Product review - Fruut sacks

By Bec,

My 5 year old son is obsessed, and I mean obsessed with lego. Those tiny little pieces are always under my feet. So when I saw these fruut sacks I just knew I had to give them a go. I was a little hesitant with the price to start with (they are $38.50 for small, $44.55 for medium and $47.85), I thought they were expensive for what they were - but boy was I wrong!  They are so worth their weight in gold!

They come in 4 awesome colours - green, red, pink and blue - and 3 sizes.  We got a red medium and a small blue. The medium is good for most of his building - the large would be even better but they were out of stock so we went with the medium - and it works fine. The small one is good for when he just wants to build little things.

Once he has finished building, it's just a matter of pulling the strings together and voila - all packed up. My feet have been saved!

Here is Hunter playing with the lego on the mat.

Then once finished we could hang it behind Hunter's door for storage.

An additional bonus I found was we could take the lego on his sleep-over to Grandma and Grandpa's. So easy to pack into the sack and take with him!

I think the fruut sacks could be used for many things. They would be great for my daughter's barbies with all those barbie clothes, along with tea sets and really anything with lots of parts!

I would definitely recommend fruut sacks. Check them out at Little Yoyo Styles.

Committees

By Bec,

Given my son started school late last year, I recently attended my first school Annual General Meeting (AGM).  As our kids spend so much time at school, childcare, kindy, I find it important to be involved. I was secretary on the kindy (preschool) governing council and I sent my husband to the childcare governing council- where he is a member.  I like to know what's going on behind the scenes, have a say on issues that affect my children and get well known by the Principal, Director, teachers, carers and so on. And I thought it would be a great chance to meet some other parents at the school.

I found the AGM really interesting. Being the nerdy person I am (I work in research/statistics) I really enjoyed hearing all the stats about how the kids are performing and what strategies the school has in place to help those who are not up to their expectations. I think my husband would have been bored out of his brains!

So at the end of the meeting I found myself not only a member of the school governing council, but I'm now the newest school governing council Secretary! I'm not sure how I got that job again, I was determined to sit on my hands, but the notion of giving back to the school got to me!  I work 4 days per week so I can see it's going to be a busy year, but I'm looking forward to it!  We have our first meeting in a couple of weeks, and I'm excited.

Do you like to get involved in committees?  Or stay clear?

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Another child?

After having your first child, having another can seem such a big decision. This is especially if you have been sleep deprived for a while. Sleep deprivation makes you go back and forth in your decision about having more children. I have had friends who have advised that if I'm sleep deprived, I should have another one since I'm not getting much sleep anyway. However, my reasoning is I couldn't deal with any less sleep than what I'm getting at the moment. Some parents are amazing to put up with even less sleep with another child.

So, when is a good time to have another child? Some parents like a very close age gap of about 1 year and some between 2-3 years. I know of a mother who, shortly after giving birth to her first child, talked about having another. I couldn't imagine myself doing that as I was learning the ropes of being a mother, was exhausted but was also grappling with the lack of my own personal time and space. But as we're all different in our ways, we know what we can or can't cope.

The discussion about having another child is often out of our hands, especially for us. We didn't fall pregnant with Miss P quickly. It took us 18 months and a laparoscopy operation and 3 months after that, it resulted in the desired lines in the pregnancy test. What joy!

Yet when talk of another child came up between Mr B and I, we were hesitant. Miss P hadn't been sleeping consistently well. Some nights were better than others. Some other nights were quite disastrous. There was a period where she would wake at midnight or 2am and then it'll take us between 2-4 hours to get her back to sleep. We were like zombies!! Did we want another child?

However, since it took so long with Miss P, we thought we better start thinking about no. 2. And believe it or not, within a few months, we've fallen pregnant. So different this time! And perhaps I should say here that it's the reason I've not been blogging as regularly as I like. Pregnancy nausea and tiredness haven't been great. Even though the nausea is still lingering, I must have gotten used to it because I don't feel as down about it as I was at the start of this pregnancy. Bub no. 2 is due in early July.....and we can't wait!

Was having another child a big decision for you? Was it a difficult or easy one?

The Big Rocking Horse

By Bec,

In the Adelaide Hills we have The Big Rocking Horse. You can climb the horse (for a minimal cost of $2), and see the animals (bags of food also $2). There are picnic areas so you can bring your own food, or purchase from the cafe!  Such a wonderful family outing!

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Getting rid of the dummy

By Bec,

Savannah is 2 years and 10months and loves her dummy. We had it to the stage where she was just having it for sleeps and she was happy with that!  I always knew we would have to get rid of it eventually, but wasn't quite ready. I just had a week of leave from work, and Savannah was on leave from childcare so I thought now would be a good time as if she went to bed late at least she didn't have to be up early in the mornings.

My son gave his dummies to the Easter Bunny.  He must have been 3 1/2 years old.  We talked about it and how the baby bunnies need it and that the Easter Bunny would leave him HEAPS of chocolate!  So he happily left the dummies out in a basket the night Easter Bunny comes and went to bed well without it.  He was so excited the next morning when he had heaps of chocolate - and went to bed really well without it that night too. The next night however wasn't so great. He was very distressed and asked hubby to ring the Easter Bunny to bring them back.  We rode it out and that night was the last he ever asked of them!

Savannah on the other hand isn't going so well. The first night (Monday) she cried and cried and cried, and eventually went to sleep in my bed with hubby at around 10.30pm.  She never once asked for her dummy, but wanted either Mum or Dad to lay with her.  The second night she was so so tired from going to bed late the night before and fell asleep watching TV around 5.30pm. She slept for about 1.5hours and then woke up hungry and inconsolable.  I let her get up and have some dinner and she layed on the couch with me and we watched Young Talent Time and some of my shows.  Around 9pm I took her to bed and I layed next to her and read whilst she whinged a bit and eventually went to sleep.  I really didn't know what to do. She doesn't know how to get to sleep without her dummy. And part of me thought, just give her the dummy and she will be straight to sleep. But the other part said the longer we leave it the harder it will get...and we have already had 2 really really bad nights, may as well continue it!

The third night she cried from around 8-8.30pm.  Then fell asleep.  She then woke up around 9.30pm and cried and cried and cried and was quite unresponsive to us.  The fourth night she cried for about 5 minutes, then went to sleep - oh yay we are getting somewhere we thougt.  But then about an hour later she woke up again unresponsive and inconsolable.  The week continued along much the same way - she would cry herself to sleep and may or may not wake up -and maybe inconsolable and unresponsive.  We didn't know, is it dummy related?  Is she unwell?  But then it finally dawned on us - we think it's night terrors.  All the signs fit! So not really sure if it's related to her dummy or not! Possibly overtired - as she is also cutting out her day sleeps!

But we are now 7 days down the track - she is on her 8th night with no dummy!  She has never asked for it and is so proud to tell everyone (Grandma, Grandpa, childcare staff and friends) "I'm a big girl, I don't need dummies, dummies are only for babies".

I took her to the shops and bought her a "big girl present" - her choice!

I'm pleased not to have to buy dummies anymore, and Savannah's teeth will be thanking her!!

WillowBlu bags - product review

By Bec,

I needed a new handbag and kept eyeing off the WillowBlu bags. They cost more than I usually spend (the last handbag I got was on sale for $50 from Harbour Town!) so I was a bit aprehensive to spend that  much on a bag but boy am I glad I did!

Once I had decided I was going to purchase one of these bags for myself, I then had the agonizing decision of what bag to get.  I really wanted a black bag to replace my black one which broke so I ummed and arred for ages and then made a decision. Turned out the one I wanted wasn't available in black after all- so I got it in distressed brown!!  I love the distressed brown!  I'm so glad the black wasn't available.  It's different to what I'm used to and a change is great. I've had so many comments from friends on this bag! It's comfy, it fits a lot in and it's stylish!

The leather is so so soft.  The one I got has heaps of pockets, which is great for storing different things. Pockets on either end which I use for my mobile phone and Savannah's dummy! And a zip to do it all up so I don't lose all the stuff I manage to keep in there!

The bags are under the nappy bag section of the Little Yoyo Styles website - but I found this one is too small for a nappy bag (I was after a handbag not a nappy bag so it suits me to a tee), so make sure you check out the measurements if you want a nappy bag.  But otherwise I suggest you treat yourself! I didn't have a nice handbag as I was always taking my nappy bag, and on the odd occassion I was going out on my own I didn't have a bag to use!  Well now it's used daily!

Check out the range of WillowBlu bags stocked at Little Yoyo Styles!

Summer

By Bec,
What does summer mean to you?  To us it's jumping on the (new) trampoline (it's early here hence no hat or clothes - but he does have sunscreen on!!), swimming in Grandma and Grandpa's pool, BBQs, late nights, family movie nights, and enjoying spending time together. It's great that summer coincides with Christmas and my work holidays, so we can sleep in and have fun in the sun!

First hair cut

By Bec,

Amongst all the Christmas cheer and holiday bustle I decided to get Savannah's hair cut.  She is 2 years and 9 months and I have been in denial that she needs a hair cut!  But decided it was time to get it done - the ends definitely needed it!

We headed to the shops (possibly the busiest ones in Adelaide) on the 2nd day of the post Christmas sales - myself and the 2  kids - not sure what I was thinking!!  Savannah was so so excited to be getting her hair cut! Here she is excitedly waiting for her turn.

Then her name got called out, and all of a sudden she wasn't so keen.  Here she is getting her hair cut!

And once it was over, she was so proud of herself - saying over and over, I got my hair cut, same as Hunter (meaning Hunter also gets his hair cut). I got to keep a little clipping of her hair!

Here she is all finished and happy again!

Do you have any first hair cut stories?

Photo with Santa

By Bec,

Well it's that time of the year when everything is starting to look sparkly and people are in a last minute rush to attend Christmas parties and find the perfect present!!

Every year I take my kids to see Santa and get a photo.  This year Hunter wasn't having a bar of it "I'm not having my photo with Santa".  Savannah on the other hand was so keen "I want to see Santa, photo with Santa".  We decided to go to Harvey Norman as they have free photos (check out the website to see if the store near you - they are still on this weekend 11am -2pm). Hunter, who was still not going asked us to drop him off at Grandma and Grandpa's first.  But given Grandma and Grandpa lived in the opposite direction we made him come with us!  We lined up....got to the front of the line when Savannah decided, nope I ain't going near him, and Hunter decided ahh he ain't so bad I might go see him!  In the end Hunter, Savannah and Mummy had their photo taken with Santa!  I don't have that one to show you today, but it was a lovely photo.

Fast forward 3 days and we had a childcare party in the park.  Santa came and who decided it would be great to sit with Santa?  None other than Savannah (Hunter really wasn't having a bar of it it this time).  So she sat on his lap and waved so I could take a lovely photo (she has her face painted as Rudolph!).

Do you take your kids to see Santa?

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First day of school

Hunter started school at the beginning of this term. We are in South Australia, where currently they have 4 intakes of reception per year.  That means the child can start the next term after they turn 5! Hunter was 5 in September, so was able to start school at the beginning of term 4.

He has seperation anxiety issues (just the drop off bit - he is fine once I'm gone)...so I thought starting him this term will do him the world of good, just to get him used to it.  Then next year he will do a full year of reception - so 5 terms all up!

Hunter had been to the transition visits and had met some new friends so he was excited to be starting school - he packed his lunch box 3 days before he actually had lunch at school. But as the day drew near he got more and more nervous.  On his first day he decided he didn't want to go. I dropped him off, and he didn't want me to leave so his teacher suggested I stayed for roll call.  I stayed for roll and then left him crying his little eyes out. It's hard for a parent to leave a child like that, however I'm used to it as he was the same at childcare and kindy.  I picked him up at lunchtime (they only did half a day for the first day) and he had had a good day.

Then in his second week he had his first afternoon of after school hours care - this again caused some grief - but once he was there he had a good time. He will go to after school care two days per week.

He has now been 8 days and is getting used to the routines.  He is enjoying getting a new reader everyday and playing in the playground at lunch!  He has even been invited to a birthday party.  Drop-offs are still hard - but from all accounts he is enjoying himself and I trust we will get there.

Do you have any first day of school stories?

Me Time!

By Bec,

Being a parent changes your priorities.  There is no doubt about it.  Your children now seem to come first.  But what about “me time”?  Parenting is a full-time job, and we can’t expect to be at our best if we don’t get a break.  I’ve been reading lots of parenting books lately, mainly to try and find a way to deal with Hunter’s behaviour.  But one which I really aligned with was Thriving! by Michael Gose.  He has a wealth of information on his Parenting Ideas website.  But one of his key principles is that as a parent we need to put ourselves first, our partners second and our children third. The idea being we need to look after ourselves before we can look after others. 

If you don't think you can go as far as putting yourself first (which we must admit, for a Mum this is hard), it's important to schedule in some regular "me time".  What do you like doing for yourself? 
My "me time" consists of going to the gym, reading and scrapbooking!  I try to get to the gym at least once a week - not fantastic but a start.  I work 4 days per week so can really only go evenings and weekends, and I do feel bad about leaving hubby with the kids on his own too often - he has worked a full day too!!  But I've been once this week - did a nice Body Pump class - and yep I felt so much better for it.

Like Victoria I have recently (in May) acquired a kindle.  I love love love my kindle for reading.  It's fantastic for reading in bed without too much light (I bought the cover with light) and fantastic for to and from work on the train (can stand, hold on with one hand and read and turn pages on my kindle with the other).  Because of the kindle my reading has doubled.  I've always been a big reader, loved doing the MS Read-a-thon as a kid.  But with the kindle I find I'm reading a page here and there when I have some spare time (like when waiting to cross the road in the city), and it goes everywhere with me so I'm always with a book!  I've read some great books lately, my favourites being The Girl with the Dragon tattoo, The Hunger Games, Learn me good and Sing you Home (my current one on the go).  Reading for me is a time to escape into another world!

And finally I enjoy scrapbooking. Each child has a "my first 12 months" album.  And now I'm onto the family 2010 album (so I'm a year behind...not too bad). I go once a month on a Friday night (tonight is the night!!!!) to a workshop.  It's usually the same group of people so it's a great social time and I get to be creative and put the photos in a recordable format.  I'm not the most creative person, but I'm recording our memories, enjoying doing it and the kids love looking at the albums.

What do you do for "me time"?

My 5 minutes of peace

By Bec,

It's my day off paid employment. I'm taking 5 minutes to enjoy a coffee. The kids are playing happily in the toy room.  Then Hunter comes to see me and I'm a little concerned about what I'm going to see in the toy room.  I bravely head in there and am encountered with this:

Now how did they get paint????  Ahh that's right, it was in the craft caddy I gave to Hunter (note to self - check contents before handing over to a 4 year old).  WOW, did they have fun!!!

My 5 minutes of peace turned into 1/2 hour of cleaning up!  I chucked them in the shower whilst I cleaned up...but hey, I got 5 minutes to have a coffee, and the kids had a ball!!!

Sneak peek some of our casting photos!

Love.Wisdom.Motherhood

by Victoria

For my recent birthday, Mr B bought me a kindle and I picked up my reading habit which was stalled when Phoebe was born. The first book I bought and downloaded was Jessica Rowe's book, Love.Wisdom.Motherhood



I wanted to read this book because as a relatively new mother (my little one is 22 months old), I love finding out about other parents' experiences, how they cope with looking after their child/ children, and the little lessons learnt.

I find that parenting experiences is not an area that we delve into. Publicly, celebrities may say they are loving every moment of parenthood (which really irritated me when I first became a mother cos I wondered what was so great about sleep deprivation) or are having a hard time but generally no details or specifics of their experiences or ways they get through the difficult times. Thus, this book gave invaluable insights into how some prominent women in Australia juggled motherhood and other demands on their lives and time.

This book interviewed famous mothers in Australia such as actress Lisa McCune, designer Heidi Middleton (one half of Sass and Bide), comedian Wendy Harmer, designer Collette Dinigan, Governor-General Quentin Bryce, athlete Nova Perris, Westpac CEO Gail Kelly, etc.

To me, these women coped with motherhood brilliantly. They juggle being a wife and mother (unpaid work) as well as paid work. So, it was quite revealing to read about some of their struggles and the most dominant feeling seemed to be guilt. Yet, that guilt propelled them to be a better parent while also trying to juggle other demands. It was amazing, inspiring and encouraging!

Lisa McCune found a way to juggle location shoots with looking after her baby, by asking the local nurse for help in exchange for a chance for them to view the filming process. Heidi Middleton's battle with cancer was tough and I really felt for her as I read about how she fought off cancer. Gail Kelly had to cope with having four children, including triplets, and Collette Dinigan with being a single parent.

My favourite chapter would have to be the one on Wendy Harmer. She was so refreshingly honest when she said that there were certain things in parenting that she didn't enjoy, such as "playing with little kids". And it was comforting to read her assurance when she said that "it doesn't matter how much time you spend with your children - it will never be enough....because, if children could, they would have you with them for every second of every day". Wendy also shared how different parenting her 2 children were. That Marley was a baby who was content to lie in his cot and didn't need her to cuddle him all the time, while her second child, Maeve, was the opposite. There are so many other revealing insights into her and her husband's parenting journey, which helped me feel that it's quite normal to sometimes feel inadequate or that I could have done better.

There are still so many other amazing mothers who are interviewed in this book and I am thankful that Jessica Rowe wrote it and that the women were forthcoming (some more than others) with their stories and their journeys.

What is your mothering journey like? This book would assure you that you are not alone. It would also remind us that we need to ask family or friends for help and that your children love you for your good or bad moments because the vital thing is that we keep trying to be a better parent for them.

Invisible friends

By Bec,

Hunter and Bak (if you can't see Bak you don't have special powers - I'm told he is on the slide)

We have gained a new house guest. He isn’t always here, but visits quite frequently. His name is Bak. Nigel (hubby), Savannah and I can’t see him.  We don’t have special powers. Hunter on the other hand can see him, talk to him and play with him. Aparently Hunter has special powers that enable him to see things we can’t see. They also enable him to not be hungry. Wouldn’t that be awesome at lunch time – think of all the money we could save on our grocery bill if we all had that particular power.

But back to Bak, initially he was 15 years old. But more recently I was told, “Mum I was just kidding, Bak is only 5. But when I turn 5 he will turn 6”.  Bak ensures Hunter is never alone, always has someone to talk to and always has someone to play with.  And of course Bak is the one who comes up with ideas to do silly things that Mum and Dad wouldn't like.  That Bak is a cheeky little boy!

It's always Bak's fault......

Hubby – Hunter please stop making that noise
Hunter – I’m not here
Hubby – well who is making that noise
Hunter – it’s Bak
Hubby – well can you please ask Bak to stop making that noise.

Bak often comes to the playground with us, we have to strap him into the middle car seat. And of course he sleeps in bed with Hunter.  I haven't had to cook for him (perhaps he has the special powers like Hunter that make him not hungry).  Bak has recently gained a new friend - Velmba.  Yep, Velmba is invisible too.  Velmba is 10, oh actually Hunter said he just turned 11.  WOW, 2 invisible friends.  Our house is getting full!  It's nice to have these friends visit, even if I can't see them.

Do you ever have visitors you can't see?