Bonnie's 4th birthday - dino themed party

After having three girls I honestly figured life would be dolls, barbies, tea parties and unicorns for a long time. Everything I've bought for the past 11 years has been pink (or purple). Until this year when Bonnie has taken a very enthusiastic liking to sharks and dinosaurs and the colours blue and green. So we knew her birthday party this year would either be underwater or prehistoric themed. At first she told us it would need to be sharks, as dinosaurs are extinct (Thanks Sheldon Cooper 🤦‍♀️) but she ended up going ahead once we explained the dino situation.

My first stop was, as always, Pinterest! I created a subcategory on my birthday board named dinosaurs. So many ideas for food that I just loved! Scouring Pinterest helped me to decide that I didn't want Jurassic park or dinosaur train, or even anything 'girlie dinosaurs'. I was looking to do a very generic dino theme with greens and browns and lots of foliage. I thoroughly enjoy putting together a themed food table for the kids parties, so this party was no different. I had the party starting at 10am so I knew not to go overboard with food as small kids don't usually like to eat too much in one sitting.

We had pterydactal wings (honey soy chicken nibbles), carnivorous nuggets (dino shaped chicken nuggets), prehistoric boulders (cheese scones), dino bones (veggie straw chips), stego spikes (Doritos), hervivor heaven (veggie platter with carrot sticks, cherry tomatos, celery sticks, capsicum slices, baby quakes and seaweed rice crackers) served with Bronto snot (corn relish dip), t-rex eggs (green grapes), fossil cookies (sugar cookies with dino feet impression), fairysaurus (trex shaped fairy bread), raptor rice cakes (choc dipped mini rice cakes), Jurassic poop (chocolate covered sultanas and candied dinosaurs (the natural confectionery company jellies).


For the cake I made a batch of mini cupcakes, topped with frosting and edible cupcake toppers that I had sourced from deezee designs, arranged on a 3 tier acrylic cake stand from eBay and they were highlighted by a 6" banana cake frosted with cookies and cream icing and some of the cutest neon dinosaur sprinkles. When cake time rolled around I popped a gold number 4 candle and some cute dino candles from big w on the top.


From previous experience I have established that younger kids struggle to focus, get bored quickly and don't seem to enjoy party games that have an end result of 'one winner' so I decided to do more activities as opposed to games. I had cooked up 3 batches of play doh prior to the day and coloured them blue, green and orange. I set those up on one of the tables with a few dino cookie cutters and a set of tiny dinos, miniature trees and rock scene setters.


I bought from kmart 2x packs of dinosaur themed pencils and a pack of dinosaur cut outs for the kids to colour in and then we also bought the kmart dinosaur piniata. To fill the piniata I bought a few packs of lollies and the kmart dino party favours pack which filled the piniata to the brim. The kids all had great fun trying to bust it open but in true mama Reindl form I ended up tearing it apart with my hands and shaking it everywhere to ensure all the kids all got stuff.

In terms of decorating the room I was hell bent on not using latex balloons so I ended up settling for a few foil (recyclable) dinosaur balloons, some paper lanterns, foil swirls, hanging paper cut outs and the kmart dinosaur wall stickers. Hubby also made the most magnificent model volcano using cement and oxide which I painted and styled with sand & a dinosaur toy set. We also took some cuttings from pur garden and used some artificial plants about the house too.

We all know that kids often come home from parties hyped up on sugar, so it was my decision not to offer traditional lolly bags with crappy plastic toys. Instead I opted for cute dinosaur moulded crayons from quirky-ness custom crayons and stuck a sticker on that Leanne from lime and mortar had designed specially for bonnie's party for me. The party was a raging success and I LOVED putting this one together... maybe next year she will have her shark party?! Happy 4th birthday Bonnie!

Happy 11th Birthday Lexi

11 years of motherhood...

I'd like to claim it as more though, after all, im a firm believer that a woman becomes a mother when she looks at that pregnancy test and a man becomes a father when he holds his baby for the first time. It was the February after graduating year 12 when you were conceived... Valentine's day to be exact. I thought I was "grown" yet looking back I see an immature, trusting, naive, child. I now can look back and see me the way mum mum saw me.

I couldn't believe it when you made your appearance into this world on your due date! Apparently that only happens to 6% of babies. I remember being a hormonal mess in hospital, we almost lost you. And those 5 days I spent in hospital learning how to care for you were the only calm days I can remember with you. I remember holding you in the parents lounge sobbing to you, promising to do whatever it takes to guard you from the evil in this world. I hope when you're all grown up you'll tell me I did okay.

When only 1 month after having you we were rushed into surgery to save your little life, I was petrified. How could someone so little and helpless be subjected to all that pain, I knew it was all to help you but I just would have done anything to take your place. The doctors fixed your malrotated bowl, removed your appendix and nursed you back to good health. In retrospect I wish I had acted sooner, I knew something was wrong but listened to the "professionals" who told me you had colic.

We moved around a lot while you were young. It wasn't til the year you turned 5 that we really found our home. We had lived in Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, Kojonup, Mandurah and Ellenbrook before we moved to Yanchep. I remember when things first started to get rocky between your father and I. I was convinced that being a family was the best thing for us and we both endured more than we should have. All the yelling, throwing things, the violence, the restraining orders. All the things I wish I could take back. This was obviously part of the journey I needed to go through to be the person I now am... I just wish you hadn't been riding shotgun.

When I met the Reindl man, I was instantly infatuated. We fell in love and moved in quickly, no regrets there. Seeing the amazing guide he was to you made it so easy. Sometimes I still forget he chose both of us, not just me. And it honestly takes my breath away, he was so enthusiastic to teach you, to show you the world, to protect you and to love you. When your biological father disappeared from your life when you were 4, you started calling him daddy and he stepped up to the plate. You would follow him around like a bad smell whenever he was home and on the weekends you were right by his side ready to help him with all the household projects.

Around the age of 8 you got a personality makeover, and in a bad way. The backchat, the arguments, the face pulling, THE STEALING?!?! I remember calling up your grandpa asking for advice because no mater what motivation we laid out, what discipline was given, what extents we would go to we couldn't stop you sneaking junk food from the fridge and pantry. Grandpa said to me "I seem to remember another little girl that was just like that!". Yup you were my karma child. Eventually after 2 long years it died down by itself, realistically I think it was more of an attention thing than anything else.

When your father asked to start having visitation again, I was so mad. How could someone simply walk away from a 4 year old, their own child and then suddenly just "decide" they want you back in their life 5 years later. I was angry at him for you, how could he have abandoned you in the first place. I was angry at him for the Reindl man, after he had invested so much time with you and now he would lose out to this scum? And most of all I was angry at him for me. How dare he think he can just roam in and out when he pleases. How dare he expect me to forgive him, to put my trust in him again and to hand over one of my most prized possessions on earth?

But I did. I knew it was what was right for you. If he could be the father you needed, who was I to keep that from him. Solicitors advice was sought and we spent 6 months in mediation before we came to an agreement. I was scared, he had been out of your life more than he'd been in it, you didn't even know him anymore. It started with letters in the post. Then phone calls. The Skype videos. Day trips with him, next was overnights. Now you see him two nights a week and it scares me shitless, but it probably always will. I promised to protect you, after all, and I can't do that when you aren't with me.

In the past 6 months you have really blossomed into your own identity. You are so kind and helpful, quirky and smart, friendly and generous. Raising you scares me like no tomorrow, cos I have no idea what in the world I'm doing, but we've made it this far so I must be doing something right. I hope when you're a mum that you forgive me for all of the screw ups I've made, that you understand all of the tough decisions over the years and that you are bountiful in all that you deserve.

I love you Alexandra Dawn xx

77 days til Reindl Christmas - Annual Newsletter

This isn't something that many people do, mainly because of the rise of social media and the decline of actually being social. I'm guilty of it too! I can update my Facebook status three times a day (with pictures) of what I'm doing yet I'd be lucky to call grandma twice a year. So this year I plan to start an annual Reindl newsletter - to tell all my family, especially those interstate, about our lives over the previous year.

I first read up on this actually being a thing in 2014 from a blog called "Honeysuckle". I planned to do one that year but was pregnant that Christmas, lazy the next, pregnant the Christmas after that, and well- I'm trying not to be lazy this Christmas. Honeysuckle's newsletter looks amazing and it's such a fun way to include out of town family in yours and your families lives. 

My first attempt at a "year in review" started with Becky Higgins 'Project life' app. To be honest I loved it, the app is $4.49 from the App Store but I've had it downloaded for quite some time. I added the Christmas selection to my card designs I'm able to use ($1.49) and that has already and will continue to come in use on my social media platforms and on my blog with this current Christmas series. It's seriously been my favourite collage app for the past 18 months!

When compiling my piece, I added one family pic, one of each of the three kids and one of the happy couple. I added a few sweet words and then a quick sentence or two about what we've each been up to individually. This is very similar to what most of the examples that I've seen on Pinterest include. Only problem is; I want to brag a bit more. 

Our family has had an excellent year. Individually we've each had quite a bit going on, not to mention our big trip to Bali. So I saved the original design, scrapped it and then started over. This time I started out with the 'Big W photos' app. I normally order photo books automatically through the photos I've uploaded to Instagram - once I've uploaded 60, I get a prompt to edit the book before it is automatically sent to print then shipped to me. Get a free photo book by following my link here. http://invite.chatbooks.com/danniellebull4pn

I made a 22 page photo book via Big W with the photo books being on special for $6.00 instead of the usual $10.00 and opted to pick up in store rather than paying for postage. I added in 25 of my favourite photos of the kids, the Reindl man and me from over the past year and ordered enough copies for my 'long distance' family members. 

Next step was to quiz the kids! Often kids, especially at Lexi's age (9), feel very grown up and get very frustrated when they are treated like the children that they are. A small way to combat this is to consciously make a point of including them in organising family activities. What better way than to put real emphasis on asking how their year has been so you can tell all the family about how grown up they are. For obvious reasons I coaxed the three year old and didn't even bother to ask the one year old. 

Perhaps even interrogate your partner about their favourite part of the year... it may not be the promotion he got, as you first thought, but rather his AFL team winning the grand final this year. You really want this letter to be not only about your whole family, but also FROM you all too - after all, unity is what family is all about. 

Writing the letter should now be easy. You have all the components you need - just let it all flow onto paper, or the screen, and edit until you are happy. You can then put it onto a pretty bordered paper or simply jazz it up with some stickers, pretty pens and glitter. Make it to suit your family! I'm so happy with how ours turned out! I'll put mine in an envelope with the photo books once they're printed, add a Christmas card (after I've written all those out) and hopefully have them all mailed off at/before the beginning of December!

84 sleeps til Reindl Christmas - Money Matters (festive budgeting)

Before I start I just want to make it known that I won't be posting any amounts on this subject. Whether you spend $250 on Christmas or $2,500 it doesn't matter to anyone except you and your family. I want to make sure everyone is clear that we each try to stick to a budget that fits us as we each belong to a different demographic, culture and income bracket. That said there are very few people I know that will actually budget for Christmas and even fewer that are actually able to stick to it!

Last year I had a budget as financially we were in a difficult situation and there was literally no way to spend any extra on Christmas without taking food from our children's mouths or fuel out of our car. From memory I do recall being a little sneaky and as we approached mid-November I would purposely shop for groceries as frugally as possible so I could stash a bit more towards presents and the likes. This year although we still have not won lotto (yet) we do have more money to spend than we did last Christmas. So I sat down this week and wrote down every possible Christmas-related expense that could possibly apply to us. 

The next step was to go through each item on my budget and fill in the 'budgeted amount' with how much I would LIKE to spend on that item. Once that was done I grabbed a calculator to total my budget, wanna know what it equaled..? Too much! I then went back through and crossed out any amount I could, to replace it with a figure that seamed more reasonable. Just by doing this I halved the amount that I had budgeted. 

The Reindl man and I have been in discussions over the past week about how to pay for Christmas. Eg he thinks me paying $36 for a king size santa bedspread is ridiculous and isn't happy to spend "Family money" to pay for items that 'I want'. So we have agreed that items such as Santa presents, kids presents, alcohol and food for his family's Christmas Day gathering shall come out of the family budget. Anything else that he sees as 'unnecessary' (class gifts, charity donation, santa photos, elf items and the like) comes out of my own weekly allowance. I'm happy with that agreement as I feel like I'd be better at sticking to the budget that way. 

Each week I've been purchasing Coles prepaid gift MasterCards to assist with the purchases that will be coming up soon. They don't need to be registered or activated, once purchased they can be used straight away and are available in $50 and $100 amounts. The cost of the card includes a $5 card purchase fee (so total price is $55/$105) but the best part is that  you can get flybuys both on the purchase of the card and when you make purchases with the card at stores that accept flybuys. 

Flybuys is something I've grown EXTRA fond of lately with learning about coupon stacking, the 'We <3 flybuys' Facebook community and the upcoming 'points for packing' offer. I've always used flybuys as a way to buy more at Xmas time than I would usually be able to, but this year I've gone a bit flybuys mad. My meal planning is even based around meal planning! 

"Mum what's for lunch?"

"Two minute noodles with asparagus and paprika"

"I wish flybuys would give Mum better bonus point offers!" 

Well it hasn't gotten that bad... but still. So not only will flybuys help me with buying an extra toy or two for the kids for Christmas but it will also help me purchase something cool for the Kmart wishing tree and to pay for all the perishable items that will accompany the non-perishable items that I've been collecting in my DIY food hamper. It just helps make Christmas a more enjoyable and less stressful time. 

Using a budget and store rewards cards will help you progress through the silly season with ease and tact. 

92 days til Reindl Christmas 2017 - using a Christmas Planner

One of the most frustrating things about Christmas in the Reindl family is that no one is as gun-ho for Christmas as I am so asking any questions about where we'll be having Christmas this year, what food should each family bring and if we're doing presents for all the kids/secret santa is useless and will fall on deaf ears. So the best thing to do if to focus on what is in my control and what parts of Christmas I can plan by myself. To help me with these tasks is my Kikki.K Christmas organiser and my home made Christmas manual. 

I picked up the Kikki.K Christmas organiser during the Boxing Day sales marked down from $18 to $4! I've only recently opened it and started making entries but I'm glad I have it as it compliments my manual really well. It includes monthly pages for October, November and December, Christmas card writing, stocking fillers and food planning.  One of my favourite pages is just as you open the book and asks about how you see Christmas, and how to make it less stressful for you. 

My Christmas manual was started last year after I got sick of no planner having exactly what I was after. Then I would end up with 2-3 different colour schemes through my manual. So I sat down with a lecture book and some red and green markers and pens and scrawled out what I needed. Then I photocopied each one, originals are kept at the back in a document wallet, copies can be made each year accordingly and changed out when necessary. Plus it's easy to ad to - for example this year I'm upgrading my "elves" section, so instead of having just one page for 'ideas' I will also have an inventory of props, quick suggestions for when I forget to move the elf and a calendar of when I plan to do what ideas (when it relates to an activity I have planned). There are so many sections and I can keep adding as I go!

One section you can always get a head start on is Christmas cards. I tend to buy mine after Christmas when they're marked down to 20c/50c per pack. I'm PLANNING to write a Christmas letter this year to send to family and friends that live interstate as I normally send photos and a card to them but I think a family newsletter would go well with it. That said I've planned to write one for the past two years with no luck. At the very least my organiser has a Christmas card recipient list and I've managed to fill that in haha.

As I've been using the "Santa's Bag" app to record present purchases (as I reported here in last week's post) I haven't filled my santa sack page of my manual yet. So far I have one toysale layby, one normal layby and have started online purchases so I'll soon be recording the presents on paper so I can keep track and hopefully then I won't over purchase... joking! We all know regardless of whether it's written down or not, we always over buy for our kids. 

Planning for me is a way to limit my chances to forget things, eliminate stress and anxiety, and feel like for once I'm going to have my shit together this Christmas. 

Keep progressing through your planner! The more you plan ahead, the less things can get on top of you.