I've been thinking a lot about life recently. About how I used to look at life, about how I look at life now, and about how I want to look at and live life. I think having kids can do that to you. I began to not only see life through my children's eyes, but also consider how my views on life could have a direct impact on their lives.

Living with this awareness made me start to question my attitude and to look at life a little differently than I had in the past. Life is inevitable. Life has good times and life has bad times. There are also millions of ok times. And there's lots of amazing times, awe inspiring times, beautiful times, peaceful times, contented times and hilarious times. In the mix unfortunately there will also be terrible times. Heart wrenching times, gut aching times, physically painful times, stressful times, sad times and so much more.

The thing is, we've only got one life, here and now, on this earth, as it is, with this particular group of humans around us. We don't know how many days we've got, just that we're here and that we feel.

If I live every day for the weekend, I miss five out of seven days of my life, just being ok, or just surviving. If I live worrying about what might come, I miss enjoying what I have right now. And what am I showing my children? How does my attitude towards life effect their attitudes and in turn, their lives?

Looking at the lives of others, in lands far removed has also changed how I see life. In India, on my recent trip with World Vision, I got to meet children, young adults and adults who, given some of their circumstances, in comparison to my circumstances, should, (by my original ideals of life), be wallowing in self pity for the unfair dealing of life they've been given. Except, that they weren't.

They were living life. They were living life, making the most of what they had and they were doing it with a smile at the ready.

Happiness that with the installation of these bio toilets by World Vision, in an urban slum in Chennai, they now have access to be able to perform normal human bodily functions in safety, privacy and with dignity. Sixty families who are so happy that they now have something I've always taken for granted. (And grumbled about should I have to wait a minute.)

Happiness that they may go to school, in an environment that thanks to the people who sponsor a child through World Vision, is covered in bright, inspiring and educational paintings, as well as having availability to fresh, clean drinking water.

Happiness that thanks to iron boxes and education provided by World Vision, they may run businesses that allow them to feed and clothe and educate their children.

Happiness that thanks to education and support by World Vision, these women no longer need to borrow money from high interest money lenders, keeping them in a cycle of debt, as they now have their own support groups in one another where they can invest and borrow from the group safely and learn to save for the future.

Witnessing so much joy for just the most basic things in life definitely made me reconsider how I find my joy. Happiness is infectious and more than living a "good" life, filled only with "good" moments, I want to live a happy life, filled with as much joy as I can cram in. Not only do I want happiness, but I want to be able to find it wherever possible. I want to find it in the boring times and to try to look for it when things are bad. I want to lead by example for my children, and help them to find happiness in the little things. To appreciate what they have. To love and be loved. To help others. To live the best lives that they can, and I think so much of that has to do with how we choose to look at life.

So, what makes me happy? There are so many things we can do! Some of my favourites, as cliche as they may be are.

Happy Things

• reading with your kids
• sponsoring a child and providing a better life and happiness for others 
• going to the beach and feeling the sand on your toes as you watch the waves rolling in and out
• telling someone you love them 
• feeling the wind on your face 
• sipping a hot cup of coffee 
• listening to music and singing along at the top of your voice
• getting into bed with fresh sheets 
• catching up with a friend you've not seen in ages 
• standing barefoot on freshly mowed grass 
• cuddling
• doing a favour for someone
• the smell of the earth after the rain
• starting a brand new notebook
• walking a dog
• going to the zoo
• anything to do with animals actually
• feeling weightless in a pool
• having a big drink of water when you're really thirsty
• loving someone
• being loved
• so many foods, I can't help it, some foods are just happiness and if I break it down the list will be too long
• secretly watching your kids playing make believe
• drawing with a brand new set of markers
• watching tv you love
• hearing the rain on your roof while tucked up in bed
• going through a car wash
• realising it's only Saturday when you think it's Sunday
• collecting pebbles and building them as tall as you can
• sitting outside late at night in complete silence with no sounds around
• reorganising something
• reading a book
• thinking about everything you have
• thinking about the people you love
• writing a proper letter and mailing it, with a stamp and everything
• helping out others
• smiling
• calling your mum or best friend
• exercising
• camping
• having a break from technology
• getting outside
• trying something new
• learning a new skill
• swinging on a swing
• being kind 

Ok, this could go on forever. I really could just keep writing but I think that's enough for now. What have I missed? What makes you happy?

Happy happiness,

Debs :)

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This post is sponsored by Disney Junior The Channel and Nuffnang

The saying, "The days are long but the years are short", feels all too true when you have children. There are some days that really feel like bedtime is never going to come, and then you blink and another year is over and your baby, who's now a child, is moving up in the world before you've had time to come to terms with it.

One of the biggest lies that I tell myself is, "I'll remember that". Unfortunately, these days, unless it's something absolutely major, if I don't write it down or have some sort of record of it, before too long, it's gone and forgotten. This is true for a lot of my children's milestones. I had a baby record book purchased or gifted to me with both my children and I hate to admit it, but they are both completely empty. (And my kids are soon to be turning 4 and 7!) Life just happened too quickly and all those little details of first this and first that, left my conscious memory before I got around to putting them all in the books!
Thankfully, because of my growing interest in photography over the years, I have captured most of the things that were actually important to me, like those first steps or first days of preschool. One day, when I have more time (so, I guess... never? haha) I can at least go back through my pictures and videos and seek out those special moments and include them in the books so that I can pass them onto my children as keepsakes.

There are plenty of ways that you can record your child's special moments and milestones. Here are some of my favourites as well as some handy tips to go along with them and a chance for your child to star on TV thanks to Disney Junior The Channel.

1) Capture moments on Video.

A fabulous way to record those magical moments is on video! These days the majority of people's mobile phones have video recording capabilities. Gone are the days when you had to lug around a large, specialised piece of equipment. Video recording is at our fingertips more than ever and whilst I love, love, love my pictures, I am starting to embrace taking more videos as there's nothing that can replicate those exact movements your child used to do, the way they sounded when they talked/sung or pronounced certain words or the complete joy and overall reaction they had as they experienced something great. Sometimes it's just the little things like their mannerisms, or how they use a certain inflection on words when talking, which can be missed in still photos and forgotten forever.

Tips: 

• Small snippets are great. You can piece them together to create an overall picture of an experience with all the best bits. For example, if you're going on a boat ride with your kids, filming the entire hour round trip is just not necessary. A couple of minutes here and there can sum up the whole experience quite easily (and you're more likely to find time to watch back smaller clips, than hours and hours of video at a time). In my video above, which is from our recent family holiday to Vanuatu, we spent a lot of time playing and not much time filming, so I didn't have a lot to work with. I've took a few short clips of video and a couple of photos and popped them together. For the purpose of sharing here, I added a bit of generic music to make it seem a bit more fancy. Not too shabby and gives a nice little snippet whilst being under a minute long.


• Video editing isn't as scary as it seems. The idea of editing videos was a bit scary to me at first but having a bit of a play around with it you discover it's not that tricky to do. There are tons of different editing tools you can use. I just use the free editing software that came with my computer and there are a number of free ones online as well.


• Get down on their level. Your videos will look a lot better if instead of always filming from above, you get the camera down to the level of the children.


• Chance to Star on TV! Disney Junior The Channel are currently calling for submission of your recorded magical moments for a chance to be part of a special video they are creating. Upload your video on their facebook page and see more details at the bottom of this post.

2) Take Photos.

Whether you have a basic point-and-click, a fancy-shmancy DSLR or a smart-phone, there aren't many of us without access to a camera these days and it's likely that most of us are carrying one around with us everywhere! Whilst I definitely believe that we shouldn't be viewing our entire children's lives through a screen and that it's important to also be in the moment with your children, snapping a few quick shots here and there isn't likely to interfere too much with that and you will cherish all those memories down the track.

Tips: 

• No need to always pose. Whilst I love a good group shot, posed pic and to see happy, smiling children, the photos that are my favourite are actually those that are just capturing real life. No need to stop your child so that they're looking at the camera or smiling for the camera, instead just take the time to observe your children in their natural state and wait for opportune moments to snap a few pics. Natural smiling and laughter always make for better pictures than forced smiles. (If you do want to pose though, like in the picture above, saying funny things to get your child to laugh will generally result in a more authentic smile than if you just ask them to smile)


• Remember real life. You probably won't end up framing your pictures of the toy explosion that took over your living room or your gigantic mound of washing, but these pictures will make you smile and bring back floods of memories in years to come. So, don't forget to snap up bits of everyday life as well.
  
  


• Quality isn't everything. It's funny how often I am trying to get "that perfect shot" and yet there's a limit to how many pictures I can actually get printed and framed and display around the house or gift to relatives. Not every photo has to be one that's good enough to print or share on facebook. Some of my very favourite photos to look back on (like the pic above) are ones where we're not dressed properly or the photo is blurred, etc., because these photos bring back memories of happiness.


• Shoot in natural light where you can. Photos just generally look better in natural light. Sometimes, even when it's dim inside our house, I will still snap a photo with no lights or flash on as I can easily lighten the photo with an editing tool if it comes up too dark.


• Avoid zoom. Unless you have a tripod or an extremely steady hand, I'd avoid zooming in on your photos and instead just try to get closer. With a high resolution picture, you can often take the pic from a distance and then crop it to show the parts that you want anyway. You will generally get a better result than if you're trying to take photos on zoom... especially of children that are unlikely to be staying still!


• Add a sign to milestones. Adding little signs written on paper, whiteboards or chalkboards makes for a really fun little photoshoot and is something that can easily be replicated year after year as the children grow. That one consistency in the pics is what will make them seem really special.

3) Make a Memory Jar

A fun way to get the whole family involved in recording magical moments is with a family memory jar. You can easily make a memory jar out of a recycled glass jar. Each night at dinner, each family member can recall something special from the day which can be written on a slip of paper and slotted into your memory jar.  At the end of each year, it's lots of fun to go back through the jar together and recall all the fun and joy experienced during the year.

Tips:

• Keep up with it. If recording memories each day is too hard to keep up with, you could do it at a family dinner once a week instead, or just have family members add in their special moments as they come up.


• Holiday Memories. Some people make "Vacation Jars" which work on a similar premise to a memory jar. In your vacation jar, store pictures, memories, pamphlets, souvenirs etc. from your family holiday. A new jar for each new holiday. Lots of fun to empty and look back on.

4) Display special Artwork

Children's drawings are so special. It is fascinating as a parent to watch the progression in their skills and how their drawings change over time. Obviously we can't keep every single thing they ever doodle, but keeping and framing a few special ones over the years is another lovely way to bring back precious memories.

Tips:

• Frame it! It's amazing how adding a nice frame to a child's artwork can suddenly make it feel worthy of hanging in the Louvre.


• Photograph it and make into a book. If you're a bit like me and really struggle with throwing out your children's precious drawings, take a quick photograph of it and then dispose of it without guilt. Keep a folder on your computer labeled "kids drawings" and then file the photos away in there when you go through them. You can turn them into a little slide show to show your child their inner Piccaso, or better yet, use an online printing service to turn them into a photobook. This makes a great coffee table book and I'm sure the Grandparents would love a copy too.

5) Make a journal or scrapbook.

If you're the creative type and find things easier if they're written down in hard copy, then making a journal or scrap book of memories could be right up your alley.

Tips:

• Make sure to set a time once a week or once a month to add to your book or you might find time slipping away and it's hard to keep up with.


• Include pictures, little scraps of material from favourite clothes, quotes from your child and any little memories you want to remember.

6) Use a Tracking app.

Whilst I've not personally used any, milestone tracking apps are the way of the future and look like they could be quite handy at helping you remember certain events and dates. There are a number of different apps and this article from Kidspot gives the low-down on a few.

7) Use Questionnaires.

Questionnaires and surveys are a great way to record a little insight to your child's personality, interests, likes and dislikes at a certain period of time. They are easy to make. Simply write a list of questions and have your child answer them. Before your children can write, you can record what they say and then as they get older they can write in the answers themselves. It's great to use the same set of questions over the years to see how their answers change or remain the same over time.

Tips:

• You can find plenty of examples and even free printables of kid surveys on the internet. Pictured above is an example of a questionnaire we've used in the past.


• As your children get older, you can of course add in new questions or reword questions to suit their age.

8) Social Media. 

Most of us are using some form of social media these days and sharing photos is often a big part of this. Uploading your pictures online is not only a nice way to keep friends and family in the loop of what the kids are up to, but can also be very handy when it comes to storing, recording and printing. One of my very favourite social media sites is Instagram. It's quick, easy to use and is a great way to record day-to-day goings-on, milestones and magical moments. The bonus of using Instagram is that there are a number of easy, online printing services and apps that allow you to print a whole range of fabulous products, direct from your Instagram photos.

Tips: 

Privacy. With all social media sites can come the concern with privacy. My general rule of thumb is that if I'm not comfortable with everyone or anyone seeing it, then it's probably best to keep it off the net entirely. You can, however, ensure that your photos online are kept private or only viewed by the people that you are happy to see them by adjusting the privacy settings in your various social media sites. On Instagram you can have your profile either public or private and if private, your photos will only be viewed by those people that you've allowed to follow you. On Facebook you can go as far as changing the privacy of each photo you upload to allow it to be seen, or not, by whomever you wish.

Your chance to be featured on Disney Junior!

Disney Junior The Channel is the place where Magical Storytelling is brought to life for kids aged 2-7 and is available on Foxtel (channel 709). They are currently celebrating the magical moments that we share with our little ones and are asking YOU to submit your family's Magical Moments on video via their Facebook Page for a chance to see your little ones on TV, on Disney Junior The Channel!

To enter, simply upload your video to the Disney Junior Australia & New Zealand Facebook page by Sunday 23rd August (hurry, just 2 weeks!) and tag in #DJmagicalmoments. From the submissions, Disney Junior will then be developing a celebration video to be aired on Disney Junior The Channel and shared socially via digital media, including Facebook and YouTube. You can see all the details at DisneyJunior.com.au/moments.

Go here to upload your video.

What are your favourite ways to record childhood?

Happy recording,

Debs :)

{Disclosure: this is a paid post for Disney Junior The Channel sponsored by Nuffnang. As always, opinions expressed in this post are my own.}

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This post is brought to you by Nuffnang and DAIRYLEA

Recently I was invited by DAIRYLEA to take part in their Hackademy, where a group of Mums got together to chat "MUMMY HACKS." Little helpful tips and tricks that make the overall job of being a Mum, just that bit easier. It was a fun day with lots of great ideas that you will be able to see on the MUMMY HACKS website. 

As I find myself spending a fair bit of time in the kitchen, it's an area that I am always happy to reduce time in and make things a bit easier for myself. Over the years I have found some ideas have been more useful than others and some I find myself using all the time.

5 Kitchen Hacks

Mummy Hack #1 Make your own Smoothie-poles

We love smoothies at our house as they are a great way to use up fruit and include a good serve of dairy. We usually make our smoothies from a combination of full cream milk, greek yoghurt and a variety of fruits, spices or honey for different flavours. You could make dairy free ones with a combo of fruit, juice, ice and veggies. Play around with combinations to vary the taste and use the ingredients you have on hand.

When making up a smoothie, I always make a bit extra as it means that I can freeze it and the kids can have a frozen treat on another day. 

Banana-berry smoothie and icy-poles

Whizz together 2 cups of milk, 1 ripe banana, half a cup of berries (frozen or fresh), half a cup of greek yoghurt with an optional squeeze of honey or sprinkle of cinnamon to taste. Vary the amounts to suit the amount of children you have and the amount of icy-poles you want to make.

One afternoon my kids will have the fresh smoothie we've made and the next afternoon they can have a smoothie-pop instead.

Banana and raspberry is a particular favourite with my kids.

I find that my children are more likely to try new foods and generally eat healthier when we cook and prepare foods together. It's a great time to discuss foods and learn more about healthy eating.

Pop over to the MUMMY HACKS website to see the rest of my top Kitchen Hacks for Busy Mums.

You might also like to try cooking some of these recipes with the kids:

• Cheese and Veg savoury Muffins
• Ham, Cheese & Spinach Muffins
• Zucchini Slice
• Chicken & Vegetable Rice Paper Rolls
• Sushi Penguins
• Lemonade Scones
• Simple Cookies (for decorating)

Our snack boxes are also great time and sanity saver.

What are your favourite time saving kitchen hacks?

Happy playing,

Debs :)

DAIRYLEA, the DAIRYLEA device and MUMMY HACK are trademarks of MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL GROUP used under licence.

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When my daughter first started school, everything was new and fresh, everyone was eager and keen, and getting all that we needed done for the day wasn't difficult. She eagerly checked off all the items she needed for the day in her schoolbag and I dutifully re-checked and packed everything each afternoon and morning to make sure nothing was ever missed.

As time went on though, and we all settled into the routine of the school weeks, things started not running as smoothly as they had in the beginning. As my daughter took on more age appropriate responsibilities during the year, I found myself in an almost daily battle of trying to ensure everything had been done. Asking multiple times to please put a jumper or a lunchbox in a bag, having to drive back to school to deliver missed lunch-boxes and asking 5 thousand times to please put your school shoes on! (I'm not alone, right?) Between that and wrangling a toddler intent on finding any way possible to delay us, it was becoming increasingly difficult to make it to school on time each day.

After school wasn't much better. After all the busy morning caper and then a full day of school, it was no wonder that as the year went on, Maddie got more tired and by the time we made it home from school, it was another struggle to get our reader/homework done, the general responsibilities accomplished and have time just to play and be a kid!

Something needed to change and for us, it was as simple as writing a before and after-school routine that outlined everything that needed to be done in a day, in a logical and manageable way.

Why have a written routine?

Having a written timetable/routine that my daughter could read, follow and refer back to as needed, was just what the doctor ordered. Ever since putting it in place, our before and after-school experience has definitely improved.
My daughter (who was 5 when we first started this) loves knowing what to expect. It gives her a sense of control. Reading, referring to and actioning her own special list also gives her a feeling of responsibility, and only needing to use the phrase, "what's next on your list?" has helped my stress levels as well. It has helped us get to school on time each morning and by shifting around the time we did readers/homework (from before bed time to during the afternoon), our afternoons run much more smoothly too.

Here is what our before and after-school routine looks like:

How we implemented a before and after-school routine

Obviously this wasn't something that I could provide a printable for, as each family will have different things that need to be done and a different way or order of doing them. I made our timetable just as a simple document in Word.

After sitting down and carefully considering all the things that needed to be accomplished each morning and afternoon, and writing it all step-by-step in a logical manner (that works for us), I printed off and laminated (for extra durability) 3 copies.

Along with my husband, we sat down and went through the list with our daughter, so that everyone was on the same page and we all understood and had the same expectations.

I stuck a copy in my daughter's room, a copy in our kitchen on the pantry and another floating around for us to grab as needed. (By the front/back door could be another good place to keep one)

When you first implement your new routine, continually refer back to the list and go through each step with your child if needed. From there, try to stick to your routine as best you can for consistency. If certain things aren't working, go back and reevaluate and make changes as needed until you find a smooth flowing routine that works for you. Our routines often change and develop further as time goes on so it's important to allow a bit of flexibility and be prepared to switch things around to work best for your family.

We started this new school year with our routine already in place and it has been great. I do still have to remind my daughter here and there to check her list and see what's next, but otherwise, everything is getting done, we're easily getting to school on time and there are no battles over homework in the evening. With everything running more efficiently, without arguments and nagging we are finding ourselves happier and with lots more time for play!

For pre or beginning readers, some printable routine picture cards (from Childhood 101) would work well and get your child used to following a routine while practicing some simple, useful words. When you have a more confident reader, adding in extra text as well as using a list format is great for them to practice and develop their literacy skills further. Adding in some rough timings allows your child to also practice reading and telling the time.

Further reading

• 10 ideas for easing first day of school fears
• Clever classroom trick for helping kids improve their handwriting
• For the lunchbox: Cheese and Veg Muffins

Happy playing,

Debs :)

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