PARENTING
Welcome baby Lucy!
Our wonderful team member, Emma, gave birth to her beautiful baby girl, Lucy, a few weeks ago on the 11th of April, and I've been so excited to share the news with you! Isn't she just the sweetest little bub! Emma manages our shopping directory and all of our wonderful shop members, and she's been ...
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FASHION
Earth-friendly swimwear with a happy retro vibe
We love the happy, sunshiney swimwear from Seaesta Surf! The colours and patterns are so fun, with a '70s retro vibe, and I love the no-fuss, back-to-basics fit and style of the swimsuits. The Seaesta boardshorts are perfect -- not too long, not too baggy, and they're made of a soft, fast-drying material. The swimsuits ...
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PARENTING
Environmentally-friendly ideas and practices to help 'Restore Our Earth'
In honour of Earth Day this week and the 'Restore our Earth' theme, I wanted to share a few things we do in our family to help reduce our carbon footprint. I am aware that I'm preaching to the converted, and that we're all aware of the importance of lightening our footprint and saving our ...
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FUN
Happy Earth Day! Some fun family activities to mark the day.
Tomorrow is Earth Day and this year's theme is 'Restore Our Earth'. Earth Day was first held in 1970 in the US and has now grown to international dimensions with events across the globe. It provides a way for us all to demonstrate support for environmental protection, and is the perfect opportunity to help educate ...
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CRAFTS AND DIY
Make Your Own Easter Decorations: 'Snowflake' Easter Eggs
Here's a super simple Easter craft, which results in pretty decorations. My favourite kind of craft! The girls and I made these paper 'snowflake' Easter eggs to put in our windows now that the sun is finally shining again! (We've had weeks of nonstop pouring rain here on the east coast of Australia, and it ...
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FASHION
Shopping for tween & teen girls -- some favourite brands
While it felt like a very slow and steady journey into adolescence for my boys, it appeared to happen completely overnight for Ivy! I don't know if this is a difference between boys and girls, but for Ivy it has certainly been a huge year of growing and changing quickly. She will turn 12 in ...
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FUN
'The Tale of the Whale', a beautiful new book with an important message
This new book arrived in the post this week and became an instant bedtime favourite of Wilkie's. The Tale of the Whale by Karen Swann and Padmacandra is a poetic rhyming book that highlights the beauty of the underwater world and the importance of saving it from plastic pollution. The book takes you on a ...
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FOR MUMS
Welcoming Emma, a new contributor in the UK
While I have never met her in 'real' life, Emma Bates and I have been online friends for the last five years. She first reached out to me in an email whilst we were travelling back in 2016, and from that very first email exchange I knew we'd become fast friends. Emma and her family ...
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FOR MUMS
Capture your memories with custom photo books from Rosemood
We are big fans of custom photo books in our house. We have a whole stack of photo books we've created over the years -- the first one is from 2007, the year our second baby was born, and we've managed to make one every year since. They are honestly the most treasured things we ...
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FUN
Londji Puzzles -- made from recycled cardboard!
This past year we discovered the beautiful range of puzzles from Barcelona-based company, Londji. Not only do the puzzles have beautiful designs and fun features (like glitter and ruffled edges and round shapes!), the puzzles are made from FSC certified paper and recycled cardboard and are all designed and made locally in their factory in ...
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CRAFTS AND DIY
Valentine's Day Loveheart Crowns
This is quite possibly one of the easiest crafts we've ever done -- and with such a cute result in the end! This past weekend, the girls and I made loveheart crowns for Valentine's Day. All you need is some wool felt and ribbon, and that's it! You simply cut out felt hearts in your ...
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PARENTING
Tips for keeping our teenage boys close
Easton will be 16 this year, and Quin will soon turn 14. Two teenage boys, both incredibly different. What I've learned so far in parenting teen boys is that each child's needs are different, and how I am with one isn't necessarily the same approach I take with the other. But really, what matters most is that ...
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LATEST TRAVELS
Summer holidays! See you back here in two weeks!
If you follow Esther and Emilie on Instagram, you'll have seen a few happy photos of their two families together in France! It's a sweet summertime tradition for them. Being on the opposite side of the world, I will admit it makes me feel extra far away and sad to miss out on these wonderful ...
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DECOR AND FURNITURE
Slow-stitched quilts and wall-hangings from Cutts & Sons
I discovered Jessie Cutts and her beautiful handmade quilts on Instagram last week and ended up down an Instagram rabbit hole, falling more and more in love with the work she does. I love the concept of her made-to-order quilted letters. How beautiful are they! (I adore this photo, above, of the letters behind the ...
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FASHION
Canopea Swimwear -- truly our family's favourite
I've been a longtime fan of this swimwear brand, since the very first collection from five years ago. In fact, we have some of the much-loved 5-year-old rash shirts still going strong! And living near the beach, my kids wear their rash shirts practically more than they wear shoes, so this alone is a testament ...
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BOOKS
"Julián is a Mermaid" by Jessica Love
This book, so beautifully written and illustrated by Jessica Love, is a celebration of individuality and a heartwarming story of unconditional love and acceptance. Julián is a Mermaid tells the story of a little boy, Julián, who spies three women on the subway one day and is entranced by their beautiful hair, their shimmering mermaid ...
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HOME AND DÉCOR
The sweetest personalised Christmas baubles from Ink & Honey
Last year I discovered Ink & Honey on the Babyccino portal and immediately fell in love with the sweet personalised baubles. I ordered them for my kids as well as gifts for friend's kids, and they're now our most treasured ornaments on our Christmas tree. How sweet are they! (Last year, our little live tree ...
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FOOD
Michael's homemade granola recipe
One of the first things we noticed when we moved to Australia is how expensive the food here is, especially good, organic food. And one of the things that really stood out to us was the price of granola (especially when you're buying for a family of seven)! I guess it was something we took ...
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BOOKS
Picture Books for Toddlers: Wilkie's current favourites
About a year ago, I shared a selection of Wilkie's favourite picture books, many of which are still on rotation as his favourite bedtime reads. But he's beginning to enjoy the slightly longer stories now, and we have a few to add to that list. I snapped a photo of his current go-to books, most ...
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FASHION
A capsule collection with Nellie Quats!
When the lovely Elinor from Nellie Quats approached me last year about creating a capsule collection, I knew immediately this was a perfect opportunity to work with one of my favourite brands, learn a little about the design process, and (selfishly!) create the perfect pieces for my kids. Immediately I thought of Ivy, who is ...
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INTERESTING ARTICLES
Why being kind makes you happier!
Earlier this week, Lara in London sent me this wonderful article in The Sydney Morning Herald (her husband worked on the studies involved at Kindness.org), and it really hit home with me. The article shows a link between kindness and happiness. Reading it, I was reminded of an analogy my friend, Jeremy, shared with me ...
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FASHION
Louise Misha's new season collection
You've heard it before how much I love the beautiful, bohemian-style clothes from Louise Misha. Regular readers of this blog will know it's a brand I have loved for years. (I have a grey jumper from last year's A/W collection, and EVERY time I wear it, I get asked where it is from! It's one ...
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BOOKS
'Would you Rather...?' by John Burningham
I remember the first time I played a 'Would you Rather...' game. I was a freshman in college and we played in my friend's dorm room, laughing our heads off. So fun! Who doesn't love thinking about silly, outrageous potential circumstances and weighing up your favourite (or least terrible) of your options?! Haha. When I ...
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