Featured post by Sara Stringer

Birthday parties have become way more competitive since we were kids. Remember our childhoods — when birthday parties meant going to someone’s house, playing a game or two, eating some cake, clapping while the birthday girl (or boy) opened presents and then we all went home?

Those days are over.

Today it’s all about who you can hire and how much it costs and what you give away as party favours. It’s about competitive gift buying and whether or not you should have the bouncy castle because someone else just had a party with a bouncy castle and you don’t want to copy but…

It’s enough to give anybody a migraine.

Here’s the truth: the best birthday parties don’t actually have anything to do with the accoutrements. The best birthday parties are the parties where all of the kids have a bunch of fun and on a shoestring budget.

Here’s how.

1. Decide on a theme

Even if your son or daughter is dead set on having a Transformers themed party, that’s okay. You don’t have to hire people dressed as Transformers to wander around. Instead, get a bunch of cardboard — cut it into fun shapes, supply some markers and have everybody design their own Autobots costumes out of cardboard and paper. Cheap, easy and the kids are involved. You can use promo deals at NerdWallet to help make the craft supplies more affordable.

2. Party Favours

You don’t have to buy complicated or expensive party favours to give out to the guests — especially if you have invited an entire class of kids. Instead, stock up on smaller, cheaper take home gifts. You can order small items in bulk at a cheap price and so you can stuff the bags full of favours. Kids will love getting bags full of trinkets (more than getting one bigger thing that may or may not suit his or her taste).

3. Decorate Your Own Cupcakes

Instead of spending a ton of money on a big fancy cake (that could cause fighting between guests over who gets which bit of icing); bake a few batches of cupcakes and stock up on cake decorating bits. Have the guests decorate their own cupcakes (you can have a smaller, specially made cake for the birthday boy or girl to facilitate the blowing out of candles). This way everybody gets the icing and decorations they want and they’ll have fun making them.

4. Games

This is going to depend largely upon the age of the children attending the birthday party. Instead of piñatas and pin-the-whatever-on-the-something, look for games that encourage cooperation instead of competition. This way there aren’t as many hard feelings over who wins and who doesn’t.

5. The Movie

After the games and the treats, kids are often hyped up. Settle them down in front of a movie before sending them home with parents. This way the parents will get kids who are happy, well fed and of a perfectly acceptable energy level instead of a kid who has basically been wound up beyond recognition (plus, you can use the time they spend watching the movie to start cleaning up).

What do you do to keep the cost of birthday parties down?

DISCLAIMER: Consideration was received for the review and publishing of this featured article

Evening all. I’m popping in quickly tonight to upload the Aussie Giveaway Linky. I’m part way through writing a chapter for the bio novel and am eager to keep going. However, first I really should let you in on our wins for the week:

• This is our 100th Aussie Giveaway Linkup. Completely shocked by that. Where did the last 100 Saturdays/Sundays go?
• Two-year-old Holly has developed the occasional bit of attitude, with her favourite word being “anythink’’. Translated, this means “nothing’’. If I ask her: “Holly, what are you up to?’’, she throws a sharp “anythink’’ back, complete with adult-like scoffing and furrowed brow. It is so hard to keep a straight face. (PS. I do have a cute and funny video I need to share of her soon too!).
• I’ve booked The Bloke in The Shed in for a weekend away in Melbourne to watch Collingwood v Carlton for his birthday. That’s definitely a win – whether the Pies win or lose. I’ve just got to remember to turn the phone off before the game.
• Apparently Holly loves me more than her dad. Me: “Why don’t you love Dad?’’. Holly: “Because he’s a naughty ratbag.’’ Me: “Why is he a naughty ratbag?’’ Holly: “Because he fights on me’’. Translated: Julian tickles her and does general annoying dad things. Just wait till she’s old enough to understand dad jokes.

What were your wins this week?

Now, onto this week’s Australian competitions and giveaways…

Aussie Giveaway Linkup instructions:

If you’re a blogger or business wanting to take part in the Aussie Giveaway Linkup:

1. Only link directly to the giveaway post/s and include the prize and end date in the linky tool below. Link each giveaway separately. If you need to delete it, hover over your link, wait until the red “x’’ appears and click.
2. Giveaways must be open to Australian residents and be run by Australian-based bloggers or businesses.
3. Grab the button below to add to your post.
4. A new list is added each Sunday so bloggers need to add their links weekly.
5. Start entering the giveaways! Entry is at your own risk. We do not take responsibility for unfulfilled prizes or a blogger/business not abiding by their own terms and conditions.

Hosted by Three Lil Princesses

Over the next few weeks I thought I’d share some birthday inspiration from the girls’ birthday parties. Today is how to make a piñata using a cardboard box and a loose piñata pattern for a number five pinata.

Step 1:

Find a decent-sized box. Ours was a sand and water table box, because it was a rectangle shape. There’s no exact measurements here, so choose the size you like. I found for number five, it works best to have a rectangle rather than a square-shaped box.

Step 2:

Draw on the front of the box the shape you wish to make. So for us, it was number five. Make sure the sides of your number five drawing go directly to the edges. You’ll see why in a minute.

Step 3:

Using a Stanley knife (or a kitchen knife in our case), start cutting the inside sections of the five – that is, the half circle at the bottom of the five and the straight and curved sections of the top. Do not cut along the length of the box at the sides, only across the width.

Step 4:

I found it useful to then use the knife or a long pencil to trace through to the back of the box from the inside. Repeat the cutting steps.

Step 5:

On the half circle at the bottom, you should now have cut the front half circle, back half circle and across the width of the side of the box (as shown).

Step 6:

For the top, you should now have cut into the box from right to left, followed by a cut downward and then finally the curve shape. Do this for front and back, along with the right-hand length of the box (as shown – so much easier to see in pictures than to explain in words!)

Step 7:

Go through and measure strips to cover the exposed outer edges to enclose the pinata. Then use tape to stick the strips to the pinata. You should have plenty of cardboard leftover to do this.

Step 8:

Now to decorate. Take some streamers and slice three quarters of the way up the width of the streamer, being careful not to cut all the way through. These cuts can be about 1-2 centimetres apart. TIP: To make it easier, put a few layers of screamers together and cut a few streamers at once.

Step 9:

Wrap the streamers around the number five cardboard cut out. You can alternate between colours or use one colour. It’s completely up to you.

Step 10:

You’ll notice we left a few holes to allow us to put in treats for the kids.

Find yourself a decent stick, the end of a broom or, in our case, an umbrella to use to bash it open at the party. It’s fairly durable, so it takes a bit to crack open, but then, that’s half the fun!

What are your favourite birthday party games?

Highlights from Mother’s Day week (I know it’s a day, but I’m making it into a week!):

• I got caught eating Ella’s Humpty Dumpty Easter egg. Come on, I was desperate for chocolate. To avoid the tears, I promised any Mother’s Day chocolates I received she could share. The next morning, while telling her how I couldn’t wait for Sunday’s sleep in, breakfast in bed and dinner out, Ella piped up with: “And don’t forget, you’ve got to give me some of your chocolate fudge we bought you?’’ She then turned pale. “Oops, I wasn’t meant to tell you that, was I?’’. Ah, probably not!
• And how cute is Cinderella, all dressed up and ready for the ball… or the disco, at least. Her first school disco and a handbag full of money ($5 can look like a lot when it comes in change).

Do you already know what you’re getting for Mother’s Day? Are your kids good with keeping secrets?

Now, onto this week’s Australian competitions and giveaways…

Aussie Giveaway Linkup instructions:

If you’re a blogger or business wanting to take part in the Aussie Giveaway Linkup:

1. Only link directly to the giveaway post/s and include the prize and end date in the linky tool below. Link each giveaway separately. If you need to delete it, hover over your link, wait until the red “x’’ appears and click.
2. Giveaways must be open to Australian residents and be run by Australian-based bloggers or businesses.
3. Grab the button below to add to your post.
4. A new list is added each Sunday so bloggers need to add their links weekly.
5. Start entering the giveaways! Entry is at your own risk. We do not take responsibility for unfulfilled prizes or a blogger/business not abiding by their own terms and conditions.

Hosted by Three Lil Princesses

Highlights from our winning week were:

• Ella got to meet one of her favourite ABC4 Kids stars Jimmy Giggle and give him three drawings at Agfest today. Holly, on the other hand, was just disappointed Hoot wasn’t there.
• When we got home, Ella was confused as to how Jimmy could fly back to Sydney so quickly to be on the TV. “The plane must have been fast, Mum’’.
• The Three Li’l Princesses Facebook page has got some mums a little hot and bothered tonight, because of posting the above photo. It’s fair to say, there were some mums at Agfest today too who were far more excited about seeing Jimmy than their children were.

Here’s some more Jimmy for you…

Are you – or your kids – Jimmy Giggle fans?

Now, onto some other winning opportunities…

Aussie Giveaway Linkup instructions:

If you’re a blogger or business wanting to take part in the Aussie Giveaway Linkup:

1. Only link directly to the giveaway post/s and include the prize and end date in the linky tool below. Link each giveaway separately. If you need to delete it, hover over your link, wait until the red “x’’ appears and click.
2. Giveaways must be open to Australian residents and be run by Australian-based bloggers or businesses.
3. Grab the button below to add to your post.
4. A new list is added each Sunday so bloggers need to add their links weekly.
5. Start entering the giveaways! Entry is at your own risk. We do not take responsibility for unfulfilled prizes or a blogger/business not abiding by their own terms and conditions.

Hosted by Three Lil Princesses

When we travel interstate, we are such tourists. We do all the things tourists do – which means every zoo, aquarium and museum have just about been covered.

In the past two years, we’ve experienced the Melbourne Zoo, Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, the Melbourne Aquarium and the SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium. If there were such a thing as zoo/aquarium FlyBuy points, we’d have earned ourselves another free visit by now.

Without dipping into the fiery debate Sydneysiders and Melbournites have over who’s city is better, here’s our take on the four big attractions and what appeals to us about each:

Melbourne Zoo

We’ve done the Melbourne Zoo so many times I could nearly take over as a tour guide – including a talk on how to navigate a rather muddy section during wet weather. What we love about Melbourne is that it’s flat, which makes pushing a stroller easy. It’s simple to navigate, there’s plenty of shade (a life saver during our last December trip) and there’s a nice open space for eating. Our favourite sections have to be the monkeys and the seal show. Downsides would be that it’s so widespread we’ve yet to be able to actually do the whole thing. The highlight for Ella is always the butterfly house.

Taronga Zoo, Sydney

Julian and I visited Taronga years ago, but saw it through completely different eyes with two kids in tow. We bought a package via Red Balloon that included a cruise from Darling Harbour to the zoo, a ride on the air bus and admission into the zoo itself. Taronga is beautifully designed, looks a little more polished than Melbourne and has incredibly stunning views of Sydney Harbour and the Opera House. However, the downside of that is having to push a stroller up a hill at times. There also seems to be quite a bit of backtracking. Our favourite section was the elephants and, during January 2013, being able to see the moving dinosaur models.

Melbourne Aquarium

Aquariums are more Julian’s thing than mine. I think if you’ve seen one fish, you’ve seen them all. The penguin area, which is your first impression of the Melbourne Aquarium, is sublime. To see them so clearly walking through the snow and swimming in the deep water, without any barriers obstructing your view, is a real highlight. The underground sections at both aquariums are superb and it’s where we tend to spend the most amount of time. The girls loved being able to pop their head inside hidey holes to get a closer look at some of the species.

SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium

While we were a little shocked at being thrown into a photo at the beginning of our tour, we soon got over the camera flash and took the many twists and turns around the aquarium. Around each corner is a different shaped tank that are intriguing in themselves. The girls were slightly spun out by having water all around them in one of the tunnels, as a shark, dugong and stingrays swam over their heads and fish under their feet. Another highlight was the incredible display of seahorses. The one challenge for us was steep inclines in one section of the aquarium. Going up with a stroller was a bit of an effort after a long hot day.

Overall, it’s hard to compare the four. They all do so much well, all have areas to improve on and each will tailor to different types of people and their needs. To be honest, we’re just happy for the experiences and the educational benefits it provides the girls.

Have you been to any of the above? What were your highlights?

Highlights from our winning week were:

• While driving home in the dark after eating out last night, five-year-old Ella pipes up with: “It’s night time here, but it’s daytime over in the world Uncle Rick lives in. Isn’t it, Mum?’’ We live in Tasmania. Uncle Rick lives in Melbourne.
• Two-year-old Holly learning to waggle her finger and, with some cheeky diva attitude, says: “uh-huh, girrrrlfrieeeeend’’. I really need to video this to show her when she’s 18.
• Ella and I went to the trouble of making a gift box for The Bloke in The Shed today out of delightful yellow paper. Ella took ages decorating it and, once finished, hid it. She then made him find it, using the tried and tested technique of “hot’’ and “cold’’. When he finally found it, took the mounds of sticky tape off it and opened it, he was presented with a squished Anzac biscuit. You’ve got to be excited about that.

What wins did you have this week?

Now, onto some other winning opportunities…

Aussie Giveaway Linkup instructions:

If you’re a blogger or business wanting to take part in the Aussie Giveaway Linkup:

1. Only link directly to the giveaway post/s and include the prize and end date in the linky tool below. Link each giveaway separately. If you need to delete it, hover over your link, wait until the red “x’’ appears and click.
2. Giveaways must be open to Australian residents and be run by Australian-based bloggers or businesses.
3. Grab the button below to add to your post.
4. A new list is added each Sunday so bloggers need to add their links weekly.
5. Start entering the giveaways! Entry is at your own risk. We do not take responsibility for unfulfilled prizes or a blogger/business not abiding by their own terms and conditions.

Hosted by Three Lil Princesses

In the past month I’ve received two invites. The first is to my 20-year reunion as a Grade 10 leaver. Eek. Has it really been that long? The second is to a 20-year reunion of editorial staff who worked at the newspaper here during the ‘90s.

Apart from feeling INCREDIBLY old, it’s been a bit of a catalyst to look at everything I’ve achieved in the past 20 years. And I wouldn’t change one minute.

Sometimes we’re so busy getting through to the next day, the next week or the next month, we forget to stop and reflect on what we have to show for all that.

The highlights of the past 20 years? In the ‘90s, meeting and falling in love with a man who worked at said newspaper. Then, in the next decade, marrying him and producing two adorable girls. They’re pretty big wins for me.

Have you been to your school reunion or even a work reunion? What was it like?

Now, onto some other winning opportunities…

Aussie Giveaway Linkup instructions:

If you’re a blogger or business wanting to take part in the Aussie Giveaway Linkup:

1. Only link directly to the giveaway post/s and include the prize and end date in the linky tool below. Link each giveaway separately. If you need to delete it, hover over your link, wait until the red “x’’ appears and click.
2. Giveaways must be open to Australian residents and be run by Australian-based bloggers or businesses.
3. Grab the button below to add to your post.
4. A new list is added each Sunday so bloggers need to add their links weekly.
5. Start entering the giveaways! Entry is at your own risk. We do not take responsibility for unfulfilled prizes or a blogger/business not abiding by their own terms and conditions.

Hosted by Three Lil Princesses

It’s been one of those mixed weeks. Some highs, with just a few crappy moments thrown in. That’s life I guess. I’m learning to only focus on the good things in life and not dwell on the challenging stuff. There’s no point in putting energy into things I can’t control.

So, talking wins only, here’s what my week in the palace was like:

• Ella had her first school excursion, which was to a farm and then a bike track. It prompted this conversation – Ella: “Mum, do you know where meat comes from? A cow. So where does chicken come from?” Me: “Ah, a chicken.” Ella: “So is that similar to a real chicken?” Hmm, so this is the result of raising your children in the suburbs. Oh, and her highlight from the trip was her teacher being pooed on by a cow. It’s the little things.
• A few weeks ago I was asked to do a corporate project with one of my favourite brands and I finally got to make a start this week. I cannot tell you how incredibly excited I am.
• Without going into detail, we’ve had a few wins in the toilet training department regarding No. 2s. Mums in the depths of potty training will completely understand the significance of that one.

What are your wins from the week?

Aussie Giveaway Linkup instructions:

If you’re a blogger or business wanting to take part in the Aussie Giveaway Linkup:

1. Only link directly to the giveaway post/s and include the prize and end date in the linky tool below. Link each giveaway separately. If you need to delete it, hover over your link, wait until the red “x’’ appears and click.
2. Giveaways must be open to Australian residents and be run by Australian-based bloggers or businesses.
3. Grab the button below to add to your post.
4. A new list is added each Sunday so bloggers need to add their links weekly.
5. Start entering the giveaways! Entry is at your own risk. We do not take responsibility for unfulfilled prizes or a blogger/business not abiding by their own terms and conditions.

Hosted by Three Lil Princesses

Those of you who follow this page on Facebook will know a couple of weeks ago I put a shout out on Facebook for decent gift ideas for a six-year-old girl’s birthday. One of Ella’s friends was having a party and I was completely stumped with what to buy her. I also didn’t fancy pacing the streets for two hours looking for something. I’m possibly the only woman in the world who isn’t good at shopping. I’m serious.

Next week we’re into birthday party No. 2 for the year and the first thing I did was revisit that Facebook list. Which took forever to scroll through to find, I might add.

My time management skills tell me it would be a heck of a lot easier to just put all those ideas into a post. Mainly because I’ll be calling on the list again come November and December when Ella’s birthday and Christmas arrive. See, that’s why I have a blog!

So, here are the ideas graciously given by the Three Li’l Princesses Facebook community.

Ideas for a six-year-old girl’s birthday

• Books
• Movie tickets
• My Little Pony – Friendship is Magic figures (apparently big at the moment)
• Craft supplies or anything from Smiggle
• Pillow Pet dream light
• Lego Friends
• Slushy Magic
• My Little Pony Wedding Castle
• Ice cream maker – similar to what’s made at Cold Rock
• Little Pet Shop critters
• Scarf, beanie, gloves, raincoat and/or umbrella  for winter
• Lip balm and bubble bath
• Beanie Kids bears
• Diva bangles

My favourite:

• Mixing bowl, spatula and cake mix wrapped in a tea towel or apron

Best birthday idea for your own child:

• Money and a date card for just the two of you for ho chocolates and a shop.

Thank you so much to everyone who made suggestions. It means a lot – especially to my feet.

What are your suggestions for gift ideas for a six-year-old girl?

Other gift suggestion resources:

Christmas gift ideas for kids – girls

Fabulous gift ideas for a one-year-old girl’s birthday

These are a few of Ella’s favourite things