The next chapter in our lives.........

This week our lovely little house in England went on the market for sale.  It was a really bittersweet moment seeing it up on the real estate website this morning in all it's glory.  To us it was so much more than just a house, it was our home.  The very first home that Mr D and I bought and lived in together.  It was the very first building block to the foundation of our family. It was where both Master J and Miss H were born.  It seems so long ago now but it was where so many memories are locked away.  Looking at all the photos online this morning brought them all flooding back, and I can almost hear the voices and conversations of precious friends and family as they've come and gone, in and out of that little house.  It feels very sad to be selling up, but on the flip side we've made Australia our new home now and we have to look forward in order to really move forward.  Beside we have our very own Aussie bub now in Miss L.

This is how it appears on the web at the moment.  If anyone is interested in buying it -let me know :))))))) (but you have to love it as much as we did).  You can view it HERE

When we first bought the house it was a total wreck and Mr D and I re-decorated every inch of it bit by bit.  Well actually it was mostly Mr D!  He is such an annoying perfectionist that he wouldn't let me anywhere near a paint brush, and when I did attempt to do a bit of painting he would hover over me like a dragonfly until I handed over the brush!!  We did have a great agreement though: I would choose all the colours and the decor and he would do all the DIY!!!! Who can argue with that?? (one day I'll tell you my secret - or maybe it's being a crap painter??)

It wasn't all plain sailing though, we did have several DIY disasters along the way.  I remember the day when Mr D decided to re-tile the kitchen.  He pulled all the appliances out of the kitchen including the fridge and washing machine and left them unconnected in the middle of the dining room so he could work.  The only problem was that he was off to the USA on a business trip early the next morning, and by the afternoon he was no where near finished!!!!!!  "You can't just leave me for a week with a tiny baby and no fridge or washing machine!!!" I wailed, freaking out - mid meltdown!!!  (I had visions of having to move in with my mum for a few days for the second time since Master J was born).  Luckily he managed to finish it all on time - at about 6am the following morning, just an hour before his taxi arrived to take him to the airport!!!  What an awesome hubby!!

The garden was another HUGE project we he tackled!  Mr D took it very seriously and even put string across the lawn to make sure it was all completely level.  He was very precious about his grass (and got teased mercilessly but all his mates) but it did look absolutely fantastic when it was all finished.  My job was to choose and buy the flowers, which I loved. The whole project was a slightly stressful at times as I'm sure you can image that English weather and ALL THAT MUD was a nightmare!!!)  I have just showed Master J these pictures and he doesn't remember them at all.  It seems so strange that such a huge part of our lives will be pretty much non existent in the kids lives.

This was taken during the last summer before we left for Australia

Miss H's very first bedroom

Mmmmmmm maybe I did used to do a bit of baking!!!! (All out of a packet though - look how far I've come).

The day we had to pack up and leave happened so quickly that we didn't really have a chance to reflect or say goodbye properly.  The removal men invaded like a swarm of ants and anything and everything in sight was boxed, packaged and packed up before you could say your name backwards.  They were so thorough that when we unpacked a few months later the bin that had been in Pete's office was still full of crumpled up papers!!!  It was a bitterly cold February day and Nanny Soph (the kids nanny) brought them back to the house before the big van left so that they could see it and say goodbye to our home.  Miss H sleep through the whole thing and Master J and I had a little cry.  I don't think he actually understood what was happening and just cried because I did!!  After that we went to live with Granny and Grandpa for a month before the big trip to Aus.

When we first arrived in Sydney, not knowing a single person, I really wasn't sure how long we would last and keeping our home in England was like having a bit of a safely blanket.  I had no idea how far we would come in two years and how much we would change and grow as a family. I smile fondly when I think about the old me and how different my life was not so long ago. Somedays I miss her, but on the whole I couldn't be happier here (Just wish my family would move too - hint, hint).

The age old saying the your home is where your heart is couldn't be truer for us.

Have you ever had a big house or country move before?  How did you cope?

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Tiny Star biscuits for kids (just like tiny teddies but homemade)

My kids LOVE Tiny Teddie biscuits and I have to admit they are the perfect little treat to carry in your handbag, pop in a lunchbox or pull out for morning tea.  I normally always have a stash in my pantry to shove in my bag before leaving the house as a 'just in case I need a snack snack' but yesterday morning I got caught out and my stash was empty!!!!!!  A very bad oversight indeed as a handful of cut apples just didn't cut the bacon after the promise of teddies!! So I decided to make my own.

Seriously I don't know why I haven't done this before as they were SO EASY!!!

Ingredients:
120g Caster sugar (or just raw sugar if using a thermomix)
240g butter
1 tsb vanilla essence
360g wholemeal flour (or you could just use plain flour)
40g hundreds and thousands (or 20g cocoa powder or 40g chocolate chips)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.
2. Add the raw sugar to the thermomix and whizz for 10 seconds on speed 9/10 to give you caster sugar.  Scrape down the sides.
3. Add the butter and vanilla and cream together for 30 seconds on speed 5/6.  Scrape down the sides and repeat for another 5 seconds if necessary.  
   
4. Add the flour (and cocoa powder if using) and mix for 10 seconds on speed 6, until the mixture roughly resembles bread crumb texture.
   
5. Add the hundreds and thousands and set the thermomix to closed lid and knead for 30 seconds on interval speed until you have a dough.  
   
6. If you want to make chocolate stars then add 20g cocoa instead of hundred & thousands or you could add chocolate chips, but just make sure you crush them a bit first so that they they are teeny tiny.
7. Roll the dough into a big ball and either wrap it up in a thermomat if you have one, otherwise cling-film will do.  Pop it in the fridge for half and hour.  
   
8. Roll the dough out until it is about 2cm thick and then cut our your shapes using a tiny thumb sized cutter.  I have to admit, this bit is a bit fiddly and time consuming because you have to do so many, but it is worth it in the end.  
   
9. Bake in the oven for 10 - 12 minutes, allow to cool and then enjoy.

I only used 3/4 of the dough and saved the rest for Miss H as she wanted to make her 'own' shapes and not just stars.  You could also freeze whatever dough you don't use and save it for a rainy day.  Just make sure you wrap it up in cling-film and label it before you put it in the freezer!!

Store your tiny stars in a cute tin or you could buy some little zip lock bags and add 8 to 10 little stars into each one. That way they are just as handy to chuck in your bag (for emergency snacks) as the 'real deal' tiny teddies!!

I have used my thermomix but if you don't have one they are just as easy to make.  Put everything in a bowl together and use your hands to mix it all together.  Make sure the butter and sugar and well mixed before you add the dry ingredients to make your dough (if you have a hand held mixer use that first and then your hands to get a perfect dough).

ENJOY

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Chloe's Law. Say NO to bullying!

Image Credit

Did anyone watch 60 minutes on TV last night?  There was a documentary about a bright, beautiful young teenager that tragically took her own life, as she felt it was her only escape from the horrendous (and totally unnecessary) bullying that she had endured.  It left me feeling physically sick!  Like a stone made of lead had sunk to the pit of my stomach.  I just CANNOT comprehend how children (or anyone) can be so cruel to each other.

Chloe Elizabeth Fergusson was a 15 year old teenager from Tasmania who should have had her whole life to look forward to.  Instead she was physically and mentally bullied until she felt that she had no other way out but to take her own life.  What's even more tragic is that due to the fairly new phenomenon of Cyber Bullying via Social Media, she literally had no safe place.  The sad truth is that Chloe is not the only one.

I truly believe that it is every parents responsibility to teach their children empathy and to make sure that they understand that bullying of ANY KIND is wrong and unacceptable.  I often wonder if the bullies actually realise how they are making their victim feel, and the dramatic effect that their actions are having on a person life.  Would they continue to bully if they really understood what it felt like to be on the receiving end??

We should also teach our children how to recognise bullying if they see it and to have the courage to report it. Chloe's attacks were reported to the police ,but currently there are no formal anti bullying laws in place, so nothing could be done.  Chloe's amazing sister Cassie has created the campaign "Chloe's Law' to help make that change.

If you would like to get involved and 'SAY NO TO BULLYING' you can find more information the Chloe's Law Facebook Page.  You can also wear a blue ribbon today to show your support.

If you missed 60 Minutes last night you can watch it HERE.

If you read this and need something to talk to, you can phone the Kids Helpline on 1800 551800 or head to www.headspace.org.au or www.reachout.com

My Little Table Designs Review and Christmas Giveaway

I'm so excited to write this review as the brains behind this gorgeous company is a really great and lovely friend of mine. Amanda stared My Little Table Designs about 12 months ago and we met one day at a market on Sydney's Northern Beaches where she was selling her beautiful little table cloths.  We got chatting, we hit it off and have been friends ever since - with lots of absolutely essential wine brainstorming evenings and play-dates with the kids (not at the same time of course).

A little Bit about My Little Table Designs

Amanda is a mum of two, a primary school teacher and business owner, so as you can image, she has her hands pretty full. She is also one of the smiliest, bubbliest and most passionate people you could ever meet.

She is most passionate about children and their learning experiences through play.  Since becoming a mum she realised how difficult it is to find activities for children that are FUN and EDUCATIONAL as well as providing a great platform for play between mums (and dads) and their children.

Amanda is also a sewer and she started out by making the cutest table cloths for little girls to play pretend 'high tea'.  She soon discovered that just by 'setting up' a table (or the floor) with a brightly coloured tablecloth, kids were drawn to it and wanted to 'play' almost anything.  This gave her the idea to branch out further into children's 'play' and so she stared to both import and create beautiful toys and crafts for kids to create themselves.  Every toy is 'unfinished' and within each pack is everything a child needs to 'finish' or 'create' that toy - which they can then play with or treasure.  They also create a platform for kids imaginations to go wild, which is one of the best forms of early learning.  You can find out more about Amanda and My little Table on her website and Facebook page.

This month (November) Amanda has set up a little POP UP SHOP on Sydney's Northern Beaches, where mums can both pop in and do some christmas shopping, as well as enjoy a cup of tea or glass of bubbles and a good chat.  Amanda is on hand to answer any questions you might have and she has also organised a whole bunch of fantastic workshops for christmas, including:

• Cake Decorating where you will learn how to cover and decorate a cake using fondant and create your very own cute little angel to go on top.  This workshop is run by the lovely Sunny from So Sensational Cakes.
• Mini Mind Spa's where mums can come and learn how to 'play' with their kids, delivered by expert coach for mums Dina Cooper at Hoogi.
• A kids Photography workshop where parents can get tips on how to take better photos of their kids using their own cameras.  This workshop is run by the lovely Robyn from Please don't Say Cheese.
• A range of mummy craft workshops including making christmas cards, advent calendars and teacher appreciation gifts.  These will be run by Amanda herself.

Be sure to book as there are only limited spaces available.  

Click here for a full timetable of events and details of how to book

My Little Table Pop Up Shop is located on 900 Pittwater Road, Dee Why and is open from the 11th to 27th November

I popped into the shop the other day and it was just fabulous!!  I had actually just intended to show my support and maybe purchase a thing or two and I ended up doing ALMOST ALL OF MY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING for the kids!!!  How awesome is that???  I can't tell you how great it feels to have made a big dent in my shopping.  Christmas shopping can be quite a daunting task and getting organised ahead of time is just amazing - more time to enjoy the festivities.   I'm actually starting to feel really Christmassy already and super excited to see the kids faces on christmas morning.

My Little Table Designs stocks gifts from:
- Le Toy Van
- Seeding
- Eebo
- Purple Cow
- Mud Puppy
As well as craft packs, gifts and table cloths that Amanda has made.  Prices range from $2 up to $120, with the average price being around $30.  All items cater for boys and girls who love to play ranging from age 2 to 12.

I think one of my most favourite things was the pizza box craft packs.  Amanda has created a whole range of 'ready to go' craft packs for kids and parents to get creative.  Everything you need is packed away in a plain card pizza box and all you have to add is a little imagination.  Amanda says that as parents we usually and instinctually go for box sets that are all beautifully presented, but kids are the opposite.  They see those as 'finished products' where there is nothing left for them to do. By putting the kits into plain pizza boxes the kids can't wait to get stuck in and make something from their own imagination.  All three of my kids LOVED their boxes and made beautiful stain glass christmas window pieces out of a simple sheet of sticky contact and lots of sparkly bits and bobs.  Happy kids and happy me (especially as there was very little mess).

COMPETITION TIME 

These stocking filler packs are fantastic and they come so beautifully packed too.

Now for the exciting part!!!!!!!!!!!  Amanda has offered to giveaway a stocking filler gift pack to one lucky Mrs D plus 3 reader for Christmas.  The stocking filler gift packs can be catered for a boy or a girl (or gender neutral) and they contain EVERYTHING you need to fill your child's stocking!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So if you live on the Northern Beaches do pop in and visit My Little Table's Shop, and don't worry if you're too far away, she has everything available to purchase online.

So how is everyone doing with their Christmas shopping??  Have you started yet or are you one to leave everything to the last minute??

*Disclaimer:  I have not been paid to write this review, I did it because I wanted to and I would hate for anyone to miss out on all these cool things because they didn't know about it.  All photos and opinions are my own unless otherwise stated.  The Giveaway is only available to Australian residents (sorry).

My top 10 tips on how to get your child ready for Kindergarden (or Big School)

Now that we have hit November EVERYTHING seems to be happening at once and so fast too.  I sometimes feel like everyone saves up all events until the last two months of the year and then our calendars just get invaded.  Luckily it's all fun stuff, but it's still so exhausting and so hard to keep up - well for me anyway as I've never really been too hot on organisation.

A big event for us this week was my little (or not so little anymore) Miss H has started her preparations for school next year.

Miss H and her pre-school buddy. They're be starting Big school together next year and I just LOVE how excited they are.

It was so cute to see how excited she was about her Orientation Day and meeting her big buddy.  I wasn't too worried about her as she has been in and out of the school a thousand time over the last two years since Master J started that it's a very familiar place for her.  (Poor Miss L will have spent almost every day of her entire life at school before she even starts).  I couldn't help getting a little lump in my throat watching her skip off - it's like the end of another era for me.  I think I'm getting worse as I get older and will definitely be needing the tissues when she actually starts. Luckily Master J won't be around as he will be mortified!

I don't feel quite as 'new' as I did when Master J started school but this week has reminded me of all the things our budding little big school people need to prepare for the new year.  It really is a big deal for them (and us) and good to be as prepared as possible, so I've put together a few tips that I found helpful.

10 helpful tips to prepare your child for Big School

1. It's helpful for them to be able to read or recognise their own name in print.  This will really help them on their first few days to be able find their own bag hook and seat in the classroom, for example, which will all be labelled with their name.
2. If you are able to, it's a great idea to visit the school grounds during the weekend or the holidays with your child to help them familiarise themselves with where their classroom is and from there how to get to the toilet blocks, the office and the playground etc. This way they are less likely to feel totally disorientated on their first day.  The school should have provided you with a map in your welcome pack, otherwise you could find it on the school website.
3. Make sure your child is able to recognise the toilet symbols for male and female so that they know which one to use.  Also make sure that they are able to wipe their own bottoms and wash their hands without help.  
4. Make sure that they are able to put their shoes and socks on by themselves.
5. Make sure that they are able to put their jumper/jackets on and off by themselves.  I once picked up Master J from school not long after he first started and he was freezing.  I asked him why wasn't wearing his jumper and he told me that he had got hot in the classroom so had taken it off, but that had turned it was inside out and he couldn't get it the right way to put it back on. Teaching him how to do that just hadn't occurred to me.
6. Make sure they are able to open everything that you put in their lunch boxes.  At home I often just automatically open a packet of crackers/teddies before handing them out, but at school they will have to do it themselves.  There is not enough time during morning tea for the teacher to open 24 packets of teddies!
7. Make sure they know how to put their own sunscreen on.  Sunscreen is always available in the classrooms but the children are expected apply it themselves.
8. Chat to your child and make sure that they understand that their current routine is going to change dramatically and go through the new routine with them before it starts.
9. Make sure they know how to put their uniform on and what needs to go into their school bags every day.  Believe me you won't want to be doing it for them all the time, especially if you have more than one child at school.
10. Try on their school uniform and shoes well before the big day so that you can iron out any issues that may cause them problems, like blisters from new shoes or a zip that is scratching them.

All of these may sound pretty obvious but it's actually amazing how much we help them out at home without even realising.  A lot of these things would also have been covered as part of their school readiness program at pre-school, but it's good practice to start doing them at home too.  It just gives them that little extra boost of confidence and independence before they start school.

Having been through this process before, my one bit of advice would be to not plan too many external activities for your child during the first term.  They are absorbing and learning so much, that during the first few weeks of school they are absolutely exhausted.  In my experience anything extra could just tip them over the edge, and really - do you want to living in tantrum city?????.  Once they have settled in and are used to the new routine they will be able to cope with so much more.

Do you have any little people starting school next year?  How are you feeling about it?

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A little bit of random. Love Instagram!

It's been absolutely ages since I posted an Instagram catch up of the all the random day to day photos I take on my iphone!  In fact I checked and it's been 5 MONTHS!!  I started off so well posting a weekly instagram collage but clearly things have fallen by the wayside a bit!  Don't worry though, I haven't stopped taking instagram photos, I've just not been very good at posting them here.

A good friend of mine who I haven't seen for weeks popped in for a cuppa this morning and she asked what I had been up to and I couldn't think of a single thing!!  I'm so busy being busy that my days all start to blur into one after a while.  Does that happen to anyone else?

Anyway, before I ramble on too much for a Wordless Wednesday post, here are my best bits from the last few weeks - Love Instagram of course :))  Oh and I know it's Thursday today but I was struck down by some horrible bug the last few days and I had the best intentions to post yesterday but all I managed was to stop the kids from destroying the house whilst I lay on the sofa!

These funny snails have been all over Sydney of late and we kept finding the yellow ones.  As cute as they are Miss H just wanted to find a pink one!!!  I finally found one outside the Star Theatre near Darling Harbour one evening and I had to take a picture for her.

Watching Greece at the Sydney Lyric Theatre.  If you get a chance to see it you must!!  It was FABULOUS!!

Nippers season is back on and this year we're getting wet!!

The kids just LOVE getting mail in the post from England.  Soooo exciting!!

We got a new big trampoline a few weeks ago and Miss L has finally learnt how to jump!  She really wasn't sure at first and the bouncy sensation under her feet freaked her out a bit to begin with.  Now the little devil climbs up by herself and bounces as far from my reach as possible just when I need to put her in the car for school pick up!!  I have to scramble up there and chase her round every time I want to go anywhere in the car.

Miss H did her first BIG school orientation yesterday and I have to admit that I might have welled up just a tiny bit.  God help me when she actually starts!!  She looked so much more grown up than I remember Master J being when he first started.  Fortunately the only tears where mine and she absolutely LOVED it.  She has the lovliest big buddy too who stayed with her all morning.

This is my local green grocer where I had to buy FOUR bunches of flowers the other day after Miss L decided to de-head them while I was choosing fruit!

The view from my glass of wine when I popped out for a mid week girls catch up the other day :))

Ballet is still her most favourite activity to do each week

cupcakes and blue eyes

I love having my little mini just 'hanging' with me during the day - especially when the big kids are at school.

I can never complain about the school run when this is my view

Growing so fast I can't keep up!

So there you have it - a very random selection of photos indeed.

Do you take daily photos of all the stuff going on in your life?  My kids are so used to me taking photos of them that they say 'cheeeeese' even if I pick up my phone to answer an email!!

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Nigella Lawson's DELICIOUS chocolate chip muffins converted to Thermomix cupcakes

*WARNING: These are delicious but NOT diet friendly :)*

It was Master J's 7th birthday last week (which I wrote about here) and every birthday I always make cupcakes for his class at school.  I tried to get out of it this year by offering to buy 25 chocolate Freddo Frogs instead, but he insisted on cupcakes - and specifically chocolate chip ones!!  I've never made chocolate chip cake cakes before so I had to hunt for a recipe and in the end I turned to my FAVOURITE baking goddess - Nigella Lawson of course!!  I secretly love watching her shows on the FOOD channel too.

Nigella has the most amazing recipe for chocolate chip muffins, so I figured that if I tweaked it a little they could be pretty good cupcakes??  Luckily for Master J they turned out to be delicious.  I even got a compliment from his teacher - winning!!!

I converted the recipe to use my thermomix, because as you know I'm a hopeless cook without it, but I'm sure you can just as easily make them without one.

This recipe makes 30 cupcakes

Ingredients:
350g raw sugar
500g plain flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
80g cocoa powder
500g milk
180g rice bran oil (Nigella used vegetable oil, but I don't like it)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
150g white chocolate chips
150g dark chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.        
2. Put the sugar into the thermomix and whizz for 15 seconds on speed 9 to make caster sugar. Set it aside in a separate bowl.
3. Add all the liquid ingredients (including the eggs) to the bowl and mix for 15 seconds on speed 5.
4. Add all the dry ingredient to the bowl, except the chocolate chips and mix for 15 seconds on speed 4.  Scrape down the sides and repeat until everything is blended together.
5. Add the chocolate chips and mix for 15 seconds on reverse speed 4 for 15 seconds.  Repeat if necessary.
6. Fill your cupcake cups until each one is just over half full.  The mixture is quite thick so you might need two spoons for this job.  
7. Pop into the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Icing:
200g icing sugar (or raw sugar)
20g cocoa
30g butter
25g milk

Add all the ingredients to the thermomix and mix on speed 6/7 for 1 minute. Spread over each cupcake once they have cooled right down and decorate how ever you would like.  Or you could hire some enthusiastic little decorators like I did.

Enjoy (and I'm taking no responsibility for broken diets)

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