A Day In The World.

A couple of weeks ago, I read {on Fat Mum Slim's blog} about the 'A Day In The World' photo project. Being a photo lover and severe mamarazzi participant, I liked the sound of this movement. You basically had to photograph & document your day on May 15th and upload them to the "A Day In The World" website to be apart of the project.

I did particiapte. It was easy. It was fun. And here's my shots of my/our day on May 15th 2012:

1. Breakfast: It was a little chilly as we rose early at 6am, so porridge was my breakfast choice :) Smothered in maple syrup & ground LSA {linseed, sunflower seeds & almond nuts}.YUM!

2. Chris then called me to say he had left his wallet at home, and was stranded at the petrol station {15mins away} unable to pay for his fuel. So I popped the kids in the car & we went to Daddy's rescue with his wallet & cash :)

3. Back home for morning tea. Ryder's morning tea consists of...FORMULA MILK :) He enjoyed his bottle whilst snuggled on my lap in our lounge room.

4. I've been doing some basic reading lessons with Ella. After morning tea, she dug out the books we borrowed from my best friend {a Prep teacher} and together we worked our way through the story.

5. We enjoyed a little outside play, and then hung the washing out. Ryder sat in his Bumbo Seat under the washing line...cheering me on as I completed the mundane job of the washing process :) The blueness in the sky was pretty special though! A perfect Autumn's day.

6. Lunchtime. Ella & I sit at the dining table to eat lunch, while I multi-task feeding Ryder in his high chair. Pureed chicken, vegies & brown rice was on the menu for this little man :) {And Socks the Monkey had to be near by of course!}

7. Later in the afternoon, the kids & I headed out to run some errands. First stop the Print Shop, then the Post Office, then to Lincraft to pick up some ribbon for a crafty project.

8. Ella went back to the wall of fake flowers several time inside the craft store. She thought they were pretty special :) And I must have looked suss standing there with the pram, waiting for my Miss to smell the {fake...non smelling} flowers, because the checkout lady asked to check my pram basket & nappy bag TWICE!!!!! Ummm....I just spent $40 on pink ribbon in your store.....do I really look that suspect?? Much to her dismay, she discovered I was not a shop-lifter!

9. Back home: An early evening coffee whilst preparing dinner & wrestling 2 kids through the 'evening routine' was the perfect pick-me-up.

I didn't really get a chance to take anymore pics after that.....as most other Mumma's would know...the evenings/nights simply whip by & you rarely get a chance to breathe let alone take photos. Once dinner is served, the night vanishes into the cycle of cleaning, bathing, more cleaning, laundry, lunch making, more cleaning, bottle washing, tidying, bedtime stories, more cleaning, nappy changes & another dash of cleaning :)

So, that was my May 15th. A slow & easy day with my 2 little Loves.

How do you think your day would look through photographs?

Fabulous Free Fonts

I thought I'd tip you off on some of the fun {free} fonts I use when making things at home or for my blog. You can simply download them from the web, and use on your PC or Mac. Fun fonts can really jazz up a greeting card, poster, sign, art piece, cover, print, label or photo.....or they can be used in scrapbooking & journaling. Endless uses actually :)

The first 3 on my list are free from Kevin And Amanda's blog, and the other 6 are from DaFont. These websites are great for finding free fonts for personal use, and some are even ok to use in commercial situations. Enjoy searching & playing with your new fonts :)

Last minute trip & this past week.

The past week, looked a little something like this:

This afternoon, the kids & I got back from 4 days up North in Cairns. It was totally last minute and unplanned. The planning process went a little something like this: Chris's Brother Matty & Mother, Jen: "Hey, we're going to Cairns on Monday! You & the kids should come!" ME: "Ummm....ok!"

The 4 days away were the perfect mixture of crazy fun, and slowly quiet. I again questioned my impulsiveness of deciding to travel solo-parent with TWO young kids, but as always, we survived & had a great time. Traveling with kids is an overwhelming experience, and then there's traveling with kids as a single parent....it's a whole different ball game. Chris was away interstate for the past week, which is what made the invitation to head up to Cairns more desirable, as we were husband-less/daddy-less anyway! Thank goodness Ryder coped with his flights so well, perfectly in fact.....maybe another little adventure seeker on our hands? :) I did learn that I still hate flying though! And no matter how much I do it, it doesn't get any easier, or any more enjoyable. I HATE it! And if it wasn't for the fact that I had 2 little Souls to constantly entertain, talk to, feed, play with, assist, hold & cater for, I'd probably be a inconsolable mess. One little bump of turbulence and I am a hot, sticky mess. I'm not an anxious person normally.....but put me on a plane & I'm anxiety's number one friend! It's purely a means to an end. If I want to travel & explore....flying is part of it, so I just have to suck it up & go with it I guess.

Once we landed & hit Cairns' turf, I had family there to assist with the bags, transport & parenting. Thank golly goodness :) The 4 days rolled on by with some wining & dining, go-carting, relaxing, shopping, driving, catching up with family & lots of laughs :)

And everytime, I do something BIG like travel solo-parent style; I give myself secret high fives & fist pumps for making the effort....taking the plunge & proving my own capabilities. But at the same time, I miss Chris like crazy & question why the hell I would be stupid enough to tackle plane flights & hire cars & vacation planning without my number 1 support system - my husband. But sometimes in life, we're given opportunities......and I like to jump at them & seize them. No regrets baby!! But at the same time.....coming home today to OUR house, to OUR number one man, was PERFECTION and exactly what I needed to end an eventful & busy week.

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Rewinding back to the weekend......

With Chris away, I tried to balance our weekend with quiet time at home....just me & the kids - doing Mummy/Kid things.... along with finding time for friends & hanging out with them. So, on Saturday night, I entwined the "mother me" and the "friend me" and had the girls around for dinner & drinks. 

It was nice! Just what I needed in fact. And whilst my babies slept safely in their rooms, us girls sat up to the wee hours of the morning doing what girlfriends do best - TALKING, laughing, talking some more & laughing some more. We chit chatted about recipes & movies & fashion as well as tackling big topics like relationships & motherhood & money & work & travel. We talked about our worries & fears as well as our loves & plans. And although I love being a Mum, and a wife. I also love being a friend. Friends truly do calm the Soul.

{red wine & baby monitor.....us Mumma's can have the best of both worlds....I guess it's just about finding that balance...and snippets of time to entwine the 2 worlds}

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And my favourite photo from the week:

Last Thursday night {the night before Chris went away for the week} we went out to dinner down the coast, while my Mum & Dad stayed over to watch Ella & Ryder. Not only was it the BEST food & dining experience I'VE EVER HAD....but it was a FUN FUN night. Naoko {a family friend visiting from Japan} had a Polaroid camera with her. We took this happy snap at the end of the evening. I love it. Me & my hunky hubby! I love him.

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So, in a nutshell....that was my week & where I've been these past few days of missing from the online world :)

Tomorrow is friday! Yikes, these weeeks roll around way toooo quickly!!!!!!

I'm off to snuggle with my man after a week without each other :)

Goodnight!

What we're reading...

Yesterday's 'photo prompt' on Fat Mum Slim's photoaday challenge was: WHAT YOU'RE READING. I added a photo of the chapter book I'm reading Ella at the moment, but then decided to do it as a quick blog post too :)

This is the photo I added to the May Photoaday:

We finished it last night. Roald Dahl's: MATILDA. It was one of my childhood faves so I was pretty keen when Ella expressed interest in me reading to her. It was her first 'chapter book' experience.....and she LOVED it :) Each night, we'd curl in her bed together & I'd read her 1 chapter. To my surprise, she sat still each night.....so caught up in the story, and really listening to the storyline. It was magic!! She's already onto me about which chapter book we'll do next :) {probably another Roald Dahl....coz they're my fave!}

As well as Matilda, Ella {aged 4} has been enjoying Mem Fox's books lately, especially Possum Magic. She's also into 'searching' books {where she has to find hidden objects in busy pictures}, and Golden Books have a been a popular choice from her bookshelf lately :)

As for Mr Ryder {aged 6 months} .....he's loving SPOT books. Must be the simple colours & illustrations...and the cute dog. But everytime I read him his WHERE'S SPOT? book....he lights up with excitement :)

And, ME: well I'm currently reading The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. It's taking me forever to get through....because I'm finding it hard to actually have time to read haaa, but it's a very interesting book....a lot of food for thought! As usual, I've riddled the book in yellow highlighter & pen scribbled notes for future reference ;)

And of course {I always make time for} I'm enjoying reading blogs. Checkout my blogroll up top to see who I'm enjoying at the moment :) {and that's just some....I like to rotate & refresh my list of daily reads regularly to mix things up a bit!}

What are you or your family reading at the moment?

snap it {inside}

This week's {snap it} theme is: INSIDE.

This was taken inside my house....the kitchen to be precise. Ryder & Koda enjoying a little moment getting to know each other :)

For more great interpreations of INSIDE; head over to Sarah's hangout.

Happy Hump Day all.

Getting out & about with kids. On a budget.

One of the things I love most about being a Mum of young kids is that I'm in charge of their days. I know that sounds a little {or a lot} controlling, but I mean it in the very best way possible. I get to plan where my kids go & what experiences they will have. And while they're young, and that control is all mine....I plan to seep it for everything it's worth :) I want my children to grow up knowing that the world is a pretty crazy place which is sometimes scary & unkind & unsafe....but also a place where there is so much beauty, so much to see, and so much to do. I want them to have experiences to draw upon, be able to make connections & build up knowledge, but also a big fat chapter book full of wonderful memories.

So, as much as possible, we get out & about. And I'm not talking about going to a theme park everyday {although that would be kind of cool} or traveling the world regularly {and yes, that would be fun too haaa} but I'm talking about meaningful adventures that are not only fun but sometimes educational too.

Even if you're on a budget, or time-poor, you can still manage to take your kids out into the big bad world every now & then. It just needs to become part of the routine or a priority. Something they can look forward to.

Here's a few suggestions of how you can get out & about with your kids, without spending a fortune:

• Simply go for a walk around your neighbourhood. Turn off your phone so you're fully present in that moment with them, and walk. Walk & talk. Collect nature, have races, watch the sun set, throw rocks, chase birds....whatever. Just walk :)
• Find a local fruit farm that is open to the public. Late last year, I discovered an awesome Strawberry Farm not far from our place. It was a cheap {only paid for the strawberries} but fun afternoon. Have a play around in Google Search to see if there are any fruit picking farms near you. The kids will love it. 
• Head to the library. Take a picnic rug and set up camp in the library for a morning or afternoon break :) Read books with your kids, let them play on the computers. Play a board game with them, do a puzzle. You'll be surprised how many things there are in libraries for kids to do {for free} :)
• Catch a train somewhere...anywhere. Most young kids I know....LOVE the idea of a train ride :)
• Go to the museum. Most museums {and art galleries} have free admission, and if you pack your own lunch....you'll have a pretty affordable day out :) A few friends & I caught the train into the city when our kids were about 2 and a half. We had the best day....exploring the museum for a couple of hours and then lunch at a park. And recently my parents took Ella back to the Brisbane Museum for a day trip. Now, at 4, she appreciated it so much more, and was able to interact & learn so much.
• The park or the beach.....2 of my favourite places to hang with kids. Simple, easy, free FUN :)
• Pack the car with snacks & supplies and have a 'family day' in a rainforest or mountain range. Go for a drive to a new place. Explore together, discover new things, enjoy being outside as a family. Bush walk, climb trees or simply relax. Tamborine Mountain or O'Reilly's is great for that if you're near the Gold Coast Hinterland.  
• Contact your local council or community centres to see if there are some kids classes in your area. Some local communities offer affordable art n craft classes, music classes, learn a new language course and/or Mother's/playgroups. I've met some of my best friends, from taking Ella to these types of sessions.
•  A hot afternoon? Head to the local swimming pool. Usually there's an entry fee....but it shouldn't be anything too ridiculous. Enjoy an afternoon splashing, swimming & having fun in the sun! If you're a stay-at-home-Mum and you're looking for somewhere to have 'catch ups' and 'playdates', a swimming pool is a great option. Kids get to have fun and use up energy, you get to enjoy the day too...and noone's house gets messed up from it :)

These suggestions are based on places & things I've done or do, with my kids every now & then. And it's important to balance these suggestions with quiet days at home, as we all need them too :)

Do you have any other great suggestions of how to get the kids out & about without spending too much money? I'm always looking for more inspiration on where to go & what to do :))