Your Cheeky Monkey

Product Review: five:am yogurt

2012-02-28T11:41:00.003+10:00

Here at YCM headquarters, we are all very big eaters of yogurt. We eat it every day in fact. So I was really happy to try out the range of five:am organic yogurts when offered a chance to do so. I had never tried this range of yogurt, probably because I usually shop at Coles and five:am is stocked at Woolworths and other small health food shops.

A bit of background about the brand - The milk used is sourced from Australian family run farms (one of the farms is run by fourth generation family farmers), is made in their Australian factory and is delivered to healthy Australians with as low food miles as possible. The yogurt is free from all the usual unpronounceable nastiness – and that means absolutely no chemical pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or antibiotics. Five:am yogurt is suitable for everyone - even babies and young children, and pregnant and breastfeeding Mums.

So, what's the verdict? The whole five:am range received a big tick of approval from all of us. The boys loved the fruit styles ('Mango' and 'Strawberry'), and while I thought I would like the fruit ones best, I actually liked 'Vanilla Bean' and 'Honey and Cinnamon' flavors the most. The yogurt has a lovely texture, is beautifully thick and rich, and has a tendency to only last in the fridge for a few hours. And you can even wash and re-use the handy plastic tubs with lids!

As a final note, be sure to pop on over and have a look at the five:am website - there is lots more information about the brand, and quite a few very yummy recipes to try out :-)

I received a Woolworths gift card to purchase the range of five:am organic yogurts try out and review if I so wished. I have not been paid for this review and any opinions expressed are my own.

10 Things to do in the Third Trimester

2012-02-22T13:51:00.000+10:00

Not long to go now! The count down is on, and before you know it you will be holding your gorgeous new baby in your arms. As I write this post, I am 36 weeks pregnant myself, and not only getting excited about our new arrival, but also getting nervous about going through all the sleepless nights, and Bub crying for no reason, and changing nappies (and weaning and toilet training and starting school....). But at the end of the day, all that stuff pales in comparison to the miracle of new life, doesn't it?

So, without further ado, here is my list of 10 things to do in the third trimester:

Get some pampering done. Do you notice this is first on my list?? Well, Bub arrives in a very short time, and believe me, you will not find time for yourself for quite a while. Book in for your waxing, haircut, pedicure, pregnancy massage, facial, and anything else you love doing (and that the budget allows).
Start packing your hospital bag. Find a hospital bag checklist and begin putting things aside. I actually do this over a period of a few weeks, working through my list and leaving the things I use everyday until last (mobile phone, hairbrush etc). Don't forget you can always ask your partner or Mum or friends to bring you anything you might have forgotten.
Plan how you will send baby announcements/thank you cards. My favorite is the range of baby announcements from Iliv Cards - pick the template you like, insert your own words and photo/s, then all you have to do is send off to your friends and relatives.
If you have older children now is the time to start organising who will look after them while you are having your baby. Go through school/kindy runs and other routines with your planned care-giver, and make up lists if needed of your children's routines and any other important information.
Take some photos of your big belly! I know I personally feel so big and uncomfortable in the last trimester I hate my picture being taken, but believe me its really sad if you don't have any photos to look back on of this special time. They don't have to be professional ones, just get your husband or partner (or even older kids) to snap a few. You can even snap one yourself... that's me in the image below trying to record the size of my belly, as I didn't take any photos in my first 2 pregnancies and really, really regret it now.
Get ready to block your ears. Unfortunately when some women see you are nearing birth, they love to share their horror birth stories with you. Get ready with a response like "I'm so sorry to hear your birth was such a bad experience" and leave it at that, or perhaps you can mentally say "lalalalalala" while they are talking. At the end of the day, its really not acceptable for them to share their negative experiences with you like this. Oh, and family members can be the worst out of everyone for doing this.
Don't stress if you get to the end of the third trimester and you haven't got the nursery ready for your baby (or if you have baby early for any reason and things aren't ready). Newborn babies really aren't upset if they are not placed in a perfect nursery from Day 1! As an example, my second son loved being in the hired car capsule, so he spent the first few months of his life sleeping there or in the sling rather than his beautiful cot.
If you are crafty, make something special for your new baby in your final few months. Knit some booties, make a blanket, paint a picture. Not only will you enjoy using it, but I can guarantee it will be put carefully away down the track as an heirloom for future generations.
When shopping each week, keep an eye out for specials on all those household items you use everyday - toilet paper, toothpaste, tinned food, etc etc. Then buy in bulk and stock the cupboards up. If you do this over a period of time, it is easy to budget for, and it will take the pressure off at least for the first few weeks after baby is born knowing you are not going to run out of grocery essentials.
In the last couple of weeks leading up to the birth, pre-pay all your bills so you don't have to worry about overdue accounts while you are in hospital or forget about them in the excitement of your new baby.

Wow! The final trimester is certainly a busy one, you will also have doctors appointments galore, be in nesting mode, and possibly be finishing up work. Good luck with your upcoming birth, I send you every good wish for an amazing and magical experience! Monique xx

Other blog posts you might like:
10 Things to do in the First Trimester
10 Things to do in the Second Trimester
What products do you really need for your newborn baby?
My top bathtime tips for a new baby

Bringing back memories of losing my own baby teeth

2012-02-16T08:41:00.000+10:00

My oldest son (aged 6 1/2) currently has 2 very wobbly front top teeth, so is finding it hard to bite into food at the moment.

The other day I found myself cutting up his toast into bite size pieces (that's jam and cheese on it if you were wondering), and I had the strongest memories come flooding back of my own Mum cutting up my toast for me like this when I was little.

Isn't it funny how the smallest things can bring back things you haven't thought of in many many years!!

Manners and consideration, in public toilets of all places

2012-01-21T08:44:00.000+10:00

Sometimes your faith in people is renewed in small ways in the most unlikely of places. Most of the times these days, you can arrive home at the end of the day having witnessed and experienced rudeness, selfishness and even anger from others around us. Road rage, people pushing in while queuing up, disrespectful and rude teenagers and children, bullying in real life and online, lack of service in shops, the list goes on. Basic manners and consideration just don't seem to be values that are taught anymore.

But for me, the last few weeks have opened my eyes. I am (if you didn't know) currently 31 weeks pregnant. And yes getting rather large and whale-like. But the point is, every time I have used a public toilet lately, the lady at the front of the line has offered for me to go in first (although admittedly, once, the teenager behind her got a very sour look on her face as if to say 'why would you let her push in... big deal that she is pregnant'). Each time I have said 'no thank you', but the point is how graciously it has been offered, and how unexpected it was. Even though its such a small thing, I have really appreciated other ladies being so nice! Because, as we all know, your bladder when pregnant holds about 3ml and its not long before feeling exceedingly desperate!

Have you experienced any unexpected kindnesses lately? I would love to hear about them :)

Teething Necklace GIVEAWAY!

2012-01-08T15:03:00.001+10:00

I thought it would be fun to start the new year off with a giveaway, because what better way to start 2012 than by giving away 2 of the gorgeous new Teething Necklaces we are getting such amazing feedback about.

When one becomes a mum, it doesn't mean that your days of jewellery-wearing are over! Teething Pendants are an answer for both mums and bubs. Now, mums can continue wearing necklaces without fearing that their babies will bite, break or gnaw on it. Babies can now safely bite and chew on mum's pendants! Our MummaBubba Teething Pendants are made from hospital grade silicone that is free from BPA, PVC, cadmium and lead. So you know your baby is 100% safe with these :)

Up for grabs is 2 Teething Necklaces - 1 mint and 1 purple swirl (just like in the images below) valued at $24.95 each.

For your chance to win all you need to do is scroll down to the entry form below, fill in your details and tell me which Teething Necklace colour you love best and why it will suit your babies personality. Also be sure to read the Giveaway T&C at the bottom of this post.

If you want some good karma for your entry be sure to pop over and like our facebook page too :)

Giveaway Terms and Conditions (please read):
~ Australian Entries only
~ One entry per person
~ Two winners will be picked from correct entries lodged via entry form. Chance plays no part, winners judged and selected on answer provided
~ Prize includes shipping cost
~ It is a condition of this giveaway that your email address will be automatically added to the Your Cheeky Monkey newsletter list. If in future you wish to unsubscribe from our newsletter, you can easily do this via the unsubscribe button on one of our newsletters
~ Winners will be notified on our facebook page and by email. Prize will be re-drawn if winner does not respond within 3 days.
~ Entries for this giveaway close in two weeks time on Sunday 22 January 2012 at 11.59pm (EST)

Last minute gift ideas for baby

2011-12-17T14:38:00.000+10:00

What's hot in the world of baby for Christmas Gifts this year?? I have a few quick suggestions of products we have in-stock, with same day express shipping included for all orders this week. So, here we go for some of our best-sellers for under the Christmas Tree for Bub:

Little Green Cloth Books

Teething Jewellery

Cuski Baby Comforters

Sophie the Giraffe Teether Toy

Natural Wooden Hairbrush for Baby

Hope you all have an absolutely wonderful Christmas and New Year for 2011, and wishing you a happy successful 2012!

Are you nutty, or not?

2011-12-11T17:00:00.000+10:00

Ok, so you probably know I just love Table of Plenty products. I first discovered the brand when I picked up a box of their delicious 'Heavenly Honey' Muesli in my local supermarket. Further investigation into the brand revealed an Australian company with incredible ethics and the loveliest and most approachable business Mum (Kate Weiss) as its driving force.

While I am one of the ones that LOVES dried fruit in my muesli (and just about any other food really), apparently there are people who don't like fruit in their cereal. Can you believe that?!

So, Table of Plenty has listened to its customers and has brought out a muesli with NO FRUIT. It's called 'Nicely Nutty', and I have to admit its actually REALLY yummy (even coming from a girl who loves her fruit). As with all Table of Plenty products, this muesli is totally natural with no preservatives. If you need to rush out and try it now you will find it in your local Coles (and if they don't have it be sure to request they stock it).

Enjoy!!

Disclaimer: I was sent a box of Table of Plenty Nicely Nutty Muesli to try, I was under no obligation to post a review and all opinions expressed are my own honest opinions.

School holidays equals feeding children constantly

2011-11-23T14:58:00.001+10:00

Well the school holidays are almost upon me. Which is exciting on one hand, and daunting on the other. Exciting because we will get to laze around in the mornings, swim to our hearts content, and not have to worry about lunches everyday. Daunting because, for us, it is our first full Summer holiday ever. That means 2 whole months without school or daycare, time where I will still have to work, and OMG having to listen to the boys bicker all the time over the same silly toy.

I also think it may be a struggle keeping 2 active little boys (and me) constantly fed, in a healthy (but easy) way. So I'm planning my shopping list now for the coming weeks.

The following list is things for between meal snacks to keep us going on hot Summer days.

Big glass of cold milk with Milo (big fave of ours - yummy and filling)
Cheese and crackers
Make my own ice-blocks with blended up fruit and yogurt (I have those tupperware ice-block moulds)
I'll admit I'm a bit of a chip lover. And so are the boys (what child isn't? Have you seen how quickly those little packets of chips go at parties!). We are totally in love with the new Cheese Max Vege Twists from The Vege Chip Company. Just like Twisties, but they don't have any artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. Plus they are made from a variety of grains. So now we can eat chippies without feeling guilty ;)
Make a Muesli Slice
Fruit in any size and shape. Most of all, mangoes, watermelon, and stone fruits. Yum yum.
Yogurt

I would LOVE to hear your Summer snack options too! What are some things you like that I haven't thought of??

Great news for Christmas Gift Buying for Children

2011-11-08T10:08:00.000+10:00

Well the count-down in now well and truly on until it's time for Santa to make his visits to children the world over. But not sure what is on the wish-lists of all the kids in your life? Well Mattel's Toylab has come to the rescue with it's Top 12 List of Toys for Christmas 2011!

My top pick out of the catalog is the Fisher Price Poppity Pop Musical Dino, for babies and toddlers aged 6 - 36 months (RRP $73.99). Although I have to say I'm finding it rather hilarious my 5 year old son is quite fascinated to play with it himself. It's my personal top pick because of the combination of both fun and educational factors for little ones.

The Musical Dino is great because it entertains and stimulates baby in lots of different ways. The colourful plastic balls pop up and down in the Dino's back to fun music and silly sound effects. Sometimes the balls pop right out, which then encourages Bub to crawl after them and put them back in the Dino. Thus, eye-hand coordination gets a great work with this activity. This toy is also very sturdy and well-made, so no need to worry about it falling apart 2 minutes after opening the box.

Be sure to head on over to the Mattel Toylab for more great ideas on toys for babies, girls and boys.

Moroccan Lentil Salad Recipe

2011-11-02T09:18:00.000+10:00

I am so excited to post this delicious Moroccan Lentil Salad Recipe. It is provided just for the readers of the Your Cheeky Monkey blog from the Mums United Team from The Heart Foundation. This recipe is devised by celebrity chef Janelle Bloom from Ready Steady Cook - plus be sure to check out the many fantastic healthy recipes on the Mums United site.

Moroccan Lentil Salad

This light dish is packed full of mouthwatering flavours and is perfect for a summer lunch, as an accompaniment to fish or a bbq, or as a yummy vegetarian meal.

Serves 4

420g can brown lentils, rinsed and well drained

1/3 cup currants

1/4 cup pepita seeds, toasted (see tip)

1 long red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley

1 orange, rind finely grated and juiced

1 tsp ground cumin

3 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp brown sugar

Freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil cooking spray

Optional:

700g skinless snapper fillets, trimmed, and cut into smaller pieces if large

Lemon wedges to serve

1. Combine the lentils, currants, pepitas, chilli, onion, mint, parsley and orange rind in a large bowl. Toss well to combine. Combine 1/4 cup of the orange juice, cumin, olive oil, sugar and pepper in a screw-top jar and shake until well combined. Pour the dressing over the salad just before serving and toss to coat fully.

2. Preheat a barbecue flat-plate or large non-stick frying pan on medium-high. Lightly spray with oil. Season the fish with cracked black pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until light golden and just cooked through. Serve with the lentil salad and lemon.

Tip Pepita seeds are the edible seed of the pumpkin that have been dried. You will find them with the nuts in supermarkets. They are nutritious and add crunch to salads. To toast them place them onto a baking tray and roast in 200C fan forced oven for 3-5 minutes. Alternatively, dry fry in a non-stick frying pan frying pan over medium-high heat. Watch closely as they burn easily.

Busby Pure Tissue Oil Review + GIVEAWAY

2011-10-25T11:20:00.002+10:00

Put your hand up if you hate stretch marks, wrinkles and dry skin! Yes, all those lovely things that happen with age and pregnancy.

Well, there is a brand new product available in Australia that I have had the pleasure of using, and it is called Busby Pure Tissue Oil. I am currently 19 weeks pregnant with my third, and I jumped at giving this product a go because in every pregnancy I have had I suffer from extremely dry and itchy skin on my belly (to the point of scratching so much I bleed). Before the Busby Oil arrived, the dry skin had started. After using this product every day for the past few weeks, I am so happy to say that I have no more dry itchy skin. And I'm not just saying that for the sake of the review either. Busby Pure Tissue Oil is also said to be excellent for stretch marks, but I am one of the very lucky ones that has never developed them (and no sign in sight either even though I am *a-hem* in my late 30's and onto my third Bub).

Busby Pure Tissue Oil is a Vitamin E enriched formula, combining a unique blend of naturally derived Avocado, Grape Seed & Rose Hip oils to nourish and revitalise skin. It has NO harmful ingredients such as petrochemicals, mineral oil, parabens, preservatives, artificial colourants or animal products. So it is safe for all skin types including sensitive skin and during pregnancy.

After using this product myself, I can honestly say I will be continuing to use it throughout my pregnancy and beyond.

Would you like to try this product yourself? We have 4 full-sized bottles of Busby Pure Tissue Oil to giveaway to our readers!

To enter, simply leave a comment here on this post. Any comment will do! Tell me something funny, or why you want to give this a whirl. If you are unable or do not wish to leave a comment you can enter by email - find my email address on my 'About' page, or send me a message via my website Contact Form.

You can also leave separate comments for each of the following for extra entries:

1. Follow the Your Cheeky Monkey blog publicly on Google Friend Connect and/or Networked Blogs
2. Tweet this giveaway =
Busby Pure Tissue Oil Giveaway at the @YrCheekyMonkey blog - http://yourcheekymonkey.blogspot.com/2011/10/busby-pure-tissue-oil-review-giveaway.html
3. Like both the Your Cheeky Monkey facebook page and the Busby Tissue Oil facebook page

Giveaway Conditions (please read):
~ Strictly Australian Entries only
~ Be sure to leave your email address in your comment if your profile is protected - if I draw you as a winner but have no way of contacting you I will re-draw the prize.
~ Winners drawn randomly and notified by email. Prize will be re-drawn if winner does not respond within 3 days.
~ Entries for this giveaway close in one weeks time on Tuesday 1st November 2011 at 11.59pm (EST)

Innovative Products from Snazzy Baby

2011-10-13T09:31:00.002+10:00

What Mum doesn't love a baby product that ticks all the right boxes - good value, safe, funky, easy to use, and most of all, designed to make Mum's life easier (because as we all know, being a Mum is damn hard work). The Snazzy Baby innovative baby protection range of products is super practical and has won many awards.

As a Mum of 2 rough and tumble boys (and another Bub on the way), I know the value of practical, safe, and easy to use products. So I'm sure you will love the Snazzy Baby range as much as I do. I was sent the following products to have a close look at, and here is what I thought of them:

Snazzy Baby Mom's Deluxe 3 in 1 PLUS Combo Carrier

The Mom's Deluxe 3 in 1 PLUS Combo Carrier is exactly that. An easy to use carrier that you can actually use in 3 ways - as a hip carrier for Bub, on a chair to keep baby safe and secure, and in a shopping trolley seat. This carrier is suitable for babies between 5 months and 2 years (4.5 - 17kg). It is made from mesh vented panel and breathable cotton mesh so you can even take baby into the water safely. What I love about it is that it is light and compact enough to keep in your nappy bag so it is always on hand when you need it. It's even got a zippered compartment so you can pop your keys, spare nappy, etc in to be truly hands free! Anther great feature is that you can carry baby either facing you or facing out, on either hip, so you can truly find a carrying position that is really comfortable for both you and baby. Oh, and its perfect for Dad to use as well. I simply can't wait to use this with our next Bub!

"The Combo Carrier is one of the very few baby carriers to have passed or exceeded three Safety Standards the ASTM Safety Standard F2236-03( equivalent of the USA JPMA Accreditation), The EU Safety Standard BS EN13209-2-2005 and the Australian INPAA Safety Approval, giving you assurance and peace of mind your precious baby is secure when placed in 3-1 carrier"

Snazzy Baby Knee Pads

Oh how I wish I had a pair of Snazzy Baby Knee Pads when my 2 boys were crawling! I remember cases of red raw knees from carpet burn, and thinking there must be a solution to this. If you have a good look at the images below you will see they are a very clever design, and they are adjustable and easy to use due to the velcro fastenings. Ergonomically designed, can be used indoors or outdoors, machine washable, and with non-slip traction beads embossed onto the neoprene to ensure babies legs don't slip out from under him/her. And to top it all off, these are even able to be used on elbows too as your child gets older and is learning to ride a bike or skateboard. Another fabulous multi-purpose Snazzy Baby product!

I was sent an obligation free pack of Snazzy Baby products to review, there was no payment for this post and in fact no requirement for me to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

10 Things to do in the Second Trimester

2011-10-12T10:44:00.001+10:00

Following on from my post earlier in the year, 10 Things to do in the First Trimester, here is 10 things to do in the second trimester.

The second trimester is the one experts call the most comfortable and enjoyable out of the three trimesters. You are past the danger of a miscarriage, the morning sickness and tiredness of the first trimester should have passed, your bump is getting big enough that people can tell you are pregnant, but you are not yet too big to enjoy life and be comfortable.

So, here are ten tips that you won't necessarily find in your pregnancy books but are things I enjoyed implementing in my pregnancies.

Think about an exercise program to take you through your pregnancy. A pregnancy yoga class is a wonderful way to exercise and prepare for the birth, and you also get to meet other pregnant Mums too. Walking and swimming are perfect exercises for pregnancy as well.
Not all salt is bad!! Head into your local health food shop and buy a packet of organic mineral or crystal salt and have a sprinkle on your food each day (crackers with cheese, tomato, pepper and crystal salt are heaven!). I use this type of salt permanently instead of processed table salt which has absolutely no nutritional value at all. Currently in our household we are using Nirvana Organics Himalayan Crystal Salt which is unrefined and contains 84 minerals and trace elements (including iodine which is vital for pregnancy).
Get shaking! If you haven't already got one, invest in a blender to make shakes. Drinking a shake each day has so many benefits - they contain water, they can contain fibre (pregnancy can be a case of helloooo constipation), they are full of vitamins and minerals and other nutrients which are easily digested, and they fill you up which puts a halt on the appetite for a while. My favorite recipe goes something like this: 1/4 - 1/2 cup ice, 1/2 - 1 cup milk of choice, 1 banana, other fruit if desired, 1 heaped teaspoon linseed meal, 1 teaspoon active manuka honey (from the health food shop), liquid fish oil (optional), metamucil or psyllium powder (optional - if constipated). Whizz up in the blender and enjoy.
Spend a little time each day either lying down with your legs elevated or lying on the floor with your legs extended up the wall. Helps to combat swollen feet and ankles, which is to be honest rather a scary pregnancy symptom isn't it. If your swelling is really bad be sure to talk to your health care provider about it.
If you have older children (old enough to understand), start talking to them about the baby in a positive manner. Say things in passing like "you are going to be such a great older brother to our new baby", but don't fall into the trap of saying things that will put a negative light on the new baby arriving like "the baby won't like you if you are noisy like that".
A natural organic facial spray can be lovely to keep on hand to make you feel fresh and cool.
Eat lots of fruit. This not only provides you and your baby with lots of fibre and vitamins, but fruit is also high in water content which helps meet you daily water requirements.
Why not start making a list of things you need in your hospital and labour bags. Have a look at our Hospital Bag Checklist for some ideas.
Eat fish a couple of times a week or take fish oil tablets. This is SO important for your babies development but remember to stick to species like fresh snapper or salmon, or tinned salmon, tuna or sardines.
Take some long soaky baths (not too hot) with some salts or oils that will help your dry itchy belly skin. Plus its nice to feel weightless and even be able to roll onto your front comfortably.

I hope you have enjoyed this post, and feel free to add your second trimester suggestions in the comment section below.

Mission for Health

2011-09-25T09:58:00.000+10:00

As a child of the '70's, Dettol Antiseptic Liquid played a pretty major part in our lives. Every time we got a scraped knee or other minor injury, out would come the Dettol in a bowl of warm water and cotton wool to wipe the hurt away. I have to admit I still love the original 'Dettol' scent! Now as a Mum myself Dettol still plays a big part in our lives (especially having 2 rough and tumble boys!) with their fantastic range of products.

Dettol is still leading the way in family health with their Mission for Health program, part of which is promoting community awareness of how easily germs are spread. "Our mission is fueled by passion and backed by our expertise in disinfection and hygiene" is a great summary of Dettol's aims with Mission for Health.

One area of the website that I found particularly interesting and helpful was the 'New Mums' section - from information about Community Nurse Q&A sessions, to downloadable eduational booklets, to a section on advice from Real Mums. It's all very user friendly and practical for expecting and new Mums. I am always happy to see information that is easy to access for new Mums, its such a confusing time where you are bombarded with advice from well-meaning people, so its great to be able to do your own research and make your own decisions about things.

Dettol has some amazing new products on the market to help Mums practice healthy hygiene habits in their homes. My top picks are:

Dettol Surface Wipes - These are SO handy to keep in the bathroom to quickly clean up little messes around the toilet... an essential for potty training or if you have boys in the house (someone always seems to be off target when doing a wee hehe)
Dettol Instant Hand Sanitiser - While this isn't something I have used a lot of, its super handy to keep one of these in the car for those occasions where you might need to use a public toilet or something. Just use a little after washing your hands to feel confident all the germs are gone.
Dettol Spray Surface Cleanser - Fantastic to have on hand to clean the bench with after cutting raw meat for a meal!

So its a big thumbs up for me for Dettol's Mission for Health Program. It's a great example of a big company investing in the community and creating a program that is not required of them but instead using their position for education and awareness.

I was sent an obligation free pack of Dettol products to use, there was no payment for this post and in fact no requirement for me to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The perfect snack?

2011-09-14T12:36:00.000+10:00

I am definitely a snack-a-holic. You know, the sort of person that just can't last any length of time between meals without having to nibble on something. Which in all honesty is not so good for the waistline. As you probably also know, I have 2 little boys (now aged 5 and 6) who are pretty much eating machines already! So I am constantly on the look-out for tasty and healthy snacks for all of us.

Table of Plenty have now come to the rescue with their brand new range of Mini Rice Cakes. These are crunchy little wholegrain rice cakes, topped with one of 3 different toppings - Milk Chocolate (creamy Belgian milk Chocolate made with pure cocoa butter), Dark Chocolate (creamy Belgian dark Chocolate made with pure cocoa butter), and Triple Berry (berry yogurt). To be really honest, I thought I would like the chocolate ones best being a chocoholic... but surprisingly the stand-out for me and the kids was the Triple Berry. The berry yogurt is just delicious, so yummy without being sickly sweet.

Each rice cake has only 15 calories, plus they are gluten free with no preservatives or added colours or flavors, no palm or vegetable oil, and they are surprisingly good value at $3.99 a pack.

These are the perfect little snack for:

School lunch boxes
After school/kindy snack
To keep at work for a healthy nibble
Pregnant? Perfect!
As a little treat when on a health kick or when trying to lose weight
Travelling
And the list goes on.

So what are you waiting for? Get into your nearest Coles and try a pack yourself!

Disclaimer: I was sent the range of Table of Plenty Mini Rice Cakes free of charge to try out with my family, however no payment was received for this review and it is my honest and true opinion.

Fun Kids Activity: Rainbow Crayons

2011-09-09T12:26:00.000+10:00

Here's a really fun activity to do with your kids on a rainy day... recycled rainbow crayons. It's a fabulous way to use up all those silly little bits of crayon left that no-one wants to use anymore. It's very simple and is pretty much an immediate result, which is always good for impatient toddlers and pre-schoolers. So here is how you do it:

1. Get together all the little ends & broken bits of crayons you can find. Make sure any paper is peeled off them. Preheat oven to 120 deg C.

2. Put desired amount of muffin cases in a muffin tin, we used 6 for about 1/2 cup crayon pieces. I find its a good idea to use 2 muffin cases in each muffin tin hole as some of the oils from the crayons does soak through when melting.

3. Put a few pieces of crayon in each muffin case. Mix up the colours, you will be surprised at the end results! You can make them quite thin for older children, or thick and chunky for younger ones.

4. Put tray in oven. It will take 10 - 15 minutes for the crayons to melt. Keep in mind it doesn't take that much heat or time for the crayons to melt fully. I'm not sure about you, but I vividly remember leaving a crayon in the back of my Mum's car when I was young and getting in a LOT of trouble when it melted everywhere on a hot day!

5. Take tray out of oven and leave in a safe spot to cool and harden, about 30 - 60 minutes. Peel paper off when completely hard.

6. Finally, enjoy some rainbow colouring!

Winners

2011-08-05T18:39:00.000+10:00

A big congratulations to the winners of our recent giveaways, they are as follows:

Burp Cloths
Rinny

The Little Engine That Could DVD's
Jenn (Bandusta)
Amy
Nicole Grant

And a big thank you to everyone who entered :-)

DVD Review: Downton Abbey

2011-08-04T10:22:00.000+10:00

Downton Abbey is an English Drama television series. It is set in 1912 (just before the wars and social revolution) and follows the stories of both the aristocratic family and the staff of the beautiful manor house Downton Abbey. The series begins with the news of the sinking of the Titanic, and the major way that affects the family and manor, setting the scene for the whole series.

Over the past week I have been unfortunate to have been struck down with the flu. But what a great opportunity to settle in and watch some episodes of Downton Abbey! I wasn't sure what I would think of this series, as while I love English comedy's and murder mysteries, I am not so much of a drama or soap opera girl. But as the cover of the DVD says, I found it 'absolutely enthralling'. Each episode goes for about an hour, and while the overall plot is continuous from episode to episode, each one has its own mini plot that you get quite engrossed in.

There are quite a few things I enjoyed about watching this series. First and foremost, the amazing period detail and beautiful real-life English manor the series is set in. It is totally believable and most fascinating watching how people lived only 100 years ago. I also like that the series is about the staff of Downton Abbey just as much as the aristocrats, and shows how intertwined their lives really are. There is lots of well known faces in the cast, including Maggie Smith who is rather an English acting legend and brings any character she plays to life.

Final recommendation: Mums, this one is for you to put your feet up, take an hour out of your day and watch an episode. Take your mind off things by getting engrossed in the lives and dramas of 1912 England!

Downton Abbey Season 1 retails for $39.95 and is released today the 4th August 2011. Rated M.

I received a copy of Downton Abbey Season One from Universal Pictures to review. I have not been paid for this review and all opinions expressed are my own.

July Teach/Learn

2011-08-01T06:34:00.000+10:00

The theme for this month's Teach/Learn was collaboration. The host, Science@home says "As well as writing myself, I've been looking for other articles about collaboration, including a beautiful video".

Catherine at Adventures With Kids worked together with her family to create a wheelbarrow garden.
Deb at Science@home gave some tips on how you can get your kids collaborating - who likes sibling fights?!
The fabulous Teacher Tom has written a lot about kids working together, this is just one recent one, but search for 'together' on his blog and there are lots of great ideas.
Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now wrote about being a relaxed homeschooler, a subject that fascinates me and is the essence of having the whole family work together!
Monique from Your Cheeky Monkey wrote a post about the reasons she loves to network. While it's aimed at mothers running businesses, I think it applies to pretty much all of us.
For the teachers, Edutopia has a good article on collaborative work.
Because this is Science@home, I have to include some of the science on collaboration - toddlers will share rewards if they've worked together, but chimps don't.
And seeing we are blogging and therefore part of the new information age, a TED talk on collaboration by Howard Rheingold.

And finally, a beautiful video of collaboration - a classical cellist (Yo Yo Ma) and the most modern of dancers (Lil Buck).

Store News + A GIVEAWAY

2011-07-28T13:55:00.003+10:00

Well its been a while since I have posted any store news here on the blog, but there are a couple of products I just had to write about, plus I thought it was time for a giveaway of one of my products.

First up, a product that I am just so excited about - BPA Free Teether Keys. We all know and love the teether keys for our babies, but we have managed to source these ones that are BPA free plastic made from corn (NOT a petroleum based plastic). So they are totally and completely safe for your little one. Woohoo!

Did you know we also have a gorgeous range of bamboo and organic cotton Rattles, Teethers and Cuddlies? Not surprising we adore cute monkey products and the Bamboo Zoo Cuddlie Monkey is no exception! Luxuriously soft, babies just fall in love with these.

I won't bore you all so final mention is our Burp Cloths - 4 new bolts of fabric have arrived in and they are all lovely. From top to bottom in image below is:

Mint Teddy Bears
Jungle
Aqua Butterflies
Cute Froggies

Image by Murray Photography

To celebrate our cute new Burp Cloth fabrics, we are going to give away a set valued at $18.95 to one of our readers!

To enter, simply leave a comment here on this post and tell me which of the 4 fabrics above you like best, and why you would like to win this prize (maybe you are expecting a baby, or have just given birth). If you are unable or do not wish to leave a comment you can find my email on my 'About' page, or send me a message via my website Contact Form.

You can also leave separate comments for each of the following for further entries:

1. Follow the Your Cheeky Monkey blog publicly on Google Friend Connect and/or Networked Blogs
2. Tweet this giveaway =
Burp Cloth Giveaway for new Mums at the @YrCheekyMonkey blog - http://yourcheekymonkey.blogspot.com/2011/07/store-news-giveaway.html
3. Head on over and like the Your Cheeky Monkey facebook page

Giveaway Conditions (please read):
~ Strictly Australian Entries only
~ Be sure to leave your email address in your comment if your profile is protected - if I draw you as a winner but have no way of contacting you I will re-draw the prize.
~ Winner drawn randomly and notified by email. Prize will be re-drawn if winner does not respond within 3 days.
~ Entries for this giveaway close in one weeks time on Thursday 4th August 2011 at 11.59pm (EST)
~ Winner chooses one of the above new fabrics (choice of 4) for their prize, coordinating plain fabric for the set will be at our discretion. Set is as per our store listing for Burp Cloths.

My Top Bathtime Tips for a Newborn Baby

2011-07-17T16:02:00.002+10:00

Bathing a newborn baby is both one of the loveliest and most special activities, and one of the most terrifying as well. I remember well how truly freaked out I was when bath time came around for my first child. If you have never bathed a newborn before, you would never believe what slippery little things they are!! Even though I was terrible at bathing a tiny baby at first, with time and practice comes confidence. But there are some tricks of the trade you can do that make bathtime with your Bub much more relaxed and enjoyable.

1. Prepare everything before you even start running the water - get out your towel, face cloth (you will need 2 or 3), whichever product you may be using in the water (I recommend using something 100% natural & gentle like a Goat's Milk Powder). To be really honest, for new babies you will not need shampoo or soap (new babies just don't get that dirty... unlike toddlers!). A bath every other day is fine too for new Bubs. Some people don't bother buying a baby bath, but I personally found the cheap plastic ones the best to bath a newborn baby. Another good point too is to bathe your baby after a feed, that way they are feeling full and content and not likely to get hungry halfway through the bath.

2. When you have everything to hand, then run the water. I used a special bath thermometer for my first son which told me the ideal temperature for a baby, as I was not too confident of judging this myself. You only need a tiny amount of whichever bath product you are using, and make sure the baby bath is in a stable comfortable spot. I was lucky enough to have a big bathroom bench, but if you don't why not consider using the kitchen bench.

3. Now you can undress your baby ready for the bath. Slowly immerse your baby into the bath, keeping both hands securely under his head and body. One of the best tricks I ever learnt was to place a washer over your baby's chest (see photo)... I found doing this instantly calmed them if they got upset by being placed in the water. If you have a boy like I did, this also stops them weeing up at you suddenly (don't laugh, this is a very common occurrence with baby boys). Also be sure to keep your baby's head above the water (that might sound funny but it's sort of a busy time and you feel like you are trying to do 5 things at once all while holding onto a slippery little body!).

4. Using a clean washer, wet it and squeeze it out and gently wipe your babies face and eyes. Then use the washer to wash under babies armpits, and around bottom. Put this washer aside and use another clean washer to very carefully clean around the umbilical cord. If your baby is happy hold them floating in the water for a while (some experts say newborns love this as it reminds them of being in the womb).

5. Ok next comes a tricky bit - getting baby out of the water and wrapped up in the towel. This was always the bit I found the hardest. There are a couple of options here. You can either have a nice thick towel laid out ready to use right next to the baby bath (just lift Bub out straight onto the towel and wrap up), or these days there is a fantastic invention called a Cuddledry Towel. These beautifully soft organic towels are actually an apron style which means you fasten it around your neck before putting your baby in the bath, then you simply lift your baby straight up out of the bath onto your chest... so easy (especially if you are bathing Bub on your own without your partner there to help).

6. Now on a soft surface, carefully pat your baby dry all over being careful of the umbilical cord, massage if desired, and dress. Now your baby is probably all ready to be swaddled and put down to sleep!

Some other posts you might be interested in:
What Products do you really need for your Newborn Baby?
10 Things to do in the First Trimester

The Little Engine That Could Review & GIVEAWAY

2011-06-29T06:20:00.002+10:00

I was so pleased to have the opportunity to receive a copy of the gorgeous animated version of the beautiful story The Little Engine That Could. We all grew up with The Little Engine That Could book, so its just brilliant it has been adapted so beautifully to animated movie format.

"The Little Engine That Could comes to life in an all-new feature length movie filled with fun and adventure! Hailed as; “A fun family film” Los Angeles Family Magazine. When Little Engine must leave Dreamland to deliver toys into the real world, she sets her fears aside and learns that with a little determination and courage, anything is possible. "

To be honest, I wasn't sure if my sons (4 and 5) would be very interested in The Little Engine That Could - I thought it would perhaps be more suited to the toddler age group. But the boys were surprising captivated, perhaps by the amazing colours and lovely animation (when you see this movie for yourself, you will realise what I mean about the colours and animation, it is just beautifully made). I for one loved the storyline, it is a feel good movie with a moral and lessons to be learnt. My five year old loved the scary bits and the nightmare train, but be warned - younger children might be frightened in these bits. Overall, its just a lovely innocent family movie that is a joy to watch. I for one get a bit sick of all the violent movies and cartoons, so this is a refreshing change.

The Little Engine That Could is from Universal Studios and runs for 1hr 22mins It is released on DVD today the 29th June 2011!

And we have three copies of The Little Engine That Could to give away to readers of this blog.

To enter, simply leave a comment here on this post and tell me why you and your children are looking forward to watching this movie. If you are unable or do not wish to leave a comment you can send me a message via my Contact Form.

You can also leave separate comments for each of the following for further entries:

1. Follow this blog publicly on Google Friend Connect
2. Tweet this giveaway =
The Little Engine That Could Giveaway at the @YrCheekyMonkey blog - http://yourcheekymonkey.blogspot.com/2011/06/little-engine-that-could-review.html

You could also head on over and like the Your Cheeky Monkey facebook page if you really wanted to.. you know, to stay up to date with any other giveaways ;-)

Giveaway Conditions (please read):
~ Australian Entries only
~ Be sure to leave your email address in your comment if your profile is protected - if I draw you as a winner but have no way of contacting you I will re-draw the prize.
~ Winners drawn randomly and notified by email. Prize will be re-drawn if winner does not respond within 3 days.
~ Giveaway closes in one weeks time on Wednesday 6th July 2011 at 6pm (EST)
~ Prizes sent directly to winners from Universal Pictures

Encouraging persistence in our children

2011-06-25T19:14:00.001+10:00

This months theme for the Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival is Persistence. Persistence is defined as tenacity, or continued effort or existence. To me, persistence simply means not giving up.

Persistence relates to how long a child will stick to a task, so a child with little persistence will give up very easily while a child that has learnt to persist at something will stick at it until successful (or at least give it their best effort).

To be honest this theme has got me thinking, because I never really associated this with children's learning or play. Persistence, however, is an essential life quality that children would benefit from greatly if it was identified and encouraged. And it goes without saying that different children have different temperaments and attention spans, which directly affect their level of persistence at a task or activity.

So, thinking practically and using my own real life subjects (my sons) here are some of my thoughts and real life examples:

1. This short video shows perfectly a toddler exhibiting very low levels of patience and persistence (that is my youngest son who has a remarkably short attention span, is perhaps slightly hyperactive, and has a temper to go with it... don't you love the bit where he even bites the block!). It has honestly been a long hard road encouraging him to be persistent at just about any task (perhaps you can tell from the video?), but that is his personality and you have to work with what you have.

2. Persistence is easier to encourage when your child is working on something they love. Actually, thinking about it, its very easy to get them to persist when doing something they love, the challenge begins when you want them to persist with a task they don't want to do.

3. Swimming lessons are a great example of continued persistence at a task. It takes many lessons and a lot of effort to become even a little proficient. The same goes for musical lessons and other sports.

4. When strongly encouraging your child to be persistent at a task, you usually end up with a face like this. But don't let it daunt you, your child is learning persistence and building resilience.

To encourage persistence, we as parents and teachers need to be the leaders and cheering team for our children. Using positive phrases such as "I just know you can finish that", "I am so proud of you finishing that even though it was hard", "Congratulations on working so hard at that project", and "Just take one step at a time and you will get there in the end" will positively nudge children in the right direction. Encouragement, a rewards system, making something seem fun, a positive supportive environment, and awareness of the end goal, are all tools you can use to promote persistence.

Have you thought about persistence (or lack of) in your children's play and learning? Do you agree it is one of the most important life skills?

This month our theme for Teach/Learn was Persistence, something that is needed to string all the pieces together and achieve something big.

'Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race' Calvin Coolidge, US President.

Catherine from Adventures with Kids has been making all sorts of creations with recycled materials lately. It has been a wonderful opportunity for talking to her son about persistence.
Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares ideas from Montessori education that you can use at home to help your child develop persistence.
Monique from Your Cheeky Monkey explores what persistence means and its place in our play and learning.
Deb at Science@home observed her kids and saw they kept coming back to things over and over.

What you can expect from your iPad when you’re expecting

2011-06-24T06:58:00.000+10:00

What you can expect from your iPad when you’re expecting

The joys of pregnancy and being a new mum are well documented – just ask anyone who’s been pregnant or is a new mum! But that doesn’t mean that we’re not desperate for help. Pregnancy and motherhood can be tiring – exhausting even – which is why we welcome anything that lightens our load or makes this full time job a little easier.

Did you know that the iPad can be used for just that? When they say there’s an app for just about anything, they’re not joking. And there are a slew of apps just for pregnant and new mums. Yes, pregnancy and motherhood just got digital!

Here are a few of our favourite picks -

- BabyBump Pregnancy Pro

Just enter your due date into this handy app and you’ll be provided with a wealth of information - graphic depictions of your baby throughout different stages of development, journals for tracking weights, mood, medical visits, filing systems for any pics or interesting pregnancy articles, and BabyBump forums where you can interact with other mums-to-be and ask all the questions (don’t hold back!) you need answers to before the big day.

- Pregnancy Food No-No’s

Not sure whether that sushi or pate is safe for eating? Just download this app and you’ll find all about what you can and can’t eat while pregnant.

- Stork.cc

Once you’ve delivered your little bundle of joy, you’ll want to tell everyone about it. This app allows you to send a picture and all the important information to your friends and family (name, weight, gender, etc). It’s an easy and simple way to get the exciting news across to a lot of people at once.

- Total Baby

Not getting enough sleep? Forgetting when you last fed or changed your baby? This app is for you! Total Baby is a baby logging and tracking tool to help you stay abreast of everything from your child’s doctor’s visits, vaccination needs, feeding timetables, age and growth statistics. It also comes with a whole lot of other handy tools including automatic measurement conversions. You’ll be the most organised mum around with this app.

- Baby Monitor

This app helps you monitor your sleeping baby from another room or when you’re moving around the house. Simply leave your iPad in the room with the baby, and if it detects any noise a call is placed to a number of your choice. Just answer the phone and you can listen in to your little tot.

- Baby Lullabies

Help your bub fall asleep peacefully with this iPad app that plays soothing lullabies to your baby at bed time. There’s a wide range of tunes and instruments to choose from and you can set the timer so that it runs for a specified length of time.

This is just a short list of the hundreds of apps there are for expecting and new mums out there – all designed to help you through what is an exciting, but often overwhelming time in life. Don’t have an iPad to enjoy these from? To avoid the cost of buying one outright, it is possible to rent an iPad from a number of technology rental companies that offer other services such as computer rental. This avoids the initial upfront cost but you still get to enjoy all the benefits of these apps - and you’ll be a tech savvy mum!

What was your favourite app when you were pregnant or a new mum?

This post was provided in collaboration with RentSmart.

Having a bloggy break

2011-06-09T10:50:00.000+10:00

I'm having a little bloggy break! I'm sure you all completely understand a girl needs to have a little breather and re-charge her batteries a bit... but I'll be back soon! xx

Outside Play Ideas for Winter

2011-05-29T10:34:00.001+10:00

Winter brings different outside play opportunities to Summer. Today I thought I would brainstorm lots of outside play ideas for toddlers and pre-schoolers for winter (and the older ones too!). As we live in a nice warm part of Australia, most of our outdoor play has involved water (swimming in the pool or water play of some sort) or climbing in trees (the joys of boys), but really there is SO much more you can do outside, even when it is cold or wet. So, some of these play suggestions are favorites of ours, and some are things I want to get out and do with my boys.

Number one is definitely ball play. Fun as well as teaching gross motor skills. Toddlers you can sit and roll the ball to each other, and older kids progress to throwing games.
Do you live in an area with deciduous trees? Autumn and winter are wonderful times for playing with the fallen leaves, collecting leaves for collages, or even comparing the different types of leaves.
Get in the car and go playground hopping. This is great fun for kids as its somewhere fresh to play (and free too).
Buy those big sticks of chalk and let your kids go mad drawing and writing everywhere outside. Another fantastic gross motor activity, and one that can build up strength and dexterity in hands.
Bubbles!! What child doesn't love bubbles. Either blow the bubbles for the smaller children and let them catch them, or let the older kids have their own bubble blowers.
If you have the time or energy create an outside obstacle course. Place things to climb over, climb under, balance along, and the list goes on depending on your space and resources.
One of my favorites from my childhood is to lie on the grass and look at the clouds. This is just such a lovely activity and really stimulates the imagination seeing what shapes you can see in the clouds.
If you are able, provide a sand pit. Whether one built on the ground or one of those clam shell type things, kids adore sand play!
Do I really need to mention bikes and trikes? These are such favorite past-times of Aussie kids and great fun whether it is Summer or Winter.
When the boys were little I also had an 'outdoor play' basket. In it were old books, shoe lacing activities, chalk, skipping ropes, and any other bits and pieces I thought would be fun outside. Most times we headed outside in the morning for our outside play I would also take the basket and let them sit and read and play as they wished in the sun.
Spider or butterfly hunting through the garden.
And last but not least, if you are brave enough, let your kids get out in the rain and mud and play to their hearts content.

I have to congratulation the Teach/Learn participants this month, due to all the insane things happening around here there weren't little reminders sent out. It's nice to know people remembered on their own! But they have come up with some great ideas for getting outside while you teach and learn.

Catherine from Adventures With Kids created some garden mobiles to decorate the trees around their sandpit.
Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares some of her favorite ways her family discovered to fully experience nature wherever they lived.
Jenny Kable from Let the Children Play had her students creating their own obstacle course, because if you give children loads of interupted time to play in an outdoor environment filled with enticing loose parts, their imagination and creativity really takes off.
Mamapoekie from Authentic Parenting wrote about making the outdoors and extension of your home, to encourage outdoor time by making your garden homely and attractive.
Monique at Your Cheeky Monkey is exploring outside play ideas for winter with her boys.
Deb from Science@home had a whole list of ideas for playing outside with cute pictures.

Have you been getting outside? Add some ideas in the comments or check out these great posts.

Not putting a name on it

2011-05-24T09:00:00.001+10:00

I think I must be a bit of an abnormal parent. Everyone seems to label the type of parenting they follow or believe in, natural parenting, attachment parenting, strict parenting, slow parenting... the list really does go on. I've been thinking about this lately for some reason, I never read any parenting type books after my boys were born (don't get me wrong, I love reading and read squillions of books, including lots of birth and pregnancy books) but I just felt I wanted to feel my own way along without someone telling me what to do, or rather, someone telling me everything I was doing wrong.

In hindsight, I found for me personally that parenting style has more to do with the child's personality than the type of parent I was trying to be. While both my boys were treated in the same way - fed on demand, carried lots in a carrier rather than using a pram, etc, my oldest son was quite normal in regards to the amount he cried, his sleep patterns and so on. My younger son however couldn't have been more different, he was extremely difficult from birth, cried incessantly no matter what you did. He just seemed to be stroppy whether you held him or cuddled him or put him down, and he never wanted to go to sleep. I have to admit, there were times when I just had to put him down and let him cry. Does that make me a bad parent? NO. Looking at his personality now though it all makes sense, he is just an active, demanding and difficult person (but totally loveable and cheeky too).

But babies do cry. That's how they communicate. And quite often, they have a bit of a cry and whinge as they are settling down to sleep. That's just what they do. And I feel parents are made to feel guilty when their babies cry. I quite often see a baby having a grizzle because they are tired and just want to go to sleep, but the parents panic and try and feed Bub, or pick him up, etc. Then baby just gets over-tired and harder to settle themselves. While I am a great believer in always being there for your baby, there does come times when your baby needs your HELP to learn certain things - they need to learn night from day, they need to learn how to settle themselves to sleep (this is a huge one for me, and one of the most important things not only for them but for you too), they need to learn that the people around them can be trusted. You can do all this in ways that are kind, and those ways might be different for each child in your family.

So I think what I really wanted to say is don't feel guilty if you are not following the trend with a type of parenting, put down those books, ignore other people's judgements and do what feels right for you and your baby (and their personality). No-one knows your baby better than you do and believe me when I say - You are a Wonderful Mum and you are doing a Fantastic Job!!!

5 Reasons Why I Love to Network

2011-05-18T09:34:00.000+10:00

Are you in business for yourself? Do you ever take time to network with other business owners?

Since going into business for myself 3 years ago, one of the unexpected joys has certainly been the networking I have been able to participate in. Females (in particular) are essentially social creatures, and working from home in a one person business can have some downsides. So, in my book, real life networking has many multi-faceted benefits, of which I thought I would have a ramble about today.

Running your own business, especially a home based one, can get quite isolating and lonely, especially if you have young children too and don't get the opportunity to socialise much. Networking creates opportunities to meet other like-minded business people, quite often on a similar path to you in regards to family circumstances and understanding the stresses of running your own business (with sometimes no other income).
You get to meet the 'faces behind the businesses', and they get to meet you. How much more likely are you to support a business that you know and trust? Lots more! So be confident when you are out actively networking, meeting people, and making a good impression, you are also giving your business a good name, and creating consumer confidence for future business.
Friendships always develop from networking events! This is just the most amazing consequence of networking, I have met some absolutely amazing women that have surprised me with their friendship and support, and while you might not get to see each other face to face very often, you know they are only a phone call or email away.
You realise you are not the only one struggling with different issues with your business and family. When you have no-one to talk to about things, it can feel like you are the only one having problems. This is definitely not the case, and it is very strengthening to know others are going through similar things. On the other hand, its also nice to have someone to share your achievements with as well!
You create the opportunity to brainstorm and think outside the box a little. You can ask advice from others that have been in business longer than you, and it is also a great opportunity to set in motion some reciprocal advertising or joint ventures with businesses with similar target markets. Most small business count every dollar when it comes to advertising and marketing, and when you can set up some co-promotion that doesn't cost anything, it benefits everyone involved.

Well, there is a little of my personal thoughts and experiences about networking... is there anything you would add?

A Mothers Day Meal to Remember

2011-05-11T11:34:00.001+10:00

On the weekend, I had a delicious meal cooked for me by my husband and 2 gorgeous sons (under my direction of course, I'm not sure if I'd let them in the kitchen unsupervised hehe). We had some absolutely gorgeous chicken from Lenard's, along with roast vegies and greens. I thought I'd share our meal with you, and just how easy it is to not only cook a meal with practically no dishes to clean, but what a great idea it is to get your kids helping in the kitchen (no matter how young they are!).

All the ingredients, ready for the kids to help prepare. Oops I think I just dobbed myself in, I left my glass of wine on the bench!

My 4 year old helper - he loooves peeling vegies and helps out every chance he gets (note to self - need to start cooking dinner 1/2 hour earlier than normal when kids peel as it takes absolutely ages! Frustrating, but the only way they learn... I wouldn't mind my own little masterchefs in a few years time hehe).

With this meal we had to cook it in stages, however note the one oven tray (hot tip - put a layer of foil then a layer of baking paper on the tray and then you don't even need to wash it when the meal is cooked!!). The vegies were put in for 15 minutes, then the Risotto Stuffed Quarters were placed on the tray and cooked for another 15 minutes, then the Parcels were put on last and the whole lot cooked for a further half hour. Broccoli was cooked separately in the microwave. With other Lenard's products such as the Chicken Cordon Bleu (one of our faves) you can put the vegies and chicken in all at the same time, just make sure the vegies are not left too large.

YAY our finished meals. This type of meal (of which I cook about every second night) is extremely easy to dish up for any age person in the family. For my boys, I chop in bite size pieces, and for younger babies you can just mash with a fork.

Proudly serving up dinner for Mum.

I have to admit, our meals pretty much never look like these gorgeous photos, but really, who cares, because they taste fantastic and that's pretty much all my household full of males cares about!

And finally, a big thank you to Lenard's for supplying their new products for us to try out on Mothers Day. We are already very regular shoppers at Lenard's and can't speak highly enough of their range and freshness of products.

Happy Mothers Day and a Winner

2011-05-08T09:44:00.000+10:00

Happy Mothers Day to each and everyone of you, I hope you have a very special day with your Mums, Grandmothers and Daughters today!

The winner of the Romantic Flair Original Personalised Mug has now been drawn. A big congratulations to Joli, I'm sure you will just love the Mug Marthese makes for you.

Today..

2011-05-05T10:40:00.000+10:00

Today I am having one of those 'Mummy' Days, a day of cleaning up from a vomiting child in the night (why is that horrid smell so hard to get rid of?), and trying to get what work I can done. I have to be honest, I think I'd rather them catch just about any bug except the vomiting gastro.

Anyway, on a much nicer note the winners of the $50 Lenard's voucher were bento mum and A Dose of Dannie, congratulations!

Don't forget the Personalised Mug Giveaway is still running, click {HERE} to pop over and get your entries in there if you haven't already done so.

And hope you are having a better day than mine ;-)

Lenards Chicken GIVEAWAY - Be Quick!

2011-05-04T10:12:00.002+10:00

Wooohooo who wants a $50 voucher to spend at Lenard’s (Australia’s largest chicken retailer) so you can hang up your chef’s hat and let the kids do the cooking this Mother’s Day? Well, Lenard's is kindly giving 2 Mummy readers of the Your Cheeky Monkey Blog a $50 voucher in time for Mothers Day!

To enter, simply leave a comment here on this post and tell me if you have shopped at Lenard's before, and why/why not. If you are unable or do not wish to leave a comment just have a look at my About page for email details. Giveaway will be drawn in 24 hours time! If you are a winner, please ensure you are available to respond straight away with your postal address so your voucher can be express posted to you to reach you on Friday.

Giveaway Conditions (please read):
~ Australian Entries only
~ Be sure to leave your email address in your comment if your profile is protected - if I draw you as a winner but have no way of contacting you I will re-draw the prize.
~ Winners drawn randomly and notified here on this blog and by email.
~ Giveaway closes in 24 hours time on Thursday 5th May 2011 at 10am (EST).

ps. Keep your eyes peeled for my post next week of my boys cooking up a storm with our Lenard's Mothers Day Feast!!

Winner of Stubbies Voucher

2011-05-02T16:31:00.002+10:00

Congratulations to Emma, who was drawn as the winner of the Stubbies voucher. I'm sure it will come in handy for those school uniforms :-)

10 Things to do in the First Trimester

2011-05-01T07:10:00.002+10:00

It's so exciting seeing all the pregnancy announcements from friends and through social media at the moment. But it has got me thinking that usually by the time most people announce their news, a whole third of the pregnancy has passed!

The first trimester of pregnancy can be a bit of a funny time for Mums. While knowing you are pregnant, most don't like to share the news with others until after the first trimester ends (and the risk of miscarriage sharply decreases). Even though you know you are pregnant and might be suffering pregnancy issues like morning (or should I say all day) sickness, sore boobs, etc, no-one can tell yet that you are growing a little baby inside you. Having said that, why not take time out to enjoy this special time, and cherish your secret for a while before you tell the world.

Once you find out you are pregnant, there is lots you can do to start enjoying your baby and preparing for the months ahead.

1. Find a nice organic herbal tea especially for the first trimester or morning sickness, and drink instead of your regular tea or coffee.
2. Start a diary of your pregnancy journey. This could include starting to make lists of baby things you will need. There are basically 3 types of things you can list - Essentials/Safety items, the maybe items, and luxury items (check out one of my other articles What products do you really need for your newborn baby?)
3. Start using a massage oil each day on your tummy to help combat any stretch marks and dryness that may start appearing. There are some really lovely organic ones around these days especially for pregnancy (be sure to use one that is definitely safe for pregnancy).
4. Start using a prenatal multi-vitamin and mineral supplement if you are not already.
5. Buy or borrow from the library some cookbooks and nutrition guides especially for pregnancy.
6. Start looking for maternity clothes on sale, and pick up a bargain here and there.
7. Read a good book or take a nap if you feel like it.
8. Sign up for some pregnancy week-by-week email newsletters.
9. Buy a couple of comfy new bra's with no underwires to support those poor aching and rather larger boobs!
10. And finally, just enjoy everyday and don't wish the time away. Pregnancy is such an amazing precious time that really does go by so very quickly.

And if you are reading this because you are indeed pregnant, I wish you all the very best for your own pregnancy journey and the exciting months ahead!

Click here to shop online at Your Cheeky Monkey for all your newborn baby needs!

Stubbies Giveaway!

2011-04-21T13:18:00.004+10:00

Have you heard the news? The great Australian company Stubbies is giving away more than 300 $30 vouchers over at their facebook page!! Stubbies wants to outfit your kids in their winter school uniforms and so they are giving away more than $5,000 worth of Stubbies Schoolwear to Aussie Mums.

To enter all you have to do is pop over to the Stubbies Facebook page then:

Like Our Page
Fill Out the Entry Form
Tell us your favourite subject from school and why.
Share with your friends who love Stubbies Schoolwear!
Contest Ends April 29, 2011 @ 06:00 pm (EST)

We also have a $30 Stubbies Voucher to give away right here on this blog!

To enter, simply leave a comment here on this post and tell me what grade your child/ren are in at school. If you are unable or do not wish to leave a comment you can send me a message via my Contact Form.

You can also leave separate comments for each of the following for further entries:

1. Follow this blog publicly
2. Tweet this giveaway =
Stubbies Giveaway at the @YrCheekyMonkey blog - http://yourcheekymonkey.blogspot.com/2011/04/stubbies-giveaway.html

Conditions (please read):
~ Australian Entries only
~ Be sure to leave your email address in your comment if your profile is protected - if I draw you as a winner but have no way of contacting you I will re-draw the prize.
~ Winner drawn randomly and notified by email. Prize will be re-drawn if winner does not respond within 3 days.
~ Giveaway closes on Friday 29th April 2011 at 6pm (EST).

Easter Teach/Learn

2011-04-18T07:27:00.000+10:00

Lots of lovely links to Easter ideas today. It seems like most people are on holidays, so here are lots of things to read and do with kids.

Deb from Science@home looked at the calendar and the Timing of Easter.
Marita from Stuff With Thing has been creating Easter Bonnets from items sourced at the Op Shop. She's trying to teach her girls that recycled items are best and create Easter Bonnets that can be used in years to come.
Monique at Your Cheeky Monkey found out why Hot Cross Buns are special, and some easy instructions to make your own Easter Gift Tags.
Nurturing Forests is wondering about the debate about the celebration of Easter in Long Day Care.
Narelle at A Bunch of Keys shares a kid-friendly craft activity - how to make an Easter chicken using the kid's hand prints.
She also has the most gorgeous Batik eggs, given my kids' love of candles we'll be doing these ones.
Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now has links to lots of Montessori-inspired Easter activities for home or school.
To make a change from all the lovely decorated eggs, the Science@home girls dissolved egg shells and made Bouncy Eggs.
Jeannezoo at Zella Said Purple has Easter with a twist - an art/science project with 4s/5s to "study baskets and anything that carries anything else". We research items, make lists of features, then design our own "carrier" using paper, tape, cardboard, rope, paint...voila! An Egg Collector Basket for Easter :)
Catherine from Adventures with Kids has hints for a great Easter egg hunt, whether it's for a party or your traditional family celebration.
Another kid-friendly one from A Bunch of Keys, wheat is a sign of new life at Easter. This kids planted wheat in some old egg shells to make 'egg heads.'
And a final Easter Basket idea at Science@home, making them from handmade paper and embedding seeds to be planted after the festivities are over.

Now you have more than enough to do leading up to Easter, have a great holiday!

Romantic Flair Personalized Mug Review + GIVEAWAY

2011-04-14T10:48:00.001+10:00

Ever since my sons were born, I have had a tradition of buying a unique Christmas Tree Bauble for them each year, and after discovering Romantic Flair Original a couple of years ago, I have ordered them from Marthese - completely personalised with the picture and wording I choose! Believe me when I say they are just gorgeous.

Marthese is now extending her wonderful talents to.... Personalized Mugs. And the mugs are made of Fine Bone China with the images fired in a kiln (not screen printed like you find in most places that offer them)... which means that they are dishwasher safe.. and they do not fade with light or heat. You simply provide Marthese with a special image, and a quote or message to put on the mug. So the mug is completely personalised just for you or that special gift. When you receive the mug in the mail, it is beautifully packaged in a gift box.

The mug I received from Marthese was just perfect. I choose a very special family photo and included my own message. Even though the photo I sent through was not ideal to use on the mug, Marthese played around with it until it worked (thanks Marthese!), and placed my message in nice script where it fit within the photo. I am just so happy with the mug, it really is the most amazing gift. If you think you might like to order one of these for your Mum for Mothers Day I recommend you order straight away to receive it in time (remember these are handmade by Marthese, and fired in a kiln, which does take a little bit of time). You can find them in her store HERE.

I am so happy Marthese is very generously going to make one of you a personalized mug valued at $23!! Please read entry conditions below carefully, as incorrect/incomplete entries will be invalid.

To enter this giveaway (required):
You need to do 2 things to be eligible to enter this giveaway. First, leave a comment here on this post saying why you would like to win a personalized mug from Romantic Flair Original. Then you need to head over to this post and leave a comment for Marthese about the Mugs.

If you would like a second entry you can:
'LIKE' both the Romantic Flair Original and Your Cheeky Monkey Facebook pages.

Good luck!!

Conditions (please read):
~ Australian Entries only
~ Be sure to leave your email address in your comment if your profile is protected - if I draw you as a winner but have no way of contacting you I will re-draw the prize. Winner has 3 days to respond, if no response received within the time frame, another winner will be re-drawn.
~ Winner drawn randomly and contacted by email
~ Giveaway closes on Saturday 7th May 2011 at 9pm Qld time/10pm NSW time. The Giveaway will then be drawn on Mothers Day and the winner notified straight away.
~ Winner will contact Romantic Flair Original directly to organise prize, with prize sent directly to winner by Romantic Flair Original.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary review copy Personalized Mug, courtesy of Romantic Flair Original via Aussie Mummy Bloggers. No financial payment was offered nor accepted for this post. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

"Personalized Mugs by Romantic Flair Original"

My Top Tips for Building a Good Brand Reputation

2011-04-13T12:00:00.000+10:00

When I started out in business with Your Cheeky Monkey in 2008, I was very firm in my belief that I wanted to have very strong branding, with a great reputation attached to the brand. I am not professing to have a business degree, I just thought I would write about some of the things I believe, and attempt to achieve with my business and my brand.

Ask yourself these questions: How do others see your brand? What do they associate it with? Do you have a brand at all?

Be the same person you are in business as in real life. There comes a time when you need to meet colleagues and customers, and you don't want to be in a position where you know you have mis-represented yourself.
Be honest. I don't think this one needs much explanation, do you?
Always do what you say you are going to do, and follow through. In other words, deliver on what you promise. If you say you ship orders out within one business day, DO IT.
Beware of social media. I have seen other business women say very negative things about others on facebook and belive me, no-one likes it or respects you for it. While we are all human, and sometimes might have a bit of a whinge, be vary wary about attacking others in a public domain. And it goes without saying, never ever participate in a public fight, it will make you look like an imbecile (to put it bluntly).
Know you will make mistakes. Look, no-one on this earth is perfect, and we can't please everyone all of the time. Sometimes you will say or write something someone will dislike, and while it can be easier said than done, you need to put it behind you and move on. Make a public apology if needed, sometimes it is quite possible to turn a negative into a good public relations exercise.
Make sure you are consistent with your branding where-ever and what-ever you do. Plaster your logo everywhere. Your facebook page, website, blog, twitter, email signature, advertising, etc etc all need to be saying the same message with the same logo.
Love your brand, believe in it, and be passionate about it. If you don't, why should anyone else?
If you are operating a retail or service business, make customer service your number 1 priority. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Keep your customers informed, and again be honest in your dealings.
Know word of mouth is a powerful tool. People talk when they have a terrible experience, and people talk when they have a great experience. As a business owner, what category do you want to fall under?
If you are serious about your brand, commit to it 100% I personally think it is better to do one thing GREAT rather than being wishy washy and always beginning new projects. Stick to your beliefs, always be learning, and your identity and brand will shine.

History of Hot Cross Buns and How to Make Easter Gift Tags

2011-04-09T12:18:00.000+10:00

Along with Christmas and Birthdays, Easter is a wonderful time of family togetherness and celebration. Even though Easter is a traditional religious occasion, it is also a celebration with strong commercial and cultural meanings for us here in Australia. Did you know that the Easter holiday existed in pagan times, and celebrated renewal and re-birth? In more recent times, Easter is when Christians celebrate Jesus Christ’s resurrection.

I know Easter is approaching when hot cross buns make an appearance in the shops. Our family loves hot cross buns and wish they were available all year round! But hot cross buns have a deeply religious meaning too. The round shape represents the shape of the rock that was removed from the front of Christ’s tomb, the spices represent the frankincense and myrrh, and the cross of course represents the crucifixion. They are also supposed to not contain any eggs or dairy products so people celebrating Lent are able to eat them. I think it’s a good idea to discuss this with our kids when they are old enough to understand, even if you don’t celebrate the religious side of Easter its wonderful if our children have an understanding of this side of Easter as well as the fun side of chocolate and bunnies.

I’m sure that you and your family, like us, have developed your own Easter traditions. As with most others, we enjoy a fish dinner on Good Friday. I stock up on hot cross buns to last the long weekend. We support Australian culture by giving our children Bilby’s instead of Bunnies. And because our children are still young, we have heaps of fun doing an egg hunt. If you are in Sydney you might attend the Royal Easter Show each year!

Image by Murray Photography

Looking for some low cost things to do with your children in the lead up to Easter? Here are some ideas:

• There are lots of free printable colouring sheets available online, find some your child will like and print them out. You can even make an Easter colouring book of your own by stapling the sheets together
• Do some fun crafts such as making Easter hats or paper baskets ready for the Easter weekend. You might like to check out my post Making Easter Hats on a Budget.
• Plan your Easter Egg hunt
• Research and talk about the real meaning of Easter
• Lend some Easter books from the library
• Bake some bunny shaped biscuits or hot cross buns

Making Easter Gift Tags

We are going to be making and decorating some Easter gift tags, which is super easy. These add a beautiful personal handmade touch to your Easter gifts or baskets. Draw and cut some egg shaped ovals out of heavy paper or cardboard (I like them about 3 inches high), punch a hole in the top, give them to the kids to decorate on one side, either by drawing or using glitter etc. Finally thread some ribbon through the hole! They are now all ready to use for your Easter gifts.

So, whether you are a Christian family or not, the Easter long weekend is a perfect time for us all to enjoy and celebrate each other’s company and perhaps start one of your own special family traditions.

Calm Kids

2011-04-07T11:54:00.000+10:00

A few weeks ago I was pleased to meet Jennifer Jefferies, the author of the book 'Calm Kids' (among others). Jennifer is a naturopath, life balancing expert, author and speaker. I naturally was most interested in her resources for children, and I have had the pleasure of checking out some of her things lately and thought I would share them with you too.

The book Calm Kids is such an amazing resource. It is basically a guide to natural therapies for children, and covers topics like aromatherapy, feeding, moving, healing, and nurturing. While I have quite a few aromatherapy books I always refer to, I don't have one specifically for children, so I just love this book and all the information in it. There is aromatherapy recipes for things such as Constipation Tummy Oil, Flu Bath, Head Lice Scalp Oil, Cradle Cap Scalp Oil, and tons more. This is one reference book to keep handy when you have kids around, that's for sure.

You can also purchase the Calm Kids book in a Calm Kids Complete Kit - this kit contains an electric essential oil vaporiser, a special wooden box with 3 aromatherapy blends specifically for children (breathe, calm kids, and study), and the books "Calm Kids" and "Sanity Savers". I just LOVE the essential oil blends in this kit, the 'calm kids blend' in particular is just wonderful to use at the end of the day to help wind the kids down... and can I admit to you I have snaffled the 'study blend' and am using it in the office as I type!

As an adjunct to her work/life balance work, Jennifer also sells some great healthy snacks over at her Isagenix site - the Berry Slimcakes in particular are pretty good!

You can also join Jennifer on her facebook page to stay up to date with all her news. And for lots of other interesting articles have a browse of her articles page.

As a final note, I would like to thank Jennifer for sending me her products to try, I can't speak highly enough of them all! I'd like to end with one of her quotes out of the "Sanity Savers" book that really struck a chord with me - "SPEAK nicely to yourself. Focus on replacing negative self-talk with POSITIVE"

Slow Cooker Minestrone for Busy Mums

2011-04-05T13:37:00.000+10:00

Since becoming a Mum I have personally found it quite hard to balance meals between being quick and easy to prepare, and being nutritious enough for a busy growing family. I have always worked as well, so tend to lack the energy and motivation to cook fancy dishes with lots of steps in them (ok - I am a gigantic fan of one pot dishes). With the cooler weather just starting, I thought I would share with you one of our favorite meals. There are many reasons I love minestrone - its healthy and good for you, its easy to make, its really yummy, you can customise it to suit your family, and it's also a great excuse to clean out the vegie drawer and use up any vegies that you might otherwise throw out. The proportions of ingredients don't really matter, you can add some water as its cooking if it gets too dry.

The minestrone I make consists of steps more than a set recipe, and the main ingredients must include beans, vegies, liquid, and pasta. So, here is my recipe, or rather my guide to the steps in making minestrone. Ideally put this on fairly early in the morning.

Beans
Start by putting your choice of beans in the bottom of the slow cooker. If this is a spur of the moment recipe I will use a drained can of red kidney beans or 4 bean mix (or any other type of bean you like). If you are planning ahead, you can soak some dry soup mix beans overnight, then the next morning just rinse them well and add to the slow cooker.

Vegetables
Here is the fun bit. Clean out your vegie draw, chop everything in small pieces, and chuck it in the slow cooker. The more variety, the better. Some suggestions include - potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, onion, garlic, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, celery, cabbage, capsicum, etc. Add a nice sprinkle of fresh or dry herbs.

Liquid
I generally add a couple of tins of chopped tomatoes and some chicken stock, then top up to nearly the top of the slow cooker with water. If you have no tinned tomatoes, a jar of tomato based pasta sauce and/or tomato paste and/or peeled fresh tomatoes will work just as well. (Tip - If you see tomatoes on special, buy a heap and stick them straight in the freezer. To use, just take straight out the freezer and the skin will rub straight off. You can chuck them frozen whole and peeled like this straight in the slow cooker, just chop them up later in the day when they have cooked through).

Then stick the lid on and cook on low all day. If you don't put this on until lunchtime be sure to set it on high. Stir a couple of times during the day, if you are home.

Pasta
A little while before serving time, cook your pasta separately, then stir into the minestrone. About 1/2 - 1 cup dry pasta should be enough. If you don't have any small pasta like macaroni, just break some spaghetti into small pieces.

To Serve
If you have small children (or a husband) that might turn their noses up at this, disguise it by sprinkling on lots of parmesan cheese and bacon bits, and add a dollop of sour cream. For a baby, blend to desired consistency. Serve with fresh crusty bread or toast.

This amount of minestrone is generally enough for our family for 3 meals (two fresh, one in the freezer) and 3-4 individual serves to freeze. Great for families with a new baby!

In support of Immunization

2011-04-02T10:03:00.000+10:00

It's very distressing to see in this morning's local paper another baby seriously ill in hospital with Whooping Cough. Also in the article is a mention of a resurgence of cases of Measles at the moment. The immunization schedule which has existed for many years now has done such a good job of eradicating so many serious diseases that there is now large pockets of communities that think there is no need to immunize (or they think that the risks of being immunized outweigh the risks of catching the disease). So, now, we are having to see families suffering through the unimaginable stress of having tiny babies and young children catching these terrible and totally preventable diseases.

While I realise this is a very emotive topic for some, I can't stress enough my support and belief in immunizing against these life-threatening diseases. This is not a scientific post, I'm not going to start quoting studies, I'm just stating my support of immunization here in Australia to keep these diseases at bay. I can't imagine why any parents of young children would want to put their children at risk by NOT immunizing.

March Teach/Learn - Imagination

2011-03-28T06:16:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the new Teach/Learn. Here are some of the posts bloggers across Australia and the world have come up with on this month's theme, 'Imagination.'

'Imagine that ...' with Leechbabe at Stuff With Thing, learning through our search for fairies and dinosaurs, a child's world is a wonderful place to be.
'Imagination Towers' with Catherine from Adventures With Kids, use your imagination to draw what's happening inside the windows of the tower.
'The Power of Imagination,' Monique from Your Cheeky Monkey had a look through some of our family photos to show you some of the things my sons get up to in their imaginary play.
'Imagine' with Deb from Science@home looking for the science in children's fiction, especially ones that ask 'what if?'
'See Rascal Play' at Tales of an Aussie Mum, her two year old's imaginative play is blossoming - see some of the things he is currently loving.
'Imaginative Play at Home' by Katepickle of Picklebums, Imaginative play doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming to set up. So I'm kicking myself in the bum and with inspiration from the Teach/Learn Carnival, getting back on the imaginative play band wagon with these ideas...
'Unleash Your Child's Imagination' with Colin Wee at SuperParents, find out how I gained a powerful imagination from associating with some dodgy brothers - and takeaway lessons so parents can let children do the same whilst avoiding having to deal with shady individuals!
Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now writes 'Dr Seuss With a Touch of Montessori' to explore the imagination and whimsy of Dr Seuss.
The Planning Queen has been writing about 'Recycled Creations' at Planning with Kids, letting kids imagination run wild choosing and creating from recycled materials.

Check out some of these blogs for inspiring and imaginative posts.

Spunky new shoes

2011-03-24T10:25:00.001+10:00

I'm a huge online shopper. I pretty much buy everything I can online - it's easy, you don't have to drag kids to the shops only for them to nag you constantly about everything they 'have to have', I find I usually spend less as there is not as much impulse buying, and you can even do it in your pj's.

But one thing I have never bought online is shoes for myself. I've always been a bit scared of it, because if something is wrong I'm exceedingly lazy about returning things, which is then a big waste of money. But this week, thanks to Westfield, I got to experience shopping for some shoes online.

Hmmmm what was I to choose? Some nice new wedges, or something a bit more practical (ie. flat). Ok ok I went with the practical. BUT have a peek at the picture, how's that for bling?

I looooove my new sandals - they fit well, they arrived in super quick time, and they came with easy exchange/return instructions if indeed they weren't right for some reason.

Can you guess that I am now a converted online shopper for shoes too??

Oh Baby Baby!

2011-03-21T20:23:00.002+10:00

There are sooo many babies on the way at the moment, so I have hunted out a few special little products and stores you might be interested in if you have a little Bubba on the way, or you need to buy a special baby gift. Plus you can buy all these yummy things from the comfort of your own home! You might also like to have a read of a previous post I wrote, what products do you really need for your newborn baby?

Have a little peek at these ideas below, they are some of my favorite things at the moment.

Personalised Baby Blankets

yes winter is on its way for Australia and what better blanket to use for baby than a personalised Blanky from Rose-Leah at Blanky 4 Me. Your choice of colours and your choice of name... too cute!

Birth Announcement Cards
are an absolute essential when Bub has arrived and you want to formally announce his/her arrival to friends and family. Amanda at iLiv Cards will design you the perfect card and then have your order on its way to you in record time!

Sensory Baby Toys

from The Toy Bug are a big winner - and considering how super popular the Very Hungry Caterpillar is at the moment I just had to share this activity toy with you.

Baby Comforters

something I am so passionate about, it's a brilliant idea to pick a safe and easily replaceable comforter for your baby, and Your Cheeky Monkey stocks a range of the cutest and safest around.

Angel's Touch

Have you ever touched an angel,

And nursed him at your breast?

Have your ever held his hand in yours,

And kissed each fingertip?

Have you ever looked into his face,

And brushed away his hair?

Have you ever studied his pouty lips,

And watched him slowly breath?

Have your ever held a sleeping cherub,

And touched his rosy cheeks?

Have you ever felt pure love,

Wrapped up in your arms?

Ticklemedo Winner

2011-03-19T14:33:00.000+10:00

Just a quick little note to let you know I have drawn the winner of the gorgeous Ticklemedo prints - and the winner is A Field of Dreams.... congratulations, I will be in touch shortly with more details.

And a big thanks to everyone for your entries!

ps. Given 'Hoot Hoot' was such a popular choice, I thought I'd share with you my handmade Owl Bunny Rug - it co-ordinates so nicely with Hoot Hoot, doesn't it?

The Power of Imagination

2011-03-17T13:50:00.002+10:00

One of THE most important elements of a child's play and learning is the imagination. What is imagination? From dictionary.com, imagination is defined as "the faculty or action of producing ideas, esp mental images of what is not present or has not been experienced". Left to their own devices, imaginative play is so often what children will do. And it is a vital activity for their development and the formation of their thinking processes. It gives scope for problem solving, expressing emotions, applying knowledge to a situation, and becoming a better overall thinker.

I love watching my boys immersed in their own little worlds when playing and using imagination. In this post I have simply had a look through our photo album and found some images of them doing exactly that. And, as a parent, if you show a little bit of interest, they are usually more than happy to explain what is going on. I'm simply amazed sometimes at the complex story lines!

So here are some things my sons have been doing in the recent past:

Invent silly games while swimming in the pool (I remember spending literally hours in the pool playing imaginary games while growing up). In this photo the boys were 'fishing' I think.

Turn a tree in the backyard into a rocket or a pirate ship (or a princess castle if you have girls).

One we all know and love - when cardboard boxes get more use than the things that came in them!

Pretending to drive the truck like Daddy. Complete with sound effects!

Simple toys like animal Finger Puppets can create opportunities for hours of creative imaginary play.

So don't feel you need to fill your child's life with structured activities, children need to be given opportunities to be 'bored' and fill those parts of their lives with the colour and fun of imagination.

“This post is part of the Teach/Learn Carnival, March’s theme is Imagination. If you would like to join in submit your own post here, or check back at the end of the month for the links to lots of great posts.”

Ticklemedo GIVEAWAY

2011-03-11T12:10:00.002+10:00

One of the loveliest and most original businesses I have come across in the last couple of years is Ticklemedo Designs. Ticklemedo offers the most gorgeous prints for your nursery or children's room decor.

A little about Ticklemedo:

Ticklemedo designs was launched in 2010 by stay-at-home Mum Nicola Tsatsaris with a passion for art and decor. We are a small, Melbourne-based outfit, working out of home so we can keep our
costs low… and therefore, our customers happy! All of our prints are hand-drawn originals and developed with a variety of themes and colour schemes in mind.

Giveaway:

Nicola is very kindly going to send a reader of this blog their choice of 2 of her beautiful 8x10" prints (unframed).

To enter this giveaway (required):
Simply have a look at the Ticklemedo website, then come back here and comment which is your favorite print. If you are unable or do not wish to leave a comment you can send me a message via my Contact Form.

You can also leave separate comments for each of the following for further entries:

1. Follow this blog publicly
2. Be a liker of the Your Cheeky Monkey facebook page and the Ticklemedo facebook page
3. Tweet this giveaway =
Ticklemedo Print Giveaway from @YrCheekyMonkey http://www.yourcheekymonkey.blogspot.com/

Conditions (please read):
~ Australian Entries only
~ Be sure to leave your email address in your comment if your profile is protected - if I draw you as a winner but have no way of contacting you I will re-draw the prize
~ Winner drawn randomly and contacted by email
~ Giveaway closes in one week's time on Friday 18th March 2011 at 9pm Qld time/10pm NSW time.
~ Prize will be sent directly to winner from Ticklemedo Designs.

Cellnique Review

2011-03-09T15:19:00.000+10:00

A couple of weeks ago I received in the mail a couple of skin products from Cellnique to try out. So after some days of using them here are my thoughts:

The Skin Action Sebum Gel is for all skin types to reduce blackheads and whiteheads, and to reduce oil secretion. This product is not really suited to my skin as I don't really have problems in this area, but I can have a bit of an oily t-zone (mainly in Summer in the hot weather). So, I can't really comment on it's effect on blackheads and whiteheads, and I didn't really notice any difference in sebum - however, it has been very hot here in Queensland lately so I'm not sure any product at all would affect the sweaty oiliness you get each day here. I also have to admit I am very lazy when it comes to skincare and usually only cleanse and moisturise, any other steps in my skincare usually get forgotten about!

If you would like to try a sample of this product you can register over at their website and mention http://www.yourcheekymonkey.blogspot.com/ when you are asked 'Where did you hear about us' (T&C: Offer 50 samples and ends on the 16th March 2011 with sample delivery within 4 – 6 weeks. Substitutions of sample will be made if sample is out-of-stock).

The Intensive Hydrating Oasis Gel is described as a highly concentrated aloe vera based skin soothing and calming formulation. This product didn't have any instructions on how to use it at all on the packet/bottle or any sort of insert, so I had to go to their website to find out more. You actually use it as a moisturizer after cleansing and toning (I assumed it was more of a treatment gel than an everyday product). I liked this product, it was nice to use in the Qld heat as its a gel, especially after a day in the sun. I'm not sure about winter though when I do prefer more of a comforting cream.

Both these products had a very light gel texture and a nice pleasant smell. When on the skin the products soaked right in and didn't leave any oiliness behind.

If you are interested in hearing more about Cellnique you can also join their facebook page to stay up to date with their news.

Toilet Training Pack Winners

2011-03-07T11:31:00.000+10:00

Thanks to everyone who entered into the Ultimate Toilet Training Pack Giveaway, it certainly is a fabulous prize to win.

The winners have been drawn as follows:
1 x Ultimate Toilet Training Pack (major prize) - Vari L
3 x Can's of Bosisto's Spray - Dannii Beauty, Nicole Grant, Michelle

Congratulations! I will be in contact with you all via email shortly.

Ultimate Toilet Training Pack GIVEAWAY

2011-02-25T10:12:00.002+10:00

If any of my readers are about to commence on the big wide world of toilet training, have I got something exciting for you today. Baby U and Bosisto's have teamed up to put together this amazing prize pack worth $85 for one lucky Mum and toddler who are entering the scary world of TT.

My sons are now 4 and 5, so we are just past the toilet training stage (although, believe me, accidents still do happen for us), but the long hard road is still very fresh in my mind. I have to admit I'm pretty envious of whoever wins this pack, because in the past I have bought each of the products in this great pack. So I can say to you with confidence this is a prize that will be very well used!

One Mum will win a pack containing:

• Baby U Waterproof Sheet Protector
• Baby U Cushie Tushie
• Baby U Potette Plus
• Baby U Potette Liners 10pk
• Bosisto’s Eucalyptus Spray 200g
• Information booklets

PLUS 3 runners up will win a can of Bosisto's spray valued at $8.

YAY! Please read on to find out how to enter..

To enter this giveaway (required):
Simply comment here and tell me the age of your child and why you would like to win. If you prefer to email your entry through you can find my email by viewing my blogger profile.

You can also leave separate comments for each of the following for further entries:

1. Follow this blog publicly
2. Be a liker of the Your Cheeky Monkey facebook page the Bosisto's Eucalyptus facebook page and the Baby U facebook page
3. Tweet this giveaway =
Toilet Training Pack Giveaway from @YrCheekyMonkey http://www.yourcheekymonkey.blogspot.com/

Conditions (please read):
~ Australian Entries only
~ Be sure to leave your email address in your comment if your profile is protected - if I draw you as a winner but have no way of contacting you I will re-draw the prize
~ Winners drawn randomly and contacted by email
~ Giveaway closes in one week's time on Friday 4th March 2011 at 9pm Qld time/10pm NSW time.
~ Prizes will be sent directly to winners from FGB Natural Products.

Hot Cross Buns & Chocolate

2011-02-23T14:56:00.001+10:00

I'm guilty of succumbing to commercialism. Yes, Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns have been in the shops for a while now, even though Easter is not for another 2 months. But I have to admit to a very naughty liking of Hot Cross Buns and Cream Eggs. *Sigh* I guess I won't be going on a diet anytime soon.

And I just had to share with you a very cute poem I just came across.. Sums it up perfectly I think!

Bunnies are brown
Bunnies are white
Bunnies are always
An Easter delight.

Bunnies are cuddly
The large and the small.
But I like chocolate ones
The best of them all. (Anon)

Plus don't forget to check out my tutorial on how to make Easter Hats if you have an Easter Parade coming up, or you just want to do a fun Easter craft with your kids.

Image by Murray Photography

EucoFresh Winners

2011-02-19T19:44:00.000+10:00

I have just drawn the winners of the EucoFresh Laundry Powder giveaway. If you haven't read through the entries, be sure to scroll down and have a read. What us Mums go through is just amazing isn't it. No wonder laundry powder is a topic close to our hearts!

The winners are: Kristie, Tat, Angela, Trish, Kyra, and Kimberlee. Congratulations! I have just emailed you all with details.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!

EucoFresh Laundry Powder Review & Giveaway

2011-02-11T20:28:00.001+10:00

For those of you who don't know, I live in a house with 3 males (husband + 2 sons) plus a boxer dog (yes those are the ones that slobber - a LOT). We also have a property maintenance/lawn mowing business. So, as you can imagine, I do massive amounts of washing of very dirty/grass & mud encrusted/slobbery/paint covered/smelly clothing. Plus loads of dirty greasy rags and towels from our business. Plus washing from those 'little accidents' (and I'm talking about both ends here). On the other hand, my sons are still young enough that I prefer something gentle enough that I don't have to worry about it irritating their skin.

I am also (probably according to my husband) a pain when it comes to buying laundry powder. I really hate the smell of most washing powders, they are just so strong and synthetic. I also never use fabric softener for the reason (apart from believing they really don't do anything and are just a waste of money) that they have such a strong unnatural scent.

So, to give you a quick run-down on some of the positives of the Bosisto's EucoFresh Laundry Powder:

NO FILLERS. I had to put this point first. Most brands contain insoluble fillers which remain in the fibres of your garments, meaning they can become a skin and bronchial irritant to allergy sufferers or those with sensitive skin. No fillers also means you need to use less.
The only smell is that of 100% pure Bosisto's Eucalyptus Oil. So it cleans soils from clothes without being harsh. Heaven.
Grey water / septic system / garden friendly
Low foam so you can use it in front or top loaders, and in hot or cold water.
Australian made!

So, this product pretty much ticks all the boxes for me (which is a big thing to say isn't it?). I have been using only one scoop per wash (and you will be surprised how small the scoop is). Even my husband's work clothes are coming out fantastically clean.

Right, enough of me. What about you guys? Would you like to try out the Eucofresh Laundry Powder? (However - be warned, you won't be able to go back to another brand).

I have 6 (yes that's right - 6) packs of a full-size 1.5kg box of Eucofresh laundry powder & towel valued at $30 to giveaway. And this giveaway is one that will be used to the last drop... not put in the cupboard and forgotten because you didn't really want it anyway.

And if you can't wait and would like to try it straight away you can find it in your local Woolies store at around $8.99. For more information about the product feel free to telephone 1800 655 841 or visit the makers at www.fgb.com.au

To enter this giveaway (required):
Simply comment here and tell me about the dirtiest or grossest item you have ever had to wash. If you prefer to email your entry through you can find my email by viewing my profile.

You can also leave separate comments for each of the following for further entries:

1. Follow this blog publicly
2. Join the Your Cheeky Monkey facebook page
3. Join the Bosisto's Eucalyptus facebook page
4. Tweet this giveaway =
Eucofresh Laundry Powder Giveaway from @YrCheekyMonkey http://www.yourcheekymonkey.blogspot.com/

Conditions (please read):
~ Australian Entries only
~ Be sure to leave your email address in your comment if your profile is protected - if I draw you as a winner but have no way of contacting you I will re-draw the prize
~ Winners drawn randomly and contacted by email
~ Giveaway closes in one week's time on Friday 18th February 2011 at 9pm (Qld time)
~ Prizes will be sent directly to winners from FGB Natural Products.

And School Begins

2011-01-27T12:49:00.000+10:00

A new chapter in my life has begun. My oldest child started school this week. So it's going to be a period of adjustment for us all with different days and new routines.

As a business owner who operates my business from home, this will mean that during term I will get 5 days of work but my working day will be much shorter. Instead of being able to work until 4 or 5, I will need to leave at 2 to pick my son up. But maybe this will make me work more efficiently during the working hours of the day?

Today has also been a day of reminiscing. I have truly spent so many days in the past 5 or so years wishing the day away because it is hard work having young children at home. Some days have been absolutely terrible with sick or cranky children, or when my husband has been working long hours. But that is why we choose to run our own businesses from home isn't it - to be there for our children. So I almost feel a bit regretful about how fast the time has gone, and my children are no longer babies.

So now, if I had all the time and money in the world, maybe I would choose to simply slow down and appreciate all the small things in life instead of always being busy with work and the daily routine... that unexpected cuddle, caring words from a child, the divine scent of a flower, a beautiful sunset.

Monique xx

Some other posts you might enjoy:
Some School Holiday Activity Ideas
What products do you really need for your newborn baby?
Delicious Muesli Slice Recipe
Hip Little One Feature

Burt's Bees Anti-Blemish Solutions

2011-01-21T04:22:00.000+10:00

I have been trialling the Burt's Bees Anti Blemish Solutions since before Christmas. I was very interested to see how they would perform, and how my (not so young) skin would feel using these products. I have combination skin still to this day (especially living in Queensland when it gets hot and I get oily in the T zone), and get the odd hormonal breakout too. So, how did I go with each product?

1. Pore Refining Scrub - This is quite different to other scrubs I have used. It was lovely to use it and then give my face a good wipe with a face-cloth after. The scrub beads actually feel quite smooth and not harsh, and it left my face gently smoothed. I felt quite happy to use this as often as every second night.

2. Purifying Daily Cleanser - I REALLY liked this. It smells so very herbal, which in my books is a fantastic thing. Great to use both morning and night, not drying, works super well, and is in an easy to use bottle. My favorite product of the range.

3. Daily Moisturizing Lotion - This was fantastic. Nice and light which is perfect for a hot climate. Smells fresh, and felt nice and calming on my skin. Was very happy it didn't leave my skin reddened or irritated, or feeling greasy.

4. Targeted Spot Treatment - I have never come across a product like this before. It's very runny and you only need a tiny bit. It's SO drying to put on your skin, and helps blemishes to clear up much quicker than normal. I imagine the tiny bottle will last a very long time!

This is an amazing range, and would suit skin of any age because its so natural and effective without being drying or irritating. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone that suffers any sort of blemishes or break-outs!

Moooo

2011-01-20T10:41:00.001+10:00

OOAK set for a precious baby boy - A blue Bunny Rug completely handmade by me with a cow embroidery in one corner and crochet hem, teamed with a sooo soft Korimco Nursery Collection Cow.

Only $30 and - yes - only one available! Find it HERE :-)

Nothing to blog about

2011-01-15T14:24:00.002+10:00

The events here in Queensland the past week or so have been very overwhelming. Statistics are showing 75% of Queenslanders have been affected by the floods, which is just mind boggling. So many things feel rather insignificant right now, I can honestly say my children have been getting a lot of cuddles and kisses, the families that lost loved ones in the floods (especially children) are particularly on my mind. I really have nothing to write about right now with all this going on.

I, like so many other Australians, am contributing where I can. But every little bit counts, and lots of little bits add up to a lot!

The picture below was taken by my husband of the Ipswich Motorway. It's so hard to imagine such massive areas being underwater.

But one thing I can truly say is that right now I am so proud to be an Australian xx

Lucky Winners

2011-01-07T20:25:00.000+10:00

I've been a bit slack. I haven't even wished you all Happy New Year yet. So, I hope you all had a really fantastic New Year's whatever you did (if you want to know what I did, I slept. Yup, dag that I am I slept right through the night. Oh, except for some total idiots walking down my street screaming their heads off just after midnight).

Anyway, a couple of lucky winners have had a nice little surprise to start 2011 off.

The winner of the Aden+Anais Swaddles was LittleBirdDecor.

The winner of the Cosima Skincare was Christie.

Thanks everyone for your entries, and keep your eyes peeled I will hopefully have some more giveaways soon for you.

Monique xx

Cosima Skincare Review + GIVEAWAY

2010-12-31T08:52:00.003+10:00

The past week or so I have had the privilege of trying out two beautiful natural skincare products from Cosima Skincare. Cosima is a new brand on the market founded by Angela Tyler, which has been developed from many years of research prompted by noticing that many 'natural' brands contained only 1 or 2 natural ingredients in a mix of other chemicals. Cosima is 100% Australian owned and made, and guarantees to fight the visible signs of aging (and other skin related problems) using the highest quality natural, organic ingredients packed with active compounds with no fillers or other synthetic chemicals. Which all sounds very exciting and completely suits my personal and business philosophy.

The first product I have been trying out is the Gentle Foaming Cleanser - This is a lovely light foaming cleanser that is surprisingly effective. Gentle enough to use morning and night without irritation, yet removed my light make-up cover without trouble. I love that this cleanser contains papaya as a gentle exfoliant and you can feel the light tingle when its on your skin. The smell is also divine, sweet and natural (honeysuckle essential oil is listed on the ingredients list). Big thumbs up on this product for me.

I also have been using the Flawless Eye Cream - this is described as a luxurious eye cream containing Myoxinol ("Nature's Botox") to help achieve flawless eyes without injections. The first thing I really liked about this product was the airless pump packaging. You might think this is a silly comment, but I'm quite averse to having to stick my fingers in skincare products and contaminating them every time you use them. This eye cream is a lovely almost gel-like product that you only need a tiny amount of (I actually have to be careful not to pump out too much as I found a full pump was about twice what you need and just a waste). Verdict - lovely and soothing, great to use either morning or night, leaves my eyes looking fresh and hydrated, and smells delicious. Another thumbs up for the eye cream too.

The lovely Angela from Cosima Skincare is also going to send one of my readers a Gentle Foaming Cleanser (RRP $22.50) and a Flawless Eye Cream (RRP $69.00) to try out! I'm sure whoever wins will love these products just as much as I do.

To enter (required):
Have a look at the Cosima Skincare website, and then comment here with what other product you like the look of and why (not the ones mentioned in this review).

You can also leave a separate comment for each of the following for further entries:
1. Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect
2. Join the Your Cheeky Monkey facebook page
3. Join the Cosima Skincare facebook page
4. Tweet this giveaway =
Cosima Skincare Giveaway at @YrCheekyMonkey http://yourcheekymonkey.blogspot.com/2010/12/cosima-skincare-review-giveaway.html

Conditions (please read):
Australian Entries only ~ Be sure to leave your email address in your comment if your profile is private, if I draw you as a winner but have no way of contacting you I will re-draw the prize ~ Winner drawn randomly and contacted by email ~ Giveaway closes in one week's time on Friday 7th January at 8pm (Qld time) ~ If winner does not claim prize within 7 days another winner will be selected ~ Prize will be sent directly to winner from Cosima.

My Top Reading List of All Time

2010-12-27T13:22:00.000+10:00

A recent tidy-up in our household got me putting aside all my favorite books to re-read over the Summer, so I thought I would share my top reading list of all time with you.

The Earth's Children Series by Jean M. Auel. Of course beginning with "Clan of the Cave Bear" (1984), there is currently 5 books in the series. The sixth and final book "The Land of Painted Caves" is due out in March 2011, which is very exciting if you have, like me, followed each book as it has been released over the past 27 years.
The Harry Potter Series. I love reading these, and feel distinctly sad there is no more in the series to look forward to.
Each and every book by Barbara Erskine. I own them all and quite regularly go back and read one or another of them. The latest is "Time's Legacy" and is a must read if you haven't already.
The 'Temperance Brennan' series by Kathy Reichs. Each year I also buy the new novel in this series.
The 'China Bayles' series by Susan Wittig Albert. This series began in 1992 with 'Thyme of Death' and I have avidly awaited the next herbal mystery each year. Although I don't own these books (they are from the USA and you can't very often find them in bookstores here) I am always getting them from the library to re-read.
'The Sunbird' by Wilbur Smith. I think this is my favorite Wilbur Smith novel ever. This was first published in 1972, my copy was printed in 1978 and is looking very fragile from all the readings over the years. I think I love this because (like most Barbara Erskine novels) the story comprises 2 tales linked over time.

Well they are some of my favorite reads of all time, feel free to share yours with me here on this post. I'd love to discover some amazing new books!

Aden + Anais Review & GIVEAWAY

2010-12-22T13:31:00.001+10:00

If you have a new baby, swaddling is one of the most vital things you can do to make Bub feel happy and secure and to help her sleep better. It stops the reflex motion from waking them up during sleep, and it mimics how they felt in the womb.

After having had 2 babies myself, I know just how important swaddling is. Baby wraps would have to be on my top 5 list of 'must-have' items for a newborn. So this week I have been very happy to be able to have a close look at the gorgeous Aden + Anais Muslin Swaddles.

The Aden + Anais Swaddles have loads of great features and benefits:

They are 100% cotton muslin. I live in a very warm climate and you can still wrap your baby if you use muslin as its so breathable. Muslin is also lovely and soft on Bub's skin.
Large 120x120cm size. One of my pet hates is those wraps that are about 75x100cm. Too small! With this nice big size you can keep wrapping your baby as they get older and not have to buy new swaddles.
Aden + Anais have a lovely range of cute prints, I received the Jungle Jam Swaddle pack and I just love them.
You can use these for lots of other uses too. As a light blanket, use in the car or pram, for nursing in public, and the list goes on.

One lucky reader of my blog is going to be lucky enough to win their choice of a gender-neutral, girl or boy 4-pack of classic swaddles valued at $49.95! Read on for how to enter.

To enter (required):
Leave a comment here on this post with your thoughts on swaddling. You also need to follow Aden + Anais on their facebook page and twitter.

You can also leave a separate comment for each of the following for further entries:
1. Follow this blog publicly
2. Join the Your Cheeky Monkey facebook page
3. Tweet this giveaway =
@adenandanais Swaddle Giveaway at @YrCheekyMonkey http://www.yourcheekymonkey.blogspot.com/

Conditions (please read):
Australian Entries only ~ Be sure to leave your email address in your comment if your profile is private, if I draw you as a winner but have no way of contacting you I will re-draw the prize ~ Winner drawn randomly and contacted by email ~ Giveaway closes in two week's time on Wednesday 5th January at 8pm (Qld time) ~ Prize will be sent directly to winner from Aden + Anais.

The things they don't warn you about

2010-12-17T14:11:00.000+10:00

There's a lot others don't tell you before you become a parent. An awful lot. I don't know why - maybe people don't like to sound negative? Or maybe they just think "hehe now someone else has to go through all these things". Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I know everyday that the good outweighs the bad. But to be honest (and if you are a parent I'm sure you will agree) there are some things that absolutely drive you nuts! For example:

The constant loud noise. I can't speak for girls because I don't have any, but my boys (unless they are sleeping) pretty much never shut up for 2 seconds in a row. And its all at the loudest pitch possible.
The mess. Even when I tidy the house up on kindy days, as soon as they get home they leave a magical trail of toys and rubbish behind them. Was I like this? I'm not sure. Maybe my Mum was just better at getting my sister and I to clean up.
The never ending eating. I feel like a feeding machine most of the time. Breakfast, snacks, lunch, snacks, dinner, pudding, milk. And what worries me is in 10 years time how much they will be eating when they are teenagers. My 5 year old eats 3 weet-bix for breakfast no worries and is hungry an hour later. Oh well maybe its time to invest in shares in Coles.
The amazing ability kids have to repeat something a thousand times. When your children are babies its SO exciting when they say 'Mum' for the first time. Now on some days I sort of feel like running away when I hear it repeated a trillion times. You know how it goes "Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum....." I truly believe repetition is a form of torture.

But wouldn't life be boring if all was perfect? I love my boys along with all their idiosyncrasies, and as easy as it is to have a whinge, all is good with the world xx

Note to Authors and Writers

2010-12-09T10:25:00.000+10:00

If you are an author of any sort of writing, whether it be books or simply articles like I write, here is a tip for you. Occasionally google your name and see what comes up.

The other night I googled my name, and found one of my articles used by a well known Australian Organisation. Which is fantastic, except they put my name after the article and didn't use the rest of my credit blurb.

It's very disappointing, as they have used my writing for their content without wanting to give me full credit or link to my website. I received an email back saying they are mindful of crediting the authors of the articles they use. Yeah right.

And I guess the same goes in reverse too - if you are a business or organisation, if you use somebody's articles or writing please give them full credit. Otherwise you eventually will be found out and your reputation will be damaged.

Picnic Pack Winner

2010-12-04T19:12:00.002+10:00

Congratulations to nellbe, who I just drew as the winner of the Picnic Pack & Tea Tree Giveaway.

And a big thank you to everyone else who took the time to enter!

Tea Tree Oil Spray Review & GIVEAWAY

2010-11-26T13:19:00.000+10:00

Summer is on the way, and in Australia that can mean hot humid weather, which is in turn ideal growing conditions for mould and other lovely things. If you are like me and hate having to turn to chemical solutions, tea tree oil is the best all-round answer. I keep bottles of tea tree oil in the laundry (put a couple of drops in your wash to combat fungus and bacteria), in the bathroom (wipe a little on insect bites or cuts and scrapes), and in the kitchen (a couple of drops wiped over surfaces smells great and ensures there is no nasties left after chopping meat). Now you can also - woohooo! - buy tea tree oil in a spray can. This has been so fantastic for me lately, I've sprayed it around the dog kennel and bedding, used it on bathroom surfaces and the toilet for cleaning, in my husband's smelly work boots, and around the room where my sick son has been sleeping. Best of all, the tea tree spray saves you money because it has so many uses, and you don't need to buy 10 different products for around the house!

If you want to try the Bosisto's Tea Tree Spray (RRP$12.95) you will find it in the medicinal aisle in Woolworths and in pharmacies - and if you would like more information you don't hesitate to contact FGB Natural Products directly through their website.

Now have a look at the picture below. FGB is very kindly going to send one of my blog readers one of their Picnic Packs!! This is valued at $120 and contains a 2 person picnic backpack set, Tea Tree Oil 50ml, Tea Tree Spray, and an information brochure. What a fab prize! And just in time for Summer too.

To enter (required): Simply leave a comment here on this post where you might use this fabulous prize pack over Summer.

You can also leave a separate comment for each of the following for further entries:

1. Follow this blog publicly
2. Join the Your Cheeky Monkey facebook page
3. Tweet this giveaway =
$120 Picnic Pack Giveaway at @YrCheekyMonkey http://www.yourcheekymonkey.blogspot.com/

Conditions (please read):
Australian Entries only please ~ Be sure to leave your email address in your comment if your profile is protected, if I draw you as a winner but have no way of contacting you I will re-draw the prize ~ Winner drawn randomly and contacted by email ~ Giveaway closes in one week's time on Friday 3rd December 2010 at 8pm (Qld time) ~ Prize will be sent directly to winner from FGB Natural Products.

Christmas Star Decorations

2010-11-14T14:00:00.001+10:00

Welcome to the November Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival.

The Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival hosted by Science@home is for anyone, because we are all teachers and learners all the time. This month our theme is "Technology and Design". This is about being able to design or make something to solve a problem. Check out the links at the bottom to find some other great posts on T&D.

***

In this post I am doing a fairly easy but none the less fun craft - Christmas Stars made from ice-block sticks. They are suitable for toddlers as well as older children to make. I have just used what we had in the house without purchasing anything extra.

What you will need is:

Ice-block or lollipop sticks - Craft shops usually have these in bulk and cheap. You need 6 for each star
Craft glue
Ribbon or similar for hanging
Decorations - glitter paint, sequins, jewels, etc.

Begin by gluing 2 triangles together and then let them dry (this is a good time to explore and talk about triangle shapes!)

Then glue one triangle on top of the other, each triangle the opposite way around to the other.

Then decorate as simply or as wildly as you (and the kids) like.

Some other ideas for these Christmas Stars are:

Use them as name place settings for the Christmas table - Don't put a hanger on, write the persons name on the straight bit, and decorate around.
Could also use as above on gifts.
Attach another ice-block stick to the bottom (no hanger) so you can stand it in a pot.
Attach lots along a string to make a special Christmas bunting.

This is a great craft for Christmas, simple but still effective. And a really fun introduction to technology and design!!

***

Visit Science@home to find out more about the Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival. Please take the time to visit the other participants and find more Christmas themed posts on Technology and Design.

Deb from Science@home has solved her wrapping paper problem for the environment, budget and family tradition.
Marita from Stuff With Thing prepares for Christmas a little differently in her house, come see what they do. A little Christmas present for interested readers is included in this Teach/Learn post.
Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now recommends you and your child learn how to use digital scrapbooking to create cards and gifts that will be cherished forever.
Monique at Your Cheeky Monkey shows these Christmas Star Decorations are a fun and easy craft for toddlers and pre-schoolers.
CatWay at Adventures With Kids works together with her 5 year old son to choose, design and make a Christmas present for his grandmother.
Miss Carly from Early Childhood Resources describes three types of high technology that are a beneficial tool in learning with children under the age of eight.

Beautiful Bamboo

2010-11-12T14:49:00.000+10:00

For all the right reasons, bamboo is the newest natural fibre to revolutionize clothing manufacture. It is wonderful for Eczema and Allergy sufferers, it is eco-friendly, and it feels divine! A few of the many benefits of bamboo are:

Bamboo fabric is softer than cotton, and has a texture more similar to silk
It is a naturally antibacterial and hypoallergenic product grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides
Quick to absorb moisture which means it keeps you dry and odor free
Bamboo plants are very quick growers and do not require fertilisers or pesticides to grow well, they require very little water and can survive drought conditions as well as flooding
Bamboo is a sustainable and renewable resource as it is so extremely fast growing
Bamboo fibre also has an anti-ultraviolet function

So, i am just adoring some of the bamboo products now on the market. I was recently lucky enough to win a yoga/sports top from Bamboo Belle (pictured below)... well I'm in loooove! So soft, comfy AND flattering too. I have now purchased the bamboo pants to go with the top, and to be honest I think they will be getting worn to death in time to come!

Our latest bamboo product in-store at Your Cheeky Monkey is the Shinwa Organic Bamboo Baby Wraps. These are a large muslin type wrap measuring 115 x 130cm. They are Australian designed and made from 100% organic unbleached bamboo with an organically dyed raw silk border. They are hand printed with natural pigments from hand painted original designs. I am totally in love with these too, and I'm sure any new Mum will adore swaddling her little baby in one of these!

And don't forget about our other super gorgeous bamboo products in-store:

Easy Rum Balls Recipe

2010-11-10T15:24:00.003+10:00

One of the things I really love about Christmas is the excuse to eat Rum Balls. And what makes it even better is that they are so easy to make. Here is a recipe I have had for ages (I can't even remember where I got it from), I recommend you make 2 or more batches. Once made, you can pop them in fancy jars to keep in the fridge all ready to give on Christmas morning.

Easy Rum Balls
1 packet crushed sweet biscuits (I like arrowroot)
1 cup coconut
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
2 T cocoa powder
4 T Rum
1/2 c sultanas

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Roll into ball shapes in your hands, then roll through coconut. Store in an airtight container.

Other Christmassy Links to get you in the Christmas Mood!

**Christmas shopping for gorgeous baby products online**

Christmas Gift ideas for Young and Old

2010-11-05T08:57:00.001+10:00

Well I'm trying to be organised and have started my Christmas shopping, I don't know about you but I'm a very practical sort of person (being a Capricorn), so I like most gifts I buy or make to have a usable and practical element about them. Here are some of my ideas for Christmas gifts (including some ideas for those that are hard to buy for):

Get in the kitchen and start cooking. One of my faves to make for gifts is Rum Balls, but you could also try something like Christmas Puddings to make and package up nicely to give. Foodstuffs you have made yourself are great gifts for grandparents and men.
Colin over at Super Parents has mentioned recently that he doesn't like his kids to receive too many Christmas presents. I'm in total agreement with that sentiment, and like him we give our kids a mix of things just for fun as well as things they need. This year I think swim toys will be big for us, and they have on their wish lists things from Ben 10, Transformers and Lego.
I love the post Melissa from Business Mums has recently written about Charity Gifts for Christmas gifts, and I think its a fab idea. If you need to purchase corporate gifts for your business this is definitely one area to look into.
I just love the cute Kids Christmas Mug and Finger Puppet Gift Sets I have listed in-store - very cute, but very practical! Great gift idea for a pre-schooler if you don't want to get into all the licensed things.
Jewelery is always a special option for that Mum, wife or girlfriend in your life. If you are not sure what to buy I noticed a link to a Style Tips page over at the Annette Piper Jewelery blog - lots of great tips and ideas on face shapes, a persons style etc.
Who needs to buy gifts for teachers? This year I am getting Sample Packs from Green Tea Frog for each of my boys kindy classes for the teachers to divvy up between themselves. I usually struggle with what to get for their teachers (that doesn't end up costing a fortune), and I think these are a perfect idea.
If anyone has a tiny Bubba to buy for, what about something from the Sophie the Giraffe Collection - I am just passionate about Sophie and the range of Organic Baby Gift Sets currently out. Sophie is a true icon, and is made from natural rubber, plus babies LOVE Sophie!

Feel free to share any of your Christmas Gift ideas here, I love hearing what other people like to buy and make and hopefully getting some more inspiration for my Christmas shopping too!

Other Christmas links:
Christmas Gift Ideas
Loving Christmas Crafts
Christmas Music
Photo Christmas Cards

Family Friendly Chilli Con Carne Recipe

2010-10-20T13:46:00.000+10:00

I threw this recipe together yesterday afternoon, and it was so easy and delicious I thought I would share it here. Its also fantastic value, it made 3 meals for our family from 500g mince! I have used Herbies Mexican Spice Blend, as it has no msg, chemicals or other nasties.

Family Friendly Chilli Con Carne

1 large onion, diced
500g beef mince
1 - 2 T Herbies Mexican Spice Blend
1 red capsicum, de-seeded and diced
800g tin diced tomatoes
400g tin red kidney beans, drained
400g tin corn kernals, drained
Approx 1/4 c tomato paste
Approx 1 cup vegetable stock

In a large deep saucepan, heat a dash of olive oil and fry the onions for a minute or so. Add the mince and Mexican Spice Blend and cook until mince starts to brown. Add capsicum, tomatoes, beans, corn, tomato paste and stock. Give a good stir and simmer without a lid for about 3 hours (add some water if it starts to cook too dry).

Divide into 3 (One for dinner, one for dinner the next night, and freeze one lot for another night). Serve with brown rice, as a filling for baked potatoes, or with crusty bread.

Some of my other recipes you might like to try:
Zucchini Slice
Easy Bacon & Broccoli Pasta
Slow Cooker Casserole

Why doesn't an Igloo Melt Inside?

2010-10-17T14:44:00.002+10:00

Welcome to the October Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival.

The Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival hosted by Science@home is for anyone, because we are all teachers and learners all the time. This month our theme is "Studies of Society and the Environment" which covers all the humanities, from history to finance, geography, politics and of course the environment. Check out the links at the bottom to find some other great posts on SOSE.

***

I found the theme for this month's Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival to be interesting and a bit of a challenge. Studies of Society and the Environment has such a broad range, and the topic that ended up coming to mind (with Christmas coming up/Santa/North Pole/snow.... get my drift?) was Eskimo's and Igloo's, and in particular the fascinating question of why don't houses made of ice melt when a fire is lit inside them? So, my kids and I did some reading about this topic, and we also found some cute crafts and colouring along the way (links of our favorites below).

Igloo's are built from blocks of ice laid in circles upon circles, each layer shaved down so they make a narrowing spiral. The man making it works from the inside. Then finally at the top a block with edges wider than below is dropped in to the last space left. Finally all the cracks are filled in with soft snow. Next comes the important bit. An Eskimo takes a very hot lamp inside, then closes the igloo with a block of ice to make everything airtight. When the ice starts to melt, instead of all dripping down to the ground, the water runs with the curve of the igloo and soaks gradually into the ice bricks so that they are nearly wet through. When the blocks are all wet, the door is removed, and when the cold air rushes in the house is transformed to a incredibly strong dome of ice! It's so strong a polar bear can crawl over the roof without breaking it! However, igloo's only last for the winter as once spring arrives and the temperature rises the igloo does melt and cave in.

Igloo's are a fascinating topic for those living in a warm part of Australia, and it has been fun exploring and thinking about these little ice houses.

To expand on this theme these are the activities I chose for us to work on further:

Igloo Colouring Page (with practice writing on it as well)

Build a Sugar Cube Igloo

Find out what animals live in the Arctic

Read the book 'Diego's Arctic Adventure' by Emily Sollinger

And if you are looking for a group activity save up your milk bottles and build a milk jug igloo!

***

Visit Science@home to find out more about the Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival.

Please take the time to visit the other participants and check out their posts on "Studies of Society and the Environment."

The Planning Queen has pulled together some of the many great sources that you can use to keep kids up to date with world news.
SMMART Ideas is writing about how your 2 year old isn't too young to learn the names and locations of the state she lives in and those around her...or even countries of the world!
For Adventures with Kids, photos can provide a great starting point for telling or discovering history, from family history to world history. Find out some questions to ask about the photos to get you started and where you can find historical images.
Narelle at A Bunch of Keys has been having lots of fun learning all about volcanoes and how they work.
Monique at Your Cheeky Monkey knows that kids are fascinated with igloos - how they are built and why they don't melt. We investigate why!
Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now has a fun treat to celebrate the end of a geography unit on land and water forms.
At Homeage, almost every day they get another piece of the world delivered to their door, helping them learn about where and how other people live.
Deb's girls at Science@home have been building their family tree and talking about all their relationships.

Thanks for visiting our carnival, have fun reading all the posts.

Special New Baby Gifts

2010-10-09T07:19:00.002+10:00

When I had my sons I was given lots of gift packs and nappy cakes that, while they were gorgeous to look at, contained cheap products that you buy in the $2 shops, or they were (obviously) expensive bouquets which had a lot of extraneous materials and a couple of pairs of baby socks and a singlet (or similar). Which was SO disappointing! If you have had babies, I'm sure you know what I am talking about.

This is actually a topic I am now quite passionate about, especially after starting Your Cheeky Monkey, and hearing feedback about how useful the new Mums found all the items in our packs (and being quite surprised about it).

My newest gift pack for a new baby contains the most divine products for a new Bub, and is called "Welcome to the World Little One" and contains Australian products like a Babyjo Bamboo Beanie, Baby Billie Goats Milk Soap Wash, one of our very popular Burp Cloths, a Bonds Singlet and more. There is absolutely no wasteful packaging either as it comes in a handy re-usable zippered case for Mum!!

So, if you need to purchase a special new baby gift, head over to Your Cheeky Monkey and let me create a gift for you that the new Mum will just love (and not have to throw most of it away!).

You might also like to read the amazing write-up Babyology did on our New Mum and Baby Bag a while ago!

New Mum Bag
Cuski Baby Comforters

Small Steps for Big Changes

2010-09-29T09:15:00.000+10:00

Over the past few years I am ashamed to say I have not paid very much attention to my weight or fitness. With a young family and 2 businesses it really seems to take last place on my list of priorities. So, while I don't actually feel too unfit, the kilo's have sort of crept up with that yucky re-distribution of squishy bits to hips and tummy (a while ago I even wrote an article about Exercise and Working from Home).

Because I want to start feeling a bit better about myself I have been trying to implement some SMALL changes to my life to incorporate better foods into my diet, eat less calories, and consequently have more energy and be happier. The main things I have successfully been doing are:

Replacing all the coffee (and milk in it) I drink with green tea. I still have 1 or 2 cups of coffee in the morning, but the rest of the day I am only having green tea.
Every morning having a good women's multi-vitamin and also Evening Primrose Oil tablets.
Eating a good breakfast. At the moment I love 'Table of Plenty' Muesli (with lots of nutritious ingredients), with a little bit of yogurt and milk.
Eating fruit when hungry in-between meals.
Ensuring I have a little 'Me' time each week - doing a facial or body scrub at home, going for a predicure, etc.

I suppose that doesn't sound like much, but I guess I am trying to implement the small changes gradually, otherwise it can be such a shock to the system and you end up giving up and reverting to all the old habits!

What are your 'small steps'? Comment away, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Learning to Tell the Time

2010-09-19T14:48:00.001+10:00

Welcome to the September Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival.

The Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival hosted by Science@home is for anyone, because we are all teachers and learners all the time. This month our theme is "Maths", which isn't just about counting! Our bloggers have written about games, materials, memory, shapes, graphs and more. Check out the links at the bottom to find some other great posts on Maths.

***

Is it just me, or does it seem a lot of kids (and consequently some adults) are not able to tell the time on an analogue watch? I'm not sure if its being old-fashioned on my part, but I think its quite important to be able to read an analogue watch or clock (also to understand 24 hour time as well, but that's not what I'm writing about today). My sons just had their 4th and 5th birthdays, and we bought them a watch each as one of their gifts. They just looove them and think they are so grown up having their own watch.

When a child learns to tell the time on their own, it seems to give them more of a comprehension of the sequence of the day, the process also involves recognition of numbers, number sequences, counting, general numeracy, and even starts the brain thinking about addition of numbers.

Here are some free and low cost learning time ideas I have found:

Apple has an iphone application to help pre-school age children tell the time on an analogue clock! How cool is that!
There are heaps of books available to help children learn to tell the time. One of our favorites at the moment about time is "The Grouchy Ladybug" by Eric Carle. My five year old is enjoying reading it himself, and telling the time on each page (remember to hire from the library if you don't want to buy).
You can find heaps of free online computer games, worksheets, and tutorials for learning to tell the time.
There is heaps of fantastic (and good value) resources for parents and teachers at Kids Learning is Fun for learning time.

And the most important thing I am finding at the moment is just repetition over and over again with your child about how to tell the time - What is the short hand pointing to? What is the long hand pointing to? How many minutes in an hour? Etc etc. It can be quite a complicated thing for a child to get their head around, so lots of patience and encouragement go a long way too!

***

Visit Science@home to find out more about the Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival.

Please take the time to visit the other participants and check out their posts on "Maths."

Marita at Stuff With Thing writes about meal time maths with the help of our dinner table centrepiece and other food related maths fun :)
AmandaB at HomeAge talks about numbers, shapes and sizes, who knew that nested building blocks could be so much more fun than just building them up and knocking them down!
For Cass at Schooling Choices the car is one of her favorite learning tools. She thinks you could teach a child almost everything they needed to know about Math without ever leaving the car.
Deb at Science@home let her kids raid the chocolate to measure and compare with scales and graphs.
Backyard Safari is a right-brained person who spent a lifetime struggling with math, but comes to see the light through the wonder of nature.
SMMART Ideas is another food learner, estimating with beans, noodles and cereal...and getting a little number writing practice in there too!
For Monique at Your Cheeky Monkey, learning to tell the time is an important part of learning for a child, and it incorporates areas of Maths such as number recognition, counting, sequences and general numeracy.
Narelle at A Bunch of Keys has a simple sorting activity that can be done with young children using things found around the home.
Colin at Super Parents is writing about the discipline of maths, memory, and recall at 7 years old.
Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now loves all the Montessori math materials. But there’s one material she says is absolutely brilliant.
Miss Carly from Early Childhood Resources has a range of different mathematics activities that you can play with your children of all age groups!
Ash from Mm is for Me has been having some number fun for little learners!
The Planning Queen at Planning With Kids has games to teach number recognition to preschoolers - so they don't know you're doing it!
Julie at Works For Me Homemaking says it might surprise you to know that maths is heavily reliant on language. Here is a brief discussion of some of the "language" of maths and why children struggling with language development may find maths difficult.

Thanks for visiting our carnival, we hope you find some interesting new blogs.

Lavender Spray GIVEAWAY

2010-09-10T12:20:00.001+10:00

As busy Mums we all love natural products that have multiple uses around the home. Along with Eucalyptus and Tea Tree, one of my absolute favorites is Lavender Essential Oil. I use Lavender as a natural remedy for headache, sleeplessness, in my essential oil burner, and as a deodorizer and to make things smell great. Lavender is perfect to use around a baby too to help induce sleep and as a natural antiseptic for areas such as the change table or nappy bucket. Now Bosisto's have put Lavender into their handy spray cans to make life even easier for us Mums!

The new Bosisto's Lavender Spray (RRP$12.95) can be found in the medicinal aisle in Coles and in pharmacies - if you would like more information you can contact FGB Natural Products through their website.

Would you like to try out some of the new Lavender Spray? Well I have 5 full-size 100g cans (and info brochures) to give away to my readers! Read on to find out how to get your hands on one...

To enter: Simply leave a comment here on this post about a use you can think of for Bosisto's Lavender Spray.

You can also leave a separate comment for each of the following for further entries:

1. Follow this blog publicly
2. Join the Your Cheeky Monkey facebook page
3. Tweet this giveaway =
Lavender Giveaway from @YrCheekyMonkey http://www.yourcheekymonkey.blogspot.com/

Australian Entries only please ~ Be sure to leave your email address in your comment if your profile is protected, if I draw you as a winner but have no way of contacting you I will re-draw the prize ~ Winners drawn randomly and contacted by email ~ Giveaway closes in one week's time on Friday 17th September 2010 at 8pm (Qld time).

Thoughts of Christmas Food

2010-09-08T10:48:00.001+10:00

Christmas, The Silly Season, and Christmas Food Shopping ~

With the Silly Season fast approaching, thoughts of food for Christmas Day (and indeed the Christmas Season) start knocking at my consciousness. I don't actually mean getting excited about all the yummy food and having an excuse to make a glutton of myself (although ok I do), I mean its nearly time to order the Christmas Hams and start considering just how damn hot it usually is in Queensland for Christmas lunch!! I just had to share this poem about shopping for a Christmas turkey I came across with you, it gave me a bit of a giggle!

It was Christmas Eve closing time, nearly

Where a last minute shopper, frustrated clearly

Was rummaging through the freezer cabinet

At her nearest out of town super market

Desperately searching for a frozen turkey

And couldn't find one big enough for her family

Then she saw a young shop assistant pass by

And decided that she would give him a try

"Do these turkeys get any bigger?" she said

Puzzled he replied "No madam, they're dead."

By Paul Curtis

I'm also planning my Christmas Crafts (as I talked about in an earlier post) and Christmas gifts for family members. It's always a huge challenge of what to buy the adult male members of my family - do you find this too? And don't forget if you have a little baby to purchase for you will find some gorgeous products and gift sets over at Your Cheeky Monkey :-)

External Links about Christmas you might like:
But we don't have a chimney
Christmas Gifts and the Santa Clause Club
Christmas is Coming
Christmas Gift Ideas

Yuck its Magpie Season

2010-09-07T14:42:00.000+10:00

I really hate being swooped by Magpies in Spring, there is always nesting birds around my house and I literally don't go out of the house I'm so scared of them. It's even worse seeing my boys being attacked, so my husband put these on the boys helmets to scare the maggies off (he said he has seen cyclists with similar on their helmets) - and guess what, it works!!

Finding Inspiration, or maybe not

2010-08-25T12:26:00.001+10:00

Not sure what it might be, maybe the coming change in seasons, but there has been lots of mentions and whispering of inspiration and where it comes from around the internet.

As lots of other Aussie families have, we have had a winter of constant minor sicknesses. Just bad enough to keep kids home from kindy and have you feeling rather rotten. Coupled with my over-crowded and well lived in sewing room, I have to admit I don't have many creative juices flowing at the moment. Mostly I have been working on lots of my handmade Bunny Rugs, for some reason these are quite popular at the moment, but I am happy to sit and crochet even if I am feeling under the weather!

Amanda over at Busy Mum 2010 recently blogged about getting the creative juices flowing - She is very clever to keep a journal handy for inspirational thoughts, designs & patterns, and also uses music to help kick start the creative part of her brain.

Annette over at Under The Loupe is also talking about how hard it is to get inspired at times. She thinks a little escape works wonders, such as taking a drive outside your normal area.

Hmm I think for me a spring clean of my creative space will work wonders, as well as getting my family 100% well again. All I can say is "roll on spring"!!

Learning About the Human Body

2010-08-15T15:34:00.003+10:00

Welcome to the August Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival.

The Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival hosted by Science@home is for anyone, because we are all teachers and learners all the time. This month our theme is "Science", because this is National Science Week. Science includes all sorts of practical activities and exploration and we have lots of different ideas in this carnival. Check out the links at the bottom to find some other great posts on science.

***

At what age can you start teaching kids about their bodies? Well I think as early as possible! As I am a biological science nerd by education, its something I am having so much fun with at the moment with my 2 kids. The outer body parts are all sort of on the way to being ingrained now (my boys are nearly 4 and nearly 5), so we are beginning on the internal organs - and I thought I would show you some of the things we are doing at present. The first picture below is a fantastic floor puzzle I found at the Social Book Club - every time we do it I can talk about some of the body parts, what they do, and where they are located.

Books are also a vital resource for our learning. They are great to have on hand so when questions or discussion comes up about a body part or organ, you can get some books out to look at and talk about.

Finally, here is my first ever You Tube movie effort. Don't under estimate your children's school or kindy to access for resources - I have found ours to be extremely helpful if I tell them what we are doing at home and they lend us some things to relate. In the movie is a very cool vest with organs on I loaned from the boys kindy - the boys thought this was 'so cool' and we have had heaps of fun looking at it. Here is a little clip I took of my 4 year old.

So, there we have it. A few of the fun things we are doing to begin on the path of knowing and understanding the human body's parts and their function. Hopefully I can help to instill a lifelong love of Science in my children!

***

Visit Science@home to find out more about the Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival.

Please take the time to visit the other participants and check out their posts on "Science."

CatWay at Adventures With Kids is Magnifying It by playing with magnifying glasses and microscopes to help your child explore the world of the very small.
Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now was never very scientifically minded. One year, though, we participated in a homeschool co-op science fair. Two months later we moved and didn’t have the opportunity to participate in a science fair again. But that experience was a great learning opportunity – and, yes, it actually was fun!
Monique from Your Cheeky Monkey is commencing on the road of learning about the Human Body (both inside and out). Find out a few of the things we are doing to learn about our amazing bodies!
SMMART Ideas shows how you can enjoy making these sticky spiderwebs with your child, learn how spiders actually make their webs and other arachna-facts!
Amanda B at HomeAge says that science is not her forte, but for young children the world is one big science lesson. How do we answer all their questions so that these answers are meanings rather than facts?
Narelle from A Bunch of Keys has some simple kid friendly activities to do to help attract birds into the garden.
Deb from Science@home's daughter has decided to be an alienpologist, and she's reflecting on all the different ways kids are exposed to ideas and fun activities.
Staci at Teaching Money to Kids has a simple sorting activity that kids can do anywhere to get them to observe and compare.
Ash from Mm is for Me have been running their own family Science Week with lots of fun activities.

Thanks for visiting our carnival, we hope you find some interesting new blogs.

Harry's Rocky Road Winner

2010-08-14T07:04:00.000+10:00

A big congrats to the lucky winner of the Harry's Rocky Road Chocolate Freckles ~

Random.org drew number 58, so the winner was...... S.Franssen.

Please note that some comments had to be deleted & these have been taken into account when determining the winner.

Thank you everyone for your entries!

Facebook Auction for Ugly Fabric Craftathon pieces!

2010-08-12T08:54:00.000+10:00

{AUCTION THIS FRIDAY, 13th August at 8PM EST}

The Handmade Coop will be holding a mini auction on their facebook fan page this coming Friday night 13th August. They will be auctioning off all of the fantastic creations from the UGLY FABRIC CRAFT-A-THON. Please remember that these items are strictly a ONE-OFF, so if you loved a particular piece this is your ONLY chance to make it YOURS.

Pieces were created by 1 Puddle Lane, BabyGalah, by Connie, IndigoElephant, Simply Dollicious and Your Cheeky Monkey. A photo album of the items on offer will be uploaded tonight so that you can check them out over at the Handmade Kids Cooperative Facebook Page.

My entries which are going to be auctioned were a gorgeous patchwork baby quilt, along with matching Baby Play Ball and TagNCuddle Tag Comforter. The quilt wadding is bamboo, while the soft play ball is stuffed with pure wool. Each item is beautifully handmade.

Loving Christmas Crafts

2010-08-10T19:11:00.005+10:00

I'm going to do it. Say the C word.... just don't shoot me!!

Yes, its creeping up on us - Christmas, that is. About this time of year we all break out the lists of Christmas gifts to buy, and start worrying about family feuds on Christmas day. Also a bit daunting can be the very real and scary issue of having kids a bit older who no longer believe in Santa... what on earth do you do to stop them telling the younger kids and spoiling the Christmas fun for them? Check out the Santa Claus Club, it is truly a wonderful invention!

But there is two things I love doing about this time of year. Firstly is working on getting a nice photo of my 2 boys together. I LOVE LOVE doing photo Christmas Cards with my sons, it's really a highlight of my year getting the photo and making up cards - in thinking about it, it really is a bit of a tradition for me now as I have done it every year since my first son was born. Thought I would share with you the picture below that DIDN'T make it into the Christmas cards a couple of years ago.

I also like to start planning some Christmas crafts right about now. Whether making a fabric tree skirt or a table runner, crocheting a new Christmas tea towel topper, making some baby Christmas Applique Singlets, or getting the kids to help me make some new tree decorations.

This Christmas craft project that I found is going to be first on my list this year - this is SO COOL to use up some of your old Christmas cards (if you are like me and always keep them all) - a Recycled Christmas Card Basket - can't wait to get stuck into some of these!

And to get you all in the mood here's some Christmas Music hehe.

What do you start planning for Christmas at this time of year??

Also see:
Using up the Christmas Ham

External Links:
Keeping a Gift Closet
Christmas is Coming

Harry's Chocolate Freckles Review + GIVEAWAY

2010-08-06T10:17:00.001+10:00

Put your hand up if you love chocolate! Put your hand up if your love handmade! Well, as you probably know I am passionate about both, so was pretty happy a couple of weeks ago when I was given the opportunity to review a brand new product from Harry's Rocky Road - Harry's Handmade Chocolate Freckles.

I had my blog review all planned out, I was going to do a lovely post with photos and feedback comments from my sons. But guess what. I opened the packet when they were at kindy. I couldn't help myself. I ate all of them. What a piggy.

So, all I can really say in this review is that actions speak louder than words. These were so delicious I just couldn't stop myself eating the whole packet. But upon reading the product information, the chocolate freckles are hand poured discs of Callebaut Couverture chocolate, which are sprinkled with naturally coloured hundreds and thousands. Now, does that sound like something you would waste on a child? No I say, keep these for yourself as a truly delicious adult treat!!!

They come in 6 different varieties - milk or white chocolate, sprinkled with multi-coloured, blue or pink hundreds and thousands. Wouldn't the pink or blue varieties be perfect for a baby shower??

Now we come to the fabulous part for you - Harry's Rocky Road is going to send one lucky reader of this blog TWO packets of his new Chocolate Freckles!!

To enter: Comment here why you would give anything to try Harry's new Chocolate Freckles?

You can also leave a separate comment for each of the following for further entries:

Follow this blog publicly
Join the Your Cheeky Monkey facebook page
Join the Harry's Rocky Road facebook page
Tweet this giveaway = Chocolate Giveaway from @Y_C_Monkey & @HarrysRockyRoad http://www.yourcheekymonkey.blogspot.com/
Blog about this giveaway and leave the post URL in your comment

Australian Entries only please ~ Be sure to leave your email address in your comment if your profile is protected, otherwise I can't contact you if you win ~ Winner drawn using Random.org and contacted by email ~ Giveaway closes in one week's time on Friday 13th August 2010 at 5pm (Qld time).

Busy busy week

2010-08-04T13:20:00.001+10:00

The Connect 2 Mums Conference and Ausmumpreneur Awards was held over the weekend in Brisbane. I had such a wonderful time seeing old friends and meeting lots of new Mums in business, and have come home with lots of lists of things to work on for my business. Sadly I didn't win the Handmade Mumpreneur Award, but it was certainly fun to be up there on stage with the other amazing finalists! A big congratulations to Antonette Golikidis of Little Innoscents who won the Ausmumpreneur of the Year Award. I'm sure it is going to be a fantastic year for Antonette with this recognition of her business achievements.

It was wonderful to come home on Sunday to my family, its always fun to go away but even nicer to arrive home I always think. I also came home to lots of orders which was nice, so Monday was a very busy day making up lots of TagNCuddle Tag Comforters, packing orders and sending them out. Melissa at Business Mums has just blogged about location, which got me thinking - I try and be as transparent as I can for my business (without advertising my home address as I have a home based business), and one thing I am happy to do for customer is arrange for customer pick up for those on the Gold Coast so locals don't have to pay for post if they don't want to. Lately I have included "Gold Coast" through my website quite a lot, and now that google is picking up on it I am getting many telephone calls and emails from local ladies arranging to pick up their orders. So, if you live on the Gold Coast don't forget I am always happy to offer this service.

The weather has been divine the last couple of days here on the Gold Coast, I totally agree with Annette that Spring certainly seems to be on its way no matter what part of the country you are in!

And to finish off this post, here is my latest Handmade Bunny Rug ~ Cheeky Monkies just for your own cheeky little monkey! It's just so cute, I'm getting seriously clucky at the moment with all the gorgeous baby products around!!

Product Review: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair for Eyes

2010-07-29T11:38:00.000+10:00

I have to admit straight up that I have never used Estee Lauder products. Why? I'm not sure really. Not because I didn't like the image of the brand, or that I didn't think they were good products. I believe its because I never had a friend or family member who used the brand - you know what its like, someone says "I love this new product I'm using, you just have to try it too".

So, a few weeks ago I was mightily chuffed to be chosen by Soup to be part of the test drive team for the brand new Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair for Eyes. I was happy to be given this opportunity not only to give a top of the range product a try, but to also experience an Estee Lauder product for the first time.

I have now been using Advanced Night Repair for Eyes for a few weeks, and I thought it was about time I blogged some of my thoughts about it.

Advanced Night Repair for Eyes is more of a gel than a cream - first big plus in my opinion, I live in Queensland where its hot most of the time and its SO much nicer to use a gel than a heavy cream on your face. Another thing you notice straight away is that this product smells serious - let me explain, you can tell its not filled with perfumes and other rubbish, it smells like there are lots of active ingredients and they are not trying to fool you with over the top scents or colours.

I am in my mid 30's with 2 young sons and a business, so admittedly my skin care routine has suffered badly over the past few years. It really has seemed like a low priority, however now with wrinkles starting to appear I know I'm going to have to pick my game up. I also like simple skin care routines, where I can just put the products on and go without having to muck around.

The product information tells me initial results should be brighter more radiant looking eyes, and increased hydration and smoother looking skin. Well, I do have to agree with this. The fine lines and tiredness around my eyes have improved noticeably. I will definitely be continuing to use the product nightly.

What I didn't like: The Advanced Night Repair for Eyes comes in a little tub with a little stick thing you are supposed to apply it with, then wash it each time. Well, I am too busy and too lazy to bother doing that (yes I know I'm not the expert and there is probably a reason for having to apply it like that) so for me I end up sticking my finger in it to use it. Which I know you are not supposed to do because it contaminates the product. I personally like those little airless pump container things that you don't have to worry about contaminating it with your finger, or dropping it and losing half on the floor or something along those lines.

In conclusion: I actually really like this Eye product - its fantastic to use, it actually does something, and apart from my thoughts on the packaging I would recommend it to anyone, especially if (like me) you are in your 30's or 40's and noticing some signs of aging or sun damage.

Will you please vote for me??

2010-07-28T08:50:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone!!! I would really appreciate it if you could take a moment and vote for me (YOUR CHEEKY MONKEY) over at the Handmade Kids Cooperative - I have taken part in an 'Ugly Fabric Challenge' and the result is a baby quilt, baby fabric ball and TagNCuddle Tag Comforter.

All you need to do is go to the Handmade Kids Cooperative Blog and click on YOUR CHEEKY MONKEY at the top right hand side.

THANK YOU THANK YOU if you can take the time to do this! Monique xx

Some things I love about being a Mum

2010-07-24T18:06:00.000+10:00

Early morning snuggles (even if they are wriggly little worms)
The way they smell (not thinking about the teen years yet)
The way they say "I love you mum" all the time (and burning those words in my mind)
Watching them when they sleep (and hoping I can protect them for many years to come)

The Value of Storytelling

2010-07-18T15:04:00.004+10:00

Welcome to the July Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival.

The Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival hosted by Science@home is for anyone, because we are all teachers and learners all the time. This month our theme is “English”, including Speaking, Listening, Reading and Viewing. I think our bloggers have covered all of these and there are lots of resources and game ideas, plus a giveaway. Please read through to the end to find links to the other participating blogs.

***

This month's Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival is being held in respect of the Literacy and Numeracy Week coming up at the end of the month. As I read up on what the Week is all about, I thought about what it might mean to me and my children at the ages they are of 3 and 4. The most important factor that popped into my brain was 'storytelling' - which is what I decided to write about today.

Storytelling is one of the oldest traditions of mankind. It happens in all cultures, not only to entertain children (and adults too) but to perform the most important task of passing on traditions, cultural history, and as a communication tool. Storytelling plays a vital part in the learning process for babies and children, it can help them understand situations and feelings, it brings a sense of closeness to the child and the teller of the story, and it can be incorporated into lovely daily routines that help a child feel secure and in control of the world around them.

Storytelling and books also help parents to get involved early in their child's learning, which research has shown to be a most important factor in educational achievement.

Story time at the end of the day is one of the most treasured times of the day for me as a Mum... well when my husband doesn't turn it into silly play which he so often does! But seriously, sitting quietly with my sons reading their favorite books each night is very special to me. I am a complete bookworm, and have always hoped that my children would turn out the same. That remains to be seen in our family, but we can only do our best and show what an amazing place it is when you get lost in a book.

Some of our favorite picture books to date (some old fave's and some new ones too) are:

Fix It Duck by Jez Alborough
The Very Hungry Caterpiller by Eric Carle (my favorite book as a young child)
George the Dragon and the Princess by Chris Wormell
Duck by Janet A Holmes and Jonathan Bentley
The Terrible Plop by Ursula Dubosarsky
A Very Proper Fox by Jan Fearnley
Little Monkey by Kimberley Ainsworth

There are lots more of course, but they are just some honorable mentions for ones that get a LOT of use.

Some ideas on extending the practice of storytelling also deserve a mention here in my post. Just a few things that spring to mind could be:

Act out the story with props or puppets, let your child's imagination go and create a puppet show from the story in the book.
Let your child (even if they can't read) turn the pages and "read" the story on their own out loud. It is really quite amazing listening to the story they tell.
Use really crazy, funny or over the top voices for the story. Lots of fun!
Use a book to spot different colours, or shapes, or name the animals. The list goes on.

And finally, if you have a child or children aged 5 or under, I have to recommend one Australian organisation to you - The Little Big Book Club is a not for profit arts organisation committed to the promotion of literature, reading, and Australian authors and illustrators. I have been a regular reader of their website for many years, and a few months ago discovered they have a facebook page too where they post information, giveaways and more. I can't say enough about this amazing organisation and what they do for young Australian families and the creators of picture books for kids.

Storytelling to me is a truly vital part of life for both children and adults, and I hope that my sons keep their love of books through their lives and in turn pass it down to their children. Then I know I will be happy!

***

Visit Science@home to find out more about the Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival.

Please take the time to visit the other participants and check out their posts on “English.”

Monique at Your Cheeky Monkey has written about why her family thinks storytelling is so important, some storytelling ideas, and a few of their favorite books.
Julie at Works For Me Homemaking is encouraging sound play with preschoolers and not just for fun. It is an important tool to develop sound awareness skills and enhance early literacy development.
Staci from Teaching Money to Kids reminds us that sometimes language and interaction need to be explicitly taught and practiced, and has some ways to teach the language of sharing.
Leechbabe from Stuff with Thing asks what happens when your child interprets everything said to them in a very literal way? How do you aid their understanding of the funny things people say?
Squiggle Mum was reminded recently that you don’t have to be a literacy specialist to know how to read aloud to a young child. After all, it ain’t rocket science…
Lisa at SMMART Ideas has a LETTER MATCHING activity to help you practice spelling words, or even foreign language vocabulary.
Deb from Science@home has a giveaway to help you go on an expedition on your bookshelf.
Colin Wee at Super Parents is teaching his kids to argue by learning how to create a reasoned argument for English creative writing and the OREO Acronym.
The Planning Queen from Planning With Kids had her own bookclub when she and her son read the same book. It was a great experience to have a book discussion with her son where she hadn’t been reading the story “to him”.
Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori agrees with Maria Montessori that young children have a natural love of learning. Thanks to matching Montessori sandpaper letters with small objects, her son decided as a toddler that learning to read was just a fun game.
Amanda at HomeAge posts that we all know The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but Eric Carle has so much more to offer to young readers, particularly those interested in the natural world. With bright, beautiful artworks and simple, repetitive stories these books are a wonderful way to entice the young “reader”.
Miss Carly from Early Childhood Resources has steps and advice in creating a literacy rich environment for children of all ages.
Christie at Childhood 101 points out that the process of sharing stories through oral storytelling is an age old tradition amongst families, but does it have a place in our busy modern day family life?
Sarah at Bringing up Baby Bilingual describes her public library’s Writing Buddies program where high school student volunteers lead groups of at-risk fourth and fifth graders through a series of outer-space-themed writing activities. Writing prompts and resources included in the post!
CatWay at Adventures With Kids asks What is phonics all about? Is this something I should know more about to help my child learn to read and write?
Narelle from A Bunch of Keys has some simple suggestions for making your own literacy resources for children at home. Includes ideas for books with simple rhymes, books with puppets, books about family trips and making felt boards.
Zoe at Playing By the Book has gone fishing for words in illustrated dictionaries to support her early reader.

Thanks for visiting our carnival, we hope you enjoy some of these posts and have found some interesting blogs.

Welcome to the July Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival.

The Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival hosted by home.org”>Science@home is for anyone, because we are all teachers and
learners all the time. This month our theme is ”English”,
including Speaking, Listening, Reading and Viewing. I think our bloggers have
covered all of these and there are lots of resources and game ideas, plus a
giveaway. Please read through to the end to find links to the other
participating blogs.

***

And the Winner is....

2010-07-14T12:20:00.000+10:00

The winner of the Cool Things for You Giveaway has been drawn!! We had a total of 73 entries which was very impressive, all you Mums must need a bit of a treat.

Entry number 27 was the winner as determined by Random.org which is..............

Be A Fun Mum - YAY big congrats!

Thanks everyone for entering, sorry there could be only one winner, but keep an eye out for another giveaway down the track a bit.

Handmade Mumpreneur of the Year Finalist & Mag Feature

2010-07-09T12:34:00.003+10:00

I am so excited to be 1 of 5 finalists that has made it through to the final round for the 'Handmade Mumpreneur of the Year' in the upcoming Ausmumpreneur Awards. Many other extremely worthy Mumpreneur designers and business women have also made the final, so its certainly going to be a very exciting night come the Awards ceremony. You can see all the awards and finalists at Connect 2 Mums.

Your Cheeky Monkey has also been included in a "MWWAH" (Mums who work at home) Feature in the July Issue of Soap World Magazine, which I am very chuffed about! Check out the image of the feature below to see all the other fabulous businesses included. A big thanks to Jess of MWWAH for extending this opportunity to all of us.

This week also brings one of our Bunny Rugs being featured in the Handmade Kids Cooperative Blog, the theme being "Warm and Fuzzy" - too cute!

I am also very busy with end of financial year stuff - its time to get the bookwork in order not only for the last quarters BAS, but to finalise everything for the 09/10 Financial Year. School holidays are also in full swing, although with my oldest only stating Prep next year they don't really affect us. I love this idea which I saw at the Business Mums Blog as a kids activity - Decorating Envelopes - sounds like heaps of fun for both Mums and Kids (bring out your inner child! Send those business letters with some fun stickers if you dare!). And over at the Under the Loupe Blog, Annette suggests reading books in front of the fire in this wintery weather - now that's my idea of heaven!

Don't forget too my GIVEAWAY ends tomorrow evening - click {HERE} to enter.

And the last bit of exciting news is that Sophie the Giraffe has a whole new organic range called 'So Pure' which has just been released, and Your Cheeky Monkey is one of the very first stockists in Australia. There are 4 beautiful new packs to choose from in the So Pure Organic Sophie Range.

Related Posts:
NEWS NEWS NEWS
Hip Little One Feature
New Mum & Baby Bag

Cool Things for You GIVEAWAY

2010-07-02T13:07:00.000+10:00

I'm well overdue to post a giveaway, in fact its been on my to-do list for ages. So I thought this time I would put together a pack of products for Mums (not kids) because I think we all tend to buy or win things for our children but not usually for ourselves (selfless creatures that we are). The pretty pic below is everything that one reader of my blog will win:

Magnetic shopping list
T-shirt with my funky monkey logo printed on the front - Size M (I am a size 12-14 and this is the size I wear and there is still heaps of room in it)
One of my handmade kitchen hand towels with a crochet topper and really cute farmyard design. I just LOVE these hand towels in the kitchen, with little kids they don't slip off the rail all the time leaving you to always be hanging it back up.
One of my cute mini totes, dark blue suede-ette lined with pink fabric.
500ml Anti-bacterial Hand Sanitizer Gel - perfect for winter and all the bugs around, also great for using on your hands after nappy changes etc when you are busy with baby and don't have time to put bub down to go and wash your hands at the sink.
All packaged up in a Fregie Sack bag (you use these when fruit and veg shopping so you don't have to use plastic bags).
Plus YCM pen, bookmark etc.

So how cool is that? Lots of handy bits and pieces someone can WIN! Now, here's the fine print of how to enter:

To enter visit Your Cheeky Monkey and comment here what you would purchase for a new baby gift and why?

You can also leave a separate comment for each of the following for further entries:

Follow this blog publicly
Join the Your Cheeky Monkey facebook page
Subscribe to the Your Cheeky Monkey newsletter
Tweet this giveaway = Cool Things Giveaway from @Y_C_Monkey http://www.yourcheekymonkey.blogspot.com/
Blog about this giveaway and leave the post URL in your comment

TagNCuddle Squeezie Toy

2010-06-28T14:04:00.002+10:00

If you didn't know, I make quilts. Not commercially, just for my family. I love making them. Anyway, I have a huge pile of 9 block squares that I once got rather carried away making. I made the quilt they were for, and there were heaps left over. Maybe 100 believe it or not. So they have sat in my sewing room for ages and I have been trying to figure out what to do with them, as I didn't want to make another quilt with them. I was mucking around the other day and this is what I came up with - a fun little version of my TagNCuddle... this is a soft toy for a baby - the 9 block square one side with soft flannelette the other, and some tags, ribbons and ric-rac sewn in around the edge. Gently stuffed with fibre fill. I love this toy because it has no hard bits so you don't have to worry about baby falling asleep with it, it is also fantastic for strengthening bub's hands with the squeezing and playing with tags. It is 6 inches across each way so perfect to keep in your handbag or nappy bag to keep baby entertained on outings. And at $12 great value too. Find the TagNCuddle Squeezie Toy here.

Your Cheeky Monkey - Shop online for baby products - Cuski, gift packs, New Mum & Baby Bag, & More

Delicious Muesli Slice Recipe

2010-06-27T09:14:00.002+10:00

A while ago I saw a recipe for a Choc Chip Muesli Slice Recipe posted on Planning with Kids - Muesli Slice is something I love but have never cooked much, so I thought I would give this one a whirl as it looked so easy. Well, I can't even tell you the number of times I have made this now - it is a firm family favorite, and I'd love to share my version of it with you.

Muesli Slice Recipe

2 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
1 packet milk chocolate bits
1/2 cup sultanas
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar (or I substitute Organic Coconut Palm Sugar - which is delicious!)
2/3 cup plain flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 cup canola or olive oil
1/3 cup milk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Line tray with baking paper.
In a large bowl place oats, coconut, choc bits, sultanas and sugar.
Sift plain flour and baking powder into mixture in bowl.
Into bowl put oil, milk and egg and with a large cooking spoon mix all together well.
Tip into prepared pan and press mixture into pan. (**Tip - have a glass of water and use a metal spoon - dip spoon into water and press mixture evenly into pan. Whenever spoon sticks to mixture dip it in the water again. Then smooth over top).
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until top is golden.
Allow slice to stand in the pan for 15 minutes, and roughly cut before it cools completely and hardens.
Store in air tight container.

I have made a couple of adjustments of my own to this recipe, like adding sultanas, and using the Organic Coconut Palm Sugar, it seems a very flexible recipe and I'm sure you can adjust it too to your family tastes.

YOUR CHEEKY MONKEY - SHOP ONLINE FOR BABY PRODUCTS, GIFTS, CUSKI

Gold Coast Champers & Shopping

2010-06-19T09:18:00.000+10:00

To celebrate the stocking of the Babyjo Bamboo Blankets & Beanies, I am putting on a shopping morning this coming Friday morning the 25th June 2010.

Join me for something to eat and a glass of champers if you wish, some adult chit-chat, and have a relaxed browse of our products including Sophie the Giraffe, handmade bunny rugs, & I will have in stock by then the NEW organic range of Cuski Comforters. If you are planning on coming along and would like any products in particular out, please let me know during the week.

A discount will be offered for purchases on the day (as well as no postage costs of course).

From 10am to 12 midday, I am in the Bundall area - please contact me if you would like more information.

Babyjo Bamboo Blankets & Beanies

2010-06-16T15:20:00.001+10:00

Just in time for winter, Your Cheeky Monkey is over the moon to now be a stockist of the fabulous Australian owned & designed Babyjo Bamboo Blankets and Beanies. I am so pleased the lovely Jo accepted us as a stockist, as I feel the Babyjo 2 layer Blankets and matching Beanies for babies perfectly match & complement our other ranges at Your Cheeky Monkey, as well as fitting with our store philosophy.

The benefits of these gorgeous bamboo products for baby are:
Organically grown
Eco friendly & Sustainable - fastest growing plant on the earth and it improves soil quality as well
Biodegradable
Softer than the softest Cotton imaginable
Highly breathable, much more so than cotton
60% more absorbent than cotton.
Wonderful for Eczema and allergy sufferers - Soothing to the skin
Wicks away moisture to keep you fresh and dry
Odour resistant - great for babies!
Washes and irons beautifully

You might also be interested for your baby in the wonderful Organic BAMBOO Fair Trade Cuskiboo Cuski Baby Comforter ~ These are made from organically grown bamboo and are just so soft and beautiful. You can also have a read of my previous post about why I think Cuski Comforters are so Fabulous!

Find the full range of matching Babyjo Blankets & Beanies at Your Cheeky Monkey - The 6 colour-ways available are:
Natural Eco (Plain cream with brown trim)
Little Miss (Dusky Pink Stripes)
Little Master (Blue stripes)
Little Akai (red stripes)
Little Apple Blossom (green stripes)
Natural Babe / Cocolatte (brown stripes)

All products are in-store & ready to ship.

Brisbane PBC Expo on THIS WEEKEND

2010-06-15T09:15:00.004+10:00

If you’re in Brisbane make sure you drop into the Brisbane Pregnancy Babies & Children’s Expo this weekend to enter Connect2mums fabulous competition where you’ll have the chance to win over $2000 in prizes including fabulous prizes from us! They also have gorgeous hot pink goodie bags for every one who enters the competition! Monique from Your Cheeky Monkey will be there on Friday to chat.

The expo runs from Friday 18 June – Sunday 20 June at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre and Connect2mums will be at stand F09. Visit Connect2mums http://www.connect2mums.com.au for more details.

The Expo provides expectant parents and parents with young children with access to friendly professionals from government departments, health organisations and respected support groups and companies. It also showcases the newest and most practical products. Visitors can benefit from the hands on demonstrations and leave with an appreciation of the best options available to suit their needs. There is also lots of fun free entertainment for parents to enjoy with their children, including Dorothy the Dinosaur and Old McDonalds Farm. Visit the expo website for free ticket information and with over 200 exhibitors participating, you can also check out the Brisbane Expo Planner to plan your day.

Brisbane PBC Expo:
18th – 20th June 2010
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, South Bank
Friday: 10am – 4pm (last admission 3pm)
Saturday & Sunday: 10am – 5pm (last admission 4pm)

Plus get your FREE ENTRY TICKET by visiting the Brisbane PBC Expo Website!

And are you in Perth? Find out more about the Perth PBC Expo in August.

Cutting to Collage

2010-06-13T13:52:00.010+10:00

Welcome to the June Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival, 'Kids and Learning.'

The Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival hosted by Science@home is for anyone, because we are all teachers and learners all the time. This month our theme is "Art" which doesn't just mean doing craft - it includes music, performance art and appreciation as well! Our bloggers have come up with many different thought-provoking takes on this theme. Please read through to the end to find links to the other participating blogs.

***

With the cold winter weather now well and truly here, arts and crafts are perfect to help fill in days where you might not be able to get outside to play much. The favourite in our house at the moment by far is cutting with scissors. My two will literally spend hours happily cutting up old magazines and junk mail and putting all their clippings into a container. And its just brilliant for keeping them occupied while I am putting on dinner!

I also love this activity because using scissors and practicing cutting like this is, for pre-schoolers, one of the best things your child can do to build up hand and finger strength and dexterity, which in turn benefits their pencil holding skills and hence how well they learn to write. Which for this age group is really one of the priorities of learning. If a child is not doing things to build up hand strength he will have trouble with writing skills.

There is a huge range of age appropriate scissors available these days. A while ago I bought the boys a pair of scissors each (different colours of course!) suited to their ages - as you can imagine they just love having their own scissors each! I keep them well out of reach when not in use, and make sure this is a well supervised activity when I know I won't be disturbed or called away. Its also a good idea to reiterate rules for scissor use each time - no pointing them at each other, do not get down from the table with them, hold them correctly, etc.

So, yesterday I thought I would let the boys loose with their scissors and a big pile of junk mail and those free magazines, followed by collage with the clippings, little bits of cut up fabric scraps of different colours and textures, & other crafty bits and pieces. You could also adapt this activity into something fun like making dress up crowns or similar like my previous post Making Easter Hats on a Budget.

We had an absolute ball filling in the morning with this activity, and the boys had some fantastic collages to show their dad when he arrived home from work!!

***

Visit Science@home to find out more about the Teach/Learn Blogging Carnival.

Please take the time to visit the other participants and check out their posts on “Art.”

CatWay at Adventures With Kids is getting the most out of a trip to the art gallery with ideas of how to prepare children and interest them while they are there.
Mamapoekie from Authentic Parenting argues for the importance of art and why we should be encouraging it as our children get older.
Miss Carly from Early Childhood Resources talks about how to create an environment that encourages young children to explore art.
Sharon at Hear Mum Roar has done a fantastic video post by getting her children to do an activity two different ways and letting you see the very different results.
Amanda at HomeAge has been admiring art with her daughter since she was a baby, taking her to several art exhibitions and reading books.
Kate from Picklebums talks about why art is important for little people and has a huge list of activities you can try.
The Planning Queen from Planning With Kids has tips for visiting the art gallery with kids, including links to different galleries and some ideas for activities afterwards.
Colin Wee at Super Parents is thinking about his son’s musicality as he learns to play the violin.
Deb from Science@home has her children investigating materials while making sculptures and bravely let the 2 year old use a hot glue gun.
Leechbabe from Stuff with Thing started out looking at patterns in nature, but the activity changed because she followed her children’s lead.
Monique at Your Cheeky Monkey has used an indoor activity, giving her children magazines to cut out and create collages.
Lisa at SMMART Ideas has a sidewalk chalk festival in her own driveway!

Thanks for visiting, we hope you enjoy some of the posts in our carnival.