Not another slippery dip

Embracing the messy, mundane & momentous

Christmas greetings from me to you

By

Me and my girls

Me and my girls

Christmas is always such a busy time of year, isn’t it? Unfortunately, some of the joy of anticipating this special day can be eclipsed by the pressures, obligations and “busyness” during the lead up. But finally the kinder concerts, ballet performances, school transitions, and social obligations have all come to an end, and now Christmas is here for us to enjoy.

We celebrated with my husband’s side of the family, a week early, to avoid back-to-back family celebrations on Christmas Day. It was a smart move. Nine adults and seven children gathered at our home for a seafood feast, and celebration of life. Now, all I have to do now on Christmas morning is wake up to the joy of Santa’s visit and lap up all that magical goodness. Then I’ll turn up to my Auntie’s with a salad and bottle of sparkling, ready to embrace another celebration and devour another Christmas spread!…

Read More »

The end of a childhood chapter

By

Kinder girl

Preschool fun!

When my first-born daughter was a baby, I couldn’t wait for her to reach the next milestone. I was eager for her to roll, crawl, walk and talk. She is now five and those early milestones are firmly in the rear-vision mirror.

There are so many firsts in a young child’s life; the first smile, the first word, the first steps. These beginnings are highly anticipated and cause for great celebration. But there are many endings, too, and often these bring mixed emotions. I remember shedding tears during my last breastfeed. I wanted to hold onto that feed forever….

Read More »

Christmas gift ideas for teachers & childcare staff

By

Christmas gifts

Christmas gifts

There has been a lot of talk in the media lately about whether parents should give gifts to school teachers, childcare staff and preschool educators. Some argue that the staff get paid and therefore a gift is not really necessary. I disagree. In my mind they deserve GOLD on top of their salary for caring for our little ones. But, gift giving can get expensive, especially if you have more than one child and multiple staff members looking after them. In my mind the most lovely gift you can give is handmade card. Nothing else says “thank you” like a gorgeous card hand drawn (or scribbled) by your child.

Last year I made Christmas Rocky Road, which we displayed in glass mason jars and tied with a ribbon and a Christmas decoration. This year, we baked White Chocolate and Cranberry cookies to give to Childcare and Kinder staff. We also bought some beautiful Christmas tree decorations so that they have something that lasts as the cookies certainly won’t!

Here is how we said THANK YOU to the wonderfully patient, kind and caring ladies who have looked after my three girls this year….

Read More »

How to have a real holiday with kids

By

The lookout

The lookout

It is often said that a holiday with kids is an oxymoron. That more accurately it is a test of how well you can entertain your kids without the “props” of home. And I can relate to this. When you’ve got little ones even holidays require a degree of effort. We’ve had some holidays in the past that have seemed like far too much work to qualify as a true “break”.  And when they are really little you need to readjust  your holiday aspirations. It’s more a change of scene.

But that scene just changed…….

Read More »

Family, food and a fabulous celebration

By

 

IMG_7515Yesterday, 5 daughters, 5 sons-in-law and 14 grandchildren gathered together to celebrate my mum’s 70th birthday. And what a celebration it was! We enjoyed  sensational food and wine in a gorgeous setting, vibrant and animated conversation (a staple of Fox family functions) and we toasted to a fine lady, loving and selfless mum, and all-round remarkable woman. If you want to read about why she’s so special, you can read about her here….

Read More »

What makes kids happy?

By

Child's play

Child’s play

We  all want our kids to be healthy, strong, kind and capable.  Mostly, though, we want them to be happy. And yet in our quest to raise happy children we often overlook the simplest ingredients of a happy childhood. So, what makes kids happy? It’s not the latest gadget or digital device. It doesn’t cost money and it can’t be downloaded. It is pure and it is instinctive. Happiness is found in play.

Here is a list of 15 innate  things that, all the world over, kids enjoy….

Read More »

21 things I love about newborns

By

Irresisitible

Irresisitible

Ten little fingers and ten little toes; there’s an irresistible magic about newborns. The arrival of a baby is an occasion of unparalleled joy and I’ve been blessed to experience this three times. My youngest ‘baby’ is now two, and although my husband thinks our family is complete, part of me yearns to experience the newborn phase all over again. Of course, newborn babies are not all smiles and rainbows, but they are undeniably cute and remarkable in so many ways. Here are 20 things I love about newborn babies:

1. My love of newborns begins with their many little creases and folds; the soles of their cute feet being my favourite part of a baby’s body.

2. I love the perfectly formed fingernails at the tips of their teeny tiny fingers….

Read More »

This is my sweet spot

By

IMG_2317

About a quarter of a century ago my parents wisely bought a holiday house in a very unique part of the world. I have written here about my love of this place. Growing up we spent every summer down at the beach and, for me,  it represents everything that is good about childhood. It’s where coast meets country and the air is filled with the scent of pine and salt. It’s my “sweet spot”. It’s where I go to reset, recharge and refocus. It’s where I go to relax. It’s where I go to regift the experiences that my parents gave to me. It’s my happy place….

Read More »

How do you measure love?

By

A collection of treats

A collection of treats

I had just a few simple requests this Mother’s Day:

1. Do not buy me flowers! Pick some from our garden instead and avoid being sucked in to buying overpriced flowers.The same rule applies to Valentine’s Day.

2. No cooking. If there’s one day I don’t want to even step into the kitchen, it’s mother’s day (and my birthday!)

3. A cooked breakfast.

4. The three C’s: Champagne (yes, it must be french),Cheese and Chocolate….

Read More »

Join me on Facebook