Lily is officially obsessed with stories. I've lost track of the number of times she heads for her book basket each day. It's wonderful...and exhausting. Especially those bedtime stories read under soft light - far more sleep-inducing for parents than for kids. These old poetry books belong to mum. She is an avid reader and her bookshelves have been overflowing for years. She instilled in me her love of literature and the work of authors like Anita Shreve, Michael Ondaatje and Isabel Allende. Have to admit though that lately, I'm struggling to read a grownup book cover-to-cover. Either I'm too focussed on "fueling young minds", or just getting lazy? What are you reading at the moment, lovely friends? Got any red-hot recommendations? light reading...
Lily is officially obsessed with stories. I've lost track of the number of times she heads for her book basket each day. It's wonderful...and exhausting. Especially those bedtime stories read under soft light - far more sleep-inducing for parents than for kids. These old poetry books belong to mum. She is an avid reader and her bookshelves have been overflowing for years. She instilled in me her love of literature and the work of authors like Anita Shreve, Michael Ondaatje and Isabel Allende. Have to admit though that lately, I'm struggling to read a grownup book cover-to-cover. Either I'm too focussed on "fueling young minds", or just getting lazy? What are you reading at the moment, lovely friends? Got any red-hot recommendations? Threedom
How many children a family has is sometimes not a decision that they get to make. Heartbreaking infertility, loss, dreams never forgotten. But often the family does have a choice to make and it's one that can be torturous and endless. How many children should we have?
How many is the right number for us?
In my experience, you know when you know. We didn't feel 'finished' after Maxi or Cappers, but after The Badoo, we were done. It was just a knowing inside that three was the right number for us and we've never waivered, never thought four could have been it. Or, whoops, two.
Three is a classic number of children. The oldest, the middle and the youngest. For anyone wondering if three is the right number for them, remember that there's always a third wheel there. Always a trike, never graduating to the big bike. We parents are outnumbered and there is always one who won't fit on the lap. Three means you might have to have your children really close together in age. Three is a little bit more chaotic than two and less neat than four. Three is sometimes being left out.
When I had a boy first and a girl second, I was pleased as punch that a third meant that one of my children would experience a same-sex sibling relationship. And overjoyed when it was sisters. Sorry, Maxi-Taxi, I have no experience of being a brother but I do know that sisters can be the key to a lifelong treasure chest.
Yes, Three is a gang. Three is balanced. Three is having a spare when a sibling relationship sours. Three is an extra person to ask for advice. Three is one to hold each hand.
Three says I. Love. You.
How many children do you have? Was it a decision you got to make? What's the best thing about your number for your family?
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Don't forget to enter my Planning with Kids and Kikki K giveaway.
Click here to enter. Entries close TODAY at 5pm Sydney time!
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Don't forget to enter my Planning with Kids and Kikki K giveaway.
Click here to enter. Entries close TODAY at 5pm Sydney time!
Gluten-free strawberry choc chip cupcakes
Gluten-free strawberry choc chip cupcakes (makes 24 cupcake size cakes)
Ingredients
- (4.5 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon (1/6 ounces) natural vanilla extract
- 250g (2/3 cup) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 2 eggs
- 250g (1 cup) self-raising flour
- 150g (5 ounces) Blended fresh Strawberries
- 175g (6 ounces) Hotel Chocolat milk chocolate drops
Cooking instructions
- Preheat oven to 160-180 deg C (325-350 deg F)
- Line muffin tray with paper cases or baking tray with silicone cases
- Beat butter, eggs, vanilla extract and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture turns a pale colour
- Stir in flour, blended strawberries and chocolate chips
- Divide mixture among cases
- Bake for 25-30 minutes
- Place cakes on a wire rack to cool
To decorate (24 cupcake size cakes)
What you will need
- 24 white fondant bunnies
- 56 small fondant flowers
- Green vanilla buttercream
- Grass icing tube no.233
- Icing bag or bottle
Instructions
- Spoon green buttercream into a piping bag or bottle fitted with a nozzle attached
- On top of the cakes, starting at outside edge and working in circles, pipe buttercream by squeezing a small amount onto cake at 90 degree angle, then stop squeezing and pull up and away at various angles when icing strand is long enough (about 3 cm)
- Push fondant flowers and bunny lightly into iced grass
Have a sweet day!
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