Is Your Bed The Heart Of Your Home?

*This is a sponsored post on behalf of Sleepmaker

They say the kitchen is the heart of the home.

Have you ever considered the importance of your bedroom though?

 

Recently, I was scrolling through the 2000 plus images on my iPhone and was surprised to note that a good deal of the significant scenes of my life were set in our bedroom:

 

Happy family moments

 

Baby's first days moments

 

 

Mother's Day breakfast in bed moments

 

 

 

Playtime moments

 

 

 ...and treasured Mum and baby moments.

It got me thinking about just how much of our life centres around this most important room and in particular, the bed at the heart of it.

We bought our bed long before we had our family. It was our first big ticket purchase together and we were very excited about it. Back then, I didn't think too much about it at all and chose a sleigh bed frame (I'm still in love with it), and a mattress with an average price tag as well as bed linen from a standard department store. 

As time passed and our numbers grew, our bed has been put through its paces in ways we never could have imagined:

It is (unintentionally), a family sofa

 

 

...a playground for kids
(our duvet has even been a tent fill-in for a playhouse) 

...and a place for boys to be boys (often despite my objections).

It is fairly clear that our bed will continue to be central to the enjoyment of our family well into the future. For the kids on the home front, nothing beats the excitement and comfort of frolicking in Mum and Dad's bed. I think that's a memory that is intrinsic with many of us too.
For us grown-ups, nothing beats the delight of a soft and beautiful place to end the day. (Think Pinterest for some enviable examples.)

Our poor bed has suffered from its 'overuse' in this king sized family though. Sadly it is distressed from the strains of time and the modern life it leads. Beneath its pretty linen exterior, are the hidden extra bolts and brackets installed to prolong its life, not forgetting the mattress itself, which suffers doubles as an excellent indoor trampoline.
It's not all sad news though, (for I do have a consuming sentimental attachment to this bed of ours).
I have plans for a new bed:
A bigger bed. (I can feel the excitement of a shopping experience mounting!)

From queen to king.
A king bed may only be 30cms wider but that's prime space in a large family!

No more queen size bed in future. Next time I am going with the king.
I plan to buy a good sturdy, king size mattress, (like those produced by Sleepmaker) and add luxurious linen in the mix. (Florence Broadhurst's designs are a personal favourite.) For this family hub of ours deserves to be even more sumptuous and sensational, (to cope with the demands of this growing family, clambering for a place within its frame), in the tales of our years to come.

 

How about you? Would you agree that your bed is the heart of your home too?
 

 

 

Recent posts you may enjoy:

 

Win an Ella's Kitchen The Red One The Cook Book!

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An Exclusive Interview with Hi-5,
A Celebrity Recipe and A Giveaway!
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Ella's Kitchen Cook Book Review and Giveaway! (The Red One)

Do you cook with your child?

Did you know that doing so can introduce your little one to a wider range of foods through the joys of experimentation? It's a true educational experience that is both a fun together-time activity and an excellent way to get them hooked on new tastes that are healthy for them.

I have reviewed the wonderful Ella's Kitchen range of baby and toddler foods on the blog before. In case you missed this post, you can read more here about their mission to get kids into good foods, young.
Celeste is a regular consumer these days, of Ella's Kitchen's excellent and convenient pouch foods when we are out and about. She loves them so much now that she goes crazy if she spots a colourful pouch tucked away in my pantry! They've become an essential part of our household's regular shop and I am happy about that. Good quality, natural foods for my kids are always welcome here.

Back to the cooking thing though.

Ella's Kitchen have published a sensational hard-bound book full of stunning eats for kids. The layout is a colourful and fun journey through eats of interest to the small people of your world. Lovely large images of meals, treats and snacks - 100 fabulous recipes to be exact, decorated with large photographs and drawings to catch even the youngest's attention and lots of food crafting ideas too. There's plenty to keep the adults entertained as well; food tips, educational ideas and guidance for healthy eating practices from baby-led weaning to toddlerhood, childhood and beyond.

It's the ultimate cooking bible for parents and children to enjoy together.

Ummmm...

 

What do you say Celeste, interested in cooking with Mummy in the kitchen?

Yes! I thought so!

Decisions, decisions...

'This looks good Mum!'

Here's where Mum steps in for some serious decision making. We settled on the Holey Moley Pancakes because 9 times out of 10, those ingredients are always at hand. Pancakes are a hit at our place with all ages and I am guessing they are at your house too. So here's a quick little recipe lifted right out of The Red One for you to test with your little helper.

Celeste secures herself a copycat stool so as to get in on the action with Taite...

Holey Moley Pancakes:

125gm plain flour
1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 a teaspoon of cream of tartar
1 egg
1 tablespoon of sugar
25gm unsalted butter (melted) plus extra for frying
150ml milk
fresh fruits to serve.

Check. Out. That. Co-operation! Impressed!

Mix the flour and baking soda and cream of tartar.
In a separate bowl, cream the egg and sugar and stir in the melted butter.
Alternatively add small amounts of the flour mixture and the milk to the egg mix until everything combines into a smooth batter.

Add a small amount of butter to a frying pan to coat and spoon individual tablespoons of the batter to make small pancakes. (I used a pikelet griddle). Cook over gentle heat until small bubbles form them carefully flip until golden brown on both sides.

'Look what I made Mum!' Positively beaming with pride.
He may burst!

Remove pancakes from heat and keep them warm until all batter is finished.
Serve warm with fresh fruit.

As you can well imagine this entire plate of pancakes divided by 6 kids meant it lasted around 5 minutes! My verdict on the cooking with kids experience: FUN!
Taite got to try out cracking an egg (it exploded in his face which was pretty funny but we managed to salvage most of it for the recipe).
Ruben mixed like a pro, managing to remove most lumps in the batter.
Celeste was excited by everyone just getting along and the busyness of it all.
A tub of margarine was dropped and Celeste joyfully smeared it about the floor.
There was flour on benches, batter splatters and so on, but it didn't matter because we were enjoying it all. Somehow the mission of the cook book helped me to realise that the fun really is in the journey and not necessarily the outcome...though those pancakes were deliciously fluffy and puffy!

You can visit the Ella's Kitchen website here and read more about The Red One Cook Book here.
There's even 3 recipes on their website you can download for free from their cook book too!
Ella's Kitchen The Red One The Cook Book retails at leading and independent book stores for $24.95 in Australia.

My verdict: I really love the book! It's informative, educational, attractive, relevant and did I mention there's even stickers inside for your kids to decorate their favourite recipes with?
Yup! True!
Highly recommended!
(ISBN 978-0-600-62641-1)

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Like to win a copy of Ella's Kitchen The Red One Cook Book to share with your little helper?

Ella's Kitchen are providing Six Little Hearts readers with an opportunity to win one of 2 copies of this lovely book!

Total value of each prize is $24.95.

 

To enter, simply follow the prompts of the Rafflecopter App below. (App may take a few seconds to load.) Please note, two of the conditions of entry are mandatory so be sure to follow the easy steps to make sure all of your entries count. Please play fair as others do take the time to complete their entries.

All winning entries are screened to ensure they conform to these entry requirements.

 

Entry is open to Australian residents only.

Winner will be notified by email and given 48 hours to respond.

If no response in this time, a new winner will be drawn.

Winner's details will be shared with Ella's Kitchen for prize distribution purposes.

Total prize value is $24.95 each

Judge's decision is final.

Good luck!

 

 

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Do you cook with your child? Do you enjoy it?!

What types of baking do you do with your kids?

 

 Please leave a comment below and share!

An Exclusive Interview with Hi-5, A Celebrity Recipe and Giveaway!

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Blogging Journeys: Interview With Six Little Hearts Blog (A Replay Of An Interview on Blogger Connect)

Can you tell us about Six Little Hearts and why it’s different to other parenting blogs?

My blog centres on my large family of 6 children. I like to focus on the humour in my life – lots of kids means a lot of laughter (and a ton of everything else)! I really want to share that element of our lives on my blog.
Prior to my Mum career, I actually had a great career in the advertising industry. I have never really lost ‘myself’ at the centre of all the chaos. Blogging is my chance to continue dabbling in all outlets. My blog explores my family life, offers parenting tips, reviews of products I think are of interest to Mums and women in general. I also love my hometown of Melbourne and I like to showcase her too.
My blog’s a bit of everything really. Every parenting blog will differ. Mine’s a bit playful!

Why did you start blogging? What was the inspiration behind setting up Six Little Hearts?

I didn’t really know anything about blogging! I stumbled upon a huge American mum blog one day and was blown away! Wow! I’d LOVE to do that…and so I found myself blogging! So many people come up to me when I am on outings and ask about my family and life. I thought I might as well blog about it. I really don’t know what drives my blogging machine; it just feels right! Like all good things in life, if it feels good, go with it!

How many years have you been blogging and how many hours per week do you spend blogging?

I have only been blogging 11 months now. I post twice a week or more if I can find the time. I blog when my kids are at school or when they are milling around me at the dining table! I have been known to do my post images in bed on my iPhone at 3am! I have no idea how many hours I spend blogging. (My kids tell me it is too much though!)

 

How do you juggle parenting six children and blogging?

Two words: School hours! At the very least, if there’s something funny happening, I grab my camera and then I blog it. It can be a good job like that!

What do you enjoy most about blogging?

I love the community and friends that you make. Getting to know other bloggers is great.
I have met people and been places I never would have imagined through blogging. Blogging opens doors to the world. It makes life enjoyable.

When did you first receive income from your blog?

A few months in I think. It depends what you define as income too. Sometimes products sent my way are compensation for blog posts and as a parent, everything helps!

Where you would like to see Six Little Hearts in 1 year’s time, and 3 year’s time?
In the case of both – bigger, better and surrounded by lots of community.

 

What advice would you give to brands and PRs contacting you for opportunities?

Get to know as much as you can about the blog and blogger before you make contact. Using personal emails that name the blogger and blog rather than general emails ‘to bloggers’ are a nice start!
Understand that we are valuable to your business through our relationship with our readers. Don’t expect us to work for free! Blogging is time-consuming and hard work.
Many of us are Mum bloggers but we come from valuable backgrounds prior to Motherhood.
Finally, don’t forget to thank us for our efforts when your blog post is published! It’s nice and polite to promote our work on your social media channels too.

What 3 tips would you give other bloggers starting out?

It’s a lot more work than you imagine it will be! If you are wanting to grow a bigger following, expect to work, work and work!
Make great images for your posts. Try to avoid public images. Invest in a good digital SLR camera and get snapping! Image really is everything. It’s the thing most people will linger over when visiting your website – often more than the words.
Spelling and grammar are SO important! Make sure you get this right! Nothing is more of a turn-off than the distraction of trying to understand a message containing errors!



What would you like to see more of in the blogging community?
More blog events in Melbourne! Sydney seems to have all the fun. Support each other by following other bloggers on social media.

The above was a featured interview on Blogger Connect. You can view the original here.

	If you are a blogger, what inspired you to start blogging? How has your blog evolved since you started out?
	 An Exclusive Interview With Hi-5, A Celebrity Recipe and a Giveaway!

 

 

    

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Top Tips For Budgeting For A Family Holiday (Or Other Financial Goal)...

If travelling with kids is a big undertaking then travelling with loads of kids is a huge one! I sometimes catch myself daydreaming about our travels prior to the arrival of our babies. Everything was so easy. The hardest hurdle we faced was deciding on our destination.

These days, planning a vacation takes more thought and action than a mere fleeting desire and a quick phonecall to a travel agent. If we want to holiday anywhere, we must have first and foremost, time to plan followed by a load of surplus cash to fund those plans and the more of both, the better.

Just last week I purchased myself a rather pricey ticket to the ProBlogger conference. For those of you who are non-bloggers, ProBlogger is the event for bloggers - a 2 day creative training ground full of inspiration and guidance for those of us who do the blogging thing. ProBlogger 2014, just so happens to be on the Gold Coast in perfect Queensland. I, on the other hand, am located in Melbourne.

And so a 'holiday' is in its infant planning stages. 

Do I go alone? Take a few of the eldest kids? Take the whole family? Given the event is at the end of August, I have a little time to plot out a financial goal for myself (or ourselves?).

When it comes to saving for anything, I follow a very structured budget that seems to work for us when times are tight or unexpected. These are my top tips for saving money and bringing a financial goal (a holiday in this instance), into fruition!

 

Time and planning: If a holiday is desired, give yourself as much time as possible to plan for it. This allows you the freedom to find accommodation that is competitively priced along with airfares and other expenses which may be subject to seasonal hikes. For example, we all know school holidays are the most expensive time to travel so avoid these times when looking at potential dates. Doing so can save you hundreds of dollars that would be better spent on attractions at your chosen holiday destination and other fun things.

 

Open a dedicated savings account: Find a decent account with no fees and good interest and feed regular payments into it on a weekly / fortnightly or monthly basis depending on your pay's frequency. Set this account up with your financial institution on auto-payments so that your salary is instantly debited and credited into this account. This money is reserved for you this way and when it vanishes immediately from your pay, it is barely missed!
Work out roughly how much cash you need to accomplish your goal and divide that by the weeks, months or years you have available until you reach your goal. This will give you a good idea how much cash you need to set aside on auto-payments regularly in order to get there. I use this method with my children's education accounts which means camps, annual school fees, uniforms and other expenses are pretty much covered.

 

Get the kids involved: Planning a holiday is a hugely exciting time for kids! Get them in on the savings action too. Teach your kids to help save the money by being careful with household electricity and water usage. Did you know that by unplugging appliances such as video games and DVD players when not in use, over the course of a year can reduce your power bill by as much as 25%! If your bills are well over the $2000 mark annually like ours, that's a lot of money saved already! Talk them around constant purchase desires and requests too. Do they really need to buy a book from their school's book club when they can borrow it from the library? Reduce tantrums over 'refusal to buy demands' by reminding them that the prize for not purchasing whatever will be a holiday at...(fill in the blank).

 

Anticipate your expenses and save extra: Always make sure you have spare cash aside for the unanticipated costs of travel. Sickness, accidents, transport and extra sightseeing options unknown at the time of your holiday planning stages are just some of the incidentals you will need to be covered for above and beyond the anticipated expenses such as food.

Look for ways to decrease your daily living costs: When visiting the supermarket, buy the cheaper brand. Stop buying coffee every day; carry your own travel mug from home or the office instead. Look at the little things that are leaks in your finances and explore cheaper or free options and alternatives.

Sell your unwanted goods: Got a garage of junk brimming over like ours? List your possessions on an auction website or free online classifieds site. I frequently sell items for cost price and many times I have actually made a profit on my old goods!

 

Make tax time profitable: File all receipts as soon as they land in your wallet. Tax time can be a gold mine if you have prepared well for it. Net yourself a profitable return by carefully considering every purchase you make. Ask yourself 'Can I claim this?' If you are unsure, hold onto your receipt anyway in anticipation of tax time ammendments. A good accountant is invaluable in working your receipts into dollars for you and has the added benefit of knowing the very latest news in claims.

Equally, plan the purchase of big things to coincide with your tax refund. Consider travelling after your refund is due for an extra cash injection for example.
 

If you find you can't quite reach your financial goal in the time allowable, there are always options open to you. Finance company Get Approved provide personal and vehicle loans amongst many others to make those costly desires come to life quicker. Get Approved can access multiple lending partners on your behalf to secure you the best deal available. They have a great loans calculator on their website to help plan your budget too.

I will be putting my best effort in over the coming months to achieve my travel goal, whether ultimately it is myself travelling alone, or my whole family accompanying me. We'll see how we go!

What tips do you have or steps do you take when it comes to saving for a goal?

Have I missed anything? Please comment below and share!

 

 *This post was brought to you in collaboration with Get Approved.

An Exclusive Interview with Hi-5, A Celebrity Recipe and a Giveaway!

 

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An Exclusive Interview With Hi-5, A Celebrity Recipe and A Giveaway!

Indiana and Kiowa circa 2005. My Little Ponies, toy cars, sippy cups and Hi-5 on Television

Way back when my eldest two children (in fact, only children at the time), were fresh-faced, gorgeous little babies, I bundled them on board a tram and took them into Melbourne city to see their very first live show at The Arts Centre.

It was a performance by the renown children's television entertainers, Hi-5!

My kids just loved them! 

Admittedly, (and not-so secretly), I also adored them; catchy tunes, bright costumes, abundant positivity and happy personas - what's not to like? I still know the words to most of their songs even now, after years of them blaring from the lounge room television, while my children sat (or danced), transfixed by the screen. 

As my little lounge room audience grew, so too came inevitable changes to their viewing on that television. Different children's shows came and went and Hi-5 appeared and disappeared on and off.
 

Did you know Hi-5 are back ready to woo an entirely new audience of kidlets with their dazzling style?!

Yes, Hi-5 Home have returned to their regular patch and you can now view them on Channel 11 Monday to Friday at 9am. In the new Hi-5 Home series, the five famous cast members sing and play with their long-time friends and popular puppet pals Chats and Jup Jup.
 

When I was given the opportunity to interview Hi-5 members here on my blog, I got quite excited as those live performance memories came flooding back with clarity! 

"Wow! They're like, FAMOUS!"

My kids thought I was suddenly quite cool and that this blogging thing I always seem to be doing was somehow suddenly...alright. (Thanks Hi-5!)

When it came to questions for the cast, I put the task to the kids: What did they want to know?
Seven year old Ruben, (never short of a word), was naturally the most curious, and so, here are the questions he formulated and the answers we received.

Ruben wishes to show you his wobbly tooth...

 

My 7 year old Son, Ruben, would like to know what you guys do when you are not on Television?

Mary: Hi Ruben! Well, after we play with you guys on TV, I love to go to the beach, or play in the park or watch lots of really cool movies! I also love reading!! I read so many books I am starting to run out of room to keep them all!

Lauren: I love to hang out with my family and catch up with my friends. We have BBQ's, play sports, go to the beach and sometimes even have sleep overs.

 

Stevie, Lauren, Dayen, Mary and Ainsley

What did you do before you became a member of Hi-5?

Mary: Before Hi-5, I was studying Primary and Secondary Teaching, as well as having done a Music Theatre course. I spent most of my time being a children's party entertainer and dressing up as a cool rockstar, but the coolest thing I did was performing in Japan at Universal Studios, as characters like Princess Fiona from Shrek, Cinderella, Marilyn Monroe and doing shows and parades with Hello Kitty, Snoopy and Sesame Street!!! I've always loved performing, teaching and playing with kids so Hi-5 was the dream job for me.

Lauren: I used to teach children how to be confident performers at a talent school. I also did some other TV and theatre shows. I have always been a performer. 

 

Dayen: I was a full-time ballerina for 6 years before joining Hi-5. I had a really bad injury and was taking a break from ballet for a while and during this time I landed quite a few acting jobs and before I knew it I am now in Hi-5!

So there you have it! Hi-5 in their own words. Ruben had quite a buzz reading his replies and I do believe he now aspires to become a celebrity journalist.

While the youngest kiddies enjoyed their latest Hi-5 DVD on television, I baked up a storm making Dayen's own Date and Dark Chocolate Brownie Slice! Yes, an exclusive celebrity recipe from Hi-5 to share here on Six Little Hearts! (It's a tasty one too, inspired by Annabel Langbein.) So Mums, while your kids are tuned to Channel 11's new Hi-5 House series, you can get baking morning tea with this genuine Hi-5 celebrity recipe to treat them with!

 

Tip: Buy two blocks of chocolate for this recipe so you can nibble while you bake!

 

Dayen's Date and Dark Chocolate Brownies 

Ingredients:
2 cups of dates
3/4 boiling water
1 teaspoon of baking soda
200g chopped soft butter
2 cups of caster sugar
4 eggs
1 cup of cocoa
1 cup of plain flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 
250g dark eating chocolate (chopped or buttons)

Dazzling Dayen's Brownies

 

Method:
Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
1. Combine dates with 3/4 cup of boiling water and baking soda. Let it stand for 20 mins.
2. Drain water from dates and chop dates into tiny pieces
3. Combine butter, sugar, eggs, cocoa, flour, baking powder and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
4. Add dark chocolate and dates to brownie mixture.
5. Transfer brownie mixture into prepared slice tin (greased or line with baking paper).
6. Cook at 160 degrees Celsius for about 50 mins or until skewer when inserted into middle comes out clean.  

Amazing eats! So delicious. Thanks Dayen!

Hi-5 House will also be available to view on tenplay Kids, a dedicated digital hub featuring on-demand video, extra content and activity sheets for kids that can be accessed anytime. Also available on the tenplay App for iPhone and iPad. Be sure to check it out for your child!



A whole new generation of Hi-5 fans. Celeste checks out her merchandise bag choc-full of goodies.
You could win one too!

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Like to win an exclusive Hi-5 Merchandise pack for your little fan?

 

Six Little Hearts has one collectable Hi-5 pack to give to one lucky reader! The pack contains:

A Hi-5 backpack, Hi-5 large hand (great for waving about at home or at concerts), an autographed souvenir program guide and activity book, coloured pencils, hairclips and Hi-5 tattoos.

Total value of the prize pack is $40.

 

To enter, simply follow the prompts of the Rafflecopter App below. (App may take a few seconds to load.) Please note, one of the conditions of entry is mandatory so be sure to follow the easy steps to make sure all your entries count. Please play fair as others do take the time to complete their entries!

All winning entries are screened to ensure they conform to these entry requirements.

 

Entry is open to Australian residents only.

Winner will be notified by email and given 48 hours to respond.

If no response in this time, a new winner will be drawn.

Total prize value is $40.

Judge's decision is final.

Good luck!

 

 

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What's your favourite Hi-5 song? (Come on grown-ups - we all have one!)

I've been bellowing-out Hi-5 songs the whole time I've been writing this post!

Have you seen Hi-5 live on stage before?

 
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