Domestic Goddess

It's been so long

2011-05-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

Wow my last post was in November 2009, and it is the end of May 2011. In between I have changed careers, Lost my most wonderful and precious Dad, had mum to stay for 10 months, saw Khaylin start and finish middle school to go onto college, watched Michael receive 3 nominations 3 years in a row, and had my lovely Sandi become engaged to Ryan and finished my book.

Sad and exciting, busy and crazy, baking, cooking and crafting up a frenzy and loving every minute of it. I thought I would blog a little about how the wedding plans are going and just how crazy and busy life has become for me. yeah I know those of you who know me will probably say it can't fit anything else into it but the truth is there is always room for one more fabulous thing!

Since its become quite clear I need to take R&R I better start making the most of getting it now whilst I can. And we all know how I get my R&R, so if your on a diet for the wedding hold onto you tummy cause its gonna be a wild ride trying to say no.

So the next Blog will be about the plans and how we getting it all done and even the many websites visited, some recommendations and perhaps even a hint or two or is that an encounter or two.

Hopefully this time I will not be away for 2 years.

Mother of the Bride/ AKA Domestic Goddess

It's been too long

2010-09-05T18:59:00.001-07:00

Deck the halls .....

2009-11-23T15:36:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

This garland took a long time to put up but it was worth it

The Feather covered decorations and bows are handmade

I just added some ribbons, apples and berries to this wreath and the effect is Fabulous

As we count down to Christmas may the joyful light of Christ shine upon you this season.

XOXO

The perfect Cupcake

2009-11-18T23:45:00.001-08:00

Selling these tomorrow at W @ W

Soaps and things

2009-11-18T23:35:00.000-08:00

Hand made 100% vegetable soaps SMELLS DIVINE

Artfully wrapped

Perfect pink flower hangings for the lady's tree

Here are some of the things that are being sold tomorrow at the W @ W

Wish me luck

XOXO

Fabulous Bath Fizzies

2009-11-09T11:04:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of my bath fizzies. I thought they looked spectacular and they are going to be ready for the stall at W @ W next week YAY!

xoxo DG

Christmas gifts for sale

2009-11-02T18:49:00.000-08:00

Fabulous gifts going into the pharmacy and at the church market stall this month.

Here are some pics and prices range from $5.50 to $25.00. The gifts are very feminine and are ideal for that little something for others or for yourself. They made great stocking fillers or secret santa gifts that are both inexpensive but still very gorgeous.

All my gifts are hand made chemical and animal free. They are all biodegradable and only natural products are used and are under no circumstances tested on animals.
The soaps are 100% vegetable soap with natural colours and scents and they are either wrapped in biodegradable pure cotton with organza and silk flowers or organza bags.

The candles come in glass holders and are decorated accordingly.

Enquiries are welcome at nisha.page@windowslive.com

xoxo

Easy to make money saving gifts

2009-11-01T15:08:00.000-08:00

Here are some easy to make little stocking fillers or secret santa gifts.

What you need:

some scented soaps

cotton fabric

ribbon

flowers

organza bags

Wrap each soap in cotton fabric ( I used 100% cotton tissues FABULOUS) or place in an organza bag

add a flower or two to pretty it up and YAY!! you have a gorgeous gift or 5 :)

Inexpensive, time and money saving and you're sure to make someone smile.

Enjoy giving these....

xoxo

Girly gift for $20.00

2009-11-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

Here is a lovely girly gift created to bring pleasure and still look pretty.
you will need:
3 vanilla tealight candles in glass holders
1 organza bag
1 pretty flower
3 small vellum flower stickers
1 large vellum flower sticker
3 self sticking rhinestones
some paper
1 small bar of vegetable soap
1 small paper mache bag
some ribbon
a small piece of matching fabric
clear wrap

ensure the candle holders are clean and dry and paste the vellum flowers onto the surface
add the rhinestone to the centre of the flower on each holder
I used paper between each candle to stack them. Then paced a strip of paper with sticky ribbon to hold them in place.
carefully secure the flower to the organza bag and place candles inside.

I painted the paper mache bag gold and stuck the flower on to it once it was dry. Wrap the soap in the fabric and place inside the bag

Using a secure base (like a heavy stock card) place the items onto the card and wrap in clear wrapping.

This gift cost less than $20 since I already had a few items.

It looks pretty and is very cost effective. In total it took me 32 minutes to put together including painting and drying the bag.

Enjoy...

xoxo

Saving Money the Obvious Way

2009-10-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

My Best Friend and I often used to mull over how much we inevitably spent on one thing or another. She was much better than I and far more controlled not allowing herself to spend just for the sake of it. On the other hand I was a bit of a nut when it came to going anywhere near a store. I would see something even the most trivial of things and convince myself ( and quite easily too) that I wanted it. I know there are many of us out there who are the same and you often wonder what the devil you were thinking when you decided to make that purchase. Mostly I don't ever suffer from buyers remorse quite to the contrary I suffer from "buyers not enough".
My most irritated moments come from times when I have not spent anything on any useless and un needed item and all my money has gone to food and what not. ARGH!!

But I am slowly getting away from that being home for the last 6 months has cleared my head and helped me get to the middle of my game(not close to the top yet).

So as promised I am continuing on my quest to save myself rich ( or as close to rich as I can get) so money saving tips will follow in the next few blogs and I will list them in various ways so that you can have items with pictures as reference and the "how to's" that go with them.

Just going to make some coffee and we will start with the pretty stuff first :)

xoxo
DG

Christmas Cakes

2009-10-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

Having Christmas the old fashioned way doesn't have to be all musty and out of date.

Christmas the way it used to be is all about home made cakes, good cooking, family and friends ( even the ones you can't stand). It's about the joy and peace you supposed to have at that time of year.

I like to make a fuss around Christmas it's what I do. LOL Yeah I am guessing you all know it's my thing.

So here are a few pictures of some cakes I made and of course you are more than welcome to order some at nisha.page@windowslive.com

Counting down to Christmas

xoxo

Saving money the obvious way

2009-10-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

Gifts!!!!!
The complete and total reason that most people go through the trauma of Christmas. Children make lists, family members add pressure, society expects, advertising entice and we like idiots follow...

I am probably one of the most guilty of all for this unnecessary manner of stress during what should be a peaceful and wonderful period of the year. I go off and find out ( throughout the year I might add) what would be the perfect gift for each one. Then I plan, plot and spend every dollar and dime I have and more to ensure each person has all that they want. Not to mention how I go about the task of perfect wrapping and colour co-ordination.

Unlike many others I start early which I believe is my only saving grace but never enough to give me complete peace of mind and rest during this time of year.

So this year the plan is such.
I bought ( yes bought) the most basic of things for each child ( NO ADULTS) saving myself a huge amount of money! I also chose to buy when there was a fantastic toy sale on at my favourite store and guess what I put these items on lay bye ( yeah I know a really old fashioned way) but it meant I had no credit card debt, I had to pay it off during a set period of time, and because I chose the gifts before I went to the store, I took only what I needed and then had a clear amount in my head to stick to my budget.

Calculating the savings it was over $300 on the regular price ( have many kids to buy for) and it took away the stress and cost of last minute shopping. DO NOT EVER go and shop at the last minute. You end up taking what you can get at an insane amount of money because you don't have a choice or believe you don't have a choice.
You always have a choice!!!!

The other thing about gifts at this time of year is that kids receive so many that none have the full impact of enjoyment that they should have. Everyone rounds up and wrapping gets torn while they excitedly pull open the gift to find the treasure inside. Without delay they are on to the next one and the previous is forgotten at least for the next few minutes.

What does that mean? Why do we do it then? Self satisfaction? Pride? Forget all that and harness yourself against this detrimental behaviour!!
Children will love a pencil that has a fancy little bell if you give it to them correctly!
Wrapping is a perfect way to make something exciting and build up the fabulous way children receive gifts.
STOP spoiling your children and others with items JUST BECAUSE you think it will be nice and you don't want to be the only one at the family Christmas who has spent "too little" STOP STOP STOP!!!
Now particularly with the prefect excuse of a recession is the time to discuss with other family adults and friends what you think the best amount is to spend on each child.

Try adding dollars together and buying something the child really wants more than anything else and saying it comes from everyone. Whats wrong with getting 1 or 2 perfect gifts?

Make a maximum spend, forbid others if you must on how much they spend, that way you do not need to feel guilty when you buy or make something that costs less.

If your not crafty get someone to help.... there is always a crafty one in the bunch. Buy it off them if you must, pay your own friend or family member for their time spent. Keep it in the circle its the best way to save money and to bring in enough to spend on others.

Smiggle is the new craze a frightlyfully expenisive stationery trend that has taken NZ/AUS to the next tween chaos level.

I refuse!! I purchased 10 smiggle note books ( nice and pretty) in white at $2.50 each ( when they were on sale) each multi coloured ink pen cost $1.90 Total purchase for those were $44.00
At Spotlight I purchased from the 50c box 4 sheets of paper ( pretty as I could find) 4 packs of stickers and 1 pack of sparklies Total purchase for those $4.50.
Not calculating my time in a monetary value I then cut strips of paper and pasted it on the ends or sides of each cover. decorated with sparkles and stickers and used a vivid to write the name of each child. I used the left over stickers and sparklies to add to the pens.

Purchase price of a sparkly pen at another store $10.00 each, purchase price of a hand covered or fancy notebook $24.00 each. Total price per set $34.00
Total price for a set made by me with love and care $4.85

Saving a wopping $29.15 each ($291, 50 people)

Think of ways to do this, think of things you can do, think of others who can help you make them, have parties that come with a "bring a platter and drink" and get those sparkly things out, pull together bits of ribbon, paper, books, pens, crafts and get SAVING ladies get saving..

will continue to keep you posted.....

xoxo
DG

Dealing with .......

2009-10-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

So many things to deal with isn't there? Money (or lack thereof), eating right, saving the planet, conflict, weight, family, relashionships, children, work, staying home, washing, ironing, world peace, etc, etc.....

I guess women don't really start out thinking they will need to deal with that many issues in a day ( conscious or unconscious) but of course we do. Mornings are the worste for me I think, it is the time I take to be alone, to reflect and to prepare myself for the day. I try hard to remain positive (this does of course not always work but I try anyway) I have much to be grateful for so this is a little easier I think than most things but back to dealing with..

Lets tackle these one at a time shall we? big one MONEY and the lack thereof. Most of us at some stage or another have this problem, some ongoing, some recently due to the economic changes and some anticipate this to be the case if things don't change soon.

Money is often the root of all evil (as the saying goes) LOL and quite true I believe. When you don't have money little else gets done. They ( don't really know who they are!!) but They say money can't buy happiness but that's not true money can buy the path to happiness and smooth it out and deck it with good stuff so that you enjoy the path and find what you looking for easier because many will be along the way to help you. I know others will say not true but I am truly happy with my family etc and enjoy life for the most part (except when my tumble dryer doesn't work!) but mostly I enjoy things so what do I need from money? Well with money you get to give your children the obvious things they require like school trips and the occassional goodie because they did well or encouragement to learn to save by doing things that will either earn them rewards in social credits or monetary credits. It also allows you not to sweat the small stuff like bread and milk and eating healthy (because we all know organic veggies and gluten free is far more expensive that McD!!!)

And then of course there is comfort, like a house with heating so you don't freeze and your kids are healthier cause they don't have colds and what about medical insurance? Do you get to have that when you don't have any money? No you don't so when everyone is ill over winter because you now have to fight off supper bugs ( and don't have the money to buy vitamins etc) as well as the freezing cold you hardly able to take them to some rip off doc who will charge you $60 to tell you they have a virus and need some pain relief if they need it and just get rest ARGH!!! So back to money....

Over the next few weeks I hope to bring you a few tips ( practical ones not pie in the sky) on how to make your dollar stretch and have a comfortable and fabulous Christmas.

xoxo
DG

Santa Letter Writing - Kid's at Play

2009-10-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

You know the saying " you haven't really played till you played at my house"

Well thats what the kids did today and it was great!

10 littlies 3 - 13 came over to write letters to Santa, make biscuits, colour pictures, make crackers filled with lollies and glitter, sparkle and smile. We had Great fun!

Much will happen in the next 84 days to Christmas and I hope that those of you who follow will find our sharing interesting and fun.

Keeping you posted

xoxo

The summer of......

2009-10-01T00:14:00.000-07:00

You know every woman has a summer she will never forget mine was the summers of 2000 and 2001 the best summers I ever had. It taught me that everything I do in life is worth while and all that I am is in my hands. I am the creator of my destiny and that no one but I can ever be responsible for my choices.

Those summers I made some pretty fine choices, ones that left me breathless and in wonder of all that life had to offer.
Of course like all things it came to an abrupt halt when I grew gravely ill and developed a serious kidney failure to which I struggled to recover. Pending all this was the background movement of leaving SA to explore the shores of NZ.

Long moments of silence and suffering followed and the only things that kept me going was the thought of new beginnings and the fabulous memories of the past.

Hard choices were made some regrettable, others just right... all of them a shaping and molding of the path I would later choose.

That path was hard and long and 6 years later it has put me in this spot. This one where I am the keeper of my happiness and the master of my destiny. This one where I sit in the comfort of my beautiful home surrounded by a loving family and children who adore me.
My days are filled with laughter and joy and no job, no career and no amount of money could ever fill or replace what I experience every day.

True success is the love of your family, the respect of your friends, the enjoyment of life and above all the admiration of children.

I am now truly successful.

xoxo
DG

School Holidays

2009-09-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

Just when you think you have that 5 minutes of time its School Holidays again. And what to do when its raining? Yeah I know its Spring but unfortunately it chose to rain THIS week. Of course I am not ungrateful to the Universe. So Thank You for the Rain!! :)

Since I will of course be boring everyone senseless with my quest to have the perfect Christmas I have given the kids the task of looking to make some cake top decorations out of icing.

Great idea since this is not so different to clay and every so now and again they have a wee nibble which of course they all love.

On Friday we will be having a "letter to Santa" day and I will have around 10 littlies to write letters, glue, glitter and create chaos, mayhem and laughter all while they pledge to be good so that Santa will answer their requests.

I am making a post box for them to drop it in and in November I will post out letters for them from Santa.

To those of you who do not think Santa is real I have only this to say
BELIEVE!!!!!! BELIEVE!!!!!!! BELIEVE!!!!!!!

XOXO
DG

Christmas invitations

2009-09-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

This Year the colour Scheme for Christmas is Red and Gold and I started with these Wallet invitations which include the invitation, RSVP card with postage paid and a little treat (will post picture of completed items soon)

Everything is hand made :) and it was made with great love and joy.

XOXO

Saving Time

2009-09-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

I often wonder why it is we are all so obsessed with the "time wasting" thing. In the old days no one ever worried about time, they just got on with the job. But in the old days women didnt have to pull a job, kids, home, husband and friends all in one breath, so yeah forget that!!

Time is one of the things women explain as being the reason for not taking care of themselves. That and Money and they most often say that a combinationof the 2 is deathly!

We are of course always the fairer sex and should at every turn be treated that way. Now I am not talking about having no voice because heaven forbid that is not what its about. But there are some things that just HAVE to be done by boys. So let them do it. Don't go off and try to do it yourself just because you want to prove a point. YOUR NOT. All you manage to do is give yourself another task and disempower the guys into thinking "Aw well she can handle it".
The worst part of the problem is that most women forget how to treat themselves. I blame life, the universe and everything else for this, mothers teach you that you have to look nice and pretty and that your house must always be clean and to remember to have on good underwear when you go out, right? RIGHT so what happens?
What happens when you have a husband/partner/boyfriend and Kids come along? What happens when you have a job and you are always rushing off somewhere?
What happens if your a stay at home Mom?

I'll tell you..... You forget YOURSELF!! with a job you get up, rush around like a chicken and dress for work battling traffic as you go and try to meet as many deadlines as possible before you pass out from lack of food and water. If your a stay at home mum you think there must be more to life that spit on your clothes albeit just that black tracksuit pants and jumper you managed to drag out of the ironing basket. All the while you think about kids that have to go somewhere/be fetched and carried/ need to be changed/bathed/dressed etc etc etc and of course that never ending stream of washing and cleaning that just happens to come along at night when your not looking.

Well I don't have all the answers to how we save time but I do think we should remember to take time out for ourselves. Most people learn by example and if they see you not taking care of yourself they automatically start to not care enough about how you look or even feel. Please don't get me wrong I am not saying nobody loves you anymore thats not true!!! What I am saying is lead by example. Ask! you have got to know the art of delegation and this is not just at work you know you need to know this stuff even if you stay home.
The art of delegation and self preservation is the 2 main ingredients to finding the time you need.
And DON'T be a nit picker for heavens sake.

If the girls are making their beds in the morning because you asked them to then don't go around making it again! You don't have to, at least not for 2 days. Save yourself 5 minutes by leaving them to feel empowered enough to complete a task without feeling like your going to come and correct it anyway.

If you ask them to do the dishes, show them how you like to pack the dishwasher and what you don't want in it. Then leave them to do it. WALK AWAY! Delegation means that you empower the person to get on with the job after you have outlined the requirements and the end result which needs to be achieved in a set period of time.
It does not mean "I will check on you every 5 minutes and if you do it worng I will do it myself!" That is the complete opposite of delegation thats called DISEMPOWERMENT!
DONT DO IT.

Teach yourself to remain positive. It doesn't matter that your a perfectionist with OCD you need to let go.

Well now you will all think of course she's saying that but have you seen the way they make their beds good grief not even a rat can sleep in that!
Sorry mate! But if you take away the task it will never get better. Offer to help. Say positive things like would you like me to teach you how to make those neat corners in your sheet? or How about you make that side and I will help you with this side.
Sing a song! gosh have we all forgotten how to sing. I most of all have the worst voice in the universe, guess what no kid I have met has ever felt they needed to tell me to stop sining, in fact if anything they ask me TO sing.

Come on ladies you can do it.
In a single day you should at least be able to find 10 minutes to do 25 Yoga positions without being disturbed.

Just try it. Ask someone to do something for you. Anything and add the minutes together, then leave everything else and go off and do your 10 minutes of nothing ( or something you want)
come back after 10 and carry on if you must. Make a fuss about your 10 minutes, say to the kids, can you hold on for 10 minutes I am just going to sit and have a cup of tea. I bet you they will say SURE!! they might even say I can do it myself.

Teach children and husbands to be independant. Don't do everything for them. They are not lame. They can do it. JUST TRY!!!!

So now that lecture is done IMPLEMENTATION is high on our priority list!!!

Start your day Putting your feet out of bed and saying TODAY IS SO AWESOME THANK YOU. It doesnt really matter who you are thanking it only matters that you are. The Universe and God will never give you more than you can handle and YOU KNOW you can attract many wonderful and positive things by just being that way yourself.

Never do anything by half measure, if your going to do something do it with passion and love and I can assure you it will be received in the same way and maybe not today but soon it will come back.

Life is about enjoying the ride and finding the things, great or small that will bring you pleasure and joy.

Remain Forever Fabulous

XOXO
DG

At Last!!!

2009-09-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

I know I know, it has been ages. Well needless to say i didnt have that 5 minutes but it was great......

I managed to finish my training, do a conference talk in August, aquire some kids woohoo!!!!! and am having the time of my life.
A few changes were made i had the boys all week but have now successfully been able to move them to the first half of the week and have Friday's all to myself.
So back to ME!!!
Yay me it was my birthday and I had a fabulous time of course any goddess worth her salt who manages to negotiate her Friday off should be doing Fabulous things and thats what I intend to be doing. First up are further experiments on those products that will not only get rid of the nasties you are buying but also SAVE YOU MONEY and you know how we all love money (well I Love money) anyway.

I will post some of these on the site in the next few days and will also update the happenings of the last couple of months.

I have btw already completed my Christmas invitations YAY!!! Oh man I LOVE Christmas. So there will be additional posts to update you on that with some picks of the projects and menu's, table layouts and guest numbers as they grow and I complete them. Colour at this stage is Red and Gold and I can tell you it is looking FINE!!

Keeping you posted

XOXO
DG

Finding ME ( Part 1)

2009-07-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

You know i sat down and had a cup of tea realising it was the first time I had actually sat down in days. What with school hols, study, organising my house ( and when i say organising i mean this in the largest and most insane way) and of course looking and entertaining the kids. its great to know that the kids love being around me but OMG! what a sense of relief that it has come close to the "Back to school" moments.

Although I do have that Little ( 26 children) Fairy party tomorrow :) Never mind all in good fun.
But back to business......
ME
No Goddess can be worth her salt if she does not know how to look after herself. So Lesson Number 1 -- PUT SELF FIRST
Erm? What? When? How? WTF!!!
Yeah that's right you heard me
STOP whatever it is your doing right this minute and check yourself...
Is what you doing going to be ruined if it waits for 5 minutes? will there be a disaster? { of course if you are feeding baby that will need to happen first BUT then after that STOP :)}

Now sit down on your most comfortable chair or lie down on that neatly made bed......
Breath in through your nose........... deep breath
Hold and count to 5
Breath out through your nose slowly
Eyes still closed

Next think of something you like best ( For me its CHOCOLATE) so we use that as our example.....

Breath in ( remember through your nose ladies) and imagine you are tasting the rich warmth of liquid chocolate ( not a chocolate drink this is real melted chocolate we talking about!!!!)

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
yummmmmmmmmmmmmy
now breath out

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
shoulders down.... relax into that feeling.... keep taking those deeeeeep breaths.... release slowly..... ignore every other sound....... just imagine that sensuous wonderful delicious feeling of that melted chocolate running over your tongue.

Now picture this
There is nothing and no one in your immediate surrounds, just white flowing fabric blowing in a warm gentle breeze.... your on a 1000 thread count egyptian cotton sheets........

XOXO DG

Finding time for ME

2009-07-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

Today has been one of those days when you need to get everything done and you have too little time to do it in......

Amidst the tiny voices of I'm hungry and what can I do I am bored, is the voice that says SLOW DOWN!!! TAKE A BREATH!!!!! You Need time for you ....
But How?
When?

Hold onto your posts we will get there even if it is by minuscule steps and baby breaths, I assure you we will get there.....

xoxo DG

Goddess Storage Boxes

2009-07-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

I walked into a little store the other day and found these Batman storage boxes for $2 each I thought they would be useful but wasn't sure what to do with them well guess what I KNOW!!!

Well here goes with the project of making Goddess Boxes :)

I used 3 of the boxes

Covered them in fancy paper and this was the result.

Got good praise for these and of course everyone always has a need for a box :)

Enjoy

XOXO DG

FABULOUS FAIRY FUN

2009-07-13T15:01:00.001-07:00

This Saturday we are having a Fairy Party for 4 - 14yr olds. Join us from 10am - 12:30pm for Face Painting, Fairy Dancing, Story Telling, Fairy Treats and heaps and heaps of FUN!!!

Call 09 4792347 to book
Just $10.00 for the session.

Do you need some quiet time?
Do you have a coffee date or just need to do your shopping without the little ones for a change.

Why not drop them off at the Fabulous Fairy Party?

Saturday 18th July
10am - 12:30pm

Parents are welcome to stay and watch the magic unfold.....

Surviving School Holidays

2009-07-13T14:22:00.001-07:00

It is often said that most parents don't survive the school holidays well and I must agree. Here are some tips on what to do to try and get through the vacation period with your sanity intact.

Crafting for 4 - 14yr old's ( I will post a few things as the week progresses)

Card making

You will need the following low cost items:
glue stick
embellishments ( the $2 store has heaps of these)
ready folded cards and envelopes ( or make your own from card and paper stock)
coloured pencils or markers
ribbon
Scissors

If you buy an assortment of items to make cards its easy to match them together and often cheaper than buying a few bits and pieces.
The aim is not to spend more than $10 on this project and you should be able to make at the very least 6 cards and envelopes.
Remember anything can be used around your house like unused buttons, scraps of wrapping paper, bits of ribbon too short for anything else, foil, left over bits of pretty paper.
You can also draw pictures and cut them out instead of buying embelishments.

Kids love anything they made themselves and you give them the opportunity to achieve something exciting, enhancing their ability. I found that even kids who say they are not crafty still have fun.

Ask the children to draw a picture and write something on the card ( some will have a best friend so "Friends 4 Eva" is a good one or if one is ill especially now in the flu season or the ordinary "Happy Birthday" and often you will find the kids will make a card for you which of course is always nice)

Once they have completed drawing, let them embellish the card and envelope as they wish. They will find this to be quite exciting. They may ask you for help and that's always cool.

Often places like Spotlight have sales and you are able to buy heaps of crafty things for 50c buy and store these in a box for later. They always come in handy. Remember to mark your box so that you know what's in it, especially if you start having many boxes.

Happy crafting guys.
xoxo DG

Friday Yippee

2009-06-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

Friday can easily be my happiest day of the week. It marks the end of a working week and even though I am at home it's nice to know most mundane tasks of the week are at an end.
The trick with ending your week on a Friday as the Domestic Goddess is to think of it as a "normal" working week.
Being at home, cooking, cleaning, ironing and tending children can give you joy but can also make you unhappy. Especially if there is no appreciation for the tasks so lovingly done and then undone by ungrateful families.
Or even when friends take advantage of the fact that your at home and think you have nothing better to do than tend to tasks they don't have time for.

But don't despair it's easy to fall into that trap. Just pull yourself out, stand up, dust yourself off and start again. Explain to those you love ( and maybe those you don't) that you do what you do because you love and respect them. They need to do the same for you so keeping the place tidy and ensuring tasks are done on time will help you. And they will keep you calm therefore always having that family in your favour. They will soon come to understand that in doing this they are hugely rewarded with home baked treats, favourite meals and other little things that make their lives easier.

So getting back to Friday!!!! Yay! Getting all of your work done during the week and doing those final touches on a Friday leaves you free to enjoy your weekend ( now unlike the working mother unfortunately she will have to come home from work after a long week and tend to these things on her weekend) But not you Goddess! You my dear have the time now to enjoy a coffee with a friend, dinner with your husband ( DATES WITH YOUR PARTNER IS AN ALL IMPORTANT THING) play time with the kids and special "ME" time that will both keep you happy and refresh you ready for the next week.

I intend this weekend to treat my family to a group session of Transformers 2 at the local cinema and a nice roast on Sunday the rest of the time is all mine :)

So go on ladies, put away the last of your ironing, tidy that bench top, load that last bit of whites in the machine and go and sit down to a nice cup of earl grey. I am sure by the end of today you will be ready for the weekend.

BRING IT ON!!!
luv xxx DG

Kitchen Goddess

2009-06-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone
I thought i would share some of my very favourite recipes with you. As it is well known many Domestic Goddesses get there fame from what they achieve in the kitchen and we know for sure that it is certainly the way to a mans heart and in my experience many a kid.

So to start I am going to share my famous Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe with you.

These are great they make heaps and everyone loves them.

TIP: Remove these cookies when they are still soft and light in colour from your oven. Leave them for 5 mins before moving. They will remain soft and slightly chewy but melt in your mouth. So they look almost underdone when you take them out HMMMMMM! Yummy

Ingredients
175g Butter Melted
1 cup soft brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg
2 cups self raising flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 & 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper

Method
Wisk together cooled butter , sugars and egg
slowly add the flour, baking soda and salt
add chocolate chips

The consistency of your dough is light smooth and almost sticky.
Using a desert spoon place large spoonfulls on the baking tray ensuring you space them out at least a hand with apart.
TIP: these cookies spread out to become large so space them well apart.
Bake for aprox 12 minutes and remove
you should be able to get at least 30 coockies out of this recipe and you will be looking for more.

They can also be heated in the microwave for 5 seconds for a delicious hot treat with your tea.

ENJOY!!!!!!
xxx DG

Domestic Goddess Welcomes You!

2009-06-22T14:53:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the Domestic Goddess page. Bet all feminists out there are cringing at the words alone not even having read the page yet. But here's the deal guys. Thank you for freedom in the, work place, for female politicians and female CEO's, thank you for government sponsored child care, for girls night out and for open mindedness!! I AGREE! But what no one told us was that when you decide to want to be the super mom you take on the world, you work yourself up the corporate ladder, you create and maintain a persona that is both acceptable to society at large and yourself(well at least sometimes).
But do you actually know when to stop? Do you leave somethings behind to do others and are those things really worth leaving behind? Take this thought for example and please be reminded that I speak for myself and perhaps a few other enjoyable goddessess out there who have willingly and conciously made the choice to revert to what was.

Getting married and having children while trying to juggle a career, your home and holidays so you dont get all burnt out and if you lucky you might even be able to fit in a few friends on the weekend or odd Thursday night. In the meantime when you work late your husband who after all has now had to cultivate the "maternal" instict and do the basics if not more including bathing preparing dinner and ensuring homework and ballet lessons.
Little Suzie/Johnny has everything fancy Barbie's/Cars, great parties and all the right friends.
Of course when both mum and dad work late or during school holidays little Suzie/Johnny gets panned off to one of the stay at home mums or day/holiday care for the few days/weeks.
Needless to say in my opinion the little one gets very little of what they really need. Which of course is always and without a doubt YOU!

Now I know that there are many women out there who make this work and I dont detract from that I certainly respect and admire it. I for one worked and loved it for 23 years through all 3 my kids and I would have died first before I gave up my job for the mull and washing of everyday home life. But my children although kind, generous and successful have had to have to do without many things, appearances at soccer or ballet, playing during school holdiays or after school, baking, cooking and special things that you only ever have the time for if you stay at home. Its not to say that staying at home is ever easy it comes with its own pitfalls like too little money and the stress of how you will enable your child to go to college if you dont have enough money. I certainly am not rich and famous far from it. In fact quite the opposite but do you really feel rich and famous? only a handful of us really make that happen because most of the time we are the workers and not the CEO's. therefore we dont get to the financial bracket that gives you all you desire. So what are the choices? you go off to work do long hours, give up school holidays and then one day when your ready to retire your kids are gone off to do their own thing or perhaps even much the same as you they start the cycle all over again!

A few weeks ago I made a decision to be home. Home for my Daughter who is now 12. I couldn't/didn't want to do it before so my son 20 and daughter 23, have had to do without me being around.

I dont want to burn my bra ( my boobs will hang on the ground!) But I do want to have a say and I am positive that my husband who has always been loving and kind will be happy with this. It is Fantastic that now that I have finally made the choice, the reactions from so many people including my children and husband has been profound. Please note that I am not opting to engage in government tax subsidised dol as so many would quickly believe. There will be financial pressure and turmoil and I will need to make some tough choices, Thankfully this time they will not have to be my children! This time they will be less shoes and fancy designer clothes and a flash new car. This time my choices will be Ballet or Shoes and ballet will win. Next time they may be Shoes or Riding Lessons and shoes will win but I can assure you shoes will no longer win every time.

Join me on my path to Goddess Freedom!