Our Royal Wedding Tea Party.

I was the same age Eva is now when Charles and Diana got married. I'd love it if  the girls and I could be in London for the Royal Wedding. I'm not a royalist by any means, after all, the funeral of Princess Diana created a national day of mourning out of my graduation day. I do like a good excuse for a party though.


I know, I know a Royal Wedding Party...really? Well we're not having a street party to celebrate. After all, the last memorable thing that happened in our neighborhood was the time I reversed into the neighbors fence. Still, the girls were born here and I want them to acknowledge the enormity of the day. Whatever camp you fall in, you have to admit it's a what-were-you-doing-on-the-day kind of event.

So instead of throwing in the towel and calling it a normal Friday, I've decided to hold a Royal Wedding Tea Party. Girls in princess dresses and plastic tiaras, Mums with cups of tea or champagne. I've splashed out on Union Jack bunting and good old English cake and biscuits. Whether you’re crazy about royalty or just sort of looking for an excuse for a tea party, make your April 29 a day to remember.

Adventure Book.

Easter holidays, it's a chance to spend quality time with my girls and then it's over before we 

know it. At the end of last term Eva was told that her half term project was to keep an Adventure Journal or Book just like Ellie's Adventure Book in the Pixar movie Up. What an absolutely fun project. So Eva, Bianca and I watched the movie Up.  

What a lovely movie! More than just a cartoon, but a lesson to be learned. Is our greatest adventure the here and now, not what you have experienced, or hope to discover, but what is happening in front of us! The time we spend with the people we love. Yes, I did cry and I did love the movie!

Now that my five year old daughter is getting to be quite the artist, I have assembled these small love tokens for her creative spirit. They can be downloaded from the Disney Family Entertainment website.
So......make some art to share with your family, send these adorable downloads to someone who needs an adventure, or do some crafting with your children. The "My Adventure Book" has places to adhere book badges for deeds well done, things to be accomplished, or a little about the person completing this cute little book!

Starting School: Class of 2011

Starting school brings about big changes for the family. Whether you're excited, nervous or a bit of both, I think that it makes a huge difference to those first few days if your child knows at least one or two other children in his or her class. If there are children who were at nursery together then that's wonderful. But if you've moved to a new area or gone to a different school, you may not know any other children who will also be in your child's class.

The aim is to find other children and mums who will meet up for a coffee, play date or trip to the park before school starts. If you know any mums at all with children at your new school, even if they are in older classes, use them for local information. They are very likely to know someone whose younger child is starting in reception. If you can find someone, ask if they'd be so kind as to meet up for an hour or so over the next few weeks before school starts.

Well, today we did just that. We arranged a play date for all the children starting school in September 2011 with Bianca. So all the little people at the play date today by now know their starting BIG school in September. But do they actually understand what happens at BIG School. At lease if anything after this play date we know that on that big day they will recognise a few friendly familiar faces in thier class.

Thank you to everyone who came today!

A Day At The Beach.

A day at the beach means more than just sandcastles and ice creams for us it's the perfect start to the Easter holidays.

Cooler packed with homemade goodies. It's time for an all-day beach adventure. It drives Paulo crazy but I will insist that we find a secluded section of the beach, somewhere hidden from the world, out-of-the-way and isolated even if it means we walk for miles.

Scouted out a perfect location and put up our cover. Out with the beach shovels and pails for building sand castles and collecting shells (Only the white ones of course)

What our children will remember, and what will strengthen them, are the moments of closeness, honesty and peaceful times that we spend in amid the scramble of life. The parts that we fence off and make special, where we establish powerful memories created by heart-full, love smothered childhood experiences.

P is for Party!

In LOVE with this super cute birthday cake for an equally cute and stylish little girl! I love the colours, (doesn’t it look TASTY?). That is absolutely the cutest birthday cake, that Nat created for Amelie’s birthday party! Too cute well done Nat!

Keep Away From Bitchy Mums Those Who Try To Belittle Your Ambitions

Yesterday I had an amazing morning I had coffee with one of the mummys from Eva's school.
The gathering itself was simple: the two of us, a simple cup of coffee, a couple of biscotti, and nothing else. Except that we lost ourselves in conversation so deeply that before we knew it, 3 hours had passed. I was shocked at how quickly the time had passed.
The secret is also simple: when you talk with people who are passionate about what they’re doing, passionate about life and the people they love, it is transformative.

Passionate people not only inspire you, they give you ideas. They read books by other people who are passionate and full of ideas, and they recommend the books to you or pass the ideas on to you. This mum, for example, is constantly meeting other passionate people, and that inspires her … and in turn that inspires me. It’s fuel for an intense fire.

While I try to lead a life of minimalism, I’ve learned that minimalism can be done anywhere you go … and it doesn’t require that you move to a farm or give up your contact with people. Just the opposite: minimalism is about giving up consumption in favor of doing things you’re passionate about and having real relationships with a few people you really value. I’d much rather have a conversation with someone doing something amazing than stand around with mums bitching about everything and anything. The most amazing advise someone gave me was a quote from Mark Twain “Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.”Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.

You don’t have to live in a big city to surround yourself with passionate people. They’re in small towns, but it might take a bit of looking to find them. Find small businesses who are doing amazing things. Look for artists and writers, for people who are obsessed with doing something really well.
If you can’t find them where you live, find them online. Read books by people full of powerful ideas who are doing innovative things. Read their blogs, talk to them via email and Twitter. Start collaborating with people like that.
Be one of them, and inspire others.