Bathroom Renovations: Fun or fight filled?

Renovating a bathroom is one of those things that seems like such a great idea at the time. Flash new  tiles, showers without cracks in them, grout that is not black and taps where the water stops running  when you turn them off.

Then you go shopping as a couple to choose a tap, or a basin, or a tile and all of a sudden that great idea is not feeling so joyful.

One of you prefers the budget option, one of you prefers the functional, better looking nicer option.

Together you have excitedly booked the first of the tradesman who will need the bathroom for 8 days, he is arriving in a week. It seems neither of you considered that it takes two weeks for the vanity you want to be ordered and the custom made version will take 6 weeks. Do you go for a bathroom minus a vanity for six weeks or choose the inferior version, or worse still race to ikea and see how you go with a flat pack?

As for taps, who pays $2000 plus for a shower head and $1500 for the matching taps? Who are these people and have they not heard of Bunnings? Or at least tell me, how do you convert your husband into becoming one of these people.

I'm looking forward to seeing and using the new bathroom, but I'm not sure what I am going to end up with in a couple of weeks time, I do know that I am going to be a lazy slob and not clean the tiles for the week considering they are about to have a date with a crowbar.

In need of grown up lunch boxes.

It seems my Dad has gone and got himself some rare crazy disease, one of those ones that makes the doctors sit up and get interested. So the parentals have left their rural retreat and while Dad gets poked and prodded all day each day in the hospital, Mum is staying with us and visiting the hospital each day.

Hospital cafeteria food is not fabulous, it's also expensive and sometimes not convenient if you are waiting around for stuff to happen and doctors to call and visitors to arrive so I thought it best to make Mum a packed lunch each day when I make the school lunch.

Of course all the lunch boxes I have are rather pink, covered in butterflies or love hearts.

I had to send Mum into the hospital yesterday carrying this, it's rather large, too big to fit in her handbag, but comes with it's own handle so Mum could carry it nicely. It wasn't really a match for the rest of her outfit, but she didn't complain.

I may have overfilled it as lots of it came back. Apparently Mum doesn't require eight pieces of fruit, two rounds of sandwiches, two types of biscuits and a jar of muesli just for lunch...but you never know.

Today I also figured out the new train ticketing system and put Mum on the train. We all waited by our mobiles in case she lost her way on public transport and navigating the city, but all was fine. The Eagle landed with her packed lunch.

The girls seem to think having a Granny staying is rather fabulous, and really when she keeps dishing out things they have never tried, what is not to love?

So tell me, there must be fancy trendy lunch boxes for grown ups that don't come from tupperware, what's your lunch box of choice, cos I might need to update my collection!

A little bit about car seats.

This is a sponsored post for the NRMA via Digital Parents Collective 

When I was pregnant with Popps there seemed to be an endless number of things on the list of items we must have. Prams, cots, cradles, wraps, slings, baby bags, monitors, designer toys and the list went on. I soon realised that a decent car seat was actually the most important item to consider when you look at the list of things your baby will need.

It took me a couple of seats to work that out, so here is what I suggest you do to save yourself purchasing an excessive numbers of car seats.*

Firstly, when it comes to the cost consider that your baby will be in a couple of car seats for at least seven years, long past the point of being pushed in a pram or sleeping in a cot and certainly past the time you want to hear their every word on a monitor strapped to you as you walk around the house. If you need to save some coin, ditch the nappy bin, the dummy strings, the bumbo, the floor mats and all those things that last a few months and put the money to the car seat.

It can be difficult to choose the right car seat, there are many to choose from and they do differ quite a bit. There are also road rules that you will need to abide by that assist in looking after the safety of your child. The laws differ depending on the age of your child and apply to babies under six months, from six months to four years and four to seven years. Each age group has a specific style of seat recommended. Some seats will work for many years, but you will generally use at least two different seats until your child is seven.

All car seats must meet the Australian Standards, regardless of cost, but you can consult the NRMA’s test results to choose a top safety rating restraint.  This site also tells you how easy the seat is to fit.

You can buy a second hand car seat or use one which you know the history of. If the seat is second hand, take a look at the sticker on the side or back of the chair, this will tell you when the seat was made, if it happens to be more than ten years old, then the seat is no longer considered safe, no matter how clean it is and how little it was used. If you are unsure if a seat was previously in an accident then don’t risk using it for your child either.  

Once you know you are looking at a seat that meets safety standards the next thing to look for is how easy it is to use and will it fit in your car.

Crucial to any new seat I now buy is how easy it is to adjust the straps. Make sure you play around in the shop with the straps. Often Immy might be in a bulky coat and jumper in the morning and I need to lengthen the straps, by the time we are strapping in again later in the day she may be in a t-shirt. I adjust the straps each time and the car seat with the push button adjustable harness is far simpler to use for both of us. I also did this when the girls were newborns. Tiny babies can be fiddly, it can be easier to lengthen the straps quite long, place the baby in the seat click them in and adjust accordingly. If you are unsure how tight to make the straps, you should be able to fit two fingers between the child and the straps.

When Popps was a newborn we purchased a cheaper seat for the second car, initially we were moving the one seat from car to car which is a really stupid idea. Currently we have both cars fitted with appropriate seats for a 6 year old and a 3 year old. We also have spare seats in case we need to travel with a little friend in each car and one for the grandparents to use.

While a booster seat for a child over the age of 4 doesn’t legally need to use the tether strap in your car we only use those that are. I also prefer to use booster seats that have what is called an anti submarine clip on the seat; this clip ensures the belt is held down around the hips area and stops the belt creeping up over your child’s tummy where little internal organs could be damaged in the case of an accident.

Once you have fitted a few car seats into a car you get used to it pretty quickly, but the statistics show a very high number of seats are not fitted correctly into cars. There are now a number of places that provide free fitting of child seats into your car or you can pay a small fee to have it done for you. Mr H did this while I was in hospital and it made that first wobbly drive home from hospital a tiny bit calmer. They showed him how to fit the seat and included the additional buckles we needed at the time.  

In a perfect world you will never test the safety of the seat you choose, but the Child Restraint Evaluation Program  has done many tests and rates the seats accordingly - it can be a useful place to start when you begin the search for a car seat.  Interestingly, not a single seat gets the full five stars in the ratings for both safety and ease of use. The things that are not taken into account are the added extras; cup holders, cushioning, fabric design, and speakers in the headrest. These are things that your child doesn’t need to be kept safe, but they can be rather useful for parents, especially those that spend many hours in the car.

Buying the right seat can be tricky. But never fear, there are plenty of people who can help you.

If you are in Sydney and heading to the Sydney Baby and Toddler Show on 28-30 September you should track down the NRMA booth and go and talk to them. NRMA wants to share everything they know on how to keep kids safe in and around cars. They will be able to help you with any further questions you have about the right seat for you.  Also, if you are an NRMA member you get 40% off the cost of the ticket for the Show.

* At last count I have had nine seats for two children. This wouldn’t have been required if I did my reading first. 

This is how a good day rolls.

Not all days just work from start to finish. Some days are filled with children wetting beds, cars that don't start, phone calls with bad news.

Yesterday was not one of those days.

Yesterday was just a good day from the tips of it's fairy nose to the nail polish on its toes.

We headed off altogether to check out the latest Tinkerbell movie. Mr H and I expected to just endure it as one of those things good parents do, but we both actually really enjoyed it! Maybe we had low expectations, maybe seeing the girls enjoy it so much was what we liked, it doesn't really matter why though, the four of us all had a great morning.

We then headed off to play in the park in the city beside the Melbourne Museum, we met some other family and the kids ran and ran and ran in the sunshine before we strolled down to Lygon street and ate gelato icecream (lime is the best!)

Mr H had arranged a time in the early evening for a tiler to come and quote on updating our bathroom from filthy brown to something a bit more modern and as the stars and moons had somehow aligned for the day the meeting ended with Mr H booking him in. In the past a quote from a tradesman has ended with comments along the lines of

"Stuff that, I will do it myself." Not this time.

Modern new bathroom, you are but a month away from greeting me.

Once the kids were in bed I then got to watch my new favourite show, Call the Midwife, with my new favourite treat, dark chocolate with passionfruit.

And that is how a good day rolls.






Note: We were guests at Tinkerbell,  I was under no obligation to write about it, nor was I paid to mention it. We loved it, it added to our day so I am sharing. There was no chocolate provided to encourage this post. I am not paid to promote ABC TV shows. Lygon St ice cream do not sponsor me, nor is there actually a shop by this name, I don't know what the name is.  Actually, it seems no one is sponsoring me, but in the interests of being upfront, I am adding this disclaimer in.

A Paper Chatterbox

Do you remember making and playing with chatterboxes at school? I can remember making hundreds of them.

When one of the bigger kids at school gave one to Popps recently she was beside herself with the excitement of it all. It was fun. It was cool.

She asked me to help her make one too so I pulled the gifted one undone and tried to figure it out. I couldn't work out which folds went first and how to get the angles to move and she soon gave up on me,but not the idea and this week the art teacher at school showed her how to do it.

Last night we spent some time making chatterboxes. They are fun, Immy loved making them too and writing the numbers on them, at 3 she is good with her numbers but isn't able to read and write so I helped her with that. Popps likes trying to write a new thing on each panel and really likes involving everyone with the game - pick a number, pick a number!

Now I am reminded of how easy they are to make I thought I would share the simplicity.

(apologies for my overuse of Picmonkey, I can't help it)

Be imaginative, add jokes, stories, wishes or maths questions if you are so inclined.

Once again, it's who not what you know that's important.

It's happened.

We have a box of 50 chocolate bars to sell to raise money for the primary school. I have been dreading this moment because I know my will power fails when chocolate is in the house.

Our street is filled with school kids and they do not want to be buying our chocolate, they have a box already.

A mum at school pick up told me she got rid of hers on the first night they came home from school. I couldn't believe it, I asked her for tips on what to do. Easy she said, I just walked around to my Mums house, my brothers house and the in laws and made them all buy some.

Once again I realise in life it is not at all about what you know and all about who you know. In this case, who do I know that I can pester into buying 50 chocolate bars (ok, about 41, I am slowly working my way through them).

I am all for school fundraisers and joining in, but aren't there better options than the chocolate box, my hips really don't need them.

How does your school raise money?

A sunny project.

There are times when you need to do stuff and just not think too much.

The perfect project found me under an old Mulberry tree two weeks ago.

I bundled the treasure into the back of the car. When we got it out and into the backyard a huntsman spider crawled out to say hello. I put him on a stick and placed him in the lemon tree before I got to work.

Ideally I would have used a power tool of some kind to sand this to perfection but I didn't know where we kept such things. The local hardware man pointed me in the direction of the sand paper and then another old man came over and told me what I should use. His English was broken, but we muddled through what I was planning to do, he figured in the end that I was sanding a steal gate. Close enough.

The girls liked to help with the sanding and my hands ended up pretty rough. After two days it was looking about as good as I thought I would get it.

Next task was to make it a bright and happy seat. I need something to be placed near the swing set, often in the warmer weather I have to sit there to watch 'concerts', there is a lot of "look at me, look at me" that goes on at our swing set and it was time I planted a seat there.

Yellow also fits in perfectly with the lemon tree.

Have you got a project you are working on?

Winning Weekend: Party Book

It's true, I love a kids party.

Really love them. 

Actually I should say that I just really love a party, full stop, but at the moment the majority of parties I attend the person celebrating is a long way from tasting their first champagne. 

So if I am to celebrate with the little folk then I like it to be a good one. 

A good party needs four things

Cake

Decorations

Music

Happy People

Everything else is a bonus.

Our brand new book Party is already grubby just from me and Popps flicking the pages over and over. She isn't sure which party to have first. It is a major dilemma in her life each year, choosing the theme for her party. The witches ball was picked months in advance last year and so far this year it seems Pool Party will be the winner, but we do still have 4 and a half months to go. 

Immy is pretty clear. Princesses. Princess cake, princess dress. Princess food. No boys. So yet again I will be hosting a princess party this year.

But I have lots of new ideas from the new book.

Party will not be on the streets until October, but you can be one of the first people to grab a copy by leaving me a comment and telling me about one of your birthday's as a child. Did you have the Women's Weekly cook book at your place?

Entries will only be taken today and tomorrow. Comments close at 8pm Sunday 2 September. Only Australian Entries allowed. 

I hope your weekend has a party in it.

This giveaway is now closed.

The winners are:

Michelle Louwrens and Josephine Kelly. Emails shall be hitting your inbox soon.