But we don’t have a chimney!

It wasn’t a problem in the last house we lived in. We had a fireplace with a chimney that Santa could come down, leave the Christmas gifts, check out the Christmas crafts that the little kids have made for him and wash down the cupcake with the glass of milk we leave out for him. Even though it’s too hot to have a fire at Christmas, we still had a pretty mantle where we could hang our Christmas stockings and put the Nutcrackers up on display.

But this house doesn’t have a fireplace.

So what will we do?

I was going to buy a magic Santa key like this one but then I saw this and decided that we would make a special key for Santa.

So Annabelle and I dug through Bill’s tins of…stuff…and we found this little treasure.

We tied a red tartan ribbon to it and will hang it outside the door so Santa can let himself in.

Problem solved!

External Christmas Links:

• Loving Christmas Crafts
• Christmas Music
• Christmas Is Coming
• Christmas Gifts and The Santa Claus Club

 Playing taxi and butt warmers!

We only live a street away from the schools. Close enough that it’s a waste of time putting an umbrella up when it’s raining because by the time you put it up, you’ve reached your destination. OK, slight exaggeration. So Thursday morning, I’m trying to convince my eyes to open when I hear a whisper. “Mum, can you drive me to school? It’s raining”. Thinking that it must be bucketing down, I look out the window and see that it is drizzling, look back at Giorgia and see her cheesy grin and said “if you tidy your room before it’s time to go, I’ll drive you.” You call it blackmail? I call it negotiating. I’m all for teaching the kids the important skills they’ll need when they go out in the big wide world.

I dropped the kids off at their schools and was going to stop at the service station to refuel. I realised that I didn’t know which side the tank was on and where the release was to open the tank. So instead of standing at the petrol station looking for the release and making it obvious that I haven’t been driving this car for long, I went home thinking I’ll fill up when we go out later.

Sitting in the Mondeo, in our driveway, I’m looking for the release…under the steering wheel, at the sides of the seat….to no avail. If at first you don’t succeed, check the manual. Ha! All I need to do is press the flap to open it. I also read that when you insert the fuel pipe nozzle, a spring loaded inhibitor will open if the right size nozzle is detected, preventing you from putting the wrong type of petrol in.  That’s handy! Especially since, when I asked what type of fuel the Mondeo ran on, the Ford dude told me unleaded when in actual fact it is diesel!  I didn’t question it until I opened the flap and saw a “diesel” marking inside. I rang the dealership to double check, thinking that if it says diesel, it must be but wanting to confirm it anyway. That could have been ugly!

Afternoon shift for this little taxi driver and I was impressed to see that even with Annabelle’s car seat in the middle of the back, there was still comfortable room on either side of it, making plenty room for my lanky adult child.

Thursday night saw me picking up a couple of the ladies to go to a linen party. They knew that I would be picking them up in the Ford Mondeo and were as excited as I was. There was heaps of oohing and ahhing over the new car smell and the roominess in the back seat but the best comment of the night would have to be “Your turn to try the butt warmer!” LOL

So far,

things I like about the Ford Mondeo:

• loving the keyless entry and keyless engine start
• loving how the front seats can be heated
• loving the spacious storage in the back
• loving how quiet the engine is
• loving the look of it – quite the sexy car!

things I don’t like about the Ford Mondeo:

• I think the only thing that I’m not liking is the blind spots on either side of the windscreen. I’m not sure if all smaller cars are like that but I find it’s not like that in the van that I usually drive.
• oh and the fact that it is VERY easy to speed. It drives so smoothly that you just want to put your foot down! LOL

Thanks to Kidspot, I have been chosen as one of the Modern Mondeo Mamas! I get to drive this baby for 3 weeks and share what I think of it. *squeal*

 Help combat climate change with Landcare Australia (+ giveaway!)

Keep reading to find out how you can win an Eco Forensics Lab!

Landcare Week runs from 6th to 13th September and Landcare Australia is giving every Australian the opportunity to help scientists across the globe study the impact of climate change on our ecosystems by monitoring, collecting and recording data from their own backyards.

You can register for free to become a citizen scientist by going to www.landcareonline.com.au and help by observing and recording what is happening in your own environment such as when the frogs are calling, what birds are migrating and what plants are flowering.

The data gathered will then help scientists understand what seasonal variations are occurring around Australia with our animals and plants.

Thanks to Landcare, we received a Citizen Scientist’s pack so Giorgia and Annabelle can be “planet saving detectives”. I’ll be blogging about their adventure soon.

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The Giveaway:

To raise awareness about Landcare Week (September 6-13), Landcare is offering two {aussie} Tina Gray {dot} Me readers the chance to win a “citizen scientist” prize pack!

This kit includes an Eco Forensics Lab for kids to be “planet saving detectives” along with two Landcare caps to protect them from the sun while they are outside observing the environment.

To enter, simply leave a comment telling me why you would like to win.

Winners will be chosen randomly.

Giveaway finishes: Sunday 5 September @ 6pm.

Open to Australian residents only.

Good Luck!

 Feel them up!

If you’re on Twitter, you may have noticed that it’s looking a little pink.

 @SeraphimSP and @carolduncan initiated #FeelthemupFriday to raise awareness for Breast Cancer and ask women to feel their boobs today.

So many women die every day of breast cancer.

When was the last time you checked your breasts? Can’t remember? Do it today!

If you’re on Twitter, turn your avatar pink and tweet today about raising awareness for breast cancer. Don’t forget to attach the trending topic #feelthemupFriday.

Have a story about cancer on your blog? @Seraphim has a linky on her blog that you can link your story to.

On another note:

The lovely Jade from lalalondon.net surprised me with the Kreativ Blogger award yesterday! Thanks Jade!

As with most bloggers awards, there are a few rules:

1. Copy the award to your blog
2. Insert a link to the person who nominated you
3. Share seven things about yourself that you haven’t told us before
4. Nominate other bloggers for the award – share the love
5. Link to their blogs
6. Tell the nominees about their award

OK, I’ve shared lots of things on my blog. Hmm, thinking of things that I might not have mentioned before….

1. When I’m putting socks and shoes on, I go right sock, left sock, right shoe, left shoe.
2. I sometimes go to bed without doing the dinner dishes *gasp* I KNOW! I disgust myself sometimes.
3. One time, I was complaining about Bill not making our bed when he’s the last one out and he was being a butthead about it, so I made my side and left his unmade. And no, it didn’t make him want to make the bed when he’s the last one out.
4. I have a phobia of being burned alive. I think I may have been a witch in my past life. I said Witch, thank you.
5. I can’t stand cooked cabbage. But I will eat it raw.
6. I have a birth mark just below my ribs on the right side.  You know, in case you ever need to identify my body or something.
7. I didn’t learn to drive until I was 26.

Riveting, I know!

And now to pass the Kreativ Award onto…

• Erin @ I May Not Be Perfect
• Peta @ 7 Little Heads On 7 Little Beds
• Marita @ Stuff With Thing
• E @ The Muffin Monster Bubbalug Blog

Can’t see your name there and feeling a little jipped? Leave me a comment telling me why I should have given you this award

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It’s Friday and that means I’ve linked up here today:

{If you follow me via one of these hops, please leave a comment so I can visit your blog}

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 Oh, so THIS is what it’s like to drive a Ford!

I was so excited about picking up a shiny new Ford Mondeo yesterday.

We pulled up at the Ford dealership in Wollongong. I proved that I was Tina Gray and not some random trying to knock off a car, got shown the key features (thanks guys!) like how the little key thing just needs to be in your handbag or pocket to be able to open the car door and start the engine, and how the seats can be heated and the music controls (priorities, people!) and drove off out of the car yard with Tiesha, leaving Bill and Annabelle to drive back home in old Mitsy.

We WERE going to go straight home so Bill and Annabelle could come for a drive with us but instead we cruised around town for a while, windows down, sunroof open, showing off the new wheels. While I was trying to remember that the indicators were on the left side so I wouldn’t look like an idiot and turn the wipers on every time I wanted to change lanes or turn a corner, Tiesha plugged her phone into the connection-thingy and had worked out how to get the music blaring. I was looking all cool until I had to brake and, unlike the car I’m used to driving where you have to basically put the foot through the floor Flinstones-like, I realised quite quickly that the slightest depression of the brake pedal was enough to slow this baby down and any harder will result in Tiesha and myself almost getting whiplashed.

We reluctantly headed home to find Bill waiting to grab the little plastic thing that acts like a key because he HAD to go to his mum’s house to drop something off to her. His mum doesn’t live that far from us. He took quite a while. He said he stayed to have a cuppa with her. I think he went cruisin’.

Bill finally came back to get me and Annabelle so we could grab a few things from the supermarket. Yep, our life is full of thrills! We MIGHT have had a bit of a disagreement about who should drive. He thought that he should drive because he is the Ford fan in our house. I thought I should drive because, you know, I am the Modern Mondeo Mama. And yes, I will continue to play that card as often as I have to. Hehe.

Don’t let the photo fool you! Those bags are 3 deep and I reckon, had we been doing our normal grocery shop, we could have easily fit it all in there without worrying about squashed bread and smashed eggs.

Home again. Groceries unpacked. Phone rings and one of the kids need picking up. What USUALLY happens next is the kid in question is asked what is wrong with their legs and do we look like a taxi service. What happened THIS TIME was both of us jumping up to grab keys and wallet/handbag and offering to get said kid.

Yes, you could say that we’re liking the Ford Mondeo so far. It’s nice feeling like you are driving a car, and not a tank!

Thanks to Kidspot, I have been chosen as one of the Modern Mondeo Mamas! I get to drive this baby for 3 weeks and share what I think of it. *squeal*

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