• bloesem design

13 posts categorized "..mom in Australia"

Meet Mom Peta from Australia...

Peta

Hi there, my name is Peta Misbrener. I have one daughter called Ava who is just over 2 years old.  I work as a Senior Designer part time in the city (Sydney) and am the creator of Elm Design in the country! (Blue Mountains).
Elm Design is my sanity, after spending many years in front of a computer designing for other companies it’s been a God send. I love getting my hands dirty and illustrating. Ceramics seem to give me the perfect balance.

At the moment I’m also working on a collaboration with my dear and very talented friend Rebecca Davis who is also a designer. We are creating some very special little treats together including resin and porcelain, and we're calling ourselves ‘Two Birds Four Hands’ . We will be up and running in a few months time.

Home

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 an old weatherboard house that is a work in progress. She’s a real beauty and I love living here. There are some things I would like to change but that will happen in time. I would love to have a larger space to work in at home other than taking over the kitchen table most nights! I’m very lucky though as I’ve setup a studio underneath my mothers house overlooking her beautiful garden.

What is it you like best about living here?
We live in the Blue Mountains in Australia and it is just lovely. There is lots of fresh air and we can really see the seasons change. My husband has put a lot of effort into our garden and its gorgeous. Ava my daughter has a great time out there.
Our house has lots of space for our family to be creative in in lots of ways. James (my husband) is a musician and radio program producer. He has a studio separate to the main house and gets very creative out there. You can hear his music here and here and here.

Interior

Do you like to spend time on decorating your home and the children’s room?
Yes we both love decorating. We often move things around to suit our mood I think.

Do you keep your children’s play areas very separate or do you believe they should have a space in every part of the house?
I think our house is one big play area that gets tidied up when it’s out of control! I try to include my daughter in the making of my ceramics range, it’s a big game for her and lots of fun.

Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, blogs?
I love Vogue Living and Inside Out Magazines in Australia. 
Websites I would say bloesem of course!! and bluecaravanbibigreycat; greigedesign;
My friends also have lovely styles that are an inspiration. A very good friend of mine, Myles Heskett, is an amazing artist and musician.  He is a real inspiration to me. You can see his artwork here.

What are your children’s favorite items in your house?
Play dough, the piano and drum kit.

2
Some tidying tips?  Do your children tidy up after themselves?

Ava is only 2 and already loves to help to tidy. It’s awesome! She’s a very helpful little girl. I always encourage her to help me in whatever I’m doing. She seems to think it’s a game and wants to join in. I try to make it fun.

What places in your new neighborhood do you like to go to for shopping?
There is a fabulous bakery in Katoomba called Hominy. Also the local growers market in Blackheath is amazing.


What's it like to raise a child in your town?
Its great in the warmer months! The Blue Mountains get very cold in the Winter, so its easy to get a little bit of cabin fever. We really have to push ourselves to get out some days! The people are very friendly up here and there is a strong sense of community. There are other families similar to ourselves that have moved out of the city due to the cost of living in Sydney and yearning for more space. Its pretty great.

Environment'

Who do you consider is a good example for your children?
Well I would have to say that I have a lot of very strong and creative women in my life (which I’m thankful for!!) and I love the influence they have on my daughter.
We also have a very multicultural family. Ava’s grandparents are Malaysian, Croatian and Australian. They are all good examples of cultures mixing and open her mind up to different ways of life… and awesome food!

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?
A morning swim, rolling out clay together, a dance around the lounge room and a nana nap.

What is a normal day with your children?  What do you do on weekends?
We go for a lot of walks in the mountains and try and get outside as much as we can in the warmer months. On weekends we hunt down the wonderful produce at the growers markets and generally do a lot of singing and dancing!

Papa

Tell us a funny story, quote or remark one of your children recently made.
What she has said lately is probably too inappropriate to publish!

Any books you can recommend for parents and how to raise your children?
Up the duff and Toddler Taming by Kaz Cooke

Can you mention some of your ‘how-to-raise-your-kid’ values?
Let them be themselves I think is the best way to allow them to discover who they are and where they want to go in life. We encourage compassion, sharing and honesty.

What kind of DIY projects do you like to do with your children?
We love play dough. It’s great as I can roll out some clay at the same time as Ava makes her creations. Painting is always a winner too. Ava and her dad James paint on bark and wood that they find that has fallen from trees.

Any tips for keeping the house clean when crafting?
Well not really sorry! I just clean up afterwards, as normally we get very creative and messy.

Are you a crafter or DIY person?
I’m a bit of both. I love coming up with my own ideas and creations. Sometimes its’ nice to follow a rule book though when I’m feeling lazy!

Oma

Books, websites, local shops you can recommend to get tips and ideas for kids crafting?
I’m always on the hunt for new ideas. Op shops are always great to hunt through for second hand items to turn into something else.

What do you do with all the projects your children make at home or in school?
We normally frame the pictures to keep or give them as presents.

Any decoration ideas on how to hang, keep or use them as presents?
The fridge seems to be a good display area!

How do you like to celebrate birthdays and other special days in your house?
Normally it involves making some crazy looking cake, lots of balloons, streamers and a good sing along.

Girlsroom

Do your children have friends over very often? If yes, what activities would they do?
Ava has a lovely little friend called Sascha who lives down the road. They like the trampoline and cooking up creations with grass, water and rocks.
His parents are amazing designers, you can see their work here. http://www.racket.net.au/

What are some favorite games in your home?
Shop keeping, anything involving music… banging pots etc, dancing and turning around in circles until we are so dizzy that we fall down.

Are there musical instruments in your house?
Oh yes indeed. James has a studio separate to our house that is full of old and interesting instruments. We have a piano inside the house and lots of other goodies also.

What are all time favorite books for the children?
Mr Men, Charlie and Lola, That Pesky Rat,

How do you get your books? Bookstores?  Online?
Generally at the bookstore but sometimes online if we cant find the one we want. We also borrow lots of books from the library.

Mountains

What are nice activities you can do with children in your place and what could you recommend when people are visiting?
The Blue Mountains are surrounded in beauty and folklore. There are amazing views and walks that you can go on. ‘The three sisters’ are spectacular and there is a great story behind them. “The Aboriginal dream-time legend has it that three sisters, 'Meehni', 'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo' lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe.
These beautiful young ladies had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law forbade them to marry.
The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters causing a major tribal battle.
As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle was over, the witchdoctor himself was killed. As only he could reverse the spell to  return the ladies to their former beauty, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle for generations to come.“
A lot of the land in the Blue Mountains is sacred to Aboriginals and its very important to respect that. I think discovering more about their history, dreamtime and tribal laws in the mountains is an amazing journey on its own.


What movies do your children like to watch, is there one from your childhood you would love to show them too?
Well she doesn’t really watch movies as yet as she is still too young. The Wizard of Oz is a movie I’m looking forward to introducing her to.

How do they prefer to spend their leisure time?
Well being a 2 year old is all about discovering. Anything to do with that is what she is loving at the moment; especially in the garden

Are you a ‘cook’ or ‘food lover’ or both?
I love to cook, I’ve recently discovered this great blog with fabulous recipes on it which I recommend trying!

Do you cook together with your children? Does Dad cook?
Yes we all cook together. James is an amazing cook. I love eating other people’s food that I haven’t cooked myself!!

Farmfresh

What kind of place do you like to go to on vacation with and without the children?
Well to be honest we haven’t had a vacation in a couple of years… which reminds me that we should organize one. The south coast of Sydney is our favorite place.

Tips for traveling in a plane or a long road trip with children?
Children’s nursery rhyme and song cd’s are great. Although sometimes not so great for the adults!

SISter

ps.My very talented sister is a clothing designer also, she makes awesome adults and children’s clothes from recycled denim, bedspreads….and anything she can get her hands on. Her label is called Rednoodle and her work can be seen and purchased here.

..Peta Misbrener..
..Elm Design..

..Peta's shop at blue caravan..

  • SHARE it
  • PIN it

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger... 4 Bloesem loves comments

Meet Mom Belinda from Bendigo, Victoria, Australia...

Belinda

Hi there, my name is Belinda Moon. I have two children, a beloved husband, a clumsy dog, a snobby cat and perhaps the longest living goldfish in history. Lachlan is my eldest at seven, and his little sister, Lara is four.  We live in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia and have been here for six years now.

Cards

I have a small creative business called Moonmum which I run from home, making paper goods with my unique style of sewing on paper. I have always loved the combination of paper and thread, so a couple of years ago I started making things to sell. I started with just a few cards on etsy and now there are many shops in Australia that stock my handmade items. It is wonderful to work from home around my children’s schedules and add a little extra to the family budget doing something I enjoy. As the children get older I find I can dedicate more hours to creating and am looking forward to growing my business. I am also an organiser of a handmade market here in Bendigo called The Square. I write about my creative pursuits on my little blog.

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 very ordinary brick house in a very ordinary street and we love our piece of suburbia.  While I would like more room inside for a dedicated work space and a big playroom, our back yard is perfect for the kids to play, we’ve squeezed in a few garden beds to grow veggies and the dog has plenty of space to chase a tennis ball too.


House
What is it you like best about living here?

I have to confess that Bendigo is not a place I would have thought we’d end up living. We were living in Melbourne (which we loved and do miss terribly) but moved six years ago for my husband’s work and we haven’t looked back. The lifestyle it allows us with a young family is perfect. It is spacious, affordable, child-friendly, it’s not too hot or too cold and it’s beautiful in autumn.

Do you like to spend time on decorating your home and the children’s rooms?
I spend a lot of time thinking about decorating our home, browsing online for inspiration and flicking through magazines, but things only happen very slowly around here. I have a long list of crafty and DIY-type projects floating around my brain that I’d like to do one day. Our living areas are fairly small so things have to be functional first and aesthetics usually come second.

Our-family-photo-boothed

What are your children’s favorite items in your house?
Lachlan’s absolute favourite thing in this house is his lego. If I were to ask Lara today what her favourite thing is I’m fairly sure she’d say the pink nail polish on her toes. The dress up box is a constant favourite for them both too. Our cat Peppah is much adored and they love when she snuggles up with them on the lounge while they read or watch tv.
We have recently bought a new computer and the kids love taking silly photos in the ‘Photo Booth

Kids-crafting

Some tidying tips?  Do your children tidy up after themselves?
I don’t like separating children’s areas in the house so we all share the living spaces we have. This means there are many days that the lounge is complete chaos and toys are perched on every available surface. But that’s ok with me. They are both learning (slowly) to tidy up as they finish one thing then move onto another and they know that when five o’clock rolls around its time to start packing everything away for another day. Cleaning up is a never-ending battle but I remain optimistic that one day they’ll surprise me.

What places in your new neighborhood do you like to go to for shopping?
I really don’t spend much time shopping. I like to frequent the local op-shops in the perpetual hunt for a good find. Otherwise craft markets and online shops are my favourite places to search out handmade and unique wares.

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

If I could formulate a perfect day we’d spend time at our favourite park downtown, have a lovely meal with family or friends, lots of laughter, lots of cuddles and a good storybook before bed.

What is a normal day with your children?  What do you do on weekends?
Most days I like to get out of the house in the morning while they are all fresh, full of energy and my morning coffee is still giving me strength. We run errands or go to the park, perhaps a swim or catch up with friends. The afternoons are usually quieter, we might spend time in the yard, doing craft, reading or something else at home.
Weekdays are a bit of a balancing act between the kids’ schedules, my creative business work and the mundane tasks of running a household. I grab a few minutes here and there throughout the day to do a bit of sewing, paperwork or packaging and it’s nice to get them involved in some way, perhaps sorting buttons or wrapping parcels. Some days it all works a treat, I get lots of orders done, the children are happily busy and I marvel at the whole arrangement. Other days… well, you know.
Weekends are family time that we really look forward to. We might do a day trip somewhere or plan something special, but we are homebodies and mostly enjoy just hanging out. In the warmer months we do lots of barbeque dinners out the back. After eating we’ll sit and talk, listen to music, watch the kids play, throw a ball for the dog and soak up the long summer evenings.

Coloringbook

Any books you can recommend for parents and how to raise your children?
When the children were babies and toddlers I dipped in and out of a few different parenting books. I picked up some great snippets of advice here and there that worked for me, but in hindsight I wish I had spent less time reading and more time trusting myself.

Boysroom

Can you mention some of your ‘how-to-raise-your-kid’ values?
One of the most important things for us is to involve the kids in every part of our daily life, from mundane chores around the house to special events and everything in-between. They learn and thrive when they know what’s going on and understand the workings of the world around them, especially now as they get older. Easier said than done, but always worth while.
I think its essential to make time to be silly and play, to read often, have lots of cuddles and give them different experiences.

Catcrochet

What kind of DIY projects do you like to do with your children?
I enjoy doing just about everything crafty with my little peeps… we paint, we sew, we make music, we cut and paste, we cook, we dance, we garden, we make playdough. I love watching how creative projects take shape for each of them. They enjoy going through our recycling tub for boxes and anything they can turn into something else with sticky tape or glue.

Any tips for keeping the house clean when crafting?
Don’t bother! No one enjoys getting creative if they’re constantly worried about the mess, so we have a big plastic table cloth that I always use and everyone has their own thick craft placemats to work on. If it’s paint or plasticine I spread an old sheet under the table as well, just to stop stuff getting ground into the floor.

Studio

Are you a crafter or DIY person?
I’m definitely a crafter and the creative business I run from home is a wonderful outlet for me. I inherited craftiness from my mother who was always working on something, be it sewing, knitting, crochet, or whatever, her hands were never still. Mum died when I was a teenager but we have many things around the house that she made and they are among my most treasured possessions. It makes me very happy that things from her hands are in the daily lives of my children.
My current craft project is a crochet rug that mum never finished. It has sat in my cupboard for years in pieces, with the wool and crochet hook just waiting. I get a wonderful sense of contentment as I crochet along, knowing when it’s finished it will be something we’ve worked on together.

What do you do with all the projects your children make at home or in school?
I find it so hard to throw away any of their creations! I’ll often take photos of the kids with their projects, especially things that are too bulky or awkward to store easily. Paintings are often recycled as giftwrap for presents going to family or friends. We live a long distance from both of our families, so many drawings are posted off to relatives with a little note.

How do you like to celebrate birthdays and other special days in your house?
It has become a birthday tradition that I make a special cake in the flavour and shape they choose. I’m not a natural when it comes to cake decoration, so this usually means I’m in the kitchen for most of the day baking, mixing different coloured icing and cursing the perfect pictures in recipe books!
Kids-on-cardboard-drawing

What are some favorite games in your home?
My daughter would play hide and seek from sun up to sun down if she could. Her big brother mostly likes board games. The games they make up together are the best and watching their imaginative play makes me smile.

What kind of sports do your children like to do and are you very involved?
We encourage them to try lots of things and see what they enjoy. Last year Lachlan did karate and football, although lately he’s been outside a lot shooting basketball hoops. Lara is happiest climbing or hanging upside down.

Are there musical instruments in your house?
Oh yes. We have my much-loved piano and I wish I had more time to play. I used to be quite good, but alas the fingers are years out of practice and simply won’t do what they used to. I do hope to teach both the children if they’ll let me. The kids have a basket filled with musical instruments of their own too, including maracas, keyboards, recorders, those ridiculously annoying drumsticks that you hit the air with, guitars, etc. Occasionally this basket has been known to mysteriously disappear if we need a break.

Girlsrrom

What are all time favorite books for the children?
Lara’s current favourites are ‘Where is the Green Sheep?’ and ‘The Monster at the End of this Book’. Both classics!
Lachlan is really enjoying science books these days, absolutely devouring anything about the human body, machines, the earth or animals. This has led to the making of many, many dioramas which he works so hard on.
My favourite story to read to them, although they are quickly outgrowing it, is one from my own childhood called ‘The Nickle Nackle Tree’ by Lynley Dodd.

Do your children read books online?  Do they go to the library?
I’m a book person and I’ve definitely passed this onto the kids. Our trips to the library are never quick as we browse and choose some to take home. If a book is particularly loved then I’ll often buy it online for our own collection. My usual online shop for books is  thebookdepository.com because it has free international shipping (my three favourite words!) Our local library runs wonderful storytime sessions for preschoolers which we have been going to ever since we moved to Bendigo.

Catcrochet

Do you cook together with your children? Does Dad cook?
I’m definitely not a great cook and my enthusiasm in the kitchen wavers. I’ve started getting the kids into the kitchen with me more often when I’m preparing meals. This is such a nice and fun way to spend time together and be productive. If we’re preparing lots of vegetables or making a fruit salad, they love to turn the scraps into ‘compost soup’ to feed to the worms in our compost bins. This was an idea I got from SouleMama ages ago and they both love it! 
We also grow a few vegetables in our yard. It’s so nice for the kids to pick a fresh salad for dinner or watch as the strawberries ripen and become desert. Our last crop of carrots grew in many weird and wonderful shapes, so the kids loved going out to pick one not knowing what shape they’d see.
What kind of place do you like to go to on vacation with and without the children?
Since we have moved quite often over the years, most of our holidays we load up the car and head off to visit family. In summer we love to visit my sister who is close to the beach and the coastal area around her town is simply beautiful.

Do you keep some sort of travel journal with the children?
For one big car trip I bought each of them a blank notebook to use as a journal. We glued a basic map of our route in the front pages so they could follow the roads and see the next town coming up or other landmarks. Each day they wrote or drew pictures of what we’d seen and done. Both the kids have cameras and they love taking pictures of whatever is around them, so some days we’d put photos in there too.

Veggies

..MoonMum shop..
..MoonMum blog..

  • SHARE it
  • PIN it

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger... 8 Bloesem loves comments

Meet Mom Fleur from Avalon in Australia...

Alexant

My name is Fleur Robinson and I live in Avalon on the northern beaches of NSW (just a little further north than Hayley in Dee Why - another Mom Story). This area and lifestyle is still very new to me after having spent the majority of my life literally on the other side of the country in Perth, Western Australia. My husband is from Avalon, originally, but after completing his studies in WA he decided to stay on – lucky for the both of us.  He is a ‘left brain’ and I am most definitely a ‘right brain’ person, having been involved in design all of my adult years and in many guises.  I studied Interior Design, however I’ve never practiced in a formal sense, preferring to stay on the perimeter and falling into sales positions where my peers became my clients.  I ran an agency representing fabrics & hand-made rugs ect… for many years and in my spare time, contributed editorial features to a few design & architecture journals.  Writing was a passion, but it was based on an interview with a designer and photographs of his/her work so I was always working to a streamlined brief.  Now, with two young children in tow, I’m writing for children’s fashion label Alex&Ant in a far more organic and open-brief environment that constantly alarms the perfectionist in me!

Alexant7

What kind of house do you live in, are you and the kids happy here or is there anything you all terribly miss …?
Our house is a gorgeous 1940s-ish white weatherboard cottage, quite unique to this neighbourhood.  It couldn’t be more different from the architect-designed renovation we’d completed in Perth that paid tribute to modernism with an industrial edge.  We were so excited to add this ‘box’ onto our small 1920’s home, to make way for baby number 2 and to insert the kitchen of my dreams.  However, after living in it for only one year we realized our priorities were quite wrong.  Where were the outdoor living spaces, lush garden and huge expanses of lawn for the kids? We don’t miss the house, but we left behind an amazing group of friends in Perth, whom we all miss terribly.

Do you like to spend time on decorating your home and the children’s room?
I used to daydream about my ‘ultimate’ contemporary interior.  These days I’m much more relaxed about how it all comes together and typically the pieces I buy are far less of an investment. We sold a lot of furniture and possessions before we moved owing to this house being much smaller and the style so different.  It’s been exciting to embrace a new aesthetic and enjoy trawling unfamiliar antique/collectables stores.  Our kids sleep together so this really helps to control any desire to personalize their room.  One boy + one girl = neutral loveliness.

Alexant10
 
What are your children’s favourite items in your house?

Olive’s favourite thing is her Klippan “Bruno” bear rug given to her at birth by my closest friend. Nordic Fusion sell Klippan rugs in Sydney, a great store.
Zac’s favourite is his Parker  Furniture desk containing all of his drawing & craft supplies.  He can sit there drawing literally for hours.

Alexant8
Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, blogs?

Interiors inspiration:
Inside Out, frankie - mags
Haus Maus – blog
Love Loans & Linen, David met Nicole, The Society Inc. – stores
Food:
delicious, Donna Hay, Donna Hay Kids
Donna Hay General Store, Belle Fleur Chocolates, any niche food store - stores
Kids:
LMNOP – mags
Bleubird - blog
All of our Alex & Ant stockists – stores & webstores!


Alexant9
What places in your new neighborhood do you like to go to for shopping?

Love Loans & Linen is in the next suburb, Palm Beach, which is as far north as you can go on this Peninsula.  It’s a pared back, considered collection of homewares with a few beautiful pieces for children, housed in a tiny store as part of an old post office.  Very special, just like the area.

Little Paper Lane is located in Mona Vale, a short drive South of Avalon.  It stocks beautiful paper goods.

Antiques General is Narrabeen is a stylists heaven, full of delightful 2nd hand goods at reasonable prices.  I picked up a split cane lounge for our front deck at only $280AUD.  Ebay is also a friend of mine - a stunning deep blue West German vase is on its way to me from Byron Bay as I write.

Alexant3

What's it like to raise a child in your town?
The reason we moved from Perth to Avalon was to discover a simpler way of life.  We didn’t live hear the beach in Perth and never longed to, but now that we do I can’t imagine what we did all day.  There is water all around us, the Pittwater river system on one side and the ocean on the other.  We’re always outdoors and taking cues from what the kids like to do rather than what we think they’d like to do.  There are a lot of families with young children around here, so I’m meeting people quickly.  The park in the centre of town is always heaving with kids so you inevitably get chatting with other parents.  Most everyone is relaxed, smiling & friendly and we feel privileged to live in these parts.  Sydney is only 1 hour away whenever we need a city fix and I try to drive in alone once a month to meet up with friends, and appreciate what their suburbs have to offer.

Alexant6

Who do you consider is a good example for your children?
To always find time to stop and interact.  We all work and there’s also the housework, but 10 minutes spent reading a book to your kids whilst you’re in the middle of vacuuming, isn’t going to totally sabotage your cleaning goals.  Who wants their kids to think, or much worse say, that you’re always pre-occupied with the bigger picture?  Zac has accused me of spending too much time on the computer in the past, and it really hit home.

Alexant11

Are their any books you can recommend for parents and how to raise your children?
I followed the Tizzie Hall ‘Save Our Sleep’ routines for Zac & Olive and I have to be careful not to boast about how much they love their sleep!  I wasn’t able to express much milk so I left this out of the routine, but as for the feed & sleep times throughout the various ages & stages – I worked my days around Tizzie’s advice.  Sure, I didn’t get out much but I was perfectly happy because the kids have slept through the night since around 4 months of age.  It was also really important for me to know the time I’d have in the day, either to myself or to get things done.  I was never a Mom who just went with the flow and took all my cues from the bub – maybe moreso these days.

Can you mention some of your ‘how-to-raise-your-kid’ values?
I simply try to treat my children how I like to be treated.  Sometimes I wish the roles were reversed
and I could have a tantrum over something small that has got under my skin!

Alexant4

What kind of DIY projects do you like to do with your children?
We try not to go too crazy with craft projects like I used to living in Perth.  I spent a fortune on gorgeous stickers, stamps, glitters and papers without realizing there’s more fun in finding your own materials to work with.  These days we collect shells from the beach and string them up with twine or we draw on my old letterheads instead of pristine paper.  And how much fun do the kids have with a nappy box!?!

Any tips for keeping the house clean when crafting?
Fishing tackle boxes are great to store everything in.

Are you a crafter or DIY person?
Each year at Christmas I make something with textiles to accompany a baked treat(s), but I’m not a great crafter or sewer!  I love the raw appeal of fraying linen and stitches such as a blanket stitch.  Last year I made felt & linen gingerbread man decorations…not sure about this year yet.

Alexant5

Books, websites, local shops you can recommend to get tips and ideas for kids crafting?
Bloesem Kids, of course.  And I like to stay in touch with the books that ‘Chronicle’ release as they seem to represent all the most creative.

What do you do with all the projects your children made at home or in school?
I have some linen bunting strung up between two photo canvases above our bed.  At the moment a few of Zac’s drawings are pegged up and I love it.  The majority of his paintings & drawings are kept in a drawer – I find it very hard to dispose of any.

Any nice decoration ideas how to hang them, keep them or use them as presents?
We often use drawings or paintings as wrapping paper with a layer of cello over the top – it looks so personal and gorgeous.

Alexant2

Are you a ‘cook’ or ‘food’ lover or both?
Oh yes, I’m both.  I cook every night for the family, sometimes a special kids meal, but more often than not they eat what we’re eating.  Either I choose something from one of Annabel Karmel’s great books (kids food that’s sophisticated enough for adults) or from Bill Granger (adult food suited to kids!)  I enjoy the discipline of following a recipe at the end of a day when I’ve usually had to pander to the random needs, wants & whims of my children.  My husband leaves me to cook and he takes care of bath-to-bed for the kid – it’s my relaxation time. My favourite cuisine to eat out is Thai and there are some amazing Thai-influenced restaurants in Sydney such as Spice Temple and Longrain (the cocktails are amazing here too).  You can read about my fascination with food on my “Feed Me Friday” blog where I put my own spin on a great recipe.  I try hard to style and photograph the dishes well too, so they look appetizing at least!

..Alex&Ant..
..Alex&Ant blog..

  • SHARE it
  • PIN it

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger... 0 Bloesem loves comments

Meet Australian Mom Kellie living in Sydney...

PoppyKellie

My name is Kellie and I live in Sydney’s vibrant inner-west with my lovely husband Kenn and our two children – 3 year old Poppy and 8 month old Oscar. Our home is within walking distance of some of the most beautiful little cafes, the gorgeous surrounds of the bay and only 10 mins from the city. We are very lucky in that it is so central to all the places we love to go. For the last 10 years I have worked as a teacher however after Poppy was born I developed a passion for kid’s style and design and am now writing a blog called Mini Must Have – ‘style for the small’. I feature lots of amazing designers, products and retailers, from street-style cool through to divine handmade pieces. There’s also a little bit of my life as a Mum mixed in there as well.

Living-area

What kind of house do you live in, are you and the kids happy here or is there anything you all terribly miss …?
We live in a two bedroom unit in a small complex and absolutely love it! We bought our place just before my husband and I were married almost 8 years ago and although it’s definitely more cosy now that we have 2 children we simply can’t imagine living anywhere else. At times I often wish we had our own backyard but the fact that we have a communal garden area and are within short walking distances to nearby parks and the waterfront more than makes up for the lack of outside space.

Bedroom2

Do you like to spend time on decorating your home and the children’s room?
I love to spend time decorating and re-organising our home. We recently installed a brand new kitchen after living with our old retro ‘70’s style one for the last 8 years and it has definitely been the biggest project we’ve undertaken in a while. Renovating with kids is a challenge and my son actually arrived half-way through the remodel (he was a few weeks early). I came home from hospital with a newborn baby, no functioning kitchen and a living-room filled with appliances and work tools. It was definitely a chaotic time but my husband managed to pull it all together.

Kellieson  

Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, blogs?
I am inspired by so many things. I have a very long list of blogs that I follow so there’s always something there that sparks my imagination. I also love Australia’s Real Living magazine, Home Beautiful and Vogue Living.

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

Funnily enough it’s an Ikea footstool! Poppy loves standing on it to watch or help out in the kitchen and will often just take a seat on it at the counter and chat with me while I’m cooking. It’s also used as a seat for her dolls and any other imaginative thing she can think of. Oscar’s favourite thing at the moment however seems to be our British short-hair cat. His face lights up everytime he sees it and he’s always trying to grab at it.

Redkitchen

What's it like to raise a child in your town?
My little part of Sydney is the perfect place to raise children. Although only 10 mins from the bustle of the city our neighbourhood is lovely and leafy. It has a wonderful village atmosphere to it and there are lots of other young families in the area.

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?
A perfect day with my children is one filled with lots of laughter and cuddles. Just strolling down to the park or our local café is a great way to spend an afternoon but it doesn’t really matter what we are doing. Those unexpected, unplanned moments when we are just hanging out at home as a family are some of my favourite times in the world.

Coffee2

Are their any books you can recommend for parents and how to raise your children?
I read lots of parenting books the first time around but haven’t looked at any of them since having Oscar. I think that parents should really learn to trust their instincts more and realize that they are the most qualified people to decide on what is best for their own children.

Any tips for keeping the house clean when crafting?
I always make sure that any type of craft project we do is done at the kitchen table or outside on the balcony, away from the carpet and upholstered furniture! Having said that though, craft is often a messy business but that’s half the fun.
 

Kids

Are you a crafter or DIY person?
Any craft I tend to do is with my daughter Poppy and as for DIY, let’s just say that I give it a go but my husband often ends up finishing what I’ve started!

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

I have a few storage boxes where I keep Poppy’s craft projects. Not all of them obviously but the ones that show what she was like at a certain age or a new skill she learned. I also make sure I date them just to make it easier to remember how old she was when I look back on them in years to come.

Poppycupboard

What are favorite games in your home?
Having an almost-4 year old means that there’s lots of imaginative play going on in our house. Poppy also loves memory games, snakes and ladders and puzzles of any kind.

What kind of sports do your children like to do and are you very involved?
Poppy attends ballet and swimming lessons once a week. She absolutely loves dancing (as most 3 year olds seem to do) and her favourite thing to wear at home is her ballet tutu. Swimming is such an important life skill that we continue lessons all-year round, even during the winter months.

PandO

How do they prefer to spend their leisure time?

Poppy loves nothing more than to get out her colouring books, crayons and textas and spend her time making colourful little creations.

Are you a ‘cook’ or ‘food’ lover or both?
My husband and I are both foodies. He also loves cooking and is quite a whiz in the kitchen whereas I have slowly grown to enjoy it. Poppy is a fabulous eater and we always involve her as much as we can in the kitchen.

Poppybaking

What kind of place do you like to go to on vacation with and or without the children?

Before having children my husband and I traveled overseas at least once a year and when the children are a bit older we would love to take them on a 6 month round-the-world trip. We absolutely love New Zealand and have family over there so we try and make the trip over as often as we can. Poppy has already been twice and Oscar just recently went to Auckland with me for a few days.

Family

How do you prepare for a trip, any useful tips?

Lots of list making! When packing for the children I always make sure that I bring some things that remind them of home such as their favourite toys and comforters.

Beach

What place do your children love to go to?

Poppy loves New Zealand as that’s where her cousins live and she is old enough to remember the last time we visited. She is always asking me when our next trip will be!

..MiniMustHave..

  • SHARE it
  • PIN it

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger... 13 Bloesem loves comments

Meet Australian Mom Kalima living in Melbourne

Today Melbourne based photographer Kalima Mohamed is telling us a bit more about her family, her life as a mom of a beautiful boy and girl and being married to a photographer husband. Kalima_12

What kind of house do you live in, are you and the kids happy here or is there anything you all terribly miss …?

We live in a small two story townhouse in Northcote, Melbourne.  It is great.  The kids are small, so cosy is still fun.  I think they would love more of a back yard to explore and mess about in but they find an adequate amount insects to investigate and games to play. 

Kalima_6

Do you like to spend time on decorating your home and the children’s room?
I have enjoyed it very much. And still oohh and aahh when I see things for them that would be beautiful in their room.

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

I have a subscription to Inside Out.  And I look at your blog and other clever, craft, home made blogs like loobylu and threepotatofour.  I found "lmnop" and signed up immediately.  It stands for Laugh, Make, Nuture, Organise and Play.  Soon after I had the good fortune to meet Jenny and Ian, the couple behind the online magazine.  They are both lovely and talented people.

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

Our bed. They love cuddles.  And it is great for jumping.

What places in your new neighborhood do you like to go to for shopping?

High Street in Northcote is filled with interesting places.

Kalima_1

What's it like to raise a child in your town?

Our neighbourhood is very family friendly.  There are plenty of local activities for kids and a great sense of social networking amongst families.  We are also fortunate that both my husbands' family and mine live close by.  So we feel connected and would love to spend even more time with them.

Who do you consider is a good example for your children?

We try to be.

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

One absent of chores or time restraints.  Being able to play at any pace.  Be that cooking, pretending, dancing or pottering around together.  Or if they wanted to be with family and we can all casually gather and enjoy each others company.  Put a camera in my hands to take some photos and that would be wonderful too.

Can you tell us a funny story, quote or remark one of your children recently made or happened?

Our daughter Lola recently had her first "performance" with her local dance class.  Our son has watched his big sister and decided she is wonderful.  Naturally he wants to do all that she is doing.  So he has taken to asking to wear lipstick as she did on this day.  Only he calls it "lip stuck".  Which is a better name I think.  Now that is what we all call it.  Mind you it is only lip gloss we give him.

Kalima_9

Are their any books you can recommend for parents and how to raise your children?

None.  I have learnt more from friends sharing their day to day issues and ideas of what works.  I count both my mums (mine & my husbands) and my two sister-in-laws as my friends.

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

Remembering to have a sense of humour is much kinder on your spirit as a parent, and also your children's self esteem and happiness.  Sometimes we feel compelled to always correct them or "teach" them what they shouldn't be doing and forget to laugh.  I don't mean to undermine the important values like safety or treating other people with respect. Just that sometimes to look at the lighter side can make for a happier outcome. 
Kalima_3

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

Lola(5) loves to make jewelry and  Akira(2) occassionally draws.

Any tips for keeping the house clean when crafting?

That is tough. When I try to keep it clean and organised I kind of destroy the fun of doing it.

Are you a crafter or DIY person?

I am learning to be.

Books, websites, local shops you can recommend to get tips and ideas for kids crafting?

TheRedThread Blog...I could keep going as I love finding beautiful blogs - that is how I discovered yours Irene.  Just looking and admiring.  And thinking one day I would like to try that.  It is so wonderful that people share ideas and "how to do" information.

Kalima_4

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

A large box under our bed holds Lola's paintings and such.  We will need to do better as she grows and her brother starts to contribute to the stash of goodies.

Any nice decoration ideas how to hang them, keep them or use them as presents?

We cover every inch of wall space in our home office with their scribbles and artwork.  That way they know even when we are busy and not really with them we still choose to surround ourselves with their "decorations".
Kalima_7

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

It really depends on whose birthday we are celebrating.  If it is a grown up then a sleep in is followed with their favorite breakfast and a family gathering that night.   If it is one of our children then it is presents first and then everything else later on.  Even warm milk which is normally the first demand of every day!

What are favorite games in your home?

"Hot and cold", hide and seek, jumping on the couch - or better still throwing down the cushions from the couch and jumping into them!  Lola is interested in card games and her version of chess.  Akira loves his trains and his father's remote controlled cars.

What kind of sports do your children like to do and are you very involved?

We are exploring circus skills and swimming at the moment.  Both are left to teachers who know more than I do!

Kalima_8

Are there musical instruments in your house?

Yes, both toys and real ones.

What are all time favorite books for the children?

The hungry caterpillar and Hairy Maclary for Akira and the Disney Princesses for Lola.  Sleeping Beauty is the favorite at the moment.

What are nice activities you can do with children in your place and what could you recommend when people are visiting?

The kids love putting on little performances.  It can be very sweet.  And most visitors are kind enough to watch.

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

They love the Pixar animations.  The Incredibles is a current favorite.  And also Peter Pan.

How do they prefer to spend their leisure time?

With us.  They love it when we are all four together.  Which fortunately happens often.

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

I struggle.  And wish I were more proficient.Kalima_2

What do your children like to eat?

Their favorite dish of mine is spinach and cheese crepes.  Followed by more crepes drizzled in maple syrup.

What are absolutely forbidden candy or drinks in your house?

We used to be strict when it was just Lola;  but have since relaxed and allowed them both to enjoy most things when around friends and other children.  It was too sad to deny them when all their little friends were eating and drinking things we would rather not offer them.


What kind of books or information do you use for cooking?

Tessa Kuros and Stephanie Alexander cook books.  And any recipe my husband's mother shows me.  She is a fabulous cook.

Thank you Kalima!

..Kalima Mohamed..

  • SHARE it
  • PIN it

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger... 3 Bloesem loves comments