We love the Easter break. I love spiritual meaning behind Easter and the excitement on the kids faces when they talk about the Easter Bunny. It’s also a good time to recharge and spend time with family and friends.
So to get you EGG-CITED about easter here are a few last minute ideas to help celebrate with the family this Easter Break.
Family time is important, however it is often easier said than done. Life certainly gets in the way of prioritising this highly valued aspect of our lives.
Work schedules, additional commitments, household responsibilities and your own personal needs commonly get in the way of quality time together as family.
It’s important to set aside special time together as a family once a week. Scheduling this time is important for strengthening your family relationship and here are just a few ways to make that happen.
1. Happiness
Sharing happy times together, laughing, joking and being affectionate builds trust and reminds us that family life isn’t all stress and responsibilities. Having happy times together shows us exactly why we love our endearing family.
2. Memories
The day-to-day monotony of life as a family can quickly blur into a seamless schedule of organising children and keeping up with the rat race. Making time together once a week to share a special activity creates meaningful memories. These moments together form significant family foundations to carry with you and your family throughout your life that will be reflected upon for years to come.
Writing goals and planning your future is an important part of staying focused and knowing the direction you would like to head in life. Having a clear idea of your goals helps to keep you on track and motivated.
I'm a visual person so I found that creating a vision board was a great way to stay focused on my goals and where I want to be, it also keeps me motivated especially through those long hard days. I also find that I make better decisions with my vision in mind.
A vision board is a fun, visual reminder of all your dreams and goals and becomes your driving focus to achieve these passions and dreams.
This is a fun project to do. I would recommend that you set 2 hours aside, perhaps after the kids are in bed, that way you can focus and enjoy the process.
You'll need: a cork board or sheet of cardboard, magazines for inspirations, scissors, pen, note paper, post-its, thumb tacks or glue
1. Before you get started on your vision board, the first step is think about the different areas of your life. This is a good time to go through or take the time to jot down some short-term and long-term goals that you would like to reach across the year and into the future. Remebring this is about you, think about your
2. Flick through your magazines for pictures that represent your dreams. You may even use Pinterest to find images that match your dreams. You might be drawn to a picture of a kitchen you'd love to have, a clutter-free family room, a family photo with lots of children that you'd one day like to have, or a beautiful holiday destination. The images you choose will have meaning to you, and the images will somehow come together, so dont worry about matching or fiding the perfect one, find the one that speaks to you.
3. If you can't find images that match your dreams, use your post-it notes and note paper to write down inspiring quotes, words and phrases that will drive you. Words can be so powerful when used is a positve way.
4. Now you have your images, take the time to plan how to lay them out on your cork board or poster. Remember, you want your vision board to be inspiring and motivating. It is a constant visual reminder of where you want to take your life. Take the time to creatively piece your vision board together. You might like to leave some spaces to add more inspirations that you come across throughout the year.
5. Hang your vision board somewhere you can see it each day. This may be in your home office, your family room or kitchen, or even at work. Take a photo of it with your phone and make it your screen saver.
6. With your vision board adorned with goals and inspirations, it's time to break these long-term dreams into achievable goals. You can do this by coming up with weekly actions that will get your closer to reaching your goals. Jot down your weekly focus in your Inner-B Mum Organiser in the 'focus for the week' column. Taking the time to plan this way will help you to actualise the vision board you created. To help you get started if you do not have a Mum Organiser then were going to offer you a special dcisount code. Simply enter VBMO at the checkout and recieve 30% off your total order. Click to view our Mum Organiser.
Image source: www.lexieskitchen.com
The last thing anyone wants to do after enjoying a lovely meal is to clean the kitchen, especially at the end of the day. Rather than let dirty dishes stack up and wake up to a messy kitchen try implementing a new routine. The truth is cleaning the kitchen is often faster than you imagine and it doesn’t have to be done by one person.
Get the family involved, even at an early age - toddlers could either help set the table by placing their favorite drink cup or by taking their own plates after dinner to the sink. Older kids can get involved in other quick and easy tasks like clearing the table or taking out the rubbish.
At our place we have a rule that while one person is cooking or preparing the others set the table. At the end of the meal, one person starts the washing or stacking the dishwasher process while the others clear the table and clean the surrounds. Now this doesn’t always go to plan but I would say it happens 80% of the time. What helps is that no-one is left alone to battle the kitchen clean-up, it becomes a team effort. We also carry on conversations, generally speaking about what were going to do that evening, work on a project, read, watch a program on TV, call someone etc.
Below are some simple tips on how to keep your kitchen under control with a mini kitchen clean-up. A clean kitchen is all about continual maintenance.
The kitchen is the heart of your home, a place where you share meals, catch-up, make decisions and plan. Make it a nice place to be by staying on top of the mess.
There is so much food wastage these days. Did you know the following items can be frozen? Maybe you can try out some of these tips and avoid wasting uneaten food, and reduce your grocery bill at the same time.
Leftover pizza slices - handy to have on hand for lunch when you don't feel like a sandwich, or pop a slice in your children's lunchboxes
Butter - as a bake-a-holic I like to keep a packet of butter in the freezer so I'm never too far from a homemade cake!
Tomato paste - if I put leftover tomato paste in the fridge it's always forgotten and goes mouldy, so now I keep it in the freezer
Ginger - did you know you can freeze ginger? Simply cut it into chunks and store in a ziplock bag then you can pull out a piece when you need it. And it's easier to peel and chop/grate the ginger while it's frozen.
Leftover wine - I don't know if you have any leftover wine at your place, but if you do then pour it into a ziplock bag and freeze it until you need wine in a recipe
Cooked rice - I like to fill the rice cooker to the max then I'll bag up the leftover rice and freeze it for another meal
Egg whites - whenever I use egg yolks I keep the white in the freezer and stockpile them until I have enough for a pavlova
Curry leaves and kaffir leaves - we rarely need all the curry/kaffir leaves that we buy from the greengrocer. Store the excess leaves in ziplock bags for your next curry
Meringues - did you know that meringues can be eaten straight from the freezer? They’re deliciously crunchy and a little bit cool. Actually, my husband prefers them from the freezer than eating them fresh
Smoked salmon - buy smoked salmon when it’s on sale and freeze for another day
Leftover fried rice - either make your own, or buy from the local Chinese restaurant. It's great for an easy kids' dinner, or put in their lunchbox with a plastic fork
Lemon/orange/lime juice - if you have too many citrus fruits you can freeze the juice in icecube trays then transfer to a ziplock bag and store in the freezer
Lemon/orange/lime zest - and don't waste the zest, simply grate it and store in small ziplock bags and freeze
For more freezer tips and lots of fabulous recipes, click HERE check out FROST BITE.
“FROST BITE: Easy Cooking for Your Freezer” is written by Susan Austin and published by New Holland Publishers Australia. Hardcover, RRP A$35.00
It’s not always easy to head out for a romantic dinner with your beloved. Life, family, time and finances can easily get in the way. And on Valentine’s Day this is no exception. But that’s not to say that you don’t want to make the effort to do something extra special for V-Day. Romance is important in a relationship, especially after years of companionship and that initial chemical attraction has worn off.
So if a romantic candle-lit dinner in a cute, cosy café this Valentine’s Day is off the cards, then it’s time you bring the cosiness and the candle-light to you.
Here’s a simple and affordable way to add some ambience for your home-made Valentine’s dinner.
You’ll need: small glass jars (baby food jars are perfect) or you can even use plain drinking glasses, tea lights, tissue paper (pinks and reds are great), clag glue and a paint brush
For a more daintie look, you'll need: small glass jars (baby food jars are perfect) or you can even use plain drinking glasses, tea light, paper doilies, twine and hand cut paper hearts.
1.Fold the paper over itself to create several layers. Cut out a handful of love hearts
2. Mix glue and water together to create a thin, milky consistency. Paint the mixture onto the surface of the glass jars. You can also use double sided clear tape.
3. Place the paper doilie around the jar and press down firmly.
4. Glue or tape the heart on the doilie.
5. Tie the twine around the jar with and tie a bow in the centre of the herta shape.
Image source : www.creaturecomfortsblog.com
Lets face it cleaning and de-cluttering isn’t anyone’s favourite thing to do, but listening to your favourite tunes will certainly make the experience fun and less like a long boring chore.
If you’re in need of some motivation then why not create your own cleaning playlist. Add your favourite golden oldies or some new hip funky tunes that will get you bopping while your mopping.
Here are a few tips on how to create your own Boggie Clean playlist. You could be singing 'another bites the dust" in no time.
The number one rule is to stay away from mellow/relaxing music. Include up beat music that’s going to keep you motivated to finish the job.
Create different playlist for different jobs:
* Daily 5 minute tidy up clean (approx - 1 – 2 songs)
* Daily 15 minute de-clutter (approx 4 – 5 songs)
* Weekly 1 hour clean (approx 15 – 17 songs)
A shimmy shimmy clean might be the motivation you need and the difference to having a sparkling house. I m going to start with… Good feeling by Flo Rida. There’s nothing like a little dance hip hop song to get you going.
What would you put on your playlist?
There is nothing more important than making sure your kids have a healthy school lunch to get them through the day. With a little pre planning you can make sure they not only have a healthy 5 day meal plan filled with nutrients but you will also avoid that morning fridge and pantry scramble for ideas. Here are a few tips to get your kids school lunches organised:
To help you plan your kids school lunches, click HERE to download our school lunch box meal planner.
If you’re looking for some lunch box inspiration take a look at these sites.
This year add a little fun and sparkle to your photo taking and create your very own photo booth. You can make it as simple or as elaborate as you like. All you need to do is allocate a spot at your party, grab some decorations and create your very own backdrop. You can even supply some props for your paty goers to decorate themselves with. Tinsle, Santa, hats, Reindeer ears are all great but I also found some Etsy stores that offer Photo booth Christmas printables’’ - how fun, click HERE to view or for more choices click HERE.
Make sure you set up your photo booth in a well lit position. You will find party guests will take photos throughout the party. I am off to spotlight today get some creative inspiration for our photo booth. I have a very large piece of wood that I intent to cover and decorate - will post a photo when done. Enjoy!
It’s fun at this festive time of year to get creative and to decorate our houses to help celebrate Christmas and to ring in the New Year.
Here’s a really simple and affordable way to add some pretty, party style to your Christmas and New Year’s Eve functions.
These floaty, tissue paper pom poms radiate cheer and merriment as they hang from your ceiling.
You’ll need: 8x sheets of coloured tissue paper, a wire twist-tie, string or fishing line and scissors.
In just a few quick minutes you’ll have some beautiful decorations to add colour and a party vibe to your house.
TIP: Visit your lcoal party shop or $2 shop foraffordable tissue paper. I managed to get some for only $1 per pack.
Image Source: The Celebration Shoppe
We all know that no matter how much we love entertaining, whether it’s a simple or formal get together putting on a party is not an easy task, especially one around Christmas. A nice way to thank the hostess is to arrive with a little gift to show your appreciation. This is a old tradition that is somewhat still alive today but in a less formal way.
A hostess gift is a kind gesture so there is no need to break the budget. Being Christmas a hostess gift may include a Christmas CD, a box of chocolates, or tin of cookies. If you know a little more about your host’s taste and interior style then a home accessory may be the key or lovely scented votives. Wine is always a good and safe gift and you can make it look extra special with the wrapping and card or by adding a homemade wine notebook, see below for instructions.
Your thoughtful gift will certainly make the hostess feel appreciated and it may even secure you an invitation for next year’s party!
Here’s the how to for the wine notebook.
Pour some wine into a small dish and dip the top of the glass into the wine. Lift and allow the wine excess wine to drip off. Press the wine glass onto the cover for a few moments and lift. Allow it to dry and stamp your message in the centre.
Gift giving at Christmas is a fun and thoughtful act. Finding the perfect gift and knowing that the recipient will appreciate it warms the heart. Sometimes it's the simplest of gifts that were made with love that are appreciated the most.
Christmas is by far the number one time of the year that we tend to accumulate more clutter in our homes. With new presents coming into our homes and exisitng ones staying its no wonder that some areas of your house and life feel cluttered. Here are five things you can declutter before Christmas.
Toys
Go through the kids toy box and donate, throw or pack away toys to make room for new ones to enter the house. Consider rotating toys every few months, all of a sudden old toys become new and your kids will once again enjoy playing with them. This is a fabulous idea if you a short of space.
Magazines
Go through your magazine pile and clear out magazines. If your finding it hard to part with them because of a special feature, cut these out and create a folder where you can store your favorite articles, inspirational looks and ideas. A good tip is to only keep three months at the same time and when a new issue comes in replace it with an older one.
Make-up
This is a great time to sort and clear your makeup clutter before Christmas, especially with all those events and gatherings. Did you know that some make-up items have an expiry date making it a potential health hazard? Check the expiry dates and get rid of all your yucky make-up items collecting bacteria.
Appliances
We all have at least one fancy appliance in our kitchen that we don’t. Go through your kitchen cabinets and review your appliances. Ask yourself what purpose does it have, how often do you use it and have you used it in the last six months. If you have another that serves the same purpose then its time to either donate, sell or throw.
Cookbooks
MasterChef may not agree but cookbooks can also create clutter in your house. If you haven’t used a cookbook in the last 12 months, then its time to donate, sell or throw. If you find you have one recipe that you love then cut it out and create a folder to store your favorite recipes. Photocopy the recipe and donate the cookbook. Sorting and clearing your cookbooks may also inspire your inner MasterChef.
Were heading into the busiest season of the year which normally means lots of shopping, parties and travelling, making this a good time to start blocking out some downtime. Having some downtime will not only help you rejuvenate your mind and body, but give that breathing space you need to make better decisions and be more effective.
Downtime doesn’t have to be a full or half a day, although that would be nice. It can be as simple making sure you have 15 minutes everyday to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea, or an hour all to your self twice a week go to the gym, make time to read or simply just chill out.
Regardless of how busy your day is finding 15 minutes is not as hard as you may think – here’s the how to.
Finally, add some ‘spice’ to your downtime. If enjoying a relaxing cup of tea is your thing, then why not treat yourself to some exotic and relaxing tea blends or have a special tea set just for your traditional English breakfast tea.
Whatever you decide to spend you downtime doing make sure its relaxing and it just for you.
Your task this week is to review next weeks schedule and start blocking out some downtime. You may decide to start with a simple 15 minutes a day or perhaps 30 minutes twice a week. Enjoy your lead up to Christmas.
Being tidy may not necessarily come naturally, in-fact most of us have to learn the skills and work at it. The good news is that once you have system in place being tidy does become easier.
I don’t think I have ever met anyone that absolutely loves tidying up. The daunting task about tidying is that you may not know what your doing and where to put things. The answer is simple " Find A Home" for your items, but before we look at finding homes let’s start by getting a few containers and labelling them with signs – Keep, Throw, Donate etc. Click HERE to download our container signs.
The next step is to make sure you are clear about what and how you are going to use the space. Once you are clear you can then start deciding what stays and what goes. Anything that does not belong should be put in a pile and moved to the relevant room.
Once you have gone through all the items, start creating homes - allocate specific drawers, shelves etc. Baskets are great for little nik naks and to keep similar items together, especially if they are odd shapes and don’t sit well on a shelf or drawer.
The important thing now is to make sure you put things back where they belong. Now that your items have specific homes and your space is defined it will be much easier to put things away.
I love that satisfying feeling when you look at your desk, room, drawers or cupboards and they look tidy. Remember being organised and tidy can be fun. You can use colour boxes to match your décor or revamp your cork board. This is your opportunity to create your own personal organising style.
The job may seem hard and daunting to begin with but once you get started you everything should start falling into place.
One of the best parts about the lead up to Christmas is receiving Christmas cards, but when it comes to sending them most people dread the thought and its often left to the last minute which generally means it doesn’t happen. Whether it’s a hand written card or an e-card, sending Christmas cards is a wonderful gesture. It’s a way of showing people that you care and are thinking of them.
Receiving a Christmas card is also special as it reminds you of the lovely people in your life that have thought about you and your family during the festive season.
Make this years Christmas cards a fun activity and do something a little different:
Ultimately, writing Christmas cards should not be chore but rather an enjoyable experience. Once you have a concept its time to set a Christmas card plan of attack. Writing and sending Christmas cards are only one part of the Christmas organizing process so where you do you start?
A good place is by join us at the Christmas Stylish and Organising workshop, presented by Penny Webb from Working Mums Masterclass.
I will be presenting and joining Leanne from Sweet Style, Jacki from Blissfully Sweet Cakes and Jane from showpony.
Learn how to style your table, food ideas and how to get yourself, house, credit cards organised and so much more.
If you are in Sydney, lock in the 19th November in your diary now and join us for fun Christmas styling and organizing experience. Click HERE for more information and to book your ticket now.
I look forward to seeing you x
Most people love sharing and are willing to lend their items to family and friends. This is the easy part, what becomes hard is making sure they come back and in the appropriate time frame. Sounds simple right – nooooo if it’s out of site it’s generally out of mind and this is where it starts becoming hard work.
It’s easy to assume that because the other person borrowed the item its their sole responsibility to remember to return it. Yes this is somewhat true, but while your waiting for them to return you may start to become frustrated, especially if you have a need to use it and besides who's item is it anyway?
Why not be proactive and rather than getting frustrated and storing all the particulars in your mind, keep a record and write it down in your Mum Organiser. On pages 26 and 27 of the Mum Organiser Resource Section you will fine two pages solely dedicated to help you record your ‘Items Borrowed’ and ‘Items Lent’. Complete with dedicated columns for item, lent to or owner, returned and even a thank you note reminder.
Don’t rely and wait for the other person who borrowed the item to return it. By making a note you can simply recall the information, send them a quick gentle reminder and hope that you get it back sooner rather than later.
I lent a family member five books last year and yep it took just over a year to get them back! Needles to say i was not happy about it. I am SO glad I wrote down the titles, becasue they couldnt even remember. After such a long time, there was no way I would have remembered every single book title. Thankfully i did get them back and was able to tick them off the list and refer to them again.
The same goes for 'Items borrowed', make a note in your diary of what items you have borrwed and when the items are due back. i would also recommend adding a special thank you note when returning items, its gives it that extra special touch!
The next stage now is to have a rule about who I lend items to and be 100% clear when I want them back.
How many items are on your list?
Well, not everything but somethings will make your life easier.
Picture this scenario
'Your wrapping a gift and you look around and realise you don’t have the tape, so you run up stairs or to the other side of the house to grab it. Because you're in a hurry you leave it on the table or place it in a drawer near by. Next time you need the tape you end up wasting time thinking where you put it away'
This is where having two of certain items makes perfect sense. When it comes to be being efficient with your time and staying organized having two of certain items can help you accomplish exactly that and keep everything its place. You are also more likely to put things back in their place if the storage is located where you actually use the item.
The key is to think about all the things you use in two different places of your home. i would narrow the list to the most frequently used items as you dont want to end up with two of everything. For example, scissors in the office and kitchen or living room, hand cream in the bathroom and kitchen.
If you travel often then have a toiletries bag with toothpaste and toothbrush already packed. This is a perfect solution for the frequent traveler. You don’t have to wait until you finish using the toothbrush to finish packing your overnight bags.
The final step is to create a strorage location in the area where the item is used, this way it will go straight back where it belongs. I have stationery items in the office but have also created a stationery cady which is stored in a section within the living area. Inlcuded are the basics - pens, scissors, tape and a notebook. Having two of these items has helped to eliminate stationery items being left all around the house.
Spring is the perfect time to add fitness to your routine. Between work, running a household, kids and everything else in between, your fitness routine may be described as jumping over or picking up toys, vacuuming twice a day. That was certainly the case for me, but since I have set a fitness plan in place, fitness has now become my own personal ‘me time’. Its time away from the family, work and all I do is focus on myself. I started off by walking once a week; now exercise three times - Zumba class, Yoga and now Saturday morning boot camp.
Before you start planning an exercise schedule, I would recommend you set some achievable goals. For instance, exercising once or twice a week. You could also include the fitness level you want to achieve, or outfit you have always wanted to wear. I always find it easier to exercise when I have a goal in mind.
Witches and Goblins are set to roam the streets in a few weeks time for Halloween. I love how this tradition is becoming popular, but for some it's still a new concept.
Last year we had around five groups trick or treating which was lots of fun. This year were going to join in the fun and also invite our street. With a little inspiraion and goodies from Sweet Style our treat bags are all sorted. Now we just have organise our costumes and invite our neighbours. Here are some quick tips to get you organised for some Halloween fun.
If Halloween is new in your neighbourhood print out our Halloween STREET ALERT pictured below and distribute ASAP so everyone can all join in the fun. Click HERE to download our sample. You can alter and add your own style.
