MARCH 2014
FREE!
Taking perfect photos for your scrapbook
Creating Memories that last
FREE wall ART to collect for your child’s room
Your Free local Parenting magazine
Contents
March 2013
Regulars 5 Letter from the Editor 9 Ask a professional - questions from readers 10 Monthly Recipe - Easy fried rice 11 Make a change 14 Your Story - A precious little angel 23 Kid’s fun 24 Community Noticeboard 25 Business Directory 26 Classifieds
Articles 6 8 12 16 21
Co-parenting with nature Treasuring precious memories Excerpt from diary of a pregnant Mum Taking the perfect scrapbooking photos My 2014 money challenge
Special Features 18 First of three kids wall artwork to collect 19 Making memories that last
Letter from the Editor Dear Reader, As an old chapter in my life ends and a fresh new one begins I feel an excitement about the future and a tug toward the past. This issue of Small Steps is dedicated to the memories that we cherish and the finished chapters of the past. I encourage you to think about your own past and allow yourself to relive some of those special memories and maybe do something to preserve those moments for years to come. Our article on page 19 should get you off to a great start. This month as an exciting new collectable, page 18 brings you the first of three children’s room artworks. Cut the page out each month and frame it to create a great decoration for your child’s room. Also don’t forget to send in your pictures of your children to win our cover star competition (details page 11). We have had so many gorgeous entries so far and we don’t want you to miss out on this great competition. Thank you for joining us again in the Small Steps journey .
Julie-Anne England
info@smallstepsparenting.com www.smallstepsparenting.com www.facebook.com/smallstepsparenting
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Co-parenting with Nature It’s 3am, and the baby monitor is lit up like a Christmas tree. I groggily knock things off the nightstand in an attempt to evaluate the situation in the next room. I see through bleary eyes on the two inch monitor, my two year old - standing in his crib, fingers crammed in his mouth, muffling the cries of pain. My heart hurts for him, and I wish nothing more than to take his pain, bottle it up, and chuck it into the ocean. I am not the first mother to experience this, and I certainly won’t be the last. You see, my son began teething at three months. And when he begins cutting a tooth, it usually takes about a month to finally pop through. Like many mothers, the former protocol I followed was a round of over-the-counter pain killer every 4 or 6 hours. All the time I would administer these medicines to my delicate little child, I felt uneasy. I knew there was something wrong with the way I was doing things. I hated having to use synthetics medicines at all, but I knew no other method to bring my child comfort and relief. It wasn’t just teething, either. Fevers and flus, colds and coughs - all the typical stressors of a young child just developing his immune system. And my only available option was to medicate the symptoms away, sometimes even medicating away his body’s natural attempts to fight the germs. Around the time my son was 6 months old, I began really evaluating the way we lived, the things we ate, the chemicals we cleaned with, and the products we put on and in our bodies. I was tired of feeling the stress of the ramifications by which these chemical-laden options were bound. As I began to truly contemplate God’s design for our bodies and our world, I realized that there had to be a better way. I was desperate for something different,
and so I began seeking out more natural ways to live. Every day was exciting! I spent all my free time learning about living naturally. I began making our own deodorant, laundry detergent, hair care products, and lotions. I drastically changed our diets to real foods, one ingredient items, and staples made from scratch. We chose properly sourced animal products, free of antibiotics, growth hormones, and pasteurization. These were all amazing changes, but I still hadn’t quite found something to replace the modern medicine hiding in our cabinet. That is, until I stumbled across essential oils. Essential oils are an incredibly powerful form of natural medicine. They are typically 50-70 times more potent than the herbs and plants from which they are derived. Instead of one synthetic compound designed to target a specific symptom, essential oils have hundreds of natural compounds that address a myriad of issues! I was so excited about this natural medicine, but as I began researching, I realized there was a big difference between compromised oils and oils of quality. Eventually, I happened upon an amazing essential oil company that is dedicated to providing quality oils. It is called doTERRA. I did a load of research on several different companies including doTERRA, and was thrilled when I realized how outstanding the products from this company are! doTERRA is the only essential oil company whose oils are tested by multiple third party laboratories, so I know the quality is guaranteed - no weeds, pesticides, foreign contaminants, or diluter oils. I was also astonished to note that, where most other essential oil companies forbid internal use and use with children, doTERRA actually recommends this for many of their oils. It 6
wasn’t long before I was chucking our bottles of modern medicine into the garbage and reaching for my oils instead. I was empowered to help my family in more ways than I had ever imagined! I was able to bring relief for issues I would never have even imagined I could. Combining the amazing power of essential oils to aid in prevention and treatment along with our new real food diet, edible cleaning products, and homemade toiletries, our health is at its highest. The best part of all is that I no longer feel sick to my stomach helping my son when his gums are in pain, he is running a fever, or he has banged his head. If I do have to turn to medicine for an issue, I am able to use natural remedies that help the body to heal itself without leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. I’m no longer bound by the side effects of modern medicine. I am empowered to give my child’s body exactly what it needs to heal itself.
And the best part is that, I’m not just suppressing symptoms. I’m literally putting whatever it is that our bodies need to heal themselves right on the scene! I am a much more confident parent now - having oils I can trust, making smart choices for our health, and living as naturally as we are able.
Written by Cyndi Wells, mum of one and business woman at Makers Way. doTERRA is a consultant-based company. To order any oils, or for any questions, please contact Cyndi Wells at MakersWayOils@gmail.com. You can also find out more on the web at www.MakersWay.com. To attend a recorded webinar about doTERRA, go to www.MakersWay.com/webinars.
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Treasuring precious memories Two days ago my Mum’s house went on the market. Yesterday it sold and reality hit me that the house I grew up in would no longer be a part of my life. I’m not really sad, more nostalgic as I think back to the past, the memories that I have cherished throughout my life and the memories that were created in my childhood home. I smile as I picture my brother accidently hitting himself in the face with his boogie board (he was trying to hit me), I remember all those long summer days spent in our backyard pool, the front yard games we spent hours playing with our neighbours and those really really early mornings waiting for Santa Claus to come. Although there were probably times of turmoil, I remember my childhood with a great fondness. Being a child was such a great gift and now as my own precious children slumber in their beds I get to look at life from a different perspective—that of a mum. I am so aware of how quickly the time passes, how each moment is gone often before you had the chance to fully enjoy it, but it is because of the gift of memory that we can go back and do it all over again. I love that there are so many things that can
bring us back to those magical moments in life; a photograph, a song, a quote from a movie, a glimpse of a special place - these are the things we treasure. You have all heard the saying “Live as if it’s your last day on earth”. I understand the meaning behind it, however it is not practical to not think about the future at all. We do have each day at a time to enjoy and to use for good but we also need to plan for the future and secure for ourselves some of those magical memories. Now I think about how I can create lasting memories for my own children. I think about how I would like them to remember their childhood. I think about how I would like them to remember me. I want to be around, I want them to remember spending hours playing inside the cubby house with me, having little tea parties and going on quiet nature walks. I don’t ever want them to think back and say I never had time for them. All my life I dreamed of growing up, marrying my prince and having two beautiful little girls. Now that my wish has been fulfilled I am going to do my absolute best to treasure my life, my family and my friends and continue to create the best memories that one could ever have. 8
Ask a Professional... QUESTION: My husband and I are currently renting and trying to save for a deposit on a house. Is there anything we can do to make it easier to get a home loan in the future? You should enquire with an independent mortgage broker, who isn't restricted by being tried to any one institutions lending policies, of the minimum deposit required to obtain a Home Loan. Some institutions may only require a minimum of between 5 and 10% of the value of the property, this may exclude purchasing costs such as Stamp Duty. Some institutions may also have more flexible lending criteria in terms of your employment and savings history, your age and the location of the property you wish to purchase. If you are a first home buyer there may also be Government incentives you should enquire about. The bottom line is be prepared to purchase what you can afford without over extending yourself financially, which might mean not buying your dream home first up. It's an achievement just to be a home owner albeit with a large mortgage! Best wishes Michael.
This answer has been supplied by Michael Voss who is our qualified financial planner. Learn more about Michael on our "About Us" page on our website. This advice is general advice only and you should speak to a qualified broker for more individual information.
Monthly Recipe
Easy fried rice
Ingredients: 1 cup long grain rice 150g of bacon (diced) 1 egg, beaten A small bunch green shallots, ends removed and chopped finely 1 cup frozen peas 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
Method: 1. Cook rice according to packet directions. Allow to cool in fridge. 2. In a hot fry pan or wok heat a small teaspoon of olive oil. Add the bacon and stirfry for 2-3 minutes. Push to the side and add the egg. Stir while cooking until no longer runny. 3. Add in the shallots and peas and stir for a further 2-3 minutes. 4. Lastly add the rice and soy sauce and stir until all combined and hot. Serve.
For a complete meal, marinate some chicken breast strips in a honey soy marinade for a few hours. Cook over a medium heat until brown and cooked through. Serve with your fried rice. 10
Make a
Change Here at Small Steps Parenting Magazine we believe it is important for us to be aware of others who are less fortunate than us. We aim to do what we can to help people and want to encourage you to do the same. This month we thought we would highlight the importance of community. I live in an lovely neighbourhood and have been here for a long time and just recently we decided to move. Although I have always been aware of the great relationships I have in this neighbourhood, this impending move has really made me see what great neighbours I really have. It is also nice to have the support when you need it‌. An ear to listen if you are sad, a friendly face when you return home from work or someone that you can pop in to borrow an egg when you ran out and you are in the middle of a cake. This month try to introduce yourself to one of your neighbours that you don’t know. If you know all of them, do something nice to let them know that you value their friendship. Do you have something you are doing to make a change in your community? We would love to hear about it. Maybe you would even like to share it with our readers. Email us at info@smallstepsparenting.com
YOUR CHILD AS OUR COVER STAR? Small Steps Parenting Magazine is looking for a brand new cover star for their magazine! The winner will receive a photo shoot with Big Fish Photography, all images on a flash drive to keep, PLUS a framed keepsake copy of the magazine with them as the star! To enter, simply email a photo of your child to info@smallstepsparenting.com Entries must be received by 15th April 2014. The four finalists will be announced in our May issue and the winner will be selected by our readers. For our full terms and conditions please see our Facebook page.
Excerpt from the diary of a pregnant mum more wrong. I was born to be a mother. Can’t wait for Robbie to get home so I can tell him the news… January 7th 2013 - I couldn’t have asked for a better reaction from Robbie to our baby news. I was cooking dinner and casually mentioned that I thought we should postpone our planned vacation and look for a house with an extra bedroom. Robbie looked confused “Why? Have you decided to go ahead with starting your own business?” I had been toyJanuary 6th 2013 - I just got home after ing with the idea of starting an accounting being at the doctor. I was being checked practice as that’s what I did. because I thought I had a virus. The results “No, I just think with everything happening were not what I had expected…. I’m preg- that we might need an extra bedroom,” I nant! Words can not convey what I am feel- told him. ing right now. Robbie and I have been try- He started to look really suspicious - and ing to conceive for over 3 years! Every perhaps a little frightened. month disappointment hits me as I realize “What do you mean ‘everything happenonce again that I am still not pregnant. Two ing’” he asked. months ago Robbie and I decided to stop “Well I just got back from the doctor and trying. We thought that we needed a break apparently I’m pregnant.” I beamed, I from all this baby focus and decided to plan couldn’t help it. a nice trip away - we were thinking maybe He was so shocked he literally dropped the Europe. glass he was holding. I didn’t care. Then he As I went to the doctor today I honestly started to smile, then he almost strangled though he was going to say that I was a bit me in the biggest hug he has ever given me. run down and had a virus. Pregnant was a Yep, we are going to be parents! word I tried not to think about anymore. Not 1st March 2013 - Today was my first ultrathat that was easy, with my friends popping sound. Can you believe I am already 12 out children like left, right and centre. I weeks pregnant?! It was such a surreal feelcan’t believe it is finally my turn. ing seeing that tiny little body, that already I’m not sure what the doctor thought of my looked human, inside me. It moved around reaction when he said I was pregnant. I just a lot during the ultrasound and I can’t wait sat there, completely shocked for a moment for the day that I can actually feel it. and then began to cry. I think he thought I Robbie calls the baby “Junior”. I think he is didn’t want the baby. Well he couldn’t be hoping for a little boy. He has been so great 12
these last few weeks, really taking on his protective role over me. He makes me lie down a lot and he even brings me snacks and things when I’m not feeling good because of the morning sickness. He was so excited about the pregnancy that he has told everyone! He didn’t care about the supposed 12 weeks rule. He evens tells shop assistants and any delivery man who ever comes to our door, he is so proud. 14th April 2013 - I wonder whether it is normal to have doubts about everything? I mean, I really do want this baby, more than anything, but I just wonder whether I can do it all. What if I am a terrible mother? What if the baby doesn’t like me? What if it cries all the time? Will I even be able to handle the birth? How will we live off just one wage? So many questions…. 15th April 2013 - I had another ultrasound today and guess what? It’s a boy! I’m so
excited. And you know what? All those doubts… gone! I know that it’s not going to be easy and that I’m not going to always have the answers but I will learn as I go along. I will do my best and when I don’t I won’t be afraid to admit my mistake. Robbie is over the moon about it being a boy. He came home this afternoon with a mini football. He is already planning more kids to give him a complete soccer team. 14th September 2013 - Today is my due date. I cannot believe I’m about to enter the “mum club”. Gone are the days of me as just a couple and soon there will be another little person to take care of. I feel like I am ready. Everything is all set up in the nursery for the baby, my hospital bag is all packed and I now wait with excitement for this brand new season in life to begin…
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Your Story Angela’s Story - A precious little angel We were blissfully happy and over the moon to find out we were expecting our first baby. The pregnancy was progressing perfectly, I felt great with not even a touch of morning sickness. I eagerly waited for my bump to appear and raced to the maternity boutiques to buy maternity clothes as soon as I thought I began to look pregnant. I thought life couldn’t get better. I was also a midwife with over 6 years experience helping women birth beautiful babies and caring for women and their families during their childbearing experiences. I never thought anything would go wrong. I was 26 weeks and 3 days pregnant when this all changed. I was relaxing at home after a lovely quiet shift at work when I realised I was having some mild cramping pain, I thought it was just tummy aches, definitely not labour pain. I was thinking about the possibility of the pain being labour but convinced myself I was being silly, after all, I was only 26 weeks pregnant. The pain stopped and I ate dinner with my husband, just like a normal afternoon. We talked about the baby and discussed picking up the cot and change table during the week. When my husband and I went to bed the pain started again, I told my husband I was going to pack a hospital bag ‘just in case’ the pain didn’t stop. I went to the toilet and as a stood up, my waters broke. I panicked. I was also bleeding a lot. We called the hospital to tell them we were on our way; my husband was so supportive and calm. On the way to the hospital I told him that our baby might have passed 14
away inside of me when my waters broke. I was so scared. The hospital I went to was excellent. My baby’s heart beat was found to be normal and strong. I was put under the care of many specialists and I felt that I was in very good hands. I had steroid injections to help my baby’s lungs mature quickly, antibiotics to prevent infection along with many other treatments to potentially improve my baby’s outcome. As I laid on the uncomfortable bed, I closed my eyes and told myself to stop this nonsense, stop contracting and stop bleeding. Nothing that anyone could do could stop the inevitable, my contractions became stronger and I was bleeding heavily. I was rushed for an emergency caesarean section. I remember laying on the theatre bed thinking to myself ‘this is your birth experience, try to take it in’. My husband was by my side, holding my hand. I had already booked into birth classes to learn how to meditate through labour and I was convinced I was going to have a natural labour. I was reflecting about this when I was having my emergency caesarean. We chose not to find out the sex of our baby during the pregnancy so when they told us he was a boy; we looked at each other and cried with happiness. I let my husband choose his name, Colton. The midwives and doctors let me have a quick look at my baby as he was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit, he was so beautiful, I have never seen anything more beautiful my whole life. He weighed just 940grams. In NSW 7.4% of babies are born premature (before 37 weeks gestation). 0.7% are
photographs with our hearts and are forever grateful for this service. We also were very well supported by the Ronald McDonald house charity, who provided me with a bathroom, bedroom and kitchen facilities, they also provided a quiet area I could use the breast pumps that the Ronald McDonald house also had set up. This support was priceless to us. Bears of hope are another invaluable organisation that has continued to support us through counselling, support groups and other events. We also were given a bear of hope when Colton passed away. This bear is very precious to us. We could never express the gratitude we have for our family and friends through this unbearable time. We choose to embrace Colton’s life and share his story whenever we get the opportunity. I write this article to help raise awareness of support available for when pregnancy, baby and child loss tragically occurs. The subject of baby loss is becoming more socially acceptable to discuss and I never want to feel uncomfortable to say I had a baby who is now an angel. I want to honour him in any way that I can, for the rest of my life. I felt the overwhelming love a woman has for her child and now truly understand what a woman means when she says she would do anything for her children. I will always hold Colton in my heart, instead of my hands. http://www.heartfelt.org.au/ http://www.bearsofhope.org.au/ http://www.rmhc.org.au/
born before 28 weeks gestation (NSW Health). Babies born before 24 weeks gestation have a very small chance of surviving and if they do survive, the chances of long-term complications are high. Long term outcomes and survival rates increase with each day further of gestation. Unfortunately, in Australia the rates of premature birth have not really changed in the past 20 years. I knew too much. I still cant answer the question if it helped or hindered my experience, but I was grateful that I had knowledge about premature babies and what I could do to become involved in his care. The journey in the neonatal intensive care unit was not easy, there were complications with Colton’s health and he was struggling. On my son’s 22 day of life my heart broke and my baby became an angel. During my baby’s 22 days on this earth, our time was mixed with so many different experiences and emotions. Heartfelt is a volunteer organisation dedicated to giving the gift of photographic memories by taking gorgeous photographs of extremely premature, sick or stillborn babies, all free of charge. Our family were fortunate enough to have 3 sessions with a beautiful volunteer photographer throughout Written by Angela, one of our HawkesColton’s short life. We treasure these bury mums. 15
Taking the perfect scrapbooking photos 8 Tips for better scrapbook pictures: 1. Use what you have, and know how to use it Cameras come in all shapes and forms
use them. If you own a DSLR have a look at courses run through your local community college who can offer 1 day courses, or courses that run weekly for 68 weeks for a couple of hours once a week. These are great value, and will give you more in depth knowledge on how to use your DSLR
2. Light If you are setting up to specifically take photos, determine the best place for light. When inside, this is usually in front a large window or glass door. The best spot to place your subject is facing the light, and at a time of day when the sun doesn’t come right in. If you do not have enough light, your photos will end up looking blurry. If you are unable to find the right settings for your camera to take a clear picture, use your built in flash. If you are outside, photos are best taken on an overcast day. Avoid making your subject face the sun, as this will result in squinty eyes. Having them with their backs to the sun, will stop them from these days. It doesn’t matter what you squinting, and should give a nice even have, or the price tag attached to it, if you light over their face. With a little bit of understand how to use your device you practice, you can also capture natural sun are already on your way to capturing great glare using this technique, which can be a memories. It is a real misconception that beautiful effect on your images. you need a fancy camera to take great photos. iPhoneography is proof in the 3. Set it up pudding that something as simple as mo- Have everything set up and within arms bile phone, while out and about, can cap- reach before taking pictures. Look at ture some amazing and unique photos, where you are going to take your photos, ready to share with family and friends and if you have to move the washing basthrough social media instantly! ket out of the way. Look at the surrounds Whatever you use, play with it, and get to and anything which will fall into the understand it. Look up those symbols and background. Whatever you want capture 16
your child doing, having it all set up before hand gives you plenty of time to take photos and enjoy the moment with your loved one. 4. Play first, snap later Before you take pictures play with your child. Participate in whatever they are doing. This helps to relax them, and gets them concentrating on the task. Paint a painting, sing a silly song with their toys, or push them on the swing. Make them feel comfortable before you pull out the camera. 5. Get down to their level When taking photos of young children make yourself their size. Get down on the floor and continue to interact with them. Getting down to their level will make you less intimidating and will also open up your options on how to photograph your child.
7. Talk to them When you have the camera out, make sure you keep talking to them. Ask them what are they doing, are they having fun, do they like that colour/toy. Constantly asking them questions keeps their attention to what they are doing. Towards the end you can ask them to copy you and your actions if you are wanting posed photographs. Let them see the photos you are creating to make them feel important and involved.
8. Be creative with apps and post production Some cameras will have some incamera editing that you can use (refer to your manual). There are lots of programs out there for post production 6. Mix it up Avoid jumping in with your camera editing on your computer, and loads of straight away, telling your child to say free editing apps. Don’t be afraid to try cheese and to look at the camera. If out different effects, using text, boarders, you’ve set something up, try to make a textures and cropping. The apps that I story out of it. Start by taking pictures of currently use are: Camera+ (for taking things they are holding on to, how they photos), PS Express (for touch ups), are holding on to it, what they are makFrametastic (for storyboards) and PicLab ing, which hand are they using and what (for final editing and text). I have found they are doing with their feet. Take a pic- with my current apps I have bought the ture from over their shoulder to get “their extension packs to remove watermarks view” of what they are doing, and without and unlock extra features. At the end of them looking get a picture of them conthe day regardless of how perfect the phocentrating on what they are doing. By tos are, you will have some great memodoing this, you are getting the child to ries to keep for years to come! become comfortable with the camera coming out, and you are capturing some Written by Kate Roberts, a mum and wonderful, natural images of your child at owner of the business Big Fish Photograplay. At the end you can get them to pose phy. and smile with the finished product.
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Making memories that last Write a diary to your children during your pregnancy and while they are little about your plans for them, your thoughts, feelings and cute things they said or did. This can be a priceless memory that you can give to them when they are older. Start a memory box for each of your children. Collect things for it and hide it away until they are older and give it to them on their 18 birthday. You may choose to put things in it like a newspaper from the day they were born, their first pair of shoes, their hospital bracelet, their first outfit etc. Make a big photo wall in your house. Use photos from the past as well as current ones and be constantly able to relive these fond memories every time you the time with their littlies went. Many will walk past. This is also a great way for talk about how it feels like just the day bevisitors to your home to see your gorfore they were holding their baby in their geous family. arms and now the child is all grown up. Have a letter book to your partner and/or Below is a list of ideas to preserve your children. Write letters in it and leave it on memories so you can relive them over and their beds. Have them reply and return it over again in the future. to you. This is a fun way to see your kids Create a family photo album each year. writing evolve and a great memory Allow everyone to have some input as to keeper. Also a lovely way to keep your which photos to use and write notes romance alive with your partner! about the occasions. This can be easily Interview the kids when you go on famdone as a scrapbook or by creating ily holidays. It’s a great way to remember printed photos books through places like the little details and you can stick the Kmart, Harvey Norman or online. answers into a book along with some Make a time capsule - our kids page photos. (p.26) shows you how. This is great Create a profile silhouette of each of the memory to create for a milestone like members of your family (you may just moving house, to start off a New Year or choose to do their head) and put them in the beginning of a new season in life. frames for one of the walls in your home. Make hand prints of the kids each year in If you can try to make one for any pets paint or plaster. It’s a very cute reminder you have too! This is especially funny if of how little they once were and you can it is a goldfish! see their growth as the time passes. As a parent you often get so involved in the craziness of everyday that it is hard to stop and enjoy the short time you have with your children as they grow. If you ask most parents they will be shocked as to how quickly
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up for all to see or place it inside their Interview each of your family members memory box. on their birthdays. Ask them their favourite food, best present, who their best Create a “year in review”. Find a blank friend is, their favourite thing that hapwall (or a pinboard) and put up photos, pened that year, the place they would quotes, fun memories and awesome recimost like to go etc. pes as the days pass. At the end of the year put it all into a book and start fresh. Get professional photographs taken now and then and don’t forget to display Take lots of video of your family. Try to them! gets video of the kids playing, their first moments, family holidays, birthdays and Have your children’s fingerprints Christmas. At the end of the year have it stamped onto jewellery for a cute keepmade into a DVD with the clips you have sake. created. This is one of my favourites as I Collect something from every place you love to look back to see the kids when visit as a reminder of your trip. This may they were so tiny and relive those prebe a fridge magnet, a keyring, a bumper cious first moments almost like you are sticker or even something as simple as a there again. shell or some grains of sand. Display Create your own special memory keepthem on a shelf as a reminder. sake. This will become something you Turn your child’s first drawing (or first can treasure and may become a fun famrecognizable drawing) into a keepsake by ily tradition that you all look forward to. having it printed on a tea-towel, t-shirt or Enjoy! fabric square for the family quilt. Hang it
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01 My 2
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Money Challenge
One month into my 2014 money challenge I have realised that maybe $10,000 was a bit ambitious for a money goal. After sitting down and looking at my spending habits for the end of 2013 I thought that minimising my grocery bill would be quite easy if I was careful. I guess I didn’t take into account the fact that I was already a fairly careful shopper - I usually buy with the specials, buy in bulk where I can and don’t buy things that I don’t really need. As a result I was quite disappointed to discover that my last four weeks of grocery bills look like this;
and dividing that by 52 weeks. That gave me a total of $192.31. This is the amount that I would need to save each and every week to reach my (now seemingly out of reach) goal. I decided firstly to revisit my grocery bill. My goal with my grocery bill was to get it down to $150 per week. I was starting to think that maybe this was an impossible task but I was determined to try again. I wrote down my target of $150. Then I divided it by 21 (three meals per day for seven days). This left me a with a figure of $7.14. That meant for me to reach my goal of $150 for groceries I needed to spend no more than $7.14 per meal. But was that even possible?? I decided to find Grocery bill per week out. First I wrote a menu plan. It was healthy but allowed for cheap meals using $235.59 January week 3 things like rice, pasta, cheap cuts of meat etc. Then I wrote a shopping list based on $210.73 January week 4 my menu plan. Then I went shopping…. $292.87 January week 5 And my grocery total was a staggering $112!! I could not believe it. I had created $364.09 February week 1 a menu for an entire week, wrote a list, did Honestly, I have no idea why my bill aver- not deviate from the list and I achieved age actually went up $11 per week! With below my goal of $150. other spending I was able to reduce my Now may I point out that this shopping trip bills by buying less impulse buys and did not include snacks or toiletries so I am choosing cheaper alternatives for things aware that on those weeks my bill will be like paper towel, toilet paper and nappies. higher, however, I was thrilled to see that it Through this I actually saved $80. was possible to feed a family of five for I now felt more determined than ever to under $150! My new aim was to keep that stick to my goal and work out how I could up while providing nutritious and filling actually save more money. I began by writ- meals every day of the week. ing down my end of year goal ($10,000) You are probably wondering if there is 21
some sort of magic trick that I used to get my bill down to under $150. And honestly, I am interested myself whether I can keep this up every week. The only things I did differently was that I shopped exclusively at Aldi, bought the cheaper brands and bought things in bulk. I was able to buy 2kg of mince this week for only $9. With my family I can make four different meals with two kilos of mince. The best thing about this shopping trip was that my family didn’t even notice I had done anything differently which shows that neither the quality or quantity of my meals changed. I just focused on the goal of $7.14 per meal. I would spend the majority of that on a cut of meat or main part of the meal and then bulk it up with cheap things like rice, veges, bread and simple side dishes.
I was now feeling super inspired to focus on other areas that I could save money. March for our family is full of birthday’s and celebrations so I started thinking about gifts and how I could save money with the gift buying without giving cheap junk. So that is my next plan of attack for reducing my spending and increasing my savings. Next month I will let you know what I have discovered about saving money with gift buying. You can also stay up to date with our Facebook postings and follow the blog on our website. Julie-Anne England
Photography for the whole family Easter Special of just $250 for family portrait, includes disk of 20 signature images! Call Helen on 0414647109 for more details!
Kids Fun! Make your own Time capsule! Creating your own time capsule is a fun way to make memories and preserve some of the past. It is really easy to make your own time 2024 capsule. A time capsule is simply a collection of things that you hide or bury to be reopened at a set time in the future. This period could be 10 years, 20 years or however long you like. This is how you make a time capsule of your very own: Get a box or a plastic container for your capsule Collect items for the capsule - this may be a newspaper, some photos of what you look like now and where you live, a letter to yourself in the future, a list of your favourite things etc. Put them all inside the box or container. If the box is cardboard place your items inside a Ziploc bag first to help protect them from moisture. Seal the box/container. You may then like to wrap it in lots of plastic and tape to make sure the items inside stay protected. Put a label on the front with the date when the time capsule can be opened. Bury the time capsule or put it somewhere safe (like in the garage or have your parents put it in the ceiling of the house - but don’t forget where you put it) Open it up when you reach the date on the label! Do NO T Till 2n Open d Marc h
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Kids! - Get your parents to take a photo with you and your time capsules to share on our Facebook page!
We want to know when it’s your birthday. Have Mum or Dad send us an email or post on Facebook so you can join our birthday club. All kids who join will receive their name printed in our magazine for their birthday month, a special birthday card, balloon and announcement on our Facebook page. 23
Community Noticeboard
Thursdays—Fortnightly 9.30am—11.00am South Windsor Family Centre Greenhills Way South Windsor The playgroup is for families/carers of twins or parents expecting multiple births. Hawkesbury Twins and More Playgroup provides an informal welcoming setting to socialize, interact & share experiences with others who have Twins and More. Bring a rug for babies to lie on & anything else you may need! For more information please call 4577 9804
Do you have a free playgroup, event or program for families? List them here on our community noticeboard for FREE! Email us.
Circle of Security Parenting Peppercorn Family Services and Tresillian Family Care are offering the Circle of Security program This is a free program starting on Friday 21st February that aims to: Provide a safe environment where parents can focus on their strengths and struggles as parents, and give parents a roadmap to better under-stand their children's needs. For more information about this pro-gram or other parenting programs that we offer, please contact us on Ph: 4577 9804 Email: dropin@psinc.com.au
Peppercorn Services Inc Parenting Seminars SOUTH WINDSOR FAMILY CENTRE 6 Greenhills Way South Windsor Free Parenting seminars held in conjunction with Hawkesbury Community Health. Topics: Breastfeeding and Nutrition Dental / Development and Milestones Toileting and Behavior Management
Tuesday 4th March Tuesday 11th March Tuesday 18th March Bookings are essential Please Call Peppercorn Family Services 4577 9804 Or email dropin@psinc.com.au Child minding available
10.00am – 11.30am
Business Directory Mention this ad for a FREE 8x12 print with each package purchased
Shazam Photography
Any full set only *November only
Appointment only, mobile service available
www.shazamphotography.com.au Ph: 0416 957 592
South Windsor NSW 2756
McGraths Hill Children’s Centre Inc
Open 6.30am-6.30pm From birth to 6 years Nutritious meals daily Community based Not for profit centre Preschool transition programs
Tahlula’s Eclectic Bazaar Handmade Vintage Retro Upcycled Recycled Unique
69 Andrew Thompson Dr, McGraths Hill Ph: 4587 7141 or email: mhcc@westnet.com.au
Advertise your business here for as little as $45 a month
Now in a brand new shop! Shop 3, Lachlan Court 100 George Street Windsor www.tahlulaseclecticbazaar.com Phone Liz: 0418 664 227 25
Classifieds Welcome to our brand new classifieds page. This page is specifically sourced for our readers. We will list jobs, items for sale, services and garage sales. For the first few months while we build awareness of this section, all postings will be free. So please call us on 0415 216 186 or email your enquiry if you would like to list something. Services
Jobs
Breastfeeding, settling and parenting help. Qualified registered nurse and lactation consultant. Contact Lynne. www.betterbeginnings.com.au
Magazine distribution for Small Steps Parenting Magazine. Starting at 2-3 full days per month, can be worked between school hours. Please phone 0415 216 186.
Financial planning and budgeting help. Speak to Michael Voss. 23 years experience (02) 4782 1702
For Sale
Your Walk Counselling. Professional, flexible, economic and reliable online counselling for adults and children. Yvonne Wilson BSc (Hons), MCouns Your_walk_counselling@hushmail.com
Bright Starts bouncer. Removable mobile. Plays music and/or vibrates.$15 Fisher Price play mat. Plays music. $25 Bumbo seat. Comes with tray. $35 Free baby bath. Slight crack repaired but no leaks. Bouncer $5 Phone Emma 0414762845 pick up Londonderry
Greater Western Painting & Decorating Ron La Rosa 0411 751 722 Ceiling restoration, filing and patching 100% satisfaction, free quotes greaterwesternpainting@gmail.com
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