Inspiring me to do the “keep calm and carry on thing”

There are quite a few mum’s in business who follow this blog and facebook page so every now and then when something inspires me relating to balancing motherhood/work I love to share it although what I am sharing today relates to anyone…mother or not, in business or not and would even to relate when you’re in the throws of party planning, especially if you’re this type of person:

Today during a rare child-free few hours I forced myself to take some time out to relax, pray and read!

Something I read struck right to my heart in the area of rushing around busily trying to get all my business work done. Since my kids are still little and home with me all week, the times when they sleep or nap I go full steam ahead working on e-mails, blog entries, articles etc.

I am really working on how to get the balance a bit better to ensure I don’t work all the time and burn out which is common in small businesses and probably more common in mum’s running businesses.

These words rung so true to me…I hope they inspire some others as well….

 

It starts off talking about the work under our care:

“If possible do not be worried, that is – do not exert yourself over them with uneasiness, anxiety and forwardness. Don’t be worried about them, for worry disturbs reason and good judgement and prevents us from doing well the very things we are worried about.

Rivers that flow gently through the plains carry along large boats and rich merchandise. Rains that fall gently on open fields make them fruitful in grass and grain.

Torrents and rivers that spread over the land in great floods ruin the bordering country and are useless for commerce, just as in like manner, heavy tempestuous rain ruins the fields and meadows.

A job done too eagerly and hurriedly is never well done.

We perfect actions quickly enough when we do them well.

Drones make more noise and work more eagerly than bees, but they make only wax and honey. So also men who hurry about with tormenting anxiety and eager solicitude never accomplish much nor do they do it well.

Undertake all your affairs with a calm mind and try to despatch them in order one after the other.

If you make an effort to do them all at once or without order, your spirits will be so overcharged and depressed that they will likely sink under the burden without effecting anything”

Did these words ring true for you?

I hope it inspires you today as it did for me!

Review – Picnik Blender wooden kitchen toy from Limetree Kids

 

You all know how much I love birthday celebrations for my children. Well I also love shopping for their birthday gifts. When it comes to toy gifts I specifically look for what will hold their attention and last for a number of years.

I have 2 daughters: a 2.5yr old and a 1yr old and they love playing with their wooden kitchen and wooden kitchen toys. So I was excited to be sent a Picnik Blender from Limetree kids to review as a birthday gift idea.

If you’re looking for kitchen toys for kids which will last and encourage imaginative play then make sure you view the full range at Limetree Kids. I love their whole store as it is filled with unique items including other wooden toys, BPA-free toys, as well as decor and storage items.

Now here is a product image of the lovely Picnik Blender. As you can see it comes with the blender itself, removable bowl, apple pieces, dough, rolling pin, egg (which opens) and milk and sugar carton.

 

 

Now here is a photo taken by me and as you can see – it is exactly how it looks in the product picture (minus the blue milk carton….thanks to my 1year old who has been eating it – see image further down this post!)

 

It is by the Janod brand, made in France and very sturdy and good quality. As you can see it is unisex in colour which will suit all the little mister chefs!

Rebekah has been enjoying playing with the Picnik blender this week. It inspired her imagination as there are a few different activities she could work on. She had fun twisting the knob to make the blender mix around, adding the apples, rolling the dough, adding sugar and milk and cracking the egg etc.

Here are a few shots I snapped during the week:

 

My 1 year old Naomi seemed fascinated with the apple pieces and egg pieces. This toy doesn’t come with any small pieces so it’s perfect for her to play alongside her sister.

However my only issue (which is only an issue for younger kids like mine) is the sugar and milk carton being cardboard as this is what tends to happen to cardboard toys in my house:

 

However this toy is recommended for ages 3-8 so you shouldn’t have a problem if purchasing this for an older child. I do recommend it for this 3-8yrs age bracket as Rebekah sometimes found it a little difficult to lift up the arm of the blender herself and she is 2.5yrs old and I’m sure once she is a little older it will be fine for her. She did find it easy however to operate the blender (ie twisting the knob to make the blender arms spin around).

The Picnik Blender worked in well with my kids other wooden kitchen toys – here is Rebekah putting her Picnik Blender bowl into the “oven” of her wooden toy kitchen for it to cook:

 

Overall I was very happy with the Picnik Blender from Limetree Kids and how it encouraged Rebekah’s creative play and she was using her imagination to make different meals.

She was particularly excited to use it after we finished making some blueberry muffins this morning.  So if you are someone who enjoys baking then your children will love it even more.

It is $59.95 and I would definitely recommend it as a birthday gift for your child. It is a toy that will last and I can imagine both of my girls enjoying it for a number of years.

 

Gift ideas for others

Now I thought I’d take the opportunity to share with you some other gift ideas from Limetree Kids – just because I honestly love their range of unique toys and I think with all the toys which come flooding into a house when a birthday party is held,  parents really appreciate when gifts are somewhat different and are quality items that will last.

All of these gift ideas are under $30 which hopefully fits into most peoples budgets when buying gifts for birthday parties. Click on the image to be taken directly to the product on the Limetree Kids website.

 

For the little ones, I thought this toy rabbit was too sweet!:

 

Stackable blocks is always a fantastic toy for young toddlers or bubs and I love this unique take on this classic toy:

 

 

Limetree kids really has an amazing selection of wooden play food and kitchen toys. Here is one of the items – a fun wooden birthday cake for the birthday child!

 

Here are some more fun ideas for older toddlers and older children:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is too adorable! We have the bigger size teepee (amazing quality) and I can imagine my daughters enjoying putting their dolls into this doll’s size teepee! What a unique gift idea:

 

 

I love the idea of giving decor or storage as gifts! Perhaps it is because my children are so young they don’t mind what they receive (perhaps an older child wouldn’t be so thrilled!). However with all the items which seem to accumulate when you have kids, some lovely storage ideas such as these are perfect:

 

Love these turntables for holding small toys, craft and I’ve seen them used on party tables as well:

 

We love using little tin suitcases at our house to help contain little figurines, block pieces, wooden play food etc:

 

Some nice room decor is a lovely gift to give. It is meaningful and memorable – I love this one:

 

More gift ideas for your own children:

I thought I would also share some other of my favourite items from Limetree Kids  which are a bit more expensive and would suit as birthday presents for your own children (or perhaps nieces/nephews) where your budget extends a bit more:

Love these box-sets for easy play when travelling or something quick to pack up and take when going to visit Grandparents etc. We have the ‘Fairy’ box-set. There are a few different themes available:

 

Perfect for a child who loves construction and fire trucks:

 

 

This is the wooden toy kitchen we have and the girls really enjoy it. I love that it isn’t too bulky! It also comes in gender neutral colours as well.

 

Rebekah received this for her 1st Christmas and it is great quality. She still enjoys it and it provides a lot of musical variety:

 

Naomi received one of these wooden rocking horses (in white) for her 1st birthday and the quality is fantastic! It doesn’t take up too much room and she is enjoying it:

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the selection of gift ideas from Limetree Kids and found something unique for the next gift you need to buy.

*I was not paid for this review. I was sent the Picnik Blender to keep. All opinions expressed are my own*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Permission to be a mother

I see it all too often (and have done it myself!)

Business mum’s on facebook apologising for taking longer to reply to e-mails because they are busy with their kids. Apologising for taking longer to complete an order due to their children being sick. Apologising for taking a “break” from their business or blogging etc to have some family time.

I’ve recently been thinking a lot about this as I work on sorting out the balance between business & mothering and thought – It is time we stop apologising and give ourselves permission to be mothers.

In the end – our family and our kids come first. I think most of our fans on facebook and customers understand that because they are mum’s themselves. We all want more time with our children.

Sometimes as a small business owner you can feel that if you don’t post a facebook status update…or don’t write a blog post…or don’t showcase a new product photo etc…that you will start losing business or people will ‘unlike’ our facebook page. So we stay on the never ending merry-go-round that never seems to stop.

However everyday in my newsfeed I see many (too many to keep up with!) inspiring posts and products and status updates. It doesn’t bother me if some of my favourite pages/businesses don’t post anything!

Life goes on with and without our blog posts and facebook photos and e-mail replies.

Don’t get me wrong. I do think customer service is so important to good business practice and if there is a reason why you will be having delays in e-mail replies then by all means it makes sense to say so. Or perhaps if you are a store that offers next day shipping etc then again I understand why immediate response is expected.

However I’m talking about the expectations of small business mum’s replying to all e-mails within a 24hour period (or less!).

Sometimes as much as you want to…and as much as you plan to….your little people just take EVERYTHING out of you. At the end of the day you sometimes don’t have the time….nor energy…nor motivation to then go and sit at the computer and reply e-mails.

This is ok. Motherhood comes first. Our sanity and health comes first.

I’m not sure if this is the best “business” advice….but I love this quote from Loralee Lewis:

“No other success can compensate for failure in the home”

I am telling myself this as much as I am sharing these thoughts with you.

There will always be clients, and facebook fans. However I only have this time now with my children at this age to be there with them.

 

And although everyone on facebook or e-mail may not notice me being absent….my children WILL notice my absence.

So women – let’s give ourselves permission to be mothers!

Do you struggle with the balance between motherhood & business/working?

How do you manage your competing priorities?

 

 

‘Kid Magazine’ article – choosing your party suppliers

 

With 200,000 monthly views, I was excited to be able to contribute an article to the latest issue of Kid Magazine. See page 30 for my article focusing on what to consider when choosing suppliers for your next child’s birthday or other celebration.

View it here:

 

My article explains some of the things to consider when choosing suppliers in various categories when planning a party. Cost isn’t the only factor of course – my article explains more & I hope you enjoy it.

 

The article also highlights some things which are important to keep in mind as a business provider (eg: customer service, having customer photos and testimonials on your page etc)

To view the best selection of party suppliers in Australia, visit the children’s party directory!

Remembering to stop…and just enjoy the party!

It seems the busy time leading up to one of my children’s birthday parties always gets me in a reflective mood! I wrote a post back in 2011 in the lead up to my other daughters’ first birthday party  reminding myself on what the essence of her birthday party was all about!

I am finally feeling organised for Naomi’s 1st birthday party…. decorations are ready, treats have been collected, favours are packaged up and I feel on top of things.

Of course there is the minor detail (hurricane….tornado) of the actual set up and hosting of the party, ensuring guests are fed and enjoying themselves and my little girl is happy!

However this morning amidst me thinking of all the things I need to do the morning of the party (we aren’t having it at home – so whole setup at another venue) I decided to now….just enjoy it.

With the effort and time which goes into putting together a birthday party – it all goes to waste if I don’t enjoy the occasion and actually joyfully celebrate my child. It can be too easy to actually forget to do this !

So I am going to enjoy chatting to the guests, enjoy eating the treats,  enjoy watching the kids be entertained and enjoy seeing my daughter’s face light up when everyone sings her happy birthday and even try and enjoy the hurried setup in the morning.

Since the party is at another venue (with limited time) I actually decided to have our photographer come and do an early birthday photoshoot of my little girl to make sure we get some nice photos of her when she is calm and not too tired or overwhelmed at her party. It also takes a bit of the stress out from the actual day of the party without trying to squeeze in some special pictures of just her:

I know on the day of her party I will still need to run around and will still collapse in a heap at the end of the day…BUT I am going to enjoy myself while doing it and remember to celebrate this first year of my daughter’s life at her party.