mother was one of the few mums who worked full-time, who had a university degree and a career. My father was the only dad I knew of who was waiting for us when we walked home from school (or who would treat us by picking us up when the weather was bad). My dad worked from home, as a Photographer, and in the afternoons we'd play outside while he met with clients. On the weekends, if I was really good, he'd take me to a wedding with him.

In the school holidays, my time was divided between 'helping' (the quotation marks have been added in hindsight) dad work in his darkroom, and playing at a spare desk at mum's work, where empty tablet boxes and rolls of medication labels provided hours of fun (mum is a Pharmacist). Oh, and the jelly beans; they were the true highlight of those days.

So, when I came to school and played Mothers and Fathers, my friends just wouldn't understand why I wanted the father to stay at home, or the mother to go to work. I, too, didn't see where they were coming from. Why didn't both their parents work?

I've been thinking about this recently, as I wonder how my daughter will portray her family life in years to come. It's an interesting way of thinking about decisions regarding house and career - how is it all viewed by our kids? How do they see their parents' roles in the family? What messages do these roles give them?

I bet it's interesting seeing kids play this game these days. There would be all sorts of scenarios going on, and I wonder if children still become frustrated that their friends play it differently to them. Or maybe it's okay, because they see so many situations on a daily basis.

Is it even still called Mothers and Fathers?

Cook: Roasted Pumpkin and Feta Risotto

I love a good risotto. This one is so versatile - it makes a good meal when you have friends over, or a substantial family meal, and every child I've served it up for eats it all up. And the sweet and bitter flavour combination of the pumpkin and feta... yum!

Roasted Pumpkin and Feta Risotto

800g pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 2cm squares
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
20g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup white wine
5 cups vegetable stock
½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons oregano leaves
150g feta, crumbled

Preheat oven to 200°C
Combine pumpkin, olive oil, salt and pepper, place on an oven tray and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked.
Melt butter over medium heat, add onions and cook until soft and translucent.
Add rice and garlic, stirring for 2 minutes.
Pour in wine and continue stirring until it is absorbed.
Add the hot stock one cup at a time, again stirring until each cup has been absorbed.
Continue until the rice is al dente, then mix in the parmesan, roasted pumpkin, oregano leaves and half the feta.
To serve, spoon the risotto into bowls and top with the remaining feta.

Best served with...

Enjoy!

Just a Bad Year

I liked the excuses... There's a lot going on. We're renovating. Life has been thrown into chaos. I have a toddler. I'm just having a bad day. It's just a bad week.

In truth, it was a bad year.

Looking back now, I can see where and when it all began, and I can see where it ended too.

Christmas 2009. We went away for the holidays, just for a few days. My daughter was fifteen months old and yes, she was hard work, but no harder than she'd ever been, no harder than any other child. No different to how a child should be.

To me, that marked the time something clicked in my mind. I'd suspected it for a while, but right then it became real. That being a mother wasn't all sweetness, that it was going to take some work, that I wasn't always going to do things easily and naturally the way I had when she was a baby. And that, despite all our talk, being a mother and being a father are two different things, loaded with different expectations and responsibilities.

While my husband packed up at the end of that trip, I watched our daughter. And I cried and cried. All the way home, I yelled at my husband and I cried.

I felt trapped.

By the time we left, 2010 was just beginning, and I spent the rest of that year feeling the same.

Trapped.

I cried every day of that year. I spent hours at a time shut in my bedroom, just wanting to sleep or lie down. No energy. I'd put things against the door so that my daughter couldn't come in, and I'd lie there and listen to her calling for me, banging against the door screaming for her mum.

I didn't want to hurt myself and I didn't want to hurt my little girl. I just wanted to run. Shutting myself in a room was the only way I could physically stop myself from running out the front door.

I couldn't handle anything out of the ordinary. One conversation about a decision for the house would have me in bed with a migraine. I yelled and I snapped, and I made my husband make all the decisions, because my mind couldn't handle one more thought. I cried.

I dreamt of running away. Of freedom.

I thought life had turned on me, that I was forced to be somewhere I didn't want to be. I thought I had no control over anything.

And I felt self-indulgent. I had a loving husband, a beautiful daughter, family and friends who love me, a nice house being improved, a new direction in life. There were terrible things happening to others in the world, and I had everything.

But the negativity. I couldn't shake this cloud hanging over me, this feeling of being useless and helpless. The complete lack of joy.

And then came the end of the year. We went away on holidays again, to the same place, did the same things. I dreaded going, picturing the year before and knowing by then, that was the place it all seemed to begin. But we went anyway.

I found I had come full circle. Life hadn't changed, but that thing that clicked in my mind clicked back again.

As suddenly as that, I knew. I knew I was free. I knew I had made decisions to be where I was, and I knew I was happy with those decisions. I knew I had control, and choices.

I know.

Looking back now, I can't label it. Was it depression? Was it just a bad time? Was it me being melodramatic? Was it that it was a year of change? Me, who had always thought of herself as a career woman, staying at home? Us renovating?

I don't know. But it wasn't right.

Should I have talked to someone about it? That, I can answer. To that, I can say with absolute certainty: yes. But there was - and is - always an excuse. I feel better today. It was nothing. Life is good, I have everything. It was just a bad day. I'm okay now.

Now I understand how easy it is for those negative thoughts to turn bad, to become constant. I've learnt that yes, being a mother is different to being a father, but rather than feeling the weight of that responsibility I once again feel privileged. (Most of the time.)

I remember how life was before that year. I feel like that again. That life is good, there is promise and joy and laughter and happiness. The feeling of being ready for anything it throws at me. The knowledge that a bad day is okay, but it doesn't make me unhappy or remove all hope from my mind.

Life is good.

And happiness isn't dependent on what's happening around you (within reason). It comes from somewhere else entirely.

Asking You: Where do you keep your recipes?

This is something that's been bothering me for a long time now. A very pressing issue at the heart of peace and harmony in this household. Ahem.

I don't know what to do with my recipes.

Right now, I have a stack of loose papers - some taken from magazines, some jotted down, some typed. But they're in no order at all, and it's driving me insane. Some are on the computer, and that annoys me too, having to take the laptop into the kitchen (because baking is what I consider a good way to get away from the computer... plus it can get messy!).

I've contemplated a couple of ways to organise them, but I'm just not sure.

Recipe box on etsy.com

Recipe folder at Kikki-K

A lot of the really lovely options end up being quite expensive, and I don't want to spend a fortune. I just want to be organised!

So, tell me. Where do you keep your recipes?