Friday Joy

I adore the anticipation of Friday nights... Waiting for it all week then knowing that you don't have to wake up early the next day. The simple joys in life. Have a beautiful weekend! Michelle and Yasmine xx

 ( I love parquetry floors - Château de Villandry)

Our new car came home

 new suzuki grand vitara diesal

Our new 1.9 litre Direct Diesel injection System (DDiS) turbo-charged, 4WD,Suzuki Grand Vitara in Pearl White, abit of a headache getting rid of our old car so we could finally have this beauty to play with.

Sunny Sundays

Yesturday, we headed down to the beach to see Yasmine's cousin Summer (and Summer's mummy and daddy of course), along with her Uncle Ben, Uncle Josh and Aunty Tara. Super excited to finally see and hold this little ray of sunshine. what a wonderful weekend

Proud As Punch

Its about time we updated you all on Yasmine's progress,

• shes a delightful little 3 1/2 month old, shes found her voice and has become an excellent babbler (must get that from her father),
•  a beautiful smile, 
• starting to giggle if u tickle her under the chin or pretend to eat her fingers. 
• She likes to kick and throw her arms around, rolls from back to side, she can reach out and grab things like hair and necklaces,
• a sweet girl who blows bubbles and raspberries.
• Still enjoys her sleep, food and thumb. 
• Knows who mum and dad are so starting to become clingy, 
• can fake cry if you leave the room, 
• very alert does not always like to sit still enjoys to take in everything around her, 
• Growing fast especially legs almost to long for 000 suits.

 .....and for those who struggle with the winterblues try this one at your mid winter do.

HOT TEA PUNCH

These toddies are guaranteed to suffuse your guests with a warm glow at the end of a special meal. Sip Irish coffee through whipped cream and tea punch through orange and lemon slices.

                                                             (Sontu tea cup and Saucer)

Ingredients

5 teaspoons English breakfast tea leaves

2½ cups boiling water

2 large oranges

1 large lemon

1 tablespoon clear honey

4 small pieces preserved ginger in syrup, finely sliced, plus 2 teaspoons syrup from jar

1¼ cups dark rum

1¼ cups freshly squeezed orange juice

2/3 cup green ginger wine

1.

Put the tea leaves into a warmed teapot, pour over the boiling water, cover and leave the tea to infuse for 10 minutes.

2.

Meanwhile, cut the oranges and lemon into thin slices, then cut each slice in half and remove the pips. Place the slices in four large, warmed heatproof glasses. Put the honey, ginger, ginger syrup, rum, orange juice and ginger wine into a large stainless-steel or enamel saucepan and heat gently.

3.

Strain the tea through a fine strainer into the saucepan and reheat until hot, but not boiling. Pour the mixture carefully into the glasses and serve immediately.

Koala Lou We Do Love YOU

Click here - .Read Aloud

Listen to this audio file to hear Mem Fox read "Koala Lou" to you. 

thankyou Shosh for reminding us of a fantastic story who also writes our favourite Possum Magic

Dreaming Loire

Chenonceau

(French: Vallée de la Loire) is known as the Garden of France. A place where you can pretend your a real princess, where you can throw all of life's problems the the wind and feel satisfied with yourself that you did nothing but sit in a orangery all day while eating crepes smothered in nutella chocolate. Where every season is just as good at the next, its no wonder Greats like Leonardo Devinci Loved it there, or inspiration for Tin Tin stories came from, where french royals hunted and gathered. Châteaux, numbering more than three hundred you will get lost and discover yourself again. The greatest of them all being Chenonceau (pic above), Amboise, Chambord, d'Usse, Cheverny and Garden of Eden Villandry, cant wait to go back.
 

The Year For Girls

(Photo Anne Geddes)

On Friday we welcomed the safe arrival of darling Summer Elodie to the family, Yasmines first cousin and my first neice! In another 3 months or so we will be welcoming another girly to the family as well, So excited to have them all so close in age , Babies are such miracles and a gift from the father such joy do they bring to everyone.

John 16:21

"A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come;
but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish
because of her joy that a child is born into the world."


 Psalm 127:3
Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward

 Ephesians 6:4

bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Psalm 100:5

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations

Matthew 18:1-4 

“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child, had him stand among them, and said,
“I tell you the truth, unless you turn around and become like little children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!
Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is
the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me."

Little Friends

Some friends came over today,and it made me think when we are very small, we realized that having friends is important to us. Some of us even had imaginary friends or our beloved pets become our best pals. Sometimes, even our teddies and other stuffed animals snuggled with us at night and listened to our dreams and secrets. The need for friends continued as we grew into our teens and began to find our own identities. Friends were a big part of forming our personalities and supporting who we had become. As adults, it is still important for us to have friends. Our spouses often are our most intimate friends. But friends, outside of family bonds, can be our greatest comfort.

Fête de la Fédération

Le quatorze juillet (14 july) in France is a public holiday known as Federation holiday or in English - Bastille Day. A fortress and prison in Paris known as the Bastillle ruled by royal authority, the storming of the Bastille for the declaration of man and of the citizen, is the third part of the French Revolution and a day of celebration for the french people. First being the refusing to pay taxes to King Louis XVI and Second the formation of the National Assembly and the Tennis Court Oath.

Which is how we now have the Blue White and Red formed by the middle class a symbol of the revolution and now France itself.

And a great day to be in Paris for Fireworks!

Something Beautiful in the mail

This special addition to Yasmine's wardrobe arrived today, its absolutely gorgeous i  had to check out their website to find out where it came from and share it with you, It comes from here Monsoon they are getting ready to also deliver to Australia. So ill let you know when this is for now you can still check out the goods for not just children on their website (click on name above)

Thank you to the special person to sent this little delight!

WE LOVE YOU!

xx

Eat Cake and Carry it too!

 On My wish List are these scrumtous baby bags by Petunia Pickle Bottom they come in 7 different colours with delish names and 3 different shapes/sizes they're so beautiful that even non-mummys would love to carry them on their shoulders. Butter yellow European cut-velvet featuring a blooming tulip design bordered in swiss dots and coordinating butter yellow wool tweed and butter yellow water resistant lining.
Sooo Yummy i could eat one up!!

Unfortunatly they are not available in Australia YET.

http://www.petunia.com/collections/cake

Nurseries to make you swoon!

Getting ready to move Yasmine from the craddle to cot and into her own space from our room.
As lovely as its been having her so close especially for those early morning feeds when i can hardly see past my nose my eyes are so tried, so ive taken some mumspiration and found these fun nursery pics

Here a few of the nurseries featured, but I urge you to follow this link and check out the other 11!

images IHeartBaby

A New Aunt!

Yasmines new Great Aunt Sabra - Chocolate labrador retriever the newest member of a growing family and not much difference in age we look forward to many exciting times at the Great Grandparents place. Its sure to keep them young for many days to come.

Rhypophobia

The Fear of Poo!

We might of accidently shown this episode to Yasmine as shes only just decided to do a bowel movement after 16 days!

Artist : Luke Jurevicius

Figaro, a boy beset by an entire alphabet of phobias. Whether it is fear of spiders, vegetables, beards or even poo! Figaro Pho is a cross-platform animation series for broadcast on ABC. It was created with the generous support and investment of the South Australian Film Corporation, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Screen Australia.

Luke Jurevicius dreamt up the series concept virtually on the spot, whilst entertaining family over brunch.

After a fine feast of culinary delights, mints were distributed around the table. This sent Luke into conniptions, as his fear of mint came rushing to the fore. This of course sent the family into hysterics and confusion, and it was from this moment that he suddenly realised that an audience could be entertained and engaged by a chronically phobic character.Luke notoriously exhibits a ream of unusual phobias, which suggests that the series is somewhat autobiographic! Fear of mint, prickly woollen jumpers and a fast beating heart are high on his list of phobias, Luke produced, directed, co-wrote the scripts, co-designed, storyboarded, co-wrote the music and voiced the entire Figaro Pho series, including the voice of Figaro.

On the top of the list, Luke engaged the interest of Deane Taylor, who is hailed a legend for his Art Direction on Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. As the Creative Consultant, Deane aided Luke throughout the project.

EVERYONE MUST CHECK IT OUT 

• http://www.abc.net.au/rollercoaster/figaropho
  http://vishusproductions.com/figaropho  

Auckland

If you live in Auckland you should consider attending the

first Auckland Art and Craft fair

Lux Baby

My Bugaboo!, this is how we roll...

Black for the serious time and Pink for the party time. Dutch design pram, for people on the move, Whether you're travelling through the city or gone bush, on sand or through snow, Bugaboo can help you reach your destination.It is incredibly

simple to use. The reversible and seat and bassinet enables it to turn the pushchair around so is either facing mum or facing the world. The height of the handlebar is easy to adjust.Small swivel wheels at the front help us to navigate tight spaces using just one hand as we strolling along while the adjustable suspension keeps us rolling smoothly whatever the terrain which is much needed in our semi country lifestyle where there is minimal foot paths to the shops. On rougher roads, we can reverse the handlebar so the big wheels are at the front – making it easy to glide over any bumps that come our way. And, when we visit uncle mike and aunty steph  (and cousin we dont know their name yet but hopefully any day now) at the beach, we click the pushchair into a two-wheel position to make easy work of sand – the same position is also ideal for travelling over snow which daddy might plan for us soon . We love our Bugaboo! Team it up with my Lux  blanket from sydney heritage fair many thanks to aunty katie its the ultimate accessory for chilly winter days

xx Yasmine

Importance Of ZZZZzzzzz

How much sleep is really enough?

 You see me and my mum we love our sleep were such good sleepers my mum sometimes tells me i napped for to long during the day and then not long enough in the morning its not my fault if i got cold, or i needed to do a really big burp or even wicked charlie ( something to talk about another day) woke me up by jumping all over mum and dads bed .... so we have decided to see is theres such a thing as to much sleep or not enough. 

 Infants: 16 hours

Teenagers: 9 hours

Adults: 7 to 8 hours per night. Some adults may need 5 hours or as many as 10 hours per night.

Pregnant women: particularly during the first 3 months may need more sleep. 

Sleep is essential for the normal functioning of all systems in the body. Sleep has direct effect on the individual's mental and physical health. Lack or poor sleep can affect the individual's ability to fight and endure sickness, cause irritability, poor concentration, impaired memory and decreases hand-eye co-ordination.  

It's a dynamic process (brain activity continues during sleep). In humans cells produce and release proteins essential for growth (especially in children) and tissue repair during sleep. Sleep helps humans maintain optimal emotional and social functioning while awake by giving a rest during sleep to the parts of the brain that control emotions and social interactions. Sleep is a complicated process that is not fully understood.

Something interesting- Circadian Rhythms

Biological variations that occur in the course of 24 hours are called circadian rhythms. Circadian (from latin meaning around the day) rhythms are controlled by the body's biological clock. Many bodily functions follow the biological clock, but sleep and wakefulness consist of the most important circadian rhythm. The hypothalamus controls the sleep/wakefulness rhythm.

Light directly affect the sleep/wakefulness rhythm. Light is called a zeitgeber , a German word meaning time-giver, as it sets the biological clock.

The hypothalamus also controls body temperature. Body temperature increases during the day and decrease at night. Prolactin, testosterone and growth hormone have a maximal secretion at night.

Circadian rhythms can be affected by external stimulus, beeping of the alarm, timing of meals, crossing of time zones (leading to jet lag), and shift work. It usually takes several days for the body to adjust to the new time.

People who work at night or shift work, experience symptoms similar to those seen in people with jet lag. The individual's wake up time conflicts with powerful sleep-regulating cues (ie. sunlight) they become drowsy at work and even have trouble falling sleep during their off time. In this case, the biological clock wants to do one thing while the individual is doing something else. People that do shift work may have an increased risk of heart, gastrointestinal, emotional and mental problems. All of these problems may be related to the disruption of the circadian rhythm. 

*** If you feel drowsy during the day or during boring activities you haven't had enough sleep*** 

six reasons to get enough sleep:

1. Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.
2. Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
3. Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.
4. Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.
5. Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
6. Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.

 

 Too much sleep...

sleeping too long can make us as tired and lethargic as having too little. If you wake up tired after sleeping for eight hours or longer, more sleep is not what you need. ( maybe coffee) You may thinks that because you sleep too much you're the exact opposite of those who have too little sleep. In fact excessive sleep is actually another form of insonmia. Yes really! Because you're not acheiving the right kind of rest, this is why you find it so hard to get up, or perhaps you have problems with sleepiness during the day.
Too much sleep can weaken your sleep system. Your body is not awake for long enough to absorb enough sunlight ( happy rays), get enough exercise (pram walking) or engage in enough tiring activities.( washing the dishes).

Conclusion: I keep doing what i do best and mum can work around me!

xx Yasmine.

Pop of Pink

One of my favourite quotes

All things pink can always give a girl warm fuzzies in winter

i love my Dolly Jane's pink wool hair

Happy Weekend!

3 Months

Happy July 2010!

the days are quickly flying, and we do our best to enjoy them.
making the most of each little second, learning the art of rolling, ABC's the cooing of mothers music is delightful. Lifes little pleasures are so simple....

a kiss sweetdreams for every nap
a hug for every waking moment
a smile for the times you talk to them

dreams do come true.