Celebrate Archives - Not another slippery dip

Miss A celebrates her 10th birthday

April 3, 2019 By Michaela Fox

Miss A turns 10

Parenting is full of milestones, and they come thick and fast in the early years. The first smile, first steps, first time they sleep through the night. And the “firsts” continue: their first day of school, first time they lose a tooth, first time they ride a bike without training wheels. So many firsts!! There are also many “lasts” and while some of them are jubilant celebrations (last time they wear nappies) many of the lasts are also losses you mourn (last breastfeed, last time they nestle into your chest).

Today my first-born “baby” turned TEN! She is officially in the double digits now and this has resulted in much excitement and celebration. On a personal level it is pretty significant for me, too. I have reached ten years of motherhood – a decade of surviving parenthood. That’s a pretty big deal, right? So I could get all reflective and sentimental in this post, but instead I am going to show you how Miss A celebrated this milestone with her friends. To say she had a terrific time is a gross understatement. I think the reason she had such a great party was because we had it at home with a great bunch of girlfriend, and it involved good old-fashioned fun. It wasn’t fancy but it was fabulous.

Miss A’s 10th Birthday Party

My daughter turns double digits!

Miss A invited 14 girls to her party so when you add in our lot the total number of guests was 18. This is a big party in my books. Usually I like to keep numbers smaller but considering it was a milestone birthday, and we only have parties every second year, 18 seemed like a good number. Here’s a rundown of the party elements and activities:

Venue: Home

Time: 4.30pm-8.30pm

Activities:

We kicked off the party with a Treasure Hunt that started at home, then took the girls around the neighbourhood, finishing at the school. The final clue led them to the canteen where the treasure was icy poles for all. Considering it was over 36 degrees, it was ideal thirst quenching treasure.
Music and dancing: Back at home, a gaggle of girls busted out some seriously impressive moves (featuring: The Floss, The Worm, The Dab) to Miss A’s party playlist.
Pizza for dinner: We ordered pizzas from a local wood fired pizza place, which were demolished on picnic rugs outside on the grass. More dancing. More giggles. And wheelbarrow races on the grass!
Polaroids: We bought an Instax polaroid camera for the party. It was so much fun. We took photos of all guests with the birthday girl and each guest got to take copy home. We pasted one copy into a scrapbook for Miss A to keep and each guest wrote a birthday message next to the pic. It was loads of fun!
Movie: After all that dancing it was time for a movie (Small Foot). Most of the party guests watched the flick but some had more”energy” to burn off…
Cake time: Half an hour before the end of the party we sung happy birthday to Miss A. The cake was declared a triumph (phew). I iced the cake using this icing recipe. The key to a really delicious buttercream is in the good quality vanilla extract you use (not essence). The flowers on the top of the cake acted as a subtle and sophisticated cake topper. Natives and pink roses the perfect arrangement by Violet and the Fox.
Champagne, cheese and macarons: The cheese platter was meant to be for the grown ups but the kids devoured it too. I was impressed by their sophisticated palettes as they enjoyed the artichokes, soft cheese, figs and honeycomb. It was a seriously good grazing board generously created by By Natascha.
End of party: Time for Mr NASD and me to polish off the rest of the champagne and the grazing board. Party girl went to bed with a very full tummy and even fuller heart. She declared it “The Best Party Ever.” Well, you only turn double digits once…

Welcome to an evening of pizza, adventure and fun!

Treasure Hunt Clues!

Stuff of cheese dreams!

Beautiful pink and mint macarons

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Understated and subtle, just like Miss A.

Semi Naked white chocolate mud cake

Easy no-bake chocolate Caramello slice

For a look at other parties, cakes and celebrations, visit the Celebrate section of this blog. And to stay up-to-date with all our family shenanigans make sure you’re following NASD on Facebook and Instagram.

Miss J’s Craft Party

September 23, 2018 By Michaela Fox

Welcome to the Craft Party!

Miss J turned eight last week and we celebrated with a party at home. The birthday girl couldn’t decide if she wanted a craft party, or a movie party, so we decided to do both! Given we now only do parties once every second year (best decision ever) I figured we could double the fun! 15 girls (including her sisters) had a fabulous time crafting in the afternoon, and then watching a flick in the evening. It was a terrific success.

In order to ease my load, and reduce the stress that inevitably comes with hosting a home party, I decided to outsource most of the catering. I’ve done my fair share of Fairy parties, Garden Parties and Rainbow parties and, whilst fun, they are A LOT of work. This year I had neither the time nor the will to spend hours in the kitchen preparing. So I bought a selection of tasty treats from Chantal’s Patisserie and I ordered sushi and sausage rolls for dinner. Easy. All I had to do was the cake. But what cake did the birthday girl request? A Mermaid Cake!!

After being completely intimidated by the results from my Pinterest search, I settled for a “cheats version” of a Mermaid cake. Instead of mermaid scales and fondant, I opted for mermaid tails and buttercream. This made it much more achievable. The cake itself was three layers of white chocolate mud cake, iced with turquoise buttercream and decorated with fondant tails and white chocolate shells and sea creatures. Birthday girl LOVED it!

The party went from 4.00p-8.00pm, which was the longest party I’ve ever had at home. I usually find that two hours is tops, but because of the movie component it really had to be this long. The party guests spent the first hour or so crafting with Oober Oonies by Moose Toys. This product has just landed in Australia so none of the guests had seen it before (one of the perks of working on the social media for Moose Craft!). It is also LOTS of fun with LITTLE mess (an absolute must if you’re going to host a craft party!). Then the girls ate dinner, got changed into their pyjamas and settled in front of the TV with popcorn to watch The Greatest Showman.

Here are some photos from the party. If you have any questions, just pop them in the Comments section below and I’ll respond. And if you want to see some of the other parties I have hosted over the years, just type ‘Party” into the search bar or click on the links in this post.

Miss J’s Craft Party

Let’s get crafty!

It’s time to celebrate turning EIGHT!

Oober Oonies made for the perfect craft activity.

Crafting with Oober Oonies

These macaronuts were a HIT!

How pretty is the Teal?!

Candy Marshmallow Cones

A cross between a macaron and a donut…who knew?!

A clever mould made this Mermaid tail a lot easier!

White Chocolate Mudcake with buttercream icing and fondant decorations.

Just a small hit of sugar!

Do you host parties at home or do you outsource? And do you give your kids parties every year? Tell me the truth, do you like them or loathe them? 🙂

Happy 8th birthday, Miss J

September 12, 2018 By Michaela Fox

Happy 8th birthday, Miss J

My darling Miss J,

Happy 8^thbirthday!

As I write those words I feel it must be some sort of mistake. How can you possibly be eight years old already? I am sure you were born just yesterday. Never does the expression, “The days are long but the years are short” resonate more than on birthdays. If you are eight, then I must be old, really old. But lets not go there…

Have I told you about the time I saw stars? Apparently these flashes of light are quite common during a fainting spell. But what’s not common is fainting during the “pushing”stage of labour. Which is precisely how I came to see stars at your birth. The midwife on duty said that in her 30 years of delivering babies she had never seen a woman faint at the pointy end of labour! But I’ve never been one to follow the script. When I came to, you were placed on my chest and the earth literally shook. My entire body trembled (a side effect of shock) and I saw stars…so many stars!!

Looking back it’s fitting that I saw stars during your birth. Because I have continued to see stars wherever you go. Your big, bright eyes are magnetic stars. They dart and dance all day long, brimming with curiosity and love. They speak before words form in your mouth. You eyes are the windows to your soul and reveal a very special young girl. And they brighten up my world. I adore your eyes almost as much, if not more, than your curls. Which is to say A LOT. Your eyes brighten up my world.

My friend nicknamed you “Sparky” because of your shiny eyes. But it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine, especially in the early years. You were a “live wire” – reactive and highly charged (read: explosive). But over the years this side of your personality has mellowed. You are calm, curious and considered. And you exude an enthusiasm for life that takes my breath away, quite literally at times!

You write me love notes almost daily. If you keep this up I will have an entire rainforest dedicated to your love for me. I treasure these “love declarations”. You are so generous with your warmth and affection. You thank me for filling your bucket each day, so grateful are you for the simplest things. I tell you that my bucket is overflowing, dripping with your love. You insist you love me more than I love you. Sometimes I protest, and other times I indulge you, knowing full well this is not possible. For how could any child truly understand the magnitude of a mother’s love?

Miss J, thank you for being YOU. Thank you for bringing love and joy to our family, and to everyone around you. Today is YOUR day to shine. I love you more than I can express in words. Have bucket loads of fun being eight.

Love, Mama xx

Make a wish!

8 Fast Facts:

You are fiercely loyal to your sisters, who are your best friends. Sister power is alive and thriving in our home.
You still HATE bananas. You won’t even pass me one from the fruit bowl such is your loathing for this fruit.
You are a perfectionist and get upset when your performance is anything less than perfect. Please don’t be so hard on yourself.
Your favourite game to paly at home is “Hotels.” I love it too. You insist I play the role of a hotel guest while you dote on me, bringing wine, cheese and “shampane”. I love this game.
You are a quiet student…so very quiet in the classroom. But outside of school, my goodness you are LOUD. Your voice booms and ricochets off the walls. #dontwakethebaby!! This would surprise your teachers greatly.
You LOVE having a baby sister. You are immensely proud of her and love showing her off to your friends.
You are a beautiful dancer. Your results in Tap and Ballet exams this year were outstanding. It’s a joy to watch you dance.
This year you joined the Choir at school. This was a big step for you as you experience anxiety in front of crowds. But you are loving it. And it was a very #proudmamammoment seeing you take the stage for the first time.
Bonus fact: I love you more! #truthbomb

When you were half way here…

Be sure to follow NASD on Facebook and Instagram for more snippets and stories of my life with four daughters.

4 ways to create a stylish table setting

April 30, 2018 By Michaela Fox

Love the way the colour pops against the black platter!

4 ways to create a stylish table setting

Presentation is everything when it comes to food. As a child I watched my mum put on countless occasions at home – from casual Sunday afternoon canapés to formal home dinner parties. She entertained with ease, generosity and warmth. Mum would plan her menu for the eagerly anticipated dinner party weeks in advance. She would spend hours poring over cookbooks (Margaret Fulton was her bible) crafting the perfectly themed menu. French cuisine was her speciality and she cooked with exciting ingredients. No tuna Mornay in sight!

I have inherited her love of entertaining, though I can’t say I do it nearly as well or as often. My mum partied hard during her “roaring 40’s” but she was well beyond the baby stage by then. Sometimes Mum and Dad’s guests were still there in the morning, much to the surprise and delight of us when we woke up! And then it would be croissants and coffee.

The classic dinner party of that era may be gone, and so too is the formal dining room. But coming together over food is still one of life’s greatest pleasures. Today’s more open and casual spaces allow for more of a focus on what a dinner party is really about—people and food coming together.

It is often said that we eat with our eyes first. In this post I’d like to share with you my top four tips for styling a table. Even a casual lunch with friends can become more special with a few fancy touches.

It all begins with setting the scene!

A cheese platter and champagne sets the scene!

Flowers

Flowers are, in my view, an essential feature of table. I absolutely adore fresh flowers, which can be arranged in multiple vases/glass jars (they don’t have to match) or one single bouquet in the middle of the table. My feeling is that smaller arrangements work best – you don’t want a tall vase dominating the table. The flowers shouldn’t be the star of the show (hopefully the real hero is the food) so choose an arrangement that complements your setting. When I hosted Christmas lunch for 45 guests a few years ago I chose natives, which I placed in small jars. In this post I have used a small bunch, placed in the centre of the table. When entertaining I always ensure I have a bunch of flowers in the powder room also.

Tableware

It is a full sensory experience for the eyes, hands, as well as taste buds, and tableware has become an extension of this. Tableware helps to set the overall tone and ambience of your dining experience. I literally swooned over Caviar collection. A throw back to Art Deco and oh-so-sexy! Plus, the metallic tone adds a touch of drama and luxury to the table. Similarly, stemless wine glasses bring an elegant and contemporary edge to the table. And

Simple and sophisticated tableware

Cypriot Grain Salad is always a crowd pleaser!

Colour

White is the obvious choice for tableware, but who wants to be obvious? I love muted tones such as stone greys and dusty pastels, which can help to bring out the colours in the food. Robust and rustic dishes tend to be able to handle bolder colours too. The Caviar collection is striking addition to the Maxwell & Williams range and is a modern alternative to traditional white settings. How good does the Turkish Delight and pomegranate in the salad look on the black plates?!

The colour contrast works really well with the black plates

Turkish Delight and pretty rose petals!

Mood

Overall, a well-designed table really comes down to how you choose to pair the items you have available. Make sure you combine pieces that make a bold statement with items that don’t overwhelm the design.

This is your table, let it reflect your sense of style. And don’t forget to have fun with it. If you love a particular print or colour, then find a way to introduce it into your table setting – use what inspires you!

Cheese and champagne helps to set the mood!

Dessert time…

Rich Chocolate Brownies

The loveliest Lemon Tart

Coffee and Biscotti time…

A table setting can be casual and elegant in equal measure.

Do you entertain often? If you would like me to share any of the dishes featured in this post, or you want to know more about the tableware, just leave a comment below and I’ll be sure to respond.

Disclosure: Maxwell & Williams gifted me with some of the items that are featured in this post.

Our family photo shoot

March 5, 2018 By Michaela Fox

Me and my little mini

One of the hardest things about being a family of six is getting a (decent) family photo. One where everyone looks nice and everyone has their eyes open! Much like an empty laundry basket, it’s pretty much impossible. Which is why we had some professional family photos taken a couple of months ago. The lovely and talented Beck from Beck Holder Photography took the most gorgeous photos at Warrandyte Pound Bend. The setting was idyllic. Surrounded by Kookaburras, the lightly wooded landscape is spectacular and ideal for natural light photography. If you live in Melbourne you must visit and take a picnic, as we did. Natural beauty at her best!

Our family photo shoot

Beck was tasked with a number of challenges, which she rose to with ease and confidence. First, she had to make this tired mama look good. I had little time in the morning for grooming (another impossibly pusuit with four little people). Second, she had to make it FUN for the kids. Well, she made it so fun they didn’t want to leave. Beck, who is also a school teacher is a natural with kids. They warmed to her in a nano second. Third, she had to get us all smiling at the same time, with eyes open. Nailed it. Fourth, she had to take photos that partially disguised my big girls’ faces (so I can splash across social media). Fifth, she had to keep bubba sufficiently entertained and happy when she was ready for her morning nap. All the ticks!

The last time we had professional photos taken was when Miss I was just two days’ old. And this recently photo session was almost an exact year later! Like our newborn photo shoot, we didn’t want anything posed or staged in a studio. We wanted photos to be natural and capture the essence of our connection. I particularly love the way Beck captured the close sibling bond and the girls’ sense of fun. Here is a mere snapshot of the photos that we received. Our task now is deciding which ones to enlarge, frame and send straight to the Pool Room, Dale Kerrigan!

She loves the touchy feely baby board books.

Dada’s little girl!

Little Miss had just mastered the art of clapping hands!

I love her beautiful blue eyes!

Strike a pose! These three girls have the a bond that is super tight!

I love this photo so much!

Love the joy on her sister’s face!

Sisters and a teddy bear picnic.

The girls had THE BEST time exploring the surrounds!

Look at me standing tall, aren’t I clever?!

Beck Holder is a natural light photographer based in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. She specialises in family photography. You can find her at Beck Holder Photography.

Do you find it hard to get decent photos of your family? Have you had any professional photos taken?

Miss A’s 10th Birthday Party

Activities:

Miss J’s Craft Party

8 Fast Facts:

4 ways to create a stylish table setting

Flowers

Tableware

Colour

Mood

Our family photo shoot

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