the fifo wife

.

My B2 loves Broccoli  where as B3 hates it but add baco0n and he will eat anything. B1 doesn’t care he knows if just eats what on the plate it will get him back to the TV quicker, bacon however makes everything better.

An awesome summer salad that is quick and simple hot or cold.

Broccoli Salad 

What you will need:

• 2 large heads of broccoli

• 6 rashers higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon, finely sliced

• olive oil

• 3 firm red tomatoes, halved, deseeded and finely sliced

• 1 small bunch of fresh chives (with flowers if you can get them), finely chopped, flowers reserved

• For the dressing

• ½ clove of garlic, peeled and finely grated

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• sea salt

• freshly ground black pepper

How to:

“Use a small knife to remove the broccoli florets and cut them up into smaller ones. Basically, this is your opportunity to make the broccoli really delicate and more salady-looking, so spend a bit of time doing this. You’ll be left with the stalk, so discard the thick dry base, then cut the remaining stalk in half lengthways and finely slice.

Blanch your broccoli florets and sliced stalks really quickly in boiling salted water for 60 seconds, just long enough to soften the broccoli but still leave it with a bit of a bite. Drain it in a colander, then spread it around a clean tea towel to steam dry (this is important because it will help the dressing cling to the broccoli). Once completely dry, transfer to a serving dish.

Fry the bacon on a medium heat with a small splash of olive oil until crisp and golden, then spoon most of the bacon bits over your broccoli. Any leftover fat in the pan can be used in your salad dressing. Pour it into a mixing bowl with all the other dressing ingredients and whisk.

Add the sliced tomatoes and chopped chives to your broccoli and bacon bits. Dress it all really well, and check the seasoning. If it needs pimping up, add a splash more vinegar. If you’ve got any chive flowers, sprinkle those over the top and serve straight away. It’s beautiful on its own or served next to any grilled or roasted meat or fish” – Jamie Oliver

xx Deb

I don’t believe total happiness is the aim of the game anymore I believe its just about being whole. We will all have ups and downs. We have good times and bad it’s how you get through it remaining whole thats the aim of the game.

Whole family tip one:

Smile every time your kid enters the room no matter how badly they have dented your car or how many A’s they scored on their exam.

Because no matter the situation your child deserves to know you love them and a smile saying Im glad your here says it all.

This was amongst some of the advice I heard, remembered and use. I don’t remember who it was from.

{works well for every other human or animal on the planet}

xxDeb

I have always been a massive believer in superannuation since hearing my dad prattle on with it waaay back in the eighties and have always made extra contributions since starting my working life. Fortunatly my husband was the same and so we both comfortably have a good amount of super so when the time comes with the sell off of our investments we are set to retire when we are ready. Even now as a stay at home mum I make regular contributions into a self manged fund I hold with an online super fund the amount is small but something is better than nothing and you can set them up online with no problems at all.

So I giggled away to myself as I said the same words to my ‘borrowed teenage girl’ who started her working life last week that my father said to me. The words that if she started superannuation now she could retire when she wanted {possibly} and to my delight she responded with a most enthusiastic ‘awesome’ and smile unlike my cousin who says he is only worried about today which make me worried who will look after his lazy arse tomorrow.

Now being the new year I thought I would give a couple of tips I have learnt about superannuation I know titillating information but so worth it you can thank me when your sitting under an umbrella on some exotic beach when your just 55 rather than 70.

1. Give your superannuation a regular health check and ensure that your employer (if you have one) is making the compulsory 9.25 per cent payments. Even though I don’t technically have an employer I have an online super fund I manage myself. Look around most of the major online institutions have them and so easy to set up.

2. Check to see if you have lost or unclaimed superannuation by visiting the ATO’s SuperSeeker website. I found an AMP super I had with a hotel I was ‘briefly’ employed with had a few hundred but that few hundred was mine not the ATO’s.

3. Consolidate your superannuation accounts if you have multiple accounts. You will cut the fees and insurance costs you are paying. At one stage I had six floating around all with varing degrees of money in them I now have three {one is a government super too good to roll over}. Probably one to many but I’m happy with it.

4. Increase your contributions to super, even $20 extra a week can make a big difference. Use the calculator moneysmart.gov.au calculator website to work out how much money you will need for a comfortable retirement. Round every thing up so instead of 7.00 make it ten it’s the easiest way to make extra contributions without breaking yourself.

5. Review your insurance cover within your super fund. You may find you are underinsured so increasing your coverage could end up saving you a lot if you become sick or injured. Husband and I sat down and worked out how much we would need if one of us were to pass away to pay out loans and have an allowance for the kids for schooling. Works out we needed a few hundred thousand and so of course we upped the amount and now should he or I pass away we are covered including providing the kids education fees.

6. If you are a stay at home parent your partner can make super contributions for you and with a portion being tax deductible and you may even be entitled to the governments co-contributions scheme.

** Again I am not a professional in any way shape or form and I highly recommend you contact your financial planner, the ATO or your accountant and this is not a paid post**

xxDeb

The new year is here obviously incase you were not aware I personally welcomed it in with a sleep in until  830, then with realisation I couldn’t open my eyes due to an allergic reaction to the mangos I’m picking and a tooth ache but Im not complaining because guaranteed I fared better than the backpackers down the street.  Hangover with three boys would be deciedly worse than all my aliments put together.

Yet however I’m not sure about you but to me it doesn’t feel like New Years. Perhaps it’s because we had Christmas way back in November {of last year}, I have spring cleaned already and have brought almost all the school supplies so technically it’s almost Easter to me. ANd given that Coles has already started stocking hot cross buns im okay in the placement of the year and the rest of YOU have it wrong.

So the second day of 2015 and these are the few things running through my head.

1. For those that don’t follow my adventures on Facebook I’m mango picking ..long story short my neighbour wanted me to help out before I knew it Im picking Mangos and swelling up like the Michelin man however despite my apparent allergic reaction I have decided to now ‘pack’ the mangos so as to be able to take the kids to the snow this year..the things you do for your kidlets right?

2. Husband is getting a slice of my world however I think he likes it..

3. Made me smile here.

4. I have been working a week now and if I told you I’m torn between making my contribution and my family would that make sense to you? I miss having that independence getting dressed and going out yet I am sitting here missing my family despite being them being in the next room.

5. You and dad grew up in the old days didnt you…

6. They are a country all of their own here.

7. Spring fashion for 2015 a sneak peak here.

8. Love these

9. They named their first son Egypt take a stab what they called their second boy?

10. I have no number ten tonight all I can hear is husband yelling a child crying and a pot falling

xxDeb

{image with thanks to here}

Friday.

What are you up to this weekend? We have an abnormally busy weekend which is awesome because well the last week of on swing is dragging like my kids bottom lip on hearing they are banned from the media player until dad is home. School holidays love and hmmm them all at the same time.

So here are the few things running through my head.

1. I offered some advertising both free and not on the blog and it went off a treat cant wait to introduce you to them..

2. I just got back from Big W..what a simply stupid idea.

3. Two things happened yesterday..a woman showed me kindness at the pool as I became flustered another told me I should I lock myself in a room so my kids are not a bother..the first made a difference to my day.

4. Incase you ever meet the royals personally I want to meet the queen.

5. For the bookworms best books of 2014

6. A giveaway.

7. The most beautiful clutch.

8. Best holiday movies to watch.

9. Santa Claus is real

10. The day I watched this I was sitting on my arse feeling sorry for myself no more.

xxDeb

{image with thanks to here}