I know I know I know......this blog is well overdue! I have had a wonderful break over Christmas and New Year (which has not entailed the use of the laptop). But I'm excited and happy to be back blogging.
Now that I am plugged in and ready to go, I have so much I want to talk about. I just won't do it all in one blog!
As everyone already knows, Christmas is a time of celebration with family and friends. Unfortunately for me, celebration with my family means lots of alcohol, cakes, lollies, chocolates, soft drink, punch, Christmas pudding, pavlova and more sugary treats.
Christmas has been a challenging time for me and my family, in terms of our food choices. In saying that, I think that we have done very well. I could probably count on two hands the number of sugary foods I've eaten over the break. It would probably take more than two hands for my daughter and husband though.
I did loosen the reigns slightly over Christmas, allowing my daughter to indulge with the rest of the family and kids. Saying 'no' to her while other children, family and friends eat ice cream, cake or chocolate was not something I was willing to do. My daugther handled it pretty well considering. The best thing that I did was always make sure that she had eaten a decent meal first, and she did.
The new year also saw my daughters 4th birthday. Mmmm, this was another challenge - not so much for me, but for everyone else. I'm proud to say that the only sugary food at my daughters party was her cake (made by herself and her nanny - making it very special) and also some diet soft drink and diet cordial (however, these were for the adults). Instead of a table full of sweets, the kids could choose from chips, popcorn, kabana, cheese, crackers, fruit salad and a sausage sizzle for lunch. My husband summed it up well after the party by saying "The kids will only eat what is there". I had no complaints and the kid were able to fill their bellys with proper food instead of getting high as a kite then going home and falling to pieces for their parents. Instead of lolly bags, I decided to make little gift bags. I simple used paper bags and filled them up with little toys. I wrote everyones name on their bags (as children were from babies to 10 year olds, both boys and girls) and I was able to personalise each bag for each child. I think they loved it. For the real little ones I gave them baby rubber ducks and playdough, girl toddler bags had necklaces, mini fairy wands, notepads, rings, hair ties, balloons, personalised name badge, boy toddler bags included mini cars, glow sticks, sports whistle, bouncy balls. I simply raided the discount store for ideas and the paper bags were affordable, environmentally friendly and a great way to store everything. Let me know if you have any other ideas.
Anyhow, I'll write more in the next couple of weeks, but I"d love to hear how you coped over the Christmas. Do you have any hints and tips for next year? Please comment below.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
