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Tag: how to

How to survive your baby starting childcare
THIS week was the start of a thousand tears. My baby girl made her first leap into childcare. OK, so it was only for an hour for orientation. And the tears? Well, they were all mine. Yes, we can see who has the issues here.

So, after that first experience, these are the things I know:
- This could be the longest orientation period of any child at that particular childcare centre. Baby Holly clung to me like cow excrement to a gumboot.
- Over the past year she’s been happy to go to anyone for a cuddle, but two weeks ago she suddenly became shier than an 18-year-old after their first night on the town. Wishing we had have started two weeks earlier now.
- A large part of the problem may be the vibes she’s getting from me. I know I need to chill out – or drink a shot of vodka beforehand. Or maybe not.
- Bringing her big sister into the room was a great idea, because she loosened up a little. Even if her big sister was more interested in going back to “her friends’’. “I need to go and see what *Gertrude’s doing’’. Of course you do, darling. Don’t worry about your mum and your sister. We’ll just continue our mini meltdown.
- There will be quite a few tears in the coming weeks – from her and me!
- Now, at age four, her big sister wants to go to “school’’ every day and happily tottles off without a backward glance. I need to keep remembering this early period of trepidation will be short lived.
- If we make little progress in the coming weeks, I know I need to just walk away. Even if it means crying for an hour in the carpark. In Ella’s early days, she always settled within seconds after I left, proving that sometimes it’s us mums who are the problem.
- Take tissues. Lots of tissues.
- My little girl is growing up all too fast. Please, someone, hit the pause button for me.
*Not her real name. Heaven help us if it was.

I’m linking up Shae from Yay for Home’s Things I Know.
September 9, 2011
How to make Harvey Norman-worthy furniture for your doll house
I KNOW that you’ve all been waiting for the follow up post to the grand doll house. You know, the one where I promised the equally grand doll furniture? Well, the wait is over. Brace yourselves – this post features furniture that even Harvey Norman would be happy to house. Prices will never be slashes on these little beauties.

Before unveiling the wonderful individual creations we made yesterday, there are a few things I know I learnt and want to share.
- I know I forgot an oven. Maybe it was a subconscious thing, because cooking dinner conjures up images of witching / arsenic / feral hour.
- I know that while you left beautiful comments on the grand doll house post (for which I was very grateful), you were surely humouring me when you said you liked the beer carton version. Right?
- I know I have a creative daughter. Despite being quite ill yesterday and wanting to just watch mummy make the furniture for her to play with, she did manage to make a car – unprompted and without assistance.
- I know this project would have been great for product placement. Now there’s an idea for brands!
So, I know that about now you’re itching to find out how to make the furniture. So here goes:
- Take an egg carton and a used toilet roll
- Cut out two of the cups from the egg carton and cover in coloured paper to make chairs. Cut the toilet roll in half and glue to a circle to make a table. We used a piece of foam from a craft bucket.
- Take a rectangle box (see the product placement photo) and open one end so the flaps become a bed head and bedside drawers. Cover with a piece of decorated paper for a bedspread. Fold paper over a straight piece of egg carton for a pillow.
- Take another rectangle box.
- Cover it in paper and draw on a sink, taps, cupboards and drawers.
- Use a Kinder Surprise toy container for a… loo. Yes, we don’t have an oven, but we have a dunny. And it’s in the bedroom. Let’s hope bowel movements happen in the mornings.
- Positioned right where people can see through the window. Classy.
- Assemble it all into the house and… ta da! Fit for a princess… who probably just wants to curl up in the bed right now and sleep. Poor little girl.
Does your child have a doll house – made or bought? Or maybe one of those cool two-storey car parks with a ramp?

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August 26, 2011
Guest post: Managing spendthrift husbands and family budgets
I'm a letters, not numers person!

THERE’S a reason I became a journalist. Like alcohol and Mel Gibson, numbers and I don’t mix very well. So when my number-genius friend Amie and I started talking family finances and spendthrift husbands (mine, at least), it made sense to ask her to write something on how she manages the family budget. While as the treasurer of the household I sometimes think I’m doing a better job than Wayne Swan, there is certainly room for improvement. And Amie’s tips are so easy to follow and implement.

By Amie Bramich

This is my budgeting technique that has been with me since I first moved out of home; it has evolved through uni, buying a home, a wedding and now a family.

It is not complicated but it does seem to be working fairly efficiently for us as a family, I think it would be suitable for those who pool their incomes and those who like to keep them separate. It is ideal for keeping track of those day-to-day living expenses! You don’t need much – a list of your costs broken down to your particular income frequency and a few envelopes.

Below is a step-by-step guide for getting started and a few tips along the way!

1. Identify regular income sources and frequency
- I have tended to not include bonus income such as tax refunds; but rather see these as a savings bonus or for special family treats such as mini breaks.
2. Identify as best you can all regular fixed costs.
- This can seem a daunting task, I have found that it is best to not over think this, rather let it naturally evolve with your budget.
- Keep the categories broad and leave a little room in your allocations for those unexpected items.
3. Now check your totals!
- I have always done this out to a weekly and an annual level, ensuring your income covers your costs on pay day and over the year.
- This is an interesting exercise as it gives you a big picture of where your cash is going!
4. Label envelopes (or if you prefer a folder) as you have cash expenses with the required amounts. Then as the bills roll in you have the cash needed!

This technique can be adapted for those who prefer to leave their cash in the bank account with a spreadsheet instead of envelopes.

In my experience the hardest part of this technique (and any other budgeting method) is sticking to it! Also, try not to “borrow” from your bill stash, this can lead to trouble!

You can download a larger version of the test budget worksheet by clicking the image. NB: Aurora is the supplier of Tasmania’s electricity.

Do you have a technique for managing the family budget? Or, like me, do you battle a spendthrift husband?
August 22, 2011
How to make a doll house from a cardboard box (take 2)
I KNOW sometimes you post an innocent little doll’s house made from a cardboard box on your blog and it becomes one of your blog’s most searched items via Google. I know that I’m really wishing I hadn’t actually made that doll’s house out of a … beer carton. Yes, there’s been some hugely disappointed Google searchers land on that post.

So, finally, I’ve found some time to upgrade the doll family from its humble abode into a nicer and bigger home – this time via a much classier postal box. Which, quite frankly could have been used to send off a parcel and save me money. But anyway, Google takes precedence.

So, if you came to this blog looking for a doll’s house made out of a cardboard box, here it is:

If you want to see the old one, then make sure you’re sitting down before you check it out. There’s some nudie action happening over there.

Anyhow, here’s what I know about building a grand doll’s house fit for a princess (as opposed to a bogan, as the beer carton house was):
- Take a Bx4 postal box (430mm x 305mm x 140mm) cardboard box.
- Take blank sheets of paper, a ruler and pencil and draw lines horizontally across each. Then make vertical lines between them to make bricks (see photo). Glue these to the entire outside surface of the box.
- Cut a door into the front of the box and draw, then cut out, a window.
During the weekend, we’ll be attempting to make some furniture for the Little Princess who has taken up residence in the grand doll’s house.

Do your children play with boxes? What have you made together?

I’m linking up with Yay for Home as part of Things I Know.
August 19, 2011
How to survive the witching / arsenic / feral hour
A teething Baby Holly

A FELLOW mum has started going solo of a night now her hubby is working a late shift. She wanted some tips on how I survive witching hour on the nights The Bloke in The Shed is at meetings ‘til late. That time of night when supernatural creatures are particularly active. Oh, sorry, wrong witching hour.

I was sure I had plenty of tips and magic spells to turn little ferals into perfect, patient angels. Like, move to another time zone when 5pm hits. Seriously. I thought our nights ran less like battling peak hour traffic and more like a ballet dance. I might add, not Ella’s ballet, where last week the teacher asked them to “sit there, girls” and every one of them got up and followed her to the instrument cupboard.

As I was in the midst of trying to juggle everything tonight – a teething Baby Holly biting my shoulder while I jiggled her up and down on one hip, stirred food with the other hand and pushed pencils in the direction of Princess Ella via a foot as she complained she was “huuuungry’’ – I wondered if maybe I could be doing it better. Or is that called coping?

Here are some of my witching hour coping strategies and suggestions:
- Put young babies into a baby carrier or older babies into a Jolly Jumper. Not unlike bike riding, going “hands-free” can still end in tears for someone. Especially if your door opening isn’t very wide and you have an overactive jumper.
- For preschoolers and older, get them involved in cooking the meal. Children are more likely to eat the main meal if they’ve had a hand in preparing it. Yes, sometimes even broccoli.
- Give them a new toy. Which really just means something stashed in the cupboard that they’d previously become bored with. To them, it’s new.
- Set up an activity they’re able to do themselves for 20 minutes – drawing, play dough, craft or dancing (concerts are a highlight here). It’s just enough time to peel the spuds and get the meat into whatever appliance it needs to go into.
- Press the action button on the Zhu Zhu pet and watch them go silly. It causes giggles (and ear piercing squeals) for a good 20 minutes.
- Have lots of leftovers and freezer food. We tend to do big cook ups on the weekends now and freeze some of it or have it as leftovers early in the week. This helps make mealtime preparation shorter.
- Feed them sultanas. I know, I know, never eat before dinner time. It doesn’t appear to have affected either of their appetites I might add. Yes, big eaters. Plus, sultanas seem to take forever to chew.
- If all else fails, just keep pedalling.
Then it’s onto the nightly routine:

6pm: Dinner time

6.30pm: Bath time (also known as “let’s see how wet we can get the bathroom floor’’)

6.45pm: All pile into Ella’s bed for books, songs and milk. If Baby Holly is so tired she can’t stay awake for books, I leave Ella to read to herself, feed and put Holy to bed, and come back and resume the routine with Ella.

7pm: Everyone tucked up into bed. Hopefully asleep. Yes, wishful thinking.

How do you cope with witching hour? What are your tips for surviving each night?
August 11, 2011
SLEEP CHALLENGE: How to help baby sleep while teething
MONTH NINE: I had such high hopes I wouldn’t need to write this month’s Sleep Challenge. Unfortunately, my month has been plagued with teething and developmental leaps. Yes, just call me lucky, I guess.

I envisaged sleep deprivation would be a thing of the past. After last month’s sleep through, I thought I was on the path to sleepy heaven. Alas, no. Here I am, bags under my eyes, and blinking like a camera shutter in a room full of babies.

Baby Holly even teased me four nights in a row this week by sleeping from 7pm ‘til 7am and only having two shorts feeds. Then that was thrown out the window Wednesday night, when yet another toothy peg started to emerge.

SOLUTION: Here’s what I know about coping with teething and sleep?
- Give the recommended dose of Nurofen or other ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is more suited to teething as it deals with targeted pain, while Panadol deals with all over pain and fevers. However, some suggest alternating between the two during teething, which we’ve found to be effective.
- Bonjela teething gel – or, as we like to call it, Bon Jovi minus the big hair. This only last 20 minutes and can’t be used again for three hours. However, it often helps Baby Holly resettle quickly.
- A breastfeed or bottle feed. Sometimes I think this is more about the cuddle comfort than the feed itself.
- A cold, clean finger rubbed on the gums. Yours, preferably.
- A cold pacifier for them to suck on. I just run it under the tap for a few seconds.
- Cuddles. I’ve been known to sit in my comfy feeding chair, bub in arms and just rock back and forth for an hour. Whatever gets you through, right?
- Let them cry. Eventually, they will fall sleep. I only tend to use this method when I’m at my wits end. This is really a personal choice, as some parents just don’t like the thought of leaving a baby when they’re in pain.
Read more from the Sleep Challenge.

What do you know when it comes to coping with a teething baby at night?

Disclaimer: This is based on my personal opinion and experience. I am not a medical professional, so please seek medical advice if you are at all concerned.

I’m linking up with Daisy Roo and Two as part of Things I Know.
July 29, 2011