Our Elf on the Shelf Update (& the movie any kid who has an Elf will love)

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So if you caught our kick off into the Christmassy season post, you’d know that we have a new resident in the house. Actually more like a squatter. But a squatter we like. Cause she’s cute, sometimes naughty, a little mischievious, but mostly sweet and straight from the North Pole. And more importantly, represents yet another tool of parental manipulation that we as moms and dads have found to help try and get our kids to listen to us. Lord, help us.

Of course, I almost got caught the day before. But Mom skills? I haz them. With the ultra sneaky Continue reading →

North Pole Party Cosy-ness (and How to Make your Own Snow Globe Ornament)

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Lawdy. What a weekend it was! In fact, what a week, last week was. It has been non-stop, and had left me feeling all tapped out. But good tapped out. Like, I smile everytime I think about it. Like, time well spent. Although, given yesterday and the day before, maybe it has all been too much for me, since I literally couldn’t lift my head up. But today is better. And tomorrow will be even better. And thereafter, it’ll just keep getting more amazing. Long may that trend continue…With all the parties and celebrations that lay ahead to send this year off with a bang, I have no doubt it will.

Being the one that’s usually all over a reason to throw a party and then take it to the moon – no matter how small it is – I found myself wondering if I really should throw our North Pole party this year. I mean, I still have an ity-bity-baby on the boob, I just made my return to work, Im still getting up once a night to feed said-ity-bity-baby, and getting done at five in the morning. So the sleep and energy tanks are not exactly peaking right now. I hemmed and ha’ed about it.

Then Morgy, for the first time displayed a Continue reading →

Discovering the Magic of Uncle Willy’s Christmas Party 2016

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So this year was our second Uncle Willy’s party…Say, who now!? Yes, Uncle Willy’s Christmas party…Havent heard of it before? Yeah, don’t worry, neither did I. I had never heard about this uncle and his party till about three years ago, when I noticed it on one or two friends’ Facebook feeds, as well as two other bloggers’ posts. Let’s just say it was super secretive way back then, and wasn’t really part of our culture. But it is now, and Im so glad the secret is out!

Because, naturally I was Continue reading →

The Tree is Up & A Warm Welcome to our Elf (our new tradition)

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Finally! I’m getting to show a little festive love on my blog again. It’s been a hectic time with my -what feels like an abrupt- return to work from maternity leave, wedged in between what also felt like an endless string of school performances, prize-givings and commitments. All of which has me feeling quite thin on the sleep and patience stakes, but oh so “tank full” on the mothering and pride side of things.Because, let’s be honest, as much as I moan about how exhausting this all is, I love this stuff. This crazy hussle with little people in tow – it’s my jam.

Before I had kids, when picturing parenthood, this is almost exactly what I had in mind; An onslaught of Continue reading →

Photography Lover’s Gift Guide

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My doggie…photobombing my shots with her morning baths since 2014

So, its no secret that Im a lover of photography. And have spent most of my life amazed by the physics, mechanics and beauty of it. How with just a little bit of mirrors, plastic and metal mixed with light, one is able to capture a moment forever. Like, really, how even? I’ve spent my childhood and teenage years with my nose pressed up against store windows ogling cameras and lenses, and my eyes have burned holes in camera books. And, as an adult, little bit by little I’ve been trying to hone my skills. So it’s no surprise then, that I’m Continue reading →

Life right now – The Maternity Leave Edition

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“Life right now” posts give me poetic license to just ramble. There’s no particular theme to it all. There’s no dramatic crescendo – so sorry to leave you hanging if that’s what you came here looking for. It’s more a bit like being on the couch with me, with feet folded under our bums, one hand animatedly gesturing and echoing my words, whilst the other hand caressing a wine glass, or mug of coffee (depending on how tired I am) – and the mind just flows forth with mutterings of…well, our life right now. Our highs, lows, laughs and ponderings. Hope you stay a while for them…I promise I make a great cuppa, or will only serve the best wine. So pull in and get comfy!

Life right now? Im currently in the throws of sleep training. I’m on my 6th coffee as I type this, while simultaneously eyeballing our family calendar that’s pretty chock-a-block full from now all the way through till December. Half excited, half oh-my-fekking-gahd-what-have-i-agreed-to. Because, yes even though Ive got a newborn that’s still on demand feeding, I decided I could also do backstage make up for my big girl’s concert on not one but TWO nights, agreed to parties and other backstage preps. And still go for training in the evening to ensure I don’t balls it up too much on the day. I was this close to volunteering for her ballet performance, but fortunately I was too fast asleep at the time that they requested volunteers. All this right after I’ve recently hosted our annual Halloween party and Parker’s fourth birthday party the very next week thereafter. (post coming soon). Oh, and Im going back to work in a few days time. #ShockHorrorDisbelief

Im still in a absolute state of denial that Im leaving this life behind me:

So yeah, THAT’S how life is right now.

Throw in a good measure of Continue reading →

Trick or Treat In Galaxy Far Far Away!

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Things have been quite crazy on the homefront of late (and so say all of us, parents). Some days it’s quite soul stretching, as things normally can get whenever there is a newborn in your home. Nevermind three kids, a marriage to tend to, a job you need to return to that weighs more on my mind that Id care to admit to, and just life itself coming in it’s waves. It gets a lot. At times it can get hard. Rough even. And being human means we are so susceptible to getting dragged down in it’s undertow. If we let it.

It’s often then, that at that exact time – when I feel I’m near gagging levels of rough tides that Continue reading →

Our 10th Annual Halloween Party: A Witches Convention

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Sidenote: I only noticed this morning that this post did not go out on Hallowen Morning, as i thought I had scheduled it. OOPS! So let’s just pretend I dont have porridge brain, that I am not sleep deprived and actually got it right! Hmm, k? Thanks! 😉

It has to be said that trying to organize a Halloween party, as a   breastfeeding mother of a newborn, is something else. I mean, this is not my first rodeo, cowboy – in respect of both kids and the Halloween sense. But put a little bit of a) and b) together, and it makes for an interesting little juggling act. But driven  by passion for these kind of things, or pure madness (dumbness??)- whichever you feel is appropriate – we just about pulled  it off.

This is our 10th year running (I know, right?! TEN!) and even though this was our Continue reading →

Quick and Easy Fluffy Slime Recipe

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In this home, we really love our slime. What’s not to love? So much so, we’ve even made rechargeable glow in the dark slime, galactic slime for our star gazing nights, and even used it to create cute lil’ slime monsters as part of the take away gifts for Parker-Grace’s Monster Bash birthday party. So I’m always trying to cook up or be on the lookout for some variations from the original recipe.

So when I got whiff of the fluffy slime a while back, I wanted in. But right before the craze took over, there wasn’t a Continue reading →

Seasonal Celebrations

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Can you believe it,I started this post at the beginning of Spring (ie.September)…and here we are already hurtling our way onto Xmas! Ok,ok,ok, we’re not quite there yet,we still have Halloween and a certain four year old’s birthday to pop the confetti for,but you know what I mean. In fact, blink your eyes now and you’ll wake up with last minute gift shopping, Xmas carols out the ears, too many mince pies gobbled up, and a partridge in a pear tree! Not that I’m complaining… This last quarter of the year is certainly one of my favourites -there’s just so much “happy” happening. And thus, in my mind-brain, these last few months are definitely a season of celebration!

What makes this last quarter a little sweeter for me this year is the fact that I am Continue reading →