great gift idea for new mums from case of cravings

Image from Case of Cravings

When I had my first baby, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend (now wife) brought into hospital a gourmet platter filled with prawns, smoked salmon, camembert, proscuitto, and other nibbly bits accompanied by vast quantities of champagne. What better way to celebrate our new arrival than to indulge in all those foods that I had studiously (hubby might say "obsessively") avoided for the previous 9 months?

A friend of mine recently advised me that a clever little South Australian company has tapped into this "end-of-pregnancy" market. Case of Cravings is a gift company specialising in gourmet hampers ladened with a selection of food and wine from Australia, with a particular focus on South Australian produce. Starting at $95 + postage and handling, hampers are available for delivery to Adelaide suburbs. See here for the range of hampers on offer and start salivating!

(Thanks Sarah for the tip!)

product of the week - "a book about me"

Image courtesy of Milestone Press

I must confess to being a bit of a journal fanatic ... not only do I have a baby book for my toddler, I have also kept separate journals documenting my pregnancies. I only wish I had had this journal from Milestone Press! Designed by mothers, "A Book About Me" is a journal designed to record memories from pregnancy through to age 5. I love the flexibility of this journal, including the ability to remove unwanted pages. See here for further details. This would make a great gift to someone who has just fallen pregnant, so that they can record all the special moments from conception!

help haiti

I thank my lucky stars every night as I'm watching the news that I have such a blessed life - my family and friends are all safe and sound and have beds to sleep in, and food to eat. My heart goes out in particular to the mothers in Haiti - how heartwrenching it must be to wonder where your child is, or whether or not they will miss yet another meal.

To help the Haitians, there are a number of Australian aid organisations to which you can donate. Here are but a few:

• Australian Red Cross - Haiti earthquake appeal
• Oxfam Australia - Haiti earthquake appeal
• World Vision Australia - Haiti earthquake appeal
• UNICEF Australia - Haiti emergency appeal

mumspiration christmas gift guide - idea #6

Don't panic if you still haven't completed the Chrissy shopping - I call the next list of Christmas gift ideas the "give yourself a break" list. They do not require wrapping, and can be organised at the last minute! Well suited for members of busy families, the following items may not be overly glamorous, but they are sure to be well-appreciated by their recipients, and may result in extra time available to spend with family. So why don't you give someone dear to you a break, or, better yet, if you're stuck for an answer when someone asks you what you would like for Christmas, provide them with the following list to consider:

• for the gardener of the house - a job usually (but not always) falling to the man of the house, why not "give them a break" from mowing the lawns and tending to the garden and pay to have a gardener give the garden a decent once-over. Also arrange to have the lawns mowed professionally for a couple of months;
• for the cleaner of the house - there's nothing like a big spring clean to rejuvenate a house - I know how much happier and calmer I feel in a beautifully clean and tidy house (even if it only stays that way for the length of my toddler's nap!). Why not pay for a professional to give your house a good spring clean. While you're at it, why not consider a professional window clean as well?
• for the care-giver of the house - need a break from the children and have some time to yourself (or time with hubby)? Organise for a babysitter to take the kids for a few hours (or better yet, overnight!) and use the time wisely! (see this previous post for a Christmas babysitting special);
• for the chef of the house - if you are responsible for cooking, why not ask hubby to cook for a week to give you a break. If he doesn't usually get home from work until late, suggest he cook up big batches on a weekend and freeze enough portions to feed the family for a week. If hubby is the chef in the house, offer to take over the cooking for a week.

Image from http://www.babble.com/

mumspiration christmas gift guide - idea # 5

This post should also be titled "Gifts that keep on giving", as today's Christmas gift suggestions are all about charitable gifts.

These have become quite popular over the last few years, and are such a wonderful concept and in keeping with the true spirit of Christmas. I know that I have been the happy giver and receiver of such gifts in recent times.

My picks for this year's charitable gifts are as follows:

• World Youth International Australia - a not-for-profit, non-religious and non-political international development organisation based in South Australia that provides for programs and projects in Australia and overseas.
• Oxfam Unwrapped - the gift arm of Oxfam Australia, a not-for-profit organisation working to fight poverty and injustice around the world.
• The Smith Family - Visit the shop of this national, independent children's charity that helps disadvantaged Australian children. I particularly like the Art Workshop and Materials gift.

mumspiration christmas gift guide - idea #4

I think that these poncho towels for 2-8 year olds from Teeny Me would be great for the beach AND for that wet, sandy car ride home! Available in navy, red or pink.

mumspiration christmas gift guide - idea # 3

Perfect for a friend, mother or mother-in-law, these exquisite "Vintage Rose" letterpress notelets are hand printed in duck-egg blue and are available in a pack of 6 from Bespoke Press.

mumspiration christmas gift guide - idea #2

Your little one could really make his or her mark with a personalised stamp from Imprintables. There are 6 design choices and 40 colours to choose from when customising your stamp. Gorgeous!

mumspiration christmas gift guide - idea #1

I can't believe it's only 23 sleeps 'til Christmas - with this in mind, I'm commencing a regular post for gift ideas.

My darling mum has always been a big believer in Christmas stockings, and I've found them to be just as much fun to open as wrapped presents on Christmas morning. I'm therefore kicking off the mumspiration christmas gift guide with a suggestion for a "stocking stuffer" for a little girl ...

I'm loving the adorable yo-yo hair clips at Pink Apple, an online shop run by a Peninsula girl. They come in a variety of colours and are only $6 each! Here's a photo of my current favourite, but I encourage you to visit the website and check out the entire range. Too cute!


(A big thanks to my friend Teesh for putting me onto Pink Apple.)