Question of the day: How do you become the best mum ever? Answer: Make a Bento lunch! I have recently discovered this ingenious way to overcome some of the challenges with persuading my fussy eater to finish his meals. So far I’ve kept it fairly simple by arranging small portions of various foods on his plate. I think it looks much les overwhelming than seeing a big mound of food piled up in a bowl. I don’t do it for every single meal, but I try to at least once or twice a week to provide some variety and interest in the menu. One day on a whim, I decided to arrange his simple lunch sandwich into a shape of an owl. Body: tuna sandwiches, cut into small triangles Eyes: rice crackers with vegemite Beak: cheese slice, cut into a triangle Wings and feet: apple pieces I christened my creation, Munchie the Owl. He was very well received by his little audience. He didn’t live long as his sole purpose of existence was to be gobbled up by a hungry boy. So here ends the tale of ...

{Sponsored Post} I remember my very first visit to the Gold Coast. I was 13 years old. My family were there on a big holiday touring the east coast of Australia. We had been to Sydney and Melbourne earlier in the week and finally came the big highlight for us kids: the golden beaches, curling blue waves and of course the thrilling theme parks of the Gold Coast. Image Source I have never forgotten that holiday and I definitely would love to go back again – especially now that I have my own kids, and experience all that fun and excitement again through the eyes of my children.   Here are three places I would love to check out with the family at the Gold Coast... Currumbin Bird Sanctuary A local tourism staple, just beyond the quiet hospitality of Kirra Beach, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is nestled in an emerald expanse of protected forest land, hosting various native fauna species. I think Nathan would totally enjoy cuddling a koala, getting up close among kangaroos and wat...

Okay, I think you regular readers should know by now that my blog is definitely not a foodie-restaurant-review type blog. I don't think I have ever written a restaurant review post before. So I'm definitely making history with this post because I cannot stop thinking and raving about this place. A work associate of hubby's had highly recommended this restaurant and winery, Knee Deep Wines in Dunsborough. So during a family trip down to Margaret River a few weeks ago, we decided to pop in to check it out. Mistake number one: Do NOT just 'pop by' this place on whim. The restaurant is a very small with limited seating. They open only for lunch and are often fully booked out. Fortunately we were able to secure a spare opening the next day just before we were due to head home to Perth. So the following afternoon, we made our way back to find out for ourselves what the fuss was all about. Bottom line: It far exceeded my expectations. I can confidently say, you wil...

As all mums can relate, one of the things we try to minimise as much as possible with children is: MESS. We put on bibs, we place mats or sheets under highchairs at meal times, we try to contain play time to a specified area, and phrases like “ be careful ” and “ please hold it properly ” are constantly on repeat mode like a broken record. But sometimes, we should give free reign to allow some messiness to happen. Why? Because it’s educational, it’s stimulating and just plain fun… well for the little ones anyway. And chances are, if you don’t allow them a messy outlet, it will explode out in some other way. If you’re up for it, here is something pretty cool Nathan and I played with recently... It’s called Oobleck (also seen in Dr Seuss’s book) and it’s pretty funny stuff. Here is the recipe: 1 cup corn starch 1/2 cup water 1-2 drops food colouring (optional) Mix everything in a big bowl or pot until it comes together in one big gloopy mess. You can scale the amounts up o...

Just an update on my earlier post on sleep, or the lack of it. Thankfully baby girl had a couple of good nights here and there this past week. I managed to get up to five hours for a night or two. Not quite the six hours I was aiming for, but I’m happy with that for now. I was feeling pretty good about my five hours until I read this . Turns out without sleep, our brains basically turn into one big toxic wasteland. All of a sudden I could actually feel those evil toxins literally building up and choking my brain. The hubby was very sweet and voluntarily offered to take the graveyard hour shift on a weeknight (even though he was working the next day) to help resettle her if she woke and try to get her to stretch a little bit more so mummy can shut her eyes a tad bit longer (“ Thanks, hon ”). Some precious photos of the little sleepyhead... When she sleeps, she really can sleep! I was snapping away for a good five minutes and she didn’t even stir. I finally had to gently nudge ...

Everyday I am always blown away at how so much both wildness and sweetness can be encapsulated in such a little person. Two to be exact. One moment, superman is zooming all around the house. The next moment, I feel little limbs clambering up on my lap, two hands clasping my face and a cheeky whispered “ I love you, mummy! ” in my ear. One moment, the tiniest person in the house is screaming the place down, so loud I am sure the house two doors down can hear (all because she is getting her hair washed). The next moment she is all coos and gurgles and heart-melting smiles. One moment, I am bent over sweeping up a million crumbs and spills and messes (and it’s only breakfast time). The next moment comes completely unprompted sweetness in a “ Thank you for cooking the pancakes for me, mummy ” In the midst of all the wildness, these are the moments I live for. Ah, my giggly, wiggly, chocolate-covered, wide-awake little wilds I am your parent,       ...

Kicking off the morning with a visit from a couple of little superheroes. No biggie. Just another ordinary Wednesday for us here... Any other mums to mini-superheroes out there? Are you a superwoman-wannabe? Don’t be . You already are a superhero in the eyes of your family. Reading about stopping the pursuit of the illusive superwoman . You absolutely have to try this simple to-die-for peanut butter frosting with some crazy cake . And what baby monitors, disposable diapers and car seats used to look like …     [I am an avid collector and curator of all sorts of linky treasures , I aim to share one or two little treasures here every month]   Linking up to Sakura Haruka and My Little Drummer Boys

At this present season of my life, sleep is a precious commodity which is in tremendously short supply for me. I am currently (just barely) surviving on a sleep deficit one day at a time. How I long for just one night of respite to have at least six hours of continuous unbroken sleep. I am begging for one night, please. Just ONE night would make all the difference, I’m sure. I came across this article on the myth on the eight-hour sleep ... “...Historian Roger Ekirch of Virginia Tech published a seminal paper, drawn from 16 years of research, revealing a wealth of historical evidence that humans used to sleep in two distinct chunks ... a first sleep which began about two hours after dusk, followed by waking period of one or two hours and then a second sleep. During this waking period people were quite active. They often got up, went to the toilet or smoked tobacco and some even visited neighbours. Most people stayed in bed, read, wrote and often prayed...” I for one think that ‘t...

I love cheese. One of my favourite grocery indulgences is picking up package of fresh cheese from the deli counter… ricotta, mozzarella, feta, haloumi, I love them all! I have always wanted to learn to make my own fresh cheese from scratch at home. However at the moment, I am lacking quite a few of the essential equipment and ingredients needed to do so. But then I came across this amazing and easy recipe for homemade cream cheese. I’ve tried it out for myself a few times and I assure you it is totally doable. And you will be pretty blown away by the results. What you need: 1 kg of natural unsweetened Greek yoghurt Half a teaspoon of salt A cheesecloth or muslin bag A fine sieve or colander A large bowl Mix the salt with yoghurt. Then pour the yoghurt into the cheesecloth and place it into the colander. Stand the colander over the bowl and leave in the fridge overnight. The next morning, the whey would have completely drained from the yoghurt, leaving behind a thick a...

When Nathan started showing interest in what I was doing the kitchen, I started trying to think of ways I could include him in my cooking activities. Hubby does not cook, so I handle ALL the cooking in the household alone. So it would be nice to train up a little helper to accompany me in the kitchen.   Initially I didn’t think there was much he could do. But at a moment of inspiration, I thought of letting him begin with helping to prepare his own simple snacks for morning/afternoon tea.   Helping to peel bananas for afternoon tea   I sliced up some bananas with the skin on. Then I let Nathan peel the skins off by himself and place them into a bowl. It’s such a simple little activity, but he absolutely enjoyed it.   The bananas must have tasted extra yummy that morning simply because he helped to prepare them.   It’s never too early to start learning to help out in the kitchen.     Linking up to June’s Little Lessons