I got out all of my Easter decorations out over the weekend and it just made me happy, a happy time spent reflecting on family and friends and what is most important. This time of year is more important than ever for me as I continue to grow and create this new life inside me.

I will be sharing some little bits and pieces we did last year and also some new things we will be doing this year to keep this time fun and interesting. Those who read this blog know I love baking and sharing and so any excuse will do : ) There are so many great little gifts bags around I have already seen then at my local Woolworths and Big W stores.  Last year I just made some simple bag toppers (if you fold over the bag a few times first you will keep the contents fresher) from scrap paper, stapled them at the top and then adhered a little card to the front. To make the cards last year I just made an easter egg shaped potato stamper laid out some pastel paints and then let Flynn loose. I then decorated them simply with a coloured pen and a little bit of ribbon.  We loved making these last year and they were really easy and so we will likely so something similar again this year

So we are just over 2 months into this amazing project and it is so awesome to have a few weeks completed to look back on now. Firstly I have to start by saying Project Life I LOVE YOU. You have changed the way I look at my life. Realizing that Life really is all those small things that make up this wonderful daily life we lead has been almost like an awakening for me. I am so longer looking for something else, waiting for something special to happen, waiting for that holiday, time off work, a child’s birthday, none of it compares to the wonder that is my everyday life. Realizing that making that breakfast even though I feel like I have done it 5 thousand million times before does make life what it is- imagine how you would feel if you didn’t have those little mouths to feed.

I read something the other day which also changed my life and I want to share it with you all. This family write a blog which you can find here, below is just part of what the mother wrote in a recent post. All I can say is WOW. After reading this part of her post I literally got up from the computer and went and snuggled my little boy having a nap on his little toddler bed. I relished in that moment and took that time out of my busy day instead of just telling him to get back into bed (for the 5 millionth time) and I loved it. Every day I will try to remember this family every time I am feeling tired and worn out and looking forward to nap time I will snap myself out of it by reminding myself how blessed I am to have a happy and most importantly healthy child.

This little girl is dying, this family is loosing an important part of their life and while I sat there reading her words I also felt eternally regretful for all those moments I wished for peace and quiet and a sleeping child and a clean floor.  With tears streaming down my face I was reminded of what is really important in this life, project life helps me to understand and recognize and cherish this- I hope you will get that same feeling.

Towards the end of a pregnancy, a mother will wake up to go to the bathroom every few hours. I think this is the body’s way of preparing you for a newborn and the sleepless nights that come along with it. Layla now spends most of her days sleeping. 30-45 minutes after she wakes up, she is ready to lay down and sleep again. Is this God’s way of preparing me for all the quiet time that is coming soon? The house is quiet. I am able to go through the motions of laundry, dishes, cooking and picking up without interruptions. But I WANT interruptions. I WANT Layla to be under my feet asking for cookies. I WANT to hear her playing with her toys. I WANT to take 45 minutes to unload the dishwasher because she keeps trying to help. For every time I uttered the words “I just can’t get anything done with these kids under my feet all day” I am eternally regretful.

The days that I looked forward to naptime so I could get a grocery list made, or finally fold all the piles of laundry…I regret those days too. If I could do it all again, I’d enjoy EVERY SINGLE WAKING MOMENT I had with her. I would never wish for her to sit still or take a nap or go to bed early. I would never look forward to the days when she could sit through an entire episode of Dora silently. I would treasure every second with her.

On the note of cherishing every small moment here are my completed layouts for the last few weeks to share-

Finished  layout – I decided to start using the days of the week stickers this week and so I went through and added them all on top of each photo on my album to date. I am really pleased with how they look, my mum looked through the album last week and she commented that she really liked it and that she thought it was a lot easier to read.

Left hand side close up -

Right hand side close up -

Finished Layout-

Left hand side close up-

Right hand side close up-

Finished Layout-

Left hand side close up-

Right hand side close up- This was the calendar layout I spoke about in my last Project Life layouts post. I just filled in the calendar with extra stuff we did throughout the month then I trimmed the page down and adhered.

Completed Layout-

Left hand close up- I printed this enlargement in an 8×10 size as I wanted to keep it to literally the photo on the page. Next time I think I might print a 10×12 to fill most of the page. I really didn’t want to start to get too elaborate with this extra layout as this is my journal in front of the TV project and I want it to say that way- and I already do enough detailed and embellished layouts in my normal albums.

Right hand close up-

A close up of one of the sides of the larger journaling cards. I have the same on the other side of the card- another smaller photo and some more journaling .  I love the way these turned out and I am planning on doing this whenever I have a lot of photos or a lot to say !!

Finished layout- I got distracted when photographing this last one and realized as I was editing and uploading them all late last night that I have no double pages shot of this one so sorry you will just have to imagine what it looks like : )

Right hand side close up-

This is one of the 6×4 photo overlays that came in the 365 kit. I didn’t use a lot of the extra’s last year as I just literally wanted to see if I could get the book done. Now that Project Life has been launched there is a lot more chatter and ideas and blogs and layouts on websites for me to be able to get ideas from. I have about 12 of these and so I plan on dotting them throughout the album/year.

Project Life sigh… I love you : ) Pop over to the Mom Creative website to have a look at heaps of other blogs.

From my post on albums the other day some of you were interested in seeing more of the art album. So just to explain the concept again I am using an 8.5 x 11 WR Memory Keepers Album in Kiwi green. I went and found a very similar cardstock  colour match in Spotlight and cut it all down to fit into the page protectors. What I do is when Flynn brings something home from School (daycare),  Gymbaroo,  the library or does a craft with my mum or myself it goes on the fridge until we are ready to put a new masterpiece up. Once it comes off the fridge I then make the decision then if I am going to keep it or not. If I am going to keep it I simply slip it into the album.

Once I have about 8 pages worth of art in the album I sit down and type out a little title about where Flynn did the art and the approximate month it was completed. I then print these out on a piece  of white cardstock and cut them all down to size. I trim all of the artwork down and then adhere the artwork with the title attached at the top. I have a few sheets of a jungle range of stickers I am using for this album which I just dot throughout to add interest in the album. It is quick and easy and I just keep on top of this every few months when I think of it.

I am anticipating that this album will probably last a few years, I will hopefully end up with about 2-3 of these for all of Flynn’s Artwork from his school years : )

Cover Page-

Inside finished page -

Another inside finished page-

A close up of one of the titles-

This is what the pages look like when I have just slipped in the art-

Another example of an unfinished page-

Flynn has always been a fairly good eater. I have always tried to provide him with a wide variety of home cooked snacks and meals. That’s not to say we have not had a fair share of trying toddler moments which came on and off from about 20 months until 2 1/2, throwing food on the floor, refusing to eat anything etc etc I am sure you all know what I am talking about!! Over the last few years I have had a few successes that I thought I would share here that might help some of you who have those fussy eaters.

* Variety plates and starting how you want to finish. I love making variety plates for breakfast, lunch, snacks and even sometimes dinner. They are quick and easier and provide a great selection for the kids to have their favourites but also something new. For example of this plate you have 3 different types of fruit, some cheese, a yogurt and some apple crackers with a capsicum and basil dip topped with ham. The new thing on this plate for Flynn was the dip spread which he actually really liked. I have found a lot more success with a new food if it is served with a few favourites.

What I mean by starting how you want to finish is I think you need to provide a variety from the start if you only ever serve Vegemite/honey/jam on white bread you can expect your kids are inevitably going to snub their noses at your wholemeal bread, crackers, wraps, frittas etc you try and serve them come school or kindy. Sometimes you need to step outside your own comfort zone as well and give them something you yourself might not like- for example I am not a huge fan of Tuna but Flynn loves it and will have it in a meal or just on it’s own spread on a cracker.

*Bake at home. There are so many reasons I think baking at home is better but just to list a few, healthier, cheaper, tastes better and  can involve your children. If you are a regular reader here you would know I love to bake. As I am a busy working mum these are usually quick muffins, cookies, slices etc that I do  as dinner is cooking. I find by having a few healthier options out on the bench when you want to reach for a snack you can go to the end of the island and find fruit and also a few other baked choices. At the moment we have Banana and pear muffins and chocolate chip cookies.

*Provide choices. I have found that if I provide Flynn with various fruit/vegetable type choices he is less likely to ask for a cookie !! He can pick from what is in front of him and he loves being able to make that choice. Having Flynn “help” up at the counter on his stool has also been one of the best things we ever did in our home, he is able to feel involved in the meal and make some of his own choices, he also loves that feeling of helping out. If you have multiple children you could rotate this through on a roster system so they all get a turn and turn it into a reward to be able to help in the kitchen.

I have spoken about the cutting up of fruits and vegetables before but just to touch on it again to be able to make a quick lunch, dinner or snack with a choice of fruit would be a nightmare if you had to chop it all up every time, but having it all done for the weekend/school week etc will help save you time when you are too busy.

* Set a good example. Although this is not always doable or practical I do try whenever possible to sit down and eat my meal with Flynn. This encourages him to stay focused on the meal and not to muck around too much or get distracted.

I also try to set a good example with what I sit down with- I had a light bulb moment about 12 months ago when I sat down to eat lunch with Flynn and looked down and my boring crackers over to Flynn’s fully balanced smorgasbord lunch of crackers but with a side of fruit and yogurt etc and it dawned on me that I should me making a similar type plate for myself. So since then I have endeavoured to do that nice variety plate for myself also, this also helped me to loose weight (pre pregnancy) as it reduced the amount of snacking I was doing through the day.

My lunch over the weekend- a small pasta salad, fig crackers with cucumber and turkey and some carrot sticks : )

I hope this post has given some of you with those uber fuss pot children some good ideas to try : )

Finally after 6 months I am so excited that we have chosen a name for this new little boy : ) And yes I am going to be ever so mean and keep it a surprise until May. Everyday as we prepare out home for our newest addition makes it feel more and more real, clothes are being pulled out, nappies bought and rooms painted. I cannot wait to share Flynn’s new big boy room with you soon and also the changes we are making in the nursery, photos to come soon : )

So here we go on another post on FAQ’s if you have any more you want to add just pop them in the comments  as these were back from my January post.

Jade, your level of attention to detail is amazing. I dont know you fit it all in…!!!One thing Id love to know is how you organise all the bits n pcs in your laundry! How do you store everything – bottles / sprays etc etc…Keep up the great work – I always feel super lazy when I read your blog, but also inspired

Firstly thanks so much for your comment/question : ) Just so you know I feel super lazy when reading other blogs too, so you are not alone there !! I am happy you also feel inspired as well though. Ok so onto the laundry I have been doing a fair bit of rearranging in here myself and although it is not quite finished I will post what I have done so far- but also the extra stuff I plan to do.

So I will firstly show you the overall layout in our laundry to give you some orientation. I have placed out the change mat in these photos just so you can see the bath/change station we will be using when the new baby comes, this is usually stored next to the washing machine.  I am going to put a long wall shelf along the right hand side of this room  to be able to clear off some things from the bench and also add some extra colour into the room.

This is a closer  view from the other door –

I have set up this little lotion/flannel tub on the bench for easy access during bath time.

This is the overhead cupboard that is right above the laundry sink, I use this for cleaning products (although we try not to use too many sprays etc) and laundry powder and fabric softener etc .

This is one of the cupboards to the left which I use for all of our pet bits and pieces. I can store their food, biscuits, treats, lead etc. I still need to label a few of the containers in this cupboard, which I am hoping to get around to over the weekend.  I have also decided to do a colour change on the seals in here and get white for the laundry.

Under the laundry sink I have the larger containers and I usually have a bulk laundry powder and fabric softener.

On the right I have out family First Aid kits. The two bottom ones are Tupperware and I have one for our family stuff and one for children’s medicine.

I hope this gives you a few ideas that you might be able to use in your laundry. You could use a similar system with wall shelves if you don’t have cupboards.

How do you find the time to blog every day and what if you don’t have anything to say?

I get asked this one a lot, the simple answer is I don’t !! When I have time and inspiration and something to say I sit down and often post after post after post will just pour on out. I schedule these for all throughout the week so that when I am busy I have something ready to go. Then there are days I think of something I want to say on that day I just write the post and move that days post onto another day. I try to have about 6 posts written for the start of each week as I simply don’t have the  time every day.

Some posts depending on the length and how many photos etc can take over an hour to write so it makes sense to do them when I have the time and do a few at once. So yes even my blogging is organised : )

The older Flynn gets the more and more he comes out with the funniest things, which I immediately think I must write down so I don’t forget them. Then the idea came to me that I should decorate a little blank notebook to be able to have our in the family room so that I can capture those funny memories and quotes as they happen. When I was at a crop night with some girlfriends the other night I put together this easy little cover page for my notebook and I was so excited at how well the sticker matched what I wanted to say : )

And on the inside pages I added little stickers and borders and will also add small photos throughout the years. This little blank journal has no lines which is perfect as it is really flexible. *And as a side note thanks so much to Donna who picked up I wrote 09 in my dates : ) I will have to go and fix this.

On another note I hope that some of you made time over the weekend to bake something nice for someone. It might just be for no reason,  just because you want to make them feel special, or they might have moved house over the weekend and need some energy like my girlfriend did ; )

When I got home from Albany on Thursday we had some fruit that had to be used ASAP and so I made these little muffins and thought I would share the recipe : )

Ingredients-

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

1/3 cup caster sugar

60g butter

1 mashed banana

1 pear cubed into very small pieces

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1. In a large bowl rub together flour, sugar and butter until resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Stir in mashed banana, pear, egg and milk to combine.

3. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin pans. Bake at 190 for 20 minutes.

I have found a few key things to remember when baking muffins, firstly do not over stir to mixture, it is only meant to be just combined and turn the muffin tray around in the oven part way through cooking to get a nice even finish : )

On another baking note, I have a challenge for you this week. When you are making dinner, dessert, cookies, muffins whatever try making a double batch and gifting them to a friend or family member. I haven’t done this in awhile but on Friday I made an extra dinner for a family going through a hard time. A small gesture but it hopefully helped them out and reminded them that we were thinking of them. I am going to try and do this once a month : )

I am not going to be participating in Project Life Tuesday today as I am working on some completed layouts for the last 2-3 weeks and want to share these next week : )

If you even get the chance to come to Western Australia I recommend you make the trip to Albany- it is a truly gorgeous town and we are looking forward to going back as a family of four in winter. So what should you do in Albany you might ask?

Walk down the Main Street and take in the beautiful buildings-

Have a yummy lunch at a stunning Cafe-

And you can shop at some beautiful shoe stores : )