How to spend a fun Saturday morning.

What did you do with your Saturday morning? Well, I spent mine taking an "art journalling" class, with the lovely and talented Angela Churchill from Little Bits of Me.

"Art journalling?" I hear you say, "Never heard of it". Neither had I, until I stumbled across Angela's stall at our local mother's market. Basically, it's a kind of painting/collage/scrapbook/diary hybrid. If you want to know more about the ins and outs of art journalling, check out this article.

I went along because I'm currently having a creativity rebirth (more about that at a later date) and was keen to try some painting techniques. I'd seen some of Angela's work with art canvases and wanted to find out how she had crafted them.

The class was so much fun. There were nine lovely women participating, ranging in age from about 12 to about 60 (I think, hope I"m not offending anyone!) Everyone had a blast, and it was such a positive, encouraging atmosphere.

It was also lovely to be doing something purely for the fun of it. I think that's something most of us are missing these days - we're so focused on what we have to do, that we don't get time for what we want to do. It often seems selfish to take time out for ourselves, purely for pleasure, especially with a million competing work and family demands taking up all of our time.

But it's something I think people should do more often. I came out of the class with a spring in my step. Not because I'd created any kind of masterpiece. but because I'd had fun, and done something I had wanted to do, just for the sake of it.

I'm sure we've all got a few things we want to do? What's yours? Do you want to learn how to play the bagpipes? Go horseback riding? Jump out of an aeroplane (hopefully with a parachute attached). Do you think you can find some time this week to do it? This month? Before the end of the year? Go on, I challenge you.

Ps. In case you're interested, here's what I created in my three hour workshop in Saturday. Any offers over $3 million each will be considered...

Raindrops on roses....

...and whiskers on kittens.

You know how the song goes, so you may have guessed this post is going to be about my favourite things.

My favourite baby things that is. I've been a Mum a grand total of nine months, so naturally I consider myself an expert by now. Hardly.

But I have managed to come across a few products which I can describe as my absolute favourites. Things which have made my new life as a Mum a whole lot easier. I know most Mums are always on the lookout for such products, so here are my suggestions. Thought I'd share them with you.

The pram: Baby Jogger City Select

I have to credit my Mum for this one, she did the research and recommended the Baby Jogger City Select (which she later bought me as our baby present, thanks mum!). To describe it in one word. Awesome. It is on the pricier side (more expensive than a Strider, much less than a Stokke), but in my opinion, it's worth every cent.

Babies spend a long time in their prams - especially if you're like me and love to go for long walks (around the shopping centres...). So they have to be comfy.

We used the bassinet attachment for the first four months, but you can also use a capsule to make it into a travel system. It also serves double duty as a twin pram - with 16 different set up combinations - see the pic above. If you're thinking of having a second baby this pram will grow with your family.

What do I love best about this pram:

* Two seats can both face forward with the rear seat slightly above the front, so both babies can look out and see the world ahead of them. (I don't like the idea of one baby sitting behind and under the other seat).

* The fold mechanism is really simple and you don't need to bend down to pick the pram up. The seat comes off really easily, so it's not so heavy to lift into the boot.

* The bassinet attachment. Great for the early months when bubs sleeps most of the time - easy for nappy changes when out and about and we used this for our little poppet to sleep in our room for the first few weeks. No need to buy a bassinet.

* The brake on the handle. Easy to use, easy to see if it's on.

* Easy to steer and maneuvre - I can wheel it with one hand while restraining an over-excited sausage dog with the other.

* The "diamond" colour - we live in the tropics, so I wasn't keen on a black pram. This colour doesn't seem to absorb the heat as much.

* The storage basket is HUGE! Seriously. And really accessible. I can fit almost a whole week's worth of groceries in the basket. Very handy for shopping trips.

There's so much more I love, but it's time to move on...



The sunscreen: Arbonne Baby Care SPF 30+

The ABC baby sunscreen - non-greasy, rubs in easily, effective enough for the Central Queensland sun and made with 100pc natural ingredients and absolutely no nasty stuff. What's not to like??

Arbonne also do a great range of skincare and cosmetics for Mum, if you feel like spoiling yourself...

The baby wipe: Curash Fragrance Free

You're going to use a lot of baby wipes, so you better find some you like. I've tried them all (nearly). And this one is definitely my favourite. Strong, thick wipe with lots of moisture. I've found others to be too dry, too harsh, too soft. These ones are just right. And they're pretty reasonably priced. Especially if you get the bulk pack from Big W.

The swaddle: Wrap Me Up by Love to Dream

My little girl was born two months after her gorgeous little cousin, who grew like an absolute beanpole and was in size 0 by the time she was three months old. So, naturally, we got a few hand-me-downs from her Mum, my gorgeous sister-in-law. Unfortunately we couldn't use most of them, due to the fact that growsuits suitable for Adelaide in October aren't really suitable for Central Queensland in the midst of the most humid January in a long time.

One thing we did use however, was this little beauty - the Wrap Me Up swaddle. We started using it when poppet was about five or six weeks old. About the same time she started sleeping through the night (9pm til 7am). Coincidence? Maybe. But I wasn't willing to risk it, so she was zipped up in her suit every sleep time until she was about four months and started rolling over in her cot, at which time she moved into a sleeping bag. Soft and just the right amount of stretchy, it also comes in a lightweight version, which was perfect for our tropical summer. The genius thing about this swaddle is that it allows the baby to sleep with their arms up (which they naturally like to do), but still stops the startle reflex. It also has a double zip and a backflap, which means you can strap baby into the car seat or pram while they're sleeping, without taking the wrap off.

I can't rave about these things enough.

The moisturising cream and non-soap wash: Moo Goo Udder Cream and Milk Wash

Here's an equation for you. New baby = lots of nappy changes + paranoia about germs = lots of hand washing = very, very dry hands.

Enter Moo Goo Udder Cream which brilliantly protects and restores moisture to dry hands. I also use it as a nappy change cream and general moisturiser for my little poppet - it really helps her drool rash! Special mention here as well for the Moo Goo Milk Wash. It doubles in our bathroom as a hand wash and bubble bath (except it doesn't create bubbles, but poppet is too young to care about bubbles yet anyway).

Great range - and Australian made to boot.

The book: Save Our Sleep by Tizzie Hall

Okay, I know this might be a controversial one, but I truly did find this book very helpful. Save Our Sleep is one of those books that creates division, people either love it or they hate it. I'm a big fan of routines and my little girl fell into the routines really easily, so I was instantly a fan. Having said that, I didn't follow the book to the letter, particularly with the self-settling at night, which took my little poppet a few months to get the hang of. I'm not saying this book is for everyone, but if you like the idea of a routine and you're struggling to settle your bub, it's worth a look.

The Bib: Cotton On Baby terry towelling bib

Yet again another recommendation from another Mum. I got a couple of these Cotton On bibs as a baby gift from an absolutely super-duper-single-mum I know. They're the only ones she uses. In my head, they are simply the best bibs around. Extra wide for great coverage. Super thick for absorbency. And also, they have a press stud closure. Sure, I know everyone thinks velcro is the best bib fastener - until your baby turns nine months old and learns that if she tugs hard enough she can take it off. Press studs are the bomb. As are these bibs. I now have half a dozen or so and they're always the first to get pulled out at feed time.

So there you have it. My favourite (baby) things.

I'm sure the list will grow and develop along with my little poppet, but for now, I'm certifying these items as the bomb.

What are your faves? I'd love for more recommendations...

Happy Birthday Mum!!

Special day today - it's my lovely Mum's birthday.

As part of my "make every present I give this year" challenge, I've made her a little something. Unfortunately I didn't finish it in time to post it so that it would get to her for her birthday, so I've warned her it's going to be a little late.

But here's a sneak peek...

Hmmmm, what could it be?

Icy cool

I don't mind the odd cooking show, I've watched a few in my time. But I can't say I've ever actually jumped up from the couch straight away and made something I've seen on a show.

Well that all changed tonight, thank you Jamie Olvier's 30 minute meals.

Good old Jamie was making a really, really simple home made ice cream. And I mean seriously simple. Frozen berries, yoghurt and honey, smashed up in a food processor and thrown in the freezer.  The finished product looked so good.

"I could make that," I said to hubby. "We've got all those ingredients."

So off I went, dusting off the old food processor and making room in the freezer to sit the bowls upright to set.

One minute berry ice cream. By me, not Jamie.

And here's the finished result.

I used my very favourite Jalna Bio-dynamic organic natural yoghourt (yes they spell it with an extra 'O'). so it was a bit tart - but that's how I like it!!

I think hubby would have preferred it with a nice creamy vanilla yoghurt (without the extra 'O'). Maybe next time.

If you want to try it yourself, here's Jamie's recipe for his one minute berry ice cream.

Easy as. I think I may have to add Jamie's 30 Minute Meals book to my Christmas wish list.

I'd also like his kitchen. If someone could pick it up and drop it inside my house, that would be ace.

The first 5km.

I ran five kilometres today.

My trusty Asics Gel Kayano. I heart them.

Well actually, I jogged five kilometres, kind of shuffled really. But it was still 5km, with no walking and no stops.

Whether or not you're impressed by this piece of information will likely depend on how much of a runner you are yourself. I know for some of you out there 5km is a recovery run. For others 5km might seem like an insurmountable goal.

I remember when I first took up running/jogging/shuffling. My awesome housemate/running buddy and I used to go on our evening walks and when we got to a secluded lane way about halfway through our run we used to challenge ourselves to run the length of it - probably about 200 metres. This was no easy feat in those early days - especially considering my running buddy used to double over in fits of giggles every time we started to jog. Those were the days.

Slowly, slowly, slowly we built up our running, setting ourselves the goal of a 4km fun run - jetty to jetty and return at a local beach. When the day finally came we got there ridiculously early - about an hour early actually. So, tired of waiting around for the race to start, and more than a little intimidated by all the real runners who were starting to turn up, we decided to run the race on our own. We finished before the actual race even started. Yay us.

With our first run under our belts there was no stopping us. We moved up to a 7km run, a 10km, a 15km, and then finally onto the big one - a half marathon. 21.1km. Ouch.

Apart from giving birth to my daughter, the half marathon was THE hardest thing I have ever done. And speaking of my daughter, I was actually 7 weeks pregnant when I ran it. That's the excuse I generally use when someone asks how long it took to run - that number was much closer to three hours than it was to two and a half. But at least we didn't finish last - there was another duo trailing somewhere behind us.

Eager to go before our half marathon. I chose the before pic as the after pic is not pretty.

Sadly, my running days came to a halt pretty quickly after the half mara. Pregnancy fatigue and 5.45am run starts don't mix well unfortunately. So I hadn't really done any running for well over a year.

Until a couple of months ago. My old running buddy sent me a message - something along the lines of... "Are you getting pregnant again soon? If not lets do another half mara." Bring it - was my response.

So it's on. January 2012. Just over four more months to get back up to speed (not that there was ever much speed in our running schedule). Despite living 2,500km apart, we're still virtual running buddies - checking each others times and distances by text message and facebook.

And luckily, I've found a new running buddy up here in sunny Yeppoon. I met her at "Mummy and Me" fitness class, and despite her protests that she wasn't a runner, I convinced her into coming on a weekly jog with me. Today was the first time she had ever run 5km. So big props to you new running buddy.

She told me today she's not even contemplating a half marathon. Wonder if I can convince her?

Finger Paint Fun

I saw a morning tv segment recently about a toddler who was painting wonderful artworks, hosting a solo exhibition in New York City and charging thousands of dollars per painting. Well, technically her parents were in charge of the exhibition and the charging thousands, the little girl was just having fun squirting the paints around.

So with that in mind, and with father's day looming, I thought it was about time little Poppet and I cracked open the finger paints. Since the start of this year I've challenged myself to hand-make all of the gifts I've given people. So I thought my little one could follow suit. What fun we had.

Here is the finished result. Not sure it's gallery-worthy, but the Bear loved it and it has certainly earned pride of place in our home.

I've titled this piece "First Father's Day".

Here's a few shots of the mess we created along the way. Good times. Paint everywhere, of course. Yes, even on the back of her head. Don't worry, it all came out in the wash.

And I can't resist sneaking this last pic in. This is her new favourite face to pull. Not quite Blue Steel, but unique nevertheless.

Who knows, maybe a solo exhibition really isn't that far away...