Keeping the kids entertained when you're out

I decided to have the night off last night … from cooking that is. We took the girls out to La Porchetta’s for dinner. And even better than having the night off from cooking, is having the night off from doing the dishes!

But taking our 4 girls out to dinner requires some preparation in the entertainment department. We learnt very early on in our parenting journey that a meal out is a much more pleasant experience when the girls are entertained while they are waiting for their meals to arrive (or waiting for the adults to finish). So for years we have toted along colouring and activity books and pencil cases to keep them distracted. Tonight, however, we, or rather I (David sometimes takes a bit of convincing) had a brilliant idea and it took up a whole lot less room in my handbag.

While we waited for our meals to arrive, instead of distracting the girls, we spent time talking to them but with a bit of help from some great little cards … conversation starters. These help you to chat about more than just “how was your day?” but ask questions that make you think or laugh  and are just a bit of fun … and the kids love them. Tonight we chatted about the most beautiful place we had ever visited, what we keep under our beds (Spiders was Rebecca’s surprising answer!), our favourite food, the best present you could ever receive (animals featured heavily – there was mention of puppies and ponies!) and nicknames we have had. Not only did it give us a few giggles while we were passing the time, but everyone was able to contribute including Josie who is only 2 ½.

I have recently come across this great website that has lists of conversation starters you can download. http://debbiehodge.com/2012/03/keep-a-5-year-journal-progress-to-date-and-prompts-for-april/  Who knows, you may just find out something you didn’t know and you are bound to at least get a few laughs.

Chocolate Spoons

Family Movie Night is tonight and I wanted to make a quick treat for the girls. I came across these chocolate spoons a while ago and the couple of times I have made them they have been a big hit. They honestly could not be easier - just melt the chocolate, scoop it up on a spoon and decorate with a few sprinkles. Leave to set or pop in the fridge for a few minutes. They are also great party treats and of course you can colour coordinate them with any theme (smile).

To Market, To Market

I have been spending part of this week trying to get my head around the family budget. And I am quickly coming to understand why I did not choose accounting as a career; it would seem that numbers really are not my forte. But I digress. One of the largest numbers on our budget is our grocery bill. So my plan is to shop and cook smarter this year and see if I can't make some of those numbers just a little (or maybe even a lot) smaller.

And so to market I went. More specifically, the Queen Victoria Markets.

The fruit and vegies at the market are so fresh and even better, they are so much less expensive than the supermarket or the fruit & veg shops. With prices ranging from 25 - 75% off what you would usually pay how could you go wrong?

This is all the lovely fruit and vegies I bought ... 12 x new season apples, 6 x oranges, 600gm strawberries,  7 x bananas, 5 x  plums, watermelon, 3 x capsicums,  500gm beans, mushrooms, 4 x zucchinis, 3 x broccoli heads, cucumber, 2 bunches of asparagus, 2 bags of baby carrots, 4 x leeks, 5kg potatoes, 3 x sweet potatoes and 1.5kg onions. This huge pile of produce cost me a grand total of $50.

The meat prices and quality are just as good. 2kg of premium mince for $10, lamb loin chops $9.99kg, porterhouse steaks $13.99kg. Today I spent $107 on meat and I have enough for 17 meals : 5 mince, 2 beef strips, 3 porterhouse steaks, pork chops, 4 lamb loin chops, kebabs and hamburgers. That's an average of $6.70 per meal on quality meat.

So now I have done the shopping and the packing, I think I deserve a rest. For tomorrow, I cook.