I spy with my little eye....

I'm not sure why this picture keeps popping up sideways as it's orientation is the right way up in my files. Praps Blogger is having a picture tanty! Anyway, we are in high party prep at the moment. Can you spy face masks ready for colouring in? Party hats waiting to be folded? Homemade Jemima, Humpty and Big Ted cupcake toppers?

Then of course, what wouldn't you do for this sweet girl singing her own birthday songs?

Mangoes!

I collected these babies from Kinder this afternoon. The smell alone is enough to make me go weak at the knees! And since Darren is away all week and the kids dont eat them I get them all to myself. Can you overdose on mango? I think not but will let you know. I've just blended 3 of them up and mixed them through a tub of melting vanilla icecream. After a wee taste test it barely made it back into the freezer! Apart from devouring the rest as is, anyone got some easy mango recipes for me?

Scary Santa

Every year I attempt to dress my children nicely and choof off to a shopping centre for the obligatory Santa Meet and Greet Photo. I dont know why I still insist on it as they all kinda freak out about it and in reality he is quite scary up close and personal. One year I convinced Darren to dress up as Santa to see if we could get any joy. What do you think? Who looks the most unimpressed here?

The only time I have ever had any success is when they where all wee babies and didn't know what was going on. But, since I like to use the shot as our Christmas card cover I have spent the last week convincing them of the joy they should be getting out of sitting on a strange mans knee and telling him about all their Christmas wishes! Its has not been going well! Then I spied these awesome printables and decided I might cut the kids some slack this year and use these instead. How cute are they???!!!

Point and Shoot: Pip's Christmas Baubles

Sunday night, 10pm, created whilst watching Offspring (oh, Dr Chris, yum!) and downloading Margaret Fulton's Christmas app! Perhaps I should have been concentrating some more, yes? They dont quite look like Pip's gorgeous one's. I think praps I should use bigger balls next time, you know, just to spread the crochety bits out a bit and make them look prettier. What's your verdict?

Join in with Point & Shoot over here.

To market, to market...

I totally rocked this market this morning! I ran out of money, the ATM ran out of money! I cant even show you pictures as most of what I bought are headed under the Christmas tree. I was lucky enough to go ON MY OWN! That's right - no kids! I even packed a smaller handbag to take - you know, one that isn't so laden with small people paraphanalia that when hanging from your shoulder it presses your bra strap so hard into your skin you're left with bruises!

I met some lovely ladies who's blogs I happen to stalk on a fairly regular basis too (Allison from Lark and Morgan at Morgan Wills) & and managed to get supremely jealous of everyones clever craftiness. I strongly suggest you go next time. Just make sure you are cashed up!

This Saturday I'm grateful for... poles and puppies.

I'm about to spend the coming week as a single parent as my husband is going away for work for several days. I am desperately trying not to stress out about not getting any kind of break for the next five days so spent today marvelling in the joys of little people. So this Saturday, I'm grateful for:

• the joy that this little boy discovered in being finally able to go down the firemans pole at the playground without any help! Remember that feeling? It was quite the drug for him as he did it over and over again.

• puppies at pet shop windows! I know some people dont think very nice things about these dear little things spending all this time in wee glass boxes with insane people staring at them and tapping on the window every time they are trying to sleep, but for us, in our pet free home, they are the highlight of our shopping centre trips. And since Matilda had quite the meltdown in our summer shoe buying session today, we all needed a little cheering up!
  

Feeling grateful about anything in particular? Join in with Maxabella over this way.

Kids Craft - Advent Calender

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We are soooo totally going to make these origami advent cups this year! These are from a marvellous site called Kids Craft Weekly. This weeks email was all about advent calenders and these beat the daggy cardboard, tasteless chocolate numbers we normally buy from Coles! I think you should sign yourself up if you've got small people! Go on, off you go and do it.