DEC/JAN 2015

Christmas crafts

for the kids

The value of

giving

Empowering parents to be the best they can be!

When your child

is afraid

Handmade and quality children’s products

www.angelbabes.com.au www.facebook.com/myangelbabes

Fabric dolls

Quality gift items

Plush toys

Baby and toddler clothing

December/January 2015

Special Features

12 26 28

How to de-tangle your tinsel this festive season Christmas gift guide Recommended reading

Articles

When your child is afraid 10 reasons you should be a stay at home parent Teaching kids the value of giving Water safety for children 2014 money challenge

6 8

18 20 24

Regulars

Contents

Small Steps to business with Chris Crowe Something Extra - by Carolyn Galbraith Kid’s fun

16

22

29

Letter from the Editor Make a Change Monthly Recipe - Honey Jumbles Ask a professional - questions from readers Your Story - An early arrival went against my plans

5 9

10 11

14

4

from the Editor

Julie-Anne England

Dear Reader,

It is Christmas time all over

again! I love Christmas, it is my

favourite time of year. And it is becoming even

more enjoyable now that my kids are growing up a bit and are

able to join in the festivities.

This year we are starting a new tradition with Elf on a Shelf and I’m ex-

cited about the mischief he is going to get in once the kids are in bed. If

you are interested to see too, keep your eye out on our facebook page.

This month’s issue finishes off a really great year for Small Steps and next

year we will be back in February bigger and better than ever. We will be

coming back to print too and we will let you know very soon where you

can get hold of your monthly copies.

We are also excited to welcome Kim Hendricks to our magazine as a new

monthly contributor. Kim works with families on training for first aid and

Kim will be sharing her knowledge with us each month on first aid for the

family.

I wish you all a very safe and merry Christmas and look forward to you

joining us again next year!

Kindly,

Letter

5

When your child is

Isn’t it ironic that one of our worst fears as

parents is: why is my child fearful?

Babies are born with two fears:

a fear of falling

a fear of loud noises

The other fears are learned behaviours

from their environment. Our own parenting

contributes significantly to the fears our

children suppress or express. To gauge our

own fear level, we firstly need to look at

the relationship we have with ourselves.

Parents who have a good relationship with

them selves are generally happy, positive,

social, interesting and are risk-takers.

When we have a good relationship with

ourselves, we tend to be solution-focused

rather than problem-focused. We learn

from set-backs and rise to challenges. This

is the foundation for positive self concept,

a foundation that can detach from worries,

judgement or fear of failure.

If you can model strength through action

and confidence during the highs and

lows, so too will your children!

How you respond and react to difficult

6

challenges and perceived failures is the

best indicator as to how your children will.

Are you anxious, nervous, and procrasti-

nate? Or do you see opportunities when

others can’t? If fear is learnt, it is incredi-

bly beneficial to our children that we are

living the best possible version of our-

selves.

We don’t want to make life perfect for our

children, after all perfection is just a per-

ception. We do not need to protect or shel-

ter them from making mistakes or coming

second, third or last, we just need to sup-

port them and let them know that no matter

what they try to achieve, no matter the re-

sults they get (good or bad), they are al-

ways worthy of love. This then strengthens

their sense of belonging.

When your children feel loved for who they

are, not who they think they should be for

others, including their parents, this strong

sense of love and belonging frees your

child up to take action and take risks. This

freedom flows into confidence that will

help trying new experiences or challenges

more automatic.

It is our role as parents to sit back and al-

low this process to happen, without the

need to control or save them, as much as

instinctively we may want to. As your chil-

dren’s confidence build, and they engage in

new experiences, it is important we focus

on the journey, as this is usually the most

valuable experience of all. This is a great

chance to have quality discussions and

questions with your child:

What did you learn about yourself?

What could have been done differ-

ently?

How could you have been better?

What did you do really well?

Discussions such as these help your child

to grow and become more aware diminish-

ing fear. What we focus on is what we

get, so help your child to focus on his/her

strengths, not weaknesses, and build on

these strengths. Things that your child has

done well in the past, or challenges they

have tried, are evidence of what they can

do well. In the future, remind and share

past triumphs with them.

Gratitude is extremely beneficial when

dealing with fear. These two emotions

share the same neural pathway – you can-

not have one without the other. When you

feel gratitude, it is impossible to feel fear

at the same time. You can encourage your

child from as young as four to

have gratitude for the simplest things, for

eg:

Their healthy strong body

Their creative talent

Their siblings who love and look out

for them

Their house or location where they live

Their friends, teachers etc.

You can start a journal together and fill up

the gratitude bank. You will notice how

good this feels!

Finally, try not to over-think parenting. Just

enjoy modelling action and support your

child in their endeavours.

Written by Gai ODwyer, NLP Practioner

and business owner of Start Life Now.

Find out more on her website

www.startlifenow.com.au

7

You cannot bear the thought of some-

one else raising your child. You be-

came a parent to experience just that—

parenthood. Though there is nothing

wrong with having your child in care, if it

upsets you, it is reason enough to stay at

home.

You don’t want to miss out on the many

milestones that occur during the child’s

first few years. You want to see the first

smile, hear the first laugh, watch the first

steps and hear that precious first word.

Financially you can manage to run

your household without your contri-

bution. This doesn’t mean it will be

easy, only that you are willing to

forgo some of your comforts to be your

child’s full-time carer.

If you could spend all day doing finger

painting, blowing bubbles and running

around the playground, you would! You

love nothing more than spending your days

reliving your childhood with your very

own offspring.

Although you may like your day job, you

know that you can come back to it at any

time without causing much interruption

and even if you can’t, you know there are

other jobs out there.

You are a social person and you love

the thought of spending your days

chatting with other women about your

birth, child raising tips and changing body

while your child plays on the mat with the

other children.

You envisage your days being filled

with laughter, games, cooking treats in

the kitchen and watching The Little

Mermaid.

The only time out you need is a half

hour spent working on your hobby a

few times a week to break up the mo-

notony of the day. If your extra lucky,

you may even use this hobby to bring in a

few extra bucks to contribute to the house-

hold income.

You know that crying children and tod-

dler tantrums aren’t a favourite on your

list but find that they don’t worry you

and you plan for them as part of the life

of a mother.

When you picture your life as a

mum you find yourself being en-

vious of those mums who stay at

home and use Pinterest to gain

inspiration for daily crafts and learning

activities.

If these things sound like you, chances are

you would do great as a stay-at-home par-

ent. And if not, there is no shame in being a

parent that loves their children while work-

ing for a living.

8

Reasons you should be a

stay at home parent

With rising child care costs and the struggle to return to

work, many parents are choosing to stay at home full -

time. While making your own decision try to keep these

points in mind...

9

Do you know someone who needs a helping hand?

If you know someone who is having a tough time right now way don’t you write in to us

and let us know. We would like to extend our hand to help by offering a $50 grocery gift-

card or a pamper session or a gift basket to meet their current need. So far because of peo-

ple like you that have written in, we have been able to provide a grocery giftcard and

flowers for a mum with sick kids, a pamper session for a mum who just lost her baby, a

makeover and photo shoot for a mum after the death of a child and more. You can make a

difference.

Simply send your emails through to info@smallstepsparenting.com and impact a life.

It only takes one life to make a difference.

Change Change Make a

Here at Small Steps Parenting Magazine we believe that each

one of us has the power to make a difference in our world.

Make a change is about that. It is about doing one thing each

month to make a difference in someone else’s life and create a

change in the atmosphere in our own community.

Monthly Recipe

Ingredients

55g butter, chopped

150g Honey (just under 1/2 cup)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1 cup plain flour

1/2 cup self raising flour

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger (just under)

1/2 teaspoon mixed spice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Method

1. Combine butter, honey and sugar in saucepan an melt

over low-medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside

to cool for 5-10 minutes.

2. Sift flours, bicarbonate soda, ginger, mixed spice and

cloves in a bowl, add milk and butter mixture and mix

well. Cover and pace in refrigerator for 45 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 180 degrees/ 170 degrees fan forced.

4. Line two trays with baking paper.

5. Place dough onto a lightly floured board to knead. Sepa-

rate into 4 pieces and roll each portion into logs approx

2cm round. Cut into four pieces and place onto baking

tray, allowing room for them to spread.

Honey Jumbles

Icing

1 egg white

2 teaspoons lemon

juice

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

Dash water

Food colouring

(optional)

11

Ask a Professional...

QUESTION: I have a three year old daughter who loves to sit and colour but not do much

else. I worry about her development. What can I do to encourage other activities?

Children often find an activity that they enjoy or feel they are good at and spend most of

their time doing that. It is important though to provide your child with a variety of ac-

tivities that encourages all areas of her development. It sounds like she is getting lots of

practice with her fine motor skills but needs time with her other areas.

Try encouraging some outdoor play such as catching a ball or playing chasings to en-

courage gross motor development. To gain her interest you may have to link it to some-

thing else she likes, such as tell her the ball is a special princess ball and you have to run

really fast with it to get it to the princess before time runs out. Try to use her interests by

being creative to link them with other activities.

Another idea is to set a special time for colouring, say after lunch, and tell her that she

can colour as much as she likes during that time but when colouring time is over she

needs to choose a new activity. Plan some activities for her to choose from and let her

pick. You could even make a game out of it by putting pieces of paper with different

games on it in a hat and letting her select one. Very soon you will find that she is enjoy-

ing a wide range of activities.

This answer has been supplied by Julie-Anne England who has years of experience

working with children plus childcare trained and mum of two. Learn more about Julie-

Anne on our "About Us" page on our website.

This recipe comes from Trendy Lil Treats. For more recipes check out their website

www.trendyliltreats.com.au

6. Place into oven and bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly

golden. Leave on the tray for 8 minutes then transfer to

cooling rack to cool completely.

7. To make icing whisk egg white and lemon juice until it

starts to peak (looks like soft foam). Gradually whisk in

sifted icing sugar until fully combined. If the mixture is too

thick, add a dash of water, sometimes you will need it and

other times you won’t. Divide the mixture into bowls and

add a few drops of food colouring. Spread icing over the cooled biscuits and leave to

set.

How to de-tangle your tinsel this festive season

12

Michael Bublé on repeat in department

stores, red and green everywhere, kids lining

up to take their photo with that red, chubby

fella: aaah, it can all only mean one thing:

it’s almost Christmas time again!

So while your kids might already be ready to

hand over that list for Santa that they’ve

been compiling meticulously for months,

Christmas might not be met with such happi-

ness for some.

**Cue the horror movie music – think of the

screeching violins that played in that epic

Psycho shower scene.**

First up, it’s important that you’re not feel-

ing guilty that you’re not exactly jumping

for joy at the thought of waving hello to

Christmas yet again. This time of the year

can be incredibly stressful and not just for

you, for a lot of people all around the world.

Think about it, there’s:

Factoring those expensive gifts into

your already tight budget.

Finding the time to research what peo-

ple would like and make the time to go gift

shopping.

That ‘perfect’ family gathering you’re either

expected to organise or contribute to.

Yep, we can see why you’re biting those

nails! But, let’s all take a deep breath and

deal with this reality check for just one mo-

ment:

Christmas is one day of the year. If you don’t turn on the best celebration, the

Apocalypse won’t take place and those zom-

bies from The Walking Dead won’t rock up

at your front door.

So, instead of becoming your family’s ver-

sion of Miley Cyrus (you know, everybody

talking about you for all the wrong reasons),

here are some simple things you can follow

to make sure it really is a Merry Christmas.

Be aware of what’s ahead

While we’d love to play ‘happy families’,

it’s just reality that you may not get on so

well with every single member of your fam-

ily. Don’t work yourself up ahead of time:

instead, learn how to cope with your family

and lay to bed anything you can’t change.

Focus on what’s to come, not on what’s

passed.

Be mindful of your behaviour

Kids are like sponges and if you’re stressed

out, chances are, they’ll feel it and start feel-

ing down too. Christmas is an exciting time

for the little munchkins so just keep a check

on how you’re reacting to certain things in

the lead-up to the big day.

It’s not about how much you spend Okay, so you know who’s going to go all-

out present-wise but be realistic with what

you can afford. You don’t have to keep up

with your family and friends: accept what

equates to a realistic gift for you and anyone

who really appreciates you, will love your

present anyway.

Remember to look after yourself

You need to buy gifts… you need to buy

groceries for the big day… and drinks… and

decorations for the room: breathe. Sit down,

take a deep breath and swap that supermar-

ket trip for a long walk instead. This can be a

demanding period in terms of social outings

but make sure you’re allocating time to

keeping yourself fit and healthy – it’ll go a

long way to beating that Christmas stress.

And… if you’re still feeling a little hot under

the collar, follow these stress management

tips:

Visualise happiness – think of a time when

you were happy and teleport your way back

(yes, summon your imaginative side).

Just say no – it’s okay… the world will

keep on turning.

Call a friend – sometimes, you just need to

let it out. That’s what friends are for.

Just laugh – a good chuckle, whatever the

situation, can really help you to let go and de

-stress.

Be still – there’s nothing like ‘alone’, silent

time to force you to realise how whatever

you’ve worked yourself up about, doesn’t

really matter.

Here’s another tip, jot down these inspira-

tional quotes on sticky notes and stick them

all around you (your work desk, on the

fridge and so on).

“The quieter you become, the more you can

hear” – Ram Dass

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it

without” – Buddha

“Surround yourself only with people who

are going to lift you higher” – Oprah Win-

frey

Sarah Cannata is the Communications Man-

ager at HelpMeChoose.com.au, an insur-

ance, energy and home loan comparison

service. For more family related news, read

the HelpMeChoose blog – you can email

Sarah at:

sarah.cannata@helpmechoose.com.au

13

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14

Your Story

Carice’s Story - An early arrival went against

my plans

It was my first pregnancy and I was quite

nervous about the whole thing. My sisters

hadn’t had easy pregnancies and I kind of

assumed mine would be the same. Every

appointment I had with the clinic I met

with trepidation, preparing myself for bad

news but as it didn’t come week after

week I began to settle into my pregnancy

and actually enjoy it.

I loved the feeling of my changing body

and I will never forget the moment when I

first felt my baby move - like a soft flut-

tering through my lower abdomen. I

loved my changing shape and I took real

pride in being able to buy new maternity

clothes to show of my growing bump.

I was thrilled that I not only had a very

easy and text book pregnancy but I also

didn’t get a lot of the usual symptoms like

nausea and fatigue. I honestly felt really

energized and kept myself busy planning

for the arrival of my first baby.

I am a very organized person and I knew

that the end of the pregnancy would drive

me nuts as I waited for the baby to come

so I planned out 40 weeks of activities for

myself to give myself something to look

forward to each week.

At week 30 my husband and I planned a

lovely week away up the coast at a gor-

geous resort as our last holiday as a cou-

ple. I thoroughly enjoyed the time, sun-

ning myself on the sand, walks along the

beach with my husband and delicious

meals out very night. I was quite sorry to

see the end of the holiday but had much

more to plan after that.

I was very excited about my coming baby

shower too. I had been to so many baby

showers and it was surreal to think that

this one was for me. I often daydreamed

about the shower, surrounded my friends

and opening the presents containing these

adorable tiny little outfits.

Until then the rest of my pregnancy had

me catching up with friends, starting to

decorate the nursery and preparing the

house for my baby’s arrival.

When I hit 34 weeks I started feeling

really off. I can’t quite describe it but I

just had a feeling something was not quite

right. I was glad that I had an appoint-

ment with the clinic the next day so they

could reassure me and tell me that it was

nothing, just normal end of pregnancy

kind of stuff.

I arrived at the appointment with my hus-

band and felt a bit put off when the nurse

told me I didn’t look good. I confessed

that I hadn’t been sleeping so well and my

body seemed to have taken on fluid. I was

puffy around not only my feet and ankles

but my face too.

The midwife sat my down to take my

blood pressure. I was astonished to see

that it was 160 on 110. The midwife

looked quite alarmed and ask my to sit

quietly while she left the room.

A minute later she came back in with

male doctor. He also took my blood pres-

sure with the same result and then sat next

to me as he proceeded to tell me how dan-

gerous it was to have a blood pressure

that high. I was diagnosed with pre-

eclampsia. At the moment both my baby

and I were at high risk of death.

I don’t really remember much of those

next few moments. I was placed in a bed

and drips and monitors were quickly set

up. My husband seemed quite lost at what

to do. I remember stressing about all the

things I hadn’t done. I hadn’t even packed

my hospital bag. I didn’t feel ready to

have my baby, this wasn’t the way it was

supposed to go. It was too early.

I was supposed to be listening to all the

doctor was saying but I couldn’t focus. I

heard words like special care nursery, and

breathing problems and the next thing I

know I was being wheeled off to surgery

for an emergency caesarean.

I held onto my husbands hand tightly as

they wheeled me quickly down the hall-

ways. I was nervous and frightened for

the life of my child. Surely it isn’t as bad

as this, I thought to myself. Maybe they

are just being overcautious.

I struggled to maintain my composure

when they told me my husband had to

wait outside while they got me prepped. I

felt so out of control but the nurse with

me was so supportive. She spoke to me

soothingly as they bustled about the room

and set up the spinal. I sat as still as I

could while they put in the local anaes-

thetic but the room was so cold and I was

shivering uncontrollably. Within minutes

I was laying on the bed with cords every-

where and finally they allowed my hus-

band to be with me. I gratefully took his

hand and he kissed my forehead.

I felt really strange, there was no pain but

I could feel movement and pulling. I felt

kind of sick as it was all going on and I

willed myself not to throw up. The nurse

gave my something and the feeling started

to ease.

I will never forget the feeling of my baby

being lifted out. I suddenly felt lighter and

I held my breath to hear the first cry.

Within seconds that beautiful sound

touched my ears and I began to cry.

“What is it?” I asked, wanting to get a

glimpse of my precious newborn.

“It’s a girl.” My husband said to me and

went around to cut the cord.

I got to kiss her little face before they

whisked her off to special care to make

sure she was okay. She was so beautiful.

We named her Analiese and I felt so

proud that I had brought a life into this

world.

Analiese did really well and didn’t seem

to have any problems because of the pre-

eclampsia. She did struggle with feeding

for a while though and had to stay in hos-

pital to grow up for a few weeks before I

could take her home.

The day I did was the happiest day of my

life. Now Analiese is 6 months old and

such a wonderful, happy baby. I cannot

imagine life without her.

15

16

Christmas is upon us and for small busi-

ness owners that brings challenges as well

as Christmas joy!

You still have clients to look after, but you

often have the added distraction of Christ-

mas events, kids home for the summer and

the need for a (well-deserved, I’m sure)

family holiday! How do you balance eve-

rything?

Here are my 5 Top Tips to cope with what

really is the “silly season” when it comes

to running a small business and a family at

this time of the year!

1. Make sure you keep your diary up to

date! Use the diary to put EVERY-

THING in there. From end of year

school/kinder/crèche concerts – to

Christmas networking events – to

your normal every day clients work –

to the inevitable family or friend

catch ups. Keeping track of where

you’re supposed to be and when

you’re supposed to be there is going

to make the season run much more

smoothly.

2. Communicate early with your clients

about cut off dates for Christmas

orders. Let them know when you’re

closed for your well deserved break

(aka the family holiday!) Send them

a timely email which details every-

thing they need to know so they

don’t miss out on your awesome-

ness!

3. If you have children, make arrange-

ments with other working families

for play-dates. By helping each

other out, you will find it possible to

have some great productive time to

get things done. Work like the clap-

pers when the kids aren’t there!!!

4. If possible with your business, get up

early and work while the kids have

lazy mornings and work after they’ve

gone to bed. Keep the days free to

spend time with the kids – take them

to the beach or the park! After all,

you went into business to be family-

friendly, so be friendly to your fam-

ily!

5. Now, bias-alert is required for the

next tip! As a Virtual Assistant (VA)

myself, I can’t help but think this is

the best tip of the article and I have

to admit to being totally biased about

this tip….Here’s the tip … drum roll!

– get yourself a Virtual Assistant!

The great thing about having a VA is

that you can just use their services

while you’re away so you don’t miss

5 steps to keep your business

going this holidays

Combos Slides Obstacle Castles Slushie Machines

Phone: (02) 4571 1240 or 0402 100 681

Email: tomcatjim1@bigpond.com

Birthdays/Corporate Events/Preschools/Fetes/Christmas/New Years

orders – they can check your emails

and respond on your behalf. Even

forward your phone calls to them.

If your business is like a lot of businesses,

it may be that this summer period is a

quiet time for you. Make great use of the

down time to plan the next year! Re-visit

your website and make updates. Re-visit

your business plan and make more plans

for the rest of the year. Set up your mar-

keting plan for the next 3 – 6 months. Use

the time to write blogs, set up strategies

and make plans.

These tips should help you make the most

of the Christmas period, including the

summer holidays. Oh, and if you need a

VA – I have a network of willing, able and

professional people only too ready to help

you out.

Ho, ho, ho – I hope Santa finds you and

your family and you enjoy this crazy,

stressful, fun, awesome time of the year!

Have a safe and happy festive season and

see you in the New Year!

Chris

18

Earlier this year I was struggling with the all

the ‘I wants’ I was constantly hearing from

my eldest daughter. It seemed as though the

more she had, the more she wanted. She

claimed she was bored but it was really be-

cause she had so many toys and amuse-

ments, she simply couldn’t focus on one

thing. While being self-obsessed is normal

enough for a seven year old, I was getting

worried that I was creating a monster.

After discussing my concerns with other

mums at school, I discovered they were ex-

periencing a similar thing. We decided to

band together and create a group that would

help the kids develop a social conscience.

Our goal was simple enough: to get them to

start thinking about others instead of them-

selves.

Here are some tips on how to teach kids how

to give:

1. Have realistic goals based on their

age. Our group of kids were aged be-

tween seven and nine and full of ideas,

including having a car wash, reading

to seniors, letting homeless people

move into the spare bedroom and sell-

ing lemonade on the side of the road.

Clearly, direction from adults was

going to be necessary. Also, choosing

a charity or group to work with is an

important decision. Small kids might

not be ready to understand why people

are homeless and issues surround men-

tal health and depression, but they are

more than ready to understand helping

animals and that kids their own age

can get really sick. Children will feel

more empowered if they are able to

witness or meet the group they are

helping.

2. Small ideas are as good as big ideas.

Kids don’t need to fight starvation in

Africa or save the rainforests to make

a difference. Teaching kids to give

might be as simple as earning some

money to buy a bag of dog treats for

the local kennel. Sweeping the elderly

neighbour’s drive is just as valued as

Teaching our

kids the value

of giving

McGraths Hill Children’s Centre Inc

69 Andrew Thompson Dr, McGraths Hill Ph: 4587 7141 or email: mhcc@westnet.com.au

Open 6.30am-6.30pm

From birth to 6 years

Nutritious meals daily

Community based - Not for profit centre

Preschool transition programs

19

raising $1,000.

3. You can guide them, but you can’t

force them. If we were undertaking a

project, as adults we would have a

particular way of doing things. But

kids aren’t adults, and occasionally we

had to let them make some decisions

that we might not have totally agreed

with, but the kids ultimately felt more

ownership of the project.

4. Go don’t too hard too soon. After the

success of our first project - a garage

sale - everyone was eager to know

‘what’s next’. But we wanted their

giving group to be sustainable, and

rushing into another project would

likely make the kids to burn out and

lose interest. It was a couple of months

before their next project idea bubbled

to the surface.

5. Let fun be their reward. Charitable

work is very noble, but when we are

talking about kids, they need to be

having fun to learn. Too many lectures

about the importance of giving can

start to feel a bit like school and kids

lose interest, and never use guilt to get

kids to participate.

6. Let them choose projects based on

their own interests. We are trying to

teach kids to be thoughtful about oth-

ers, but it’s okay if they relate their

charitable work back to themselves. If

your kids are heavily into sports then

consider a charity like Boots for All in

Victoria (http://

www.bootsforall.org.au/

about_us.html), or if they love baking,

then the simple act of making a batch

of cookies to welcome a new

neighbour, is a worthy project. They

will engage much more with their pro-

ject if they can relate to the people

who will ultimately benefit.

At home, I still hear plenty of ‘I wants’ but

at least they are tempered with the occa-

sional ‘we shouldn’t waste that’ or ‘let’s

think about someone else’. My daughter

recently asked if she could do some jobs to

earn some money, and then bowled me over

by saying that she was going to use the

money to buy Christmas presents for friends

and family. Teaching kids to give is not a

one-off lesson, and you have to let them take

the lead as much as possible. But perhaps the

most important way you can teach your chil-

dren, is to be a giver yourself, and let them

see you donate your time, money or skills to

help others.

Giving projects suitable for children:

Food drive at school or in the

neighbourhood

Buying a toy for a Christmas appeal

Donating toys or books to a church or

school fete

Spending an hour walking the

neighbour’s dog

Engaging the school community to

raise money to sponsor a child

Car wash

Shannon Meyerkort is a blogger, writer and

mother to three little girls. Follow her blog

Relentless at

www.frommumtome.blogspot.com or learn

more at www.shannonmeyerkort.com

Water safety for children

Young children love water and it can be fun for everybody, as well as great exercise. But water safety for kids depends on you or another grown-up always watching your child when in, on or around any water. Drowning can happen quickly and quietly.

Drowning is the number one cause of death for children under five.

Babies and toddlers are top-heavy, which

makes them susceptible to drowning. If a

baby falls into even shallow water, they

can’t always lift themself out.

Drowning can occur quickly and qui-

etly, without any warning noises.

In Australia, children under five drown

in:

swimming pools

baths

rivers, creeks and oceans

dams and lakes

Children also drown in less obvious lo-

cations, such as nappy buckets, water

tanks, water features and fish ponds –

even pets’ water bowls.

For every drowning, approximately

three other children are hospitalised from

non-fatal drowning incidents. Some of

these result in severe brain damage.

Prevention and 100% supervision are the

keys to keeping your child safe around

water.

Water safety for kids: the basics

It’s important to always stay with your

child and watch them whenever they are

near water – even when they can swim.

Supervision means constant visual

contact with your child and keeping

her within arm’s reach at all

20

times. You should be in a position to

respond quickly, whether you’re at the

beach or the swimming pool, near dams,

rivers and lakes, or at home when the

bath or spa is full. Hold your child’s hand

when you’re near waves or paddling in

rivers. Supervision is not an occasional

glance while you nap, read or do house-

hold chores. It is not watching your kids

playing outside while you’re inside. It is

always best for an adult, not an older

child, to supervise.

You can also teach your child about

water safety and how to swim. Many

children can learn to swim by the time

they’re four or five.

Water safety around the house

The majority of drowning deaths in Aus-

tralia result from a child falling or wan-

dering into the water, particularly into a

backyard pools. But a young child can

drown in as little as 5 cm of water.

Here are some tips to improve water

safety around your house:

By law, all pools and spas must be

fenced. All swimming pool safety

fences must meet Australian

Standard safety requirements.

Remove any objects from your

yard that could be used to climb

over the swimming pool fence.

Remove any containers with water

in them from around the house and

make sure your child can’t get to

any bodies of water, including the

bath, on his own.

Always empty the baby bath as

soon as you’re finished with it so

older siblings can’t climb in.

Drain sinks, tubs, buckets, baths

and paddling pools when you’re

finished with them.

Secure covers to ponds and bird-

baths and other water features with

wire mesh, or empty them until

your child is at least five years of

age.

Keep aquariums and fishbowls out

of reach of small children. If you

have an inflatable pool that is more

than 300 mm in height, pool fenc-

ing laws apply.

Water safety around beaches

Here are tips to improve water safety

near the ocean

Hold your toddler’s hand near

waves and when paddling.

Take your child only to patrolled

beaches where surf lifesavers are

present, and swim only between

the flags.

Teach your school-age child what

to do if she needs help – stay calm,

float and raise an arm to signal to a

lifeguard or lifesaver.

First aid is an essential skill for the entire

family to learn. Learning CPR and what to

do in an emergency could save your child’s

life.

Written by Kim Hendricks, trainer and

assessor at Citadel First Aid. Learn more

about Kim on our website in the About Us

section or check out her website

www.citadelfirstaid.com for more details.

21

22

My twenty month old son loves trains and

clocks at the moment - or, as he puts it,

toot-toots and tick-tocks. He will carry a

little clock around,

or work hard to turn the hands on the one

above his sister's toy kitchen, which is

almost but not quite out of his reach. He'll

ask

for his train t-shirt and point out the train

station whenever we go past.

What's my response? I find books with

clocks and trains in them, and dig up more

old clocks for him to play with. I get out

his train sets, find train puzzles and train

stories. He's learned to

say the numbers now on the clock face,

and can count to ten. He's also learned to

click together the wooden tracks of his

train set

and to say 'up', 'down', 'stop', and 'go'. His

interests have sparked learning and I know

will continue to do so.

Most children have strong interests in

something, from astronomy to super-

heroes, from princesses to insects. Sup-

porting those interess,

whether they're interests that are meaning-

ful to you as a parent or not, is important.

The things children find interesting are the

things they will remember; the things that

encourage them to seek out more informa-

tion, to explore it, and to share it with oth-

ers. Their

interests form their personalities and their

histories as well as their futures. It's re-

spectful to respond to a child's interest

with

attention, just as we would with an adult.

It also encourages resilient, self-directed

learning - no one who is passionate can be

passive.

We find out about our children's interests

by watching and listening to them. What

do they talk about, what do they choose to

do in their

free time? Is it minecraft, princesses, dogs,

grasshoppers? We support their interests

by paying attention - listening and re-

sponding,

asking if they need any help or resources

(and not taking over or turning it into our

own project).

For some children with special needs, their

interests can take over their lives to the

Toot toots and

Tick-tocks

23

exclusion of all other activities. It's still

important

to allow them time with their interests,

even if adults around them need to place

limits on timing and intensity. For other

children with

special needs, finding their interest may

take lots of observation before it becomes

clear.

Each child has something in their lives

which makes them light up, smile, be more

themselves than ever. These interests en-

gage their minds

and their emotions, and bring richness to

their lives - and ours, too.

Kids Build

Together

Kids Build Together provides a unique space where you and your chil-

dren (0-7) can learn, create, interact and develop using a range of dif-

ferent building blocks.

Unlike a traditional tutoring business,

Kids Build Together develops skills

such as literacy, maths, physics and

social-emotional skills – all through

play.

We’re at 5/9 West Market St,

Richmond NSW.

Opening Hours: 10am – 2pm weekdays.

www.kidsbuildtogether.com

GRAND

OPENING!

THURSDAY DECEMBER 4TH FROM 10AM –2PM

My 2014

It’s that time of year again.... Numerous trips to the shops, internet purchases, toys ga-

lore and so much food! It’s a fun, yet sometimes stressful time of year and it is also the

time that we often struggle the most to stick to our budgets. So here are 20 ways you

can keep the costs down this Christmas and still have a good time.

Money Challenge

24

20 Ways to save money this Christmas!

Stick to the cheaper grocery chains and

purchase items that are on sale. Buy in

bulk where you can.

Have a shopping list and stick to it!

If you are having a Christmas meal at

your house, ask everyone to bring a dish

to save you the time and expense of plan-

ning and preparing the whole thing. Or-

ganise who will bring what and plan for

some treats and drinks as well.

Avoid convenience foods and make your

own where you can, if you have the time.

You the lead up to Christmas to bake

Christmas treats with the kids. This could

become a fun family tradition plus it will

save you money instead of buying expen-

sive bakery or ready made treats.

Shop without the kids. Christmas shop-

ping is full of temptations and the kids

will want to add things to the shopping

trolley that you hadn’t planned to buy.

Going without them helps the budget and

your sanity as you don’t have to explain

why they can’t have all these fun a novel

new items.

Spread your Christmas food shop over

several weeks to lessen the impact by

buying foods that will keep and storing

them away until you need them.

If you know what you are buying for each

person, shop around for the best price in

both stores and online. Often online pur-

chases are a lot cheaper, even with ship-

ping.

Make your own gifts where you can, there

are thousands of ideas on sites such as

Pinterest and people often appreciate the

thought into a home made gift rather than

a bought one.

Make your own gift tags and even wrap-

ping paper. This can save you money in

supplies and give the kids something to

do during the day.

Shop with time to spare. You are less

likely to pay premium price for an item if

you know you still have time to shop

around

Buy during the after Christmas sales. If

you know that there are some friends and

family that you won’t see until after

Christmas make the most of these highly

discounted shop sales.

Give photos as gifts. Grandma and

Grandpa plus other family members will

love photo gifts as they will be sentimen-

tal and make them feel a part of the fam-

ily + they are fairly cheap to make.

Groceries and food Presents

25

Keep track of your spending. Allocate an

amount to each person and stick to it.

Then set a food budget and plan for extras

such as decorations.

Start a Christmas fund in your household.

Put aside an amount of money each week

into the fund and then don’t use it until

Christmas. Even better if you can collect

interest off the amount to add to your

fund.

With large gatherings such as families and

work friends, plan to have a secret santa

to save you from buying gifts for every-

one and put your money into one gift that

is special.

Don’t use credit cards to buy presents

unless you already have the money there

to cover it otherwise you can lose track

and have a large amount to pay off after

the Christmas season.

Photo frames - wooden frames that can

be painted and then place a photo inside

Keepsakes such as foot or hand prints in

clay for family members

Artworks - kids love to paint and draw.

Once they complete an artwork simply

frame it as a gift for a loved one

Clay creations - works like playdough but

sets hard to stay permanent.

Handmade cards - use stickers and col-

oured pencils to make bright Christmas

cards for friends and family members.

Add a photo for a more personalised

touch

Gingerbread or sugar cookies are a fun

and easy activity for the kids plus they

are a great gift to have on hand for when

unsuspecting visitors stop by.

Candle carving - let the children scratch

designs into the sides of pillar candles

with a stylus or non working pen. When

finished paint on a little glue and sprinkle

on some glitter.

Snow globes - glue a plastic toy inside

the lid of a jar. Add water and glitter and

secure the lid.

Book marks - laminate coloured pieces of

paper, leaves or even small flowers and

cut into shape.

Jewellery - buy stretchy jewellery cord

and have the children thread on colourful

beads and charms. Tie at the end at the

correct length for bracelets and necklaces.

Buy a fake tree. This will save you money

each year as you can reuse it plus these

days the fake trees are just as good as a

real one but they won’t drop pine needles

everywhere and won’t wilt in the heat!

Have a Christmas craft day with the kids

and make paper chains and other fun

decorations for the tree rather than buying

very expensive ones

Make your own edible decorations for the

tree in gingerbread and hang for when

friends and family come over.

Budget

Decorations

10 gifts the kids can make

26

Christmas gift guide

Do you have a favourite children’s story or

does your child? For a great Christmas gift

this year check out this beautiful handmade

bunting created from children’s books.

Available at Domum Vindemia

Items:

1. May Gibbs counting book bunting - $23 -

http://madeit.com.au/Main/Item?

itemId=999802

2. Bambi bunting - $22.50 - http://

madeit.com.au/Main/Item?itemId=996482

It’s often hard to find swimmers for

kids that are tasteful. These gorgeous

swimsuits come from Heavenlee

Creations and RRP for $49.95

Sizes 1, 2, 4, 6. The one on the left is

Splash and the one on the right Sweet

Kiss. You can get yours direct from

the website

www.heavenleeswim.com

Learning systems are always a popular idea for

Christmas gifts and here are two that we liked

for encouraging your child’s development. The

Multi Award Winning Little Reader Deluxe is

$279 and Babyplus Prenatal Education System

is $199. Check them out online for more de-

tails.

www.brainychild.com.au

For a sentimental gift why not try these

original baby curl beads. The bead incor-

porates a curl of your baby’s hair into a

bead that you can keep forever. The beads

are classy and fit easily onto standard

Pandora and other European type bead

bracelets.

They cost $50 each and can be purchased

from Beyond the Willow Tree.

http://beyondthewillowtree.tictail.com/product/babies-first-curl-smooth-european

-bead

27

Kids love to help…. And what could be more fun

helping than with these super cute microfiber dusters?

Available in 6 designs with a cute animal design on

one sideand microfiber duster on reverse side.

Removable plastic handle for easy machine wash.

NeatKids – Super FUN Microfiber Duster

SIZE 35cm x 6cm RRP $6.00

http://www.neatfreakme.com/product/neatkids-fun-

helping-pack/

Singing Portraits is an app that prompts little ones (with

the help of an adult) to create a Singing Portrait - a MU-

SICAL memory of your child. The outcome is a profes-

sional recording, with your child

singing directly to you, or to

who ever you send the song to.

There are a range of song

options including a Christmas

category. For under $5 it's

cheaper than a Christmas card,

but completely priceless in

terms of value.

https://www.facebook.com/

singingportraits?ref=hl

A gift of jewellery for

Christmas is never a bad

idea and these delicate

hand made rings would be

the perfect pick.

This set is called “Elsha”

and costs only $16 for the

set of three.

Get one for yourself and a

friend.

http://madeit.com.au/

Main/Item?

itemld+990052

These books and more can be purchased from Story Mama. Story Mama is an online store

specialising in picture books for kids.. You can shop by age, by interest, by award winners

or by milestone. With Australian delivery and free shipping on orders over $30 it is a

great way to purchase books. http://www.storymama.com.au

28

Go to Sleep Jessie

by Libby Gleeson & Freya Blackwood

RRP 24.95

Story Mama price $22.45

For ages 4+

Moo Baa La La La

by Sandra Boynton

RRP 7.95

For ages 0-2

Food Babies Love

by Emily Dupuche

Cookbook for Weaning/ Toddler

years

RRP 29.95

Story Mama price $26.96

The Swap

By Jan Ormerod & Andrew Joyner

Age 3+

RRP 24.95

Recommended Reading

Kids Fun!

29 This resource is available for download from

the resource page on our website.

C G O F R I E N D S D H

H H P R E S E N T S A O

R E I N D E E R S U A L

I N A M A Z I N G R P I

S I N G R O M I S P E D

T H A N K F U L C R O A

M M I N G F A O R I Y Y

A O U D O N T M E S V S

S U M M E R E R I E F O

R G E T T B A K E L H H

T S A T H A E I L S Y A

R I T N C U O N F T R P

E O L A A B N D H E H P

E A S O R L I G H T S Y

N L Y G O E O D T H A T

H E G I V S A N T A E S

Christmas Summer Presents Elf

Baubles Holidays Sing Reindeer

Tree Family Bake Surprise

Lights Friends Santa Thankful

Star Happy

Christmas find-a-word Find the Christmas words from the list

in this grid. Words may be horizontal,

vertical or diagonal.

What’s happening

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On our blog... There is plenty of fun to be had through our

blog this month. Find

Christmas crafts

Fairy scavenger hunt game

Castle party favour boxes to make

Fairy (or monster) dice game

Holiday activities

Plus lots more

Join us on Facebook Join our growing parenting community on Facebook and share your comments and thoughts

on being parent. There are also games , giveaways and more.

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without permission.

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