It feels like I’ve been having the conversation about whether parenting gets easier or not since my first baby was about six weeks old. The answer to this question was a preoccupation of mine from that moment on right through the toddler years and into the preschool years. At each stage, there I was, frantically …
Early school
Our eldest child went to a Montessori preschool and I learned such a lot from his lovely teacher. One of the first things she taught me was to foster independence. This meant not doing things for children that they are perfectly capable of doing themselves. When you’re in preschool, this means this like carrying your …
In many, many ways, my kids are spoiled rotten. They lead the kind of childhood that I hope they are proud of when they are old and tired like their mama. But, to me, there is a difference between being spoiled by experience and circumstance and being spoiled because the grown ups in your life …
Max’s amazing Pokemon party had some big make-it-easy Pokemon party ideas: like a storyline. From the very beginning of the party, the kids were all Pokemon trainers, charged with catching, training and battling a Pokemon. We had such fun coming up with some fantastic Pokemon party ideas that weren’t your average party games. Like all good …
Felt is a cheap, versatile craft supply (you can buy sheets of it at Kmart or Amazon, it’s also available at discount shops and craft shops). My eldest daughter made the cute little bears above, cutting out the felt and sewing on the ears and eyes. She drew the rest of the faces with a …
My kids walk home from school each day, plodding a well-worn path out the back of the school, down a track past the scout hall, across a local oval and playground and down our long, winding street by the bush. It’s about a 15-20 minute walk, depending on enthusiasm. Max, my eldest, begged me to …