Grateful for daycare….

This is my daughter on her first day at daycare last October. She is so excited isn’t she? This day was the day that my little girl started on a road to independence, even if it was for a short time once per week. It was a big day for me too as we had rarely been separated since she was born. I knew that she would probably find it hard at first and then love it. I was right.

This first day, Olivia skipped into the room where her carers took her by the hand and began showing her how to decorate cupcakes. She barely noticed when I said goodbye. I picked her up early that day and everyone was relieved that she had a positive experience. In the meantime, I spent most of the day worrying (needlessly) about her when I could have been spending that time with my baby (who had never had one on one attention before that day – ever!).

The next week was the same but by the third week she was beginning to show signs of distress. As the weeks passed, I would have conversations with her carers about how she was coping (not well) which made me wonder whether I was doing the right thing. They reassured me that she would adapt but I was having trouble coming to terms with the amount of stress she was feeling. I contacted a couple of friends in the childcare industry and gave myself a deadline. If she didn’t start to enjoy it by this day, I would pull her out and begin again. This was one of the most stressful periods of my parenting life.

If she was so distressed, why didn’t I pull her straight away? We were lucky to get that place. The wait list is two years in most child care centres in the inner west of Sydney. The media is calling it a child care crisis. You take what you can get. The centre was a short walk away from my house, it was right next door from the primary school I plan to take her to. The carers were very caring and professional. I wanted this to work.

She did adapt. It took an extra day of attendance and moving up to another age group for her to adapt but she did. Now when I take her in the morning she runs off without glancing back at me. She brings home works of art that she makes and proudly tells me about the games she plays and what this teacher said and that teacher said.

The carers genuinely seem to show love and affection for all of the children. They give them cuddles and kisses. They are patient and kind (with both the parents and the kids).

Tonight, our daycare had a disco for the kids. Olivia won a prize for her Minnie Mouse costume which she proudly wore home. She danced like a little madam and surprised me when she knew Gangnam style! She was at ease with all of the children which would have been a real challenge for her six months ago. I was really proud of her and how she has grown.

I am really grateful for the fact that my child is able to attend such a wonderful child care centre. I am lucky that we can afford to send her there and that I am able to spend time at home with my youngest. I am grateful for the quality time my baby has had with me and how this has helped with her own development. Daycare not only benefits my daughter who attends, but also myself (yay! free time!) and my other daughter.

I am grateful for the child care rebate that allows so many children attend child care in Australia because it makes it marginally more affordable for women to return to the workplace and contribute to society. It also allows the mums who choose to stay at home to have a break in a life which is full of go go go. I do hope that more quality child care places become available so that families are not placed under financial strain which can eventuate if other child care options have to be explored.

This post is part of my weekly Grateful series which is linked in with Bron’s 52 Weeks of Grateful over at Kidspot. I would love to hear about your own experiences with child care. If you care to share, please comment below!

A sneaky peek into a day in my life…

Hello. I was reading a post written by a fabulous Australian author/blogger/twitterer Kerri Sackville last week on ivillage (find the article here) in which she described a day in her life. I love reading snippets of other people’s mundane activities. It kind of feels like watching reality TV, only I don’t really watch much reality TV (except The Block – but not this current season which is decidedly CRAP). I also believe that people, mums in particular, want to know these kinds of small details because it lets them know that they are doing ok, that other people do the same things. That we aren’t perfect, despite all of our “guide to…”posts on all things meditation, healthy living, exercise and correct parenting techniques.

So I decided that I would take you through a day in my life. Not because I am in any way more interesting than any one else or that I like to over share, but because some mum out there might find it a comfort that sometimes I put the Wiggles on back to back so I can get a bit of work done (or just be lazy) or that I worry incessantly about silly things. I invite you to blog about your mundane daily activities too and if you put the link in the comments here, I will tweet about it.

Every day is different here. We have some days that we do child friendly activities (such as trips to the library or music classes) and other days that are mum friendly (such as the gym or catching up with friends) and some days that aren’t friendly in any way at all!

Today is a Tuesday. Tuesdays are daycare days for my eldest daughter (3 years). This morning I was extra tired because my youngest (17 months) was suffering from croup. In the early hours of the morning I had decided that my worry about disrupting sleep routines (and self settling mumbo jumbo) was less important than my concerns about the barking noises coming over the baby monitor so I brought her into our bed. I do love a little snuggle with a sleepy baby but I think perhaps my husband is less impressed because he tends to get up extra early on these days.

We were running late because a) I slept in and b) I was too tired to get organised last night. I proceeded to blame my husband for not getting everything ready while I was sleeping (which is very unfair). My daughter starts repeating non-stop “Daddy is very cranky with Mummy” until I butt in that no, Mummy is very cranky with Daddy! Yes, he does put up with a lot.

 

I decided to skip my shower and put my gym clothes on. I had a pump class that I wanted to go to. I shoved some warm clothes on my children, had a pleading conversation about going to the toilet before leaving the house with my 3 year old and then we set off on the short walk to daycare with the kids.

Usually I would put my youngest daughter into the gym creche while I do my class or workout but as my husband was working from home today and she was unwell, he took over, doing a bit of grocery shopping while I did my class (yes he was working hard). I walked out shaking from all the squats and lunges I just did and we took our girl home for lunch.

I am exceptionally hungry at lunch time, and rarely do I vary in what I eat which is some kind of sandwhich, a piece of fruit and a cup of coffee or tea. Today I also had a glass of coconut water (to replace electrolytes – and also, it is very yummy!). I could see that sleep was not on the horizon for bub so we put some Wiggles on my phone and proceeded to have a bit of a boogy before I made her some formula and put her to bed.

Sleep times are my free times. I rarely do any kind of housework while my kids sleep. Perhaps that is very lazy of me but I try to use it to do things I like to do such as gardening, reading, knitting or crocheting or blogging. Today I need to get some course notes off the computer (I am doing a course with the Australian Writers Centre) so I spent 30 minutes getting frustrated with the computer before it worked then I settled down to look at my blog and answer any comments. After I finish this post I will sit down with my current book and a coffee.

As soon as my children get up, it is back into mum mode. Snacks are prepared, Duplo is dumped on the floor or painting is set up on the table outside. My littlest one loves to just wander off and play in the garden (which I have made sure is very safe and secure). I keep an eye on her through the big windows from the kitchen. Sometimes we make batches of cookies or muffins during this time, other times we read books or do some crafting. It often depends on my energy levels.

At around 4 today I will pick up my toddler and bring her home, sit with her and talk about her day before I start dinner. She natters on for ages about all the things she does because she loves it there. My girl also loves to help me cook and I try to be very patient and give her things she can do despite it slowing the process down. The baby just wanders around or zooms cars along the floor while we cook. More often than not, Play School is playing on the TV somewhere in an attempt to distract the kids.

Dinner is at 5.30 sharp. I say sharp because if it is any later I have to deal with babies clinging to my calf muscles while I shuffle around the kitchen. She is a routined little thing so I work with it. Tonight is some pan fried barramundi and baked vegetables from the veg box.

Once we do the dinner thing, we all have some fruit (or ice cream) and then my youngest starts bugging us to take her for her bath. Sometimes we all hop into the shower together. If my husband is at home I leave him to clean up, otherwise I do it while the kids are eating their fruit. Bath time is actually quite relaxed in our house, they love it. I’m usually exhausted by this point so I just sit there looking through my phone while they happily play.

Once the kids are put to bed we both go downstairs and relax. Some times I have work to do for my writing course and other times I use this time to write a blog post, but mainly we just stare at the TV, chat to each other and snack . I am a terrible after dinner snacker. I’m never hungry but I can’t help it. I usually read or knit and then we fall into bed after a shower.

So that is my day. This is a terribly long post, I know. I hope I haven’t bored you stupid with my mundane activities. Please share some of yours with me!

Grateful for…my husband (and other things too)

This week has been rather challenging. I have quite a few projects on the go at the moment so I am struggling to focus on any one thing at a time. My husband has also been sick with the flu (man flu is so much worst than normal flu isn’t it?) and I have really come to appreciate how much he does for me and the kids. So it is for him, my sweet man, that I dedicate this post to.

I have always been a bit smug about my husband. I often see other relationships from the outside and assume that I have it better than others. I know this is incredibly judgemental but it also means that I am always incredibly grateful for our relationship and family.

We were raised very differently. He was born in Nairobi, Kenya (I, Sydney, Australia) and raised for the first few years by both his parents and his paternal grandparents in Africa. His family migrated to the UK when he was only a baby and he and his brothers were always that little bit different. He recalls times when friends were banned from playing with him or when people refused to get into lifts with him and his dad. How his family didn’t feel comfortable going to the local swimming pool and therefore he doesn’t know how to swim.

When he tells me these childhood experiences, I get so angry. I think, however, that this drives him (and his mum and dad) to really strive to provide a different life for our kids. They are all so hands on and loving and they have taught me a lot about patience and kindness and respect.

Hubby was always a little bit cheeky, and a lot naughty. But he is also a good person and is very kind and very smart. He is also forgiving and tender. Sometimes I feel like I am a very selfish person in comparison to him. He used to get into a lot of trouble at school and my mother in law says she dreaded parent teacher night for that reason. His brother used to walk ten paces in front of him at all times and no one guessed they were brothers because they were so different (they are now very close).

He moved to Australia almost 15 years ago now. We met when we worked together in a big 4 firm. He was still cheeky and naughty, but also seemed to really like me. We bonded over beers at after work drinks. He followed me to the other side of Sydney one night and drunkenly discussed the caramel babies we would have with my also drunk sister (I was incredibly sober and not impressed). I rejected him that night but then realised that I am often quite stupid when it comes to love and from that realisation, I never looked back.

We were married within 18 months of our first date. We had two ceremonies, one in Kenya (when his elderly nanna lived) and one on a beach in Sydney. Two years later we were undergoing fertility treatment and it was then that I realised that I really had a goodie. Sometimes I describe our baby making as the least romantic way of concieving, but this isn’t true. What can be more romantic than your husband driving you to every appointment, holding your hand during every treatment, being there when you get the good news or the bad, taking you to hospital and sitting there in emergency for a full 24 hours when you have Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (as a result of the IVF treatment) and subsequently brings you Tom Ka Gai soup every day for the week you are kept in the ward? Someone you can trust to just sit there and stroke your hair while you sleep and still be there hours later when you wake up. Whose mum starts researching flights from the UK to tend my sick bed while I was recovering? Wow. This experience truly bonded us together.

We have since two children (the second came to us naturally and without much trying – such is life). We are tossing up whether we want try again. Most of our time is spent together as a family and despite our varying upbringing, we have the same ideas about family. We are in it for life. We put each other first. We make every effort. We are best friends. We make sure we laugh. We look after each other.

My husband is the one who gets up with the girls in the morning. He is always with me when one of them gets up at night and used to rock the bassinet at 2am when the girls were babies. He makes sure I get time for myself, to exercise and to see friends. In fact, there isn’t much he wouldn’t do for me. We do the evening routine together (he works from home) and he doesn’t leave me to do all of the household chores (in fact he is as I type making the kids lunches while they pull at his ankles).

We aren’t a perfect couple. But, five years on, I am incredibly grateful for my life, much of which is happy because of my marriage.

This week I am also grateful for moments like this:

-          Stroking soft baby hair;

-          Being serenaded “Somewhere over the rainbow” while I try to nap on the lounge by my toddler;

-          Sunshine and cooler weather – I can finally plant my bulbs!;

-          Chicken sweet corn soup – a favourite meal at this time of year;

-          Reading in my garden;

-          Starting my YA Fiction course with the Australian Writers Centre and reading lots of great YA fiction;

-          Lovely comments by readers on my blog which make my day;

-          Collecting leaves for crafting with the girls;

-          Watching “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”;

-          Working on crochet and knitting projects and receiving comments from my toddler like “Mummy! You are so clever!”;

-          My little one learning the word “Apple”.

I am linking in with Kidspot’s 52 Weeks of Grateful today. What are you grateful for?

The Second Book Club Post…

Welcome to my second book club post! I am super excited to be bringing to you this series of monthly posts about books, a great love of mine. Please make yourself at home here, as if we are sitting in my living room with a glass of wine and a plate of my brownies. I want to know what you are reading right now and whether you have read any of the books I am discussing here today.

The book for the month is: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out of a Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson which was recommended by my mother and other teacher friends. I have actually been dreading this post in some ways, because I really struggled to like this book. In fact, despite my inability to stop reading books I don’t actually enjoy, I would have put this one down, had it not been for this month’s promised book club.

In fact, I’m not really sure why I didn’t enjoy the book. It featured all of the things I usually like to read (about). That is, the protagonist was funny. An old man who decided he didn’t really want to attend his 100th birthday party at the old people’s home, jumps out of a window and sets off a whole series of events which involve a criminal cartel and an ensuing murder investigation (where he is the main suspect). His whole life he seems to have big influence entirely by accident and makes for an interesting story.

The story jumps back and forth between his life story and the present (maybe this annoyed me?). He seemed to have a hand in all major historical events in the last 100 years, and this was indeed right up my alley (as a history teacher). It would also be a great book for struggling history students who wanted to see history from a different perspective. It was also well written, the language was very ironic but readable.

Even though I couldn’t put my finger on the reason why, it dragged on relentlessly until I finally got to the last chapter and basically skimmed through it just to get it done. Have you read the book? What did you think of it?

Now to the second part of the book club. Each month, in addition to talking about the book of the month, I will also be recommending some of my favourite books. Each time I will pick one fiction book, one non-fiction (health/parenting/biography) book and one children’s/YA book (although this month the fiction book is a YA book – my guilty pleasure). If you would like to share some of your favourite books, please leave me a comment!

Here are my recommendations for the month:

Fiction:  Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Ok, I almost didn’t include this one because it is a teen romance novel for young adults. How embarrassing. But then, if you are really going to get to know me, then you must know, I LOVE YA FICTION! I am even doing a creative writing course for writing children’s and young adult fiction at the Australian Writers Centre.

Anyway, it is a typical boy meets girl, set in Paris. Etienne St. Claire, the male character is as complex as a teenage boy could possibly be and Anna is rather silly most of the way through, lusting after Etienne while refusing to give up her grungy boyfriend back home. But, it was one of those books I read from start to finish in one sitting. And sometimes in life we need a book that we can lose ourselves in. Don’t we? Next week I plan to do a series of posts on reading styles and why we need to read particular books. This book gave me an escape, and that is as good as any reason for reading it.

Non-Fiction: The Still Point of the Turning World by Emily Rapp

This book takes us to the other spectrum of reading and it is not a book that I would give to my pregnant sister to read now. Having said that, if you are a mother. Read this book. Emily begins her book with the diagnosis of her baby, Ronan, with a terminal illness not widely known about in Australia (at least to me), Tay Sachs. Throughout this book, Emily is dealt the task of coming to terms with the impending death of her baby boy and the gradual decline that he is to experience as a result of this genetic disease. I was with her when she felt anger towards the competitive mothers she met at mothers group, when she threw out all of the baby books which no longer related to her child who met none of the developmental milestones for his age. I was with her when she thrashed it out in a spin class at her gym or she watched Ronan sleep in his cot, taking a moment to enjoy him for who he was. She dealt with people who pitied her, who didn’t know what to say to her, who judged Ronan. One doctor (who meant well) even said, “Its like he’s even part of the family”. Well, yes. He’s her son. Of course he is.

I’m sure most mothers have constant fears about the health and future of their children, as I do. It was not a big stretch to have empathy for Emily’s experience as a mother, the anger she felt at the injustice, the need to make decisions no mother should have to make (such as whether to refuse a feeding tube and let nature take its course when Ronan’s body started breaking down). So beautifully written, this is an intellectual read. Written by a lover of books and of the written word. Please do read this book.

Children’s/YA book:  A sick day for Amos McGee by Philip and Erin Stead

This is another one of my library finds. What I love most about this book are the illustrations. Sometimes its nice to have a break from the primary colours of most childrens books aimed at pre-schoolers. This book is about Amos McGee, an elderly man who lives alone. He does the same thing every day. He gets up, gets dressed, has breakfast and then catches the early bus to the zoo where he works. He has quite the friendship with some of the animals and is always there to play chess, or read books or keep them company. They are his friends. One day, Amos is feeling sick and the animals notice that he doesn’t come to the zoo. So they each get onto the bus and visit him in his home to take care of him. Its such a lovely story and reminds me that reading for pleasure isn’t just for me, but for my kids too (and of course it doesn’t hurt if I like the book I am reading to them too).

What are you reading right now? If you blog about one of these books, let me know! I will link in to your blog in this post.

Next month we will be reading ‘The Storyteller’ by Jodi Picoult. See you there.

How to host a vintage inspired baby shower…part three: food

This is the third part in my series on hosting a vintage inspired baby shower in your home. In part one, I told you how to create digital invitations to save you time and energy. The second part gave some fun decorating ideas that I used. In this post, I will give you a basic high tea style menu with links to the various recipes I used. It is easy to get overwhelmed by catering for 10 plus people, however, if you plan for most of the food to be laid out on tables, to be eaten in one go, many of your treats can be created in advance.

It is essential to plan your food with your guests in mind. I had two guests who were vegetarians and two pregnant ladies (food safety concerns were relevant factors here). I also had a number of elderly guests who wouldn’t be up for eating sashimi or chilli laden foods. Although I did include some dishes that weren’t safe for pregnant ladies or contained meat, I made sure there was at least one savory dish for each person with dietary requirements.

I think it is also essential to go easy on yourself when planning these kinds of menus. Make things you know work, that can be made into bite sized pieces, that can be made in advance and frozen prior to the event. Ask friends and family to bring along a dish if they can. I had so many offers of help that at one point I questioned whether I needed to cook at all! Say yes to these people as they really want to help out, and if they are like me, they show their love via their cooking.

My menu for the baby shower was as follows (click on the links for recipes that link to other sites):

1. Carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
2. Chocolate brownies
3. Mini fritattas with smoked salmon and chives (below)
4. Scones with double cream and jam
5. Easy Vegetarian Sangers with Cream Cheese and Grilled Vegetables (below)
6. Preggers Safe Non-alcoholic Apple Punch (below)
7. Tea and coffee
8. Moet champagne

Mini Fritattas with Smoked Salmon and Chives

Ingredients:

6 eggs

Chives (about 2 tbs finely chopped)

4 tbs pouring cream

Spreadable cream cheese 150g

1/2 lemon

1 tsp baby capers

100g smoked salmon

1/4 red onion, finely sliced

Method:

Whisk together the eggs, chives and cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour this into mini-muffin trays (about 12) and pop into an 150′C oven for about 6 to 8 minutes until they are set. This can be done the day before and popped into an airtight contained in the fridge.

Meanwhile, mix together the lemon juice, capers and the cream cheese. Once the fritattas have cooled down, using a teaspoon, place a small dollop of the mixture onto each fritatta. Onto that, place a small amount of smoked salmon and a couple of pieces of the red onion. Done. Looks so spesh.

(Taken from Donna Hay‘s book, Instant Entertaining)

Easy vegetarian sangers with cream cheese and grilled vegetables.

Im not going to go into details about how to actually put together a sandwich because I am quite sure that this is a skill you have already acquired in your lifetime! However, on these sandwiches, I used the following ingredients:

Spreadable cream cheese

White sliced bread (day old is perfect because it wont get too squishy when you try to cut it into finger slices).

3 or 4 slices each of grilled capsicum, sweet potato, zucchini, eggplant and whatever takes your fancy from the deli.  (make sure that you slice this up into strips for even distribution and pat down to remove the excess oil).

Preggers safe non-alcoholic apple punch:

Ingredients:

1 bottle lemonade

1 bottle soda/mineral water

1 bottle cloudy apple juice

Handful mint and pineapple sage (not essential but I had in my garden so whacked it in)

Heaps of ice

Im pretty sure you know how to place all of these ingredients into a punch bowl and serve so I wont go into that either.

I am so thankful for those lovely ladies who helped by bringing extra dishes such as mini meatballs (thanks Dad!), rocky road, chocolates, banana bread and vanilla cupcakes (with little sugar craft babies on them – too good to eat!).

I would love to hear your menu ideas for a baby shower or vintage inspired event you have hosted recently. If you like, place a link in the comments or contact me and I will link up your site as well! x

How to host a vintage inspired baby shower…part two: decorations

Yesterday I told you that I recently planned and hosted a baby shower for my blooming preggers sister. She loves all things vintage, which is not really my style (retro). Therefore it was not just a case of pulling out all of my lovely vintage table cloths, doilies, and tea cups. I own nothing of the sort. But I was determined to make it a lovely day for her. And that I did. Today I am going to talk about the sorts of decorations I organised and how I did it. You can also check out my Pinterest board on the subject here if you wish.

A couple of weeks prior to the event:

The first thing I did was beg, borrow, steal and purchase anything vintage/high tea style. I did this by asking some of my sister’s friends (who I know have similar tastes), my Nonna and my mum. I also sent my husband out to purchase anything I knew that I could use again for future events (we have many at our place). Some of the things I asked for were:

• White table cloths (we managed to find some beautiful crocheted ones which were subsequently given permanently to me…a family heirloom to cherish);
• Vases;
• Cake stands and cupcake stands;
• Tea cups and saucers (and lots of them!);
• A couple of tea pots with matching (or not) sugar bowls and milk jugs;
• Vintage style platters.

My next task was a visit to the haberdashery store for some suitable fabric and decorations. I ended up spending almost $200 (mainly because my 3 year old daughter was filling my basket with lots of crafting materials) but most of this was for some other projects. I can go a bit crazy in those places.

With these materials I made some bunting (very easy, just cut out triangles all the same size, hem them and thread string through the top to hang…voila!) and a couple of cushions for seating.

On the day:

We are really lucky to have sunny and warm weather in Sydney at the moment. This is also a blessing because my new couch is 4 weeks late on delivery! Grrr…King Furniture. Therefore, I was able to create a lovely garden party feel for the party. I imagined setting all of the food and drink on tables and letting my guests help themselves to free me up for socialising. It worked!

Firstly, make sure all of your borrowed cups/sauces/teapots etc are clean and put to one side.

I placed two trestle tables on the lawn and covered these sightly things with lovely lacy table cloths. I also placed a couple of side tables (very modern but with vintagy – yes I know, not a word – table cloth, it works a treat!) in between the bench seats for people to place their tea cups while they daintily nibble on a scone.

On each table, I placed various vases of differing sizes. Try to choose flowers with a scent, such as roses and lavender. Another great idea if you have some growing in the garden, is to place a couple of rosemary stalks into tiny vases which also provides an amazing smell to entice your guests.

You can arrange the two tables to your liking. I decided to have a food table, with all of the delightfully scrumptious offerings in one spot, and a drinks table, where I placed the tea and coffee, non-alcoholic punch for the preggers ladies and all of the associated tea cups and champagne flutes (I went around filling glasses of Moet as I chatted…it made me very popular indeed!).

Next, I made a semi circle with as much seating as I had available and placed a picnic rug in the middle for a garden party feel. On a couple of the bench seats, I placed one of my own hand made cushions. I wanted to create a relaxing environment in my garden where everyone could talk in one group so that anyone who came to the party alone, could be included. It is also essential if you have older generations attending.

Check out my post on Thursday, where I will be sharing my menu for the day.

How to host a vintage inspired baby shower…part 1: invitations

This last weekend I hosted a vintage inspired baby shower for my sister who is having a baby in August. This was a bit of a task for me because my decor is more retro than vintage, but Pinterest is fantastic for inspiration (you can have a look at my board here) and before long I was getting into the swing of things. Throughout the series of posts that follows, I aim to guide you through the planning process of hosting a vintage inspired baby shower, including invitations, decorations and menu plans.

Step one:

Invitations:

I am the first to admit that I struggle with organising invitations, thank you cards, reminders, etc for events. I was a personal assistant in a previous life so you would think I would be a pro at this. But now that I have children, and have to juggle many things at once, I am always looking for an easy option. Then I found Pingg.

Pingg is fabulous option if you know that most of your invitees are online savvy and more likely to respond to an email than to an actual written invitation. Most of my sister’s friends were twenty somethings, who I’m sure appreciated the click to respond ease of the invitations. They provide many design options and best of all, they organise the RSVPs for you, emailing you regularly with an update on numbers.

The site also sends out reminder emails to invitees which is also fabulous. For a $10US flat fee, you can do all of this and for additional fees, you can arrange for hard copy invitations to be posted to those invitees (such as the grannies) who might not be online.

* Please note that this is not a sponsored post, I write from my own experience and only mention products that I believe will benefit my readers.

Check out the next two posts on decorations and menu plans coming soon.