Meal planning is a tool a discovered in the last couple of years, especially since I started working full time. I cook once a day – have been doing that since MsA was born – usually in the evening. Lunch is almost always either Leftovers or a salad/ Sandwich.

I have spoken about my need to cook everyday and stressing about meals, so I will spare you the drama today. Instead I will just share our weekly menu with you 😊

And a quick recipe for Noodles :

This recipe is quick because I used a couple of shortcuts.

1) Substituted fresh vegetables for pre-prepped ones – A bag of pre-cut coleslaw mix instead of cabbage and carrots ; pre-cut & Frozen Green beans

2) Fresh Hokkien Noodles from Aldi instead of boiling dried noodles.

Recipe:

2 packs of Fresh Noodles 1 bag of coleslaw mix 1 medium sized onion 1 medium capsicum 1/2 cup frozen beans 1 pack of hotdogs. 4 eggs Salt,pepper,soy sauce, vinegar- as per taste

Preparation:

Slice Onion and capsicum thinly. Stir-fry onion, capsicum, coleslaw mix, frozen beans in some oil. Season with salt and pepper . Prep Noodles as per instructions on the pack – cover the noodles with boiling water for 2 minutes- fluff it up with a fork and then transfer to the wok with vegetables. Cut up sausages into smaller pieces and lightly toss in a hot pan. Scramble eggs and add to the wok. Add a dash of Soy Sauce, vinegar & adjust salt. Serve hot !

Quick recipe- simple no fuss dinner- winning!

#Blogathon2021 #Quickrecipe #familyfavourite

Yayyy my birthday month is here! Yes, I still get excited about my birthday month. Some years I go into a funk just before my birthday . This year I am excited , sad, anxious -all at once.

I found this old photo from 2011, when I was pregnant with MsAn and I love it how SP had captured my happiness in that particular moment. MsA and I were playing, I was hugging & tickling her and she was trying to escape. I love the pregnancy hair and glow too.

Today is the last day of my short break .. I am still sad 😞 I will start work again tomorrow but like MsAn says – “ I will do it but I won’t enjoy it!” 😃😃 so, today being my day off, I took the girls to school and MsA’s drop off is almost an hour after MsAn’s. So we were sitting in the car chatting & I noticed this young family with their little girl going to school.

They stopped for a minute and mum took a quick photo of the dad and daughter. And then they were going to swap places. The mum and I made eye contact and I couldn’t help myself. I got out of the car and asked if they would like me to take a photo of them all . ‘ Oh! Yes, please’. They kept saying thank you 😊 I was only too pleased to help. MsA was laughing, when I got back in the car. “You are like Santa” , she said 😃

I did feel like Santa- spreading cheer on this important day when their baby aaa starting school.

Little things make me happy. I am glad I could make them happy too 😊

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I am so sad.. my break is coming to an end.. one last day tomorrow and then I resume work.

I don’t know how ten days passed so quickly. I am already looking forward to my next break – whenever that is . I had taken the last week off, as the kids were starting school. MsAn started Grade4 on Friday.. time is flying 🙂

In other news, SP and I will be working from home for at least a couple of days for at least the new couple of months. So, we I have decided to convert our spare room into a home office for us to share. I don’t know if it’s a good idea or bad. But it’s time to reclaim our living spaces.

Currently, SP’s office is set up in the upstairs lounge & mine is set up in a corner in my bedroom. The only time we will struggle is when we have calls/ online meetings. But it will nice to leave our work behind in the office, even if our office is in our home. I am hoping to set up our desks in opposite ends of the room, facing each other. Most home office setup I have seen have the desk facing the wall but I am not thrilled about facing the wall, so let’s see.

Are you currently working from home ? If yes, what’s your home office set up like?

Looking forward to hearing from you..

❤️ Trish

Happiness is Pink Moscato & dinner with friends . Today I met two dear friends for dinner. They are my ‘no time lost’ friends. COVID lockdowns made it hard for us to meet and we met after a year… but it felt like no time was lost. We quickly caught up on the year past, kids, husbands, life – everything!

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A friend forwarded this to me a couple of months back 😊 ! I can’t believe that I obsessed over losing weight, then. I wish I could be that size – now.

I love it that we are both smiling here.. it was a year after we lost our mum.. I am glad that we had people around that cared 😊

On another note, MsA started Year 9 today!!! it’s Bizzare.. as MsA likes to say – “ I still can’t comprehend that this is happening!”

Still reading Diary of the Crap Housewife .. LOVING it!

More later,

❤️ Trish

#Blogathon2021

.. is my treasure! Technically , not really junk .. just something that someone didn’t want.

A lovely lady was giving this pot away on my local ‘Buy Nothing’ Group. It’s just right for my fresh ghee. And today I am especially grateful for this, as I was really struggling to come up with something to write about 😁

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Masks have been a part of our lives since April 2020 or was in May.. it seems like forever and now they are a part of our lives. In the initial months, it was hard to recognise people. I think one of the reasons behind that was also the chaos in our heads. We just wanted to spend as little time outside of our homes and almost everyone avoided eye contact with almost everyone else.

When schools resumed for face to face learning, we were required to have masks on for school pickup. MsAn would recognise me despite the mask. I know it sounds funny but I was genuinely worried about her not recognising me. But, what amazed me most was when her friends started recognising me too, despite the mask. I know, I know – my fears were baseless.

But, we got over the second wave and the restrictions were removed and masks were not mandatory as long as we were able to maintain a safe distance. The first day I went to pick up MsAn without a mask, her face just lit up. ‘Mumma, you don’t have your mask on. I can see your face!’ And then, ‘ are you sure you don’t need a mask?’ She was excited when I told her I was sure.

Masks are still required indoors, now in the new pre-COVID world. However, we have all embraced it. They are not the most comfortable but we know they keep us safe. Masks have become a part of our life – you know remember to take your keys, phone, mask when you leave home.

Over the last couple of days, I have come across people I know , while at the shops or at the doctors and we recognised each other despite the masks.What triggered this post is that moment of recognition.You know that moment when your eyes meet and you recognise the person behind the mask and your eyes light up – that moment- that joy – the crinkling of eyes that follows as you both smile, the quick muffled conversation and that belief that everything is getting better .. everything will be ok…this is normal- the new normal. Masks are our friends, masks are here to stay as they keep us safe.

What are your thoughts on this ? Do share.

❤️ Trish

#blogathon2021

MsA and I had an impromptu coffee date after an appointment today.. Love my little chats with her, especially since we hardly get any one on one time anymore.

She started asking me about my school days, friends, crushes etc. She laughed her head off as I was telling her about my teen escapades and was shocked when I said I couldn’t share everything with my parents, seeing as her Nanu and I are so close now.

She thinks my stories are hilarious and I should make a show about my life. It would be very entertaining! Entertaining or not, I am just going walk in the clouds today because she thinks I am funny!! My TEENAGER thinks I am funny! That’s a big deal 😃😃

As much as I worry about her – it’s my job as her mother- little chats like these are reassuring and heartening as I can see my excited little girl peep out occasionally from behind the cool teenager that knows everything.

That being said, I dread the day when MsAn turns into a teenager.. I am hoping I would be able to lean on MsA for intervention or advice.

Excuse me, while I bask in the happiness that my firstborn has bestowed upon me today …

Much ❤️

Trish xx

#blogathon2021

I don’t have any new year resolutions for this year, but I have set some intentions. Investing my time wisely in two things-

1) People that matter – I am going to make time to meet them .

2) Books – I have always been an avid reader but in the last year or two, I have noticed that I struggle to read – either lack of time or motivation. I still visit the local library regularly, borrow books, try to read, renew them to try again and then return them half read.So, this year I am consciously making the time to lose myself in books again.

I loved reading ‘Big Little Lies’ by Liane Moriarty . It was quite gripping and an absolute page turner. I kept trying to guess but at the same time, didn’t want to guess – I wanted to read the suspense. And I wasn’t disappointed.. I was worried for the characters but the ending was unexpected. Brilliant read.

What are you reading currently? Do you have recommendations for me? I look forward to hearing from you.

❤️ Trish

I have been thinking .. wondering really- why am I finding it so hard to stay on track with every day blogging. I have done it in the past, then why not now?

I don’t know.. it could be that there is so much noise in my head that the thought of talking is tiring .. and isn’t blogging a way of talking too? I guess it’s my one sided monologue. And sometimes it becomes too much of an effort to even string two sentences together.

This past week I went into the office 3 days out of five.. and I came home tired .. happy .. T.I.R.E.D! As the resident teen likes to say, “ I didn’t realise how much energy socialising takes out if me”. We are quite comfortable working from home, plugging away quietly, but add voices in the background, people stopping by talking to you , and it’s a whole different game. It is exhausting – this focusing on your work, while trying to process multiple stimulations in the background.

And then, there’s the eternal question of what to wear. Why are sweat pants and PJs not official enough? I have been wearing my jeans with a nice top to work but I was a part of the interview panel last week and had to find my office wear. I think I need new office tops. I have lost a little weight and so my old tops all have a potential for wardrobe malfunction! 😃

Speaking of clothes, I caught up with a friend after 6-7 months. It was so nice to catch up. As we were meeting after a long time, I decided to wear my new Lakhnawi kurta. We didn’t remember to take photos but I came home, applied some lipstick and took a selfie ( just like that!)

When I started this post, I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to write anything. But I did 😊 So, I will end this here and leave you with a photo of me 😊

Much love,

Trish ❤️