Mum’s Stuff...

I’m not precious about stuff.  Stuff gets old, stuff gets broken, stuff gets lost.  It’s all just stuff.  I’m usually quick to say, “Never mind.  No big deal…” to the kids when accidents happen.  Usually.  Not this time.  I could have cried. There are very few things in our home which are solely mine, and my laptop is one of them.  It got a special mention in my 100th post,...

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...

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...

Handbag Of Tricks...

If you have to take your children out to a place where they need to sit still and be quiet, a bag of tricks is a prerequisite!  I’ve often been amazed at the small items mums have tucked into the pockets of their handbags and nappy bags to entertain their littlies.  I have seen some mums with mini crayon packets and notebooks, and others with a stash of small cars.  One creative mum I know has a transparent scarf...

The Perfect First Cut...

1.  Invite the hairdresser to your house 2.  Let big sis go first so you can see it’s totally safe 3.  Pick the coolest cape 4.  Have your best buddy on hand for moral support 5.  Soak up the attention when Mummy says you’re handsome!

Three Easy Wreaths...

Nothing acknowledges that you are embracing Christmas quite like a wreath on the front door.  It says, “We’re happy it’s Christmas and we’re happy you’re here too!”  Have you got one on your door yet?  If not, here are three super easy wreaths you can make with your toddler, all using paper plates as an inexpensive base. For each of the wreaths, start with a plain paper plate. ...

20 Toys for Tots (+10% off)...

I was a fan of The Toy Bug before I got to meet Jo Debnam in real life.  I love the wide range of good quality toys, high percentage of wooden items and lack of cartoony characters.  Now that I have a three year old and one year old I’m finding Christmas present shopping a little harder to manage in the stores, especially without my daughter seeing what I’m purchasing!  Online shopping is the way to go. ...

Freedom In Trust...

I’m playing Toddler Translation again with Childhood 101 and this week’s word is trust. trust [truhst] –noun reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence. – dictionary.com Families are built on trust. My son trusts Daddy to hold him tight. I trust my husband too. There is no fear in this photo. There is freedom in trust. As a family we trust each...

Advanced Toilet Training (Parenting Aus)...

Complete toilet training is a longer process than I thought.  I’m sharing my thoughts on the whole process over at Parenting Australia today.  Head over there to read the rest of this post, and find out what’s involved in, ahem, ATT. Before I had my own children, I thought toilet training was a period of a few weeks whereby a child transitioned from wearing nappies to wearing pants. Sure there would be accidents,...

Little Apprentice...

Our wonderful builders have been here this week, fixing up some dodgy areas on our home.  We do a lot of renovating ourselves, but we know that some jobs are completely beyond us!  Little Miss 3 was fascinated with the builders’ tool belts so we had a go at making one ourselves. I’m sure if you google it you can find patterns for sewing proper child sized toolbelts, but toddlers aren’t great with...