It Really Is Love ....

From the moment Nikolas first laid on eyes on Mia back in November 2007, it was love.  Infact if I am being totally honest, Nikolas loved her before she was even born. Even though we didn't know what we were having (only my Mum did) Nikolas always knew it was a girl. And told us so! 

The very moment they first met at the hospital on 1 November 2007.  That moment was so very special to me!

I guess he felt a connection right from the very beginning. 



And over the years as they get older the dynamic continues to change between them.  Nowadays, they fight alot more.  But they really do love each other.



You can just tell by the way they pause for extra long goodbyes with each other at the morning school drop off.  They hug, kiss and say "I love you, have a good day".  And even though that happens every school day, it doesn't get old to me, my heart melts every time.



As well as being brother and sister, they are the best of friends too.  And I never want that to change.



They laugh themselves silly sometimes, they fight over sharing, they bicker about whose turn it is next, they play together, they craft and draw together and love hard for each other.

Nikolas really is a fantastic big brother and loves to teach Mia everything he knows.  It is very special.



I hope they will always share that special bond as the years pass by.  I know they will fight but I hope they get over it five minutes later and continue on with being best friends.

That's what I wish for them!





Sweet Treats ....

With the warmer weather approaching I have been wanting to start making a good supply of healthy snacks for the kids.

So I had a go at making some yoghurt drops just from the large tubs of yoghurt we already had in the fridge. 

To make yoghurt drops you will need:

• Your favourite flavoured yoghurt {I used a no fat/low sugar passionfruit flavour}
• A stainless steel tray of some sort {a baking tray is fine}
• A dessert spoon
• Baking Paper
• A butter knife

 

Just line the tray with baking paper and place spoonfuls of the yoghurt onto the tray in dollops.

 

 

 

Once you have filled the tray, just place it into the freezer to set.  Once frozen, remove the dallops from the tray with a butter knife and place into ziplock bags. That way you always have a few yummy flavours on hand.

 

 

 The mixed berry ones have been a hit!

If you prefer you could use smaller dollops of youghurt.  But at this size they are perfect for little hands to hold onto and enjoy.

It really is very fast and easy!

I have also been busy making a heap of different flavoured ice-blocks. It is a perfect way to include more fruit into the kids diet by having a healthy alternative to store bought ice-blocks. 



Flavours pictured above include:

 

Mixed berry {raspberries, blueberries and blackberries} with mixed berry youghurt.

 

Apple & Mango juice with diced kiwi fruit (these ones are delicious).

 

I will be experimenting with a heap more flavours in the coming weeks and am looking forward to having our banana ice-blocks back in the freezer again too.

 



Let me know if you end up making some of these sweet spring/summer treats and don't forget to get the kids involved too.

I will also be sharing one of our favourite afternoon tea snacks {fruit smoothies} here soon!





It's Almost Time ....

The school holidays are almost here again!  They are so close, I can almost smell them!  I love love love school holidays.  I love spending each day with the kids with less routine.  And when the holidays are in spring they are even more enjoyable as we can go back to enjoying some time at the water too.

Last school holidays I did catch up with Claire from Scissors Paper Rock at a forrest close to her house for a picnic lunch.  And just the same as me, she likes to seep the most out of the school holidays and had organised a nature scavenger hunt for the kids.



 

 

 

 

 

It was so fun to watch them discover the forrest and collect all the items on the their lists.

 



And as usual we giggled through lunch and chatted about what adventures we had already enjoyed on the days before.



 

I cannot wait to find out what adventures we will go on these holidays!

 

 





Little One ....

I think alot about Mia starting prep next year.  I think about how my days will feel so different without a little one around.  It has been that way for so long and I know it will take a while to get used to.
 
I am going to savour all I can between now and the end of January and have decided to capture the precious moments her and I share before she heads off to big school.

 

On the days Mia doesn't have kindy and after we take Nikolas to school, I love the fact that she can hang in pajamas for as long as she wishes.



I love the fact that we can enjoy our cups and tea and coffee together and have a chat about what our day will bring. Cheers!

 

Today Mia has told me she would like to read books with me and cut out and colour bunnies!  So that is what we shall do! Happy Monday!



 



F is for ........ Finding My Feet!

This post is part of A-Z all about me {weekly blog challange} over at 'Love Kate'!

My last post reflects a little with how I am feeling right now. I am in the process of making changes in our lives and home to make things work better for us.  I have been feeling so anxious and stressed with my growing to-do-list that I had to take the time to work out what was and wasn't working for our family.

I am a naturally creative and organised person and we all know how much extra pressure this can add to our days with 3 million new ideas floating around our heads at any given moment.  And with being organised can come added pressure and anxious feelings when the house isn't exactly the way we want it to be ..... with a busy family, this sometimes isn't possible.

I have taken the time to have long chats with my good friends and asked about how their lives are structured to see if there were any ideas that I could implement to make it easier for us.  Let me just say, I have some very wise friends and I feel better after a good chat!

The changes I have made so far are working for us and I'd thought I would share a few here along with some things we have already been doing:

• Cooking dinner in the morning.  This has helped me immensely.  I no longer have that crazy time at 5 pm trying to think of something to cook for dinner.  During the evening kitchen clean up I have been cutting up everything I need to cook dinner the next morning.  That way when in the morning I am really only cooking it as I have already taken the time to prepare everything I need.
• Making school/kindy lunches the night before.  During the evening kitchen clean up I make the lunches.  If I need to I will pop some eggs on the stove too or any other items I need to cook for lunches the next day.
• Packing the school/kindy bags each night.  I make sure the kids have everything they need just sitting ready on the bench for them to grab in the morning.  This involves school banking, library books, any payments that need to made to the school for excursions and homework.
• Sunday session.  Most Sundays we usually do something as a family.  But by doing anything extra I can on a Sunday afternoon/evening I have found my Mondays just work out that much better.  This includes anything from a throwing on a load of washing and hanging it out at night, making a list for the next week, or spending even one hour doing a quick tidy up around the house. Monday mornings now seem to start off much better and I feel more energised to begin the week.
• Having set work days.  Now this one has taken me a while to get my head around.  And it is still a work in progress.  But I have had to make set work days for my business and set days I have just for the kids, housework, playdates, appointments and any errands I need run.  Not having set days just threw me into a constant state of guilt.  When I was spending time with the kids or doing housework I was feeling guilty and anxious about not working on my business orders and the same thing was happening when I was was working on my business, I felt like I wasn't doing what I needed to do. And that is first and foremost a Mum.

As I go through more changes {no not the change of life},I will try to share them here.  I would love to hear any more tips you may have that work for your family too.

Now excuse me while I go find my feet!

These cute ones are Mia's not mine ;)





A Little Lost ....

Apologies for my lack of blogging lately.  Things have just been so crazy busy and something just had to give.  Unfortunately it was my sweet little blog.  I have missed spending time writting and going through photos but it has been hectic and I had to find a few things to cross of my list that would give me just a little more time each day.

However, since I last popped by here we have had family travel down to see us, my business .... Dreamy Creations has been really busy, Mia has finished step to prep and started swimming lessons again, Nikolas is now limping after almost breaking his toe and visiting the hospital, David has been working very hard on getting things done around the outside of the house and there is partridge in a pear tree. {Just kidding on the last one!}.

I have been thinking alot about how I can make changes to our life to make things run alot smoother around here.  Because at the moment things just aren't working too well.  I am making plans on a little re-structuring.  I have asked my friends and other work from home mummas for their advice and tried to take all of their ideas on board.  And because every family works differently, it's taking a little time to work out what works best for us.

Already I can see a change and I like the way it's headed. 



Wish us luck!!!!