February 2015Life Love and Hiccups: February 2015
Life Love and HiccupsLife Love and HiccupsLife Love and HiccupsLife Love and Hiccups

Friday 27 February 2015

Shitty Dinks and Lovely Links

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If I didn't have such a sore backside I would totally be doing the bum dance and slapping my own butt in celebration of the fact that it is Friday... and we made it in one piece.

No, I mean like literally made it in one piece.

I feel like I have done ten rounds with Tyson over the past 5 days complete with spectacular tumbles and some major tongue biting going on.

It's been a sad week on the interwebs this week after I witnessed some women tear shreds from a friend of mine on a Facebook parenting forum and then later in the week as another good friend and colleague made the decision to close down her blog due to the constant abuse she receives for putting herself out there and sharing openly and honestly.

What is happening people?

When did it become OK to be a shitty dink and cut people down just for kicks?

I know we as bloggers need to have a thick skin if we are going to share personal stuff on our blogs. I also know not everyone is going to agree with us or even like us for that matter and that we need to respect differing opinions to ours and gracefully accept any feedback - both good and bad.

But honestly some of the personal attacks I have seen go down lately... MAN there is no excuse or acceptable reason for that kind of stuff.

I saw this picture on Pinterest yesterday and I thought it pretty much summed it all up perfectly...

Anyway, I am not going to give any more energy to the crappy stuff of the week.

What's done is done and I only hope that we have seen the last of all the shitiness for a while.

Besides, there is far too much awesomeness to enjoy in the Aussie blogosphere that needs our attention.

Speaking of which...

I have decided that we need to celebrate the good stuff more often and so if it's alright with you, I thought I would include some lovely links each week in my Weekend Rewind post.

It's my way of saying thanks for the enjoyment I get from reading other people's blogs as well as sharing with you guys just some of the fabulous posts I have come across during the past week.

And so without any further drivel from me, here are this week's lovely links.



1. Ashlea from Glamour Coastal Living certainly didn't help me to stay focused on losing my ass this week - nope not  a bit, but if I am going to be tempted then it may as well be with this divine looking no bake chocolate Ferrero Cheesecake of hers.

2. Lisa from the Art of Joy guest posted over at Jess's  A  Little Part of The World and shared some fabulous tips on how to take better photos with your iPhone.

3. Katrina from Katrina Chambers Life & Design went all retro with her boys and did some awesome t'shirt tie dyeing which of course now MY boys are nagging me to do too... yeah thanks Katrina ;)

4. And again with the food porn - Kim from Land Of Zonkt has me wanting to make some fresh home made foccacia for the family this weekend. mmm I can smell it already.

I told you - SO MUCH AWESOMENESS!

Finally I am so excited that one of my besties in joining in as this week's Weekend Rewind guest host.

Say hello to Tessa, the head honcho of Down That Little Lane with whom I work (if you could call it work), my brekkie buddy, one of my partners in crime and most importantly the most beautiful loyal generous soul sister a girl could ever hope for.

Her toes are going to be curling when she reads my rambling about her and she will turn a glorious shade of beetroot because that is just who she is - far too modest for such an incredible woman.

You can have the pleasure of getting to know Tessa a little better for yourself through her blog here.

So that's it kids. That's this week all wrapped up. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go and sink my head into a big bucket of vodka.

Have a great weekend.

So what's cooking good looking? 

Any exciting plans for this weekend or anything you want to get off your chest about the week that's been?

Do share, I love a good natter.


Link up your favourite post from the past week and then if you get a chance, pop around and say hello to some of the other lovely linkers. The Weekend Rewind blog hopping party starts every Friday night at 8pm and links will close on Sunday night at midnight. Link up here or over on Bron's blog (Maxabella Loves)Sonia's blog (Sonia Styling) or Kelly's at A Life Less Frantic.  It does not matter where you link as your link will show up in all 4 places.


Thursday 26 February 2015

Healthy Eating For The Lazy

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Brought to you by Coles

I have been talking about whooping my butt into gear for a while now and its time I start eating my words – like literally!

All that grazing I did over Christmas and the school holidays has paid its toll and I am feeling sluggish and blah.

Oh who am I kidding?

I have been feeling sluggish and blah for the past 13 years since I ate my body weight in Cookies and Cream ice cream when I was pregnant with child number one.

Yep for that long I have been talking about getting healthy, yet I don’t know – it all just seemed so hard!

When I was chatting to the Coles team about what I would be road testing in my February blog posts, the idea of some post Christmas cutting back came up. Coles have a focus on healthy routines at the moment and given the fact that my cargos were unbuttoned right at that precise moment for ummm comfort reasons; I thought this sounded like a most excellent idea.

Half of my problem is the fact that I am busy. Alright, I’m lazy too which makes for a terrible combination really.

But isn’t that the downfall of many of us?

We are so busy that we tend to switch to autopilot and throw together meals that don’t require much thinking and that we know the family will actually eat with resorting to bribery but without necessarily considering the health benefits.

Please tell me that is not just me?

The thing I have come to learn though – is that a little planning can go a long way to making life easy and being busy can no longer be used as an excuse for not eating well.

Dammit.

So anyway, flicking through the January / February Coles Magazine I noticed Quinoa and couscous and healthy salads featured heavily and I was all “der – what could be easier than a healthy salad for dinner?”

And so I decided I would give some quick and easy healthy post Christmas cutting back meals a try.

Healthy eating for the lazy? Excellent!


To get me started, I did a little research and came up with 5 healthy eating tips that according to experts will help keep us on the right track.

1.       Plan your meals; planning gives you time to think about healthy choices and shop for the ingredients you need so the bare pantry cannot be used as an excuse.

2.       Drink plenty of water; often we mistake dehydration for hunger so it is true, water will help to keep the munchies at bay.

3.       Keep a supply of healthy snacks on hand. Sadly mini Snickers are not considered healthy.

4.       Include healthy whole grains and seeds in your diet – consider using Quinoa or couscous in place of rice or pasta.

5.       Load up on fruit and veggies and choose lean protein options wherever possible.


Right OK.

So I can do that… can’t I?

I can.

Here are a couple of healthy meals I put together this past week based on those principles.

This meal takes as long as it takes to boil an egg to throw together.

5 eggs - 15 minutes?

Winner Winner Salmon Healthy green dinner.

Whatever!

The kids laughed at me when I first served this up. They looked at it and then at me and then the little sods laughed and laughed.

Was I insulted?

Hell yes.

But did I get the last laugh when they wolfed it down and actually told me they liked it? 

Yep, I laughed all the way to the couch because they were on clean up duty for being so mean to their Mum.

OK so the truth is only 1 out of the three squids actually enjoyed this one which is a bit of a hit and miss I guess when it comes to feeding the kids…

DO I LOOK LIKE I CARE THOUGH?

NO! Because this has become one of my most fave meals ever and every adult I have served this up to and teenager for that matter has loved it.

Just don’t ask me to say edamame though, because I just can’t.


Now Coles have gone and made life a lot easier for us who are trying to be healthier, by introducing the new Health Star Rating System on their Coles branded products.
Health Star Ratings are a Government-led, voluntary front of pack labelling system that scores the overall nutritional value of food and assigns it a rating from ½ to 5 stars. It takes the guesswork out of healthy shopping which is particularly good for novices like me.
Basically, the healthier foods will score more stars, with 5 stars being the highest possible score and ½ a star the lowest. The more stars the healthier – easy as!
Choosing products with more stars will help to ensure we are choosing foods that have less of the bad stuff like saturated fats, sugars and sodium and more of the good stuff like fibre, protein, or more nutritious ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes.
You can read all about the Coles Health Star ratings as well as a load of delicious Quinoa and Couscous recipes in the January / February edition of Coles magazine.

And of course don’t forget there are loads of healthy eating and easy weekday meals on coles.com.au and taste.com.au.

Are you a healthy eating family?
Any tips to help this novice stay on track?


Wednesday 25 February 2015

Random Dribble

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Talk about Summer doing the dash on us this week. One week to go and it ups and bails without even a goodbye.

Although that being said looking at sky outside dumping buckets on us in Sydney, I don't feel so bad about being planted on the couch with a sore everything and Ellen and daytime news to keep me company.

Yesterday when the kids arrived home from school, I went to the door to greet them.

All good, do it every day and I know this house so well I could walk around it with my eyes closed.

What I didn't see however was the dog dribble on the floor and I stepped straight onto it, my foot slid out in front of me and BAM I landed on the tiles with a thud.

I know right - DOG DRIBBLE!

I mean what kind of flip stick slips on dog dribble?

I'm assuming or rather hoping it was only dog dribble. One of the dogs has a habit of dribbling at both ends when someone knocks on the door so I suspect there is a good chance it could have come from the other end  but my bruised and wounded ego just cant cope with the thought right now so we will stick with dog dribble.

Anyways, I was holding a full cup of coffee at the time when I fell, which of course the contents of which went frigging everywhere.

I was on the floor with one dog was licking me whilst the other was licking up the coffee, the bird was going apeshit and the kids were banging at the front door to be let in.

I called out to the kids to climb through the window and then I did the check.

You know... the check.

Am I alive and not floating above my body or towards the light?  Nup we're good.

Am I breathing OK? Yes

Any blood splattered? No

Any limbs bent in the wrong direction? Nope

Can I move my legs? Yes

Did I remember to series link Vanderpump Rules? Sure did!

Right. So with everything seemingly in order I climbed my way up off the floor but when I stood up -OUCH!! Everything on my right side hurt like buggery.

It didn't get much better as the night went on, in fact it got worse and I was assigned to the couch to concentrate on feeling sorry for myself.

I'm still here.

My big toe is now black and blue although God knows how I managed to hurt that when I fell . My ass and hip feel like I have been riding a camel for 14 days straight and my right arm and wrist and shoulder feels like they have been used in a Chinese burn championship.

I don't think anything is broken. Although if my wrist doesn't shrink in size by the time the hubby gets home he is threatening to take me to the hospital.

I loathe hospitals.

My accident prone family has funded at least one wing of our local hospital and I'm at the point that I am actually embarrassed to walk through those sliding doors because the poor staff there pretty much know us by name, date of birth and dinner menu options.

I'm sure they seeing us coming and go "oh man it's them again".

So anyway.

The beautiful Sarah from Lady Sadie's Emporium nominated me for an Inspiration Bloggers award which is one of those games where you over share about yourself and then nominate other bloggers to over share too - perfect really because I am a devoted over sharer and since I suddenly have some extra time on my hands.

So the rules say I need to tell you 7 random things about myself.. which is no easy feat really because there isn't a lot I haven't shared with you already, but we'll give it a burl anyways.



1. I'm a King sized klutz.
I mean - derrr - you kind of figured that out for yourselves didn't you? But the thing is I could fall over in a padded room and I would still do some damage - I am that clumsy.

2. I am addicted to buying music on iTunes. I blame it on Sound Hound. I hear a song in the car, at the shops, on a TV commercial and when I Sound Hound it - it gives me an option to buy the song. Which I do of course, because I am addicted to buying music and so its what I do and now my phone has virtually no memory left because it is all taken up by music.

3. I am a Candy crush lifer. Level 652 kids. Ah huh. Pretty impressive right? OK.. or not.

4. I am extremely superstitious. To the point that I have a zillion little rituals and things I do or say  you know... just in case and all that.

5. I'm afraid of feet. Yep feet. Put a foot near me and I get all squeamish and freak out. Unless it is a little chubby baby foot because for some reason I am totally immune to them.

6. I'm allergic to mammal meat. Like stab me with an epi pen kind of allergic. It's not that uncommon actually and my boys all have the same problem. We became allergic after being bitten by ticks.

7. I will only eat red and green gummi bears. Put a bowl of gummi bears in front of me and I will pick out every single red and green one and leave you with the rest. Its just a thing.

Now because I always get so paranoid about offending anyone by not nominating them for these kind of things, I am going to throw it out to you guys and challenge you to tell me at least one random thing about yourself. Share more by all means if you are feeling up for it.

Come on, entertain this sore and sorry invalid and distract me from my battered body.

Tuesday 24 February 2015

Copper Crushing

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Do you remember the Copperart stores? 

I am probably dead set giving away my age now aren't I?

We had a Copperart store at our local shopping centre and many a time I would pop in there to admire all the little trinkets and occasionally pick out something for my mum for Mothers Day or her birthday. every now and then I would buy a little something for myself and man I thought I was so on trend. 

A plant stand, a clock, a copper ashtray or a little brass decorative box. Copperart had them all. 

Heck I even brought myself a really cheap and cheerful brass coat stand when I was about 15 to go in the corner of my bedroom... because I had so many coats and hats and all that back then... not!

Sadly it seemed like copper had well and truly had it's time and one by one the stores disappeared from the shopping centres only to resurface again with a new name with no copper reference at all - Homeart.

But as with all good things, copper has done a full circle and is back with a flourish. 

Thankfully though, this time around, it seems that we have far more stylish options to choose from when it comes to adding a little copper touch to our homes and I have to tell you I have a serious copper crush going on right now.

I'm feeling a little copper DIY coming on this weekend and I guess I'm just going to have to let Martha Mudguts off her leash.

Stay tuned.

In the meantime, here's some lust worthy copper inspiration I have been seriously crushing on. Copper eyeful of these beauties... *ahem* sorry bad pun.

Clockwise from Top Left

Clockwise from Top Left

Clockwise from Top Left


Clockwise from Top Left

So are you crushing on anything at the moment? 
Has copper got you blushing too?

I always endeavour to link back to the original source in my style inspiration posts, but if I have made a mistake please let me know and I will correct it immediately.


Monday 23 February 2015

DO NOT JUDGE ME or Anyone Else For That Matter!

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I copped a real judging a few weeks ago when I was eating lunch with my son at the local shops. It was during the school holidays and whilst I was so incredibly mad about it at the time - I was also somewhat embarrassed by how childishly I handled the situation.

By the next day I was over what happened so the post stayed unpublished in my drafts.

But then watching a friend get attacked by other women on social media the other night, I got mad all over again.

I'm mad at the ignorant woman who called my friend cruel and said she doesn't deserve kids, kids she loves with every bit of her being.

She was called 'cruel' and 'not worthy of kids' because she engaged in a conversation about punishment and consequences on a thread on Facebook. My friend commented about how she didn't let her daughter go to a birthday party because she had been warned again and again about her bad behaviour and she felt she needed to carry through with her threat.

And then the pack let loose on her.

So I got mad at them.

And then I got mad again at the woman who judged me at the shops and I got mad at any other woman who thinks it is OK to judge another mum... or anyone for that matter.

I mean aren't we all just doing the best we can?

Here's what I was all huffy about a few weeks ago...

I grabbed some pre shopping takeaway sushi with my youngest son today and we sat down to eat it together at the communal table.

There was another mum and her little girl about the same age as Flynn already sitting there and so as we sat down across from them I threw a smile in the mum's direction.

Now normally the routine is kind of supposed to go like this. You smile at someone and then they smile back and all is as it should be.

Except she didn't smile back.

She looked me up and down and then eyed off the bright green slushie Flynn was slurping on and rolled her eyes at me.

OK.

So no big deal.

Each to their own and all that.

This woman dressed in Lycra tights and a t-back tee doesn't approve of giving kids fluro coloured refreshments and you know what - that's totally fine. I don't exactly approve of someone rolling their eyes so blatantly at a stranger who just smiled at you so we were all even Steven.

We were munching our way through a tray of grilled salmon and a pack of baby sushi when mid mouthful Flynn pipes up with " Mum, why do some boys love other boys and want to marry them?".

Used to his random questions I simply replied by saying "Well just like a boy loves a girl or a girl loves a girl, a boy can love another boy if he wants to too".

Cue the sniff from across the table and some more eye rolling.

Alright, so clearly I was encountering someone who doesn't see eye to eye with me.

Whatever.

Except this continued throughout our lunch and I was starting to become self conscious about everything I said.

A few more munches and Flynn threw another one at me; "Mum, what would happen if I only ever drank green slushies and nothing else?"

"Well der" I said, "Your eyes would glow green and your nails and your teeth and your hair would all turn green too".

This time there was a shake of the head and a look of disdain from the woman across from me and her daughter who was listening intently to our conversation turned to her mum and said "would that really happen Mummy?"

"No darling" she said to her little girl before giving me a look that clearly said 'idiot!'. "Of course not. But you would probably get fat and all of your teeth would fall out".

Flynn and I couldn't help ourselves, we looked at each other and giggled and the little girl looked across at us all wide eyed and then she giggled too.

The other woman by this stage was not even attempting to hide her dislike for me and she glared at me as she packed up her things and prepared to leave.

By this stage I was mad. Like really mad.

How dare she make me feel like this?

I mean it is one thing to eavesdrop on someones conversation but to be so blatantly rude and judgemental about a conversation you are not even a part of???

GAH!

And so I couldn't help myself. As she stood to leave I turned to Flynn and said "Oh and mate, just another thing..." and with that I shoved a whole piece of sushi in my mouth looked straight at my hater and with bits falling out of my mouth I said "Iths wearly wuuuuudde to twalk wif your mouffull".

Cause I'm realllllly mature like that.

Judgey McGrudgeys.

There is a place for them and it sure as hell is not now and not ever!

Sorry rant over.


Have you ever been judged publicly by someone or felt judged?
Why do so many women do this to each other?


Saturday 21 February 2015

Sweet Treats You HAVE To Try For Yourself

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I am desperately hanging on to summer like hanging around its ankle begging it not to go kind of hanging on. And so I have been creating some treats for the kids (ok and maybe a little for me) that I hope will bring those summer holiday vibes streaming back into our lives.

Oh bugger it - lets face it, hanging on to summer is probably a pretty weak excuse for making these creations. Im just looking for an excuse to play with food and earn some serious brownie points with the kids in the process.

Heres a couple of sweet treats you can make for your kids or for yourself or for anyone that needs a little sweetening up ;)


This dessert pizza is inspired by two of my best friends who own a pizza restaurant - Cantina in Mona Vale - and make only the best damn pizzas like EVER!

RECIPE

Thin pizza base (hand made or shop brought)
1 banana
2 strawberries
a handful of Ocean Spray cranberries
Nutella
Icing Sugar

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius
Spread the nutella over your pizza leaving an edge for the crust
Slice your banana and spread over the top of the nutella
Sprinkle with diced strawberries and your cranberries

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes and then drizzle with Nutella you have melted on high for 30 seconds in the microwave and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Serve hot or cold - it is delicious either way.




You can't go wrong with popsicles... EVER and this recipe has just the right amount of tang and sweetness.

RECIPE

3/4 cup of Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice
1 cup Raspberiies
1/2 cup of Ocean Spray Cranberries
400ml of coconut cream (1 can)
2 tables spoons sugar
1 teas spoon vanilla extract

METHOD

In a saucepan add together your cranberry juice, raspberries and cranberries. Stir over a medium heat until the mixture boils and the raspberries break down. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens and then set aside to cool.

In another bowl mix together your coconut cream, vanilla and sugar and then zap it in the microwave for about 30-40 seconds on high to melt the sugar.

In your popsicle mould fill 1 third with your raspberry and cranberry mixture then place in the freezer until has partially frozen. Then remove and top up the remaining two thirds of your mould with your coconut cream and then replace in the freezer until they have frozen and you are ready to eat.

*Tip: Run your popsicle moulds under hot water for 30 seconds to loosen the popsicles enough to remove them without breakage.

Thats it. Now enjoy!

For a chance to win one of 5 x $1000 Grocery vouchers head on over to the Ocean Spray Facebook page and answer the question; 'What is the most creative cranberry dish you would love to cook and what would you call it?' in 30 words or less. 

Entries close 11.59pm AEDT Sunday 8th March.



Friday 20 February 2015

The Week That Was

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Before I start my usual rambling I just want to send my love to all our friends in NT and Queensland who are currently in the midst of battling or surveying the damage caused Cyclone Marcia. Stay safe you guys, our thoughts are with you.

So this week has been a much better one than last week. A good rest last weekend was exactly what the Dr ordered and I have been focusing on mindfulness as so many of you suggested.

You are totally right - just slowing down and being present even with the most boring crap in a busy day somehow makes them seem less crappy and can be the difference between being pulling your hair out kind of stressed or just calmly working through what needs to be done.



I did discover another little parenting gem this week, and exactly WHY it has taken me 12 years to figure this one out I do not know.

I am forever grounding the kids or banning them form something or other for turdish behaviour. So much so that I often forget who is grounded and who is banned from what.

SO I am taking a new approach from now on. I will ground myself instead of them and send myself to my room for a time out... with a bottle of gin, a block of chocolate, a huge pile of magazines and a whole load of trashy TV.

It works.

It actually works.

Better yet - when the kids realised I wasn't planning on coming out to make them dinner or perhaps ever they suddenly transformed into little angels asking me through the gap at the bottom of the door if I would like them to vacuum the floor or empty the dishwasher.

Holy Shitballs - that does NOT usually happen.

Someone so needs to put that strategy in one of those parenting books.

Mid week I donned the war paint and fancy threads and headed into the city with two of my BFFs for a Nuffnang Dubai event where it was insanely awesome to meet face to face with some gorgeous bloggers I have only ever spoken to online.

The night was totally hilarious - as it always is when I am with these girls.

We started with an obligatory back street selfie sessions before the event and I have to tell you - I freaking love these two for so many reasons, but up there is the fact that Kate and Tessa absolutely tower over me being the stunning glamazons that they are and the short arse that I am, but in every photo we ever take together, they always duck down to make me look taller than what I really am.

Not to mention that Tessa only ever wears flats when we are together.

That is true friendship right there.

We finished the night with an impromptu dance at a park in Surry Hills. As we were walking back to our car we noticed a park full of people with glowing headphones all dancing around in silence.

We were so NOT going to pass up the opportunity to join in and so we donned some headphones and got in there and got grooving ourselves.

FREAKING hilarious and we were laughing so hard we were at risk of peeing our pants. It is now going to be one of those moments that whenever I think about it and no  matter where I am I will forever more break out in the goofiest grin at the memory.

I love those kind of memories.


Speaking of memorable moments -  another ridiculously exciting thing happened this week over on my Facebook page - I had a total fangirl moment when my foodie chef crush commented on one of my posts and began to follow my page.

Curtis Stone. THE totally swoon worthy Curtis Stone. The Curtis Stone who I used to loiter in Coles hoping I would get picked for him to come back to our house and cook us dinner for an episode of Take Home Chef.

Of course I totally blew any skerrick of cool composure (not that I had much to start with) when I saw the Facebook notification come through and I gushed like the Nile or a dedicated One Direction lifer.


Apart from silent dancing, self induced timeouts and fan girl gushing I have spent a lot of time this week faffing around the house playing with washi tape, framing tea towels, accidentally on purpose buying cushions and rearranging furniture when I was supposed to be working.

Ummm it's about balance though right?

I balanced my procrastinations equally among these things so I think we are all good.



One last thing before I say good night ...

I am so freaking honoured to have my name even remotely whispered in Part one of such a courageous story by an incredibly beautiful soul - Sandra. If you or someone you know has been touched by breast cancer - then I urge you to follow along as Sandra Kelly shares her brave journey

Thank you Sandra. I am for once literally lost for words my friend. 


So that is my week - how was yours?
Have you made any accidental purchases this past week?
Ever had a total fan girl moment?
What about random memories that make you laugh out loud in an elevator full of strangers?

Before I go let me introduce our fabulous Weekend Rewind Guest host this week. Not that I think she needs much in the way of introductions because I'm pretty sure most of you will already know the gorgeous Sam from The Annoyed Thyroid.

She is literally one of the most genuine down to earth bloggers with a heart of gold you could ever hope to connect with and if you have not yet had the pleasure of visiting Sam's blog - then get your ass over there right now cause you are in for a treat.



Link up your favourite post from the past week and then if you get a chance, pop around and say hello to some of the other lovely linkers. The Weekend Rewind blog hopping party starts every Friday night at 8pm and links will close on Sunday night at midnight. Link up here or over on Bron's blog (Maxabella Loves)Sonia's blog (Sonia Styling) or Kelly's at A Life Less Frantic.  It does not matter where you link as your link will show up in all 4 places.