Art for Small Hands

School Holidays are here! I have been looking forward to them as much as the kids, but after day 1, I did have a moment of when I thought, aaaarrgh what am I going to do with 3 boys inside on these rainy June days!!!

Thankfully there are tonnes of resources out there from lovely, sharing individuals and here is one... Art for Small Hands. A fantastic blog by Julie, who has been teaching art to children for over 25 years in Montessori Schools. She has so kindly shared lots of great projects with instructions and ideas. Thank you Julie, you have saved me.

Hopefully we can spend some time making and creating as well as Lego, blowing bubbles, playing with the kitty and watching some DVD's.

Found via Crafty Crow post on KidStyleFile

WARNING: Proud Mother Post!

Ok, so apologies already if don't want to read this, but, how cute is that boy of mine! Yeah, just casually chatting to the press like he does it everyday!
Chewing the fat about
1. his artistic process - "I drew people shaking hands under a rainbow, and, it was hard to draw, and, with crayons", and
2. the trials and tribulations of Grade 1 life - "yeah, three of my friends moved to Waimea, well, first it was Ross and then Keon and then Ella Ward, but my brother Luka goes there so I kinda now what it is going to be like"

Anyhoo, you get the picture... and well this is the picture. His prize winning entry (1 of 12 winner from over 650 entries) in the Australian Education Union, T-shirt design contest to celebrate public education.

The design was to centre around a word that described how they felt about their school. Not 100% sure why they selected his picture, but very proud that they did. Sandwiches and OJ at Parliament House was also a highlight for the little one, and watching himself on telly later that night!

What's for Dinner? - Family Food Inspiration

Kitchen inspiration is a struggle for me most of the time. I enjoy eating and I enjoy cooking, its just that I often am so busy doing other things I enjoy that the question of What's for Dinner? is often asked too late. This list of dinner inspiration comes from all the lovely readers who left comments on my Mother's Day Giveaway post. Here is a list of their family favourite dinners...

Favourites - these came up a few time...
Chicken Wraps
Spaghetti Bolognaisey!
Vegetable/Minestrone Soup
Roast Lamb
Homemade Pizza - Easy Crust Recipe
Taco or Burritos
Hamburgers

More Delicious inspiration:

Baked Ziti. Really just spaghetti with moz cheese on top and baked
'Breakfast for dinner'(featuring pancakes, waffles, bacon & eggs, fruit platters, etc) and 'Favourite Childhood Foods' (featuring bowls of mashed potato, crumbed cutlets, macaroni and cheese, ice cream sundaes for dessert, creaming soda for drinks, etc).
Egg and Bacon pie
Veggie Lasagna
Mock Chow Mein (straight from the Nursing Mothers Association Cookbook)
Pasties with peas and rice (with soy sauce)
Stir frys and pasta
Chicken and Bean Enchiladas
Baked eggs and a couple of slices of sourdough toast (add mushrooms, onion, bacon, sausage or whatever takes your fancy)
'Praties'... baked potatoes with lots of butter and cheese topped with mushrooms, bacon and onions and a splat of sour cream
Spicy Spaghetti with Fennel
Apricot Chicken Casserole
Sweet and Sour Noodles with Meatballs. I make it with turkey and pineapple juice. Sounds weird, but it's sooooo good.
Taco's Chipotle style... sounds silly but we make rice and beans ground turkey, and all the veggie fixin's lettuce, tomatoes, and onions black olives, salsa and sometimes Guacamole...
Porcupines (little meatballs with rice) covered in tomato soup sauce with mashed potato and veges.
Cottage Pie
Temakizushi - which is roll your own sushi... they love the combination of seaweed, rice and a choice of toppings!
Pea and Ham Soup
'Toad in the hole' which is sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding. Served with mashed potatoes, vegetables and gravy!
Tuna Mournay
Humble Roast Chicken - Saint Jamie does it best
Curry Chicken with lentils and brown rice
Zucchini soup
Rice and Veggie rolls. Cooked rice, chopped veg, eggs, cheese and any spices you like wrap in puff pastry and cook
Fried egg on steamed jasmine rice with soy sauce and cucumber and carrot sticks on the side. Always a favourite!
Creamy Chicken Casserole
Tuna Casserole
Roast Veggie Risotto, I just put a big pan of diced veggies in the oven and let them cook away (cherry tomatoes, sweet potato, asparagus) while that is cooking, I get the risotto rice on with onion, garlic and celery. A bit of Parmesan and voila- great with a bit of crust bread

Humpty Dumpty Foundation

Little Snoring is supporting Leah's hike up Mt Kosciusko to raise money for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation. The Humpty Dumpty Foundation supports Paediatric services and Newborn Care Centres in over 60 Children's hospital and services in Australia and 2 in East Timor.

We have donated some goodies for her fund raising auction. If you would like to support Leah and the Humpty Dumpty Foundation please click here.

'I Made This' - New Designers Promo Opportunity

Some very exciting news!

Are a crafter or designer/maker that makes things for little ones?
Kidstylefile is a wonderful website that features boutique and unique products for kids. They also get thousands of hits per week by Mumma's looking for lovely things for their little ones (and, also a big industry resource for retailers looking for new products...).

I am very excited by a new initiative recently announced by Angela that provides an opportunity for you to have your work featured on Kidstylefile.com.au. It aims to feature designers who are just starting out.

Head to the website for all the details.

I ♡ Clutter

I really love this style of decorating and this unique apartment is a great example of how love and clutter can be so homely and comforting.

It is the home of Michael Quinn and he says his dual principle are ‘put like with like’ and ‘how high can i reach with a hammer.’ A man after my own heart!!!

This is what he says about his home....



"By and large this apartment has become something of a refugee camp for Things That No One Else Wants. I am one of those people who thinks if you love something, you can find a way to incorporate it into the mix; if something speaks to me, there is always room in my inn."



Read more and see more pix at Design Sponge..

And the winners are...

A huge thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway, the winners are Wooden Bead Necklace - Jen Stocks, Peace Dove Necklace - Julie, Red Nesting Bird with Ladybird - Ange Moore or a Peggy People Kit - Narelle.

I am planning to collate everyone's favourite meals into one post, so I can check it every other day for inspiration!

I do have a new favourite cookbook that is currently providing a lot of good ideas and lovely bedtime reading. It is written by Lucinda Scala Quinn who is Food Director at Martha Stewart, the mother of 3 boys and the sister of 3 brothers. So she is quite well qualified to write 'Mad Hungry Feeding Men and Boys - Recipes, strategies and survival techniques'.

I haven't actually tried any of the recipes yet, but I do love her tips on organising meals over the week and food that is nourishing and will fill them up. My copy got a bit delayed with volcanic ash, but I recommend buying from Book Depository if you are interested it is $AUD25 and postage is free.

Hello Peeps

Sorry I have been a bit vacant here of late. I was at the lovely Market yesterday and had a wonderful time. Thank you to all the folks who adopted a Panda or Poodle, hope they are feeling at home now.

Thank you to all the lovely comments on the Giveaway post, I will be drawing the prizes tomorrow and will post some of the suggestions for those nights when your brain cells are on holiday and you need some inspiration for dinner.