momstory

Mom Story: Lesley from Leilalou

Lesley from Leilalou

What kind of house do you live in - are you and the kids happy here, or is there anything you find lacking or would like to change? 

We live in a 200 year old house in a tiny hamlet consisting of 5 houses (all vacation homes except ours), a chateau and a chapel. We overlook a stunning valley on the border with Spain.

What is it you like best about living there?

The view from any window in the house and every direction you look while in the hamlet is absolutely breathtaking. It’s the reason we bought the house and it never stops amazing me.

Do you like to spend time decorating your home and the children’s room?

Our home is decorated mostly with items from Scotland. I love the designer ANTA who’s headquarters are in the village next to where my parents live in the Scottish Highlands. This spring I plan to redecorate my children’s room. They share a room now and I’m planning themes which will work for both boys and girls. Peter Pan seems to have it all with pirates, fairies and Indians. I’m currently making a Teepee using my own Native American Indian designs so that’s my starting point.

Do you keep your children’s play areas separate or do you believe they should have a space in every part of the house? 

We are extremely lucky to have an extra room off the kitchen which I use as my sewing room and the children’s play area. It works well most of the time but when boredom of their own toys set in, I do tend to loose important sewing items….they turn up eventually in strange places.

What places in your new neighborhood do you like to shop at? 

We have a beautiful local shop selling mountain inspired homewares. Lots of chunks of wood, carved hearts and gingham. I call it “The Bonnie shop” for obvious reasons. I don’t know it’s real name. They have fabulous Christmas decorations in there and every year since the children have been born, I have bought a tree decoration for each of them from there.

Apart from “The Bonnie shop”, the shopping experience here is a throwback to the 1950’s. I shop online or wait until we visit Barcelona usually which is only a 4 hour car journey away. We just love it there and go a few times during the year.

If you are living in a foreign country, how do you feel about it?  How do you meet new people, or make new friends? What is it that you miss most about 'home'?

This is the 3rd foreign country I’ve lived in the last 15 years so I’m used to being an “outsider”. Apart from family and friends, the things I used to miss like food from home, favourite shops etc. get less and less until you find an alternative for most everything. The things I miss now are really conveniences of a city, though when I had them, I didn’t use them. The grass is always greener…

People here are very friendly. It’s really a French version of the village I grew up in Scotland. I don’t think you can ever replace the connection you have with people from your own country. You share a whole social culture. 

How have your children adapted to the language, food and cultural differences?

My daughter is in her second year of nursery school and this year with extra help from her teacher, her French has come on leaps and bounds. We eat a lot earlier than French families and our children go to bed earlier. Everything else is just normal life to her. This is where she was born and it’s her home. My son is only 2. He will go to nursery in September and then we’ll see how the language hits him.

Tell us a funny story, quote or remark one of your children recently made.

“I can’t come for a walk with you Mama, my legs are actually still quite short”.

Can you mention some of your ‘how-to-raise-your-kid’ advice? 

Make clear boundaries, given them as much of your time as you can, and encourage their imagination. But really I think if Children know they are loved enough and are given enough confidence, they will go out into the world happily being themselves. 

Are you a crafter or DIY person?

Both. My husband is the brains of the operation, I’m the DIYer. I’ve laid floors, pointed walls, tiled, roofed landscaped the garden. Crafting is my latest passion and I would love it to be my full time day job.

How do you like to celebrate birthdays and other special days in your house?

The garden is used for most special occasions (weather permitting). I love nothing more than bunting around the trees, the hammock up and the kids tucking into a little party tea.

What are your all time favorite books for children? 

My favourite children's book of all time is Peter Pan. It’s timeless. I also have a beautiful book bought for me by a dear aunt called “The Tyger voyage” by Richard Adams. It has the most spectacular illustrations and tells the story of 2 tigers who travel the world. The story is told in rhyme.  

As a child I loved a series by Enid Blyton called The Faraway tree collection. I bought it again when my daughter was 2 in anticipation!

My children love Julia Donaldson books especially The Gruffalo, Room on the broom and Monkey puzzle. 

How do you buy your books? Bookstores?  Online? 

Mostly online now, but I do miss a bookstore. I had a job many years ago in a bookstore and spent all my wages before I had them.

What are some nice activities you can do with children in your area, and what would you recommend when people are visiting?

As we live in the mountains, all activities are outdoors. Rock climbing, walking, skiing, paragliding, rafting. It’s all on the doorstep.

What movies do your children like to watch, is there one from your childhood you would love to show them?

My son is obsessed with “The Gruffalo” and “The gruffalo’s child”. My daughter is a Barbie fan I’m afraid.  They both love Toy story and many others. My husband and I both have films we can’t wait for them to see when they are a little older. E.T , The Wizard of Oz and “Princess Bride” , My husband is counting down the days until the Star Wars films will be appreciated.

Are you a ‘cook’ or ‘food lover’ or both?

Both, in my life before children I was a head chef. 

Do you cook together with your children? Does Dad cook? 

I love to bake with the children, though I suspect they only do it to lick the spoon. Dad, never cooks unless for some strange reason, I’m not there. Recently we have started making dinners together. Tonight they made their own pizza, choosing their own ingredients to top it with. They were absolutely delighted with their effort and ate more dinner than if I had made it for them.

Where would you like to go to on vacation - with or without your children?

I have a brother who lives in Sydney and his partner has just had their first child. I just want to jump on a plane and go and meet her. 

What place do your children love visit?

My parents live on the east coast of the Scottish Highlands. Their house is metres away from the sea and they could sit on the beach and throw pebbles into the water all day long. Happily, we are going to spend this summer there and go camping on the west coast with friends.

What a gorgeous Mom Story, thank you Lesley for sharing it with us!

..Leilalou

Mom Story: Suzi from Babyology

My name is Suzi and I live in Sydney, Australia with my husband and two sons - Felix, 7, and Theo, 4 (as well as two Burmese cats!). I'm Senior Writer, Production and Community Manager at Babyology, an Australian design blog for baby and children's products. I am an avid photographer and I like nothing better than getting out with my boys and my camera. Luckily this works in well with my job so I get to blend my passion for design and photography with writing - it's heaven!

What kind of house do you live in - are you and your family happy here, or is there anything you find lacking, or would like to change?

 We live in a large Federation double-fronted house in the inner west of Sydney. It had an overhaul in the 1980s and is a lovely home (except for the shocking salmon-coloured kitchen), but we're about to transform the rear extension to make it a modern marvel. Many homes around here are like that - we like to keep the old-fashioned facade, making surprisingly modern choices out back. We are very happy here - the children love the backyard and we are fortunate to have a fairly large one compared to many in the area.

What do you like best about living there?

Our area is very multicultural, we have fabulous neighbours and can walk to the supermarket, schools, cafes and deli in five minutes. We are totally spoilt for choice really! We made sure the kids were both cafe-trained very early in their lives and they are well-versed in how to behave at a cafe.

There are those who think that city life means a lack of community but that is definitely not the case where we are. I run into people I know every day, we have brilliant parks which are well-maintained, I help with reading groups at my son's school and have weekly playdates with friends. I wouldn't live anywhere else in Sydney but I guess most Sydneysiders choose their patch and think it's the best. I grew up in the country and sometimes struggle with the congestion of the city, but the inner west affords us a nice large house rather than living on top of each other. It's a good balance.

Do you like to spend time decorating your home and your child’s room?

It's the thing I love to do most! We are right now in a period of change with the upcoming renovation so I'm in the midst of planning brand new decor for each of my boys' rooms. Our bedroom is always a work in progress - we added a king-sized bed in January which meant all-new linen. Thrilled me senseless, it did! While I love a lot of colour usually, I keep our bedroom serene in monochrome... with a pile of books on the go.

Do you keep your children’s play area separate or do you believe they should have a space in every part of the house?

The boys make anything their plaything - seriously, the sofas take a beating on a daily basis, being subject to acrobatics and rumbles. I don't confine the play areas but I do insist on toys going back into their rooms at the end of the day. When they were little we'd have a box to pile everything in and bring out again in the morning but now their interests revolve much more around physical activity and sports. Inside life often happens around this lovely little table in the living room - the boys eat, draw and read sitting there, then when they're in bed it's our coffee table!

Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, or blogs?

My Google reader is stuffed to the brim with the best interior design and architecture blogs. Some blogs I follow are The Design Files, Contemporist, Fresh Home and Decor 8. Of course I'm a five-year devotee of Babyology and my kids have many beautiful products that we've written about - sometimes my job is a hazard!

My Pinterest boards are overflowing with ideas and inspiration and I have been a long-time reader of home decor magazines such as InsideOut and Real Living. I am ecstatic about finally getting to do my first renovation and need to be patient in this planning stage because I have been obsessed with interiors and architecture for about 17 years!

What places in your neighborhood do you like to shop at?

We have an awesome deli and an an Italian bread shop called Luigi's where you have to line up at 6am to get the best crusty bread on the planet. I also love our local greengrocer who has been there for thirty years and of course the Portuguese chicken shop where they slather the delightful grilled chicken burger with the best chilli outside of Portugal. We have just about every nation in the world living in our area; it's wonderfully multicultural. Oh and I mustn't forget to mention the Vietnamese Pho - nearby Marrickville has Pho that makes you feel like you've been healed. Oh and fresh Chinese dumplings... can you tell we love our food?

What is it like to raise a child in your town?

Sometimes I bemoan the lack of freedom my children have compared to when I was a child. I had a huge field across the road from my house which I used to roam about and the most my kids can do solo is ride up and down the street on the footpath. It's very much a city life but we have occasional breaks to the country. I like to think they're getting some of the things I didn't get to do much as a child, like lots of trips to museums, shows and parks and cafes.

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?

Anything active that involves coffee and tickling. Almost every day is awesome with these little guys. It's such a relief to be past the baby and toddler phase - we can do so much more in a day. They particularly love the skate park - when they're happy, we're happy.

What do you do on the weekends?

We'll sometimes take a trip out of town, but mostly we take them to their swimming, dance and music lessons as well as Saturday soccer. I always said my kids wouldn't do too much in the way of scheduled activities, but they both adore what they do and never complain - they're at the stage where they want to be active all the time. Weekends always include a cafe or two and often a ride down by the river!

Where would you like to go on vacation - with or without your children? 

That's easy; Tokyo, Japan. Babyology's founders, Mandi and Ben Gunsberger went there a few years ago and I loved seeing all the pictures. I also have a friend there from my high school days (she was an exchange student) who I'm dying to visit. Plus there's Tokyo Disney and Junie Moon, the Blythe doll shop. I could go on and on about why I want to go there, but mostly it's that I want to take the children overseas. It'll have to wait though, because of the renovation.

What places do your children love to visit?

The Powerhouse Museum. The membership is worth its weight in gold. It's the perfect place for kids on a rainy, cold day in wintery Sydney and it's always hands-on so I can just let them explore. We were there the other day and it just never loses its magic, even in the midst of a big renovation as it is currently! Other than that, we just can't beat the park. We ride, scooter and skate board around every park in the area. It's just what we do and it brings so much happiness. I know I'm never going to forget these days of simple joys.

What do you do with all the projects your children make at home or in school?

Don't ask! I have two years' worth sitting there waiting for me to allocate it some time. It's very neat and out of the way, but that cardboard double decker bus is going to need a serious storage strategy!

Are there musical instruments in your house?

There are many! We have a digital piano, electronic drum kit, guitars and keyboards. Oh and my violin from when I was a kid.

Thank so much Suzi for this great Mom Story!

..Babyology

Mom Story: Food Writer Sophie Hansen

Hello! My name is Sophie Hansen. I'm a mother of two (Alice 4 and Thomas 2), food writer and farmer (or at least married to one). I love growing, sourcing and cooking good food with my kids and write about this on my blog, Local is Lovely. I also contribute recipes to JustB Australia, Village Voices and Kidspot Australia. We live on a farm about four hours west of Sydney and farm deer Mandagery Creek according to holistic principles. 

What kind of house do you live in - are you and the kids happy here, or is there anything you find lacking, or would like to change?

We live in a moderately-sized farm house in a beautiful valley on the back slopes of Orange’s Mount Canobolas. When I moved here six years ago to live with my now husband, it was a functional brick rectangle with an interior palate of dark brown, pale brown and a little more dark brown. But just before we had our first child Alice (now 4), we gave the place a modest face-lift and now it’s a happy, bright and much-loved family home.

We love living here. We have space and gorgeous views from every window and the kids have vast spaces as their own private playground. Thomas is a busy two-year-old and loves the fact that he can roam freely within the house paddock, pushing his bike and wheelbarrow as long and far as he likes (within the gates of reason!). Alice has a lovely old pony who lives in a paddock just next to the house and she often steals apples and carrots from the fridge for him. I know this sounds trite but I couldn’t be happier that my kids are growing up in the country with so much space and freedom to explore.

If I could change anything though it would be my lack of pantry and kitchen storage;  I write and test lots of recipes for my blog and other websites (justb, Kidspot, Village Voices) and often dream of having more benches and a proper walk in pantry. One day our budget will allow for this but for now, for us, its perfect.

What do you like best about living here?

The aspect. Every morning I look out our window, up the valley, and catch my breath at the views. To us this valley is paradise.

Do you like to spend time decorating your home and your children’s room?

Yes! I love fiddling around with our rooms and am constantly moving furniture and paintings around. It drives my husband crazy!

Do you keep your children’s play area separate, or do you believe they should have a space in every part of the house?

We do have a playroom but it’s also my office and a spare bedroom. In theory the toys stay in there but in practice they migrate to every room in the house as the day progresses.

What are your children’s favorite items in your house?

For Alice it’s her desk in the playroom, I try to keep it stocked with paper and pens/pencils and she loves hanging out there drawing her own little creations. Tom loves his big box of trucks!

Some tidying tips?  Do your children tidy up after themselves?

Er...I wish! I was getting sick of Alice changing outfits ten times a day and leaving piles of clothes in her room so now we pick an outfit the night before, shut the cupboard door and then that’s it for the day. Day two and so far so good!

What places in your neighbourhood do you like to shop at? 

For food? In Orange I love A Slice of Orange and Totally Local. For clothes, coffee and gifts it’s Hawkes General Store. Twenty minutes in the other direction from our farm is the beautiful town of Canowindra, it is home to the fantastic homewares shop Bendy Street Emporium.

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?

My perfect day would involve just the four of us hanging out on the farm all day - no driving to town, no work, no phone calls and no computers! We’d take Alice and Chutney (aforementioned pony!) for a walk, cook some sausages over a fire and maybe move some stock around. Just the four of us not going anywhere all day. 

What is a normal day with your children?  What do you do on the weekends?

When they aren’t at pre-school or family day care (three days a week), the kids and I are either hanging out at home or driving around our region visiting farmers and cooks for my blog, Local is Lovely. I think it’s really great that they are getting so much exposure to the way our food is produced and the amazing farmers and cooks in our area. They are learning first-hand that foods come in and out of season and that really nice people work really hard to grow the good food we eat. As well as being my Local is Lovely ‘roadies’ the kids have all the standard engagements such as swimming and ballet lessons, play dates and home days. As for weekends, if we aren’t travelling to farmers markets we spend our precious free Saturdays and Sundays just quietly together on the farm.

Can you mention some of your ‘how-to-raise-your-kid’ advice?

My kids are still pretty little and like all Mum’s I have days when I feel I’m doing pretty well and days when it all seems a bit too hard. In general though I try to do these three things every day; make them laugh as much as possible, keep them active and feed them well. 

Do your children have friends over often? If yes, what activities do they do?

We live a good half hour hour of town so don’t have a constant stream of visitors. That said, we love seeing our friends so often invite them out for a cup of tea and some cake. There’s an old set of cattle yards near the house with a ramp and some sturdy sliding gates and that seems to be the big draw card for every child who visits us! They love climbing up, over, in and around the yards and jumping off the ramp. We have also tied a rope ladder to an old pine tree so the kids can access their little tree house. I generally find that the kids just need to get started with a play ‘scenario’ and then they’re off and running with the story. This week we converted an old apple bin into a pirate ship and that has provided loads of play ideas.

What are your all time favorite books for children?

Because we spend so much time in the car, we go through lots of Audio Books, our favourites are Winnie the Pooh, Charlie and Lola, Dogger by Shirley Hughes and Mem Fox’s collection of stories. For actual books, my kids love the ‘There’s a Hippopotamus on the roof eating cake’ series, Dr Seuss plus all of the Madeleine books.

How do you buy your books? Bookstores?  Online? 

I spend a lot of time writing about the merits supporting local food merchants and try to do the same with other items we buy, from books to clothes and home-wares. We have a handful of really great bookstores here in Orange and I love to shop at all of them. I know it’s cheaper to buy online but we share a community with these bookstores and the people behind them. They support us by buying our meat so we like to support them in turn. Plus I love love love book shops and find the experience of going in to town and coming home with a crisp new book in my bag much more fun than ordering one online.

What are some nice activities you can do with children in your area, and what would you recommend when people are visiting?

We have some really beautiful parks here Orange and our favourite is the historic Cook Park with it’s gorgeous old rotunda, glasshouses and fish ponds. In the park’s centre is a little shop called The Guildry, selling home made biscuits, slices, jams and preserves plus beautifully knitted baby and children’s jumpers, bonnets and booties. The Guildry is a real gem and all the ladies who bake, sew and knit its inventory work there on a roster system. A little further out of town is Lake Canobolas, a stunning piece of water surrounded by walking tracks, playgrounds and a little further onwards, orchards, vineyards and mountains.

What movies do your children like to watch?

We try not to watch too much television but do love cuddling up on the couch to watch a good movie. Most of our family’s favourites are old classics from Pollyanna to the Princess Bride and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Are you a ‘cook’ or ‘food lover’ or both?

Both I think! I have spent my career writing about food and spent three years living in Northern Italy working for the Slow Food movement. Now I am a primary producer and am incredibly proud that we grow such beautiful animals via a holistic farming system that is both economically and environmentally sustainable.

Do you cook together with your children? Does Dad cook?

Yes, we all love cooking and eating together. Because Tim works from home we usually share all three daily meals together and all share the cooking. I admit I do the lions’ share but everyone helps. Alice is just getting interested in what happens in the kitchen and it’s such a joy to me to see her mixing, stirring and cooking so happily.

What a lovely Mom Story, thank you Sophie!

..Local is Lovely

Mom Story: Janneke from Hikjes in Huis

Hi, I am Janneke, I live in Groningen, a city in the north of The Netherlands with Guido and our (almost) two year old son Abel. I am the owner and designer of my labels Hikje and Plaksels and I run an online store called Hikjes in Huis where I sell products for kids and home accessories. 

What kind of house do you live in - are you and the kids happy here, or is there anything you find lacking, or would like to change?

We recently moved from a one-bedroom apartment to a ‘real’ family home with three bedrooms and a large attic. After almost two years Abel finally has his own little boys bedroom and we have our own bedroom instead of sleeping in the living room area. Guido and I both have our work studios at home, so it is nice to have a separate living area now.

What do you like best about living there?

We live in a very child friendly neighborhood, kids are playing in the streets and we have an amazing playground just around the corner of our house. I love living on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by trees, grasslands, silence and peace, but still being only a ten-minute bike ride away from the city centre.

Do you like to spend time decorating your home, and your child’s room?

Since we just moved, decorating our house is still a work in progress. One of the first things I finished was Abel’s bedroom. I like leaving his room simple but playful.  Having an online store with beautiful items means being my own best customer. I like to combine modern and new products with some vintage toys for Abel to play with (which he loves).

Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, or blogs?

I absolutely love Pinterest, it’s a place where you can get lost by looking for new ideas. 

What places in your neighborhood do you like to shop at? 

HEMA! This is a famous department store in the Netherlands, they are known for good quality, but also for great design. I love that they often work with young talented designers/illustrators to design everyday products and clothes. I’m not a big fan of shopping for clothes, but I do enjoy visiting thrift stores. Searching for toys, furniture and books there makes me very happy. For small presents to myself I often visit Een Nieuw Avontuur a beautiful online store with paper goods owned by my friend Martine. I love buying myself some new masking tape (there’s always room for another roll :) Pompoms or stationery.

What is your idea of a perfect day with your child?

The days I like best are the days we can spend outside. Getting up early, meeting friends for coffee and go outdoors to the woods or a playground. Seeing your child with a big smile on his face and bright red cheeks from playing outside all day makes me feel very blessed. Most times, the simplest activities with your child like just being outdoors together as a family makes him and us the happiest.

What kind of DIY projects do you like to do with your child?

At the moment it’s mostly drawing and painting. I often look on Pinterest for craft ideas. I found some great recipes for homemade play dough and puffy paint. Also, we love to make castles out of cardboard boxes (or should I say I like to make them, since Abel can’t hold scissors yet…) It’s a perfect activity on rainy days!

Any tips for keeping the house clean when crafting?

Do you really want to keep your house clean when crafting? Maybe you should only craft outdoors then. I don’t mind the mess, just try to keep your kids in one room so the mess won’t spread to the entire house. : )

Are there musical instruments in your house?

Since Guido is a composer, our house is full of musical instruments. The piano is the most prominent instrument in the house, Abel loves to press all the keys and make ‘music’ I’m not a big fan of playing children’s songs all day long, it drives me crazy! Luckily Abel loves my kind of music too and starts dancing and singing whenever I turn it on. 

What are your all time favorite books for children?

Definitely Eric Carle books, but also Jip and Janneke by Annie M.G. Schmidt and all books by Roald Dahl.

How do you buy your books? Bookstores? Online? 

I love to buy children’s books in thrift stores. It’s much cheaper and I like the dirty spots and torn pages in second hand books.

Are you a ‘cook’ or ‘food lover’ or both?

Both! I grow my own vegetables and herbs in my garden and love to use them in my cooking. Abel sometimes helps me by watering the plants and picking the herbs. I let him taste everything. I’m very lucky to have a kid who’s very easy when it comes to food.

What a lovely Mom Story Janneke, thank you for sharing it with us!

..Hikje

..Plaksels

..Hikjes in Huis 

Mom Story: Julz from Peachie Kids Art

Hi...I’m Julz....I’m a 40+ girl with two kids Maddy 5 and Sam 3. While on maternity leave I indulged my passion for photography and created a series of art works for kids. Peachie Kids Art  is a culmination of my life, a life filled with craft, art and anything creative. ...Stylish art for stylish families. I live in Sydney, near the beach and love it. I’m happy....I’m lucky and I’m trying to make the most of my life. I believe anything is possible...I believe you can achieve your dreams, you just need to know what you want to give up to get them... hhmmmnn sound cryptic??? No... someone told me this once and I believe them.. you just can’t have everything, well not all at once anyway.

What do you like best about living there?

Welcome to my home, it’s light, bright, and great for entertaining. We often entertain and I love cooking for people who enjoy good food. I think the best thing about our house is the space... there is room for everyone all the time. No room feels cramped.

Where do you look for inspiration?

Being a stylist also, I’m constantly out and about and on the look out for things, and I tend to get inspiration from each purchase rather than trying to achieve a look, so to speak. I find if I really love something and bring it home it tends to fit in.

Do you like to spend time decorating your home and your children’s rooms?

Yes, I have had many hours of joy decorating our house. I decorated the whole house with comfort and balance in mind, hoping to creative a house that makes sense of every room. By this I mean for example , a bedroom is for rest and rehabilitation so I used dark colors that are soothing and peaceful. My daughters room is painted in a dark  plum color that should last her quiet a few years. The art work featured is called ‘Cream Camelia's’ 80cmx120cm canvas and I think perfectly displays the philosophy behind my art works ...which is to create art works that stand the test of time. 

My son’s room is a bright and a little room so we grounded the walls by painting the bottom third a dark blue color. The art work featured here is ‘Aerial Acrobatics’ and is 45cmx45cm. 

Our bedroom is large so we cosy’ed it up by painting it a calming blue. I love being in here, its relaxing and a whole world away from my busy life. 

Our lounge room is my indulgence, it’s dark, calming and a great to entertain in winter months. I love having dinner parties in here, not many of late I have to admit sadly...  just too busy.. We do however use this room to chill out and read. It’s not used that often by the kids as they tend to like being near us and the kitchen, and I secretly.. (don’t tell anyone)... I like having a room that doesn’t need tidying up to sit in and relax in..

The Kitchen has just been renovated and I love the tiles.. graphic, modern and defiantly a feature. The clocks are Ikea buys which I painted black and wrote Sydney in one London in the other, just so I don’t call the family at the wrong time. The chalk board door is our spelling list this week and shopping list another.. I need to write things down... I never remember things and just quietly...I’m not very organized!

The office is usually ( in my opinion) orderly chaos.!!. well orderly to me anyway... juggling 100 things at once it’s often the last place I feel like tidying.. so no photos here I’m afraid, just a close up of my creative sewing draws with art work ‘Love 145’  20cm x20cm and ‘Poppies pink flowers’ above 60cm x90cm.

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?

A perfect day with my kids would include loads of cuddles...... everyday they remind me how lucky I am. I do however, love being home with them, we try to make time to just be... everyone can choose to play together or just potter on their own.... Some top advice I received and am happy to share is... it’s good for kids to get bored at home..., it helps them use their imagination..and get creative, problem solving and thinking.I remember as a kid myself being happy at home. I was lucky enough that my parents let me make mess and try things for myself. I always cooked and made a dreadful mess and helped my Dad fix things... I think its why I’m always busy doing something, never bored or frustrated... well only that there isn’t enough time in the day for all the things I want to do.. like most parents these days!

Are you a crafter or DIY person?

Absolutely! 100%... I love spending time making things. It’s my bliss! Check out my website for examples! 

What kind of DIY project do you like to do ?

I will try my hand at anything. I even pulled our kitchen out when we renovated it. It was great fun..my Dad helped and we had a blast smashing the tiles out... quiet liberating actually... I think its the making a mess side I liked! 

What kind of projects do you like to do with your children?

We love cooking together, we love painting, drawing, gardening together. All kinds of projects. My daughter and I do lots of drawing and writing together and she is really good...my kids often paint with me in my studio space...its chaos!

How do you buy your books?

I do love a good book store, I never really liked choosing books online, I like to par-ooze through them first before purchasing. Books are popular in our house... action books, drawing books, home ware books, cooking books.. in fact I think we may need to get more book storage space.. I hate getting rid of books... Happy to get rid of most things but I like holding onto books... We do encourage reading as much as we can with the kids... most days they get as much as 1 hour a day worth of books...more than I get.... let me tell you!!

Do your children have friends over?

Yes I encourage play dates...It’s important to know your children’s friends and their parents I think. Some kids I would never have back again and some can stay as often and as long as they like, in fact many play dates have turned into mum picking them up then everyone staying for dinner...! I love that, it makes me happy to share the dinner activities with someone else who appreciates a night off.

What are some nice activities you can do with children in our area?

Reading time at the local library.. its great.. their is this amazing animated librarian who has the kids in the palm of her hand...... defiantly a lovely thing to do with young kids..

Where do you like to go on vacation?

Holidays are a must, just time to chill out and be together without distraction. We love camping, usually near a beach...I have loads of fond memories of camping as a child so would like to give that opportunity to my kids. No toys, no TV, no luxuries just us and our imagination. Plus.... of course some wine at dinner and just quietly...we don’t eat badly either.... you can still eat gourmet food while camping!

How do you prepare for a trip?

List, lists and more lists... otherwise I’ll forget something...

..Peachie Kids Art

What a lovely Mom Story Julz, thank you for sharing it with us!