My Birthday Festivities!

Happy Birthday to me!

I'm finishing up the week feeling very loved after a week of birthday festivities.

The boys woke me this morning with breakfast in bed, a gift and 4 bunches of flowers. 

One from each of them. Just beautiful!

The morning was spent answering birthday phone calls (such a lovely start to the day), reading birthday text and facebook messages and getting the boys ready for school. Simon and I decided to have lunch at The Grounds. Always a great place to spend some time. 

The sun was shining and it was great to have a wander around while we waited for our table.

Lunch was delicious! We decided on the steak sandwich and lamb parpadelle with a side of fries + polenta chips. We picked up some Nutella balls on the way out to take home for afternoon tea instead of having a birthday cake. 

After school we lit a candle and the boys sang me Happy Birthday. The Nutella Balls were divine!

Mum always used to buy me balloons for my birthday growing up, so she had some delivered today.

One balloon for every year. 39 balloons in total. Love them!

Earlier in the week Simon and I met up with some friends for an early birthday dinner and drinks at Manly Wine.  A jug of Grapefruit Margaritas and some nibbles.

 Finn and I met my mum for dinner last night and Finn ordered this Nutella Calzone for dessert. Nutella, marshmallows + nuts. OMG so decadent! It really has been a week of celebrations!

I also managed to fit in a movie. We saw the "First Monday in May". A fashion documentary on the creation of the Metropolitan Museums's fashion exhibitions and behind the scenes of the Met Ball. Very interesting! Ever since "The September Issue" I have been hooked on these glimpses into the fashion world.

So another birthday done and dusted!

 I'm looking forward to the year ahead and whatever it may hold.

How has your week been? Any birthdays coming up?

Thursday's Thoughts x

Wednesday's Wish List

War is dumb Flag

Dress and Jacket

Dreamer print

Fuji x70 camera

Teacup

Ankle Boots

Robe

Pj pants

Take me to the Ocean Print

What's on your wish list this Wednesday? x

Jasper turns 9.

Jasper has been counting down the days til his birthday for weeks and today he turned 9. 

He was bursting with excitement from the time he opened his eyes this morning until he closed them tonight.  He really had the best day!

He woke up this morning to the usual birthday balloons and he wandered out of his room and found a large Scalextric race car track set up and waiting for him in the living room. It was exactly what he wanted! He had 2 very eager participants in his brothers to race against!

He also received books, a boardgame and a huge bubble wand that he immediately put to use.

We had a party for his friends in the afternoon at our local Flip Out (trampoline place) so I had a cake to make for 15. My instructions were for a vanilla cake with vanilla icing and sour worms, sour patch kids and sour straps on top. Not to everyone's taste but all the kids loved it! ;)

Everyone had the best time and Jasper said he didn't want the day to end. 

Definitely the sign of a good birthday!

Just before bed I realised I hadn't take a photo with the birthday boy so we quickly took one using his favourite Snapchat filter. So cute x

Happy 9th birthday to our beautiful Jasper, we love you.

My review of the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Vacuum Cleaner.

Anybody that knows me knows that I am very particular about how my house looks, and I'm especially fussy about my floors! After redoing our floors last year due to our dishwasher flooding our floorboards (!!!) our white concrete floor is now a standout feature in our home and keeping it looking fresh and white is really important to us.

With our 3 boys and a dog that has the run of the house,  I vacuum every day. So I wanted a vacuum cleaner that was easy to manoeuvre, has strong suction and could transition from hard floor to carpets and rugs easily because the faster I can do the job the better! 

When I got the chance to trial the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Vacuum Cleaner I jumped at the chance as I am a huge fan of our Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner that we use for quick cleanups (toast crumbs after breakfast!) but I wanted something more powerful to do the whole house.

Features I loved......

* The vacuum self rights itself if it topples over. This is great if you bang the vacuum into benches, stools etc when racing to get the job done. 

* The carbon fibre turbine head means that I can move from hard floors to carpet and rugs without having to change vacuum heads.

* It's hygienic and easy to empty out the dust and debris. The bin emptying mechanism means you can tip all the dirt directly into the bin with just a push of a button. Also I love that there are no filters to clean and no vacuum bags needed. 

* No loss of suction. Due to the oscillating power of the 36 Dyson Cinetic tips, they prevent dust from building up and blocking the airflow as the dust separation is so efficient.

*The vacuum is quite compact in size so is easy to store in our laundry cupboard.

The Dyson Cinetic Big Ball also comes with other attachments if you want to change the vacuum head for a specific job. They all slide on easily with a click of a button.

The Animal Pro collects pet hair or (fluffy cushion fur!) so easily. 

The Magic Wand attachment helps you dust high shelves or awkward crevices. I found it great for my window sills and in between the timber shutters.

I would definitely recommend this vacuum if you're in the market for a new one or you need to upgrade your old one. I'm all for appliances that make cleaning your home easier!

You can read more and see some videos of the Dyson in action here

Do you have a Dyson? Who does the vacuuming in your house?

I was gifted this vacuum to review. All opinions are my own. 

I only share products I truly believe in and use myself.

Wednesday's Words

Lately.....

How are you going? 

I feel like life has gotten a little busier in the last couple of weeks with lots of birthdays and celebrations happening this month.

We've been enjoying this gorgeous weather that Sydney has been having. Warm and beautiful through the day and cooling down at night. Perfect! I hope it hangs around a little longer.

My flowers from Mother's Day are still going strong. I can't decide which is my favourite, pink or white flowers. I guess I'll alternate between the two :)

The boys have been loving Nutella toasts topped with fruit for afternoon tea.

I have been using the Go-To Skincare range for the last couple of months and really love it. My favourites are the face cleanser, lip balm and exfoliating swipeys. Have you tried it?

I learnt to cross stitch on the weekend at a workshop run by Libby of Threadfolk held at Little Lane Workshops.  It was so fun once you get into the rhythm of it. I need to find some time to sit down and make some headway on my little family.

Motivational messages always!

What have you been up to?