Westside MamaMag June 2015

WESTSIDE

June 2015

WIN tickets to Disney on Ice

with a chance to meet one of the stars Homework help MamaMag turns 1 School readiness Tales from the clown Anxiety in children Local party people Feed kids right Let them eat cake Investing in education Party etiquette

free Local fun for the Westside mum 1

Dance

Gymnastics Holiday Program Birthday Parties Kinder Gym

Birthday Parties Enjoy EXCLUSIVE use of our entire venue Disco & Gymnastic parties available Great selection of party food, games and activities Lolly bags & invitations provided 1.5 hrs fully supervised with minimum 3 of our friendly staff to host your party

Kinder Gym Creative, fun and educational exercise for kids that builds on: Core body strength, Co-ordination, Body Control and Concentration Kinder gym provides weekly rotations of Jumping, Climbing, Balancing, Hanging and Swinging with our qualified and friendly staff.

Kinder Dance

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Kinder Dance classes provide a great foundation for Ballet, Jazz or any form of physical activity.

Kinder Dance is an excellent starting point for extending children’s experience in movement and dance. Kinder Dance assists in the development of: Body Awareness, Improvisation, Rhythm & Timing and a love of music and dance.

193 Champion Road Williamstown North Ph: 9397 7766 Email lifestyleforkids@bigpond.com www.lifestyleforkids.com.au

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It’s pary time!

Happy birthday MamaMag! The original Bayside MamaMag turns one this month and at Westside we’re joining in the celebrations with a party issue.

We talk to Sarah Cavalier, founder and creative director of MamaMag all about how MamaMag started and its first year.

We’ve tried all sorts of birthdays at our place over the years – often a party at home or in a playground where the kids pick the theme and spend hours looking through the Woman’s Weekly cake book before deciding on a cake from their imaginations. This year we had Eliana’s 9th birthday party at Inflatable World and Arabella’s 5th birthday party at Dizzy’s Castle and both those were perfect too (though Arabella felt the birthday girl’s throne was not quite big enough!). Eliana molded her own Steve and the Creeper figurines for her Minecraft cake and I got carried away on Pinterest and made a two layer Frozen cake for Arabella. Really you can’t go wrong and there are so many options to mix do-it-yourself and outsourcing for every aspect, from venue, to cake and food, entertainment, and even the planning.

The kid’s interests change continually so it’s handy to know about the range of local options and we’ve loved putting this issue together for you. We have two beautiful pages of cakes from local cake makers and an article showcasing some of the best party venues in the area.

Then there are articles on party planning, party themes and party etiquette.

Our Mama of the Month is Nikki from the online party store Little Ginger – we bumped into her at the Woods Street Arts Space pop up garage sale and knew she’d be perfect.

We visit Pier Street Altona to bring you some of the street’s best places to eat and shop, but there’s so much more there we know we’ll be returning. And Mamma Knows West bring us the lowdown on talk-of-the-town Harpley Estate Adventure Playground in Werribee.

Phew, see you next month. I’m all partied out!

@localmamamag

Cover image by Enhance Studios www.enhancestudios.com.au

WIN

Contents Styling tips for a perfect party Big impact on a small budget

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The magic party clown Tales from a local dad

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Party people Local birthday party ideas and venues

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Perfect party etiquette Tips from an expert

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Let them eat cake We’ve got local cake makers covered

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Lovely locals We explore Pier Street Altona

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Why mamas need yoga 4 wonderful reasons

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Get in the theme Party theme ideas

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Mama of the month Nicki Eyes from Little Ginger

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Turn the page Three Four Knock on the Door

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Kids in sport The importance of active kids

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Parklife 29 We visit Harpleys Estate Werribee Mama can cook Party pizzas and racing teddies

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Creating a successful mothers group 32 The path to success

tIckets to DIsney On Ice Dare to Dream There are 4 chances to win 4 tickets each to the 2nd July 2.30pm performance PLUS one lucky winner will also get to meet a star from the show.

endota spa Brighton

Visit our Facebook page to enter

www.facebook.com/localmamamag Entries open to Victorian residents only. Competition starts June 1st 12.01am and closes June 20st 2015 at 11.59pm. 16 tickets in total.

Tickets valid for the 2nd July 2.30pm performance only. For further details and full terms and conditions visit www.mamamag.com.au. ©Disney. All Rights Reserved. www.disneyonice.com.au

MamaMag is published monthly for the mums of Melbourne’s west by Grizzle Design Pty Ltd. ABN: 26 042 138 550. PO Box 8018 Brighton East VIC 3187 Phone: 1300 771 446 Email: info@mamamag.com.au www.mamamag.com.au

5,000 copies are distributed monthly.

The reluctant party guest A local mum’s story

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Happy Birthday MamaMag We meet the creator, Sarah Cavalier

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Creative Director: Sarah Cavalier

Music and children Why making music is great

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Like to contribute an article or products for review or giveaway? submissions@mamamag.com.au

Fun for the kids Kid’s crafts and our colouring comp WIN one of 3 Globber Scooters!

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Take a walk on the wild side The low down on zoo parties

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MamaMag June 2015

Westside Editor: Rebecca Gelsi

Like to advertise in our next month’s issue? info@mamamag.com.au or download our media kit from www.mamamag.com.au The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publishing staff. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without permission of the publishers.

Health related articles are designed to be informative and educational. They are not intended to provide specific medical advice or replace one-on-one advice from your health practitioner.

top 5 styling tips for These days’ parties are pinned all over social media and can make you feel like you have big shoes to fill. I hear you asking, what happened to a homemade cake from the Women’s Weekly Cake book? (Still one of the best cake books after all these years.) Don’t get me wrong, I love a low cost, low effort party, but even with a small budget you can still make a big impact, and give your special person a day they won’t forget.

For some people, arranging a party can be a daunting and scary experience, especially if you have not done it before.

I have listed my top 5 tips to style the perfect party to help you on your way.

1. Think about who the party is for A kid’s party should be fun for the kids. Whilst it is easy to become swept up into a frenzy of theming and perfectionism, at the end of the day I would be surprised if any of kids notice the difference.

2. The season If you have a July baby, chances are a picnic in the park isn’t going to work for you. If you don’t want to have it at your house (or can’t for space reasons) there are so many amazing play centres, party centres and halls to choose from.

All of these can be “styled” really easily using these simple ideas.

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a perfect party

on any budget

3. Theme A theme is such a simple way to create the wow factor. This can be as simple as using a pattern, like chevron, or a consistent colour palate, like baby pink and white. You can go all out with tried and tested themes like Batman, Pirate or Fairy – or try a modern alternative to these such as Woodlands, Moustache, Vintage transport or Milk and Cookies parties. Why not ask your guest of honour what they dream of…. you might be surprised at the answer. Pinterest is your friend. Start a board for your upcoming party to gather inspiration.

4. Invitations and decorations Your invitation is the first element of your party and introduces guests to your theme. There are great sites like etsy.com that create custom listings, and you can save some money if you go with a theme that has been done before. Alternatively, there are some free templates on Google.

Next, start to source decorations from your house (and your family and friends too), finding anything that you can use. These days you don’t need a table with a plastic cloth – you can use anything from baby change tables, to suitcases to storage units. Hiring key items such as kid’s chairs and tables, cake stands etc. is a cheaper alternative to purchasing them and ensures you are on trend for minimal cost. Once you have your “table”, head to the $2 shops for plain coloured plates, napkins etc. This is much cheaper than using a “Disney” or the themed variety, and you can stick in your colour theme for half the cost. If you want to, add a couple of more expensive key themed items, but keep your cost down with everything else. Don’t forget the finishing touches.

Thank you cards, lolly bags and a big smile on the day!

5. Entertainment This really depends on your budget. There is nothing wrong with pass the parcel wrapped in newspaper and musical chairs, but if you have some extra money to spend, there are so many options for entertainers in theme – e.g. Queen Elsa, a magician, jumping castles and so much more.

A party doesn’t have to be stressful; and there are plenty of experts out there to help you if you would like to outsource your next party.

Don’t forget to check out sprinklewithstyle.com.au for all your hire and styling needs.

Good luck and happy planning

By Pip Hunt - Owner of Sprinkle With Style www.sprinklewithstyle.com.au

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the Magic Party Clown A true story.

It was a suburban household birthday party for a five year old boy as I recall.

There I was as I arrived through the front door... and it hit me!

The sea of colour across the specially decorated Birthday Table set centre stage in the middle of the living room.

Red lollies. Yellow biscuits. Green party hats.

Blue balloons. And a big rainbow coloured birthday cake. Wonderful!

It was psychedelics in real 3D! Terrific for Birthday Boy and the kids.

Anyhow -- there I am in attendance and I take step number two into the house and--I sense the party is about to crank up a notch or two.

In fact I know for sure it is.

I’ll tell you why. It’s somewhat personal! I’m at this party because I’m the hired entertainment!

Hey, not just any entertainment, I’m there as Muddles the Magic Party Clown.

Yep - I used to be a real-life, genuine, ‘‘can-I-get-yourautograph-please-Muddles’ magic clown.

For how long? Oh, about ten years or so.

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Now get a picture in your mind. Muddles is entering said Birthday Party House.

The excited Birthday Boy, at first sight of Muddles, triggers his family, friends, the dog (and I’m sure I heard a lyre-bird) to a sudden, hair-raising shrill of “Yaaaaaaaayyyyyy. The clown! The clown’s here!!”.

Yes--Muddles was making his grand entrance.

Show Time People Of course, like all good party clowns, I had to feign a stumble over an imaginary something within the first few steps didn’t I? Muddles does the old reliable ‘bang the toes of the back foot into the heel of the front foot and stumble forward’ routine.

He half turns to look at the floor. Squats. Looks closer and scratches his 100 percent genuine synthetic nylon red clown hair and says to the party group...

“Hmmm, Boys, Girls, Mums, Dads and BaldHeaded Babies...wait just one minute!” “(pointing) What was that I just tripped over?” and Muddles would then swish the floor from side-to-side with his white-gloved hand as if clearing the ‘object’ away.

“Now, lets try that entrance again shall we?!” he says.

Well, you’re probably ahead of me with this part of the story (especially if you were ever in the audience of a Muddles show) because you might know what happens next...

Yes, correct. Muddles re-enters. He stops to face the party group and holds his gloved hand open behind his cocked clown ear and prompts to hear the “Yaaaaaaaayyyyyy” greeting once more.

Birthday Boy and party guests respond on cue.

Straight away Muddles takes his second and third confident stride of an entrance and says, looking around the room, “Where’s our Birthday Boy?!”

But just then... oh no! He trips AGAIN over that same imaginary object.

you--wave them under your nose-- and tempt you to ‘pick a card--any card’. Quite tragic.

Was I really that bad at magic. Yes! Believe it or not Ripley. Not once did I succeed at making an elephant appear in the fridge.

Saw a lot of the inside of people’s fridges though.

And juggling bowling balls, half-eaten apples and roaring chain saws? Don’t even ask!

I’ve gotta tell you though--I loved playing Muddles and especially when entertaining children.

Mike Searles is a local dad and a freelance writer available for hire at MikeSearles.com

Well... it’s giggles all ‘round for Muddles and the birthday party entertainment is under way.

I’d love to go through the entire 45 minute Muddles the Magic Party Clown routine. Some other time maybe.

Why did I name my character Muddles?

Because he would ‘muddle’ almost everything he did. But truly.

That was how I escaped from getting any REAL magic to work. I kid you not.

I mean I was (and still am) the world’s worst magician. Which hurts because I’ve loved magic since I was a boy.

Don’t EVER pull out a deck of playing cards in front of me ‘cause I’m likely to swipe ‘em off 9

Party people Mama has got local birthday party fun covered.

Check out these awesome ideas in our local area!

Little Ninjas Little Ninjas run ninja parties at their Newport venue or they can bring the party to you. Not just for the boys – your boys and girls will both love these active, fun and memorable parties. A trained Ninja instructor will entertain the kids with Ninja games and the kids will be talking about it for weeks.

4/100 Champion Rd Newport www.ninjaparties.com.au

Lifestyle for Kids Some great options here with a choice of disco or gym parties. Disco parties feature smoke machines, disco lights, a bubble machine and great music. You get the centre all to yourself and kids love the equipment which includes trampolines, rings, ball pits, bars, swings, beams and a jumping castle.

193 Champion Rd Williamstown www.lifestyleforkids.com.au

Inflatable World This place is the bomb and kids love it. You can book the party room or a table in the dedicated party space – either way you’ll be lucky to get the children near the food – they’ll be too busy on the huge slides, tackling the obstacle course or daring the cliff jump. You can bring your own party food or they can cater for you.

90 Gordon St Maribyrnong www.inflatableworldoz.com

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Rampfest A BMX, skate or scooter party at RampFest indoor skate park is the perfect solution for an active bunch of kids. It is an amazing looking venue and would be ideal for older children who want the cool factor but parties are available for children of any age.

47-85 Hillary St Braybrook rampfest.com.au

Pink Zebra Pink Zebra is a party venue offering a pamper studio, catwalk, disco room, and enchanted story room. Some of the themed parties on offer are super hero, disco, pamper, pirate, Frozen, and cupcake decorating. Parties include the lot – staff in costumes, table settings, games and of course food.

99 Victoria St Altona Meadows www.facebook.com/Pinkzebraparties

Playhut After a renovation last year Playhut now caters for children up to 10 years and the staff tell me their parties are more popular than ever. Choose from fairy, circus and pirate themed party rooms. They also have a sports party option and disco parties are available on the first Friday of each month.

Cnr Grieve Pde & Doherty’s Rd Altona North www.playhutwestgate.com.au

Footscray City Gymnastics Club The gymnastics area is fully fitted out and includes foam pits, trampolines, and swinging ropes and rings. Two coaches run an hour long gym session which will leave every child wanting more. The kids can head upstairs afterwards for food and the cake (BYO).

10 Mitford Pde West Footscray www.footscraycity.gymnastics.org.au

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79 Jump Street This trampoline park opened earlier this year and it’s got an amazing upstairs party room. Downstairs there are are over 50 trampolines including two olympic trampolines and there’s an airbag for practicing stunts and tricks. There’s also a basketball area with hoops, and a dodgeball area.

656 Somerville Road Sunshine West www.79jumpstreet.com.au

Airodrome/Airoworld Trampolining and an inflatable playground all in the one spot! The kids will love going between one and the other and are easy amused for an hour. You get your own designated party table and party host.

Cnr Grieve Pde & Doherty’s Rd Altona North www.airodrome.com.au

Soccer Time Kids and Football Star Academy Soccer fans at home? Choose your location and a qualified coach will come in and deliver an action packed soccer class tailored to your child’s ability. Pre-schoolers (1-5) will love Soccer Time Kids with obstacle courses, skills and fun! For the budding Ronaldo, school kids (4-12) check out Football Star Academy where guests will learn lots of skills and compete in their very own tournament. www.soccertimekids.com.au 1300 476 223 www.footballstaracademy.com.au 1300 372 300

Laverton Skate Centre Skating is as popular with the kids as it ever was. The team here run skating games for you and the atmosphere is fun with disco lighting and music. For that extra bit of cool factor try a party on a Friday night!

2 Oakdene Gve Laverton www.lavertonskatecentre.com.au

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enchanted years has a wide selection of high quality wooden toys, games, books, dress-ups, clothing and bedroom decor. each item in our store is individually selected allowing us to stock a range of products that are as unique as the child you love.

30 Ferguson Street Williamstown - 9397 1154 - www.enchantedyears.com.au

Party supplies and helium balloons for small, large or extravagant parties!

Decorations • Tableware • Candles • Pinatas Costumes & Accessories • Invitations & Stickers Loot bags, Lollies & Novelties • Party Games & Activities 152 Victoria Street, Seddon. Ph: 9689 1100 www.thepartyshack.com.au Live Local - Shop Local - and don’t forget to mention MamaMag!

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perfect party Etiquette Does the thought of thirty-five sugared-up, hyperactive children running laps around your lounge room fill you with dread?

Never fear! Simone Norris, owner of online gift & party boutique www.inviteme.com.au and flagship Yarraville store, has been in the party game for 10 years. Here she shares some pearls of wisdom to help make your next party run smoothly.

What’s an appropriate number of children for a party?

Firstly, it’s as many kids as your venue will hold or as many as you can handle, but a good rule of thumb is invite as many kids as is the age of the child. Eg. a six year old inviting six friends.

Big parties can be overwhelming for the best of us, let alone small children and let’s not even get into the pressure it puts on the adults hosting the party!

That said, the ‘all-inclusive’ approach can also work as well. Invite the entire grade and your child is almost guaranteed a return invite from their classmates. The best part about this is that no one is left-out.

Invitation etiquette There are some key things you can do to make the invitation process easier: • Sometimes it’s not possible to invite everyone from the class – so listen up, this one’s important – DO NOT HAND OUT INVITATIONS AT KINDER OR SCHOOL IN FRONT OF CHILDREN WHO AREN’T INVITED! While it’s often unintentional, try explaining to a five year old why everyone got invited except them. It is heart-breaking.

Be discreet! Hand invitations out quietly to parents at classrooms or ask kids to pop sealed envelopes in their bags. There are even some teachers who will hand out invites privately during class time.

• Note on your invitation whether it’s a ‘drop-off’ party or not. As a general rule, parties of children aged five are not dropped off but people won’t know how you want to handle that unless they’re instructed.

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• Ask for RSVP’s by text. This means you will have their number in case of an emergency.

• If entertaining at home, keep parties short and sharp. A two-hour timeframe is about right. By the time you factor in your guests arriving, two or three games, eating, playing and then blowing out the cake, you’re up to your two hours.

• Can you leave your other child at the party as well? Unless invited by the host, the answer is probably not. These days, most hosts have pre-organised games and prizes around a set number of kids and have just enough take home bags for their guests, so throwing in an unannounced child into the mix can also throw a spanner in the works.

What’s an appropriate budget for kid’s birthday gifts?

My experience behind my counter has led me to this conclusion: • An invitation from a classmate that your child doesn’t know well. $15-25 • Close little friends and besties: $25-40 • Close family friends and relatives $40-65 Yes, throwing parties can be stressful but there are a few simple planning principles to follow that will help. At the end of the day, you cannot lose sight of why you’re having the party in the first place – which is to celebrate that special little person in your life by letting them know they are loved by those around them.

By Simone Norris from Inviteme 66 Anderson Street Yarraville Shop online at www.inviteme.com.au Follow her on Instagram: @invitemeshop

inviting you to party, play & decorate 66 Anderson Street, Yarraville

Live Local - Shop Local - and don’t forget to mention MamaMag!

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www. inviteme.com.au

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Finesse Cakes Yarraville www.finessecakes.com.au

Sweet Tiers W illiamstown www.sweett iers.com.au

The Cupcake Que thecupcakeq

We put out the call to find you some great local cake makers

Yarraville Mad Batter tter.com.au ba www.mad

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The Cupcake Queens Williamstown thecupcakequeens.com.au

Finesse Cake sY www.finesse cak

eens Williamstown queens.com.au

le arravil atter Y B d .au a M er.com adbatt .m w w w

Sweet Tiers W illiamstown www.sweett iers.com.au

and we were pretty pleased with what we discovered!

Yarraville kes.com.au

Mad Batter Yarraville www.madbatter.com.au

Borgs Cakes www.borgscakes.com.au

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In the vIllage

l! ves loca Mama lo re lo p x e Like us to ? al village your loc to ur ideas Send yo . g a m a m info@ma com.au

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Street 1. Weekday market - Altona Beach Market A weekday market? Yes and it’s every week. Every Tuesday 9am–3pm you will find stalls lining the beach end of Pier Street. Offerings include plants, honey and fruit and vegetables straight from the farm. There are homemade goodies, a popular sock store, and all kinds of household objects.

Pier Street - Altona Beach end 2. European deli - Sycamore Deli A recent and welcome addition to Altona is this Polish deli. The passionate owners are happy to tell you all about their products and are stocking new items all the time so be sure to let them know if there’s something you’d like to see in store. Their range of cheeses is amazing and they make their own delicious Polish cheesecakes. 74 Railway Street South 3. Lunch date - Hangar 1one2 A very funky vibe and all day breakfasts plus fantastic coffee make this a great café. We had the spicy meatballs and the zucchini fritters for lunch and they were both super good. There’s an aviation theme happening in the décor as the site was once home to a factory producing plane parts. 112 Pier Street 4. Bargain hunting - Second Gear op shop You wont leave empty handed when you visit this op shop. You know the type – packed full of all kinds of treasures. It’s run by the Salvos making it a great place to send your donations knowing that you helping fund their community programs. 101 Pier Street 5. Child friendly eating - Pier 71 Italian café and restaurant where the staff are friendly and much of the food is made on site including the pasta and the biscuits. Spacious enough for children and there are kid’s menu choices. There’s a lovely courtyard too.

71 Pier Street pier71.com.au 6. Active kids - Sweeneys Swim School Sweeneys is run by brother and sister team Ray and Debbie. They offer swimming lessons for children and adults teaching water confidence, water safety and swimming strokes. During school holidays you can improve you child’s confidence, ability and technique with their intensive swimming program. Lap swimming is available in the mornings. 116 Pier Street sweeneysswimschool.com.au

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why mamas need yoga I found yoga as a mother of a 3 year old and a high needs baby. I was well supported, had a good family and friends network and yet I was still struggling. Struggling to meet the needs of my children in a way that I thought I should, struggling with fatigue which filled every cell in my body and made thinking straight impossible, struggling to communicate how difficult it all was without sounding like I was complaining or having regrets about starting a family. I loved my kids dearly but by constantly putting their needs above my own I was run down, burnt out and totally exhausted.

So when I arrived at our weekly toddler gym class and saw a flyer for yoga classes starting soon at a time I could get to, I thought maybe I’d give it a try. Sometimes these big life changing events just happen with no indication at the time just how big and life changing they are going to be.

Thirteen years later I am a qualified and experienced yoga teacher, with a special interest in sharing yoga with mums.

So why do mamas need yoga?

1. To Rest and Restore Energy.

Most mothers with kids of all ages but especially in those early days suffer from fatigue. It’s one of those things that no matter how much you prepare for it you have no idea just how much it will affect you until you are in the midst of it.

2. To Look After Themselves.

We mamas tend to put our needs last after kids, partners and all sorts of other commitments. A weekly yoga class is a commitment to yourself and helps you manage everything else.

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3. To Stretch, Strengthen and Connect with their Bodies.

This one needs to be taken the right way, yoga classes are not about regaining prebaby bodies or a strong workout. It’s more about feeling what is going on in your body, releasing any tension, learning to listen to your body and look after it.

4. To Develop Acceptance and Peace of Mind.

This one is huge and took me a long time.

Expectations mothers have of themselves or from others (perceived or real) can make it feel like they are constantly striving to do the impossible. Yogic philosophy encourages acceptance of where you are, what’s going on and how to let go of those high and unrealistic expectations of how things “should” be.

I could go on, each person gets what they need from yoga, it is like a buffet of physical, mental and emotional benefits. The bottom line for me as to why mamas need yoga is that in order to nurture to the best of your ability, you need to nurture yourself first.

Belinda teaches yoga classes at the brand new Braybrook Community Hub on Thursday evenings.

She is offering a free trial class to Mamas who mention this article. Bookings essential and spaces are limited.

For further information or to book go to www.yogatogrow.com.au or call Belinda on 0414 702 854.

get in the theme So it’s party time, your little one is getting excited about getting bigger and they have been telling everyone that their birthday party is coming up, but what type of party will it be?

Often young children have a favourite movie or character that they like for that moment so the party theme is chosen to reflect what your child is into at the time. Whether it be superheroes, Ninja Turtles, Wizard of Oz or Frozen there are so many ways you can throw a party using these themes without them looking completely commercial.

Pick elements of the theme and use three of them, for example if you are going with the Ninja Turtle theme you could use garbage cans, slime and pizza.

Take your colours from these three elements; silver, green, red and beige and think mini garbage cans to house desserts, hold the cutlery or the shape of the cake.

The slime could be represented in food like jelly, mousse or drinks and pizza could have the kids making their own, pizza boxes could be used as invitations or cookies could be made in the shape of pizzas.

Frozen has been a massive hit with both boys and girls, and with the amount of Frozen props out there you can easily put together a great party. But if you wanted to hand make things rather than buying from the shops you could make some great snowflake cutouts, get the kids to paint them and cover them with glitter.

Marshmallow pops dipped in blue sugar would make for an easy sweet and why not have the little guests make papermache Olafs. It will give the kids a fun activity to do and take home.

Other party themes that are big for kids are boho or tribal parties incorporating feathers, teepees, face painting and doily bunting.

Ice-cream parties tend to be a favourite for little girls with large balloons and confetti dots for pretty décor, ice-cream stands and cakes with upside down icecream cones on them.

Automobile parties like cars, planes or trains can be a great theme to go with for little boys and can be vintage or contemporary styles.

Colours of sky blue, red, charcoal grey and white are a great base to start with.

Just remember if you going to go with a theme, make that clear with your invitations, especially if there is a dressing up option involved. Then carry this through the party from the games played to the food served.

With plenty of party inspiration available in magazines and Pinterest your child’s next party can be themed to perfection.

For more party ideas grab your copy of Confetti Fair Junior in all good newsagencies June 8th.

Live Local - Shop Local - and don’t forget to mention MamaMag!

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MAMA of the month The journey of creating a mums’ magazine has allowed the mamamag team to meet so many amazing local mums who have managed to start their own businesses or start something new and exciting whilst juggling their other full time job, motherhood! It is both inspiring and fun to find out about each of their journeys and so we have decided to bring you a ‘mama of the month’ each month! Perhaps their story might inspire you to take the leap into something new too!

This month, whilst we celebrate everything parties, we met with Nikki Eyes, a local mum who created Little Ginger, a party products business for special occasions, soon after her youngest child was born.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I grew up in the Yarra Valley and spending time with friends was about connecting with our families, the outdoors and lots of fun. I am the mum of two little ones (4 & 8) and step mum of two bigger ones (26 & 27). Having survived the teenage years first, I decided to try baby, toddler and now pre-teen years! My background is in corporate marketing and training, I have a passion for customer experiences and I love a good party. Little Ginger was born after a challenging first year when the real little ginger (Mstr 4) entered our world!

Where did the idea to create little Ginger come from?

I have always loved home styled parties, home made food, simplicity, creativity and connecting over conversation. When my daughter started kinder it was hard to find quality gifts to include in her party activities and to give as a party favours, particularly for boys. Once she started school she went to lots of parties at play centres but wanted a Mad Hatters Tea Party at home for her birthday. She innocently asked if we could make some keepsakes for her guests. We themed the backyard and the front door in a very Alice way, had a crazy cupcake decorating stand, lots of tea party treats and made our first party favours - squashed bottle cap necklaces for the girls and key rings for the boys with Mad Hatter images in them, and so began the little Ginger journey.

How did you go from there to where the business is now?

After those first party favours, I had a past client discuss with me about purchasing some end of line licensed figurines, and had a few friends ask me to make some themed gifts and table pieces. For my son’s 2nd birthday we did a Dr Seuss theme, with crayon rolls given out to his 22

few little friends, and then I made the Santa gifts for a Corporate Family Christmas Party.

From here I set about sourcing good quality gifts and continued to explore our handmade range. Amelia, now 8, is referred to as the Director of Research with lots of good ideas coming from her innocent questions, and she definitely feels an ownership in the business.

I am behind product design and selection, working with lots of talented local people who help make our own products and other talented designers whose products we sell online.

What makes little Ginger different from other party stores?

We strive to bring gorgeous party pieces to the party, including special and unique party favours and gifts, many of which are handmade with love here in Australia. We also sell some of Australia’s leading brands of party paper products, making it easy to create the perfect party using our co-ordinated ranges of tableware and accessories. You can select individual pieces from our range, or choose one of our Complete Pop Up Party Packs in the theme and size that suits your needs.

What’s the best thing about what you do?

Knowing that we help people with their party planning and add some Wow Factor to their event, the smile on a child’s face says it all.

Being online means people can shop with us at any time of day, from their own homes.

The online store allows great flexibility for running a business, kid wrangling, being around for their special times and also being able to meet some wonderful people both customers and other mums in business, even if some of this is online only.

What does an average day look like?

To be completely honest it can be a little disjointed with school and kinder drops. My work can be from home or out and about. A typical day might involve reviewing finished products or components for product ideas, maintaining the website, photography, loading, and stock control. There is time with the kids at the end of the day, and more often than not checking emails and the website for a few hours after they go to bed. Running your own business does give flexibility, but it doesn’t necessarily mean shorter days!

What advice do you have for others thinking of starting a business?

Start with the end in mind, it doesn’t have to be perfect to begin, you just need to start and evolve as you go, but you do need to know what it is you want to achieve. For some their business maybe more a hobby for extra money and filling an interest, others may be aiming to achieve income replacement and build an asset. Whatever you decide, just know for most there will be a lot of work and focus required before you start seeing the results, but if you are passionate about what you want to do, you don’t have to make it all happen overnight!

What’s next…

For now we’re focusing on expanding the products on our website: we are constantly on the lookout for products to complement our own little Ginger branded range. We are currently looking at a wholesale arm for our range and the potential of creating satellite business partners where others sell our range on a smaller scale in their local areas via markets or as an in-home type business.

Make your party stress free with little Ginger’s lovely range of party goods and gifts. They can help make your event one that everyone will remember long after they leave. As well as children’s parties their range covers baby showers and other celebrations, unique gifts and more.

Little Ginger helps you leave a lasting impression www.littleginger.com.au www.facebook.com/littlegingeronline

turn the page Altona Library celebrates its 50th birthday on Friday 5 June, World Environment Day. It is a fitting concurrence with our increased sense of appreciation and responsibility for our natural heritage being celebrated through the EnviroCentre which is located at Altona Library.

You are invited to join the party with roving performers, reptile encounters, pedal power smoothies and worm filled workshops.

Find out more about this and all the birthday celebrations on our website at libraries.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au Rivertime – Trace Balla - 2014 I’m sure the world stopped when I read Rivertime. As I was swept down the river, details slowly emerged from the illustrations; birds, lizards and fish darted, whistled and dive. Uncle Egg and Clancy are entertaining companions and their story is sure to inspire the explorer within.

Fortunately the waterways in West of Melbourne are home to a wide variety of birdlife. Or if you rather an indoor adventure, you can visit the taxidermy birds at Altona Library.

Best for middle to upper primary age.

Slug Needs a Hug! – Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross - 2015 You may be disturbed by how relatable the star of Jeanne Willis’ and Tony Ross’ latest book is. Haven’t we all felt a little slimy, whiny, needy or greedy at some stage? Or is that just me! Playful language and energetic illustrations make this book great fun to read aloud. It’s sure to become a favourite as plenty of rainy winter days give us great snail spotting weather.

Best for preschool and lower primary age.

Where is Galah? – Sally Morgan - 2015 Sally Morgan presents an engaging game of hide and seek in a wonderfully vivid colour palette. The search for the elusive galah uncovers a wide range of animals and I loved seeing numbat and quoll join the more common Australian favourites. But it’s not just about what you can see - animal sounds will make for a lively reading and fun speech practice for younger children.

Best for preschool age.

Tracie Fairchild is one of the Children’s and Youth Librarians at Hobsons Bay Libraries. She reads all kinds of books and will ‘do the voices’ at the slightest provocation. She keeps one eye open for spoonbills when travelling between library branches.

Live 24 Local - Shop Local - and don’t forget to mention MamaMag!

Altona

1965 Library 2015 celebrates 50 Years

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Kids in sport

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With all the technology temptations of modern life, it’s more important than ever to engage our children in active, balanced lifestyles. When a passion for sport is ignited in children early on, it is likely to stay with them for life.

confronting for parents. It’s a great way to involve your child in a fun, social and healthy activity that also allows you to spend quality time together away from the television!

We want our kids to be healthy, active, happy children. Instead of excessive screen time, we want to encourage them to get outside, to run around with their friends and to enjoy the sunshine, but motivating your children to be active in these modern technological times can be a challenge.

· Promoting a fit and healthy lifestyle

One of the best ways to engage children in physical, outdoor activities is to involve them in sport early on.

· Improving communication

For some parents, the idea of sport can be intimidating. Perhaps they were not athletic growing up and have no real interest in sport themselves. However sport shouldn’t be

· Helping provide structure and discipline

The benefits of children in sport are almost endless. Some of them include: · Building confidence and self esteem · Reducing stress - for parents and kids! · Improving balance and coordination · Providing a sense of belonging · Developing social skills · Building relationships with peers, mentors and teachers · Encouraging teamwork, cooperation and leadership · Teaching the benefits of goal setting

And above all, sport makes kids happy! They love running around with their friends and sharing a common interest.

their favourite drink bottle ready with their favourite snack for after the class. All of this helps to build excitement for the session.

It’s natural for kids to be a little apprehensive about trying something new for the first time.

Once they get there, they will, of course, love it, but getting them out the door can sometimes also throw parents a curveball.

Having to sit down and take instructions from a coach before playing can be a new experience for children of a young age. Parents need to emphasise that the child needs to listen to the coach, and reinforce directions given.

It will really help develop a child’s ability to be attentive.

Here are a few tips for preparing your children for a new sports program: Prepare your child for the class by speaking about it during the days leading up to their first session. Build excitement so they are looking forward to it. This also helps to overcome the nerves of entering into a new environment.

Explain to your child that they are going to be part of a team and will meet new friends before arriving at the session. This helps by letting them know to expect to see lots of new faces.

Sometimes kids are full of excitement at home, and then when you arrive to their first session, they curl up into a ball. That’s perfectly understandable. Your child doesn’t know anyone in a strange environment, so helping them ease into their first sports session is an important step for parent and child.

When you arrive at the venue, try to dive straight into playing with whatever equipment is out…and don’t be shy, join in with them! We find this really helps to settle them into the new environment.

Don’t apply pressure! Sport is about enjoyment, especially at a young age. As long as your little one is smiling and laughing the rest will come.

Your child may not pick it all up in one session, but with constant support and encouragement to try again if they don’t succeed, they will eventually reach their goal.

If at first you don’t succeed, what do we do? We TRY AGAIN! Parents MUST reinforce this. Even failing should be fun.

If you would like to get your child involved in sport then why not check out Soccer Time Kids (1 - 5 year olds) and Football Star Academy (5 - 16+ year olds). We run terrific sports programs for kids that will provide hours of happy and healthy fun for your children.

And we also run fun active kids parties!

By Elliot Capel - Soccer Time Kids, Head of Coaching & Operations Manager Ph 1300 476 223 www.soccertimekids.com.au

Children of a young age feed off the energy that is around them. Put your phone away and fully submerse yourself into the session, and you will find your child follows suit.

Of course, it may take some time for your child to start to really get comfortable with the sports program they are involved with. Parents need to walk a fine line of persistence versus pressure.

We want to keep encouraging children to be involved but understand that sport is only a game and that ultimately it’s all about having fun. Here are a few thoughts to help keep your child excited about sport.

Children love routine, so get them into one on the day of their sports session. Get the uniform out in the morning, and ask the child to get 27

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Brought to you by:

Parklife harpley estate adventure playground Black Forest Road, Werribee Werribee has sure brought out the ‘big guns’ with this brand spankin’ new adventure playground.

It’s huge and filled with so many bits and pieces that the little ones will need a good chunk of the morning or arvo to explore it. There’s a slippery slide, a climbing fort, 2 flying foxes, a hammock swing, sand pit, wobbly bridge and lots of little statue animals to uncover. It’s all situated in the middle of the yet to be built Harpley Estate and situated next to the (unfenced) water. This wonderful space is just what you need to be inspired to get in some outdoor playtime, even on those chillier Melbourne days.

Mamma’s special mention: if you like this park then Mamma says check out Brimbank Park in Keilor. another Westie park treasure you and the fam will love.

The nitty gritty BBQ’s - shelter only over BBQ’s - free parking - picnic tables - no toilets - free wifi

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mama can Cook!

Mr Pizzas Serves: 8 | Prep: 5min | Cook: 5min

Method:

Ingredients: 8 English muffins

Toast the muffins and spread with either the tomato passata or green pesto.

Tomato passata

Divide the ham and cheese and layer on the muffins.

Green pesto

Then comes the fun bit, use the topping to create faces and then grill for a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted and is just turning brown.

Grated mozzarella cheese 100g sliced ham Red and green capsicum, sliced Black olives, sliced

Either prepare before the party, or get the kids to make their own as a super fun party activity.

Button mushrooms, sliced Pineapple cubes

These will be the hit of the party and full of yummy goodness!

Thanks to the girls at messyfaces.com.au

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Tiny teddy racers These served up at your next birthday are sure to get the party racing!

Ingredients: 1 packet mini mars bars 1 packet smarties Tiny teddy biscuits 1 packet lifesavers 3 tablespoons icing sugar 1 teaspoon water

Method: This is more a case of construction work rather than cooking. Using a knife split the lifesavers in half and push one half into each mars bar car as a steering wheel and push in the teddy driver behind. Finally make up a thick icing solution with the icing sugar and water and use it as a glue to stick on the smartie wheels and ready, steady…party!

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Creating a successful mothers group Are you about to join a mothers group and want to ensure it works? Or are you already part of one that is starting to fizzle? A mothers group, like all relationships in life, takes effort for it to thrive. Whilst it will take time for your group to get to know each other there are a number of things you can proactively do to help put your mothers group on the path for success:

Communication is key: Make it easy for your group to keep in touch.

Share each other’s contact details and create a private Facebook page for your group so that you can easily communicate the details of your catch ups, ask each other questions, share photos etc.

Keep it simple: Given you’ll all have baby brain, keep it simple and aim to have a regular weekly meeting (same time, day and location) as this will reduce the administration burden, avoid confusion and allow you to schedule other appointments around it.

Sleeping like a baby: The sleeping habits of your child will change over time and make it difficult for you to meet during the same hour each week so organise for your group to have at least a two hour meeting ‘window’ so you can come and go as you like during this time.

Location, location, location: Will you rotate hosting at each other’s homes or find a central location to meet?

Cafés are one option (if you can find one that fits multiple prams) but are difficult once your baby starts to move.

Parks are another option, however are weather dependant and therefore not a reliable regular venue given Melbourne’s variable weather.

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If you don’t want to have to worry about cleaning your house and hosting a large group of mum’s and babies in your house/apartment then community halls and playhouses are the best option – they provide you with indoor and outdoor space that are suitable all year round and playhouses have the added benefit of providing you with all the toys, play equipment and utilities that you need so all you need to bring is your child and nappy bag!

Allow flexibility for working mums: One of the main reasons mothers groups fall apart these days is a result of the increasing trend for mums to return to part or full time work. To cater for this think about running two sessions a week (different days and times), mum’s night outs or weekend family activities to enable those who have returned to work to attend. If this still doesn’t work, then contact your local playhouses to see if you can join forces with another mothers group or join a new one.

The effort you put in to establish a successful mothers group will be worth it – both you and your child will benefit from the social interaction and potentially lifelong friendships that are made.

To locate a playgroup near you visit www.playgroup.org.au.

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The Reluctant Part When I was a child I loved parties! It was such an honour to be invited and then there were games and lollies and treats and of course the cake. What’s not to like?

Then eventually I had my own child, a very adventurous little boy. For this story, let’s call him Liam. As a toddler I would have to say that he loved parties a little too much. While all the other children were playing nicely together he would manage to find some broken glass that needed tasting, some power switches that needed investigating or even a small dog whose head needed biting. (And this was just one party.) Needless to say I did not have any time to socialise like the other mothers.

Once Liam grew up a bit and I could take Sunshine Hospital emergency department off speed dial, we went to a party where his behaviour really stunned me. It was for a four-year-old girl from playgroup and he bizarrely refused to enter the house at all. I asked him sweetly, I demanded that he enter, I encouraged him nicely and used every other trick I could think of but he wouldn’t budge and we were stuck on the front veranda. “You are being silly, you know that there is watermelon in there Liam?” Liam loved watermelon and he pleaded with me to bring him some. I remembered that as a young adult I also found parties difficult and I forced myself to attend them. Eventually I came to enjoy parties and therefore I decided that that was the path that Liam should follow too, so I stuck to my guns. No I would not go in and get him some watermelon, he would have to go in himself. We were there for over half an hour with me encouraging and him refusing.

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Eventually we found a compromise and we walked down the side of the house. He found some things to amuse himself with in the backyard and he got his watermelon. He did not join in any games and did not even want to see the candles being blown out. What was wrong with him? Why was just MY son the one who could not enjoy the party?

He was later diagnosed with being on the Autism Spectrum with Asperger’s Syndrome. I’ve since learnt that he is not me. Just because I enjoyed parties as a child does not mean that he has to do so. My method of overcoming my adult shyness of parties has nothing to do with this little boy. He is his own person and has his own feelings. He did get to enjoy parties once he was able to approach them on his own terms. We went to a party of a girl in prep and he sat in the cargo bike in the front yard the whole time. His friends knew that he was there and brought him out cake and things to eat. Once all the other guests had gone home he did venture inside.

He was invited to two parties in grade one but because he didn’t want to attend he gave the invitations straight back.

Opps! I had to talk to him about how to politely decline. One of the children’s mothers kindly tracked me down and diplomatically said, “I think Liam lost his invitation, here is another one.” It was for a party at a swimming pool and Liam loved pools! I explained to the other mother about Asperger‘s and how Liam would not want to join in the organised pool games and she said that that was fine. We went and had a great time. He had a swim by himself when the organised pool games were on and then did actually sit down and join in the

ty Guest food part as well. He once went to a bowling party and did not bowl but did have the food. At a couple of play centres he hid around the corner with a plate of food but still had fun on the play equipment.

At the next-door neighbours child’s party he spent the whole time literally on the side fence. At another next door neighbour’s party he put on a formal suit and played his cello for the pass-the-parcel and then went home again.

I just take each one as it comes and now parties are a lot easier. I accept that some parties (most actually) he will not attend, some parties he will attend at a distance and some he will leave early. That is okay. Now that I have stopped fretting about it and talk openly with other parents life is a lot easier.

He is not me. He is not Tommy down the street. He is himself and should not be compared with other people. I stop myself from thinking that he “should” be having more fun.

I would be lying though if I did not admit that a part of me always feels sad when he is unable to be with the group. I suppose that that is my problem and not his.

Written by a Footscray mum.

A great place to go for more information about autism spectrum disorder is Amaze at www.amaze.org.au or phone 1300 308 699

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happy birthday mamamag Whilst MamaMag is still quite new in the West, MamaMag actually turns 1 this month with our first publication, Bayside MamaMag, celebrating 12 months.

So what better time than our one year anniversary to turn the tables and go behind these printed pages to find out a bit more about Sarah Cavalier, the creator, publisher, creative director and all round multi-tasking single mama behind MamaMag. Happy Birthday to your baby MamaMag!!

One year down, how on earth did this crazy and wonderful adventure get started and what were you doing before MamaMag? My background is Graphic Design (that’s why MamaMag looks so good!!) and I have run my own design business, Grizzle Design, for over 13 years. Before kids I was based in an awesome shared studio in Richmond. Once Lachie was born, almost 7 years ago, I moved my business home to the Macedon Ranges, where I lived, and worked on the business part time. Two years later Milla came along and business went on as usual. (No such thing as maternity leave for me.) I worked, tried to play happy housewife and juggled two children who never slept. But I never really felt happy. Some would say country life should have been idyllic, part time work fun, but I was tired and lonely and finally when my marriage unraveled I left the country with my two kids in tow back to the big smoke. We shacked up with Grandma in Brighton for 2 months before moving into our own place where I got back to rebuilding my business and my life.

It’s a scary thought to suddenly need a full time wage again after 5 years part time and a hubby to cover the rest. I couldn’t just go out and get a job. I hadn’t worked for anyone since 2003! So I picked up some freelance design work to top up my Grizzle stuff and found a new studio to share in South Yarra. I was just making enough to pay the bills, but something was still missing.

Corporate design and marketing just wasn’t exciting me anymore and I knew, as I rebuilt my life, it was time to build something new business wise as well.

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You launched MamaMag and ran it completely solo for the first few months, only to call out for a small hand when you couldn’t physically distribute two publications at once. How hectic where those early days?

I’m still not sure how I even got that first June issue off the ground. I pounded the streets for a month with a colour laser printout of my Media Kit and a few printouts of proposed articles for the first issue. It was so amateur! But I believed in my product and so did everyone else apparently because I sold enough ads to make a small profit and MamaMag was off and racing. I was selling ads, coordinating content, designing the magazine, designing ads, handling the accounts and distributing all 5,000 mags all by myself (plus still managing my Grizzle Design work) and for some reason 4 months later I decided it was a good idea to launch a second publication in Port Phillip!

Bayside had been such a hit from the getgo and Port Phillip is like my second home, having lived in St Kilda before and Milla going to kinder in Elwood. So it was always going to be next. But suddenly I had almost doubled my workload only handballing the distribution of Bayside over to Kirsty when it became apparent I couldn’t deliver two publications at once!

Kirsty was always going to do more with the mag, but at the time I couldn’t afford to pay her! Some people seem to think MamaMag is some big business. But it’s just a crazy single mum with a dream and a few other awesome mums now helping coordinate the content in the other two areas. Westside is managed by my sister who lives in Footscray and Port Phillip is looked after by the wonderful Kirsty who stepped up as Port editor when it all got too much for me to do by myself.

What was your initial vision for MamaMag and how has that evolved?

Initially I just wanted to create something fun and local for mums to read whilst giving local businesses a new place to get great local exposure to a really targeted audience. I thought it would be a fun and exciting project to run that would complement my existing design business.

But it’s become so much more. MamaMag has allowed me to meet so many amazing mums and locals in business and I love having a platform to be able to help showcase their ideas. I introduced the Mama of the Month article off the back of this, wanting to share all these fabulous mum’s stories with the readers in the hope they might inspire other mums to try something new after having kids. Whenever a business contacts me for advertising I always look at their business and say “Hey, we would love you to advertise (after all the ads are the only place the magazine gets funding and I need to feed my kids!), but where else can we get you involved so you get the best exposure to our local mums.” If it’s a toy shop I get items to use as prizes in our colouring comp and pop their details in there, if it’s a café I encourage them to submit a recipe to share with our readers. I work with local bookshops publishing book reviews, and of course I love local businesses writing articles as it gives the mag great content and it gives them another outlet to get their name out there as well.

How do you manage to keep MamaMag on track, meet deadlines, keep the kids nourished and have time for hobbies? Are there even enough hours in the day?

In a few words, I wing it! And no, there are not nearly enough hours in the day. Publication wise everything is often down to the wire as I’m still doing far too many jobs at once. As I type this it’s Thursday. Tomorrow is advertising deadline, yet I still have 10 ads to design and get approved and I’ve only half done the Bayside layout and not started the other two. We go to print Tuesday!

I did move house this week though, so I’m a bit thrown off from that. I will be working all weekend, that’s a given and happens at least twice a month, but thankfully the kids are at their Dad’s a lot of weekends! Week life is a juggle as a single mum with two kids. Milla does two days sessional kinder and three days long day care at her wonderful Elwood kinder whilst Lachie is in Grade 1. Mondays and Wednesdays are normal pick up, Tuesdays are after school care,

Soccer on Thursday. I had a little office but now I’ve moved the business back home to make working at night easier and allowing the kids to get home a bit earlier. Nourishment... luckily for me the kids love eating healthy. If we are home after 6, sometimes it’s just brown rice, tuna and peas. Total cooking time 1.30min! But you do what you have to do.

Proudest MamaMag moment to date...

There have been many. When I distributed the very first mag last June I was in a kindergarten in Black Rock. It was my first stop in Black Rock so I knew no one down there would have seen it yet. As I explained to the teacher what MamaMag was and handed over her new display box, a cute little 4 year old boy looked up at me and said “MamaMag, my mum’s already got one of them”. Brilliant, we’re famous already!! Then when I distributed Port Phillip for the first time, within half an hour of dropping it in Bay Street Port Melbourne the president of the Port Melbourne Traders Association called to congratulate me on such an outstanding publication for the community.

I’ve had so many lovely messages from readers on Facebook as well. It always makes me smile and feel so proud that I am creating something mums love and doing something great for the community at the same time.

Some say the first year is the toughest in business startups - yet you’ve launched three mags in that time - what has kept you strong and motivated?

I love what I do. There is never a day that I don’t want to work on MamaMag. I wish I had more days in the week to make time to make this magazine even better. Some of publications financially are working better than others, but the amazing feedback we get from our readers makes me so happy that as long as I’m not making a loss, I’m ok with that. I’m not here to make lots of money, just as long as I can support my beautiful kids (and pay that nasty tax bill!). My children keep me strong. They have become an integral part of MamaMag and my biggest fans. Poor Lachie can’t work out why he never wins the colouring comp though!! Now everytime we go somewhere, Milla always says “Mummy, take a photo and put it in the magazine”. She loves her 5 minutes of fame!

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So it’s the Birthday Issue. Do you make Lachie & Milla’s cake each year?

I’ve made Lachie’s every year, although Milla has had the Woolworths Peppa Pig cake for the last 2 years in a row. Too easy! Lachie wanted a giraffe for his third birthday which worked out quite well, until I let him help do the spots. He ended up with pink and purple patches instead of brown but he thought it was fabulous.

You’ve exposed many Mama’s guilty pleasures on these very pages, time to share yours...

My guilty pleasure is candy. I have a serious issue with Skittles and will easily knock back a family pack if not intervened!

What’s a life lesson you would tell your younger self and a value you would most like to instill in your children?

To not be afraid to try something new, no matter how hard it seems. A little saying I love is “Stop focussing on how stressed you are and remember how blessed you are.”

What makes your heart burst?

Every time I pick my kids up from their Dad’s, or from an afternoon at Grandma’s, they always run up and hug me with so much excitement like they haven’t seen me in weeks, yet it’s only been days or even hours. To see the love in their eyes and to know I’m making them happy gives me so much joy.

Photos by Kelly Jord an Photog www.kelly raphy jordanphot ography.c om.au

music and children We all know that our children love music. From the time they are tiny dots, they’ll groove away in the car seat when a good tune comes on the radio, they’ll twinkle their fingers and rock their baby bear and they will demand we sing “E I E I O” until we can’t come up with any more animals!

We know that there are many studies to show that children who participate in music have enormous educational and social outcomes. Music making supports language development, spatial-temporal skills such as being able to visualise math problems, as well as improving social development and confidence.

But exposing children to music doesn’t just mean taking them to a formal toddler music class and banging a drum vaguely in time. It can be as simple as singing around the house and clapping along to the music. In fact, just seeing your parents and the people close to you sing is a powerful tool in understanding that music is a part of every day life and something in which everyone can participate.

I’ve been running choirs for over 10 years now but the recent group we’ve started on a Thursday morning has made a real impact on me. We welcome kids to our sessions but the sessions are aimed at the adults in the room. We have toys for the children to play with but almost always what they choose to do is hold a piece of sheet music and try their best to join in. They mimic our sounds and bop along to the groove and absorb the fact that singing is fun and can be done by anyone.

And let’s not forget that singing makes people happy. It releases feel-good oxytocin into our bodies, it encourages us to take deep breaths (which have numerous physical and psychological

benefits) and it takes our minds away from the business of our lives and allows us to focus on one task at hand. And what a great task that is -­ making music!

Singing is for everyone. We need to let go of this idea that we have to be good at it in order to participate. Goodness knows I grab a cricket bat on the beach each summer and join in without a skerrick of talent or experience. One of the great gifts we can give our children is the understanding that music is a wonderful part of life, and help them develop a love of song that they may well hold with them right throughout their lives. So put on a CD that you know all the words to and sing along, take them to a concert or join a choir.

Just get singing!

By Vicky Jacobs Vicky Jacobs is the founder and director of Glee Club, Melbourne’s most famous sing-­a-­long choir. She is a renowned musical director, pianist and vocal coach, working on some of the biggest shows to have graced the Australian stage in recent years, including ‘Les Miserables’, ‘Grease’, ‘Xanadu’ and ‘Jersey Boys’.

Vicky is proud to be part of the team who developed ‘Warm Me Up’, the number 1 vocal warm up app for smartphone.

Kid-friendly Glee Club runs at Kindred Studios in Yarraville every Thursday morning at 11am and costs $12.

There is also a session just for adults at The Butterfly Club in the CBD every Tuesday night at 6:30pm for $15.

For more info, please go to www.gleeclubsinging.com

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Party Hats It’s party time!!! Happy Birthday MamaMag, This month I have created a couple of DIY party hats to make that birthday extra special.

Dino Hat

You will need: pre bought hats, coloured paper, scissors, glue stick.

To make; Using your coloured paper cut a zig zag line about 5cm in along one side of the paper. Measure your zig zag against the height of the hat. Cut to fit. Fold the edge of the zig zag down, run your glue stick over this edge.

And glue into place.

Monster Hat

This is a fun one to let the kids do themselves at the party. You will need: pre bought hats, scissors, pom poms, white paper, black markers, glue, scrap paper.

To make; Pre cut all different sized white circles for the eyes, pre cut different shaped teeth.

Lay out all the paper eyes, teeth, pom poms, markers, and scrap paper. Let the kids make and create their own monster hat.

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Sprinkle Hat

You will need: Pre bought hats, 100s and 1000s, PVA glue, paint brush, piece of paper.

To make; Dip your brush into the PVA and paint the number on to the hat. Put the paper under the hat to catch all the 100 and 1000s. Shake the 100s and 1000s over the glue number.

Mini Crown Hat

You will need: Coloured paper or an old picture book. Scissors, PVA glue, paint brush, glitter, elastic, piece of paper, sticky tape.

To make; cut a zig zag line up the long side of the paper about 10cm in. Dip your brush into PVA and paint the edge of the zig zag. Put the zig zag over the paper to catch the glitter.

Shake glitter over the glue. Wait till dry. Roll into a circle and tape together. Tape the elastic on each side of the crown to hold on the head.

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take a walk on the wild side Why not take a walk on the WILD SIDE for your next Kids party?

As a professional zoologist and a wildlife fanatic, I have been teaching kids about all things WILD for the past 21 years! The one thing that still puzzles me most from children when I teach them about animals is the outcry ”I’m not an animal!”, and I sigh… yes you are!”

In my opinion, children these days are far removed from nature. I spent most of my youth jumping the back-fence of the family home in the search for blue-tongued lizards, tadpoles and even Sshhhh snakes!

How can we possibly conserve the remaining wild places on our planet, and the animals and plants which inhabit them, if kids don’t have an intrinsic love and compassion for them? This is where zoo parties come into play! Why not celebrate your next child’s birthday, and at the same time give them a passion for nature and wildlife. Your children will have such a fun and adrenalin packed time…. they won’t realise that they are learning too!

It’s overwhelming to discover how many reptile, farm and zoo party operators are out there in the market place. Like all industries, some animal parties are good and some absolutely ‘SHONKY!’ The purpose of this article is to give you a few tips on what to look for, and to help make your child’s birthday the WILDEST and most memorable of them all!

The beauty of a reptile party or zoo party is that the animals are brought to your event or party. Kids can have the amazing opportunity to touch and interact with a wide variety of Australian animals. This interactive concept provides for a truly three- dimensional

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experience, unlike a large zoo in which the animals are kept behind glass or in an enclosure.

Not only should a zoo party be fun and entertaining it must have an educational element. For me, there is nothing more gratifying than encouraging children to get in touch with their wild side.

The first of my tips is to do your homework.

Talk to your friends, colleagues and read testimonials about any wildlife company.

The company must not only handle and control the animals, but also manage and engage 30 ’rowdy’ kids. Most zoo parties run for one hour. Does the Company need to setup outside, or can the party show be performed indoors. It’s probably a good idea to vacate your pets for the day, after all you’d hate for them to be on the menu for the visiting wildlife!

Were the animals in good condition?

Did the creatures look stressed?

Did the presenter have a good knowledge of their wildlife? Did all of the kids get a chance to touch and hold the animals?

Make sure that the company you are choosing is ethical and conservation minded. A zoo party shouldn’t just be a ‘free for all’ in handling animals. Don’t be scared to ask questions about where the animals are kept, what are the experience, qualifications and background of the operator, and how long have they been operating for? Compare web sites and ask exactly which animals will attend your party.

Anyone who displays wildlife in the State of Victoria must be licensed with the Victorian State Government, Department of Environment and Primary Industries.

At present there are over 30 wildlife demonstration companies performing children’s parties with wildlife in Victoria. It’s also a good idea to ask to see a copy of a company’s Public Liability Insurance. If the individual is ‘coy’ about this, then it’s best to keep searching. It’s buyer beware I’m afraid!

One thing that I can guarantee you is that your birthday child will remember a zoo party for the rest of their lives…..I mean who wouldn’t!

Imagine having a koala, crocodile, behemoth python snake, kissable frog, endangered owls, fresh-water turtle, eye-licking leaf-tailed gecko, giant monitor lizard, laughing kookaburra (which actually laughs I might add), baby joey kangaroo…and so much more inhabit your lounge room!

A zoo party should be fun, yet educational to empower young minds to make a difference to conserve. Oh and make sure your party guests 100% wash their hands. This is of paramount importance before the party food is served.

It’s such a refreshing idea to move away from super hero parties, fairy themes and magic shows, and let your kids discover the gift of wonderment, beauty and life pulsating joy in Australian wildlife….or is that just me?

Well…regardless of your position, the photos and memories will be priceless! I’m even sure that some of the photos taken will end up ‘show-cased’ at your child’s 21st!

By Chris Humphrey Wild Action www.wildaction.com.au

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www.wildaction.com.au

PH 0419 385 245

LI VE Di AN re I Yo ct MA u! To LS

THE PERFECT WAY TO CELEBRATE YOUR NEXT CHILDREN'S BIRTHDAY PARTY!