Toddler Meals // Lunch

Feeding a toddler can sometimes be a whole task in itself to cross off your to-do list, especially when your toddler happens to have a gourmet palette some days (but will eat whatever falls on the floor the next!). Their little tastebuds chop and change so rapidly part of the challenge is keeping up with it all. Some days Romy loves strawberries, and other days they're just an afterthought she turns her nose up at. So for Romy's lunches I make her up a mix of things for lunch that way she is bound to eat at least one thing!

A constant favourite of Romy's is ham, so you can guarantee that is in our shopping trolley each week as it seems to be one of the only meat items on her plate she will eat without questioning it. Next to ham on her 'foods I'll always eat' is peanut butter. More recently I started smearing medijool dates with peanut butter for Romy and she really took to it, so every couple of days this little gem makes an appearance on her lunch plate. Kale chips however will not be making another appearance anytime soon, it seems my little girl only likes the organic packet kale chips (which as tasty as they are, are also covered in flavouring) much to my dismay. 

I always have at least two types of fruit on her plate on offer, and unless its banana she really isn't too keen. According to some articles Luke was reading last week about fussy eaters, it can take up to 15 times for a toddler to be okay with a new food. We've given Romy five rounds with sultanas and she is just starting to warm up to them. Strawberries, bananas, super soft pears & grapes are about the only fruit she will eat. Oh, and mango come summer time. 

Romy's nap time is anywhere from 11.30.am - 12.30pm, so there isn't such a long gap in between meals or snacks I've started giving her a 'little lunch' around 11am which is a smaller version of the plate above, and I try and change it up every day so she can get the best of everything. And when she wakes up from her nap around 3.30pm I give the second part of her lunch which is usually a half sandwich and some yogurt to tie her over until we have dinner around 6. The better part of my day is spent preparing meals for this little bear, I swear!

Bargain Replica Gold

I don't know about you but I'm quite partial to the odd replica, especially if it is exactly what I'm looking for at the time, & in the exact colour I'm after with a reasonable price. Which is the exact story for these replica Eames chairs currently at Officeworks. For months Luke & I have left our small dinning area unresolved because we've always had in mind that we would give some roadside wooden chairs a second run with a good coat of yellow paint and some love. But with a busy toddler on the go that task was becoming seemingly more unattainable. Along with Newcastle's ever persistent wet weather and our lack of garage situation, it was just easier to buy some yellow chairs and be done with the whole thing. So that is what we did. Now I have the dinning room chair dilemma solved I can move onto making our laundry space less of an eye sore and more of a Pinterest perfect space (yeah right).

Friends & Their Babies

This afternoon Romy & I went to our friends house for an afternoon back yard mini picnic. My good friend Ali has a little boy, Xander, that is just four months younger than Romy. Ali & I met about eight years ago when we were both studying and new to Newcastle. I can remember us having hypothetical conversations about what we would be like and do together when we had children, and now that phase in our lives is here and is happening now. 

It is so sweet to not only watch these two grow as individuals, but to see their little friendship blossom. Xander has such a soft and sweet soul and he is very patient with how rough Romy can be at times (cough most times), she always seems to be hugging him too hard, or taking up too much of his side of the keyboard.

In the span of these sweet little babies lives we have never been able to get a nice photo of the four of us, and as trying as that can be I kind of like this one, it really sums up most of our play dates together and shows what it's really like to try and take pictures with babies. They like being photographed together and on their own it seems, but not with their mothers, and definitely not on cue!

Saturday Style // The Hallway

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Hallways are one of the ultimate decorating challenges when making your house into a home. Nail one hook too high, or buy a hallway mat too short and its all over. Well, not completely over, but minor details are heightened in this space because of their minimalist surroundings. There are however a surprising number of great decorating tips & styles you can apply to an often awkward space, & these are my four favourites.

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