Side by Side...

Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend. (Albert Camus)

Hi-Tech Play School...

If you visit my blog regularly, follow my tweets or read my facebook updates you’ll know I’m a Play School fan.  A big one.  Partly because after more than 40 years on Australian television screens it remains the #1 program in the hearts of Aussie mum and kids – and partly because I secretly wonder if I’ve missed my calling in life by not being a presenter. Yesterday the show opened with regular...

Seriously Sleep Deprived (Parenting Aus)...

A couple of weeks ago the results of a ten year Australian study were released, refuting once and for all the notion of Mummy Brain.  But I say the phrase will stick around, because most of us know that our forgetful and even irrational behaviour following the birth of a baby has nothing to do with brain changes and everything to do with sleep deprivation. Duh. Saying you have “mummy-brain” is coded language...

My Little Postman...

There once was a boy who loved to post. He could post anything, anywhere. He posted things in the bin and the toilet and the dishwasher and the laundry basket and the sink. He posted through the verandah slats and out of windows. The boy’s mother made him a postbox so that he could post sensibly, but the boy was not interested in sensible. He was interested in interesting. It’s interesting to post necklaces...

Backyard Baking...

Backyard baking is so much fun.  Props required?  A bowl and maybe a large spoon.  Your child might need a little encouragement to get started, but after that they will run with the activity for quite some time.  If you have cooked with your child they will probably take to this activity more readily.  Here are some open ended questions you can use to help the activity along if necessary: What are you baking today? What...

Teeny-Agers (Parenting Aus)...

I’m having a bit of a rant over at Parenting Australia this week regarding fashion for young girls.  I didn’t mean to get up on my soap box, but I feel so strongly about some of the clothes that we are “supposed” to be dressing our kids in and the messages we are giving them. When did we decide to skip childhood and fast track our babes from tots to teens? This week’s junk mail catalogues are...

Marriage First...

I often hear parents say that “the kids come first” and while this sentiment is lovely in a way, I’m not sure that the philosophy is actually right.  Of course there are many times as mums when we have to put aside our own desires to attend to our kids.  There’s a lot of sacrificial love involved in becoming a parent!  But I don’t think the kids should always come first.  I think the...

Window Washers...

While my blogging friends in the northern hemisphere are shivering through blizzards, here down under it’s mid-summer!  Keeping kids cool and busy is sometimes a challenge.  Inspired by a window washer on Playschool the other week, Little Miss 3 asked if she could do some window washing too – which I thought was a great idea!  We have a glass sliding door which worked perfectly because the kids could wash...

Friendships Off and On...

I’ve been thinking a lot about friends lately.  It’s been a rough start to 2010 for my family, but every time I’ve thought I’m at my limit, a friend has pulled me through.  I have a great community of women around me, both online and off. Online I have some close friends who I am yet to meet in real life!  We have never shared a cuppa, or shopped together, and our kids have never had a playdate...

Overdue Times Two (Parenting Aus)...

It’s funny.  I’ve had two kids but I have no idea what it’s like to go into labour!  Not naturally anyway.  With both pregnancies I had to be induced at 41 weeks.  You can read the story of my two overdue arrivals at Parenting Australia this week.  Here’s a teaser… Most of us spend a considerable amount of time during pregnancy thinking about labour. First we dream about it, then we...