Gifts for us Mummy's

Boys, Dads, partners and significant others,

Please take note.

Us mummy’s really do appreciate the effort you go to in choosing us lovely Christmas presents like the Pajamas, slippers, tea cups, electrical appliances or box of chocolates from Coles. We really do… BUT…

IF you really want to thank us this year think about something along these lines:

2 Words = DAY SPA

Give mum a little pamper session for her to have all by herself or with a girlfriend.

A DAY OFF!

Mums love their kids and will do absolutely anything for them but really, we can all do with a day to ourselves. Take the kids out for the day and leave mum alone to read a book or have a sleep.

A CLEANER

If you really want to help mum out, pre pay for a cleaner to come and clean the house. This will give mum some time out to spend with you guys and you get a lovely shiny clean house at the end. Win/Win

BABYSITTING

Organise a babysitter to come for a couple of hours one afternoon each week to help out with the kids. Don’t make mum arrange it. You do it for her. The fact that you will go to the effort to call and book a babysitter is worth 100000 boxes of chocolates. Trust me!!!

DATE NIGHTS

Make a little gift box with 12 envelopes. Put $20 in each one and write a suggestion on the front for a date. You will have one ready for each month of the year. Now this really is a gift that will keep giving all year long.

WEEKEND AWAY

If you are able to, organise a weekend away for just the 2 of you. Get the Grandparents to have the kids for the weekend, book a hotel or campsite (whatever your budget allows) and spends 2 full days together doing things you love or doing absolutely nothing. My favourite is ordering room service, snuggling up in bed and watching as many movies as I can in 24 hours… Bliss!

COOK A MEAL and clean up after

Make a deal with your wife that if possible one night a week or month it’s Daddy’s night to cook. You organise with the kids what you want to eat, buy all the ingredients and prepare a family meal. Make sure it doesn’t make more work for mummy though. And yes, make sure you and the kids clean the kitchen after so mummy has a whole night off.

These little steps to help really really really make a difference and mean the world to us mummy’s. We don’t need another pair of slippers and the cupboard is full of coffee mugs saying worlds best mum.

The gifts that keep on giving all year long and the ones that provide us with your time are truly the best Christmas gifts.

So Daddy’s I hope you have taken note.

I write this from experience. Trust me. You will be Husband of the year if you do only one of the above.

And always remember: Happy Wife = Happy Life

Merry Christmas

Xxx

Amanda

Presents for little boys

I'm back...

Ok so gifts for little boys:

1.  Water Activities

Paddle pools, sand buckets, containers and strainers. My son goes crazy for anything 'water' focused. Check out Kids Central for this great activity table. 

kidscentral.com.au

2. Cars, trucks, trains and planes

Wooden, plastic, metal or a mix. Boys aren't too fussy on the build as long as it's strong and will withstand the 2 year old pressure test. Have a variety of sizes and shapes - big, small, long... This will captivate them for longer!

kidscentral.com.au      kidstuff.com.au

3. LEGO/Duplo and Blocks

Isn't Lego just the best invention ever!!! Everyone loves Lego, regardless of age and gender. My hubby and daughter love building things together. And my son LOVES LOVES LOVES to knock it all down. There is something in a boys DNA that ensure 'destruction' is always first on their minds when it comes to Lego. 
Blocks are also great for building and knocking over. It can also be a great pack up game if your little one loves the sound of blocks crashing in the bucket.

kidstuff.com.au                                   playgroundprincess.com.au

4. Wrapping paper and cardboard boxes

Now I know this one seems a bit silly, but how many times have we heard our parents say it... Keep a few boxes aside this Chrissy and let the kids make cubby's with them. Hours of entertainment right there.

www.puggy.com.au

5. Keys, phones, TV remotes and computer keyboards

It's an oldie but a goodie. Most good toy shops will sell plastic key sets and TV remotes with sound effects and jingles. These are great stocking fillers. Old computer keyboards are great too. Just make sure you cut the cord off and all the keys are still secure to avoid a choking hazard. My Son goes berserk on 'his' keyboard at my feet when I am busy trying to work. It's a great distraction tool too.

6. Christmas Outfit, shoes and Christmas PJs

Boys always seem to miss out when it comes to clothes. Thank goodness for some lovely Aussie handmade Facebook businesses. Check out some gorgeous and handsome little outfits for boys. They are all just too cute.
My kids always get a new set of PJ's in their Santa Sack. It's a great tradition that began with my mum.

facebook.com/AlfieByKobi

7. Craft

It's never too early to introduce craft to your children. Just start off small. Play dough (home made or bought), crayons, whiteboard markers and a white board, and chalk are all great little things to get you going. If you want a bit more you can try finger paints and stamps, or even shaving cream and food colouring. 

theorganisedhousewife.com.au - Playdough recipe

This is a FANTASTIC website

8. Trike, bike, car...

Anything with wheels, that can be sat on, that has a steering wheel and moves will be a winner hands down. Here are a couple of my tried and tested picks.

playgroundprincess.com.au

Fisher Price

9. Little People Farm Yard

This activity is a favourite of mine. It's all about imaginative play for both boys and girls. The pieces aren't too small and it's very easy to set up and pack away.

10. Puzzles 

Start with wooden puzzles as they are the easiest to put together and the hardest to break. Simple puzzles like this one are great.

www.kidscentral.com.au

11. Whatever his brother or sister is getting...

This seems to be a trend in our house. And I'm still not sure how to avoid it. Any suggestions???

I hope this list inspires you this Christmas. If nothing else other then a laugh and a flash back to your own childhood at Christmas time.

xxx

Amanda

Rise & Shine. It's competition time!!!

Click Here To Enter!!!

MWWAH are running a HUGE Christmas competition and I am lucky enough to be involved!!!

Follow the link and enter via the rafflecopter form at the bottom. Simple as that. Check out the very long list of prizes on offer.

This is just a few of what you could win this Christmas!!!

What would you love to win this Christmas?

xx

Amanda

Little Princesses - Wish list for Santa

I feel that this gift guide could perhaps be the easiest of all for me.

My darling Isabella is many things... A prima ballerina, fairy princess, rock star, diva, stunt woman, gymnast, acrobat and everything in between.

With this in mind here are my top 10 picks for little Princesses this year.

Tahlia Fedora Hat

cassidyscollection.com.au

RRP $30.00

I bought this hat as a birthday present but now I just love it and want to keep it for me. Sooo pretty.

Milly Tier Dress Rose

www.kaftankids.com.au

RRP $29.00

I bought a Kaftan from this beautiful shop at the markets on the weekend. You must pop over to her website and check it out!

Tiger Tribe Vintage Tin Tea Set

www.littlebooteek.com.au

RRP $34.95

A must have for every little princess.

Little Puggle Craft Boxes

www.littlepuggle.com

From ₤12.95/month + delivery

Now this is a UK company but I had to include it because I just LOVE the concept.

Little Puggle make craft packs for children. BUT they offer a subscription so you can have one puggle box delivered in the post to your child every month. The kit is all inclusive ready to just create. No extra's to buy and no excuses. This company DOES deliver to Australia from ₤11for postage. 

I haven't found an Aussie company who does this but if you find one PLEASE let me know.

Pure Poppets Natural Facepaint and Makeup

purepoppet.com.au

$9.95

My mum won a competition with this company. Since trying this product on Bella, we just can't get enough. It's fun, pretty, cheap and safe!!!

Great stocking filler too!

Lil Fairy Door

www.littlefairydoor.com

$36.00

This year my two special little nieces are getting this for Christmas for their bedroom. So pretty and imaginative. Just think about all the sweet dreams they will have after saying goodnight to the fairies.

Rosebud Collection from Kids Central

www.kidscentral.com.au

$35.00

The Rosebud Collection is wonderful. There is a Playgroup, a cafe, a florist, a playground and a village shop. Hours and hours of imaginative play to be had here. Just warning you there are small pieces though, so keep clear of babies and cheeky younger siblings.

Seedling - Make your own designer tutu

www.goodthingsforkids.com

$47.31

This is one of my most favourite brands. How happy was I when they came up with this little activity.

Disney Movies

Your local Kmart/BigW will stock these titles. From $25 each

Christmas can be full on for little ones, so it's nice to have a quiet activity to put on to calm everyone and allow some R & R.

Cinderella is the latest movie out of the Disney Vault and Tinkerbell - The Secret of the Wings has just been released on DVD just in time for Christmas.

My Little Table Designs - Tablecloth of course

www.facebook.com/mylittletable

$35

I just thought I'd squeeze this one in on the end. Great for Tea Parties with friends or just with your mummy and dolly.

I hope you find this helpful. Please email me if you need more information on any of the above.

The next post with be for the boys.

xxx

Amanda

A Wish list for Santa

This week I will be creating a number of posts with one special theme:

A Wish List for Santa

This will be like a gift guide of all of my favourite things to buy this Christmas.

My Posts will look like this:

• 1st - Little Princesses. Girls aged 3 - 7ish
• 2nd - Mini Prince Charming's. Boys aged 1 - 5ish
• 3rd - Daddy's and Hubby's
• 4th - Lovely Mummy's (saving the best for last).

Happy reading everyone

xx

Amanda

And the winner is....

Ok I have held you out long enough...... 

Drum Roll................

The 2 winners of my very first 'thank you giveaway' are.........

!!! Kim Osborn and Jacky Barker !!!

Congratulations ladies. Very well deserved.

Check your inbox for a msg from me or you can email me direct and I will put your special prize in the mail this week.

amanda@mylittletable.com.au

Thank you to everyone for taking a trip down memory lane with me. 

My Little Table Designs is all about bringing children's play to life and rediscovering the inner child in all of us.

Keep watch as I am running another competition starting Nov 30th with www.mwwah.com.au

Nighty night everyone.

Don't let the bed bugs bite!

xx

Amanda

Competition Time - Are you ready to reminisce?

My typical Tuesday so far:

• Kids up way to early ✓
• Gym  ✓
• Kids in bed for day sleep ✓
• Time to clean the house or right my blog... hmmmm blog wins hands down!

As a big thank you for supporting me at my very first market day I thought I would run a little competition and give away a couple of lovely little tablecloths to you very special people.

BUT to be creative I had to come up with a twist of course... Don't worry it's not hard.

All you have to do is tell me your favourite childhood game or activity that you loved to play when you were teeny tiny. Was it schools and tea parties like me or were you more the cops and robbers type?

You can comment here on this blog or on my facebook page.

Competition starts now and will end on Sunday night 25th November at 8:30pm Sydney time.

I will choose 2 winners. one using random.org and the other for most creative response.

Happy reminiscing everyone.
xx

Amanda

Market Day = Success

So yesterday I did it. I had my very first market stall.
I am now officially open for business. Wow that sounds a bit scary.
I am now a small business owner, operator, buyer, seller, packer, marketer and everything else that comes with being a Sole trader.

Avalon market day was a great first market for so many reasons... 1000s of people, 100s of amazing stalls, beautiful sunshine and it was located in my local community.

Check out what my stall set up looked like below. I have to say that mum and I changed it around almost every half an hour or so. We just couldn't sit still. hahahaha

I met so many lovely people and talked so much that I am losing my voice. I loved watching customers look from a far and smile when they could see what I was selling. I had so many Grandparents come by and share stories with me.

I would like to say a really big thank you and give all my friends and family bear hugs and wet and sloppy smooches for coming to support me yesterday and for all of you love and support in helping this business get up and running.

Obviously this business would not run without 2 very special people in my life so to my very delicious hubby and to my amazing mum thank you thank you thank you.

2 lessons I have learnt this weekend - 1. running a business is exhausting. 2. running my OWN business is exciting. I can't wait to see where this will take me.

I am going to run a competition next. Just have to come up with a creative twist.

xxx
Amanda

one more sleep people!!!!!

Eeeeek!

One more sleep until my very very first market... my first sale... (I hope)... my first day in the public eye representing me and all that is wonderful about this little baby of a business.

I am glad hubby and I decided we are happy and done with our 2 kids because My Little Table is our 3rd child (and costs just as much!)

I have an absolutely full full full day on prepping. Nonna flew in late last night and it is Kindy day today.

Keep a look out on Facebook today as I will be posting pics of me trying to prepare hahahaha.

xxx
Amanda

Up coming market

My Little Table Launch

Just a quick note to let you know that I will be launching my business this weekend! (take a breath) at Avalon Market Day.

I will be located in Dunbar Park so pop by and say hello.

Stock for sale on the day:

Round tablecloths from the My Little Tea Party range.

Long rectangle tablecloths from the Dessert Table range.

Some pretty little fabric bags that can be used for Kindy sheets, ballet clothes, library books, lego, toys, marbles, out for dinner activities, an overnight bag, a quick nappy change and the list goes on...

Some gorgeous little Santa sacks just in time for Christmas

And some cute little hair bands if I'm lucky.

My website is also on it's way so keep an eye out for that post.

Don't forget to stop by to say hello on Saturday. I always love a chat

xx

Amanda

My Little Table Sneak Peek... Shhhh...

So it has been a little while since my last post and well let's just say a lot has happened in my life since then. But I won't get into that now because this is a new beginning for me today.
Today is the day I begin to take my business seriously.

3 years ago I decided that I wanted to start my own business. I thought that I wanted to be a stay at home mum, work the hours that I wanted and have this endless income just magically appear in my bank. HAHAHAHA What was I thinking!?!?!

3 years on and well yes I still want to run my own small business but I have had a lot of learning experiences along the way.

Let me introduce to you My Little Table Designs. This is my third child and my little baby that I have been nursing along side my own actual baby's.

This little business is very very new and still in the building process. But I can give you a little sneak peek as to what it is.

MLT Designs creates and makes gorgeous, pretty and lovely little round tablecloths for children and dessert tablecloths for parties.

My Little Table brings play to life by providing the foundations for imaginative play and expression.

There are 3 ranges of Tablecloths at the moment:
- The Little Princess Tea Party Range for small children/s tables
- The Dessert Tablecloth Range for trestle tables
- The Underlay Range used underneath Dessert Tablecloths


I had my first little photoshoot with some of my tablecloths. Photographed by the very talented and fabulous Megan Bennett, and modelled by my own daughter Isabella and little girlfriends Maddie and Sophie. I think the girls thought it was a party day just for them.

There is more and more and more to come so keep an eye out for me. I will be launching very soon.
Love and Hugs
Amanda

Introducing my Logo

The day has finally come.

After lots of planning, procrastinating and playing, my Logo is now complete.

Introducing


My Little Table Designs

I would like to thank Bec from Ruby Ruby Designs for designing this masterpiece.

This woman is so clever and patient and now in quite high demand. She is wonderful. 
Please check her out for any future graphic design work. You won't be disappointed! 

More on my business shortly!

xx

0

Just a quick to note to say that I have finally finalised my logo.

I am soooo excited. Standby for a new and improved blog design coming soon.
xx
Me

Princess Party for my Daughter

Back in December my Daughter Isabella had her third birthday, and in truly mummy fashion we threw her a Princess birthday party.
Just so we are clear, this was the ultimate of parties and I can promise you that this was a once in her lifetime event. I will not be doing this again. (LOL at the wrinkles and grey hairs that formed as a result of this party).

Keep in mind that my son Jack was born mid September and I thought it would be a 'great idea' to give Bella a big party not even 3 months after giving birth!!! What was I thinking???? Don't worry; EVERYONE thinks I am insane. And now 3 months later I believe them. But against all odds the day was a success and everyone including the birthday girl had a ball.

So here are all the details:

Theme: Fairy Princesses
Location: Home transformed into a Fairy Princess Castle.
Timing: A Sunday 10am - 12pm but some stayed on of course.

The Royal Throne and Dress up room

Nonna Helen (my mum) made all of these beautiful princess skirts and fairy wings. My hubby made the Dress up rack! 

Outside Activities

My Hubby came up with this cool idea. I made the signs and taped them together to a broom stick!

We had a craft corner and bubbles out the back

We had a treasure hunt out the front too.

The Dessert Table and delicious treats

Instead of putting lollies in the party boxes. We set up all the left over treats after the cake and made a lolly buffet for the parents to choose what lollies to take home. Some how I think the kids came off second best. Hahaha

What can I say... We had HEAPS of food. But a nice mix of sweet and savoury.

Fairy Princess Nicole

I asked a friend of ours to dress up as a Fairy Princess and come to the party.

My mum made the skirt and Nic did the rest. Isn't she AMAZING!!

I highly recommend having this type of entertainment as it freed me up to actually enjoy myself and tend to my 3 month old as well.

Fairy Princess Nicole played musical statues, pass the parcel, played bubbles and craft outside and took all the kids on a fairy hunt. All the kids loved her but not as much as me!

Party Fun

The party was over in the blink of an eye. Everyone had a terrific time. But no one more so then Isabella. And you know what I found hard to believe... After the party was over and I collapsed on the lounge I looked around to find a pretty clean and tidy house. It seems that if you provide enough fun and games outside, kids don't trash your home on the inside.
quite impressive.

Extra special, wonderful, amazing thanks goes to:

- My hubby of course for not only building the best dress up rack ever, but helping me with everything and encouraging my crazy ideas. AND not making me feel silly at any time!

- My mum for making all the dress ups and helping with dressing up the house and for being the best mum anyone could ever have.

- Aunty Tracey and Uncle Greg. Wow these 2 are a power machine. Not only was Tracey 8 months pregnant at the time but she come over the Friday before and lead the decorating committee of my mum, hubby and me. Then over night she made some delicious treats. And on the day she helped me set up the dessert tables too. Then Greg and Tracey or Team Sharp as I call them now set up my kitchen and looked after all of the food for the entire party. Words can't express how much I love these two. (Check out the baby shower Greg and Tracey threw for me back in August... AMAZING) coming soon

- My Dad and Jenny. For supplying and delivering all of the Princess balloons. There were soooo many balloons. All the girls got to take one or two home and the foil ones lasted for months!

- Megan Bennett from (Megan Bennett Photography). For your truly amazing photography. Most of the photo's you see above are all from this remarkable woman. I highly recommend Megan for any event you think you might have in the future.

- Fairy Princess Nicole. For going out of your comfort zone and putting on the best show for all of the kids. We will always be grateful for your special presence on the day.

- Lola. For all of your baking, face painting and help on the day and always xxx

- All of our family: Gran and Pa, Ohma and Pop Pop, Aunties and Uncles. We couldn't have done this without you!