Christmas tale #1: shopping for a Santa sack

I have just hit purchase on a gorgeous personalised Santa sack for Miss S. Thanks Etsy!

Etsy store: MikesRevivals

Cute, huh? 

This year is Miss S' second Christmas. Last year she was almost nine months old (6 months corrected for her prematurity) so didn't really comprehend all that was going on. It was much more enjoyable for hubby and I and my family as we celebrated our first Christmas together and for my parents their first as grandparents (two grandchildren arriving within weeks of each other). 

This year, at almost 21 months, and 18 months corrected, Miss S has much more idea of what's going on. However, I think it will be another year or so before she understands the Christmas story and Santa. But that won't stop us taking her to Christmas mass and filling a sack with goodies from Santa. 

So, I started thinking about a Santa sack. Some people are into Christmas stockings, but for my sister and I we woke each Christmas morning to find a sack the size of a specially themed Christmas pillowcase full of presents. It was a lovely tradition from my mum. And it's a tradition I want to continue with Miss S. 

My Mum is a very clever sewer and I thought it was something she might like to do. However, she is recovering from surgery on one hand and about to go in for another operation on her other hand. Plus by the time she hunts around for material and puts it all together, Etsy seemed like a great alternative.

I could honestly spend hours looking through the products for sale on Etsy. So many talented people with amazing ideas. And yep, even Santa sacks. 

My mum, dad (yes even my dad, he needed to give the poppy thumbs up), hubby and I all thought this little reindeer was adorable and with Miss S' name on it, it is perfect. And all for $30 (including postage)

I've hit purchase and made the payment through paypal. Now I wait for it arrive all the way from London. Stay tuned for how the reindeer turns out!

I'd love to hear what you have bought from Etsy?

the purple notepad...rested and refreshed

The purple notepad has returned from holidays...a little sad that our family holiday is over but feeling refreshed and ready for the run to Christmas. And it's going to be a busy run that's for sure.

We spent a week on the Sunshine Coast with my parents, enjoying the warm weather, precious family time and just a general time out from the rest of the world. It was bliss. Throw in an early Christmas celebration, a family reunion and precious moments watching Miss S develop her special relationship with her grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousin. 

We were also fortunate to be away for the fire emergency period in Sydney. While we don't live in the areas devastated by the bush fires, we do live in an area close to bush and our little community was on high alert. I was grateful to be away. For me, all that I treasured was safe.  My hearts go out to the families who lost everything. I can't begin to imagine what they are going through. 

You may have noticed a few changes on the purple notepad. I've been busy taking part in the Media Maid Blog Academy run by Katrina Chambers (a talented blogger from my home town) and am putting all the bits and pieces I'm learning into practice. I have some planning to do about the direction I want the purple notepad to take over the next 12 months so I'll be spending some time on that behind the scenes. Trying to focus on my strengths! If there is anything you would like to see more of here please let me know. Love hearing your feedback. 

See you soon xx

Shopping for kids clothing not as easy as you think

As the weather warms up and attention turns to summer wardrobes, it's not only mine that I need to refresh. It seems Miss S has a shortage of skirts and dresses. So I've done a little bit of shopping online for her, but I like to venture in store as well. And I've been left feeling disappointed and frustrated. It seems that despite more opportunities for brands to listen to customers, retailers are still doing exactly what they wish.

I recently paid a visit to my local Pumpkin Patch store. I'm a huge fan of their range and prices, but sometimes I'm left scratching my head at sizing. Today was a case in point. I picked out two dresses for Miss S, one labelled 12-18 months and one labelled 6-12 months, but they were the same length, width etc, ie. same size (and the one labelled 12-18 months was possibly even a little smaller than the 6-12 month one). I questioned the retail assistant and she told me it was because they were different makes. But it's the same brand. Why was there such a difference in size?

Now seriously, it's hard enough shopping as a woman with so many different makes and sizes. I'm usually an 8 or a 10, but 99 per cent of the time, I have to take both into the change room. Sometimes the 8 fits perfectly and other times, I have absolutely no hope of squeezing into a size 8. This is a situation I have accepted, I don't like it, and it's incredibly frustrating, but I've accepted it. And it adds a whole new element of fun confusion to online shopping.

But now, it seems I'm expected to adopt the same principle when buying clothes for my 18 month old daughter (not because of her size but because there is an anomaly in the sizing on offer). It must make it incredibly difficult for grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends to buy gifts for children. I know before I had a child, I relied entirely on the age advice on sizing to pick out clothing.

I also like to shop online for Miss S, Pumpkin Patch has really good sales and a much bigger selection online than in store. But selecting sizing online won't be easy relying on the above logic. It can be really hard to determine online that one dress is a different make and therefore a different size.

I expressed these concerns to the sales assistants, but unfortunately, they could not or did not want to understand my concern and frustration. And just shrugged me off.

A family member had a similar experience with Pumpkin Patch. She purchased a pair of jeans for her son for a Brisbane winter (the size was 3-6 months). By the age of 11 months they were still slightly too big for him (he's an average sized bub) and winter was long gone. Summer was approaching and wearing a pair of jeans in 30 plus degree heat wasn't really an option. She complained to the store and they offered a refund, but I wonder if anyone is reviewing the sizes on offer and whether they are relevant and useful. For some pieces of clothing, you can hold onto them and bub will eventually grow into it, but for other seasonal items, it's just a waste of money.

My hope is that brands listen to their customers and their feedback, both positive and negative. I'm definitely one for giving kudos to a brand when they get it right (and Pumpkin Patch gets it right most of the time with it's range, price, sales and online shopping and returns) but brands also need to listen to customers when they miss the mark. Australian women live with anomalies in sizing every day, do we really want to experience the same frustrations when shopping for our children?

Have you experienced this anomaly in children's sizing?

Mothers group: why it worked for me

For many first time mums, mothers groups are almost like a rite of passage. I know they can be a mixed bag, some mums love them and the friendships they offer and others find them a breeding ground for comparisons, guilt and competitiveness. My experience most definitely falls in the former.

My mothers group has been meeting for more than a year now, almost every week, for a regular catch up and play date with our little ones. We have shared our highs and lows, our runny noses, day care waiting lists, challenging and sleepless nights, milestones, first birthdays and all other manner of baby related topics. But we have also shared other aspects of our lives and who we are; our husbands and partners, our careers, our families and little snippets of information shared while juggling a hungry baby, changing a nappy and now chasing after adventurous walkers.

For me, that first meeting was a godsend. After living in our little community for five years and commuting into the city for work, I hadn't really had a chance to meet many other local women. I had hoped that when Miss S arrived, I would meet some local mums. By the time I arrived at my first get together of mothers group, Miss S had been in the world for over three months, but only home for a few weeks. Yes I'd had longer to get to know my little one, but it had been done in the hospital environment surrounded by nurses and doctors, and so being at home with Miss S and me as the responsible adult, meant I came into mothers group with all the same questions and concerns any new mum has.

And what I encountered was a group of mums, all going through the same thing, and a wonderful group of women who have become my friends, women I trust and genuinely like. We don't continue to catch up just because, but we do so because we like each other and genuinely enjoy each other's company. Our catch ups have extended to a mum's night out (planning for another one is underway), BBQs with our husbands and partners, birthday parties for our precious little ones and regular walking catch ups followed by a much needed coffee or in my case, a hot chocolate or tea.

I also have no doubt Miss S enjoys catching up with this little bunch of babies. They have seen each other almost every week for the past year and there is a sense of familiarity. Like most one year olds, there's not a lot of playing together, but I have no doubt in the years to come, they will be great friends. And yes, I do hope we will continue to catch up in the years ahead. Yes, it may become more challenging, if and when more bubs come along, all combined with day care, school and work, but hopefully we will still make the time to get together.

I have recently been asked by a few friends pregnant with their first hub about mothers groups and my advice has been to give it a chance. I think about what I would have missed out on had I decided a mothers group was not for me simply because I was worried about stories of competitiveness and constant comparing of babies. One of the many things I have learned since having a baby and having a baby prematurely is Miss S will do things on her time and so she should. Instead, as mums, we should enjoy the new experiences and friendships our bubs have brought us.

What's your experience of mothers groups? Did you meet other mums? Do you still catch up? What makes it work?

A simple recipe for gluten free banana bread

I have a few family members and friends who either have coeliac disease or are gluten intolerant. For me, reducing my intake of gluten is more of a lifestyle choice, but I'm always on the hunt for good gluten free recipes for hubby and Miss S to enjoy and to cook for family and friends. 

A friend recommended trying the White Wings gluten free self raising and plain flours and she advised it was as simple as replacing standard flours with these gluten free ones. I admit I was a little doubtful, but I gave it a whirl and was amazed at how good this banana bread tasted. 

This is a recipe I originally found online and tinkered with a little.

Unfortunately I was unable to find the White Wings gluten free flours at my local supermarket but was able to find them at a larger Coles supermarket near my office. They are a little dearer but well worth it. 

Ingredients

1 and 3/4 cups White Wings gluten free self raising flour

1/4 cup White Wings gluten free plain flout

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup skim milk

2 eggs, lightly whisked

50g butter, melted

2 overripe medium bananas, mashed

What I also really like about this recipe is that the ingredients are always in either my pantry or my fridge. And it's a great way to use those over ripe bananas!

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Brush an 11 x 21 cm loaf pan with butter to lightly grease. Line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper.

Sift the combined flours and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre. Place the milk, eggs, melted butter and banana in a medium bowl, and stir until well combined. 

Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the top with ground cinnamon (I love cinnamon).

Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes and check a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and set aside for five minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into slices to serve. 

The banana bread can be eaten fresh or toasted over the next few days. I love it with a nice thick coating of butter! Mmmm!

And best of all, it's a recipe that hubby and Miss S love.

And the sun came out...

Life has been a little crazy of late - jam packed schedules, long to do lists, busy workplaces and a few health challenges. But I'm starting to see the light as things start to calm down and literally see the light as the weather starts to warm up and the days get longer, little by little. 

I have had a glorious weekend, definitely helped along by the divine weather, but a visit to my hairdresser, some me time (thanks to my awesome hubby on babysitting duties) and time spent with people I care about has been the perfect pick me up. And a visit to the playground with hubby, Miss S and our beloved pooch was the perfect way to end the weekend, especially watching Miss S totter around and be amazed by our local playground. 

So with a spring in my step (terrible pun and a week early) look out world!

How has your weekend been? Have you been able to enjoy the glorious weather? Or is it still a little chilly where you are?

Wanted: the perfect pair of jeans

I have been wanting to buy a new pair of jeans for a couple of months now. I have my trusty jeans that I adore and love spending time in, but it's been a while since I owned a dark denim pair. So, I dragged my hubby and Miss S along, firstly for opinions and secondly, it's often too hard to navigate change rooms with a pram.

My first and only stop (yay success) was Just Jeans - found a perfect pair of Levis after trying on a couple of pairs and sizes. 

{Source}

But my frustration when buying pants and on this occasion jeans is that I almost always need to have the hems taken up and there's almost always an extra cost for me to do so. 

There are a couple of exceptions and why I'm raising this issue. I have bought jeans overseas, in London and San Francisco. The Moto jeans I bought from Topshop were available in a range of lengths - perfect. I could buy a pair of jeans while on holiday and wear them that very same day. I also bought a pair of Levis in San Francisco and they were the perfect length for my height. Again, perfect, I could wear them that same day. 

So yesterday I went into my local Just Jeans store yesterday with my size, 27 x 30 (30 referring to the length) and no luck. I checked online when I got home and nope my Demi curve Levis only come in 32 length. 

Now I have come to terms with the fact that I'm vertically challenged but I'm a pretty standard height and I'm not alone in being short. I don't understand why when companies like Levis make their jeans in a range of lengths, why Australian stores can't stock them. 

I have this issue when I'm buying most pants - pants for work, casual pants and even exercise pants from Lorna Jane and Lulu Lemon. 

Having to take my hems up is time consuming and always adds to the cost of my outfits. And there's no way I can go shopping with the intention of buying a pair of pants to wear that night or the next day because I can't be sure I will get a same day service on my hems. 

I love my new jeans but they are still sitting at Just Jeans waiting to have the hems adjusted. Sadly I will have to wait until next weekend to give them a spin. 

Does anyone else share my frustration at the lack of options available for shorter people, or the tall people amongst us, do you have the opposite experience?

No sick bed for this mummy

The dreaded lurgy has hit our home and hit it hard. All three of us have been knocked down by three different and potent bugs. 

After a visit to the doctor, hubby and Miss S were handed prescriptions for antibiotics and I was left empty handed with age old instructions to keep up my fluids and rest. Rest?

Totally easy to do with a 16 month old.

So before Miss S entered our lives and changed them forever, hubby and I would have retreated to the safety and warmth of our bed, emerging only for food, water and bathroom stops.

Now, we had no choice but to battle through. 

So hubby spent the weekend on his sick bed and now the situation has reversed. Hubby is on the mend and I'm now feeling terrible. With one healthy parent on deck, I'm retreating to bed and resting up. 

I'll be back to the purple notepad once my head has cleared and I have emerged from the fog. 

A reason, a season, a lifetime...

I've come across this poem many times over the years and it's words have stuck with me. I have thought of them when I have welcomed new friends into my life, lost them without reason and shared experiences with others who remain an integral and valuable part of my life.

There have been times when I have grieved the loss of a friendship and wondered was it me, what did I do, how could I have done things differently, but I really do believe that some friendships are not meant to last forever. A special person has come into my life or me into theirs to meet a need and see them through a period in our lives, when that need is met, then our paths diverge and we continue on in different directions. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, just how life is.

I have recently had cause to think about this poem, not because a friendship has come to a natural end, but because I have been reminded how special some of my friendships are and how grateful I am to have such thoughtful and amazing people in my life. They have been in my life for more than a reason and it's been longer than a season since we met. I'm hoping they are a lifetime variety of flower, but even if they're not, I treasure all that they bring to my life. They include friends I may not see or chat to for a couple of weeks or months, but when we do it's like we never stopped chatting and a long lunch of two or three hours feels like 10 minutes.

I'm still in my early 30s, so I can't say if any of my friendships are for a lifetime. I'm always hopeful, but friendships that last a lifetime are rare and not always something we get to experience.

Another way of looking at it, is that our friendships are a garden, they need nurturing and tendering, they are made up of many types of flowers, all unique in their own way. Some of the flowers last just one summer, others appear for a few summers before they fall away and then there are those that continue to bloom year after year, sometimes with just a sprinkling of care and attention, other years they bloom with lots of catch ups, chats and good times.

Reason Season Lifetime

People always come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.
When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,
It is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty,
Or to provide you with guidance and support,
To aid you physically, emotionally, or even spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend to you, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
This person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they just walk away.

Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON,
It is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn.
They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.

They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.
And like Spring turns to Summer and Summer to Fall,
The season eventually ends.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
Those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person anyway;
And put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas in your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
Thank you for being part of my life,
Whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

This poem is by an unknown author and has appeared in various forms all over the internet.

Do you have friendships that have helped you through a challenging period in your life? Others that have lasted longer than a reason and ones that have lasted a lifetime?

What does your savings goal look like?

Product talk by Nuffnang

I don't believe that money makes people happy, but I do think it can make life a little easier and often less stressful. And having a family can be expensive (and I speak from experience). It's often a good time to sit down and re-evaluate your finances and goals. It can be really handy to put together a budget, even if you haven't done it before. There are extra expenses, often less income and a special little person or people who factor into planning your future.

My hubby and I are different in our approach to money and budgeting. Yes we have similar goals, especially now that we have a family, but I'm more of a spender and he is the saver.

But I will say, when I have a particular goal I am saving for I can knuckle down and save hard. When my hubby and I travelled overseas and saved for a deposit for our first home I had my goal and could see where I was heading. Once we had our home and mortgage, things changed a lot. Firstly, we didn't have as much disposable income and secondly, our big goal was to reducing the size of our mortgage while trying to build some savings.

I now have a new goal for my personal savings. I'm working hard to save for our first overseas holiday as a family. Once we had Miss S, I had visions of us heading overseas for a family holiday, similar to what we had done when we holidayed in the US for the first time in 2011. However after a 90 minute flight to Brisbane a couple of months ago when Miss S screamed for a large portion of the flight, I've had to rethink travelling with a child under two. So I'm now looking a little further into the future which means I have more time to grow my savings, bonus right!

I hope to travel to NY again, this time as a family 

Having a goal makes all the sacrifices and squirrelling away of money worthwhile. It's easier to forgo a new outfit or pair of shoes when the bigger carrot of a long, overdue holiday to a fabulous location is dangling over you. It's still a challenge to say no, but a little easier. 

A tool like myprosperity makes it easier to compile all your financial information and know its available in one place, making goal setting that much easier. If you're like me and have a few filing systems on the go, then it can be hard to keep a track of everything (tax time is lots of fun). Plus as everything moves online, I get so tired of having a zillion different logins and passwords all requiring strong passwords! Arrghh! 

So while I always have questions about the security of information and putting your details out there (definitely read the security policy and terms and conditions before signing up to anything), myprosperity can be a free handy tool to help you organise your financial resources and goals by category and hopefully help you reach them, big or small. Seeing where your money goes each week can help you find those spare few dollars each week to pop in a savings account for one of your goals.

Setting up a budget can be daunting and a bit overwhelming (all those spreadsheets and fancy formulas) but this is one tool that organises it all and not an excel spreadsheet in sight. And while a tool like this one will help organise financial information it won't take the place of investing your time and effort in knowing where you stand financially. It may prompt you to get your stuff sorted and head out on a bright new track and that's got to be a good thing right!

What are you saving for? Would a tool like myprosperity help you organise your finances and goals?