Category: how to

10 tips for surviving a heat wave with kids.
2017 · how to · life · mothering · parenting · spring · tips

10 tips for surviving a heat wave with kids.

JustBindyLeave a comment

Hi friends,
We are at the start of a week long heat wave… We have had and are expecting temperatures in the low to mid 30s! (90ish degrees Fahrenheit temperatures) And for some places high 30s/low 40s!! And it’s only the first month of spring!! It’s HOT!

So today my brain is not working that great, I love spring, but summer heat – eh, not so much. I can handle temps up until about 30degrees, after that it just feels like death!
So I thought I would share some tips to stay cool in this heat…

10 tips for beating the heat with kids…

  • Stay hydrated! Keep your freezer stocked with hydralyte (or similar) ice blocks. These are not only great to have in case of sickness, but they are great on hot days especially for active kids… Keep water bottles filled up and water in the fridge.
  • Over heating/heat stroke. Be informed and aware of the signs of heat stroke in not only kids & babies but also elderly, pets and even yourself. HERE is a great article.
  • Netflix or movies. You all know I hate TV and it is a rarity in this house, I truly do not like my kids watching it, but sometimes you just have to give in. When it’s super hot and I need my super active little girl to rest in the heat of the day, I don’t mind popping a movie on for her to enjoy in the cool.
  • Crafts. Kmart has a fantastic range of simple & fairly mess free crafts. LuLu loves them and they entertain her really well. Doing a simple craft inside in the cool (under a fan, near open windows or even in the air con) is a great way to rest & cool down.

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    Highly recommend all 3 of these packs! 
  • Water play. While Trent has been on shift we’ve enjoyed the little paddling pool, but when he is home we all get in the big pool. I use the little pool because it is a lot easier to manage on my own with 2 kids. If you don’t have a pool, a water table is a great play option (a big tub full of water & some Tupperware works too!) or even just a sprinkler or a water fight – kids love water. Try and find a shady spot, and let them have fun! If it is way too hot outside, fill up the bathtub and stay cool inside! (Pinterest is also full of water play ideas!) *Always supervise children around water.
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  • Sunscreen & hats! This goes without saying and I’m sure you all know this point, but sun protection is so important. We put sunscreen on every morning and reapply before going outside each time. We also always have wide brim hats (or legionnaire style for babies) I really like the brand Bed Head hats, that is the brand of LuLu’s swim hat & Tommy’s hat is by Plum (as was LuLu’s swim hat when she was a baby). The kids are always in swim shirts while outside for water play or light shirts that cover their shoulders for regular play.
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  • Cool meals. Plan your meals with the heat in mind, think cool & light foods salads, smoothies, burgers – meals that aren’t bulky and typical hot meals. Make some homemade ice blocks or fruit sorbet. Even treat yourself to a night off making dinner and have take away so you aren’t using your oven.  (My go to meal lately has been a BBQ chicken from Woolies or Coles and coleslaw burgers. Honestly the best easy meal!)
  • Get rest. This comes back to the movie point, but try and encourage your kids to rest & take it easy during the day. LuLu is super active and wants to play all day and she doesn’t nap – so the only way I can get her to rest is to let her to have some TV time. On normal days, her energetic enthusiasm doesn’t bother me, she can play & entertain herself but during this sudden heat wave, I don’t want her over exerting herself in the high temperatures, so I allow a movie so she rests.
  • Wash the dog. Our pets also will be feeling the heat, so get the kids & find a shady spot and give your beloved pooch a spring time bath. They cool down, you all will probably get drenched so you and the kids are cooling down and a job is being checked off your list. Reward your dog for being a good sport with a “pupsicle”!  (a big frozen ice cube full of dog treats/toys etc. I freeze ours in old ice cream buckets & add in a mix of dog treats, cat biscuits, chicken stock, toys etc)
  • Bed time. At bed time the temperatures are normally still high. We dress the kids in the very light clothing and don’t use any sheets,  as the temperature lowers during the evening we go in and cover them. We also keep the bedroom windows open to allow cool breeze to blow in but if it is super hot we run the air con.

How are you staying cool this week?
Let me know in the comments below or on social media…
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Stay cool friends, I am dreading to know what Summer will be like if this is only spring!
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2017 · cleaning · diy · domestic engineering · housewife · housework · how to · recipe

Homemade Laundry Powder recipe. {Video}

JustBindy6 Comments

Hi friends,
One of my most highly requested blog posts & videos is to do a “how I make my washing powder”…
So here it is…washing powder1.jpgThe video can be found HERE. 

The recipe I use is by Sister Mixin and you can find it HERE. (I change the recipe slightly by adding in 1 bar of sard soap…)

The reason I make my own laundry powder is simply because –
A) I can. I have the time & desire to do so, you may not & that is fine.
B) I feel it saves us money. 
C) I also believe it is more gentle & more effective product than standard washing powders.
Laundry powder is so expensive & often full of extra fillers & chemicals, so by making my own I know what is in it and it is very cheap. All these ingredients are easily available at Coles or Woolworths & are very affordable, I always have them in my cupboard, as I use them for other uses as well.
I make mine in my Thermomix – you don’t need one to make this recipe, but I feel it would be easiest… If you don’t have a Thermomix, I would suggest you either grate the soap bars or blitz them in a food processor and then combine all the ingredients in a large clear container (a clear container so you can check that all the products are thoroughly mixed together)

I have been making this recipe for over 2 years now and I find it removes stains very well & all of our clothing is clean & soft. I do use white vinegar as a fabric softener occasionally (always with towels) & if I am washing our bedding I often add in some lavender essential oil (or even eucalyptus if we aren’t feeling well)

As mentioned in the video, I do occasionally buy washing powder. I bought one box of OMO sensitive to wash Tommy’s clothes before he was born, but I  have been washing his clothing with this powder for months and he has never had a reaction to it – none of us have. The other product I occasionally buy is Bosisto’s Laundry Powder – I only buy it maybe once a year, if it is on sale… And it is the product I like to have as my “back up” in case I run out of this mixture or I use it if we are all very sick.

I like making my own cleaning products, I currently make my own basic disinfectant spray, occasionally dish washer powder & stone bench cleaner. I have trialled making a few glass cleaners, but I’m struggling to find one I love – so for now I use the Method glass cleaner & also their timber cleaner/polish, I find both of those products to be really good. But if you have a great recipe for either of those I would love to try it out!
Please let me know in the comments below or on my social media any cleaner recipe recommendations you may have, or if you make your own laundry powder – do you use a similar recipe to this? I would love to have a read of yours!
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Have a great weekend!
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2017 · honesty · housewife · how to · life · motherhood · mothering · parenting · positivity · real · reflection · wife life

13 tips on how to reset as a Mumma & remain happy…

JustBindy5 Comments

She’s strong, but she’s exhausted. – r.h. sin.

Hey friends,

Today I come to you weary, exhausted & sleep deprived…
(So I do apologise if they post gets rambly & makes little sense.)
A certain little mister has decided to test out how little sleep Mumma needs to survive… Sleep deprivation is torture – one I would never survive – because I suck at being a human when I haven’t had sleep. Now I don’t need a great deal of sleep, but I do need at least 4/5 hours of unbroken sleep – heck even 3 is good enough… Otherwise I just don’t function right, my tolerance levels & patience grows incredibly thin and you know if you are a parent, you need high levels of those to survive!
So anyway, my current state has inspired me to write a blog post today on…13 ways.jpgHow to reset as a Mumma & stay happy…
We all need a hand sometimes, we all have rough days that test us so much we almost break (or even do) And this is ok, it happens. But the important thing is to remember not to stay in that place… To make a conscious effort to reset & refocus on being happy…

  • Communicate & connect. Talk to your husband/partner/friend/tribe – whoever! Let them know where you are at. Take up offers of help. Trent & I don’t have a large support network – to be honest we have zero outside help, but we do have each other and we share the parenting workload evenly… He helps me so much when I am running on empty. A good chunk of the time I am the one keeping everything going, but when I am struggling he swoops in and saves me. He is incredible at getting up at night with the kids when I need help, because he knows I am terrible at life if I don’t sleep… Be honest with your husband/partner at where you are at, he can’t help if he doesn’t know.
  • Create close friendships/gather a tribe… You don’t need many friends, just 1 or 2 that get you, but if you are fortunate enough to have tribe – that is awesome too! Thankfully I have my best friend that I can have a good chat (whinge session) to about my current struggles and it is always so reassuring to have someone who understands & supports you without judgement and will listen during those real & honest talks. Aren’t Mumma friends the best?! I am so thankful for my Motherhood soulmate! (my latest column in Highfields’ style talks about this, you can find it HERE)
  • Make Mumma time a priority… Whether it be just driving to the store & doing groceries on your own, journalling, watching a movie, going to gym/church/a cafe on your own, taking a hot bath or walking the dog alone – do something for you. Do something where you won’t be interrupted (or hardly) and reset yourself… (Best time to do this is when your husband is home or you can get a babysitter/grandparents to watch the kids!) 
  • Take care of you, so you can take care of others… This point goes along with the one before, but you cannot pour from an empty glass… Keep your cup full. Take care of you!! In whatever way you need, make your mental, physical, spiritual and emotional health a priority! Take care of yourself in a way that works for you! And Mumma, give yourself some grace! Stop being so darn hard on yourself!
  • Get out… As stay at home mums we are often just that, at home! I don’t often venture out with the 2 kids on my own, but when Trent is on days off we try to get out and do things as much as possible… This changes up our environment and recharges us a bit.
  • Remember your kids are and will be ok… Everyone has moments in parenting they cringe at or regret. Moments we yelled too loud or acted in a way we wish we didn’t… Your kids will be fine, it was only a moment. And if your kids are mad at you, remember they will live – having your kids be mad at you pretty much comes with parenting, it means you are parenting! You don’t have to be their friend every second. (If you react in a way you instantly regret or aren’t proud of towards your children, show your kids that it is good to be remorseful & apologise, explain feelings to them & how you felt overwhelmed. Be open & honest, you are setting an example on how to cope in a tough scenario. * example; “I am sorry I yelled so badly at you when you spilt your cereal. Mummy got frustrated & got mad too quickly, I realise that is was an accident & I am sorry.”)
  • Keep a happy heart & start each day fresh… Don’t hold onto bad behaviour, yes stick to punishments but don’t dwell on what’s happened. Move on. Strive to wake up every morning with a positive mindset and a happy heart…
  • Comparison is the thief of joy… Don’t compare, it is easy to see the instagram accounts and think “that mum has it together”… But everyone has struggles, their struggles maybe entirely different to yours but they exist. Keep in mind everyones social media account is their own edited version of their existence.
  • Get your priorities in order… Really weigh up what is important to you and your family. If you are burning yourself out trying to keep up with 10 different toddler activities during a week, is it worth it? Is exhausting yourself & making you cranky worth it? Everyones priorities will vary, so work out what works for your family. And learn to say NO – no to expectations, requests and even your kids. You do not have to do it all or be there for every single person.
  • Let it go, let it go… Go with the flow, some days are going to be absolutely incredible and some you will just want to cry. Go with it and pick your battles.
  • Savour the moment… One day you will long for this day back, don’t wish it away. Being in the trenches of motherhood is rough, but it’s beautiful and I am willing to bet one day you will look back on this fleeting season so fondly.
  • Remember you aren’t alone… Every Mumma has moments of great & hard times. Some moments we are a glowing, happy, engaged, doting mother who is fully focused on her kids and we are loving every second of motherhood. We wish these days would last forever. Then we experience the exhaustion, the feeling of barely being able to wake up because you are so tired and you swear you just shut your eyes, because you did! You feel like you are so touched out and just want to be alone in silence for 5 minutes – because silence & isolation sounds like a dream at this point. You feel like at any given moment you may just lose your mind because being over tired makes you a person you don’t really like. That mother exists too. Everyone has their own struggles, everyone (In one form or another…). I wish I was the first mother every single moment of my children’s lives – but I’m not, occasionally I am the second. Some days it’s challenging, but what counts is how we handle ourselves. Acknowledge it is a tough day/week/leap/month and work out a way to handle it… Go into survival mode, vent, ask for help, let it go – do what works for you, but know you are not alone. No one has a perfect day everyday and it’s ok for your day to not be perfect.
  • Treat yourself… Buy the flowers, buy the chocolate, buy the wine, get your hair done or buy the shoes. You are important – spoil yourself. (Because honestly, somedays you just need too!)

What is your best tip for resetting your mind after a stressful day/week? How do you maintain happiness as a Mumma? I would love to know, please comment below or on my social media!
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Thank you so much for reading!
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“What’s your go to way to reset during or after a hard day”.

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How to save money on groceries. {video}
2017 · domestic engineering · housewife · how to · video · youtube

How to save money on groceries. {video}

JustBindyLeave a comment

Hi friends!

It is new video Friday!! Click HERE to watch my latest youtube upload!

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This weeks video is a groceries on a budget | grocery haul video…
On this particular week we had our normal bills to pay, which we always plan for, but then some unexpected ones popped up and that is life – that happens… But it meant our groceries that week had to be a little more thought out…
I try to be budget conscious when I am shopping anyway, but on this particular day I was more focused on sticking to the list and not buying any extras… Our usual grocery shop is about $200/week – week and a half… That includes, dog food, cat food, cat litter & nappies & wipes… Those 5 things are so darn pricey, added with a lot of fruit & veg and meat = pretty expensive groceries! We often try to stay in front of needing extra pet food so if we need to, we can skip a week of buying them…

Tips for saving money on groceries…

  • Write a list and stick to it… If you go in with no set list, you may buy unnecessary items & not what you actually need.
  • Meal plan & shop from your kitchen first… Write out your meals for the week and shop from your fridge, pantry & freezer… Make meals around what you have left and write down what you need for the rest of the meals.  
  • Go meat free… Now anyone who knows us knows we love meat, we eat a lot of it… But not every one of our meals is a meat based meal… During a week we often have 1 or 2 meat free dishes, such as cannelloni, risotto, pumpkin soup etc… Not eating meat can be a wise money saving move, as meat is expensive.
  • Hunt… If you can & if it appeals to you. We have delicious fresh venison in our freezer that my husband was able to get for us. Not everyone can do this or wants to do this, but if you can, it is a great way to have some beautiful free range meat for very little money. (This also applies to growing your own, have a veggie garden or some chickens for fresh eggs!)
  • Budget… Occasionally if I am watching what we spend, I set a goal for my total and I write down the price of every item I buy as I shop (yes I am that woman) that way I know if I am over spending and also when I get to the check out there is no surprises – I also find it motivating to try and beat my “goal total”…
  • Check specials… Each week I check where nappies are on sale, they are normally our most expensive item so I look at Coles & Woolworths online before I leave the house and see who has them cheaper, normally that is a saving of around $5.
  • Keep a well stocked kitchen… Always remember ingredients you use regularly, like pasta, sauces, flour, sugar, spices, meat etc and keep them on hand and stocked up. And if you can, buy them when on special and stock up! If roasts are on sale I often buy 2 at once and one goes in the freezer for the following week.
  • Buy in season produce… Now, I don’t always do this because I have a certain little miss who loves blueberries all year round, but the smart thing is not to pay $7 for a small punnet of them and wait until they are affordable and that is when they are in season… Also check out farmers markets for great fresh produce!
  • Try and shop on the outside aisles & skip the middle or some aisles… Sticking to the fruit & veg area, meat department & the dairy/freezer section can help save us money & be healthier! Avoiding the middle aisles that are full of preservative filled foods is better for us and our wallets. That being said, I do still wander down them, but I very often skip the soft drink & chip aisle as we don’t really buy soft drinks or lots of chips – only on the odd occasion, or I walk quickly down the middle aisles knowing exactly what I need and not browsing each item…
  • Try to be focused when shopping… Know the item you need, get it – perhaps have a quick look for a cheaper alternative but don’t be distracted by items you don’t need or can’t afford.
  • Check out the discount trolley… Occasionally they will have things like cat litter or pet food marked down super cheap because it may have been torn… Even sometimes they have end of line, discontinued products there that have been marked down super cheap! Try to only buy what you NEED though, not unnecessary things just because it is “on sale”… If you genuinely need it now or will do in the very near future it is a smart move, but buying “just because it’s cheap” isn’t actually saving you money.
  • Don’t buy ready made… Sometimes premade/chopped/sliced items are great time savers… But you have to weigh up money for time sometimes… I tend not to buy grated or sliced cheese, veggies and most of my pasta meals I make the sauce for. (Except spaghetti Bolognese/cannelloni – but I have to get back into making tomato pasta sauces)
  • Use rewards cards… I always make sure to scan my flybuys or everyday rewards cards, each amount of points adds up to be money off in the future and this can be super helpful – especially around Christmas time… I think these sort of loyalty cards are well worth having!
  • Make your own… Household cleaners are so insanely expensive and we can make wonderful alternatives that work just as well! I have been making my own laundry powder for well over a year now & I do make my own cleaners as well. I have recently bought Method glass cleaner & timber polish, only because I am struggling to work out a recipe for those that works well… A bottle of white vinegar is just over $1 & a packet of bi-carb soda is around the same amount… With those 2 ingredients you can clean almost anything. I use both of those to clean my toilet, together they can be used with a bit of dish soap to clean the bath/sink/shower/grout. Vinegar + water + essential oil of your choice (optional) makes a great disinfectant. Vinegar is also a fantastic fabric softener.
  • Bake your own… I often bake our morning/afternoon tea treats instead of buying them… Firstly because I feel better letting LuLu eat a treat that I know what is exactly in it and secondly I find it to be cheaper… My pantry is always stocked with baking supplies so it is easy for us to whip something up.

Also check out the blog Domesblissity, Anne who writes the blog is so full of knowledge on leading a sensible life & saving money! I learn so much from her posts!

I would love to know what your tips are for saving money on groceries…
Please leave me a comment or let me know on my social media!
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Thank you so much for reading!
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2015 · activities · how to · LuLu · recipe · toddler

Mess free, inside friendly toddler activity. {HOW TO}

JustBindyLeave a comment

So Winter is here which means more days inside & less messy (fun) activities outside. During the Summer LuLu loved painting outside and it was so easy & simple, we would paint & eat fruit then hose off & then jump in the pool. Well, yesterday was rainy & very cold & I don’t see us having days where we can have lots of messy fun outside for another month or so – I’ve been testing out craft activities that can be done inside – so without the mess, so no need for a hose off. So I’ve been Pinteresting away searching for fun ideas.
This is one idea I found, I also did my own spin on it as well. I like this craft because the mess is contained – it looks messy & is fun – but there is no mess!

Ok, to start off with you need a few basic supplies & most people would have these laying around especially if you do craft with your kids…

  • Large ziplock bag (27cmx33cm)
  • A4 piece of paper
  • 2 (or more) different colours of paint
  • Masking tape
Yep, that’s it. 
Now I did this 2 different ways as I saw it done both ways online. 
The first time we did it I didn’t slip the paper in, so it was just bag & paint and I stupidly added glitter. If you want to add glitter make sure it is super super fine – dust like glitter. The glitter I used was a bit sharp and ended up piercing the bag towards the end. I like having the piece of paper in there. But if you wanted to tape the bag to a window/glass surface I would leave the paper out so the light could shine through better. 
The steps for both simple;
  1. Get ziplock bag, if you are using a piece of paper – slip it in.
  2. Squirt paint in puddles on one side.
  3. Seal bag.
  4. Tape to flat surface.
  5. Have fun!
2 different ways – LuLu enjoyed both!
Also just an additional note you will also want to make sure your child’s nails have been trimmed, sharp little nails could pierce the bag and result in paint leaking. 
LuLu really enjoyed this, she loved squishing the paint around and we drew patterns and talked about the red & blue colour and how when they mixed together they turned purple. 
This craft is super basic & clean up is as simple as untaping the bag and tossing it away. 
Towards the end LuLu enjoyed scribbling over the bag with a blunt crayon – it created lines & patterns. She loves to draw so she enjoyed this after the novelty of the activity wore off. 

My own version of this craft that I decided to try is more of a colour sensory bag. Basically I made a basic goopy glue type substance and added in a bunch of fun craft pieces (pom poms, felt shapes etc).
For this craft you’ll need;
  • Boiling water
  • Cornflour
  • Jug or bowl
  • Whisk
  • Ziplock bag (22cmx22cm)
  • Craft decorations or anything you wish to add into the bag – I made sure what I was adding in I didn’t care about and could be just thrown away at the end.
  • Masking tape. 
I picked up all these items for just a few dollars from the cheap shop. I like keeping odd craft materials on hand as I never know what we might be up to! 
Now the steps for this one are just a little more time consuming, but still super basic & it is even something you can whip up while your little love naps or watches a short TV show. (Now I apologise for the fact I have not recorded actual measurements, I kind of just kept adding water/cornflour until I got the correct consistency & amount) 
  1. Add cornflour to your jug/bowl. I was using a Pyrex jug & I just tipped in the cornflour to about just under the 100ml line. (Once again sorry I didn’t measure it correctly) 
  2. Add in boiling water & whisk away.
  3. Whisk & add water until you reach a fairly smooth, whitish goopy substance.
  4. I found about 350ml was a good amount for a 22cmx22cm bag.
  5. Pop jug into fridge for about 5-10 minutes just to cool the mixture slightly.
  6. Once cooled pour into bag, taking care as the goopy liquid may still be hot. 
  7. Add in fun craft items. 
  8. Tape to a flat surface.
  9. Have fun!
What you add in your bag is totally up to you! Whatever you have is fine.
With this activity LuLu once again had a lot of fun, she liked pushing the little balls around & discovering the felt shapes under the glue. It was a spur of the moment decision to colour in the masking tape border (which is why it isn’t very neat!) and then we started organising the craft items in colour coded groups next to the colour on the border. Once they were in the groups & in the right area I would ask LuLu where certain colours were, she is getting very good at identifying colours. 
But that is the way a lot of our craft activities go – we start off we the basic idea and then just go with whatever happens & change it/add to it what suits us. 
Discovering all the fun things hidden in the squishy liquid!
Craft activity turned colour lesson! 
To change up this activity you could add in food dye at step 2-3 for a colourful liquid. But only add a small amount as you don’t want it to become too opaque. Even some glitter at step 7 (I did this). This is the same mixture I use when making homemade paint. You can really add in anything to the bag but I really must stress to make sure it has no pointy/sharp edges as it will pierce the bag.
Also this bag stayed taped to the play table for almost a week and almost every morning she would pop out to the sunroom playroom to have a play with it & push all the stuff around. 

Both of these activities are great for toddlers, LuLu really enjoyed them. They are fun but at the same time if you sit down & do the craft with them you can discuss colours & textures, so it is also educational & also a sensory activity. But if you just let your little love do it themselves it is still fun & can be a great activity for them to do while you are making dinner or doing some work!
Like I said, I am a huge fan of this activity for the cooler months. Painting inside when it is cold is difficult, but by doing this LuLu still gets to have fun with her paints & colours but the mess is contained & clean up is very simple. 

What activities do you in the cooler months? I would love to hear your suggestions. 
The weather was absolutely dreadful here yesterday, cold & rainy – not that I am complaining I actually like days like that. But keeping an active toddler who wants to play outside all the time entertained inside is challenging sometimes, so I hope this simple & clean idea gave you some inspiration! 
My garden yesterday. Very cold & wet.
Thanks for reading! 

2015 · activities · diy · easter · how to · LuLu · play · toddler

Easter Activities for your little loves!

JustBindyLeave a comment

Ok… was anyone else aware that Easter is like this weekend???? 
Wow – that came up fast – like it’s April – April! I was just saying I can’t believe it is March and now it is April!!!
I am not even joking I forgot about Easter, like I knew it was coming – I had my decorations done, but I totally didn’t realise it was so close! I just had to do some quick Easter shopping on Monday with Mum for my brothers & their lovely girlfriends! 
Luckily I have had LuLu’s gift done for awhile and we are putting the finishing touches on her big special gift we have made her! (She doesn’t get chocolate for Easter – so she gets gifts) I can’t wait to show you all after Easter what we made her!! 
Anyway today I come to you with some cute activities to do with kids over the Easter weekend.
The weather here in Toowoomba is looking fairly miserable (I am not complaining, I love the cold & drizzly days!) some of these are perfect indoor activities! Others I didn’t get a chance to do yet, because of the weather! 


Foam shapes on the a window/glass… 

Cut out a large foam egg out of a big sheet of coloured foam (this is harder than it looks, drawing a free hand oval is a nightmare, especially on foam lol) I just used an exacto knife to cut out the shape & I got my foam sheets from Spotlight for a few dollars. I also picked up some smaller Easter themed foam shapes from there too. To make the foam stick to the glass, just lightly wet them. LuLu loves pulling them down and putting them back on and moving them around. For more kindy aged kids, letting them put stickers or glue craft supplies to an egg shape you’ve cut out could also be fun. But for LuLu’s age she is just happy with the foam shapes. You can even cut out smaller shapes for them to decorate the egg with me. All you need is water!

Colouring in books & stickers…
This idea is nothing ground breaking, LuLu loves her colouring books, crayons & stickers. I like giving her themed stuff for holidays and we talk about what the picture is of and what colours she is using. I picked up an Easter colouring book for just a few dollars from Woolworths and the stickers are from our local cheap store. 


Wooden bunnies…
I did buy these the other day (Kaisercraft) in hopes of spending today painting and decorating them with LuLu today, but like I said it’s not painting weather today. It’s very cold and damp. But with these bunnies I was just going to give them a white undercoat and then let LuLu paint them with whatever colours she likes. If the weather fines up before Easter & we get the time we will be doing this activity! (I will post photos on my instagram; @Modernwifelife31 if we do!) 


Making Easter cards…
This is another activity I was meant to do today and take photos of it but it isn’t happening because paint, cold weather and toddlers are not a fun mix! But the idea is to create a bunny shape with her little hand and write “Somebunny loves you” (lots of ideas on Pinterest!) 


Reading Easter books…
Last year LuLu got a lot of Easter books as gifts and she is getting more this year, we’ve been reading a lot of Easter stories lately and also talking about the true reason for the season!


I hope these ideas have inspired you to have some fun this coming weekend or just given you an idea on how to entertain your little one even just for 20 minutes so you can enjoy a cup of tea and an Easter Egg in peace! 

Hope you are all having a beautiful week!

2015 · activities · diy · how to · LuLu · recipe · toddler

Colourful Sensory play for toddlers… D.I.Y simple recipe!

JustBindyLeave a comment

Hello!
I come to you today with another boredom busting idea for toddlers. 
I always am searching for new and fun ideas to keep LuLu entertained because when Trent is working it’s just her & I at home, she doesn’t go to daycare – I am solely responsible for helping her learn & keeping her entertained during the days at this stage in her life, I came across this idea on good ol’ Pinterest – because lets be honest here, everyone gets their ideas of this amazing website.
(If you aren’t following me already click HERE to see my page!) 
Anyway onto the idea to keep your little one entertained…
Coloured spaghetti.
This is more of a sensory play activity but also can help in teaching colours and using utensils.
Now making it is super simple and really you just need some time to do it. 
I used a cheap packet of Homebrand spaghetti (less than $2 I believe!) & a few drops of some food dye I had in the cupboard.

  1. Cook it as you do pasta…
  2. Once cooked, drain/wash it & let it cool.
  3. Divide the spaghetti into separate zip-lock bags or if you don’t have any bags, just use separate bowls.
  4. Add a few drops of food colouring to the bags and gently massage to evenly disperse the colour.
  5. Once all pasta has been coloured, I left it for an hour or so just to really soak in.
  6. Before giving it to LuLu to play with I rinsed off any excess food dye.
We just mixed 3 colours together in a giant bowl & I gave her a pasta spoon and some containers to scoop it into. As she picked up the noodles I told her what colour they were. This activity can be played inside if it is too hot or cold outside, I just laid down an old towel to protect my floor. Ideally though this would be fun outside, perhaps before some water play!
(I found the pasta lasts in the fridge for just over a week, but by 2 weeks I would be tossing it out – if it’s been in the fridge for a few days I would just re-rinse it under cool water to help separate the noodles in case they’ve become a bit sticky) 

How do you keep your little one entertained? 
Let me know what you do to help your little one learn & have fun?
For more ideas please click HERE. 
Enjoy!