Creative play with Bunchems

Brought to you by Nuffnang and Funtastic

Some days, I just can't seem to do anything to amuse my children for any length of time. On days when I'm home with them, we usually bake something, we clean up, snack, play outdoors, read and do some drawing, but I guarantee you, despite providing plenty of entertainment, I will inevitably get asked if the TV can be turned on or if the iPad can be used.

I am always on the look out for fun things to do with the kids and keep them away from electronics (not that there isn't a time and place for those too!). My children love craft, but it often ends up with Jimmy trying to draw on Ellie's artwork, the pens get used to paint fingers, people or furniture, or playdoh ends up in places that playdoh should not be. Thanks to well-meaning friends (you know who you are), there are stickers on pretty much every surface in my house, including the floor and the dog. Never let it be said that I do not support artistic activities! To my chagrin, often as soon as it's set up and they get started on an activity, one or both of them will go running off and spread mess fun all over the house. I love to foster creativity and fun, but why is it so messy?!

Enter the postman (who did not knock at all!), fortuitously bearing a box of Bunchems. We got a Mega Box, which comes with 370 Bunchems, a heap of accessories to personalise the creations and a book with ideas to start you off (rrp $39.99). As soon as she saw what was in the box, Ellie asked could she play with them with me. Jimmy took the box they came in and sat in it humming Row, Row, Row your boat. I count that as a win; everyone wanted to play!

Bunchems are furry little plastic spheres that have "burrs" all over, meaning that can be squished and connected together to create whatever you can imagine. They're quite nifty and feel nice from a sensory perspective - I liked rolling them around. Best of all, there is no glue required, and in a tribute to my eco consciousness, Bunchems are reusable, so the possibilities are endless.

I wanted to make the octopus, but I was overruled by the kids who just wanted to squish things together and get creative. It was a fabulous mix of construction and craft, and there are so many possibilities. We made a monster:

Which Ellie then insisted we turn into a Mike Wazowski interpretation:

We also attempted a unicorn from the book:

Ellie made a tiger. I don't see it, but she does, and that's good enough for me:

Jimmy might be too young to really 'get' the concept yet, but we were also learning colours, counting and patterns while we played. I quite enjoyed playing myself, and I definitely enjoyed spending some quiet, screen-free time with the kids too. Although the product is marketed at ages 4+, with supervision, we didn't have any issues. I have heard reports that the burrs can stick to hair and clothing, but we didn't experience that at all.

I suspect these will be a favourite in our house, as a few hours after we'd packed everything away (the perfectionist in me insisted on separating the Bunchems back into colour groups, which irritated my children who wanted to be onto the next activity), they wanted to play again. How can I say no to such creative fun?

What would you create with Bunchems?

What are you grateful for?

Brought to you by Nuffnang and Circa Home

When I was growing up, I lived in a house that had a view of the ocean from pretty much the entire top floor. If I opened the windows in my bedroom at night, I could fall asleep to the sound of the ocean waves and the smell of salt in the air. It was a five minute walk from my house to the beach, and you better believe I took full advantage of that fact! From the ground up to the veranda, a honey suckle vine grew prolifically, which smelled amazing, and was a constant source of fun - I ripped many a flower apart to get at that delicious nectar. I do miss that house so.

When Circa Home gifted me a honeyflower and sandalwood candle to try, my mind immediately took me back to that house where I grew up, even though I haven't been anywhere near it for so long. Then I realised that honeyflower and honey suckle are completely different flowers, but it was too late and I was too far along a walk down memory lane to want to turn back! 

I like to take what I call 'mental photographs' of meaningful experiences in my life, taking a few minutes to freeze the scene in my mind. To really experience the taste, the smells, the sights and sounds, the way I feel and what's going on around me. iPhone pictures and videos are great, but what makes a memory for me are the textures of the day - I take a few seconds to grab them and hold them close so I can recall each moment later in high clarity. I can still look back and remember those times in great detail, how I felt, what I was doing and the thing that made that moment great. It only takes hearing a song again, or smelling a familiar scent, and I can be cast back into many a great memory. Just the smell of my babies when they come in to snuggle with me in the mornings evokes many a fond memory too.

The Circa Home honeyflower and sandalwood candle smells amazing, and I'm grateful that it took me to a place where I have such happy memories. There is something infinitely calming about glowing candlelight and being surrounded by a lovely scent. It helps me unwind and relax, another thing for which I am grateful.

You can win a Mother's Day Gratitude Gift pack from Circa Home which includes the lovely honeyflower and sandalwood candle among other great items. I encourage you to enter; I'd love for one of my readers to win this fabulous prize!

Do you have a special scent that takes you back to happy memories?

Cranberrylicious

    Brought to you by Nuffnang and Ocean Spray

 

It's February already. How did it get to be February already? I feel like the year just started. I feel like I'm still making resolutions and figuring out where I want this year to go. Already the holiday season is far behind us. We are in the middle of Chinese New Year celebrations, and Valentine's Day is just around the corner. In our house, those last two things mean lots of delicious food and plenty of sweet treats. Bring it, I say!

Of course, my metabolism isn't what it used to be. I used to be able to eat all the things with no consequences, but those days are gone. I do try to work in some incidental movement where I can but it's tough. Rushing to do day care drop off and pick ups mean I can't just get off the bus a few stops earlier at a whim. Having two boisterous children in tow means I can't dash off and do a quick few laps around the block... it's more likely to be a slow meandering stroll while stopping to look at every ant and flower! I sometimes try to use the playground play equipment as a free style gym but it's hard to exercise and make sure that I'm always keeping my eye on the kids. That's ok, they're worth it.

I've never been one to 'diet' or 'exercise' in the traditional sense... I'd rather eat all the yummy things and do something fun like cycling or touch football. My idea of yummy varies from quite a few people's though I'd say. I naturally gravitate toward brown rice instead of white. I'd choose my homemade sourdough over shop white bread any day. My home grown vegetables are superior to anything I can buy in the shops. If I'm going to have a treat I'd rather indulge in home baking full of good quality chocolate, good fats and whole ingredients rather than something with lots of chemicals, numbers and ingredients I can't even pronounce. In fact, given a choice between supermarket chocolate and some fruit, I'd probably choose the fruit (quality, rich, dark chocolate however is a whole 'nother story!). What I'm trying to say here, is that I try to do everything in moderation, and make food choices that are smart without sacrificing taste or satisfaction.

I've recently discovered the Low Sugar Cranberry Fruit Drink by Ocean Spray. It's become a bit of an everyday treat for me, and I'm trying to convince Mr Fork to give up his daily fizzy soft drink habits and swap over to cranberry juice. I'm even willing to mix it with soda water for him so it's fizzy.

 

At only 10 calories a serve, I think it's a great alternative to other 'unhealthy' beverage choices. I'm still feeding Jimmy, so I drink a daily minimum 3-4 litres, and I love that I can switch it up to something a bit different and know that I'm not adding unnecessary sugar into my diet. The cranberry Ocean Spray drink is sweetened with stevia, but it's not sickly like some drinks can be and it doesn't lose that great cranberry taste. I like to have it straight out of the bottle, or even mixed with a bit of soda water to make it fizz.

 

I'm trying to set a healthy example for my children, so I'm making it a point to swap in healthy foods and get rid of some of the unhealthier options. Ocean Spray low sugar cranberry drink ticks that box!

Finish dishwashing tablets

When I first moved out of home, I took great pride in keeping my house clean. Vacuuming was done regularly, bathrooms were wiped down after every use, spills were cleaned immediately, and dishes were never left to sit around in the kitchen.

Fast forward a few years, add a husband, two hounds, two small children and some very messy chickens, and my standards have relaxed. Some might even say deflated. I do stand firm that I like to wake up to a clean kitchen however. I just can't cope waking up to dirt and clutter first thing in the morning.

Thank goodness for my dishwasher. It certainly gets a bit of a workout these days. Also, it takes FOREVER to empty it as Ellie likes to help (and I'm certainly not going to stop that!) but she can really only cope with one item at a time. Maybe two. Heaven help you if you try to assist though - often I get told to "stop mama, I will do it myself".

Those of you with dishwashers of the machine variety, I'm sure we can agree that not all tablets are created equal. While I used to be a fan of buying whatever was on sale, these days I'm a bit of a fan of Finish Quantum Max tablets. They seem to cope well with whatever I've thrown at them - dried on cereal clumps, leftover coffee dregs, remains of Mr Fork's bacon and egg fry up breakfasts, and, my personal gauntlet, baked on cheese after making a lasagne or a macaroni cheese bake. It's handled all of those with gusto and given me sparkling results.

Wins all around, especially for this time poor mama who loves to cook but hates waking up to a feral kitchen!

Do you have any tips for keeping your kitchen clean?

**Disclaimer: I was given a pack of dishwasher tablets to use, but no compensation was received for this post.

Meals wrapped up

Brought to you by Nuffnang and Mission Foods.

I've written before about the lengths I'm prepared to go to in order to make lunch exciting for Ellie. If I'm honest, I just like making sure people around me are eating good food. It's why I use refillable pouches instead of buying ready-made. It's why I'm happy to spend ages boiling and shaping eggs, and cutting shapes into sandwiches.

When it comes to food, my philosophy is everything in moderation, and mostly whole foods. In practice, this is actually pretty easy. If a product has too many ingredients and I don't recognise most of them; I'm probably not going to eat it. If I have a choice between buying a commercial cake, or whipping something up at home, I'm going to (usually) whip up the home version. And I'm going to use good quality, real, whole food ingredients to make it. Sure, I'll switch some things around. Probably use something a bit more nutritional than plain white flour. Switch copious amounts of regular sugar to a smaller amount of rapadura, coconut sugar, maple syrup or the like. If it's for me, I'll switch eggs to something else, and more than likely I'll add a bit of this and a pinch of that as well.

In our house, fat is not a bad word. Fat is a good thing. Avocado and good quality oils are encouraged in our house. Those that eat it get real butter slathered on toast. So, my home made cake will be good. It'll be chock full of yummy real ingredients with minimal processing. Then, I'll just make sure I have people on hand to help eat the delectable creation. Or, I'll freeze half of it for later. Because… no one NEEDS an entire cake… and everything in moderation right?

Real food to me is recognisable. It's a tomato that is red because it was ripened in the sun and is bursting with flavour. It's nuts, and grains and gorgeous colourful fruits and vegetables. Although I make my own bread at home, if I'm out and I get a choice, I'm always going to pick the seedy loaf because I just think, if I can see seeds and grains and goodness because it isn't too processed, then YAY!

So I was delighted when asked to try some of Mission's Red Quinoa and Chia wraps (available in WOW and selected supermarkets for $4.79). Hello! Chia! Quinoa! Wraps! Wraps are a great excuse for everyone to do a make-your-own lunch or dinner. No excuse for not eating what's on your plate when you constructed it all yourself. And something about a wrap just screams EXOTIC over the poor old sliced bread. Especially when you can see the seedy goodness!

I have to be honest. These wraps are amazing. There's no artificial colours or flavours. They had visible seeds all over so I just felt extra good about getting lots of omega-3 fats, calcium, dietary fibre and protein (from the chia version) and plenty of amino acid goodness from the red quinoa. Sure, it's probably a negligible amount but every bit helps and THEY TASTE SO GOOD!

Red quinoa seediness

I had mine stuffed full of avocado, fresh tomato, refried beans, fresh greens picked from the garden, corn kernels and some hummus. For extra decadence, when I took some to work the next day, I also tried toasting it in the sandwich press. So good, and a tasty, healthy lunch to boot.

Ellie and Jimmy didn't eat theirs as a traditional wrap. Jimmy doesn't have the dexterity and Ellie likes to deconstruct everything. But the both loved the meal and ate everything in front of them. That's a win, wrapped in a great big dose of healthy!

I envisage these would also make a great treat option too, served with some banana and Nutella, then cut up into little mini scrolls. I'm sure they'd be devoured in no time.

Are you a sandwich or a wrap person? If you love wraps, I highly recommend Mission. I'd love to hear what your favourite filling is in the comments.

Life is too short to waste on bad cheese

This post is brought to you by Nuffnang and Frico Cheese

One of my guilty pleasures is cheese (aside, I'm no hedonist, but why should pleasure be described as guilty?). Anyway, I like it sprinkled atop pasta, cooked into sauces, toasted into sandwiches and especially paired with an assortment of fruit, nuts, olives and a glass of very good wine (life is too short to waste on bad wine!).

Life is also too short to waste on bad cheese, so on that note, let's put aside the regular Tasty, Feta and Haloumi varieties for a moment (not that they don't have their - very delicious - places) and take a look at some Dutch favourites.

Enter Frico cheese, produced in Holland by experienced Dutch cheese makers since 1898. The cheeses are made from fresh Frisian cow milk using original recipes which result in quality cheese that can be used in a number of ways. Apparently, Holland, where Frico is based, is a mecca for delicious, quality cheeses. And clogs. I do like clogs.

Here are some of the delicious semi hard Dutch cheeses that I've been playing with lately:

Maasdam - I have to say I'd never heard of Maasdam cheese before this, but it's got a slightly sweet and nutty flavour. I'm told it makes a delicious cheesey fondue, but we had it served on a cheese board. That's it there on the right, in front of a glass of good red wine. I ask you, is there a better pairing out there?

Gouda - Good Gouda! This cheese was delicious, creamy and smooth and perfectly melty! Ellie particularly enjoyed it in grilled cheese and asparagus sandwiches. Let's all take a moment to appreciate that oozy goodness shall we? That's the way all cheese sandwiches should melt!

Spiced Gouda - All the characteristics of plain Gouda, with the addition of some aromatic cumin. This was delicious as an addition to a cheeseboard (see above on the left)... and was also delicious eaten with freshly baked sourdough.

Smoked Cheese - I have to admit, on opening this packet, Mr Fork was practically drooling, as he said it smells exactly like bacon. Apparently, it tastes delightfully mild and smoky too, and it was a tough feat to bat away grabbing hands (Mr Fork's and Ellie's) so that toasted cheese sandwiches could be constructed. This cheese didn't melt nicely, but glowing reviews mean that we will definitely be buying it again, probably to use for snacking as it was a big hit that way too.

If you consider yourself as a cheese lover, Frico cheeses should definitely be on your radar. Each cheese has a unique taste and texture, and is accessible and versatile to partner with whatever is cooking. With so many types of cheese available, the options are nearly endless! 

Frico cheeses are available in the deli section at Woolworths nationally.

Disclosure: I received four packs of Frico cheeses via Nuffnang to review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own and I received no payment for this review.

How to nurture your child's inner artist

This post is brought to you by Nuffnang and Crayola.

Now that I have both an infant and a toddler, I am constantly looking for ways to entertain Ellie so that I can tend to Jimmy without distractions. There's only so much reading we can do, and I'm guilty of putting on a Disney movie more often than I'd like to admit (I know all the words to Frozen, not to mention Nemo, Despicable Me, Monsters Inc and Shrek!) but I also like to let Ellie bust out her inner creative as often as possible too. One thing Ellie loves to do right now is to draw (look at her first recognisable drawing here!).

However, as parents with toddlers can probably attest, my house is also littered with evidence of her growing attachment to adding artistic flair to everything! See some examples below:

Spot probably didn't have as much fun as Ellie did - 

Her couch - 

Biro, and assorted food stains too, on my dining chairs -

Marker which I noticed too late to remove so now permanently on my dining table - 

There are also drawings on my ugg boots, the shelves in her playroom, several of my quilt covers, uncountable items of clothing, and at one stage, Toby our white dog sported some lovely pink highlights throughout his fur. It doesn't matter if I give her markers, pencils, crayons... she finds a way to transfer art to something she shouldn't. It's very hard to be too cross with her when discovery goes something like this:

Me: Ellie, did you do this?
Ellie: Yes, I did
M: Why did you do it?
E: I was drawing and I was naughty. Mama, can you please clean it off now?

I love that my toddler still believes I can fix everything for her, but I am getting tired of trying to remove drawings from lots of things in my house. I was therefore over the moon when Crayola offered to send me some of their Color Wonder products. Whoever came up with the concept obviously was a parent with a toddler I'm thinking! The markers have a special non-toxic ink in them that only appears when used on the Color Wonder paper. Hurrah! That's right, it doesn't show up because it's clear on skin, furniture, carpets and regular paper.

Ellie was super excited to receive a Disney Frozen pack. Each pack comes with 5 different coloured markers in colours to suit and 18 pages to colour in. When you use the marker on the special paper, the colours appear on the page. It's a bit hard to explain, so I took a little video of her doing her colouring in thing to demonstrate - probably best not to have the volume up too loud as it ends with her doing a triumphant  "There!" exclamation.

She really wanted me to put up the video where she is colouring AND singing Frozen's "Let it Go" at the same time, but I don't think the Internet is ready for that just yet!

I have to say, this is one of my favourite products at the moment, so much so that I've hidden all of her regular pens away for awhile. I love that I can sit her down to do colouring, and the fact that she's being quiet doesn't mean trouble and random colouring, just that she is really getting into the moment! If you have an indiscriminately artistic child and you need a pack of these, you can find stockists via the Crayola website.

Do you have an artist at your house? Let me know in the comments where your little artist has created somewhere they shouldn't!

Disclosure: I received two packs of Crayola Color Wonder via Nuffnang to review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own and I received no payment for this review.

Soft as a baby's bottom

This post is brought to you by Nuffnang and Baby Bumkins.

One thing that has always amazed me about babies (apart from that delicious newborn smell) is just how soft and smooth their skin is. I suppose the term 'smooth as a baby's bottom' didn't come about for nothing! Babies are so new and soft and perfect, that I'm loathe to put anything either in or on them that isn't as natural and gentle as possible.

I was recently given the opportunity to try the Baby Bumkins range of baby wipes, which are sold through IGA Supermarkets nationally at a very affordable price point ($3.99 for a single pack of 80 wipes, or $9.99 for a pack of 3).

About Baby Bumkins

• Baby Bumkins is committed to being not just another brand on the shelf, but THE brand to care for your precious bub as they grow and develop.
• Created by professionals with experience, knowledge, scientific expertise and a genuine understanding of a practical product, Baby Bumkins hold themselves to high standards in crafting baby products.
• Using gentle dermatologically tested ingredients, there is no Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) in any of their products. MIT is a preservative which has been linked to an increase in reported incidents of contact allergy and adverse skin reactions, so it's certainly not something you want near that soft baby bum!
• They have both a lightly fragranced and a fragrance free wipe option for bubs with sensitive skin.

I'll admit in the past I have been guilty of grabbing whichever wipes were on sale, because you know, babies go through a lot of nappies, and there is always lots of wiping to be done! But then I started to think about it more - much of what is placed on the skin is absorbed into our bloodstreams. I don't put just anything on my skin because of that, so why should it be any different for my children who I use nappy wipes on multiple times a day? The Baby Bumkins wipes bring superior quality at an affordable price. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the ingredient list on the wipes wasn't all numbers, alcohol and chemicals - I could clearly understand the ingredients and there was no real nasties included.

The day the wipes arrived, Jimmy was most obliging about helping me test them. He's been sick, and what with all the mucus he'd been swallowing, his nappies were just a bit awful. I was hesitant about using an untested brand but I needn't have been. The Baby Bumkins wipes are lovely. Not too wet, not too dry. Thick enough to protect my fingers and get all the waste, but not so thick that they aren't flexible enough to get into all the little crevices. The handy little snap opening was easy to use one handed, and the wipes didn't get stuck and clumped coming out (a pet peeve of mine!). The lightly fragranced ones were scented just enough, but certainly not overpowering. I couldn't detect any smell (as you'd expect) in the fragrance free pack.

I don't think anyone can honestly say they look forward to nappy changes, but when I need to do it, I like to know that I'm using a quality brand that nurtures, cleans and cares for my baby's delicate bits.

After all, a happy baby is a lovely snuggly one, and that makes for a happy mama too!

Tell me, do you read the ingredient list for the things you use on your skin? Do you have a bub who reacts to the touch or smell of perfumes? (if so, you should totally try out the Fragrance Free version!)