Scouting Australia is an organisation which encourages the growth of young Australians through the spirit of adventure. I joined my youngest son into the local Cub Scout pack approximately a year ago. I am hoping that scouting will contribute to his development into a well mannered young person with good values and a sense of adventure. I was soon to discover how much commitment goes into a Cub Scout program each term particularly with the weekend camps.

This past weekend I have been part of a cooking team on a Cub Scout “Around the World themed camp”. While I sit at home now with my hard worked feet elevated I have only a feeling of respect for the amount of work it takes to coordinate a weekend event for a bunch of energetic 8-11 year cubs. This weekend, as always, they were very well fed however this weekend it was a special camp so the catering was bought up to a higher level!

Mr 10 celebrated a special birthday last weekend finally reaching double digits. To mark the occasion we invited several of his best mates out for a rip roaring Saturday afternoon of bowling and laser tag fun. The centrepiece of every birthday party is always the cake. By last Thursday I still didn’t have a cake planned for Mr 10’s bowling birthday. It became a bit of a challenge to create something with a bit of wow factor, when I didn’t have the time to bake.

After christmas we set off for a 12 day road trip holiday, mostly in the high country of northern NSW. We spent our time camping in Armidale, Tamworth and the Upper Hunter. We were in awe of all the natural wonders of these places with gorges, wild rivers, museums and historical towns to explore during the day while we casually relaxed in the evenings with a barbie and a beer, well that would be wine for me. Camping is great when you don't want your holiday to break the bank, and you need not miss out on the luxuries of holiday life.

I am a huge fan of Amanda Voisey’s popular blog and social media pages, Cooking For Busy Mums. As a busy mum myself, I have Amanda’s blog bookmarked on my laptop for those times when I need ideas for fast family dinners and healthy lunch boxes. Amanda contacted us recently with the exciting news that she is now a published author! Her new cookbook, which is also called Cooking For Busy Mums, is available from today!

Yesterday I travelled back in time and had a go at traditional farm life. I, along with my eldest (22) and youngest (8) visited the historic Rouse Hill House and Farm for their ‘Earn Your Tucker’ program. It was a hands-on day all about learning how food made its way to the table during the times when the Rouses were residing on the farm from the 1800s.

When we think back to our school canteen lunches, the options were pretty uninspiring - soggy meat pies, rubbery sausage rolls and don't forget the flavoured milk. This was okay occasionally, but these days, with parents working long hours and doing the dreaded daily commute, there needs to be better canteen options to make life easier and healthier for the whole family. One lady who has recognised this is Kathy Lowe, the ‘canteen lady’ at Blairmount Public School near Campbelltown.

I treated myself, Alice and Mr 9 to a bistro dinner last night while I caught up with some friends at Wenty Leagues. The Wentworthville club has a longstanding reputation for being a good value venue for dining and entertainment. It’s a place you can have a family night out, with good food and a couple of drinks, without too much of an impact on your hip pocket.