how I deal with the hard parenting days

September 9, 2015 By 15 Comments

This morning as I was settling my little girl into preschool for the morning I sat down with some pretty beads and was threading up a necklace. I helped out two other little ones who joined us and we were having the loveliest time. I could have sat there all day helping with the beads. So relaxing. And I probably imagined that being a mum was going to be about doing lots of craft with the kids and baking and having a lovely time. And we do craft, and we do bake but I definitely underestimated how much of yourself you give and how the days can be really hard on you.

It really never ends. All of the jobs that we do as a mum and managing the different personalities all in the one house. I love being home and having a large family. It goes without saying but that doesn’t mean that it’s always easy. And sometimes it’s good to get some new ideas from another mum on how they deal with it. My kids make me laugh every day (my daughter waving a sanitary napkin at me at the nail salon instead of a packet of tissues certainly made me laugh today!) but when you have a bad day it really just gets to you. We are dealing with some challenging behaviour at the moment and it really does take it out of you. I am trying to kill it with kindness (the behaviour not the child) but I’m worn out.

Anyway, I know we all have our own struggles with parenting and life in general. Sometimes it’s when all of our little ones are at home and can’t do much for themselves. They rely on us 24/7 for every little thing. Sometimes it’ll be the week where everyone is sick and you just want a minute to yourself. Or adding a newborn to the mix, or the terrible twos or it could be the older kids – I have no experience with teenagers and won’t be giving any advice there. We haven’t got there yet so I’m imagining that’s going to be an experience too. So this is what I do on the really hard days.

1. Remember that tomorrow is always a new day. That’s my favourite motto. Next is laugh or you’ll cry. The sun will come up on a new day and as clichéd as it sounds everyone feels better when its a new day and you have the whole day ahead of you. You can start the day, count your blessings and forget about yesterday and move forward.

2. Time out doesn’t have to mean in their room. We have someone that refuses to go to their room for time out and we end up fighting and then I’m left wondering what actually happened and why did they need time out in the first place because it all gets blown out of proportion. Quiet time away from the others and where they can just be on their own and quiet works well for that child. Sometimes that might mean in the lounge room while the others are in the playroom.

3. Send them outside. Sometimes you just need to open that back door and get everyone outside and running around. Even doing what they would normally do inside can be taken outside and everyone gets fresh air and a change of scenery. Round them up and send them outside.

4. Walk away from the situation. If everyone is safe, take a moment. Make that cup of tea or coffee and grab a biscuit (or four) and just take a deep breathe. It’s not the end of the world so let things calm down.

5. Make it a reading in bed night. Early. We do dinner around 5 or 5.30 and baths straight afters. If it’s a really bad day or there is fighting or shenanigans going on then everyone picks a new book from the playroom and reads in bed. You can get these great little reading lights that clip onto bedheads from IKEA and the big kids love them. Now the big kids read in bed every night but start that earlier if needed. I’ll watch a dvd with my little ones calmly downstairs and the house is so quiet. It’s nice.

6. Talk it over with another mum. Oh one of my favourite things to hear from another mum is their troubles because then it doesn’t make me feel alone. Sometimes we just say hi and bye to mums at school and preschool and drop offs but invite someone over or visit them or meet up for coffee at the shops and just talk. I always feel 100 times better when I’ve had a chat with a friend. Just call someone if you have to. You realise that every other mum is dealing with the same stuff you are and it just makes you feel better. If you’ve got a little one with special needs then find other mums with special needs kids too. They get it.

7. Get down to their level. Something that I’m doing more and more even if I’m busy is to take a minute, get down to their level, speak quietly so they have to stop and listen and try that first. It works with all the ages and not just the little ones. Try to see it from their point of view and let them calm down. Having a little one with special needs who doesn’t talk means that frustration can build up over the littlest thing so I hold her hand and get her to show me what she wants. It takes more time and when all the other kids are going crazy for dinner or whatever they need it can seem like the last thing you should be doing but it works. If it’s a meltdown then be there, hold them to keep them safe even if they’re a bigger kid and just quietly reassure them that you are there and not going anywhere. This is how I deal with them even if everything else needs to wait a while.

8. Have some special toys and DVDs tucked away. My linen cupboard has a stash of DVDs and jigsaw puzzles (amongst 50 million other things stashed in there) and the garage has extra toys. Bring them out. When everyone is going a bit crazy or telling you they are bored then something they haven’t seen in ages seems to do the trick. My other favourite trick is lay out a blanket or quilt and tip out the lego tub. Don’t worry about the mess until later. I have been known to offer $2 for the best construction. And don’t come to me in 2 minutes…take a good 10!

9. Get some time to yourself. This is so hard. I can’t think of the last time I didn’t have any children with me. But if hubby is home then take a walk, get your nails done, go to the supermarket or shops minus everyone, do some craft. I often negotiate some time in my craft room on my own. It might sound silly to some people and probably when I had one child that would have sounded silly but the busier your family home is and the more that is going on then the more you need to say, heh I need some time on my own and I need it on Saturday at 2pm. Or something like that.

10. Have something that is yours that you love. Having a hobby, something you do outside the home on a regular basis, going to the gym, something that you do that you love is so important. I would not stay sane and keep my happy disposition if I didn’t have craft and a room full of things that I love. I enjoy taking out the stresses of the day with some knitting or sitting at my machine and making something pretty. It just makes me happy. Some people might prefer a punching bag in the garage or a pair of running shoes. Sometimes you might not know what that thing you love is because you’ve just stopped working or you need to find it but ask yourself what you’d like to learn or do and go from there. If it’s crafty then there are so many online classes you can do and tutorials that you can teach yourself so there are no excuses. Make the time.

11. Get the help when you need it. I see it so often with special needs mums. A new diagnosis, mum is doing all of the appointments and relaying everything to dad, life was busy enough before the diagnosis and now there is no time to even deal with the feelings that have come with this new situation. See your GP and get a referral to see someone and it can be covered by medicare so don’t not do it because you think you can’t afford it. Same applies if something is wrong with one of the children and you’re not sure where to turn. See your GP first because you won’t be the first person and you won’t be the last.

I hope that helps and love to hear your suggestions or what works for you!

Filed Under: family, special needs

my new sewing machine Brother DreamWeaver XE

September 8, 2015 By 6 Comments

What a week! My new sewing machine arrived on Monday so I thought to myself this is going to be a great week but it went downhill after that with a few things going on here at home. A super quiet weekend without my van did have an upside – I could grab some time to have a play on my new toy. And isn’t it lovely?

Thanks to Brother Australia I’ll be doing all of my sewing and quilting on this baby….when all of my big babies are asleep or at school. We’ve tried doing some sewing while little people played in the room behind me but it didn’t go down too well and embroidery threads have been made into big towers that fall over and then rolled around the room.

This is a Brother Dreamweaver XE VM6200D and the D means that it comes with Disney embroidery designs built in. They have been so cute to play around with and with one major Toy Story fan in the house I had to go to the shops and get all the colours to make him a Buzz lightyear. But I’m still finding my way around the embroidery functions so am hoping to do Buzz this weekend. You simply click on one of these icons and it takes you to more pages of designs.

There is so much to love about this machine  and so much to learn and make the most out of it. I am blown away by the size, the lights which really light up the work surface, how easy embroidery is (I did have the manual in one hand teaching myself but so far so good), the colour touch screen and the number of ways I’m going to be able to use this beautiful machine. Oh and the needle threader is so much fun. My last needle threader saved my life on many occasions and this one is just more high tech and like a little robot that comes down, wraps the thread around and goes back again. I love it.

I’ve done a few simple projects – facewashers, some handtowels, a cute dress for my big girl (still to be hemmed), iPad bag for speech therapy and I’ve got lots more planned.

I’ll be back soon with some photos of what I’ve made and some little videos of how I’m going……………

Filed Under: review, sewing

Everyday Cooking for Thermomix Families and recipe chip

September 3, 2015 By 6 Comments

Well you know I love my thermomix. So much so that when my new sewing machine was on it’s way to me one of the kids kept saying when is your disney thermomix arriving? And I’d say disney sewing machine, not thermomix. I do love my thermomix. As soon as I heard the TM5 was coming out I knew that I wanted to upgrade and it hasn’t let me down. And now there is another recipe chip available for your TM5. Yay. And it’s got one of my all time favourite recipes on it. Wait for it.

It’s not too fancy but is a big favourite here…………….pasta with tuna. Yep, it’s a dish that we usually have on high rotation for our dinners but I haven’t made it since my new TM5 arrived. Until this week………it tastes like a very fancy marinara dish but is just good old canned tuna in there.

Everyday Cooking for Thermomix Families has just been released and comes with a recipe chip for your TM5. If you have the TM31 you can still use the recipes you just won’t use the recipe chip. I actually use the recipe chip instead of cookbooks now and love it so having more recipes in my machine is going to be a great thing for me.

This cookbook is full of the most popular Thermomix recipes so you’ll find some old favourites from your other cookbooks but also has some great new recipes. I’m busting to try the sultana, apple and custard scrolls (yum, how great do those sound!), stone fruit crumble, classic lemon tart and the coconut butter cake and that’s just from the Sweet Baking section in the book. There’s even a recipe for rocky road where you make the vanilla bean marshmallow yourself.

The recipes are family friendly and not super fancy which is my kind of cooking. These are definitely do-able weeknight and weekend recipes that you can make for your family. Some of the old favourites that you’ll find in there are zucchini slice, chicken and cashews, brown rice salad and some of the basics. One of the new ones I really want to try is Sour cream and chicken enchiladas. Great for a friday or saturday night.

This is definitely a welcome addition to my kitchen and great to have some of my favourites as well as new recipes to try in my TM5. You can buy the book alone, the recipe alone or the two together and you’ll find them online at the Thermomix website or through your consultant.

Filed Under: recipe, thermomix

failing at punctuality

September 2, 2015 By 46 Comments

On paper getting the kids out the door to school on time seems like a no brainer. You just have everything organised the night before, give yourself plenty of time, get in the car by a certain time, allow for traffic and deposit the children at the front gates and off you go. Or walk them in to class. Easy. That’s how it was for the first child. Never late. Never a late slip. Then the twins came along and I had 3 to get out the door and we did it. Occasionally late but a forgiving teacher since it was only kindergarten.

Well last week I got a big fat F for punctuality as one of the kids is a little late most mornings. I didn’t actually see it coming. I thought we were doing ok and kind of within a grace period . Turns out we’re not. And the lovely teacher who delivered the news was already prepping me warning me not to take it personally. You know when you know you’re going to hear something and they don’t want to upset you since you’ve already been discussing other stuff. Yes. That moment.

Thing is, it is hard work getting 6 kids out the door. One who has special needs, another who cries out every morning that she hates (insert day here) and doesn’t want to get up so leaves it to the last possible moment. Another who puts two legs into his undies and needs help getting dressed at every stage. A baby who needs a quick feed before we leave. Someone who can never find their shoes/sock/library book/bag/took the wrong lunchbox and leaves it to the last minute. Another who needs a quick trip to the toilet.

So I felt a bit down for the rest of the day. You think you’re doing so well and getting by and then boom. You failed at something. Thankfully my little girl had a birthday party and 2 hours talking to other mums about mum stuff including getting everyone to school on time and out the door lifted my spirits and made me feel better. A morning at mass (minus most of the kids) also made a world of difference as did baking 2 cakes, clearing out wardrobes and a trip to Spotlight. I also reminded myself that this is not the end of the world. This is not the HSC. This is primary school. And I took action…………….the kids have now been one of the first to school each morning! This morning we were there at 7.55am! I’ve turned it into a woman of extremes. We were so early I had to sit in the car until I could let the twins go in and then we were 20 minutes early to preschool and had to sit in the car again.

So I’m hoping to find some middle ground for the rest of the year. Why am I writing this post? Because I think people come here and think she’s got it all together. People always say I don’t know how you do it and I always reply that I don’t know how I do it either. Well turns out I really don’t. Late for school!!!

keiracar

So my strategy for this week?????? We are leaving by a certain time whether you’re in your pjs, undies or fully dressed ready to go. I’m going to dress the preschoolers when I get home from the big school drop off and get them there later so that no matter what we are at school before the bell. And I’m going to start my crazy lady ‘get in the car’ screaming about 10 minutes earlier than I usually do. Tips? Strategies? Always late?

Filed Under: babies, baby, large families

knitting for the warmer weather

August 31, 2015 By 4 Comments

You can never have too many knitting patterns. Or sewing patterns. When we were down in Berry I managed to quickly pick out 2 knitting books. I don’t really get to visit good old craft shops anymore and haven’t been to a craft show in ages so flicking through lots of Sirdar patterns was a nice treat.

This first one is just a pattern leaflet, knit in bamboo it’s going to be gorgeous for summer and sizing from newborn to 7 years is perfect for who I knit for. Ravelry details are here.

The next book won me over with this short little cardigan. So cute for popping over summer dresses or with a little handmade skirt. I can see all of my girls wearing this one and am itching to get started on it.  You can also purchase this online as a download for USD5.95 here.

I also loved this little one for a new baby. I’m not so great at knitting for my bigger girls but for a baby this would be perfect as a present or for summer.

You can find these patterns in your nearest knitting store and online wherever you can find Sirdar patterns.

And a little trick before you buy a knitting book online is to search ravelry to see what people have made from the book. Just select patterns from the top of the page, then enter the book title or pattern name and click on the book or pattern name and it will bring up all the projects that others have made. For example, here is the ravelry page for the Sirdar 414 book which has the patterns in the book as well as photos of people’s projects. I find this also helps to see how it looks all knitted up by regular knitters. It’s also a great way to see how you can substitute yarn for a project too.

What are you knitting in the warmer weather?

Filed Under: babies, baby, knitting, ravelry

quick knits for babies

August 28, 2015 By 8 Comments

There is nothing quick about my knitting at the moment. And so many babies I’ve got to knit for or that are coming soon! 5 at last count….I need to get a move on! So I went through ravelry and my projects and looked for my favourites that I could whip up. Number 1 and if the baby is a girl is a kina. Still my favourite pattern and so pretty on. Because it lasts a while make a 6 month and it will get so much wear. It’s quite wide when you knit it up so won’t be one of those knits that just lasts a month. Pattern can be purchased and downloaded from ravelry here for EUR3.

Next favourite is this all in one cardigan that you knit from the back bottom hem and knit right over in one piece to the front hem. Casting on and casting off for sleeves. So easy. No fancy needles required. Just an easy and fun project. Pattern can be found in More Last Knitted Gifts, such a good book to have in your knitting library.

Another pattern that I really love and which you can find free online is the baby shrug by Debbie Bliss. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made this one. Ravelry details are here and pattern is a free download here.

Now speaking of Debbie Bliss and free patterns, here is another favourite of mine knitting all in one piece. Love this one. Free pattern is here.

Another quick one and great if you’re knitting for a premmie is Paxton, I’ve knit one and must knit another. Doesn’t take too long and a free pattern. Find it here.

And when time is really short or you want a little something to pad out a present for a new baby then what about some beautiful facewashers. I think they make the nicest gift in a range of colours. I love using Bendigo 8 ply cotton (on 3.75mm needles), Debbie Bliss cotton dk (4mm needles) and Lily Sugar n Cream (5mm needles). And I just took delivery of some gorgeously coloured cotton from Patons so I’ll be back with some fun facewashers to share. These are quick and easy and great for the absolute beginners because you are just knitting a square. Just search on dishcloths to find loads of patterns on the internet and ravelry. The pattern for this one is free and can be found here. Another favourite of mine is the Almost Lost Washcloth Pattern which I also love.

got a question, just ask!

Filed Under: bendigo woollen mills, everything else

weekend in kangaroo valley

August 23, 2015 By 15 Comments

I’m not going to lie to you. Taking the whole family away for the weekend isn’t totally relaxing. In fact it’s been almost 2 years since we’ve been away anywhere. But I wanted to do something really special for my lovely hubby’s 40th birthday. It was a toss up between the hunter valley and southern highlands and kangaroo valley won out in the end.

I looked through houses to rent for the weekend and wanted something special but comfortable and the all important….sleeps 7. Let me tell you that things start to get tricky once you get above 2 adults, 2 kids. But we did it. I found Hampden House, the most amazing house with so much history and a wonderful owner and it all fell into place. I knew that it was going to be a special weekend but I underestimated just what a wonderful time we would have. Despite the stress of cooking and packing ahead of time and driving all the kids down on my own.

We made plenty of memories……..including one child throwing up on the windy road down there and the rest of the kids calling out that I needed to turn around and look at the vomit everywhere….’ewwww it’s going into your bags’………..meanwhile I’m ‘asking’ someone to give that child a bag or bowl as I’m doing hairpin bends on the way down. Fun times. She had a bowl in her lap for the next trips that involved bends……and can see the funny side of it now.

I had packed coats for everyone but we had a gorgeously warm weekend. As soon as we arrived and I had unloaded the car…and surveyed and cleaned the damage in the backseat, the kids were straight out the back and found some golf clubs and balls. I was admiring the house and the beautiful deep pink magnolias. Oh I’m a magnolia lover and there were so many lovely trees to admire and photograph.

Daddy joined us and dinner was a Pioneer Woman lasagne. You assemble it with fresh lasagne sheets then freeze uncooked, I took down 2 frozen dinners with ice bricks and it was so lovely to just pop them in the oven with some garlic bread and enjoy dinner. Foil tray in the bin afterwards. The owner of the house had baked a beautiful cake and left it with party hats so we enjoyed cake, some vintage french champagne and listened to country music in the kitchen until bedtime. It was perfect.

The next morning we were up and hit Berry to have a look. Great shops and bakeries but I have to say that we loved Kangaroo Valley so much we could have stayed there the whole weekend. We did discover Sew & Tell and by we I mean me. I came home with 2 knitting pattern books and was quick as I could be and the kids got some craft kits. What a store. I could have spent hours there. A good old fashioned craft store with loads of patterns and supplies and something for everyone.

The kids got some toys and we had a look around before being accosted by some very lovely ladies from a bus trip. We smiled and they started taking photos of us and it was so funny, they were patting the kids heads, pinching cheeks, counting all the kids and posing with us, trying to lift up some of the little ones. Some of the ladies were stepping out into traffic to make sure they got us all in and we just kept laughing.  I’m sure we will surface in some holiday snaps when they get home. What can you do? Just smile and try to cross the road when they are finished. There were a few times when I felt like we were the travelling sideshow as people count heads or turn back to look at us and it’s probably a sign that we are home so much now and don’t get out as much as we used to.

Lunch was back in Kangaroo valley in the very sunny beer garden of the pub. Fish + chips with a lemon lime bitters and I love it when you have no plans but it turns out so nicely. It was so warm and lovely to be in the sun and know that we didn’t have sport or swimming like our usual Saturdays.

And this was the view from our table. Wonderful. What a view! Get there at 12 to grab a table and enjoy. It was a real treat.

We hit the ice cream shop for some ice creams and fudge (and took lots of photos that are on my phone because it’s tricky to push a pram and carry a baby on you and a camera) but when I asked the kids the best thing about the weekend the ice cream shop did pop up in conversation. They tried to get another trip in there after church on sunday too. Love it when you take kids away and ice cream or the toy shop is the best thing they did.

Back at the house, we spent the afternoon reading, playing outside, cleaning up (me, not the kids) and watching everyone. I have to say that keeping my eye on the littlest 3 is pretty much how we spent a lot of time.

here is birthday boy relaxing and soaking up the view for a little while………….

Another delicious dinner that I just needed to pop into the oven, chocolate cake and another relaxing night. Well someone had a fever and had broken out into a clammy sweat but we managed to get her off to sleep and her temperature down. And then I started having my heart race out of my chest and felt very funny. Turns out instead of drinking my good old nescafe gold I’d been drinking 2 espressos in each cup of coffee all afternoon. Phew. I wasn’t dying or having heart trouble just had way too much strong coffee. It’s so funny now but really had me puzzled until I got to bed and realised that my 3 cups of coffee that afternoon was a whole lot stronger than my usual.

Sunday morning and time to pack up, clean up and go to church.But not before I took a snap of some sleeping babies. We forgot the portacot and I hadn’t organised one but there were plenty of warm beds for little people to snuggle in.

Apparently I got my cranky pants on but how many times can you tell the kids not to go into that room as it’s all cleaned and looking as lovely as when we arrived. So in the end we got everything of ours into the car, sent the kids outside and I worked from one end of the house to the other and got it clean. We arrived to mass and what a treat to be in such a sweet little church from the late 1800’s. My big kids were asked to do the offertory procession, we were given some colouring books and pencils and despite having to come in and out with my little ones who aren’t so great at church at the moment, we really enjoyed the service and to top it off the big kids got to ring the bell at the end. What a thrill.

They thought it was the best thing ever and not something you get at any of the churches near us. I could go back every Sunday just for mass. There weren’t many people at mass but we boosted the numbers by 8 and the parishioners were so lovely and friendly to us and a credit to the parish. It was a highlight of the weekend.

Pies for lunch (yes, we might need to walk off some of the delicious food from the weekend), toilet stop (takes a while with all of the little ones these days) then time to head back home again. We didn’t want to leave but it was a great drive back with most of the kids sleeping the whole way. My kind of road trip.

It was such a wonderful weekend and definitely as special as I wanted it to be. Of course the kids have asked if they can have their birthdays down at the same house and I’ve said when they are 40! It really was a special treat for all of us and every room was so beautifully full of antiques and big comfy beds with lots of pillows and white linen. The house is one of the original houses in the area and has been renovated so beautifully while still keeping some of the old features.

It was such a lovely getaway even if I didn’t touch my new book and only managed 3 rows of knitting and tried to stop the baby from getting into everything. And kids being kids, they will say it was the best time ever and talk about it for a long time to come…………even if they didn’t act like it at the time!!!!

And thanks to the very lovely owner Karen, who is offering a 10% discount to my readers if you book a stay and mention this post. That is so kind of her and we’ve had some little chats on the phone today. It really makes for a special weekend if you have someone to spoil or surprise or are in need of a quiet getaway. 

 

Filed Under: family, large families

Bold Bamboo giveaway thanks to Bendigo Woollen Mills

August 21, 2015 By 545 Comments

CONGRATULATIONS MARILYN HUGHES FOR HER ENTERTAINING ENTRY!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED

I love a good giveaway and thanks to Bendigo Woollen Mills I’ve got one for you. Bold Bamboo is going on the website live today and shade cards are going out in the mail. To celebrate I’m going to pick one lucky winner to win one ball of each colour (8 in total) and a blanket pattern. Please imagine a lovely ball of navy blue yarn into this mix….it’s somewhere in my craft room. What a great prize. A big thank you to Bendigo Woollen Mills.

All you need to do is tell me your favourite colour in the whole world and why. Mine is pink. Always has been, always will.

Good luck, giveaway is open to Australian residents, entries close next Sunday 30 August.

Filed Under: bendigo woollen mills, knitting, ravelry

ditching the anti-perspirant

August 20, 2015 By 20 Comments

First up, this isn’t a sponsored post and I didn’t receive these products. This was just me wanting to try some natural deodorants because I’d been thinking about it for ages and then couldn’t find any at the supermarket. So I finally did something about it, tried two brands, one I picked up at the supermarket (if you look really hard you’ll find it there….hiding!) and one I ordered online. I’ve used both and am happy with them and ditched the anti-perspirant. I can’t even tell you why I wanted to. I think it was a combination of trying to be more conscious of what I was using on my skin and the kids skin and realising that I hadn’t change my deodorant, what we were eating and wondering if I should try them.

First up is the Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Deodorant. First thoughts….wow I’m going to smell like aeroguard today. It has a strong smell at first but that dies away and it’s a very effective deodorant. I need a pretty good strong deodorant so this one really fit the bill. But each morning I do get a bit of a strong smell when I open it up but over the course of the day it doesn’t smell and it really works. That’s what you need from a deodorant really. It’s free from aluminium and is natural and made in Australia. I had to hunt around the supermarket and it was the only aluminium free one at my local woollies but I’m really happy with it and love using it. It’s great if you are a heavy sweater (I can’t think of another way to describe it!), don’t mind strong smells at first and also if you’re a man. I think this might be a good one to try. I don’t exercise but if I have something to go to at night or later in the day I did put another bit on just to be sure.

Next one I tried is Moo Goo’s Fresh Cream Deodorant. I had to order this one online (apparently there are some stockists too). It came with a great sample and was beautifully boxed up and the box smelt heavenly. Super fast delivery from Queensland and the price was the same as Tea Tree Deodorant but I did have to pay for postage so I ordered 2 bottles. This doesn’t have a strong smell when you first use it and is a great deodorant if you’re not really a heavy sweater and don’t require a really full strength deodorant. I liked this one because it didn’t have the strong smell of the Tea Tree but it wasn’t as great for me on a day I was out in the sun – not exercising but just a busy day outdoors – and I had to put some more on. Now apparently over time this might go away and it’s just my body getting used to a natural deodorant after years of anti perspirant so leave it with me. I will report back to you!

But that’s me and I go through a lot of deodorant and am used to putting a bit more on later in the day. I think this one is perfect for the delicate ladies out there who don’t need full on protection and are also sensitive to smell. This one will be great for you because I don’t think you could last with the Tea Tree and it’s strong smell. This one is also great for your children who require a natural deodorant, are just starting to need a little something or perhaps have some health issues that mean they are sweating and need something for school. So the 2nd bottle went to one of the older kids and is working wonderfully.

So there you go, I loved them both. I’ll stick with the Tea Tree for myself and the Moo Goo for the big kids (but I might come back to the Moo Goo after I’ve been off the anti perspirant for a while). I’ll also be trying more of the Moo Goo range because I was really impressed with their hair care and skin range and we have a few sensitive scalps and skins here.

Love to hear what natural deodorant you are using and loving. It was actually my readers who told me about Moo Goo…………………

Filed Under: review

large family logistics is being reprinted

August 17, 2015 By 1 Comment

For a couple of years I was trying to get my hands on a copy of Large Family Logistics without having to remortgage the house. They can be hard to come by and cost a lot of money (although the price seems to have come down now that a new edition is on the horizon). I almost didn’t believe it when I did score a copy and wondered would I receive it. I did. And I love it. You can read my review here.

I put a few things into action and often revisit the book – a textbook sized book. There is so much I still need to do. Anyway I got very excited when this came up on my Facebook feed.

So sign up here to keep up to date and order a copy of the new book when it is available, there will be new additions to it and it won’t cost the earth.

Filed Under: books, catholic, christian, large families

Bold Bamboo by Bendigo Woollen Mills

August 16, 2015 By 2 Comments

Well the name has now been announced and the release date is the last week of august so here are the things that I made from Bold Bamboo which is coming soon to Bendigo Woollen Mills.

One sock. Yes, you really should knit your socks in pairs but I got so excited to use the girl colours in the range that I went straight on to other projects but will come back to the sock this week. Pattern details are here.

a little doll’s cardigan using this pattern, so quick and easy and great for beginners or when you need a break after a really big knitting project. Also great to knit while on holidays or for presents.

A cardigan for a new baby using Granny’s Favourite by tiKKi. Such a sweet and classic little knitting pattern. This cardigan will be raffled off on the school craft stall that I’m running later this year.

And the baby kina that I blogged yesterday.

Bold Bamboo is 60% bamboo/40% wool and a dream to work with. I didn’t find it splitty at all and was so soft especially as I had just finished knitting with rustic so it was super soft as my next yarn. You’ll be able to order it from the last week of August and the colours are bright and fun. It’s machine washable, I always use a delicates/woollen setting if I machine wash just to be on the safe side. I did find it look a bit longer to dry when blocking so just dampen it gently rather than overkill when you block your project. I didn’t block the kina as it always comes out perfectly when it’s finished.

And that has been so fun. I’m not sharing the whole colour range with you because it’s nice to have some surprises and also because I think the range is dotted around my craft room thanks to some little helpers in there. But think bright and fun.

Filed Under: babies, baby, bendigo woollen mills, knitting, ravelry

oh look, another kina

August 15, 2015 By 9 Comments

Yep. If there is one knitting pattern that I make time and time again then it’s the Kina. I just love it. About a week on the needles for this one and it turned out so nicely. You knit it from the top down in one piece and it never lets me down. Just a lovely little cardigan for girls.

You can find the kina on ravelry here in a variety of sizes from doll to adult, it’s easy enough for a confident beginner and is always fun to knit. The baby kina pattern is actually a 5 ply/sports weight but I love knitting it up in 8 ply

You knit the size smaller than you want but knit to the lengths of the size you want on 4mm needles. So I knit the 3 month size but with 6 month lengths for this one and it’s so cute and will last until the baby is 1. Ravelry details for this project are here.

The yarn is soon to be released (last week of August) by Bendigo Woollen Mills and is called Bold Bamboo. I was lucky enough to be sent some to use first and I’ve loved it. Super soft, it’s 60% bamboo, 40% wool, machine washable and super soft. The colours are bright and fun and I see more projects to be made in it.

Tomorrow I’ll share a few more of the projects I’ve made in Bold Bamboo but in the meantime here is my next project. Because there were 2 school mums who had baby girls over the holidays so I’m in need of quick little cardigans so it’s another baby kina and this time in Milky Way. Wow this is a nice yarn to work with. A bit like cotton but thicker. If that makes sense.

Happy knitting xx

 

Filed Under: babies, baby, bendigo woollen mills, knitting, ravelry

cheat’s apple tea cake

August 10, 2015 By 7 Comments

I got in from church after 11.30 yesterday and needed something sweet with my coffee. No cakes or biscuits in the house but a few boxes of cake mix for some cupcakes I had to make.

I decided to whip up a super quick tea cake that anyone can make and everyone will enjoy. It is so delicious and light and it would also make a great dessert hot out of the oven with some ice cream. No fancy ingredients required.

 

cheats apple tea cake
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 8-12
What you'll need
  • 1 box vanilla cake mix
  • canned fruit (not too heavy)
  • cinnamon
  • brown sugar
Instructions
  1. Make cake mix according to the packet. I mix mine for 2 minutes on speed 4 in the thermomix.
  2. Pour into a lined square or round cake tin
  3. Decorate with some canned fruit - I like pie apple as it's not too heavy that it sinks to the bottom.
  4. Sprinkle about 2 Tbsp brown sugar over the top of the fruit and some cinnamon and bake for about 35 minutes until cooked right through in a 180 degrees oven.
  5. Top with some icing sugar and enjoy
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Filed Under: baking

knits for boys by Kate Oates

August 7, 2015 By Leave a Comment

I love knitting but have to confess that I just don’t do enough knitting for my  big kids and especially my boys. The girls patterns always seem sweeter and more enticing. But I’m going to change that. I ordered this book from amazon as I don’t have any books with just patterns for boys and this one looked like a good one. And it is. So many great patterns AND the tips and tricks and instructions were better than most.

Often you buy a knitting book and it’s got a section on how to knit and a bit vague on other things that you need to know like adding pockets or construction of the pattern or how to adjust the pattern.

This book includes that information which is a great help for the intermediate to more advanced knitters who don’t need to know how to do a knit stitch or cast off. There are lots of pictures and photos showing various angles of each project which was helpful

There are a variety of patterns that cover hats, mittens, vests, jumpers, a t-shirt, long johns and even shorts (don’t think I’ll be knitting my big boys shorts) and the patterns are things that you would really want to make. Especially the vests and jumpers. There are even patterns for a bow tie and suspenders. Something for every occasion

I was really impressed with this book and just as I was photographing it today saw that the author and designer of the patterns is a mum of 4 boys. Well that explains it. No wonder she created this book

If you’re a beginner then you’ll love the easier patterns in the book like the hats, simple raglan sleeve jumpers and vests. The more advanced knitters will really enjoy this book with a few cable projects and colourwork and instructions to help you alter your projects.

Definitely a good book for the mums and grandmums of boys or people who enjoy knitting and have trouble getting their hands on patterns for boys.

There are 27 patterns all up and sizing is from 4-12 but the sock pattern is sized from toddler up. I picked up my copy at amazon here.

Filed Under: knitting

another granny’s favourite

August 4, 2015 By 4 Comments

I do get a bit stuck on my old favourites when it comes to knitting patterns. This is a sweet one with a vintage touch that I just love.

The pattern is granny’s favourite by tiKKi and just perfect. I love Georgie’s patterns because they are straight forward, top down knits and they look so sweet when all done. Oh and there is also a great range of sizes from little newborns up to my big girls. Not that I do much knitting for my big girls.

The yarn is a yet to be released one from Bendigo Woollen Mills that I just love. Super soft and lovely and it’s been a dream to work with. I don’t even know the name of it yet but can’t wait to find out more about when it’s being released. You can’t go wrong in cream for babies so this is a favourite of mine already.

The vintage buttons are for the craft stall at our school fete later in the year and I’m donating this little number to a little raffle for our stall. The buttons were just so perfect and my thoughts are to sew the buttons to little squares of cardstock and sell them as they are. It’s like they were made for this project.

Ravelry details are here. It’s back to the baby surprise jacket that I’m knitting that really will be a surprise when it’s done as I’m dragging the chain on it. I’ve ripped it out a couple of times but am going to concentrate and get it finished.

Happy knitting!

 

 

Filed Under: babies, baby, bendigo woollen mills, knitting, ravelry
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