Hello you. My name is Nicole.  Welcome to my ‘about’ page and our little part of Australia.  The smiley lady in the photo is me taken on my last birthday.

If you have popped in here you are wondering what I am all about. If not, my apologies because here is a minute’s worth of reading about me! It’s a bit tricky trying to sum yourself up but I do know that I love sharing fun, tactile craft ideas as much as my kids love doing them.

Okay, what about something a bit deeper?  I find meeting new people a bit of hard work but can do small talk in a queue no problem. I’m not a fan of competitive parents but I am a huge fan of wonderful teachers. I am not a morning person but would really love to be. I am finding saying ‘No’ to other people so much easier than I did 10 years ago. And I love winter more than summer. I do, it’s really true. I love manners, low-tech activities and turning my mobile phone off. If I could read all day in a hammock with a cup of tea after a walk on the beach – I would

Now what about the rest of the family?

Well Mr Sunshine and I are two lucky ducks. We have two gorgeous girls who are currently 9 and 6 years old.

Zoe on the left and Ebony as Hermoine on the right.

We are very happy with the both of them.

Not once have we contacted the hospital about trading them in for some new ones.

Like all children, they are fun, big hearted and expressive. Did I mention exasperating?

I have also been lucky enough to be a stay-at-home Mum these last 10 years.  During that time I discovered a love for fun, simple and engaging craft activities that I could do with or arrange for my children. There is nothing quite like watching your child absorbed in play. Totally gorgeous.

We like life to be simple. So we stay home a lot and mess up the house a bit with craft. We eat chocolate on Monday nights and icecream on Fridays. We bake our own bread, grow all our own vegies and get milk from our own cows.

Impressed? Okay well only the baking bread bit was true in that last sentence. UPDATE: we now harvesting wonderful home grown tomatoes. Success at last!!

I have been inspired to craft in a more organised way through reading crafty blogs. One in particular is a fabulous kids craft blog run by Valerie who lives in Philadelphia in the US. Valerie is good with computers and naturally creative – I wish I had a bit more of both those qualities!

Now what about the blog? 

The blog is an extension of our family life and as the girls get older parenting issues can become more challenging. So I plan to start sharing some of the issues that I am most passionate about (simplifying life, watching less tv, extra-curricular activities).  Of course we will keep on crafting because it is fun and the girls love it. I will be sharing inside and outdoor craft and activities – especially the evolution of our musical garden which I am very excited about. Coming soon in Jan and Feb 2013!

Don’t forget about the Dad!

Last but by no means least, the girls are lucky to have a gorgeous Dad called Mr Sunshine who loves their craft as much I do.

Mr Sunshine is an expert kite flyer, skateboarder and can draw beautifully. In 2013 Mr S will be sharing some of his skills with us in his own series. So if you want to get your kids out flying kites and start safely on a skateboard – stay tuned!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog. Please get in contact if you have a question or wish to comment. Just fill in the contact form below to contact me or leave a comment in the form below that for everyone else to see. I love visiting other people’s blogs too so please don’t be shy bloggers!

I will be updating the blog at least twice a week, so please subscribe for your regular dose of kid’s activities, kid’s craft and anything else that may take my fancy.

Bye for now

Nicole

10 quick facts about us:

1. Nicole loves drinking tea. Lots of it.
2. Mr Sunshine loves skateboarding. 25 years and counting.
3. Mr Sunshine draws brilliantly.
4. Nicole, ahem, doesn’t.
5. Zoe eats tomatoes. Yay! But she hates tuna. Boo!
6. Ebony loves apples. Yay! But she hates bananas. Boo!
7. Nicole loves running. Her knees don’t though.
8. Ebony loves reading more than anything else in the whole wide world.
9. Zoe loves singing to herself, everywhere, especially in her room.
10. Zoe loves her big sister ALOT. Ebony finds her little sister annoying SOMETIMES.