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My Migraines & Botox – the latest update

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Well, it’s that time again! I seriously feel like I blink and it’s Botox time again 🙁
It’s been 12 weeks since my last dose of Botox to treat my migraines, so back to the neuro I go, for another 40 injections in my head, neck and shoulder (yes, it does bloody hurt! and did I mention that I REALLY hate needles :O )

At my last appointment my neuro prescribed a daily preventative to try and help keep the migraines under control and I’m happy to say that it has been working (touch wood!!!)
Since then, other than a shocking episode last month where I had a migraine for 8 out of 10 days. I’ve only been getting one migraine every 10-12 days.
For those of you who haven’t been following along since the beginning, in March 2002, I was in a really bad car accident. One of my ongoing issues from the accident is frequent migraines (3-5 days per week!) and for the past 18 months I have been having Botox injections every 12 weeks. Finally things look like they are really starting to improve. This has been my progress.
Today I am offto my neurologist for a top-up. Wish me luck!

Crafting with Kaisercraft

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I was recently sent a voucher to go along and check out the fabulous new Kaisercraft outlet at Uni Hill Factory Outlet in Bundoora.

 

When I told the kids we were going shopping for some craft supplies, they were bouncing off the walls.

 

When we got to the store, I didn’t know where to begin. There was so much to look at and everything looked so good.

 

 

I figured I could stock up on some items to do projects with the kids, so I let them wander around and pick out some things they liked.

 

My daughter loves butterflies, so she quickly found these butterfly silhouette wall art.

 

 

All we did was paint the boards white and stick some scrap booking paper behind the top layer. Then we glued the layers together.

 

This was one of the EASIEST craft projects we have ever done 🙂

 

 

Yes, it really was that easy. And the final result was gorgeous (now I just need to sweet talk hubby in to letting me put more things on the wall 😉 )

 

 

Next on the project list was something fun for my 2 yr old son to do.

 

He picked out some wooden animals and a stack of new paints (all $1 each).

 

 

And he was so proud of himself for painting them all without mummy’s help (or interference).

 

The animals have now taken up residence by the lake generally occupied by some dinosaurs. I hope they don’t mind.

 

 

My daughter also loves birds, so we grabbed a wooden bird house kit as well.

 

 

For this one we used the same paints that we used for the animals, but your could also cover this with paper.

 

This one now takes pride of place in my daughter’s bedroom and is “apparently” home to a bird family.

 

 

Sometimes I dread doing craft project with the kids because they quickly lose concentration and I end up spending more time setting up and packing up, than actually doing the activity.

 

Not this time though. All these projects were quick and easy, and hardly made any mess (woohoo!)

 

We’re looking forward to doing some Easter projects with the gorgeous Easter papers I bought on the day.

 

If you or your little ones love craft then definitely pop down to the Kaisercraft outlet. It’s open everyday from 10am-6pm and there’s plenty of undercover parking right under the centre.

 

The Kaisercraft outlet is conveniently located right next to the escalator, so need need to drag the kids through the whole complex but feel feel to check out the other fab store while you’re there. While we were there a pair of Clarks school shoes (for my daughter) and a new Sheridan quilt cover (for me), accidentally fell in with my shopping – oops  😉

 

Kaisercraft will also be running kid’s craft workshops during the school holidays, so make sure you sign up for their newsletter to receive all the details.

Baking with the kids

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I was looking for something to do with the kids over the weekend, so we decided to do some baking.

 

I’ve been on the lookout for some new recipes and things I can bake for my daughter to take to school.

 

I recently attended “Social Mums Say”,  a blogging event run by kidsbusiness and one of the companies showcasing their products on the day was Philadelphia.

 

I received a sample bag of Philadelphia and Cadbury products on the day along with a copy of their latest cookbook “Simply Heaven Volume 3”, so it seemed like the perfect time to have a read (ie drool) through the book.

 

 

The kids quickly decided on the Blueberry & White Choc Muffins.

 

They were SO delicious and more like a cupcake (light & fluffy) than your typical muffin.

 

We iced some with Philadelphia’s new Cream Cheese Frosting (with a hint of lemon flavour) and popped some uniced ones into the freezer for school (for some strange reason there are now only three left in the freezer – note to self: buy BIG padlock for freezer).

 

 

 

Next on the list was a Carrot Cake with Butterscotch Cream Cheese Frosting that I have been lusting after on Pinterest for the past six months.

 

I’ve got to admit that I’ve never actually made a carrot cake before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one.

 

 

But I can tell you it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! The cake was nice and moist and the icing was divine. I could have eaten it with a spoon (oops, I think I may have done that).

 

 

If you would like to make the muffins make sure you visit www.philly.com.au. You’ll find the recipe and 100s more. The hardest thing will be deciding what to make.

 

The carrot cake recipe was originally pinned from Ingrid Creates.

 

I would like to say thank you to kidsbusiness for organising such a great event and also Kraft Philadelphia for the yummy treats on the day and the fab goodie bag. I’d also like to thank my husband for grating all those carrots 🙂

 

 

Make It Yourself: Hair Clip Holder

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Today I made a hair clip holder for my daughter (and her ever increasing collection of hair clips).

 

It was soooo easy that I’m kicking myself for not making one sooner.

 

I used materials I already had lying around the house but I’m sure you could pick up all the items for no more than $10 from your local craft/fabric store.

 

I had an old canvas print that used to hang in our house years ago (see, sometimes it pays to hold onto stuff/crap), so along with a fat quarter of fabric and some ribbon from my craft box, I had everything I needed.

 

I used a hot glue gun to secure the fabric and ribbon but you could also use a staple gun or even tacks.

 

First step was to iron the fabric, so it was crease free (I only ironed the centre section and left the edges that were being folded over).

 

Then I lay the fabric face down on the table and positioned the canvas (I used the polkadots as a guide to make sure the canvas was straight).

 

 

Then I began folding over and gluing each side of the fabric, making sure that I pulled it tight each time. I didn’t worry about how neat it looked at the back because I’m going to cover the back with a large piece of cardboard, just to finish it off.

 

 

The I spaced out the ribbons and secured them with thumb tacks at each side, to hold them in place while I glued them at the back.

 

 

Once the glue had dried, I removed the tacks and it was ready to decorate.

 

 

In total it took me no more than 20 minutes to make and that was with the assistance of a 5 yr old and a 2yr old (who now wants one for his room, even though he doesn’t have any clips 🙂 )

 

 

You should give it a go.

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Oh My Lord (of the Fries)

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I recently had the pleasure of attending a tasting event at one of my favourite food joints, Lord of the Fries and it was, oh so yummy!

 

Of course there were fries aplenty and all the fabulous sauces to go with them. My fav is definitely the Parisian but I’ve now got a soft spot for the Belgian, Vietnamese and Thai.

 

 

I would never have imagined that I’d be falling in love with a Canadian (please don’t tell my husband) but LOTF Canadian fries are amazing. Who would of thought (other than the Canadians) that fries, smothered with grated cheese and gravy could taste so AMAZING!

 

This would be the perfect late night snack, perhaps on the way home from a club – if only I still went out at night 😉

 

Something I had been dying to try was the Chilli Poppers – breaded hot chillies stuffed with cheese. Mmmmmmm, I definitely got a kick out of those.

 

 

I took a (non-vegetarian) girlfriend along with me and she thought the Spicy Burger was one of the BEST BURGERS she’d ever tasted. I can see why it’s one of their most popular items.

 

One of the highlights of my night was meeting Mark and Sam, the brothers (and Lords) who created LOTF.  These boys certainly know their stuff.

 

We finished our evening with the chocolate mousse and then rolled back to the car.

 

 

Lord of the Fries have 7 locations around Melbourne so make sure you visit one soon. You can check out their menu and find out more about them at www.lordofthefries.com.au.

 

You don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy LOTF, you just need to enjoy yummy food!