Palm Cove

We have just returned from a week long holiday at the Sea Temple, Palm Cove, which is in Far North Queensland.  As I have always done in the past, I took Tabitha to the GP for a check-up a few days before we left.  In the past, everything has been fine, however this time, the GP found the beginnings of an ear infection!  So I am glad we picked that up before we left.  

Tabitha had a course of antibiotics - the poor poppet is not good at taking medicine.  She struggles, screams and sometimes vomits up the medicine.  We have tried everything in the past - syringe into the side of the mouth, letting her drink it from a cup, mixing it with food or drink, even mixing it up in chocolate ice cream!  Nothing works for her though.  In the end, we have discovered that it is best to treat her just like our cats, and wrap her up firmly (like a swaddle) in a towel.  We call her the Baby Burrito.  This way, she is held firmly, and she seems to fuss and struggle less, and the process is much less stressful for her.  So I recommend giving this a shot if you have a baby who hates medicine...

When we arrived in Palm Cove, Tabitha joined in with the 'sunscreening' from day one.  She quickly noticed that, twice a day, everyone stood around rubbing sunscreen into themselves, and of course she was eager to join in the 'tribal ways'.  So she spent much of the holiday squeezing sunscreen from the tubes, rubbing it into herself and into everyone else.  It was a little messy, but I am glad that she is learning the sun-smart message nice and early!

See this sweet little outfit?  It was given to my little sister, ten years ago, as a birth present from one of my mother's friends.  It is lovely quality cotton, and has survived very well.  I see it getting plenty of wear this summer:

Here is my sister leading Tabitha to the water:

Tabby had great fun rubbing her hands and feet in the damp sand:

She was quite awe-struck by the ocean.  She watched it, frowning, and when we took her in, she clung to us like a monkey, pointing to each wave, looking a little nervous.  I cannot really swim, so I am wary of the ocean myself.  Hopefully she inherits The Daddy's love of the ocean - he studied Marine Biology at university.

Having long hair is sort of a pain when swimming.  It is fun to play 'mermaid' when you're young, but so frustrating when it gets all tangled up.  So I action a FLDS-esque braid:

Look at Tabitha's gorgeous frilly little bathers!  They are Zimmerman.  The Zimmerman kids' range is quite reasonably priced, on par with Seafolly.  I could have bought a matching pair for myself, but they were nearly $400, and considering that I rarely swim, that is very expensive.

She loved wading around in the baby pool.  Every time the water splashed at her, she cracked up into giggles:

She's a funny little skinny thing.  Cuddling her is more like cuddling a monkey than a baby bear!

EEK water a little cold!

She tripped over and face-planted into the water.  She came up spluttering a little, but remained cheerful and keen to stay in the pool.  Little drowned rat:

Like most Aussie kids, she wore a rashie-top when swimming in the sun.  It was matching to her bathers, and my mother decided it looked like she was wearing floral curtains.  So it was called her 'curtain suit' for the rest of the holiday:

We tried to get a family photo.  This is most challenging when your family includes the world's wriggliest toddler:

My sister, below, is a far better swimmer than I.  In fact, she could beat me in a swimming race from the are of around 4 years old.  That is no lie.  I cannot swim, and she is part dolphin.

We were also holidaying with my parents, sister, and our friends and their adorable twin girls.  So we had lots of gorgeous little girls swimming around in the pool!

As well as the 'curtain suit', I bought Tabitha a matching little dress for her bathers.  It was airy and light and cotton and perfect for wandering around in the hot weather.

There is simply nothing more gorgeous than a little nudie toddler at the beach:

The wonderful thing about Palm Cove, in my opinion (keeping in mind that my skin hates the sun), is that from around 4pm, the beach (including the first 10 metres or so of water) is almost entirely in the shade, from the many palm trees.  So after Tabitha's nap each day, we went down to the beach, enjoying an hour or so of swimming and playing without having to worry too much about sunscreen.

Both Tabitha and I ordinarily have very straight hair.  But the sea water and the humidity do crazy things:

Tabby in her Boston Red Sox hat, which we bought for her at Fenway Park, at a Red Sox game in Boston in May:

My gorgeous little sister - trying to smile with a mouth full of Cheezles:

I didn't drag the camera out everywhere in Palm Cove.  The purpose of the holiday was to relax and do nothing, so we spent our days doing the same thing over and over:  my Mother got Tabby out of bed each morning when she woke, around 6:30am (we shared a fabulous, large, 4-bedroom penthouse suite at Sea Temple with my parents and sister, which was wonderful as it had a kitchen, upstairs deck with hot tub, BBQ etc, and was ideal for a trip with the family or another couple with kids - and worked out cheaper than booking two 2-bedroom places), and mum and my little sister then gave her breakfast, and took her out for a morning walk.

The Daddy and I woke up around 8, then we all had breakfast, sunscreened up, and went for a swim.  Back to the room by noon for Tabby's lunch and a long nap (3 hours most days - the heat took it out of her).  The Daddy and I napped and read while she slept.  Out for a late lunch after she woke up, then a swim at the beach.  Tabby had an early dinner and was in bed by 6pm most nights.  My parents and sister went out to dinner, then when they got back, The Daddy and I went out and enjoyed some wonderfully relaxing dinners on our own.

Our favourite restaurant in Palm Cove - indeed, one of the reasons we return to the destination each year! - is Nu Nu.  We enjoyed several lunches, breakfasts and a couple of dinners there.  I managed to snap a few quick photos of one of our lunch meals on The Daddy's iPhone:

Roast Hervey Bay scallops with red curry, coconut, cucumber and cuttlefish pickle:

My Nu Nu Ice Tea - one of the better Long Island teas I've had.  Plus, love the cola on the side, so you can get the perfect mix:

Crispy fried chili salt pork ribs:

An incredibly rich (in a good way!) laksa:

Caramelized pork with rice, drenched in the most divine lime/chili/fish sauce broth, with a pile of incredible salad, loads of mint, Vietnamese mint, coriander and bean shoots:

The meringue tower is filled with a chocolate semifredo.  It is a whole lot of chocolate - we shared it:

Yummies, Handbags and Words

I am a total porridge addict.  Because I like to make it on the stovetop, with proper oats (I tend to use Carmen's), with a spurtle for stirring, sometimes I don't get the chance in the morning, with Tabby clamouring for my attention (The Daddy and her eat their breakfast together while I lay in bed for a bit, so I eat my breakfast after he leaves for work).

So often I eat porridge for lunch.  I like it with sliced banana on top, with a little extra cold milk and a drizzle of maple syrup.  Sometimes I add chopped dates, shredded coconut and/or chopped nuts while it is cooking.  Sometimes I stir through some poached rhubarb, if there happens to be some in the fridge.  I don't think I could ever get sick of porridge, I've been eating it for nearly 27 years now!  When I was little, we didn't eat dairy, so I used to have soy milk porridge.  I crave that sometimes, I think for nostalgic reasons.

One of my all-time favourite cakes to make and eat is a lemon poppyseed cake.  I love the taste of the mixture (so lemony!), I love the finished product (so moist, tart and buttery!) and I also love the look of the batter - the delightful pale primrose colour, flecked with seeds, seems so cheering.  I use a recipe based on Nigella Lawson's Madeira cake, I wrote it down HERE.

When I leave the house these days, I thankfully no longer need to lug the giant nappy bag full of baby accoutrement - spare clothes, three nappies, muslins, toys, knit hats and the like.

Nowadays, I tend to just take my regular handbag (normally my black Alma) and cram in a nappy and wipes with my other stuff.  A drink bottle goes in the pram, and Tabby is happy to carry her own baby doll.  Sometimes I add a bib.

But often, the day's activities mean that we need to take all sorts of obscure bits and pieces.  Today, for example, we had to bring:

A packed lunch, since we would be rushing home to nap after our morning activities.  I packed vegemite sandwiches and some cheese, since I know she will eat these even if she is distracted:

Something with a scarecrow for Gymbaroo!  This week's 'treasure bag' item was a scarecrow, so I managed to dig out a book about farms with a scarecrow in it:

Some lemon poppyseed cake for my ABA meeting:

So I had this pile to bring with me.  Sadly it did not all fit in the Alma!  So I normally add a cotton or Longchamp tote bag, with the extra bits, if we need to bring other things with us.  I much prefer to carry a regular small handbag and a tote, than lug a giant nappy bag around, digging madly if I need a phone or coins or something like that!

I love reading lists of what is in people's handbags - sometimes they print these in women's magazines, for various celebrities/models/random people.  Here is my list for today:

• Wallet (large, with cards, notes, coins and receipts)
• More cards shoved into the phone holder pocket (this is where I store all the cards that don't fit in the wallet, e.g. kids' shoe store loyalty card, gift cards, store cards)
• 5 coloured lipglosses in shades of pink / apricot
• 2 non-coloured lip balms (8 Hour Cream, Jurlique lip balm tube)
• Aveda small handcream tube
• Dynamo-to-go stain remover pen
• Tom Ford sunnies (loose, naughty me!)
• 3 pens - the beautiful black and gold Mont Blanc one I was given when I graduated from my parents, and two black fine-liners that actually manage to make my writing look nice!
• Car keys, phone
• Bach Rescue Remedy drops
• A little red zip-up pouch containing tissues, bandaids, nail file, glasses cloth, panadol, nurofen, antihisthamines, Panadine Forte (no idea why!), spare hair tie, eye drops, a breastpad)
• $5.35 in loose coins
• A bulldog clip (no idea where that came from!)
• 2 toy fur mouse toys that the cats have hidden in there
• A small plastic baby which decorated the cupcakes at the baby shower in Sydney, which Tabitha snuck home and loves to hold
• A small hand-made felt pig toy
• 9 sultanas
• iPod nano
• A small tin of Badger Baby Balm (great for nappy changes, cuticles, bug bites, lips...)
• Baby wipes
• Cloth nappy (mauve Itti Bitti d'Lish All-in-One)
• 'Emergency' bar of Koko Black very dark chocolate

Whew!  Can you believe that all that fits into my Alma bag?!

Tabitha doesn't need to carry a bag (she has a sherpa) but she does love to carry around a baby doll or teddy at all times.

Here she is with one of her gorgeous teddies (a gift when she was born from one of The Daddy's friends).  She loves rubbing her face against this bear - it is so soft:

This would be such a lovely photo if her fly wasn't undone:

Check out all those teeth!  She has 14 through, with another two coming at the moment:

Warning to all mothers:  Tabitha likes to suck on my keys, and seems to have finally slobbered my key to death.  Despite a new battery, it no longer works, so I have to trek down to the dealership this afternoon for a replacement.  I shudder to think of what it might cost.

Two more days until we leave for Palm Cove!  I cannot wait.  I've been reading novels at a really ridiculous rate lately (a novel every 1-2 days) so I'm taking a copy of Gone With The Wind with me, hoping it will last me for the week.  I've never ever read it, and I adore the film, so I hope I'll enjoy it.  Incidentally, did you know that a 'sequel' to Gone With The Wind was written and published in 2001, called "The Wind Done Gone", told from the point of view of the slaves?  I have been told that if I enjoyed The Help (LOVED it!) I would enjoy reading this, so I might hunt down a copy when we get back.

Oh - and because I don't keep a baby book, using this blog to keep track of Tabitha's milestones etc., I am jotting down the words she says these days.  I don't know if this is below, above or spot on average for 15 months, and I don't care a bit!  I am just including the list to help me remember when she's older.  I once heard that the only milestones worth caring about are a) when they can wipe their own bottom and b) when they can get up and make their own breakfast (so you can sleep in).  This was from a dad (no surprise!) but always makes me smile to think of!

• Mama
• Dada
• Wizz (for lizard)
• Shoo-shoo (for sushi)
• Shooz (for shoes)
• Sheez!!!!  (for cheese.  Said with gusto and a grin)
• Cocococooolololo (or something similar) for cockadoodeldoo
• Tickitickiticki (when tickling my toes, grinning)
• Dat (for cat)
• Dot (for dog)
• Baba (for baby - we hear this a lot, she is baby-obsessed)
• Bo (for water bottle, also for ball)
• Es (for yes, normally with a nod)
• Eyes
• Nose
• Liiii (for light)

Ikea, Nibbles and Butchers

I've been trying to bake 'healthier' sweet treats lately, since Tabitha is keen to scarf down anything in sight.  Pumpkin scones, apple cakes and I've been baking a date loaf quite a bit.  It's a pretty healthy option, since it only has a smidge of butter, and plenty of dates.  It keeps well, and even after it's past its prime, is nice toasted with butter.  Sometimes I include walnuts, sometimes not.

The recipe is from Ladies, A Plate.  Soak 125g chopped dates with a cup of boiling water and a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda.  Let sit for 30 minutes, and then either blast in the food processor, or mash well with a fork.  Add 20g melted butter.

Meanwhile, measure out 280g plain flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of salt.  Sift them together.

Beat an egg with 200g sugar until smooth - around 30 seconds in a standing mixer.  Add the dates/butter mixture to the sugar/egg mixture, then add the dry mixture, stirring to combine.  At this point, you can add a handful of chopped walnuts if you'd like.

Spread into a prepared loaf tin (i.e. greased and floured, lined at the base with baking paper) and bake at 170 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until just cooked.  I like to serve hot slices with plenty of butter.

As much as I love to bake, I do have a soft spot for some store-bought biscuits.  Some of them are quite delicious, and since Tabitha and I often have 'drop-in' visitors, I hate to be without something sweet to offer with tea and coffee.  I am rarely without a packed of Chocolate Hob Nobs in the house - buttery, rich, like an extra-buttery butternut snap dipped in chocolate - and I am newly enamored with Custard Cream biscuits, after I read that they are the most popular biscuit in the UK.  I grabbed a packet the next time I was at the supermarket, and fell in love with the vanilla-rich, custard flavour and the pretty swirl pattern on the top.

Generally, I don't buy 'homemade type' biscuits because I prefer to bake those styles, so I am more likely to buy things like the above, or even chocolate ripple biscuits, Scotch Fingers or Tic Tocs (which I think are actually kind of foul, but every few years I forget this, and buy a packet in a fit of nostalgia).

I also like to keep these in the house - thin, crispy and very spicy Ginger Thins:

I tried to take some photos of my pet lizard Atticus the other evening, but she kept scooting off.  I think she was cross because I'd been trimming her toenails!

Eventually, she settled down into my lap - here is a photo of her, and the mustard colour of my skirt brings out her yellow eyes and face so nicely.  She is a lovely lizard. Tabitha thinks so too - when I feed her, with Tabby on my hip, she grins and points at her, saying 'Lizzz!!'  Atticus is a girl, but has a boy's name, because you can't tell what sex bearded dragons are until they are around 6 months old, and I brought Atti home when she was just a tiny baby of a few weeks old.  In case you wonder, she eats fruit and vegetables most days (chopped up capsicum, apples and pears, carrot, bok choi, watermelon, all sorts of things) and woodroaches (a sort of harmless bug) every few days.  She is lazy, and likes me to hand-feed her the bugs one at a time with large tweezers!

One of my favourite things about my local butcher - apart from the very friendly young butchers - is the 'chicken nuggets' they sell.  They call them chicken nuggets, but what they really are is cold, palm-sized pieces of chicken, crumbed in a highly seasoned mixture and fried to golden perfection.  They are so good, I am not joking when I say that I find myself thinking about them almost every day.  I have to limit myself to buying just a few at a time, because I will eat them all, no matter how many I buy.  I have eaten 8 or more in one day before.  Dangerous - I call them my 'chicken crack'.  The butcher normally hands Tabitha one as we walk out, for her to nibble on in her pram on the walk home, and it keeps her perfectly happy while I finish my shopping.  They are also excellent in a sandwich with cheese and green tomato pickles.

Dinner last night included a great big pile of crispy roast potatoes and sweet potato, with plenty of salt, lemon and rosemary:

If there are roast potatoes, I am happy with nearly anything on the side.  Some barbecued chicken thighs (which come marinated, from my lovely butchers) often do the trick if the weather is nice.

One of Tabitha's current favourite lunches is spinach and cheese scrambled eggs. I'm thrilled, because it's such a nutritious meal - 2 eggs, 2 'cubes' of spinach (from the freezer boxes), a small handful of grated cheese, some pepper, a dash of milk.  It looks a little ghostly here, but it sure is yummy.  I can't believe how much of it she can eat!  If you served ham on the side, it would be Green Eggs and Ham.  I'm sure she'll like that in a couple more years.  Of course, you can also make Green Eggs and Ham with pesto scrambled eggs.  Yummy either way.

Yesterday, Tabitha had a good 3-hour nap, so I used the time to get organised.  Do you keep receipts?  I generally do, which means that once a year, I have to do a little clean out, going through them and throwing out ones no longer needed.  It's a pain of a job.  Here are the ones I threw out:

The small pile of ones I still need to hang on to:

And I finally took the time to open all the tiny envelopes, containing buttons, from clothes I've bought for Tabby and myself over the past few months.  I always hang on to spare buttons - although I rarely need them, I love having a big jar of buttons.  Some are so pretty, and I hope that Tabitha one day enjoys sorting through them.  I used to love sifting through button jars when I was small, sorting them into various categories.

This week, I took Tabitha to Ikea.  I had heard a rumour that they sell great play food, and I was not disappointed!  There are sets of fruit, vegetables, breakfast items and a cake-and-ice-cream set.  I bought the fruit, veg and breakfast ones.  Each set was less than $15, and the items are really gorgeous.  Sure, they aren't as incredible as the hand-made, wool felt food available on Etsy.com, but for a young toddler, I think they are a good option, since they are bound to get lost and/or chewed.  The Ikea sets are all machine washable too.

Here is the fruit - the banana even peels!

Here is the basket of veggies - the leaves of the lettuce ate attached with velcro, so you can pull them off just like a real lettuce:

The breakfast items come on a 'wooden' chopping board, and include 4 pancakes with jam splodges, a fried egg, some really adorable bacon, a couple of sausages, 2 slices of bread, some cheese, salami, lettuce and capsicum slices, along with a felt knife:

We also picked up some cheap-and-cheerful finger puppets, which will be useful for distracting Tabitha on the plane trip to QLD on Saturday:

We grabbed a stack of plates and bowls, too, since she is eating outside in the back yard more and more, now that the weather is warming up.  Less than $4 for all 10 pieces, BPA free:

Tabitha had a grand old time unpacking all her new Ikea items, and scattering them around the house:

Tabitha had a brilliant time at Ikea, exploring all the 'home scenes', climbing all over the sofas, and playing in the children's section.  She loved sitting on a toddler chair, just staring at all the other children, watching the world go on around her.  There was so much to see, do and touch, plenty of room to run around, and some tasty meatballs thrown in for good measure.  I think she preferred our trip to Ikea than any trip to an indoor play centre!