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party animals

September 5, 2010 By corrie 5 Comments

My three love a good party and this morning the bribe for good behaviour during church was the party we were going to afterwards! And it worked……plus a bag full of books, toys and jatz crackers of course!

When we arrived at their cousin’s birthday, Keira looked around at all of the adults, went straight up to her aunty phoebe and said ‘What kind of party is this?’. Ahhh, my keira! Never one to keep to herself!

But it had everything to keep them happy…..party food, cake, candles, family and a cubby outside to play in with their cousin.

Retro daddy and I now realise we better get the picket fence up in the front yard and get a cubby out there this Christmas as that is where they spent most of their time.

I took along Pioneer Woman’s mocha brownies, in a word….yum! I did the brownies the night before and iced them up this morning……who knew that thick mocha icing on a brownie could take it to a whole new level. I won’t reveal how many I ate before, during and after the party…..but I’m pregnant and that’s my excuse! Now I’m afraid the recipe just seems to be from her book and not her website but correct me if I’m wrong!

and check out the cake……..miffy made without a recipe! very impressive!

so happy 2nd birthday bea! thanks for putting on such a great party……

Filed Under: birthdays, brownies, catholic, church, pioneer woman

happy fathers day

September 4, 2010 By corrie 3 Comments

Happy Fathers Day tomorrow to all the daddies out there! Tomorrow is a busy day for us with church at 9am, my niece’s birthday party at 10.30, lunch with retro daddy and then home to watch AFL at 2.30. I hope you enjoy this little video as much as I did………… a big thanks to Liss from Frills in the Hills for sharing this on facebook! I’d never seen it before but just love it

And now I’m off to cut fabric, make brownies and catch up on the washing on my saturday night…..hope it’s more exciting at your house.

Filed Under: retro daddy, youtube

hanging out at home

September 3, 2010 By corrie 16 Comments

We spend a lot of time at home and I don’t think that will change with a new baby coming! My favourite time to hang out at home would have to be friday afternoon because I know it’s end of the week and a helping hand will be here for the next 2 days.

The little people are tired from playgroup and are happy to just play with each other, nap on the couch or watch a dvd. And will you check out keira. She was all warmly dressed up this morning for my OB appointment, came home, ripped it all off and came down the stairs in this summery number….barbie heels and all! Headband worn john mcenroe style and with hair all caught up inside it…..I had to make her put a t-shirt under it as she thought it was summer. She requires no instructions on how to strike a pose……

And when I’m not laughing hysterically at my Keira, I sometimes sit on the backstep with a spot of knitting. I’ve just started the February Baby Sweater….let’s hope I can finish it before baby arrives. I seem to fall asleep after 2 rows of knitting each night.

And I’ve just realised that today is the last chance to get your entry in the Panasonic Lumix G2 giveaway! Hoping one of my lovely blog readers wins as it’s a gorgeous camera to use and I’ve been having so much fun with it.

Especially for capturing such special memories like sisters hugging each other!

Filed Under: panasonic G2, parenting, twins

LittleONE Baby

September 2, 2010 By corrie 12 Comments

I love magazines. When retro daddy says ‘heh, let’s go down to manly for a walk and an ice-cream’ what he’s really saying is ‘heh let’s go down to manly so you can go to humphrey’s (the newsagent) and spend at least 1/2 hour picking up a few magazines’. And this year has been such a thrill to be actually in them!

And I can now add another to the collection…….the Annual Design issue of LittleONE Baby. You’ll find me in their with a half page bio and a few pictures as part of a special on Mathilda’s Market. Thank you to Anne from Mathilda’s for thinking of me and of course the magazine for featuring me. Always an honour to see retro mummy in print……..and retro daddy is feeling pretty happy with himself since he took the photo of me!

Filed Under: littleONE baby, magazines, retro mummy, store

Dance Around Dora

September 1, 2010 By corrie Leave a Comment

quick spring tablecloth

September 1, 2010 By corrie 10 Comments

Yes, I am loving the new fabrics in the store now that they are all loaded up and that big job is behind me. But last night I went to bed thinking I must make a quick tablecloth in the morning with one of the pretty floral fabrics. Let’s just say I still need to take it to the overlocker for some rolled hems, but isn’t it pretty?

I just laid it out on the table from the bolt and you could either do a little folded over hem on your machine or a little rolled hem on your overlocker. Either way it’s so perfect for spring and summer…………….

So 2m of fabric from my store, an ikea jug and $10 bunch of flowers from woolworths has ‘springed’ up my dining room on the first day of spring.

Filed Under: homes, japanese fabrics, kokka, retro mummy, store

we love boxes and new fabric

August 31, 2010 By corrie 18 Comments

Today started out like any ordinary day at home. I made the executive decision that we were not going anywhere (yay) so we are wearing whatever we like, we played outside in the gorgeous weather, did the laundry, had 2 minute noodles for lunch and then keira ran to tell me that a big truck was in the driveway! 5 big boxes of fabric from Japan – woohoo!

I was excited because it meant new fabrics for the store but the kids were thinking one thing………boxes! We’ve made cubbies, cars, trains and aeroplanes so far. Fabrics up in the store now. I practically killed myself unwrapping and photographing it all and keep forgetting about this big belly of mine which slows me down.

But here is a sneak peek to keep you going…….

Filed Under: japanese fabrics, kokka, retro mummy, store

flowers flowers everywhere

August 30, 2010 By corrie 8 Comments

Wow, you guys really love a giveaway! I’ll keep it open till sunday night and draw the winners then. And my next giveaway is a chocolate one so keep your eyes peeled for that one. Who doesn’t want to win a bundle of chocolate??

And, I thought I better show you my hexagon tally so far. Making these babies forces me to put my feet up and r-e-l-a-x…….something I’m finding hard to do this pregnancy with so many things on the go. From memory, I need 18 large flowers for the grandmothers flower garden quilt I’m making but at least am half way there….on the large ones anyway!

And since it was such a lovely weekend, I also went into the garden to find the first flowers I could find…….mind you the leaves are looking a bit sickly so I’ll get the gardener (aka retro daddy) onto that. I’ll also have to sneak up to the plant store on my own as he refuses to buy me anymore hydrangeas for my yard this summer…..so looks like I’ll be doing that myself!

And I’m still so impressed with the photos I’ve been taking on the Panasonic Lumix G2 and hope you’ve all entered the giveaway….you have until September to get your entry in and I really do hope one of my lucky readers will be the winner!

Filed Under: giveaway, hexagons, panasonic G2, retro mummy

long time, no giveaway

August 29, 2010 By corrie 165 Comments

Yes I feel it’s that time again, time for another giveaway! Just leave a comment and I’ll draw 3 winners. I’m giving away one pattern of your choice or one charm square pack of your choice or a couple of fat quarters from the store………….

I’ll call it a just because giveaway…………………

Filed Under: giveaway, retro mummy, store

starting baby’s wardrobe

August 28, 2010 By corrie 20 Comments

With just over 6 weeks to go, reality is hitting home, a baby is coming to this house! And we are not ready, people!!!! So I indulged in a bit of retail therapy this morning at DJ’s and Country Road for my little one on the way. But it’s very important to not consult your husband before you do this because he will tell you that surely with 2 girls already there are plenty of things upstairs to wear – um no retro daddy, wrong season! And it’s also a good idea to send him elsewhere otherwise he tries to rush you out of there and tell you that you are done now….

So, I think baby’s style this summer will be classic baby meets english rose as everything is very delicate and floral. And what is that I see – some blue – a little departure from pink. Both Keira and Tillie were always head to toe in pink but I couldn’t resist this little floral number.

And then after all of that shopping it was time to go to Target for lots of baby singlets and plain onesies for a spot of applique……………………

Filed Under: baby, shoppping

Modkid Patterns now in stock

August 26, 2010 By corrie 4 Comments

I’ve just discovered Patty Young’s website full of her gorgeous fabrics and patterns (yes I am probably the last person to discover this) and am so happy to now have a range of modkid patterns in the store. Here is one of my favourites…

It’s so nice to see my little store filling up again and just look out, September is going to be huge as I still have some big orders to come in including Far Far Away II………yay!

Filed Under: japanese fabrics, modkid, patty young, retro mummy, store

lecien flower sugar

August 25, 2010 By corrie 9 Comments

Spring has sprung here at retro mummy………this is one of my favourite ranges and I can’t wait to use it for dresses, quilts and my sewing projects in the coming months……mind you it sent keira into tears as she kept wanting to take the pretty fabrics off the table to play with.

I missed out on this range the first time it came out but now it’s out again in a new range. I wasted no time in ordering plenty.

And here are some gorgeous polka dot fabrics which are so bright and also festive and co-ordinate with the range beautifully.

Fabrics now up in the store here and here…12 new bolts in total!

Filed Under: japanese fabrics, lecien, retro mummy, store

Kidspot Top 50 Blog Your Way To Dunk Island

August 25, 2010 By corrie 13 Comments

Well there is an all expenses paid holiday to Dunk Island up for grabs on kidspot for it’s top 50 bloggers and I just have to enter and win because our last family holiday was back in 2007. You see having 3 children in less than 3 years means that just the thought of a holiday sends us into a panic…..and just when we thought ‘OK, we can do this’, we discover baby number 4 is on board (but what a nice surprise that was!).

Shibuya

So our one and only family holiday was to Japan when keira was one and it was definitely an amazing experience. I learnt so much on that trip about travelling with children (ok well ‘a child’) and she was just adored by the japanese people. They would spot her a mile away and pinch her cheeks and call out ‘kawaii’ to us. They were oh so forgiving of her behaviour and as soon as we’d enter a restaurant our shopping bags were taken, a high chair was produced with a little fork and spoon and bowl and she was patted and stared at.

We spent most of our trip in Tokyo and then headed to Kyoto for a few days. Kyoto is such a pretty city but not so much when you get rained out and then have a typhoon on the day you should be taking the shinkasen (super fast train) back to Tokyo. And do you think there were english messages on what time the train would leave, oh no, so we spent 1/2 a day at the train station with miss keira and kept her entertained with food, toys, more food and more toys.

Nikko

Here are my top tips I learnt on that trip which I hope to put to use again….

– plan, plan and plan again. With the internet you can do so much research now on where to stay, where to eat, where to go with kids so put in the time at home and be rewarded while you are away. Be sure to include your children too and make sure that each day there is an activity they will love. In Japan this was as simple as taking keira to Tokyo’s largest toy store (7 storeys high!) and buying her a toy from there, the acquarium or park.

– pack new books, toys and favourite snacks for the flight. For the kids not you, let’s not kid ourselves, you won’t have much time to read a book on the plane. A bag of jelly snakes or something to drink for takeoff and little ears is also essential in your bag.

keira eats up in the first class lounge before boarding the plane

– Don’t rely on food being provided on the plane, we had a stuff up with keira’s meals so she needed to share ours and I was so glad I had packed plenty of baby food, formula and snacks for her.

– Share the load – make sure you fully brief daddy that he is not to put on his headphones, drink beer and watch the movie the entire flight. Don’t laugh, on the flight home retro daddy saw we had the bassinette so settled back in his seat and put on his earphones – fear not I quickly reminded him I wasn’t doing this solo…………….

– eat lunch and dinner early. Everywhere in Japan has lunch specials which were really reasonably priced so we’d eat lunch in restaurants and for dinner we’d have sushi train as there was no waiting for food or we’d bring food back to the hotel room. Eating early means beating the crowds and avoiding long waits. By the end of the day the little people can have the crankies and sitting around waiting for food in a restaurant when they’ve been out all day can send them over the edge. Trust me, been there.

– always pack something special from home like a favourite soft toy or comforter for night time. We found getting a 1 year old to bed in a hotel room was challenging and often we’d fall asleep while getting her to sleep. Double check cot bookings – we arrived to find that in Tokyo the hotel room wasn’t big enough for a cot and that was that, no cot our entire stay.

– pick up a lightweight stroller for the trip. Don’t assume that your toddler/preschooler will walk everywhere just because they walk at home. I also recommend getting something reliable not just the cheapest on the market, this one reclined, had a great big basket underneath and was comfortable so keira would often nap in it while we were out.

– If you can afford a room that has a separate bedroom you will be thanking yourselves the entire trip. There is nothing worse than sitting in a barely lit room, volume on the tv down low and whispering to each other while you try to keep the little people asleep. This has driven retro daddy nuts so he insists on this from now on even for just one night away.

– if breakfast isn’t included in the room rate just stock up on some juice boxes, muffins, bananas and yoghurt. You’ll save money and the kids can eat breakfast while watching cartoons and there is no waiting till everyone is dressed and ready to go down and find some breakfast.

– room service can be a blessing. I know it’s expensive but when we go away for a night, keira just loves when the man delivers dinner to the room and sets it all up for her. Pizza and chips have never tasted so good.

– Make sure both mummy and daddy get some time to themselves. With shops open late in Japan we’d take it in turns to duck out and do some shopping or walking at night while the other was in the room babysitting. No surprises that I went out shopping.

Well weren’t those photos a trip down memory lane- keira and I have been in hysterics over these photos. She sure was a chubba bubba and it brings back a lot of memories of when we were a little family of 3. So please let me know when your last holiday was (was it 3 years ago??) and your top travel tips too as I’m always learning. Now that the twins are 2 and can have their own seat on the plane we are looking forward to taking another holiday some day….and maybe it will be dunk island?? It won’t happen overnight but it will happen…..our next family holiday that is.

And if you haven’t voted for me yet (you know you want to!) you can just go here and help me win a lovely holiday to dunk island ………….

Filed Under: holidays, japan, kidspot top 50 blogger, parenting, twins

Bega Cheese for the little people

August 23, 2010 By corrie 9 Comments

Sponsored by Nuffnang.

Cheese, cheese and more cheese! We eat a lot of cheese in this house, as in 1 kilo a week. I generally buy the biggest block I can buy and cut it up for the kids. But I think that will all change now that we’ve tried the latest Bega cheese products for kids and they can help themselves to the cheese out of the fridge. We were asked to try two new products, Bega Junior Cheese and Bega Shapers Puzzlers and I knew it would be pretty easy.

And for a photo opportunity we had a little cheese picnic out the back. I have to admit that my memory of cheese sticks growing up was of plastic – both look and taste and I’ve never bought them for my own little ones. But the Bega Junior Cheese is all natural colby cheese, nothing artificial or plastic about it and it tasted just as if I’d sliced it myself from the block. Keira was very proud of herself as she could open the sticks up for herself and the twins too. I think these will be perfect to pop into my handbag for a quick outing – something I can’t quite do with the 1kg block of cheese I buy each week.

And look at Keira’s concentration as she fits the Puzzlers together – she was determined to get them together. Finn on the other hand just saw cheese to be eaten, yum.

The Bega Puzzlers are cheddar cheese pieces cut into puzzle shapes and there is nothing artificial in them either. They come in a resealable ziplock bag and are perfect for a snack, to fill out a plate at home or pop in a lunchbox. These were also eaten at record speed in our house.

In fact, I started out with 8 bags of these yummy cheeses and a couple of days later am left with 2 bags in the fridge. I’m happy because they are all natural and a healthy snack and don’t taste like the kids cheese I grew up with. My kids, well they don’t care about how healthy it is, they just love that its yummy and fun to eat. So be sure to keep your eyes out for these and try them- they won’t last long at your house.

Filed Under: everything else

country cousins

August 22, 2010 By corrie 9 Comments

Retro daddy is one of 7 children and with all of the husbands and wives and kids it makes for a big family (and I love it!). We are the only ones who live outside Victoria but I do love a good get together and especially to let keira get to know her cousins. So Julie and I organised a little park playdate while they were up in Sydney.

We had to meet halfway as Sydney is such a big city so we headed out west to Parramatta Park. Keira was so excited to get the chance to really get out there on her Barbie bike and the twinnies went nuts amongst the tambark. Less than 2 minutes at the park and I realised dressing them head to toe in black would have been a good idea as that tambark was m-e-s-s-y. Napisan here I come….what I was thinking putting Finn in a light coloured rugby top, well I don’t know!

It was such a great photo opportunity to have 5 little cousins together but the twins are so hard to keep still and look at the camera and smile but we got there (with a little help and guidance from the adults!)

We gave the kids a really good run around playing chaseys (which ensured my lot slept on the way home) and then we said our goodbyes.

It was a great morning out and so nice to catch up. I wish Julie lived closer so we could craft and go fabric shopping together, but I’ll see her again at the quilt trade show in November which will be here in no time…………….

Filed Under: retro daddy, twins