Hippo Blue Review and Giveaway #SLHFeaturedThursdays

So I've just got to ask you, since the year has commenced - Have your kids lost anything yet?

Here's a wee list of missing items I am tracking down so far in these early weeks of the school year:

A school hat.
A pencil case.
Various lunch box containers.
A cake container.
A toddler drink bottle.

...And that's just what I am aware of so far.

My little lovelies most likely have not yet noticed the extent of their oversight with their possessions. I am dreading what else I will find missing in action as the weeks progress. Wish me luck.

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The Gables Melbourne High Tea Review...

If you're on the look-out for a spectacular high tea experience in Melbourne, you must learn about the high tea on offer at The Gables.

The Gables is an old-world, stately former residence with a colourful history, set amidst the suburban wide and leafy streets of beautiful Malvern in Melbourne. This gracious estate established in 1902 is a perfectly preserved example of Queen Anne architecture prevalent in the Victorian era.

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Cadbury Drinking Chocolate Flourless Fudge and Almond Cake

Who doesn't appreciate a cake recipe that's super easy to make but looks and tastes elegant?

There are chocolate cakes and then there are chocolate cakes. This recipe is one of the latter. I like to think that this is the perfect adult chocolate cake - the kind you take along to any event and indulge in while the kids hover around a different table, eating the little people offerings. (Here's the perfect quick and easy chocolate cake recipe for kids.)

Having said that, my kids demolish this moist treat as soon as I give them the go-ahead, so clearly, it's a cake for everyone!

The Cadbury Drinking Chocolate Flourless Fudge and Almond cake has a crusty outer shell and a soft, fudgy centre. The almond meal adds the grainy 'flour' texture and the delicate taste that sets this bake apart from all others.

This cake is just so good and easily café quality without the cost. It's an impressive bake and one that has proven itself socially on countless occasions.

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SnoozeShade Review and Giveaway #SLHFeaturedThursdays

As Mums, we are all familiar with the stress of having very young kids in tow while rushing to get the day's tasks cleared.

With little people, it's all a desperate race against the clock as we try to cram in the shopping, school drop-offs and pick-ups and appointments, all before the youngest child needs a nap. It's a true race against the clock.

It really could be an Olympic sport!

We also all know how horrible it is parenting an exhausted day-napper who should be otherwise asleep but who battles those falling eyelids to the point of torture. It's not only intriguing to watch your child do this to themselves, but the result is also often horribly embarrassing!

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My Cubby - Creating Memorable Moments in Childhood...

*This post is brought to you in collaboration with My Cubby.

One of the most wonderful things about being a parent, is the opportunity to relive the magic of childhood daily, through the actions of your own children; especially when they are absorbed in happy play.

Have you ever stopped yourself quietly, so as not to be noticed, and taken in a precious moment as it unfolded selflessly and unaware in front of you, like a rare and treasured daydream?:

Your kids, oblivious of your gaze, are playing beautifully together. In this pure scene, your breath is held as you quietly observe them in a moment of such purity and perfection, that you find yourself transported, just briefly, back to the long-forgotten feel of your own childhood?

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Cocobella Kids Review

We're always on the look out for new lunchbox ideas and products for kids around here.

Boredom and kids, when it comes to food and drinks, go and in hand and I am forever striving to stay on top of the demands of the little people in this department.

As soon as any new product hits supermarket shelves, you can bet my kids are literally climbing them to reach it, begging for a chance to try out the very latest. Call it advertising, peer pressure or just plain desperation for a new taste, they all want a piece of it yesterday!

Cocobella Coconut Water is a product that has been around for a while now and is no stranger to our shopping trolley. We buy this refreshing drink regularly and it frequently features in our smoothies. With zero fat content and the natural benefits of electrolytes, we think it's a pretty great tasting drink for adults.

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#SLHFeaturedThursdays - Back To School with Smiggle and a Smiggle Stationery Giveaway...

 

Sssh!

Are you reading this while the kids are out of the house? Are they safely at school?

Good!

Gather around...I am going to whisper this one, sweet-scented word...

SMIGGLE!...

Can you feel the earth-shattering excitement of the brand? (I am flapping my arms here people!)

My kids go batty for Smiggle. (Myself slightly more.) They're just plain crazy for it and I really cannot blame them. There's something about a browse in a Smiggle store that really makes you go all weak at the knees isn't there?

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Sparkup the Magical Book Reader Review and Giveaway...

 

All grown-ups know how hard it is to stay on top of everything.

 

Spending quality time educating your child can be a difficult thing to fit into your schedule, especially when there's several of them. (Be they kids or schedules!)

 

It can be so hard to find the time to cater to your kids' individual levels and needs, yet spending special time together in a one-on-one capacity is a necessary and wonderful thing. While we all strive to 'be there' for our kids as parents, (with varying degrees of success), it's managing to find this quality time amidst the chaos and responsibilities of adult-life, that is the undisputed difficult part.

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ASG's Little Learner Pack Review...

 

Another school year has freshly kicked off, much to the relief of Mums, Dads and carers everywhere.

This year, we've three kids in primary school, two in high school and one little one at home. It's an exciting time and it is an expensive one. High school - even public, can be a real eye-opener when it comes to costs. On this first week of school, I'd like to say that the expense is behind us for now, but I know that the requests for camp payments and excursions as well as additional books and so on, are only just beginning with the commencement of term one.

It will be a long road ahead...

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#SLHFeaturedThursdays: Mater Mothers' Maternity Hospital Celebrates 10,000 Births and a Special Delivery Giveaway...

Were you aware that Mater Mothers' Hospital in Brisbane has just passed a fantastic milestone in December 2014?

Just a short while ago, on December 19, 2014, the Mater Mothers' Hospital welcomed baby number 10,000 into the arms of his proud parents. Baby Coates arrived safely and his birth was warmly celebrated by more than just his parents and family...

Well done Mater Hospital on reaching such a feat! 10,000 of anything is significant - 10,000 babies is nothing short of miraculous!

Other interesting statistics from this respected Mothers' Hospital include 46 babies being born on the day of Thursday the 20th of March 2014 and September 2014 was the busiest month for births with 900 babies entering the world. There were also a staggering 447 multiple births, made up of twins and triplets.

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No Bake Lemon Slice Recipe...

 

 

I am so chuffed that my little man still wants to cook with me in the kitchen!

 

As soon as Master Six hears the familiar clang and bang of pans and cupboards, he's there by my side, all big-eyed, eager and excited. It's so lovely to see; possibly more so because he's a boy. Little boys are all big and macho until something like a simple cooking task comes along; then they melt and go all...

 

syrupy.

 

I'm loving the sweetness too. My little grade one kid is still enthusiastic about just about everything and I am clinging to all that stickiness for as long as it lasts!

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