Cookies & Koalas

SIMPLE HAPPY PARENTING Parenting is one of those things that challenges ; it challenges even the most successful, well educated, and patient among us. When an adult is required to contend with a seemingly irrational miniature human who constantly demands some type of attention, it can leave even the greatest of men overwhelmed and frustrated. Somehow those little bundles of cuteness have the capability of bringing out the very worst monsters inside of even the most cultured grown members of our society. Nevermind the grave responsibility and heavy burden that parents feel weighing on their shoulders. They feel they need to ensure they teach their child everything he or she needs to know, that they provide all the opportunities, all the stuff, all the entertainment, to ensure that these little humans grow into perfect people.  Enter Simple, happy parenting. Seriously? Is that even a thing? I mean I can think of a lot of words to describe parenting, but simple, yeah that probably ...

OVERCOMING THE LAUNDRY MONSTER Laundry . laundry . laundry . Laundry . laundry . Laundry ...etc... Laundry is that never ending task that has been the nemesis of many a mother and housekeeper. I often say the state of my laundry is a direct reflection of the state of my mind.When the laundry baskets are overflowing that's when my mind feels completely overwhelmed, or when there is clean laundry scattered about in random places, perhaps half folded, waiting for eternity to return to their proper homes, that's when my mind is scattered and foggy. Conversely when I've conquered the laundry and I feel in control, I feel successful, productive and able to face my days with joy. Far too often the laundry is a major cause of my overwhelm, stress, depression, and feelings of failure. Do any of  you experience this too? So since laundry seems to affect me so profoundly, I've been on a mission to conquer this laundry monster and be in control.  TOP TIPS TO CONQUER THE LAUNDRY...

SHILLER LEARNING LANGUAGE ARTS... Finding a homeschooling education program that fits all of a mom's or family's desires and a child's needs can be a challenging task and despite the ridiculous amount of curriculum available can sometimes seem impossible. This has been the case for me, who loves Montessori, but really can't commit to doing Montessori full time as I have no training and don't have the time or energy to be constantly creating activities and "following" exactly what my child is up to. I wish it was different but I have been trying for two years now to implement Montessori at home and yeah, my efforts while valiant, don't look like the classroom. The occasional Montessori activity on a tray or engaged cleaning toddler just haven't reached the mark. There is part of me that wishes I could just keep sending them to school but homeschooling is really the best option for our family. My husband feels that I need a set curriculum so that I ...

Mumma's hot choccy! CHEERY HOT CHOCOLATE guilt free. refined sugar free. positive side effect: happy mom and koala kiddos....  Sometimes when the volume in the house starts to climb as the kiddos play starts to escalate and the to do list is feeling a little overwhelming, everyone in the house needs a nice warm drink. At least in our home it provides everyone with a bit of calm, some connection time, and something special for my little koalas. Perhaps I'm the one who needs all these things the most. Sipping the warm chocolate infused milk settled me and the smiles from the 3 and 4 year old as they discovered hot chocolate for the first time warmed my tired mummy heart.This recipe got us through dinner making time last night.   Stir it up!  The other great thing about this hot choc recipe is I felt good about all of us drinking it - no guilt about refined sugars, additives or just unnecessary ingredients found in "hot chocolate mixes." If you can use cocao...