Having a 5 year old can be quite fun, well aside from the daily drama queen antics, it’s quite entertaining. Going from the toddler years, to the kid years is a big change. My favourite bit is the conversations that pop up.

On Sunday Lacey and I were home alone, so we each sat on a lounge in the sun, Lacey crossing her legs like only a kid would. “Mum,” she said, “How do you relax?”

I smirked. A smirk so big that I could hardly answer. How does she come up with this stuff? “Well, I like to relax with quiet and do nothing, I guess. Why do you ask?”

“Kris {her teacher} asked me the other day,” she replied.

“And what did you say?” I always get a bit worried when teachers ask questions, not at the questions but at the very honest answers that kids seem to give.

“I said that you like to relax on your computer.”

Phew. I laughed. Lacey must think I do a lot of relaxing.

After spending my pregnancy so far on the go and without little rest at all. I’ve been to Singapore, the Whitsundays, and Sydney {twice}. I’ve hardly slept. I haven’t slowed down, and now I’ve decided that it’s time to chillax. Lacey likes to regularly tell us, “You guys need to chillax!”

So that I will.

I’m not good at doing nothing. I never have been. But I’m going to endeavour to do a little less, put my feet up, let Hubby do all the cooking/cleaning/parenting {OK, I’m kidding on that part}, and just take more things off my plate. If possible.

How do you relax?

I’m a creature of habit. When friends come around I prefer to go the easy route over fancy, because most of the time friends are over to enjoy my {exquisite, ha!} company and not-so-much the food. So usually I’ll go with things I’ve made before, or uncomplicated recipes that aren’t likely to flop on the big night.

I’ve made this cob dip a heap of times before. I got the recipe from a friend when I was about 18. I’ve been making it the same way for all these years until I went to that friend’s house recently and they made it… and it turned out that I’d been making it wrong. Wrong or right, they’re both delicious. I’ll share the right way today, because it’s the easiest… and in the notes below I’ll put the wrong way in case you want to make it like I have for oh, you know, the past decade and a bit!

Ingredients

One cob loaf
1 tub of light sour cream {500g}
1 packet of chopped frozen spinach, thawed {around 250g}
1 packet of Spring Vegetable soup {I use this one}

Method

♥ Cut the top off the cob loaf. Usually it’ll be about a third of the cob, but use your own judgement. You just want to make sure there’s enough of the cob left in the bottom to fill with dip. Scoop out the insides and break into chunks. Do the same with the lid.
♥ In a jug or bowl mix the sour cream, spinach and soup mix. Pour into the cob. Serve on a platter, and eat by dunking the bits of bread into the dip. No double-dipping allowed.

Note: So, for the past however-many years I’ve been serving this as a warm dip. I used to put all the dip ingredients into a small pot and mix to combine. Then I’d put into the cob, cover with grated cheese and place in the oven. It’s nice like this for winter, but does take a little longer. Maybe try both…

When is the last time you had friends over for a bite to eat? What did you make? Just quietly I bought some quiches from the bakery and made some salads, and a cake. You?

I wanted a dog forever. For-like-ever. I begged Hubby for one when we lived in our teeny apartment, like he could change the body corporate rules or something. So, when we were house-hunting it was at the top of my list of things we needed in our new home; good bathroom, 3 bedrooms, natural light and a place for a dog to live. After we bought our house, we bought a dog. I Googled, found a breeder up in Brisbane and bought it over the internet.

I loved her from the moment I met her. She was fluffy, and cute and oh-so-sweet. Those first few months we babied her like a human-child. I cleaned up her many ‘accidents’ inside the house, and there were nights when I got very little sleep, cradling her in my arms through the night so that she wouldn’t whimper.

Yesterday she celebrated her first birthday. Well, celebrated might not be the right word. She had very little idea that it was her birthday. I made her wear a homemade hat for a few seconds, and we gave her a toy that she promptly chewed into pieces… as only a Labrador could. I’ve learnt a lot from her over these past months since she joined her family.

The only way is happy

I’ve talked about her whole body wag before. Happiness is pretty much Bronte’s only emotion. Happy and excited. Isn’t that a great way to exist?

Be grateful

Once a week I’ll buy Bronte a big marrow bone from the butchers. It costs me just a few dollars, and when I get that bone home and give it to Bronte… I’m the most amazing human being in the world. You’d thing she’d come to expect it, but every single time it’s like it’s the first time. She’ll look at me as if to say, “Really? For me?” and pick up the bone, walk half way up the backyard and then look back at me, as if to offer an enthusiastic “THANK YOU!”

Let it go

I have a habit of hanging on to things. If people have done me wrong, I don’t forget. I’ll play nice, but they’ll get very little from me ever again. Over this past year Bronte has eaten my shoes, and my iPad… which has meant I’ve had to get a little bit mad at her. She moves on though, and seconds later I’m the most amazing person in the world. She doesn’t hold grudges, perhaps I shouldn’t either?

Perhaps I am the person my dog thinks I am

I’m pretty hard on myself. I feel guilty about silly little things. Have you ever seen that saying, “Be the person your dog things you are”? Sometimes when she’s smothering me in kisses and cuddles, I have to think… perhaps I’m not so bad.

A little enthusiasm goes a long way

Bronte is an outside dog, but she’ll keep an eye on us from any window she can. When I get up to go to the bathroom in the early morning, she’ll be peeking at me from the window. When I make my way to the lounge room, she’ll run around and greet me there too. And when I work from my office, you can bet she’s enthusiastically keeping an eye on me outside the window. It’s a nice feeling to have someone be so enthusiastic about just seeing you. It reminds me of a post I wrote when I interviewed Shannah. Before picking up her kids each afternoon, she’d get present and ask herself, “What mum do I want to be?” And then pick up her kids in a good mood, with enthusiasm and love. A little bit like the way Bronte does when she sees us. There’s some awesome in that.

Do you have a pet? Have they taught you any life lessons?