All posts tagged Silly Season Survival

Endemic World // Ecoman // iDear Pasta la Vista Recipe Cards

So. You made it through all the preparations for Christmas and you survived the mayhem and mess that was the day itself. You dragged yourself through New Year’s Day after making it to midnight the night before – when you know only too well that your normal ‘late night’ is around 9:30pm. You have packed up almost the entire contents of your house and re-located to a smaller version for your Summer holiday. New Year’s resolutions – WHAT?  More pressure? No thanks.

Find a place in the shade and put your feet up while you page through the inspirational book Ecoman by the founder of ecostore – Malcolm Rands.  When the sun has gone down, find a spot inside and grab your laptop. Take some time to trawl through the Endemic World site and choose a stunning print to adorn your walls in the New Year.  Get your recipes under some kind of control and scrawl your favourites onto your quirky iDear recipe cards.  Fresh Start?  Tick.

(Please note that entries for this giveaway close at 5pm tonight).

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Egg Tux Tunic Shirt Dress // Clairol Sensitive Scalp Serum; Shampoo & Leave in Tonic // Harney & Sons Tagalong Canton Green Tea // Donovan’s Chocolate Fudge // Palmolive Ayurituel Shower Gel 

Dear Stress,

I’ve been thinking – we need to talk. You’ve often been there for me (albeit uninvited), during those times when I would have rather been without you.  You remember don’t you?  When I was planning the big trip overseas; renovating the old doer-upper; when the kids were sick or broke parts of their bodies or the job interview after being out of the work-force for a very long time – anyway –  I think we need to spend a LOT more time apart.  Starting now. Do take it personally, it’s you not me.

Yours sincerely,

Me, Myself, I.

P.S. You will be far from my thoughts as I enjoy a peaceful shower and indulge my hair and body with sumptuous Clairol and Palmolive products and slip into my crisp Egg Tux Tunic Shirt Dress.  You will be a distant memory as I sip my Harney’s Canton Green Tea and devour a pouch of Donovan’s Chocolate Fudge. Parting is not such sweet sorrow.

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eeBoo Textless Book  //  Mother Earth Pingos: Chocolate/ Raspberry & Yoghurt / Strawberry Smoothie  // Angel Shampoo // Angel Conditioner  // The Collective Sucky Yoghurt Pouches //  Nimue Rejuvenating Mask // Mother Earth Brekkie on the Go: Almond & Apricot/ Cranberry & Cashew/ Hazlenut & Chocolate // Johnson’s Baby mini travel pack   // Nat Face Moisturiser // Allen’s Jelly Beans

Something happens when you have kids.  Your bag changes. It’s contents and weight grow on an almost daily basis. You require the upper-body strength similar to that of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s to be able to cart the ever growing mass.

Your MotherBag is a bottomless pit of every item you might possibly require in a minor emergency and can second as a department store’s lucky-dip box by providing an unlimited amount of treats and treasures ranging from half-unwrapped lollipops to the most favourite dolls head EVER or the very crucial piece of missing lego. Time for a clean out.  Discard those used tissues and lint-covered mints and add some quality to the mix.

You’ll be the envy of all your fellow MotherBag luggers with some mini Angel Shampoo & Conditioner for last minute play-doh-in-hair emergencies; a stash of nyomy Sucky Yoghurt Pouches from The Collective for the after school pickup when afternoon-tea feels like it is a five-hour car drive away; an eeBoo textless book for those boring supermarket queues; a yummy selection of Mother Earth Brekkie on the Go for those mornings when there simply isn’t time to even pop a piece of bread in the toaster; a scrumptious selection of Mother Earth Pingos for when you are travelling to the beach and everyone is HUNGRY and you left the picnic at home; a mini travel pack of Johnson’s baby products for when changing that nappy in the playground’s toilets didn’t go quite according to plan; a mini Nat Face Moisturiser for your in-the-car beauty regime plus a Nimue Rejuvenating Mask and bag of Allen’s Jelly Beans for that five minutes when you lock yourself in the bathroom at your best friend’s house.

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Revenge (season 2) // Grown Ups 2 // Scandal (season 1) // After Earth //  Donovan’s Happiness Boxed Chocolates

Remember the days when you couldn’t wait for the week to finish so you could enjoy at least one big night out on the town with friends?  Now you’d be happy if were able to finish a sentence and big nights out involve getting in and out of bed to the to the myriad of demands from the tiny humans. These days you consider an hour on the couch at the end of the day as the ultimate luxury.  We understand.

Step 1: Clear toys, child clutter and crumbs off couch.

Step 2: Locate remotes for TV and Dvd player.

Step 3: Surround self with selection of Dvd’s; Scandal, Revenge, Grown Ups 2 and After Earth.

Step 4: Lay exhausted body apon aforementioned couch.

Step 5: Press ‘Play’ on Dvd remote

Step 6: Open box of Donovan’s Happiness Chocolates and indulge like true chocoholic.

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Nestle Kiwi Classics Cookbook // Endemic World ‘Around the World’ print // iDear ‘Just Beat It’ Recipe Cards // Squoodles Flipzle Puzzle //  Monster’s University Dvd // eeBoo Textless Story Book // Smurfs 2 Dvd // Cardboard House //  Wallallure Dragonfly Stickers

Sometimes the holiday you dreamed of isn’t exactly what you imagined in the cold, harsh light of reality.  Everyone’s tired, mosquito-bite riddled and becoming more than a little bit irritated as a result of changes in routine and spending so much time together. Then there’s the weather, day after day of rain. Summer toys discarded in the corner and dripping wet togs and towels hanging limply on the wash-line. Cabin fever. Ok, drag the washing in and put it on spin cycle AGAIN.

Haul out the new cardboard house for the kids to assemble. Decorate it with the removable dragonfly Wallallure stickers and set the Squoodles Flipzle 3D puzzle up inside for hours of fun. Add the eeBoo textless book to the mix and the little ones can entertain themselves by creating their own unique stories. Put your new Endemic World ’Around the World’ print up on the wall low enough for everyone to choose the family’s next dream Summer holiday location. You have the Smurfs 2 and Monster’s University Dvd’s close at hand for further emergency boredom rescue. Those who want, can head to the kitchen and whip up some delicious treats from the Nestle Kiwi Classics Cookbook. Remember to write your favourites down on your iDear recipe cards.  Outlook for tomorrow?  Otherwise fine.

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One Direction ‘This is Us’ // Despicable Me 2 // Grown Ups 2 // Once Upon a Time (season 2) // Monster’s University //  Revenge (season 2) // The Smurfs 2 // Super Buddies //  Twilight Saga Eclipse // Scandal (season 1) // After Earth // Wonka Caramel Hat Trick Chocolate Bar // Wonka Nutty Crunchilicious Chocolate Bar

It’s New Year’s Day and at a weak moment last night (after perhaps one too many grown-up drinks) you thought it was an awesome idea to let the kids stay up late. Wrong. Just another one of the many decisions as your life as a parent that you are now living to regret. Everyone is overtired and grumpy – including you. What to do to survive the day? Ok, firstly let the teenagers sleep (lucky them) they can watch One Direction ‘This Is Us’, Revenge, Scandal, Once Upon a Time (season 2) and the Twilight Saga Eclipse when they eventually make an appearance in the afternoon. Secondly, plonk the little ones in front of a fair DVD feast of Super Buddies, Smurfs 2, Monster’s University and Despicable Me 2. Get yourself a prime position on the couch and share out some delicious WONKA treats. Commence viewing – eyes open optional.  If you make it to the evening you might even get a chance to relax and enjoy After Earth and Grown Ups 2 - but hey – tomorrow is another day.

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Babu Hooded Robe // Anika Moa Songs for Bubbas CD // Viva la Vector Noah Print OR Viva la Vector Floral Fawn Print // Wallallure Digger Stickers // Earthwise Baby Products  // Nuzilla Blue Alphabet Poster

The ToddlerCouncil.Org sums it up nicely with the quote “Is someone you love saying goodnight? Create a hostage situation with your questions”.

Let’s face it bedtime can be brutal.  Kids turn up their last iota of energy to full throttle and it usually ends in tears – yours – not theirs.  Count the minutes, you are almost there.

Breathe in and push ‘play’ on Anika Moa’s Songs for Bubbas CD, run a warm bath filled with bubbles and loveliness from Earthwise Baby bath, wrap your little one up in their snuggly hooded Babu robe and wrestle them off to bed.  Tuck them in tight and sing the alphabet song while they point at the letters on their Nuzilla alphabet poster. Tolerate a little more stalling as they trace their fingers around the super cool Wallallure diggers stickers.  Finally let them drift off with sleepy eyes taking in the colours and shapes of their beautiful Viva la Vector Noah/Floral Fawn print.

Now run and hide.  Let those calls for ANOTHER drink of water fall on deaf ears.  Good luck.

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Mr Vintage ‘Ladies a Plate’ Tea Towel // Penguin ’Little and Friday Celebrations’ Cookbook // Love Cake Gluten-Free Gift Box includes: 1x Organic Chocolate cake mix, 1x Organic Chocolate Cookie mix, 1x Organic Vanilla Muffin mix, 1x pack of paper baking cups, 1x bag of gluten free icing sugar, 2x jars of Love cake baking pearls, 1x Wilton 12 piece cake decorating set // Mother Earth Golden Apple Chunks // iDear Recipe Cards ‘Whip it Good’ // Mother Earth Gourmet Apricots

When it comes to baking or cooking you might fall under one of two categories. 1. You love to bake, it is your calming ‘safe place’ and you can whip up the most mouth-watering treats at a moment’s notice – or – 2. You HAVE to take ‘home baking’ to the kids’ school gala and the supermarket is closed and the only reason you are even contemplating baking is because it is too late to nip out and buy a cake to disguise as your own.

Regardless or which category you best relate to, you will be taken in by the gorgeous images and recipes in the Penguin ’Little and Friday Celebrations’ cookbook. Store your best recipes on the delightful iDear ‘Whip it Good’ recipe cards and enjoy adding the delicious Mother Earth Golden Apple Chunks and Gourmet Apricots to your muffins, cakes or mouth.  Use your stunning array of gluten-free products from the Love Cake gift box to create a mass of treats and the when the last cake is cooling on the cake-rack dry off your mixing bowls with your quirky tea towel from Mr Vintage.

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EGG Essential Care Soothing Foot Gel // Nuzilla Pink Alphabet Poster // EGG Maternity Je t’aime mon bebe Tote Bag //  Harney & Sons HT Tagalong Tea Mother’s Bouquet // EGG Maternity Smock Maxi Dress // Johnson’s Baby Pack includes; Baby Powder, No More Tangles Spray, Baby Shampoo, Baby Wipes, Top-to-Toe Bath // EGG Essential Care Bath & Shower Gel

It’s hot and your body temperature is double that of the weather. You spend your time waddling around trying desperately to finish all the jobs that need to get done before Christmas with the hope of avoiding strangers who suddenly behave as if you are best friends – tummy touching included. You miss the sight of your feet and you no longer remember what it is like to sleep horizontally and without the need to go to the toilet every thirty minutes.  The end is near.  Enjoy a long shower or bath (while you still can) with your EGG shower & bath gel, massage some EGG soothing foot gel into your aching feet and slip into your beautiful yet extremely comfy EGG Smock Maxi Dress. Tuck your Johnson’s Baby goodies into the nursery (which is still doubling as an office) and find a place on the wall for the beautiful Nuzilla ABC Poster.

Right, feet up. Sip away on a cup of soothing Mother’s Bouquet Tea from Harney & Sons…napping allowed.

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Harney & Sons Fine Tea Hot Cinnamon Spice HT Tin // After Earth DVD // Scandal Season One DVD // Donovan’s Dark Chocolate Covered Ginger // Revenge Season 2 DVD // Black Knight Licorice

Sometimes it just doesn’t work, the kids scream, work sucks, there is mess everywhere, the kids hated dinner, there and no matter how hard you try you cannot find any clean clothes. Some days you cannot control the kids no matter how hard you have practiced mind control. Jason Good sums it up perfectly in his 45 Reasons My Three Year Old Might be freaking out – the top 5

1. Someone touched his knee
2. He’s not allowed in the Oven
3. His hair is heavy.
4. A balloon he got six months ago is missing
5. He jumped off the sofa and we weren’t watching.

You get the picture?

Sometimes when it has all gone to custard you’re best to give up and seek relief (after they’ve gone to bed) in tea and warm socks.  Get comfy on the couch with a cup of delicious Harney Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea; plonk a box of Black Knight Licorice on one side and a pouch of Donovan’s Chocolate Ginger on the other (these are adults only sweet treats). Then choose which DVD to get lost in this evening - Scandal, Revenge or After Earth.

Relax.

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iDear Recipe Cards //  Baby Steps Goat Milk Formula (6 months supply) // Mustela Sunblock // Lifestream Survival Pack; Aloe Vera Gel, Astazan Anti-oxidant Capsules, Digestive Enzyme Capsules, Spirulina Blue Capsules // ecostore Beeswax Lip Balm // OmNom Reusable Food Pouches (Five Little Monkeys) // Wallallure Dragonfly Sticker // Donovan’s Chocolate and Yoghurt Covered Cranberries

When you’re a mum sometimes you’re thinking changes.  You become a bit more mindful of what you put into your body, how you live your life and the world we are leaving behind for these gorgeous children we’ve created.  At Mums on Top we’re a huge fan of doing what you can, with what you have, where you are. It is a Theodore Roosevelt quote that nicely sums up our approach here at Mums on Top – we’re passionate about doing the best we can to raise our kids but we realise that isn’t always possible in a world of bills, doctor emergencies, city life, rural life and kids in general.

If you are interested in living mindfully then this might just be the perfect jumping off point.  Start making more meals from scratch and record your Recipes on these gorgeous iDear Rice Rice Baby Recipe Cards; address sensitive digestion with a 6 months supply of Baby Steps Goats’ Milk Formula, protect your little one with Mustela Hypoallergenic Sunblock and Towel , Survive Summer with the Lifestream Survival Pack (Aloe Vera Gel, Astazan Anti-oxidant Capsules, Digestive Enzymes Capsules, Spriulina Blue Capsules), keeps you lips in lips smacking good shape with ecostore beeswax lip balm, reduce your impact on the environment with a pack of 10 OmNom Renewable Food Pouches from Five Little Monkeys.  Reinforce your connection to the environment by decorating the walls of your child’s bedroom with Dragonfly Wallallure Stickers and the collapse on the couch to celebrate your day with a delicious pouch of Donovan’s Chocolate Covered Cranberries.

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One Direction – This is Us DVD // Once Upon a Time Second Season DVD // Eclipse Twilight Saga DVD // ORLY Mash Up collection // Clairol Professional Fix Spray // Neutrogena Deep Clean Foaming Cleanser //  I Love Strawberries & Milkshakes Lip Gloss // Nestle Wonka Triple Chocolate Whipple Block // Nestle Kit-Kat Block

Teenage Girls in summer – old enough to be hanging out on their own, old enough to look after littler kids, old enough to be looking incredibly beautiful in a bikini but not old enough to handle New Year’s unsupervised or understand the impact of looking so damned gorgeous.

This inevitably means you can end up with endless negotiation regarding the topics of where, how long for, who with and whether there will be any adults present. Every now and then you need a sweetener and Teenage Dream is the perfect negotiation tool. Ply them with Nestle Kit Kat and Wonka Bars, wave a 4 pack of Orly Nail Polish minis and I Love Strawberries and Milkshakes in front of their nose, appeal to their better nature with Neutrogena Face Wash, Clairol hairspray and mousse and then negotiate like a pro with One Direction – This is Us, Once Upon a Time and  Breaking Dawn – Eclipse DVDs as your trump cards.

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Harney & Sons Fine Teas HT Tin English Breakfast // Monsters University DVD // Clairol Shampoo // Clairol Sensitive Scalp Serum // Earthwise Laundry Concentrate //  Penguin The Life and Art of Lynley Dodd // Neutrogena Beach Defence Sunscreen //  One Direction – This Is Us DVD // The Collective Suckie Yoghurt Pouches // Aveeno Daily Moisturiser // Palmolive Ayurituel Body Wash

Christmas is done, the family has left and everyone is in a food coma on the couch watching re-runs of a bad Christmas movie. Scraps of Christmas Cracker jokes and broken plastic Christmas Cracker prizes are munched into the carpet and that spilled raspberry fizz has leached over the table in a stain that looks more like you’ve been involved in a massacre instead of Christmas Dinner.

You are just at the point where the dishwasher is full and that last plate is scraped and waiting in a pile.  Technically there is no more you can do and so you start to pick at the turkey remains and spoon the good custardy bits of the trifle straight into your mouth. From the lounge you hear the weather report for Boxing Day – rain, rain and more rain. Fine, you think – it will just be Day 1 at the Bach you scored off bookbach at the last minute – plenty more where that came from.

Then your blood runs cold – you’ve been so focussed on Christmas that you’ve completely forgotten to get any staples for the bach and now it is gong to rain so you’re going to have kids inside for a whole day!

Stay Calm and enter our Stock the Bach Survival Guide – in here you’ll find 3 DVDs (Monsters’ University, One Direction – This is Us and The Smurfs 2) to keep the full spectrum of tots to teenagers happy.  Supply them with a stack of The Collective – Suckie Pouches and they are sorted for the afternoon.  You can cover off your first load of washing (yes even though it is your holiday as well there will always be washing) with a stack of Earthwise laundry minis; sort the bathroom out with Clairol Shampoo and Serum and Palmolive Ayurituel Body Wash.  Put a stack of Neutrogena Sunscreen on the bench for the whole family to use (once it stops raining) and then curl up on the couch with Penguin’s The Life and Art of Lynley Dodd and a cup of Harney’s English Breakfast Tea.

Crisis averted.

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Breastmates Ra-Ra Dress // Matrix Heat Resist Shampoo // Scandal Season 1 DVD // Matrix Heat Resist Iron Tamer // Matrix Heat Resist Conditioner // Donovan’s Dark Chocolate Caramels

You used to be able to use any spare time in the morning to do your hair – blow-dry it, straighten it, style it maybe even put it up in more than a ponytail. Having kids means that those moments are gone and your definition of a good hair day has potentially moved to be more about good luck than good management. Perhaps this means that, as mums, we cherish a great hair day even more.

If you too have only vague memories of your last Great Hair Day then you’ll love Matrix’s Heat Resist Shampoo, Conditioner and Iron Tamer.  Once your hair is having it’s moment of glory slip on your Breastmates Ra-ra Dress and enjoy the moment with some Donovan’s Dark Chocolate Caramels.  If that was all a bit too exhausting, kick back and enjoy the drama and good hair in your Scandal DVD.

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My Little Geek Alphabet Book // Donovan’s Manuka Honey Boxed Chocolates  // The Collective Vanilla Bean Custard Gourmet Yoghurt // Breastmates Grace Dress //  Smurfs 2 DVD // Allens Snakes

In some ways being invited to a Summer BBQ at the last minute when you have kids is awesome. There is something wonderful about a bunch of kids playing together in a back yard while parents catch up and share food and a few laughs.  In other ways, however, it is a bloody nightmare – suddenly you have to provide food for you and the kids, think about what to provide if the kids get a little bored and make sure you look at least a little presentable.

This pack has it all – a delightful My Little Geek hard-board alphabet book, a box of scrummy Donovan’s Manuka Honey Chocolate, The Collective’s to-die-for Vanilla Bean Custard Gourmet Yoghurt, a stunning Breastmates Grace Dress, the kid-friendly Smurfs 2 DVD and a bag of Allens Snakes lollies.  Sorted.

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