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A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013.

Noah: That cheeky smile almost gets him out of trouble when he scratches 

new furniture with a knife. Almost.

Madison: He can curl his tongue (but Daddy can't).

Linking in with Jodi @ Che and Fidel

LAD DATE: BELLA CLAIRE

It's a good thing that 4-year olds don't like to sit for long. Our little date this week was very quick.

It was in between laundromat visits when we stopped by Bella Claire for a hot chocolate. Actually, a buttery drink and a powerful chocolate flavour, with tones of berries, malt and vanilla. Noah settled for a baby version of the same. We also ordered two brightly coloured macaroons on the side. We chose Jam and Cream, and Pistachio Mint. I thought the macaroons were amazing, and at first Noah didn't seem to agree. He screwed up his face with the first mouthful, then just as quickly shoved the whole thing into his mouth.

Then he was reaching for mine.

On my first visit here, I was amazed by their Soy Spiced Chai, brewed the traditional pinjabi way. Oh, and did I mention that each hot drink comes out with a small handmade biscuit? So cute. And in the words of Noah as he clinked our macaroons together, "Cheers!"

WE VISITED Bella Claire Cafe | 28 Bank Street, Port Fairy Vic 3284 | (03) 5568 1610.

NOAH WEARS LONG SLEEVED TEE, Button Tots. TEE, Target. BEANIE, Hound Dog (hand-me-down from his big brother). HOODIE VEST, Milkshake by Myer.

Do you make time for special dates with your kids, or do you squeeze them between the washing? Thanks for sharing a virtual hot chocolate with us today!

To see the whole Lad Date series, click here.

WHAT HE SAID NEXT...

Before bedtime...

"Mummy, can you please sing Rock-A-Bye Baby for me?"

"But you're not a baby anymore."

Silence.

"Okay, you can sing Rock-A-Bye-Big-Boy instead."

REVEALING THE BEACH COTTAGE EXTENSION: THE BEGINNING

Tonight I was going to share the next part of the beach cottage renovation, but there were a few more details about the kitchen I wanted to check before posting. Right now, my husband is lying on the bed and quietly snoring. (It's been a big two days.)

So instead of the kitchen renovation, here is the beginning of our beach cottage extension: from greenhouse delight to mosh pit. And yesterday we laid concrete. There was sunshine as the concrete was poured, and it only rained a little bit. Mostly, this means there will be less (way less) black mud in the house. I am really looking forward to that.

Oh, and a toilet, bathroom, laundry and hot water.

Here's the beginning through to where we are now...

EAT: TANDOORI PIZZA WITH TOMATO CHILLI SALSA + CUCUMBER CORIANDER SALAD

MAKES 2 LARGE PIZZAS | PREP 15 MINS + 20 MINS MARINATING TIME | COOKING 25 MINS | VEGETARIAN

The first time my father took me to a Indian pizza restaurant, I was skeptical. It seemed a strange idea to serve curry on a pizza base. But it didn't take long for me to be convinced that this was a union made in heaven. I'm not a big fan of cheesy pizzas (believe me when I tell you that there is such thing as too much cheese), and this was a way of combining two of my favourite things.

This pizza is one of those sensory delights - beautiful for the eyes (look at all those colours!), tantalising for the nose (it smells amazing!) and amazing for the tastebuds (oh my!). It has the tandoori heat, the cooling of the cucumber and yoghurt, the tart of the tomatoes and chilli, the crunch of the almonds and cashews, and the softness of the mushrooms. Eat with a knife and fork (yes, it's a bit fancy, if you want it to be).