DIY for your kids!

New Zealand is a nation of DIYers! (Do it yourself). If we can't afford something we make it by ourselves using itts and bits from around the house and LOTS of Duct tape (as essential as watties tomato sauce in NZ home)

There are various ways you can search for DIY tutorials: 

Tutorial via Youtube
Tutorial via blog
Tutorial via pinterest
Tutorial via instruction manual
Tutorial straight from the horses mouth (A fellow DIYer)
No tutorial at all (Using your DIY creativity)

There are so many other examples but these are my favourites!

What have I DIYed for my daughter?

Her dresser- I bought a set of drawers from the local recycle center before she was born for $5 and a sander from the warehouse $10 and sanded the rough polish of the drawers. It came out with this beautiful wood. So I left it like that! We were bought up in a house of wooden walls and I love the feel and look of it!! 

A new dress- Head over to my Stitch Witch blog if you want to learn how to make a strapless dress I designed for your wee girl.

Playtoys and blankets- Taggy cubes, blankets etc are huge at the moment. They are simple to sew up and you can fill them with all sorts of things to make them even more exciting for your little one!

Decor- I am a big fan of upcycling to create gorgeous decor. I follow a page on facebook, Oh Em Gee and they not only sell decor but show really creative ways to upcycle and decorate your home, nursery etc. It's not often I find a page I check daily but this is one of them. 

Towels-  Hooded towels are expensive and good quality ones are hard to come by. However I found a great tutorial of how to make Hooded towels in less than 15 minutes over at True Aim and Parenting Education Blog. Make sure before you fork out for those expensive towels, you give this beginner sewing tutorial a shot.

Good luck on your DIY journey!!! And remember it's completely normal to start 10 projects at a time and maybe only finish one! It's part of the fun!!! :) Please share any of your DIY ideas or tips with us!

You're Failing As A Parent

Ever wonder what people are thinking when they blink furiously at you while you're apologizing for something your little one has done or is about to do.

Well in everyone else's eyes, they can do it better. If they were raising your child they would have had them napping while you were on your coffee date.

They, would of course have taken into account the 4 times you got up to your teething toddler in the night (They probably would have let her cry it out), the couple of poo explosions that you had to dash through trying to get ready for the coffee outing (Of course they would use cloth diapers as they are better for the environment and more natural for bub's bum), the laundry that you had to wrangle through as a result of the explosions so there was no stains left in the clothes, and then you have to find and pack the bottles, (Breast is best, they say), diapers, wipes, and entertainment toys (They would of organised that the night before.) Yes they definitely could do it better, they say, or even more aggravating is when they say "Oh yes I've been through that and this is how I did it better than you."

You know they are thinking in their mind as they smile that curved, judgmental, all knowing smile

"You're Failing As A Parent"

 Reality is THEY JUST DON'T KNOW! Those that don't have kids don't understand the full time job they cause and those that do have kids seem to have a memory like sieve, one of those metal sieves, hard and spiky..... and judgmental

What do you do? The answer is nothing, accept that from a very outside point of view with no real understanding it may look as if you are "Failing as a Parent" but it's like trying to teach a 3 year old statistics, they just aren't going to understand it, no matter how hard you try.

All these 3 year stats students come in different shapes and forms:

We have the 'Go Natural' type- Usually found in small hippie vegan cafes or natural health shops, these people will increase your child's risk of SIDS as they highly endorse co-sleeping (Not that I'm against it) until a very healthy age, and running around nappy less, number 1 and 2ing all over your floor or even worse using the dreaded 'cloth diapers.'

We have the 'Doing so well' type- Beware of the fake smiles as they squeeze you dry of all the gossip they can get to pass on to others about your terrible way of parenting. Don't be fooled if they have a baby in tow also, they want to know why they are doing the parenting gig way better than you.

We have the "Done it all before" type- "Rub whisky on her gums just before she goes to bed" your neighbours tells you, "I did it for all my kids and my grandkids". Obviously you shouldn't give liquor to children in any capacity..... even if it is just a finger of it. These are the ones that encourage Cry it out when THEY don't think your baby's sleep routine is up to scratch. If the mother isn't up for CIO, it can put more strain on her, and that is the last thing you want.

We have the "By the book" type- Everything has to be done the way they read somewhere. No matter what trained professionals have advised you, it's probably all rubbish in their BOOKS.


I could go on and on about the types of judgemental people, why do I do this? Because identifying the enemy (as such) makes them a whole lot less scary and intimidating. So just sit back, relax, break the cycle and don't judge other mothers.

By the way "You are doing fantastic job at motherhood!"

3 Great toddler meal ideas

It's not often I will pop recipes up here, however I have been struggling on what to feed little miss for her main meals lately; I have run into a few issues with her;

- She will only feed herself

- She will only eat exciting textures or coloured food.

Here are three cheap meal ideas that are healthy and won't be take too long :)

Butter chicken Rice ball:

Ingredients for interior:

Can of WATTIES butter chicken sauce

1 chicken breast

Slice chicken as thinly as possible. Heat olive oil in a pan and brown chicken, add sauce and simmer.

(Optional: Add vegetables sliced thinly)

Ingredients for rice ball:

2 cups of Jasmine Rice (cooked per instructions)

50 ml Rice Vinegar

2 Tbsp of White sugar

1 Tbsp Olive oil

Cook the rice per instructions until there is no water, allow it to cool  (enough to handle). Heat olive oil, vinegar and sugar in a pot until sugar is dissolved completely, stirring constantly. Stir into rice throroughly until rice is covered. 

Roll out a length of gladwrap, spoon a layer of rice onto it, add a few pieces of the chicken right in the middle (not too much sauce). Fully cover the rest with rice then roll the gladwrap around, shaping it as you go.

Ouila instant rice ball. Cool in fridge if you prefer. Otherwise enjoy!!!

Falafel Balls:

Ingredients:

1 cup watties chickpeas1 spring onion, chopped2 cloves of garlic, chopped
A couple of tablespoons of finely grated parmesan cheese (opt)
1 teaspoon cumin2 tablespoons flourSaltPepperOil for frying

YOU NEED A FOOD PROCESSOR FOR THIS!

Drain chickpeas, and place in pan with fresh water, and bring to a boil.

Allow to boil for 5 minutes, then let simmer on low for about an hour. 

Drain and allow to cool for 15 minutes. 

Combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, grated parmesan, cumin, salt and pepper (to taste) in medium bowl. Add flour.

Jump everything into the the food processor for a few minutes. You want the result to be a thick paste. 

Form the mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball. Slightly flatten.

Fry in a hot pan of olive oil until they are golden brown
Serve hot. 

Serving suggestions - boiled egg, potato salad

Chicken Chow mein

(Summer loves this recipe - She loves sucking the noodles up and swishing them around the plate)

Ingredients: 

Enso Instant Fine egg noddles 

1 chicken breast

3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2-2 tablespoons oyster sauce (opt.)

Boil egg noodles, drain, rinse in cold water and set aside

Slice the chicken breast thinly - marinate in sesame oil, rice vinegar and 1 tablespoon of Soy sauce.  Heat 2 Tablespoon olive oil and fry chicken. After 2 minutes take chicken out of pan, with juices, wipe excess juice out of pan.

Heat remaining olive oil, add finely chop garlic, and any sliced veges you might like. Add the noodles and fry for a couple of minutes before adding the chicken, remaining soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Stir, heat through and serve.

Simple!!!

Would love to hear of any other toddler meals you might have. Always on the look for them!!!!

Communication comparison- Before Kids and After Kids!

I was just reading a text yesterday and I thought, if I was anyone but the mother of his child this would be an entirely inappropriate text.

Before you had a kid, the only reason you would text your other half during work hours would be to tell him things like:

"I miss you, love you, can't wait for you to get home!"

Now the only reason you want the other half home is:

"You need to knock off early, actually now.... it's screaming and won't stop!"

Communication while grocery shopping:

Before kids:     (Via text) What do you feel like for tea, fettucine, or Ravioli?
After kids:       (Phone call) *Child screaming in background* Have we still got those McCains frozen meals in the freezer?

Texts while [Other Half] "out with friends":

Before kids:  (Text)  (2am) [Me] I'm heading to bed now, back doors unlocked for you xx
After kids:    (Text)  (7pm) [Other Half]"On way home now, Little miss has a code brown"
                              (7.01pm)  [Me]"Bags not"

Texts between friends:

Before kids: (Text) (9.30pm) [Friend] "Wanna Hang"
                                          [Me]    "Sure"
After kids: (Text) (9.30pm)   [Friend] "Wanna Hang"
                                          [Me]    "Dude you woke me up!"

Text while [I'm] on vacation:

Before kids: (Phone call) (11pm) [Other half] "Miss you"
                                               [Me]   "Oh it's only for a few days"
After kids: (Text)           (4.30pm) [Me] " Miss you"
                                             [Other half] "I think it's good for little miss to be visiting her relatives"

Why I won't be lying to my children!

When little miss grows up, I intend to tell her about Santa Clause, the tooth fairy and the easter bunny. However when she comes to me later and asks the question:

"Mum, are they real?"

I will answer honestly, "Maybe darling, although there is no proof so if they are real they must be exceptionally clever."

Not only will this entice her into imagining a more complex Santa/bunny, it will help culture her into the way that she should always talk to others. Honestly without crushing their hopes and dreams.

I'll always remember the day on the bus at the age of 9, having just spent the Christmas holidays imagining whole new facets of the Father Christmas extreme. One girl piped up

"Oh that's right, Tumara still believes in Santa Claus."

Do you know what I replied, what I truly and wholeheartedly believed so innocently;

"My mummy told me that he was real so he must be."

This is the reason why I will never lie to my child, because as soon as I found out they had lied to me for sooo many years about all these imagined things, I lost all hope. Over dramatic I know, but after that, I always had a niggle of doubt when they told me something.

I don't ever want Little miss to have this niggle...... I may wander around the truth but I will never point blank lie to her. I believe the lines of communication and trust start from the moment they are born and forge a path for their future.

WAHM--- The 10 fulltime jobs they actually do!!! :)

What is the meaning of WAHM?

WAHM means "Work At Home Mom"

An extended meaning ---- not only do WAHM's work every hour of the day that their child/children are awake, entertaining, feeding, washing and cleaning between the daylight hours or sometimes not so daylight hours. When they are entertained, fed, washed and cleaned and mothers have a quiet minute, this is when they morph into their secret identity "The WAHM"! Their powers are super sensitive hearing incase the child/children are up to something they shouldn't be up to and they grow a pair of eyes out of the back of their head so they are able to split their attention between the child/children and whatever task they are trying to complete. 

Once the other half arrives home, WAHM needs to get tea cooked, dishes completed, child/children bathed and bedded, then return to the task at hand. This means that she might not finish until the early hours of the morning. 

WAHM's generally work 7 days a week and do it all for a particularly low return.

Why would anyone want to be a WAHM?

I sometimes wonder this? My organisational skills are excellent and I still have trouble making time for everyone and everything! However, even though we get a ridiculously low hourly wage, it's enough income to help make ends meet at the end of the week. I worked a full time job just last month for a while and it pained me every time I walked away from Miss 1! I also realized nobody else wanted to hear all about Miss 1 in all her excitement, so it turned out that I really had nothing in common with any of my colleagues. Being a WAHM is sort of an inbetween compromise for those mums that can't handle "Just being mums" but also want something for themselves! 

How to become a WAHM?

I could give you a step-by-step guide but where is the fun in that. However I will give you a little advice.  Find an idea, and run with it. Don't give up! Realise that it might be slow to start of with but you just grow and grow and grow and look forward to the exciting times. Support other WAHM's! In fact as long as you aren't in the same industry as them, I'm sure you could probably give them a message to hear their story or advice on how to become a WAHM. 

NZ WAHMS-- that you need to visit--

BABY BANZ NZ- Run by Andrea Little- sun & sound safety gear for babies & kids

 

Pepi's Boutique - Handmade clothing for girls!   & Mano Rato - Handmade clothing for Boys! Both run by Krystal Pires

Baby Life Magazine Bizzy Shopping and 2cute - All run by the wonderful Jackie Procter

Bubs Bibs n Bobs- Run by Cushla Jaquiery

Olly Polly- Run by Tess Burnett - Olly Polly is a Merino baby wear company that will keep your little ones warm and snug in Winter and cool in Summer.

Timmy and Tilly's Preloved Kids Clothes and Accessories- Run by Jo Hardie 

Red Riding Hood Yarns- Run by Hannah Gordon

Or head over to the Hive -  a buzzing online shopping experience showing off small kiwi businesses (mostly wahm  ) 

What Nappies Do I Use?

Between working out how much they weighed 39 days ago at the last plunket meeting, price weighing up, working out which gender your child is (it's probably been a long day) the choice in nappies is RIDICULOUS!!!

Cloth nappies? 

To those on a budget an essential! Don't even bother with the one's you have to fold, clip and turn three times just head online, purchase a few dome ups with liners (either flushable or bamboo) and you'll never look back. Flushable linings are a god send especially when it comes to 'I'm gonna crap all over the place mum.'

I recommend Nappy Needz as they have adjustable sizes saving you even more long term!

What I have learnt about disposable nappies:

The great debate between Treasures and Huggies.

Treasures Newborns contain EVERYTHING better during the first few months. NOTE for first time mothers: remember to pull the side flaps inbetween the crutch out. These are also a few dollars cheaper than huggies

As you move up (10-15kg toddler) the Treasures waist band is a little small (or babys tummy a little big) so for better support and 'poo management' I suggest paying the few extra dollars for the huggies as you will be changing outfits all day with treasures.

Don't bother with any other brands until they get older and only need it for caution as NO other nappy even absorbs fluids and they end up with wet clothes constantly.

Of course every baby is different, but at least you have somewhere to start for now!