The Gift of Giving and Appreciation

This post is brought to you by School of Mum, Keep Left PR and Bakers Delight
Some of you may know that my family celebrates Christmas twice. We celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December, and again on the 7th of January. I never used to celebrate Christmas on the 25th before marrying my husband. But now, being a part of a Catholic and Coptic Orthodox faith allows us to delve into two cultures, two languages, two Christmases, but one meaning - The Birth of Christ and the Spirit of Giving.

Unfortunately, sometimes the 7th of January lands on a weekday and can often be the day people are due to go back to work so sometimes that can cause a dilemma, as it has for us this year. My brother goes back to work on the 7th, and my sister-in law is pregnant and will be too close to her due date to travel.

Now, while I have adopted the Anglo-Saxon Christmas, my sister-in-law has adopted Orthodox Christmas and has gone so far as to invite us all to celebrate it at her house on the 5th of January to fit in with such a busy schedule. I'm amazed that this heavily pregnant mama of two is going to such a huge effort to invite my side of the family over to her house for lunch. For me, it's a great show of respect and love towards our family by ensuring that our Christmas is just as treasured and valued. More often than not, it can be tossed aside due to work commitments, post-new year busy times, or anything else really...

Not long after I received the invitation, another thing happened. A couple of weeks ago my brother's farm caught fire. The result was absolutely devastating...

What can you do in a situation like this? It's heart-breaking for everyone, but mostly for my father, brother and sister-in-law who have been tending to those trees and picking cherries for the last few years. 

Spirit of Giving

Dressed up Bakers Delight Cake. So easy and pretty!

Now Bakers Delight gave me some scrumptious bread, fruit mince tarts and Christmas cakes. In the spirit of giving they also offered me some to gift to a friend or neighbour. I have been racking my brain trying to come up with someone who I can attach a good story to, so that I could give them the gifts and write this post.

But by Sunday, following the above events taking place, it was a no-brainer. I'm hoping it will be one less thing my sister-in-law will have to provide at Christmas and hopefully if we all chip in and help she will get to put her feet up as host. Having two Christmases is busy enough, without the addition of being pregnant and natural disasters! 

WHY BAKE WHEN YOU'RE ALREADY WORKING HARD BAKING A BUN IN YOUR PERSONAL OVEN? LET BAKERS DELIGHT DO IT FOR YOU! 

My Sister-in-law checking out her new treats!

Bakers Delight Christmas Cakes and Mince tarts are delicious! I honestly never liked either mince tarts or fruit cake until I tried theirs! Head to their website to find the store near you.

Do you know someone in your life that would enjoy a bit of extra sharing at Christmas time? What are you planning on giving them?

Sleep Tips Saturday and GIVEAWAY - Dinosnores

This GIVEAWAY has ended! Congratulations MichVee! Please check your email. For everyone else there's still some opportunity in the remainder of the Christmas extravaganza! Thanks for entering!

Now you all know I have a baby who sleeps through the night and is easily relaxed.

.....THE ABOVE SENTENCE IS A COMPLETE LIE!

In fact, it's the complete opposite. Tom's paediatrician described him as 'hyper-alert' and he is definitely that. While he is now sleeping better thanks to our osteopath visits, he can still take hours and hours to wind down  so that he can get to sleep. Everything is too exciting. What's that on the wall? I wonder if I can reach for that thing over there? And did you hear the dog bark? I'm pretty sure these are all the things going through his head as he looks around in a million directions and moves around at the speed of light when he is supposed to be sleeping.

Dinosnores offers a possible solution to a child like this. Relaxtion and meditation for kids.

These CDs are designed by child and language experts and contain stories and soundscapes to encourage relaxation and visualisation. The sounds in the background are calming and the narrator talks in a soothing, soft way.

I really like that the background sounds blend in with the story and drown out household noise at the same time. It helps for a distracted child such as mine.

I also like that the CD runs for 30 minutes and the story starts to wash away as the soundscape takes over - leading (hopefully) into a blissful sleep.

The teacher in me really likes the fact that the stories contain bite sizes bits of fact that the child is more than likely going to learn when hearing it night after night and the instructions are simple and specific.

So you might want to know...is my little guy falling asleep listening to this? No. But he is 12 months old and for me that just isn't going to happen. I do put it on to help him wind down in his cot though, before I come in and feed him etc. He gets enchanted by the voices.

I think for all ages this is helpful, especially when used early on. I'd be keen on trying out the range for school-aged kids! It could be fantastic for ALL children but especially those with special needs. I think learning to 'stop', 'breathe' and lay still, really is a learned skill. Not even I am good at it. Meditation can reduce stress, anxiety and lead to a more peaceful existence. Who doesn't want that?

You can buy Dinosnores CDs here
And you can listen to some samples here

GIVEAWAY - Do you want to WIN the Kitten Sleepy Story and Forest Night sleep soundscapes by Dinosnores? You can! Just follow the steps...

LIKE School of Mum and Dinosnores

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COMMENT: In 25 words or less share what you do to relax to sleep

Make SURE YOU LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS so we can contact you if you win.

The person who has completed all of the above and has the most creative answer will win!

Here’s the fine print:
* Entry is open to Australian folk only (sorry!)
* Winner will be posted on the Blog ONLY.
* One entry per person
* A valid email must be provided in the comment so we can contact you if you are a winner.
* Entries close 9pm 17th November, 2012
* Winner has 3 days to respond before another is chosen.

The Ergo Carrier - Fulfilling the Dream

Before Mr.T was born, I dreamed of carrying him close, smelling his newborn smell, letting him sleep, feed, dream  - all while I was putting the washing on in the sun, going on shopping trips and perusing Sunday markets.

So off we went to the Baby Store, naively saying we wanted the best of the best and disregarding the cost. We bought some big, popular brand and I thought all my above dreams would come true. Instead we came home with this:

Ok, so it didn't quite look like that. But it had so many buckles and straps, it was a nightmare to put on, and take off. I persisted until one day I was trying to put it on without my husband’s help while on a shopping trip and I gave up – Mr.T was screaming, people were looking. The whole thing was rather embarrassing. It went back into the cupboard and stayed there.

A little while later I entertained the idea of purchasing a sling, but those hopes were dashed when I mentioned it to my Maternal Child Health Nurse who went on to tell me of a recent death of a baby due to the incorrect wearing of a sling. My husband heard that and completely ruled out the option of purchasing a sling. And with time, and too much money spent, I decided to put the dream to rest.

Then came my chat with Pinky McKay and when I told her about the endless carrying of my heavy, solid boy she told me that the Ergo was the best! She even used it herself with her grandkids. Intrigued, I went on to research and the first thing I noticed was how comfortable, safe and you guessed it, easy-to-use they looked! A conversation with ErgoBaby Australia was had and before I knew it, the beautiful 'Portofino' baby carrier was at my door.

I thought I would at least need my husband the first time I used it but I couldn’t wait. And I didn’t have to! I was able to get it adjusted all by myself. I was super proud! I was starting to see that my initial dreams could now become a reality – even if Mr.T was a little bit bigger now. Here are some of the adventures we’ve had with our Ergo so far...

Front position: I thought Mr.T wouldn’t like this too much but he loved it! When I went walking around our family farm with him and told my Dad just that he said – “Why wouldn’t he? He’s close to his mum, he’s comfortable and he can hear her heartbeat”. So true. I guess I thought because he was a bit bigger he may not enjoy it, but that was certainly not the case! He often falls asleep like this on me too, so I can’t wait to be able to walk around when we’re out and about and have him just fall asleep in there. No more tantrums in the pram!

And for the minor 'issues', there’s a solution: For starters, there’s a baby insert that goes in for newborns (SO getting this for the next bubs!) and as you can see he does like to munch on the strap but ErgoBaby have a solution for this too! Teething Pads! So really, how can one complain? They’ve got it all covered.

Back position: This was the favourite position for Mr.T. Once I got used to the fact that he was safe and I was hands-free, which is a strange feeling at first! I really started to notice how amazingly comfortable this position is. He loved being up there, slapping my back and laughing! And it really does free you up if you are out and about. No different to carrying a backpack really! Although of course you do need to be safe with your movements J

Hip position: This was of course, the most natural position to put Mr.T in. He pretty much lives on my hip. Surprisingly though, I don’t think we will be using this position much. He tended to bop around a bit too much for me and arch his back. Just a personal choice. It may work well with a bubs that’s just that little bit smaller.

The benefits of baby wearing is phenomenal. I generally thought, yes it’s good for me, and good for bubs because he feels safe and secure, but research told me it was so much more! Here’s a few facts that hit home for me from Babes in Arms.

Infographic by School of Mum: Facts from Babes in Arms

So, if you’re looking for a carrier that’s going to last for ages, be comfortable and safe to use I would highly recommend the ErgoBaby Carrier. I know I won’t be going back!

You can check out mine and the latest designs here

Did/do you carry your bubs? What are the benefits for you?

*I was sent the ErgoBaby Carrier to review, however this is an honest and objective review. All opinions are genuine and my own.