Oh nutrition. Why have you gotten so complicated lately? Things used to be so easy; meat and three veg, fish fingers once a week, toasties for lunch in the weekend, roast on Sunday, fish ‘n’ chips on Friday. All good. Right? I think we’ve all …
When I was planning our trip to Rarotonga I couldn’t believe my eyes when I stumbled across this little gem of an adventure on the interwebs! When trying to find suitable excursions the whole family could enjoy, there was always the Nixon factor to consider. …
Get the Gift-Mas list out grown-ups! This book would be a gorgeous addition to any little library.
How Many Legs? stole my heart as soon as I saw the cover, I LOVE bright and bold illustrations and this picture book is jam-packed full of them!
This is one book that will move through various ages and stages with your kids. Nixon at 2 is enamoured with it because of the funny rhyming, hilarious animal characters and engaging pictures. Older children will remain engrossed as they attempt to keep up with the maths – trying to remember exactly how many legs are present at any given time is not as easy as it sounds!
Gray and Field, both wildly successful authors and illustrators have nailed the ‘kid brief’ with How Many Legs? To be honest, Nixon can obsess all he wants over a book, but if it’s not enjoyable to read, then I will do my damndest to wriggle out of it every time. Books that appeal to both adults and kids are a sure fire way to keep everyone in the house reading and this is definitely one where I do NOT find myself wishing away the pages.
Kids loving books is such a massive blessing and makes my heart all kinds of happy so I always allocate some birthday and Christmas funds to adding a few new gems to the boys collections. Do you guys do this too? Hopefully this will become a tradition that carries on to their own families one day :::::::sobs:::::::
One thing that comes with age and hindsight (for me at least) is the confidence to be realistic about what I can and can’t achieve every day. I can apply a BB Cream, mascara and ‘style’ my Brooke Shields brows everyday. I can’t do full makeup and feed the …
My bedroom linens have been on my make-over-radar for a while now. I’m still in love with this pretty pastel mash-up featuring one of my fave Kip & Co duvet covers but unfortunately it’s suffered some major sun fade. And that BUGS me no end. …
Don’t be scared, I know it’s early but Christmas WILL be here soon, there’s just no escaping it! To get us in the mood I’ve whipped up these super-cute gift bag toppers that you can download and print out for your own festive celebrations.
Ethan is planning on hosting a Christmas Party in December to celebrate the season, and finishing school, with his family and cousins. I wanted to come up with a small, inexpensive (but cute) Christmas gift that could be easily attached to a Christmas Card that was NOT a candy cane – because everyone gets SO sick of Candy Canes by the end of the holiday season!
My lollies of choice were the new range of Jelly Tots and Tangy Tots from Allen’s plus everyone’s favourite Allen’s Snakes, all of which are free from artificial colours.
I plan on serving healthy snacks and finger food at the party, so will skip any sweet desserts in lieu of a perfectly portioned treat which I know everyone will love and there’ll be no wastage, yay.
I picked up the cellophane gift bags from Spotlight and had no problems figuring out a healthy serve per bag as the new packaging from Allen’s has a handy serving size indicator on the bag! Two snakes or 12-14 Jelly Tots.
The toppers are printed on some light cardboard (2 to a sheet of A4), so you just need to cut them out, fold them and staple them to the top of the folded gift bag. Super easy and super affordable.
Christmas is a special occasion and finishing school for the year is certainly a big deal, so I’m totally happy offering our guests a sweet treat to take home and enjoy, knowing that they haven’t had a free-for-all at an overloaded junk-food table before-hand.
I hope you love these printables as much as much as I know the kids will enjoy their treats. Thanks so much Allen’s for the lollies, these were the perfect options for portioned gift bags and are so yummy, you’ll have no complaints!
Download the Jolly Jelly Gift Bag Topper here
Ahhh, the Term 3 school holidays. Full of the promise of daylight saving, spring in full effect, summer around the corner…………the reality is often drizzle, cloud and southerlies with a touch of rain. Pessimist? Never. Realist and Auckland native? Ahhhyes. The dynamic between my …
Dave returns today from an 11 day work trip and lord that plane can’t get to Auckland soon enough. I find it super hard to parent without Dave as he’s the steady, stable half and I’m the emotionally fractious one who struggles to hold her shit …
Compared to my 12 pack of skincare products, the makeup I took to Rarotonga was much more carefully curated. I figured (correctly) that as soon as I got a bit of sun on my cheeks I would be sans foundation, blush, highlighter, contour, bronzer, yadda yadda most days. So, only the basics got a boarding pass. Lips, light coverage, concealer, mascara, illuminator and brows (not pictured). Only the basics lol.
Welcoming Sheer Tint back into my life was like meeting an old friend again. The proliferation of BB Creams from other brands saw me shy away from my faithful pal for a year or so but now I’m back and loving this excellent update on a beauty classic.
Described as the last step in skin care and first step in makeup, the 2015 reformulation sees the inclusion of Hydrolyzed Pearl Powder to promote radiant beauty and health. Sheer Tint provides more coverage than leading BB Creams but mineral ingredient Iron Oxide creates a perfectly sheer colour wash resulting in a natural, glowing finish.
Oil-free, must-have, SPF20 everyday makeup.
On some days, some spots need a little more coverage and the best concealer I’ve ever discovered is this little pot of camouflage from Benefit. Boi-ing stays put all.day.long. I apply it with my fingers as in this slightly cooler weather the warmth softens it, then I blend with a brush for a perfect finish. Cannot rave about this product enough. Concealer is an important part of my daily makeup routine and I’m so stoked to have finally found one that I love!
NARS make the most amazing cheek colours, I’ve had my Orgasm blush for a couple of years now and it pops that dewy glow like no other powder. But with highlighting/strobing/all the glowing going on I felt like I need to up my game. I added this liquid illuminator to a recent Sephora order and it’s now my favourite little secret to help me look refreshed, with a natural glow that doesn’t quit. Available in NZ from Mecca Cosmetica.
No surprise here, EOH Goddess Mascara is the product that kicked off my love of makeup so it was a non-negotiable inclusion in my vacation kit. Never clumpy, no pandas, lengthens like a dream. With a little holiday glow going on, I would often leave the house with nothing more than some balm, a little illuminator on my cheeks and a quick swipe of mascara to upgrade from beach to cocktail hour in a second.
Benefit Chachabalm Hydrating Tinted Lip Balm RRP $34
A touch of colour was totally necessary for an easy, beachy look but it had to have super-duper moisturising properties as well. Chachabalm is creamy, not slick and sticky and is heaven on dry lips. This is def more of a treatment product than a gloss or tint so was the right choice for a sunny vacation, great staying power is a big plus, as is the addition of juicy mango butter – yum!
Clinique Pop Lip Colour + Primer in Bare Pop RRP $46This is my second Pop Lip Colour in a seriously wearable, everyday shade. My lips-but-better pigment, long wearing and a lovely creamy non-drying formulation that feels very natural. The addition of primer in the formulation is what sold me on Clinique Pop, when you do experience wear over the day through eating and drinking, there’s no ‘tide’ mark left around the edge of of your lips which I can’t stand. A demi-matte finish which in this shade is perfectly casual and just what I wanted.
I love chubby sticks because they are so easy to use and so versatile. I didn’t take any blush on the trip but Super Strawberry can do double duty as a lip or cheek pigment! The never-needs-sharpening case also eliminates the need to pack a sharpener! Clinique, you’re so smart!
Billion Dollar Brows Mad About Brows Palette RRP $59Ahhhh brows. Saved the best for last? Maybe, but if you’re wanting quick, non-fussy makeup while holidaying, then, baby do your brows. I was a dedicated brow pencil fan until I received this palette. Billion Dollar Brows have nailed it with this combo of four brow powders, sculpting wax and mini brow brush. Once you get used to using the angled brush, brows become foolproof and easy, held in place with the super pliable wax that sets to a naturally defined finish.
So Dave is away in Wellington for 11 days completing a project that’s been ongoing for about a year I think, resulting in many trips back and forth. Now is probably NOT the best time to be writing this as we were FB messaging this …
