Experimenting with paint

I thought, in the lead up to Christmas, Lily creating some artwork for family would be a cheap and sentimental idea, as well as a lot of fun.

I got out the 3 primary colours so Lily could experiment with mixing and colours changing. I think it was more fun exploring the feel of the paint first up though, as we ended up painting ourselves.

After she finished painting her body (which I prepared her for by putting a disposable nappy on her), she moved on to using the different sponges that I had laid out to move the paint around and make lines and "drawings" in the paint.

And much to my surprise, the "clean up" was just as much fun for Lily!

On a side note, it didn't really go to plan for the Christmas presents, as I couldn't find appropriate frames for her artwork... I will keep searching though!

Playdough

I made some home made playdough for the first time, and thought we'd see how Lily went with it. 

There was the obligatory taste, which resulted in a few raspberries, but other wise we had lots of fun.

 

We didn't have any playdough "toys" but we improvised and had fun pinching, rolling and flattening the playdough.

We used this recipe, which I find makes it perfectly! (and lasts for ages it seems)

http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/Play-Dough-L926.html

First Family Camping Trip

We finally found the time (and money!) to go on a camping trip, as a family! Worried a bit at first, as I thought we might over pack, but I think we did very well (other than me bringing my eco pot, with no pots in it).

Of course though, it had to rain. We left our home with a blue sky finally starting to show. Drove for 2 and a half hours without hitting rain, before our little miss woke up and demanded out. We stopped at Coffs Harbour and drove down to the Jetty as Chris had never been there. Went for a short walk and there were whales jumping! Amazing!! And I didn't even have a camera. Chris finally got to see some whales, not that he seemed to fazed by it all anyway. Lily seemed to find every single puddle to jump and dance in, and was not happy when we decided it was time to go. We stopped several times before getting to our destination of Hat Head Holiday Park. 

Nothing too special about the camp ground itself, but it was situated on a creek and a beach! The grey clouds were starting to loom, so after Lily had a massive run around loving all that the outdoor had to bring, we quickly set up camp. After setting up camp, we were feeling quite lazy, so we went to the bowlo for some dinner and a drink, which just happened to be about 50m from our camp site.

The first night it rained and thundered, and had flashes of lightning throughout the night (at least it waited for us to go to bed though). After Lily went down really easily, she woke up in the night several times (not unusual) but one time just seemed freaked and would not calm down. Ended up having to get the laptop with her In the Night Garden DVD going to calm down. And after watching an episode and saying good bye to them she rolled over and went to sleep. PHEW! Tents don't offer any sound protection, so I was so scared that she may have woken up the whole camp.. which is probably why the camp ground managers put us so far away from everyone (but right next to the beach).

I woke to a knocking noise. My friends were coming up from Sydney to meet us, and I thought that they had miraculously turned up early and were trying to let us know they were here by knocking on the table. I woke up Chris who just told me I was crazy and went back to sleep. I fished out my phone and they were definitely not any where near by so I tried to go back to sleep, which is almost impossible in a tent. So I got up, and what a mess!!!! We had put our gazebo down to its shortest setting to ensure our things would stay dry if it rained, but we never thought of this. Our food was every where. All the food I had brought that wasn't cold. The birds had come in and pecked their way through everything. ARGH! Now I know what the knocking was.

After cleaning up the mess, and having a shower, we headed out and grabbed some food for breakfast. A burger with the lot was Chris' choice. Only one place really to get food from for breakfast, but they did have an awesome vanilla milkshake.

Since it was still raining, we decided to just drive around. We went and explored the Hat Head National Park, and saw another whale at the Gap. Took Terry off road for the first time, which was a little exciting. Checked out the Hat Head National Park camping grounds, which had some Kangaroos camping there too. On the way out we saw a track and started to drive down it, but got a call from my friends to say they were almost at the campground, so we turned around at our first chance and headed back. Guess that will be an adventure for next time.

After cooking up some nachos for lunch, we went for a drive looking for something to cook for dinner while it still rained. We ended up having to drive out of town, where we found a little store that had enough selection to get the ingredients to make Beef Strognoff (sp) with Potato and Kumera (sweet potato) mash. By the time we prepared it all, the rain had lifted, so my friends and Chris went for a fish while I waited for Lily to wake. Not long after they left the sun shone through the clouds and it was beautiful! This place is sooo pretty with the sun shining on everything.

After a non successful fishing adventure, and a wander, we headed back for dinner and tried to get a campfire going. After getting some flames going it slowly fizzed out. So after dinner we went down to the bowlo and had a drink and watched the end of the rugby. There was a party there with lots of people dressed up as things starting with the first letter of their name (apparently). Lily was scared of most of the men, in particular one dressed as Santa, and one dressed as Mary (as in Jesus' mum). 

The next day was absolutely beautiful. Hot by 9am, so we were all off to the beach for a splash. Lily loved it, until a wave knocked her over, with sand everywhere. So we headed back to pack up camp, and Lily shows how much she has had a word explosion, asking to go back to the beach by saying "Bee? Bee?". After some playing with my friends, she has a nap and we finish packing up leaving the rest of the day playing in the sun, or at least til we had to leave to make it back in time for the Wallabies vs the All Blacks game.

I totally recommend going there if you are in to the beach and camping. Next time we are going to camp closer to the amenties though.

And just to prove I was there, here is a really bad photo of me (and Chris). I really need to get some new sunnies.

Fitting in Some Sewing, with Some Baking Disasters

Today, while pottering around the house, couldn't get my mind off some bananas on the bench that were turning black. They were screaming to me, "Bake me! Make me in to some delicious!" Who was I to argue? I had already asked Stay At Home Mums for some recommendations for the bananas, and while I got some awesome suggestions, I decided to make some "Low Fat Banana Bread". I should have known it was too good to be true!

Firstly, I didn't read the instructions before I had committed to making it. Leave it for several hours? DAMN! I wanted some for lunch.. oh well, all the ingredients are already in the bowl. So after several hours, my dough doesn't look like it has expanded, or risen, or whatever it is that yeast causes your concotion to do. Hmm, maybe its because I used instant yeast instead of "normal" yeast. Maybe my yeast has been open too long? I am not sure if I even remember when I opened it. Read the can again, and maybe its because I didn't keep it in the fridge. Damn. Another lesson learnt, I guess. I'll just follow it through and hope for the best. Maybe I should've googled to see if there was something else I could have done. Maybe added some baking powder or something instead? I'm not sure.. guess that's why I never thought I was good at baking.

After following the baking instruction, I prick the bread with a toothpick, and it comes out with heaps of stuff stuck to it, but the outside is hard like a rock. What number of damns am I up to now? I put it back in to the over on a low temp.

While all this is going on, I also have had a sewing project on my mind. I figure I should do a 'trial' of what I want to make. I want to wait til my daughter is asleep til I even attempt to do this, as she has been clingy and whingy of late. Once she is asleep, I trace out the pattern, find some fabric and get them cut out. I hear a stir, which looks like its the end of my sewing attempt until either later tonight, or after we go away. But luckily, she goes back to sleep. I start to get my sew on, and once it all starts coming together, I am wondering why I ever doubted I could sew. Lily wakes up, and wants to use the sewing machine. Giving me things to sew. So I give her some material to hold and I finish the pants (with out the elastic or hem, as I am going to attempt to make the pants reversible, and have to go get the other material tomorrow). They actually look like pants! STOKED! Hopefully the rest of my idea will work out.

Oh crap! The banana bread!! I run over to the oven and take out the banana bread, or should I call banana rock? Do the prick test again, and it seems a bit better, so I put it on a cooling rack. Man, this bread looks really hard. Hopefully it is just like those crunchy rolls. Might be a bit hard on the outside, but will be delicious on the inside. I wait for it to cool down... Cool down already!

After getting dinner cooking, I decided it was time to have a little snack of banana bread. I cut off the end crust, and cut a slice for me to eat. It seems really "thick", kind of what I would expect gluten free bread to be like. I put some jam on it, and think, this possibly could taste like gluten free bread too. 

Once Chris got home, I cut another slice to get his opinion. No jam or butter this time. Ew. What is this crap? I think this was my WORST baking attempt ever. Just when I had started to think that maybe I wasn't so bad at baking. Just started to think that maybe it was harder to fuck up a cake, bread or muffin recipe.

So now I wonder what I should do with this banana rock. Its some pretty expensive bread, with bananas still being almost $8 a kg. But there is no way it is going to be eaten. Maybe I should keep it to use as a weapon if I ever get an intruder in the house.

Edit: By the way, if anyone is looking for a solution to a similar banana bread disaster, you can find some wonderful suggestions from MamaBake here:

http://www.facebook.com/MamaBakeHQ/posts/283199171697989

Spring, Storms, and Homely Activities

Spring has definitely been a little mad this year. We had some stinking hot days, we had several storms, including hail, and we've spent weeks recovering from a cold.. and now I think teeth may be arriving, but really, who knows? Maybe Lily is just having an off week, or maybe, she just doesn't like the idea of me having any sleep.

While I was at the markets in Bangalow at the end of last month, Ballina had a crazy hail storm. Chris' cars were both damaged, and when I drove in to Ballina, I felt like I was driving in to a ski town rather than a beach side community. I had asked Chris to take some photos before it melted, and this is one of them:

Before this storm, things were really heating up. We had a weekend of 30+ degree days, and thought that Summer was arriving early. We were sure mistaken. Since then I'm not sure there has been many days over 20, let alone over 25! But its slowly creeping up there, which is why I decided to have a special on sun hats. EJ Kids make some great hats, and as Summer approaches I thought its time to whip out the sun hats, as we put away the beanies. EJ Kids' sun hats have wide brims, adjustable pull tie for head size, and an under chin tie to make sure the hat stays on. They are all hand made in Australia, and have some really funky fabrics to choose from. So get in and pre-order one now (sale finishes on Tuesday), but if you missed it, don't worry! You can still grab your loved one a beautiful hat from our website anyway.

With any sign of sunshine and/or blue skies, we have been visiting the beach to have a dig, collect some rocks, and sometimes splash (fall?) in the water. After all this splashing, and the cool sea breeze, I've decided to also get a whole lot more of the Bamboo Towelling Jackets that EJ Kids make too. They are easy to slip on over a wet cold child, and the zipper means that they get a close fit, and it won't fall off. And best of all, there aren't any dangly bits to fall in to the water while collecting more rocks or shells from the rock pools! These should definitely be added to your must-have list for this Summer! They work just as well at the pools as the beach, and you'll be wondering why you bothered running after your kids picking up the towels they dropped behind them.

Other things happening in the tubbles household is sewing and baking. Not necessarily in that order, though. I am finding myself baking a lot of cakes and cookies lately, which hasn't been helping my waist line at all (but have been very delicious!). We are almost over flowing with cakes and sweets at the moment, but I'm still getting requests from my other half, and I'm pretty sure my daughter has a sweet tooth, so no one seems sick of it yet (other than me). If you have any healthy baking recipes, I would love to hear them, as I still feel like baking, but think I've had enough sugar and butter for the rest of the year! (famous last words)

Sewing, on the other hand, would be really good if I could find the time. If I knew I would be staying up this late tonight, I probably would have pulled our my machine. I've got lots of ideas, but whether my sewing skills will be able to perform them is another thing. One thing I have been looking for, if anyone can help point me in the right direction, is a pattern for "newborn" cabbage patch dolls. Our "Newborn" Cabbage Patch doll only came with one outfit which proclaims "It's a girl!" on the front, which is not only starting to get really grubby, but also a bit tedious. It was fun to read that when we opened the cabbage, but after several months, the statement has lost all its excitement and energy. I mean, you don't see me walking around with a shirt stating I'm a girl, do you? I attempted to sew a pinafore type dress, just from the top of my head. My mum told me that I shouldn't (couldn't?) do it, as not even she could do that (and my mum is a woman with many years experience on the sewing machine, who if you had told her I would buy one of my own when I was older, would have laughed at the very thought of such a ludicrous statement), and while it seemed like it was all good when I started, when it came to the moment of truth, my mum was right. I am also thinking about messing about with some applique type stuff, so any advice there would be much appreciated :)

Toy Library

We have only just recently become members of our local toy library, and I am already in love. What a fabulous idea!

Membership costs $10, and that lasts you a lifetime. Then every month that you borrow items, it is another $10. So this week, we borrowed, a big car (that makes lots of noises!), a wheely bug, and 3 puzzles. You can borrow items for 2 weeks, but I am thinking about swapping ours this week (would have only had it for a week).

After umming and ahhing about joining it, I am so glad I did, and I wish I had earlier. They have sooo many toys, and after already putting away so many toys of Lily's, I could have saved so much money (and cupboard space) if I had just borrowed it from the Toy Library.

If you are in Ballina, the details for the toy library are:

Ballina Toy Library

Regatta Ave (behind the library), Ballina

Tel: Anne on 6686 0275 or Mob: 0411 719074 for further information

   Opened:

   Saturday - 10am to 1pm

   Tues, Wed, Fri - 11am to 1pm

Life Membership $10 plus $10 per month for hire.

Community run service providing toys and games for babies and children aged 0 to 6 years.

Toy hire up to 3 items per fortnight.

*After hours toy hire by appointment only Tues, Wed & Friday

NEW: Party hire, pickup Friday drop back Tuesday ($1 per item)

If you aren't in Ballina, you can try to find a list of toy libraries here:

http://www.hotfrog.com.au/Products/Toy-Library

http://www.kidspot.com.au/parenting-directory/directory-search.asp?c=90&scs=138&l=

And for children with special needs, try looking up Noah Ark's Toy Library.

Here is a link for people in Sydney:

http://www.toys4specialneeds.org.au/

Snot and coughs

We've had an invasion of germs in the tubbles household this week. Starting with Chris and his man flu last weekend, me wrapped up in a blanket and comfiest trackies the following weekend, and while I thought Lily might have escaped it with just some grumpiness and runny noses, it seems the worst was yet to come.

Last night with the vaporiser pumping eucalyptus, peppermint and lavender oil, and administering some panadol and some mucous breakdown type syrup (called "Cough Combat"), we still had a sleepless night. I ended up getting upset at 1:30am after I hadn't slept because Lily kept pulling my hair (her comforter) so woke up Chris to let her play with his hair instead. This did not go down well with Lily, which resulted in a grumpy Chris too. So I ended up with Lily laying on my chest, as this was the only way to calm her down, and as she slowly shuffled around to rest on my shoulder, she fell asleep, and eventually I did too.

Our vaporiser has usually done wonders, and I am wondering if it is because we have it set up differently that it may not be achieving the same results. I have tried to google where the most effective position for a vaporiser is, but I haven't found any answers yet. I'm waiting for Chris to take down the cot next to my side of the bed (in our failed attempt to try to get Lily to use her cot) so that I can have my bedside table back, and put the vaporiser back there when need be (among all the other items I would like to have on my bedside table). Until then, I guess I can't test my theory that it may be because we have changed the position of the vaporiser.

I still stand by that the vaporiser has been the best thing we have bought for Lily to have while sick. While breastfeeding, you could definitely tell the difference. Without it Lily would "do the freestyle" at the boob, trying to create a balance between breastmilk and oxygen. And the amount of snot that would end up on your boob, and all the noises that would make you grimace at the thought of all that snot being swallowed. Yes, there was definitely improvement when we used it before. It beats the "nose sucker" any day. The battle we would have to try and use it on Lily, and the relief was only temporary, as we all know how many times we can blow our nose, and have thought "will this snot ever end?!" or even "where the hell does all this shit come from?!!?!?!"

I am also wondering if I should cut back on Lily's dairy milk. She usually has 2 - 3 bottles of milk a day, and from memory, I remember being told that you should avoid dairy as it can help increase mucous production. But if I'm not to give Lily dairy milk, what am I meant to give? I have figured that it is probably better for her than it is worse, even if that does mean more snot. It will still finish one day, right?!

One additional thing I need to make mention of, when I started getting signs of the flu coming (sore throat), I threw on my amber necklace, and within 12 hours my throat was no longer sore! YAY! Chris is still complaining of a sore throat, so I am pretty stoked about that.

(Me in all my sick-homey goodness! Unbrushed hair, trackies, and Lily snot stained clothes ahaha, but also a shot of my amber necklace)

Weaning and Sleeping

Ok, so our daughter has been weaned now for a month, or there about, does that mean her sleep is meant to have improved since we ceased breastfeeding at night? I don't feel like it has :( We have the odd night with only one or two wake ups, but more often than not, we have LOTS of wake up stills. I wonder if this is because we also changed her from co-sleeping to her own bed. She has no problem with her bed per say, she will go jump in her bed when she is tired, and when we say its bed time, she'll run in to there. But I think she still has issues with sleeping alone.

We do a bed time story, bottle, and cuddles to sleep. I know this is probably the wrong thing to do, but it means we do not have any tears, and Lily loves going to bed. The problem, as I see it, is that she wakes up and we aren't there so is sad. Lately, I can't be bothered getting out of bed, so on her second wake, I bring her in to bed with us again, and she sleeps pretty much through, except with a whinge at about 4:30 (at the moment, used to be 5:30, but I think this should change back in daylight savings) cos she is hungry, and depending on the whinge, she either gets a small bottle, or we try to cuddle and pat her to sleep. So now I am wondering, should we even worry about putting her in her bed? I get more sleep when she is in with us, and she is obviously not ready to sleep on her own. But I also think that she won't get used to sleeping by herself if she doesn't get the chance to. *sigh* Parenting is definitely filled with so many decisions, which really does suck for someone as indecisive as me :P

While we are on the topic of sleep associations, Lily loves to pull hair. So much so that I have now got a "lion's mane" from her pulling and breaking my hair. I have NO idea how she developed it, but it is seeming to get worse as she gets older, or maybe its just because she can pull harder. She is now also doing it to other people. She has a little friend, and when she is a bit tired and he gives her cuddles she pulls his hair. I'm not sure if it is because Lily is still a baldy that she has this pulling hair fascination, but its sending me insane. I'm hoping once she has some hair she might just pull her own hair, but I think it is a thing where she pulls it so she knows you are close/can't get away.

Sometimes I feel like I would like to go to a sleep school, but I am also not sure. I do not want to do controlled crying. I know it works for other parents, but it is not for me, and I do not want to be forced in to it by a sleep school. I have heard of some sleep schools who have a "gentle" approach, but I am not sure if there are any in my area, so I am scared of asking in case they try and convince me to attend a controlled crying one instead (as the MCHNs here have tried to tell me to limit breastfeeds, not to co-sleep, and that I couldn't do baby-led-weaning, etc. So, you could say we have different ideas, and I dislike that they want everyone to fit in to one mould). You'd think being near Byron Bay there would be somewhere I could go for some help though?

Birthday!

Well, its almost been a week since my birthday, but I have only just had the time to sit down and write about it.

I had a terrific birthday, one of the best ones perhaps!

The "start" was not so great though. Lily probably had one of her worst sleeps in recent times, and woke up extra early too. Great! Just how mummies like to wake up on their birthday - overtired!

Starting the day early though, meant that we had more time to do things, so we cycled over to my mum's house using the new WeeRide that I got for my birthday (which I have to say is bloody brilliant! I will write more about this soon), and then heading out for breakfast/coffee at Shelly's by Shelley Beach - which seems to have become a birthday ritual now. No whales this year, but the weather was perfect, so perfect we went for a little play on the sand (and waves so it seemed) before heading home.

I wish everyday could be like this! (This is a photo of Lily leading mum to the water to wash her rocks, and subsequently falling in, and then having to spend the rest of her time at the beach in the nude)

I then picked up one of my friends and her son, and headed over to another friends house (who shares my birthday! Double the fun!!!) to wait for her daughter to wake up before heading to the House with No Steps (also known as Summerland House) in Alstonville. We ordered take away and sat in their fenced playground on a picnic rug eating our food, and watching the kids run around and return to eat something and then run away again. The bit that had them most intriuged was the "water park" which while it was on, they would watch in amazement, but while it was off (but still had some of the fountains trickling) they would splash around and try to catch the water, and other fun and wet activities. I wish I had gotten some photos of us, as well as the drenched little kiddies.

We finished the day there, with a coffee at the cafe, when another mum came to meet up with us with her son also. I think all the kiddies fell asleep in the car ride home!

Dinner was awesome! Mum cooked me my childhood favourite, mmmm... Chicken Corn! This is chicken breasts stuffed with bacon, shallots, garlic and creamed corn. I can't really imagine anything else you would use creamed corn for, but man this dish is YUM! Along with my childhood favourites, came along some of my oldest friends, who happened to have moved up this way too! <3

One of the good things about having weaned my daughter is that I can now have a couple of drinks. Woohoo! So we got in some bubbly, and some vodka, and I got to have a few drinks with my old friends too. Something I definitely have missed, but not so much the next morning!!! I don't think I remember getting so hungover with so little to drink before. Maybe I am just getting old :P

The votes are in!!

It has come the time to announce which one of the beautiful babies received the most votes, and I have only just realised that all the babies are BOYS!

Please also remember, that all the boys who have entered are beautiful, whether they got the most votes or not <3

Drum roll please??
....

It was VERY close between two of the boys, so much so that I had to triple check my triple check, to make sure that they were indeed that close, and were correct.

.... *insert drum roll here* ....


So, the tally looks like this:
Aaron - 2 votes
Ashton - 51 votes
Elijah - 48 votes
Jack - 16 votes
Zack - 12 votes

A BIG congratulations to Ashton!!

And a huge thank you to all of the participants, and everyone who voted.

I have listed all votes, and the counting under each participant's blog entry, if people are interested.

Voting on the blog

PLEASE NOTE: You will need to write your name either in the comment, or choose name/url and write the name of your Facebook account that you liked tubbles' Facebook page with for your vote to count. Any one that I can not match up to my followers list will not be counted.

The blog entries can be found here:
Aaron
Ashton
Elijah
Jack
Zack

One week until the winner will be decided!

Voting closes 11.59pm on 31st August 2011, so please vote if you haven't already.

The tally so far looks like this:

Aaron - 2 votes (+1 like)

Ashton - 29 votes (+28 likes)

Elijah - 32 votes (+18 likes)

Jack - 11 votes (+8 likes)

Zack - 7 votes (+ 7 likes)

Toe Stubbing

I have managed to stub my toe hard enough to bleed, and warrant my toe to be wrapped in tissue, not once, but TWICE today. And, of course, it was the same toe. How does that happen? I feel like it is when you bite your lip, and then you seem to keep biting the same part. My poor toe looks like it has been in the wars. Its probably because I haven't stubbed it in so long.

I also managed to clean Lily's toys, clean the bathroom and attempt butter chicken from scratch (lunch), AND make lamb and feta meatballs for dinner. I wish I had this much motivation every day, or even now... There is a big pile of dishes in the kitchen waiting for me, but I am finding anything on the computer to try and avoid it. Right now, I am looking up some baking recipes so I can make something tomorrow. The wet weather has set in here, so I've taken to hanging out in the kitchen with the oven on so I stay warm.. can't wait for summer!!!!

Speaking of summer, are you ready for it? You should check out my EJ Kids hats and towelling jackets. They were MADE for the beach (or lake, or pool)!

Visiting a Gaol

I have now been away from home for 2 weeks, with two trips with just on board luggage, and a baby.

This last trip has seemed like the longest. I came down to Sydney as my brother was being sentenced for driving offences. After a lengthy speech by the Judge (who apparently cried as she was giving out the sentence, but I was a bit preoccupied with Lily to see) my brother has now been sentenced to 12 months. What an ordeal. I think the first few days of this is worse for family members than the actual prison sentence!!! Not knowing anyone that has gone to jail before, we were a bit lost as to what happened. My mum was devastated, as was the rest of my family. But what was worse, no one could tell us where he was, what the procedure was, or what had happened to him, until he was able to call us. "Luckily" he called us just over 24 hours later, but I think those 24 hours were the longest 24 hours for a very long while.

The worst part of this though, is that he was sentenced to gaol even though the judge didn't really want to. She was impressed how he had rehabilitated back in to society, getting a good full time job and turning his life around. She said it was out of her hands as politicians had said that people had to be sentenced a minimum of 2 years in prison, so that an example, that no one would know about, would be made. Now, I know to look on the other side of the coin too, he was endangering others, but if a lesson had been learnt, steps were taken to "fix" said behaviour, and they had turned their life around and "rehabilitated", what is the point of putting them in to gaol to "learn their lesson"? Surely this is a little counter-productive. I mean there are people that purposely hurt people that get less time than he has, people who use weapons, or beat their wives. Where is the "justice"?


Back to our trip, after hearing from my brother and learning where he was, we immediately set to organising to go and visit him. This in itself seemed an ordeal, and when we arrived to go in and visit we weren't allowed to take anything, including nappies and wipes - "they are all provided in there". We had to remove all jewellery, have our fingerprint scanned and images taken of our eyes (which were used to get through every door way). Getting in to the visiting centre, we were the first ones through, and Lily took to exploring. They had a little playground that she ran around, but took to the puddles and mud more than anything, which, when my brother emerged in his white "visits" jumpsuit, ended up all over him.

Of the very few days that my brother has been in there, I wonder how effective goal actually could be to change a person's behaviour. To make a person who seems to be attracted to unlawful activities, want to go "straight". I know it is boring being in there, from what I understand, and that they have to show respect to authority while in there, but is this enough to change how a person acts and thinks? Particularly if they didn't have a "good" life on the outside that could be ruined by their time "inside"?

Zack

This is Zack in our favourite nappy. It's an Issy Bear Nappies and we love it cause it has planes on it. Zack's daddy is a pilot so he loves to wear this nappy to remind him of daddy when he's away at work!

Jack

This Starbunz leopard nappy just totally captures the essence of Jack, my little "wild" child.
He was 11 months old in this photo and is now a 3 year old wild child, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Elijah

Elijah, in his wozzleberries nappy. I loved these because they were REALLY trim but super absorbent, and SO cute!! Helped that the lady who makes them is also really lovely!

Ashton

Ashton in his favourite MiaMoo Nappies from Silky Creations Australia, it is our favourite as we had it custom made because we LOVE Elephants and it turned out much better than planned!!

Aaron

Aaron is in his Baby BeeHinds magicalls, which keep all leaks and poo explosion messes at bay.
We love making mums job easier and keeping bubs bottom healthy :)

Voting

If you would like to vote on one of the photos in the competition, ensure you are a fan of our Facebook page and then write "vote" under the photo/blog entry for each baby you are voting for.

The blog entries can be found here:
Aaron
Ashton
Elijah
Jack
Zack

Preparing for a trip

We are heading over to New Zealand this week for a few days, to meet a beautiful newborn boy, catch up with some newly made parents (as well as other family and friends over there).

Now the date seems to be approaching fast for our trip, and I have so much to do in preparation before we do, so much so, I am a little lost as to where I should start. We are only taking on-board luggage (are we crazy?) which means I need to work out the 'must haves' for us to take, as well as find suitable baggage to be able to fit as much as possible it to the space and weight allowance we have. And then there is the house.. oh god, how did this happen? I think procrastination has been my bestfriend for a while, and now our house looks like a BOMB has gone off in it (and the recent purchase of a sewing machine is NOT helping with the mess). I wish that motivation would come be my bestfriend instead.

As motivation doesn't seem to want to pay me a visit, and procrastination seems to want to hang around, I've decided that I am going to have a break from Facebook and the such for the next few days. I hope to be checking in when I've arrived in New Zealand. So, if you want to get in contact with me for any reason, please shoot me an email. And in the meantime, if you have any fantastic must-haves for travelling, please let me know!!

I will also be posting up the photos from the competition once I get back from New Zealand (Wednesday 11th August) so stay tuned! <3

Favourite Nappy

We have received our first photo for the 'Favourite Nappy' competition, and he is GORGEOUS! I can't wait to see some more beautiful bubbas and their wonderful cloth bums.

To enter, you need to be a liker of the tubbles Facebook page. So if you haven't liked us, head on over now. You will then need to email me a photo of your loved one in your (or their) favourite nappy, with an explanation of why it is loved so much. This will need to be done by 11.59pm on Sunday, 31st July 2011.

Photos will be uploaded, and other likers of the tubbles Facebook page will be able to vote for each photo. More details of how this will work will be released when the photos are uploaded.

The top 10 finalists will feature on the tubbles website, www.tubblesonline.com (if you do not want this, please let me know)

The winner will be able to choose a Zoobie Pet of their choice!

There will also be a prize for the best, and most creative answer.

Decisions and Competitions

We've just had to discuss a big decision in the 'tubbles' household in the last 24 hours. So, while I was doing all this thinking (and worrying), I thought I would like to do something fun to help take my mind off of it... so I am going to hold a competition!

I would like to know what your favourite nappy is, and why. So I ask for you to send in a photo of your child in your favourite nappy (or their's!), with a reason why it is your favourite. Photos will be uploaded, and people will be allowed to vote on what photo they think is best.

The winner will receive a Zoobie Pet of their choice!

I will also give a prize to the best and most creative answer.

Entries will close 11.59pm, Sunday, July 31st, 2011.

Online Shopping Carts, Breastmilk, and Mattresses on the Floor

A lot has been happening here in the 'tubbles' household.

I am going away for 2 days at the end of this week, for the first time ever, so we thought that we would try to wean our booby fiend so she wasn't so dependant on me. We have also decided to do it because we want to start trying for number 2. This has meant that weaning has been a whole bag of mixed emotions to say the least, and I am only talking about me! I was really sad that I wasn't able to spend this special time with Lily. I was upset at the thought that I was taking away something that she loved and found so much comfort in. I was disappointed that I wasn't able to let her self-wean, and that I was not able to either try to breastfeed through pregnancy, or tandem feed. I think most of all, I felt selfish. That I was 'giving up' for reasons that suited me. While I was quite saddened by it at first (who am I kidding? I still am a bit), I have actually started to feel 'better'. I seem like I am laughing more, and having more patience. I am not sure if this is actually to do with the breastfeeding, or whether it is because my lovely partner, Chris, has been on 'night shift' since we have decided to wean her.

Now, the second 'weaning' we are doing, is trying to transition Lily in to her own bed, as we have been happily co-sleeping the first 12 months of her life. We tried to put her in her cot, but once she realised it wasn't play time, she would get hysterically upset. So we tried to move it in to our room, right up against our bed. This made it seem even more novel, but no, no sleeping was to be done in this. So we decided to test a theory that our child just didn't like being 'in a cage'. We put her mattress on the floor and sat next to her bed. Happy times! She sleeps, and what is even better, she doesn't want feeds over night, and even better again, the wakes are occurring less often each night! I still miss my Lily cuddles overnight though, so luckily enough for me, when she stirs when daddy goes to work, she comes in to bed with me and we cuddle until its time to get out of bed <3

So, now that I have been taken out of the equation for the bedtime routine, it has given me more 'spare' time. Which now translates as 'playing around with shopping carts'. I have been trying and testing out new shopping cart programs for my website, so that I can get my new products up quicker, manage stock, and provide a better shopping experience for my customers. I am working with the wonderful Tracy from CookieCode to tweak all the areas and make sure it looks as beautiful as it possibly can. We will let you know when it is launched, and I would dare say that there will be discounts and maybe even a competition!!

Gift Packs

I've been trying to come up with some gift pack ideas, to suit all kinds of people and situations. It is hard to think outside the box you can get yourself trapped in to though. While my ideas may seem great to me, I am not so sure that they are great to others. I have found this to be true on many occasions, including buying stock. So I thought I would share my ideas with you and hope to get some feedback.


So far my ideas are:

• Modern cloth nappy starter pack, which will include one of each kind of nappy available. E.g. a pocket nappy, an all-in-one, an all-in-two, etc
• A gift pack for children or babies, including a Zoobie and a matching story
• A pocket nappy starter set, which will include different brands of pocket nappies (this will be done for the other types as well)
• A new mummy package, which I am still coming up with ideas for
• Mummy to be package, which I am looking for ideas for too

What other packs would you like to see? What do you or did you wish you could have got as a 'pack'?

Family by Family

Watching the 7pm project last night, I heard of a wonderful program called Family by Family. What a wonderful concept this is. Families helping other families. Becoming a support network, building on their support network. Families meeting other families who have been in a similar situation. It is great! I wish we had it where we live. 


"Family by Family is a new network of families helping families. It finds and trains families who have been though tough times, pairs them with families who want things to change, and coaches family pairs to grow and change together. You can read and watch more about how the model works on the Family by Family website. " - Excerpt from The Australian Centre for Social Change


At the moment, it is only in South Australia, but they are hoping to have it Australia wide. I know I will be putting up my hand to be part of it when it comes here. Will you?

Time Away

I feel like I am getting better at packing, each trip I take. The first trip we took with Lily, I think we had a suit case each, a pram, a portacot, a car seat. We had to sit with heaps of stuff on us so we could fit ourselves in the car - and I used disposables on this trip too!! 


This trip I have managed to bring down only on board luggage, for a trip probably longer than the first one we took, with our favourite MCNs in tow too! (although I did use some of mum's onboard luggage for this) Hopefully next time I will have it down to just on board luggage. Imagine that!!! I could probably bring less MCNs down with me and wash more often, but I have too many favourite ones to decide on which one to leave at home, I think. I am sure there are other ways I could save room though. (Although I always find that I am going home with a lot more than I came down with, does anyone else have this issue?)

What are you best travelling tips? What is something that you CAN'T live without when you go away? Is there anything that you have that you find helps you save room, while still having all the 'necessities'?

I always feel like I 'think' more while I am away from home (and Chris). Maybe it is because I don't have him around to talk to, so I 'talk' more with myself, or maybe it is because I don't have my daily tasks to look after, such as the washing or cleaning the house. In saying that though, I can't ever wait to get home!

Where and when do you seem to get most of your thinking done?

Mothers' Groups

I am contemplating writing to my local (parliamentary) member to try and set up a mothers' group for my local area. There wasn't one available when I had Lily, and I would have really loved it, as we don't know many people where we live. And I am sure it would have been good for Lily too.

In saying that though, I have had online mothers' groups, which I don't know how I would have survived without! With their support, funny stories, and friendship, these last 11 and a half months have seemed to fly by. Lily and I quite possibly wouldn't have had the relationship that we have now, and may not even be the people we are now. I was even part of some of these groups while pregnant, which also helped me with all my first pregnancy questions and discoveries.

Have you got a mothers' group that you are part of? What support systems do you have where you are? 

If you want to join an online mothers' group, there are a few places to start. You can look at joining one of these forums (although there are many more out there, so please feel free to suggest others if you use them):

• BellyBelly 
• BubHub
• Kidspot 

(These forums are also good for support while trying to conceive, pregnancy, and throughout the life of your child, as they have a lot of different areas you can join in on, and ask for advice/support)

Need for a Daily Roster?

There is so many things to do, and not enough time in the day to do them, or so it seems to me. I hate days when you feel like you have not been able to get anything done, but you thought you had a whole day to do things. Story of my life at the moment!! Which is why I am starting to think that I need to draw up a daily routine so I can attempt to fit in all the tasks that would help me feel like I accomplished something.


I am also attending Pinky McKay's teleseminar on 'Balancing Business and Baby'. Hopefully there will be some really good tips on how I can get out of this 'rut'. It is free, so I would suggest any mums (or dads), looking out how to manage their time better, and still have quality time with their baby/children, go and register!


Lily has just stirred, so that is the end of my day. I would love any suggestions on how you plan out your day and fit in all the things you need.


Good night!

A place to think...

Well, I thought I best start getting a blog going. Been having lots of ideas of things to write about, but no where to really express them. This blog will only be temporary, until I set up the one on my website. Woo! Can't wait until my website is fully functional.



Only a short post today, as my daughter is asleep on my lap.


Keep smiling :)