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Thursday, June 30, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Amazing Drumming Monkeys
By Bec
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Check out their website to see some of their songs and to see where they will be performing. If they aren't going to be near you anytime soon, you can always purchase a DVD!!
Amazing Drumming Monkeys
Here is us doing the Monky dance!!
We have had the pleasure of checking out the Amazing Drumming Monkeys on numerous occassions - we have even travelled to country South Australia to see them. Most recently we saw them last weekend when they had a performance in the Adelaide mall. My kids absolutely loved them! They are drumming puppet monkeys - Congo and Bongo and provide messages of sustainability in a fun, entertaining way! They get you up and dancing and just having fun!
Their songs are so catchy, even I enjoy listening to them. At the end of the show my 4 year old asked for a DVD, so we ended up buying the DVD and CD. It's a CD I enjoy listening to in the car!
Check out their website to see some of their songs and to see where they will be performing. If they aren't going to be near you anytime soon, you can always purchase a DVD!!
Amazing Drumming Monkeys
Here is us doing the Monky dance!!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Death and children
By Bec
My wonderful Grandma (Mama as we called her) passed away during the week. She had cancer. It was very quick, she was only diagnosed late February this year. I visited her last Friday to say my goodbyes, but we didn't let my kids come as we didn't want their last memories of her like that. She was bed bound, jaundiced and was struggling to even talk.
I haven't even told the kids yet. When I got off the phone and burst into tears Hunter asked what was wrong and I just said I didn't feel very well. Of course I'm going to tell them, I just don't know when or how.
Our dilemma now is do we take the kids to the funeral or not? Hunter is 4.5 and Savannah 2. Savannah is too young to understand, but Hunter knows a bit about these things. I feel bad for him as we didn't let him see her the last time she was in hospital as he was sick, and we didn't want him passing bugs on (we don't get to see her that often as she lives in the country). But I'm not sure a funeral is an appropriate place for a 4 and 2 year old. What are your thoughts?
Rest in peace beautiful lady. You are now pain free and can rest. You will be greatly missed.
My wonderful Grandma (Mama as we called her) passed away during the week. She had cancer. It was very quick, she was only diagnosed late February this year. I visited her last Friday to say my goodbyes, but we didn't let my kids come as we didn't want their last memories of her like that. She was bed bound, jaundiced and was struggling to even talk.
I haven't even told the kids yet. When I got off the phone and burst into tears Hunter asked what was wrong and I just said I didn't feel very well. Of course I'm going to tell them, I just don't know when or how.
Our dilemma now is do we take the kids to the funeral or not? Hunter is 4.5 and Savannah 2. Savannah is too young to understand, but Hunter knows a bit about these things. I feel bad for him as we didn't let him see her the last time she was in hospital as he was sick, and we didn't want him passing bugs on (we don't get to see her that often as she lives in the country). But I'm not sure a funeral is an appropriate place for a 4 and 2 year old. What are your thoughts?
Rest in peace beautiful lady. You are now pain free and can rest. You will be greatly missed.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Incy Interiors GIVEAWAY
incy interiors specialises in beautiful designer furniture for babies and children.
founder, kristy withers decided to create incy after a long and exhausting search to find her son oscar ‘s first 'big boy bed'. an extensive search throughout australia and internationally left kristy frustrated and little oscar stuck in his cot.
kristy recognised an opportunity to bring quality designer furniture to Australia and with the help of a team of very talented people, incy was born!
incy interiors commits to providing australians with well designed, high quality and stylish children's and baby furniture that is not only beautiful, but also functional and affordable.
as a mum herself, kristy understands the importance of safety. all incy products meet australian and new zealand standards.
Little yoyo Styles is thrilled to be a part of the incy interiors stockist and we can introduce to you some of incy interiors very unique designer Baby and Children 's Furniture.
this children's sized cosy arm chair makes for the perfect spot to snuggle, read a book or simply relax. it is super light and comes with a little handle so it can easily be carried from room to room.
made from recycled foam and covered in removable canvas slipcover, it will withstand wear and tear and be easily cleaned.
- dimensions: 65cmW x 55cmD x57cmH
available from 30th june and available in blue check / pink with spots / red or Green
add some wall candy to your child's room with these gorgeous lollypop prints.
these sweet prints comes in yellow, red and green. buy the set for a colourful and fun wall display.
screen printed on cotton canvas and framed in a cream moulded frame.
- dimensions: 35cm x 50cm
create a sense of yesteryear with these retro canvas prints. available in 4 different styles - bus, truck, aeroplane and train.
create a feature wall with the full set of four.
screen printed on cotton canvas and framed in a coffee rounded frame.
- dimensions: 30cm x 20cm
a replica children's egg chair by arne jacobsen. the egg chair was first designed in 1958 for the lobby and reception areas at the royal hotel in copenhagen. it is a true classic and has timeless appeal.
featuring a strong fibreglass inner shell, comfy padding and covered in either high quality wool/cashmere blend fabric or 100% aniline leather.
4 point swivel base in polished stainless steel.
- dimensions: 54cmW x 54cmD x 65cmH
Available in White / navy / red / pink or leather brown
You can easily mix and match with incy interior' cot, bed, chairs and their wall arts into your child's nursery.
We are so excited to have a chance to help Incy-Interiors run this Giveaway! For your chance to win a choice from the lollipop prints (for girls room) or the car prints (boys room). Please visit www.incyinteriors.com.au and answer the following question: Which item(s) of Incy-Interiors is your favourite?
- Any purchase of Incy-Interiors from http://littleyoyostyles.com.au/incy-interiors-m-78.html
- Like Incy-Interiors on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Incy-Interiors/152321894799206
- Join the Incy-Interiors newsletter mailing list at http://www.incyinteriors.com.au/
- Follow Littleyoyostyles blogger with Google Friend Connect
- Write about this giveaway on your blog or Facebook page and leave the URL
Competition ends 30 June 2011. Australian entries Only.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Nature vs Nurture
by Victoria
An ex-colleague of mine posted this article, Hey Parents, Leave Those Kids Alone, on his facebook page recently which intrigued me enough to read it. It picked up the debate over Amy Chua, nicknamed the Tiger mum, the Yale Professor who wrote about her strict parenting style in her book "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother". This article responded to the question of how much pressure we should apply on our children with "none".
The debate over nature (the talents and abilities you're born with) and nurture (the training and environment you grow up in) is a never-ending one. I like to think that neither the total 'hands-off' approach of totally kicking back and letting nature take its course, nor pushing your child until they, and you, are close to losing your minds, is the solution to giving a child the best opportunity in life. The best would be to balance nature and nurture but the trick is figuring out the right balance. And that is perhaps what makes parenting one fine art.
I suppose there is always a concern that some parents would look at their kids and say,"he or she is never going to be a doctor/ nurse/ carpenter/ hairdresser, so we should just all kick back", and at the other extreme, parents who always say "they can be better", and constantly criticising their children without celebrating their achievements.
In addition, we read of famous sports stars, like Tiger Woods, who has in the past credited his father for being tough with him which contributed to his success in golf. Therefore, the critical question is "do we push our kids in areas where they are talented or is it far better that they push themselves in something they enjoy even if they are not talented in that area?"
For me, I feel it's important that Miss P learns that to achieve something, hard work is a prerequisite. Yet within that lesson, I want her to know that she has free will too and not exasperate her by making all of life's choices for her. It's important that she learns the consequences of some of her choices. For example, if you sleep late, you'll wake up feeling awful and grumpy. So, it's better to sleep early and enjoy your day ahead. Whether she'll understand or choose to understand is quite another thing, but I can only try. That said, this parenting journey is a 2-way street. As much as Miss P learns from me, I'm sure I'll learn from her too.
I am not a Tiger Mum aspirant and have no desire to be one. While I like to think I take pride in my child's achievements, I do concur with a friend who said that she does not take credit for her child's good or bad behaviour. This is because while they were growing up, she emphasised the importance of being responsible and of owning up to what they had done. She felt that there is a tendency these days to lay the blame on someone else when something goes wrong in one's life and there is a failure to take responsibility for one's own actions.
To end this little post on nature vs nurture, I came across this little quote in my local gym which resonated with me, is relevant to this topic, and one that I'll like to share with you:
An ex-colleague of mine posted this article, Hey Parents, Leave Those Kids Alone, on his facebook page recently which intrigued me enough to read it. It picked up the debate over Amy Chua, nicknamed the Tiger mum, the Yale Professor who wrote about her strict parenting style in her book "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother". This article responded to the question of how much pressure we should apply on our children with "none".
The debate over nature (the talents and abilities you're born with) and nurture (the training and environment you grow up in) is a never-ending one. I like to think that neither the total 'hands-off' approach of totally kicking back and letting nature take its course, nor pushing your child until they, and you, are close to losing your minds, is the solution to giving a child the best opportunity in life. The best would be to balance nature and nurture but the trick is figuring out the right balance. And that is perhaps what makes parenting one fine art.
I suppose there is always a concern that some parents would look at their kids and say,"he or she is never going to be a doctor/ nurse/ carpenter/ hairdresser, so we should just all kick back", and at the other extreme, parents who always say "they can be better", and constantly criticising their children without celebrating their achievements.
In addition, we read of famous sports stars, like Tiger Woods, who has in the past credited his father for being tough with him which contributed to his success in golf. Therefore, the critical question is "do we push our kids in areas where they are talented or is it far better that they push themselves in something they enjoy even if they are not talented in that area?"
For me, I feel it's important that Miss P learns that to achieve something, hard work is a prerequisite. Yet within that lesson, I want her to know that she has free will too and not exasperate her by making all of life's choices for her. It's important that she learns the consequences of some of her choices. For example, if you sleep late, you'll wake up feeling awful and grumpy. So, it's better to sleep early and enjoy your day ahead. Whether she'll understand or choose to understand is quite another thing, but I can only try. That said, this parenting journey is a 2-way street. As much as Miss P learns from me, I'm sure I'll learn from her too.
I am not a Tiger Mum aspirant and have no desire to be one. While I like to think I take pride in my child's achievements, I do concur with a friend who said that she does not take credit for her child's good or bad behaviour. This is because while they were growing up, she emphasised the importance of being responsible and of owning up to what they had done. She felt that there is a tendency these days to lay the blame on someone else when something goes wrong in one's life and there is a failure to take responsibility for one's own actions.
To end this little post on nature vs nurture, I came across this little quote in my local gym which resonated with me, is relevant to this topic, and one that I'll like to share with you:
Success is best measured by how far you've come with the talents you have. ~ Anonymous
I'll love to hear about your parenting style or a style you aspire to, and how do you strike the right balance in parenting?
Friday, June 10, 2011
Cold weather
By Bec
I don't know about where you are living, but in Adelaide at the moment it's freezing, absolutely freezing. This is concerning given winter has only just started. I think we are in for a long, cold winter!!
So the cold, rainy weather always begs the question - what to do with the kids??? There is always ABC for kids (which I think is fantastic in limited amounts) but I know we all feel guilty letting our kids watch too much TV. Some of our favourite indoor, non-TV activities are:
Building an indoor cubby house
This is fun!! Grab some chairs and sheets and pop the sheets over the chairs. You can make a nice and cosy cubby house. We like to have morning or afternoon tea in our cubby houses!
Colouring in sheets
You can get some awesome colouring sheets on the internet these days, saves you having to buy a colouring in book, and you can print off different pages to suit you child's current mood. Cars one minute and fairies the next...no worries!
Kidspot have some great colouring pages here.
Playdough
We all love being creative with playdough. This is one kids of all ages can do. Both my 2 year old and 4 year old love playdough. Check out my aromaplay review here.
Of if you are feeling adventurous, you can make your own playdough.
Easy Peasy No Cook Play Dough from www.naturalparentingtips.com
•2 cups of plain flour
•4 tablespoons of ‘cream of tartar’
•2 tablespoons of cooking oil
•1 cup of salt
•2 cups of boiling water
•Food coloring
Put all in a bowl and mix.
If it doesn't come together straight away, keep on mixing. It will eventually get the right texture.
Check out the Little Big Book Club Activities
What an awesome page full of Book activities. The activities are in set out based on the books of the month, for each age group (0-2, 2-3 and 3-4 year olds). Our favourite so far has been to make Grug - but there is plenty to do. Search for your child's favourite book and see what you can make and do!
Create with lego
Here is where their imagination can run wild. Duplo for the younger ones and lego for the older children. A tip I have is play with lego on a queen sheet, when you have finished, pick up the sheet by the 4 corners and then you can tip it into the tub - easy clean up!
Dance
What child doesn't love music....just put their favourite tunes on and dance. You can even get housework done whilst dancing with your kids!!
I would love it if you could share your favourite indoor, non-TV activities!
I don't know about where you are living, but in Adelaide at the moment it's freezing, absolutely freezing. This is concerning given winter has only just started. I think we are in for a long, cold winter!!
So the cold, rainy weather always begs the question - what to do with the kids??? There is always ABC for kids (which I think is fantastic in limited amounts) but I know we all feel guilty letting our kids watch too much TV. Some of our favourite indoor, non-TV activities are:
Building an indoor cubby house
This is fun!! Grab some chairs and sheets and pop the sheets over the chairs. You can make a nice and cosy cubby house. We like to have morning or afternoon tea in our cubby houses!
Colouring in sheets
You can get some awesome colouring sheets on the internet these days, saves you having to buy a colouring in book, and you can print off different pages to suit you child's current mood. Cars one minute and fairies the next...no worries!
Kidspot have some great colouring pages here.
Playdough
We all love being creative with playdough. This is one kids of all ages can do. Both my 2 year old and 4 year old love playdough. Check out my aromaplay review here.
Of if you are feeling adventurous, you can make your own playdough.
Easy Peasy No Cook Play Dough from www.naturalparentingtips.com
•2 cups of plain flour
•4 tablespoons of ‘cream of tartar’
•2 tablespoons of cooking oil
•1 cup of salt
•2 cups of boiling water
•Food coloring
Put all in a bowl and mix.
If it doesn't come together straight away, keep on mixing. It will eventually get the right texture.
Check out the Little Big Book Club Activities
What an awesome page full of Book activities. The activities are in set out based on the books of the month, for each age group (0-2, 2-3 and 3-4 year olds). Our favourite so far has been to make Grug - but there is plenty to do. Search for your child's favourite book and see what you can make and do!
Create with lego
Here is where their imagination can run wild. Duplo for the younger ones and lego for the older children. A tip I have is play with lego on a queen sheet, when you have finished, pick up the sheet by the 4 corners and then you can tip it into the tub - easy clean up!
Dance
What child doesn't love music....just put their favourite tunes on and dance. You can even get housework done whilst dancing with your kids!!
I would love it if you could share your favourite indoor, non-TV activities!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
What's in a Name?
Our family welcomed a new golden retriever puppy on Monday. Miss P loves Jemima from Playschool best and she has a Jemima doll. But her next favourite character from Playschool is Meeka, and that's why Mr B decided to name our puppy Meeka.
That made me think about the reasons why we choose names for our children or pets. I love that there's a story behind my name. My mum told me that when she was in labour, she hadn't yet chosen a name for me. However, after she was in labour for a while, the nurses started to speak in hushed tones and were looking back at her then at each other. Every time she asked them what was wrong, they denied anything was wrong. When the doctor arrived, he told my mum that they couldn't detect my heartbeat and so presumed I had died. The doctor, thankfully, did not give up hope, and continued to hook my mum up to a machine and tried for a while to detect my heartbeat. When he found a weak heartbeat, he instructed my mum to start pushing and I was born. My mum said that was a victory and so named me Victoria.
There is also a reason why Mr B and I gave Miss P the middle name of Isla. As I was originally from Singapore, an island-nation like Australia, we thought that Isla, which means island, amongst other meanings, would remind Miss P of her Singaporean and Australian heritage.
Is there a story behind how your name was chosen or how you chose your children's or pet's names? I would love to hear them!
That made me think about the reasons why we choose names for our children or pets. I love that there's a story behind my name. My mum told me that when she was in labour, she hadn't yet chosen a name for me. However, after she was in labour for a while, the nurses started to speak in hushed tones and were looking back at her then at each other. Every time she asked them what was wrong, they denied anything was wrong. When the doctor arrived, he told my mum that they couldn't detect my heartbeat and so presumed I had died. The doctor, thankfully, did not give up hope, and continued to hook my mum up to a machine and tried for a while to detect my heartbeat. When he found a weak heartbeat, he instructed my mum to start pushing and I was born. My mum said that was a victory and so named me Victoria.
There is also a reason why Mr B and I gave Miss P the middle name of Isla. As I was originally from Singapore, an island-nation like Australia, we thought that Isla, which means island, amongst other meanings, would remind Miss P of her Singaporean and Australian heritage.
Is there a story behind how your name was chosen or how you chose your children's or pet's names? I would love to hear them!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Contemplating Age + Getting Older
by Becky from beckyandjames.com
Tomorrow is my 28th birthday.
As a general rule, I don't mind this whole getting older business. At least I haven't until now; which might partially be because I have thought myself to be (and felt like I was) 23 from the day I turned twenty three to, well, today.
Tomorrow I will no longer be early-twenties or even my mid-twenties, I will be joining the ranks of LATE-twenties. To top that little gem off, I will be a mere two years out from 30. 3 - 0. That number, right there, seems quite daunting. Suddenly I am freaking out.
Almost thirty and I am not something. Almost thirty and still not sure what I want to be when I 'grow up' but it turns out I was growing up without realising. Almost 30. OMG.
With this in mind, I've decided to make 28 my best year yet. Starting this month, with the gift I've given myself of A Month, Just for Me.
Tell me, what would make your best year ever?
Tomorrow is my 28th birthday.
As a general rule, I don't mind this whole getting older business. At least I haven't until now; which might partially be because I have thought myself to be (and felt like I was) 23 from the day I turned twenty three to, well, today.
Tomorrow I will no longer be early-twenties or even my mid-twenties, I will be joining the ranks of LATE-twenties. To top that little gem off, I will be a mere two years out from 30. 3 - 0. That number, right there, seems quite daunting. Suddenly I am freaking out.
Almost thirty and I am not something. Almost thirty and still not sure what I want to be when I 'grow up' but it turns out I was growing up without realising. Almost 30. OMG.
With this in mind, I've decided to make 28 my best year yet. Starting this month, with the gift I've given myself of A Month, Just for Me.
Tell me, what would make your best year ever?
Friday, June 3, 2011
CARS Truck Tour 2011
By Bec
We got there just after 12 noon when they opened, and lined up to get in. Once we were in, there were different activities to do. First we lined up to drive the slot cars. Savannah decided not to do this, but Hunter had fun.
Next they had a 3 minute ride on the go karts. These were great, they had stop signs, give-way signs, red/green lights and roads to follow. The kids stopped at the appropriate times, so gave them an idea of road rules. The little legs found it hard to reach the pedals so needed a parent to push. Savannah made it difficult as she was steering all over the place (but of course wouldn't let Mummy help steer). Hunter could reach the pedals so he was good on his own.
With the movie Cars 2 due to be released soon my hubby and 4 year old are bursting out of their boots. They loved the first Cars movie (hubby more so than my son I think) and are both very excited to see the second one. With that in mind we were all very excited when we heard that MACK the Transporter was going on a Truck Tour.
We got there just after 12 noon when they opened, and lined up to get in. Once we were in, there were different activities to do. First we lined up to drive the slot cars. Savannah decided not to do this, but Hunter had fun.
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| Slot cars with Dad. |
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| Savannah - go kart |
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| Hunter - go kart |
And they got a photo with the piston cup!
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| The piston cup - brother, sister and cousin! |
There was also a colouring in tent - where there were lots of CARS related colouring sheets. Hunter did one in the tent and we took one of each home and Hunter spent the afternoon at home colouring. One of them involved making a piston cup, so involved colouring, cutting and sticking. Hunter really enjoyed this one at home. And for the older kids, you could line up to get on MACK and play a playstation game. All these activities were free of charge.
If you wanted to spend money, you could get your photo taken with a CARS theme background, and they had a merchandise stand with show bags and CARS plush toys. I was quite happy that we walked away without spending any money!!!
It was definitely worth a trip. We were there about an hour all up - but an enjoyable hour.
The truck tour is still happening in various places around Australia, so to find out more about the truck tour and to see if there is one near you click here.
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Louisa is mum to two littles, Miss Bliss and Little Bear. She lives in Melbourne and is addicited to coffee, to-do lists and blogging, in no particular order. She loves being a Mum even if sometimes it feels a bit frantic. Louisa writes most days at 
Becky is a busy SAHM to three little Munchkins; Ellie, Kahlei and Jasper. She is about to embark on a new adventure and move her whole family into her mum's house while waiting for her house to sell. She is currently concentrating on doing her bit to remove the stigma surrounding Post Natal Depression and encourage mothers to take care of themselves to be the best they can be for their families on her blog 
Bec is Mum to Master Hunter (4 years old) and Miss Savannah ( 2 years old). She lives in Adelaide and juggles working 4 days a week in education research, volunteering for St Vincent de Paul, Kindy Governing Council, gym, kids sport and keeping the kids entertained and active. Life is busy but rewarding.
Victoria is mum to 19 month old Miss P and lives in rural Victoria. Having just returned to work as strategic planner in a local council, she is learning to juggle work, studies, and being a wife and mother, while finding some time for herself. When she can find the time, she enjoys watching movies, reading, and catching up with friends and family.
