Be A Fun Mum » Random

Looking Beyond

Kelly Be A Fun Mum — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:46:31 +0000

This is a post I want to write well. I put off writing it for this very reason but, I’ve come to realise I just can’t do it. I can’t get it down right so I going to get it down the best way I can. I hope you can read between the lines and see my heart.

First, I want to start with my trip to Melbourne with my friend Bernie to the Digital Parents Conference.

Are you ready? Here it goes from left to right:

Jumped on the nice hotel bed.

Readied myself for the conference; wore a Kellie Christie necklace.

Met Darren Rowse from Pro Blogger who talked about blogging for social good. Inspiring stuff.

Fun at dinner in my LBD purchased from Forever New.

Caught the tram with Bernie into the city.

Asked my Instagram followers which shirt to buy: red or blue. Red won the most votes but I bought the blue in the end because I have a lot of red already in my wardrobe.

Bernie won a $100 voucher for The Baths Cafe and we had a fabulous dinner. Food was amazing!

Last day in Melbourne. Can you see how much I love this city in my face? Wore another Kellie Christie necklace.

Found a pair of Dorothy-Red shoes for $10 from 7 Angles. There’s no place like home.

Visited the National Gallery of Victoria.

Admired St Pauls Cathedrial.

Drank Nespresso coffee…

…with Bernie.

Said goodbye to Melbourne. Bye Melbourne; had a blast. x

Something More

Something I haven’t shared about my time in Melbourne happened before the whirlwind above. While I was there, I visited with the team at World Vision with a group of Blog Ambassadors. The day was spent, first learning about World Vision, and then brainstorming about how we can use social media, and our respective blogs for social good which is an exciting prospect!

World Vision Blog Ambassadors

Annabel from GetInTheHotSpot.com

Eden from Edenriley.com

Emma from ScoopNutrition.com

Kate from Picklebums.com

Kelly from BeAFunMum.com

Lisa from NewLifeOnTheRoad.com

Louisa from Louiseclaire.com

Maddie from Lilmagoolie.com

Jasmin from WonderWebby.com

Serena from Retireyoung.com.au

John from SoberPaddy.com

Right Place, Right Time

The path I’m on with my blog, and World Vision’s path crossed recently. It was a chance meeting, so to speak; more of a right place, right time thing. I’m excited about it!

You see, I’ve been thinking more about my blog of late, and how I can use it to make a difference outside of the comfortable life I live here in Australia. As I look over the pictures above, I feel very blessed to be able to enjoy such things in life. I don’t feel guilt, but I do feel a sense of responsibility, and want to share what I have with others; to give. Because I can. Because I must. Because I want to.

What does it mean?

This is very much a personal journey, and not much will change here on the blog. Rather, I want to look for ways to incorporate a sense of looking beyond as I want to gift my children a broader view of the world and the people in it. This is another opportunity to live out my faith and connect with people. I aim to acknowledge need, tell stories, speak truth, gain perspective, share resources, be compassionate, make a difference, live with understanding, learn from others and give love. I’m only one mum sitting here at a computer, but I have a voice.

Eden In Niger

Eden is only one mum too, and she is just home from covering the food crisis in Niger, Africa. My heart aches.

Inspiring posts

Hey, White Girl

Zenouba the Starfish

Why World Vision?

Honesty. Voice. Heart. Commitment.

I heard from many different people while I was at World Vision, and four things struck me.

1. Honesty. World Vision has been around since 1950 and there was frank honesty about the things they did well, what they have learned and how they could do things better.

2. Voice. Every person who spoke to me that day was different and had varying roles. However, over the course of the day, all the voices mixed together to create just one voice. It wasn’t a voice of rigid control but rather the undertone real heart. This caught me by surprise as it was a very beautiful, and unexpected thing.

3. Heart. There were stories, there were tears, and I saw the heart of people working to make a difference.

4. Commitment. There is an emphasis in equipping communities so they are able to help themselves in an effort to ensure a long term benefits. Projects are catered for specific communities with respect and empowerment.

World Vision that day, became a person to me. Real. Not so much an organisation but a person with a heart for the needy, singing with a strong unified voice yet with the vulnerability needed for growth.

I had a blast in Melbourne. It was fun. It was also good for my heart.

Tell me

I would love to hear your honest thoughts about aid, World Vision, admin costs, supporting a child, and how to make a difference. You can be absolutely honest with me.

Relevant Links

East Africa Crisis

Support a Child

Be A Fun Mum on Facebook

Kelly Be A Fun Mum — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:49:52 +0000

I love the Be A Fun Mum Facebook community; it’s a wonderful support for the blog and a place where parents and like-minded people can discuss and share.

Facebook changed the way pages look so the Be A Fun Mum Facebook page will now appear much like your own personal Facebook profile timeline.

The new cover photo

I’ve designed the new cover photo to reflect the heart of the page. The topics shared on the page will be broad but the essence of the page will remain true to what Be A Fun Mum is all about. What do you think? Do you like?

Features

To get the most out of the Facebook page, I want to give you a very quick run down of some of the features.

Giveaway

Current giveaways will be listed under the Giveaway Tab. This way, giveaways you want to enter won’t get lost on the blog.

Giveaway tab is easy to find.

You’ll either be directed to the

giveaway blog post or in some cases,

you can enter directly via the tab.

To receive the Be A Fun Mum monthly newsletter (if you haven’t signed up), you can sign up via the Newsletter Tab.

Sign up for the Be A Fun Mum

monthly newsletter.

Message Me

You can now message me directly through Facebook via the message button on the top right hand corner.

Message me.

Pinterest and Instagram

1. If you press on the arrow at 1, it will display a new row of tabs.

2. Here I have Pinterest and Instagram tabs.

Instagram

I love taking pictures everywhere I go on my iPhone Camera. If you want to follow along and see what I get up to during the day, you can check it out under the Instagram Tab which is updated every time I post a photo.

You can see my recent pins directly from Facebook via the Pinterest Tab.

Invite Friends

If you enjoy the page and think your friends will too, you can invite them via the Invite Friends Tab.

Invite your Facebook friends to join the page.

Using the Be A Fun Mum Facebook Page

The Facebook page is updated every day with interesting content and links but I do love it when readers contribute via these methods:

Post photos: I love seeing your photos pop up on my wall.
Share relevant links: If you have a fun or special link to share, do it!
Ask questions: We can support and help each other in this community.
Make comments: I’ve learned so much from your comments, so thank you.

Thanks for sharing; it’s makes the page much more fun.

What you, or others share on the page

will appear in this neat box on the top right hand side.

Note: The page isn’t there for businesses to advertise. I’m don’t mind an introduction but when the page is used for advertisements, it gets cluttered.

If you have feedback about the new Facebook page, message me and let me know!

Join me on Facebook

Lunch Box Tips

Kelly Be A Fun Mum — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:52:30 +0000

Guest Post by Kate Di Prima

As a dietitian and a mum, Kate is well aware of the lunch box hurdles parents face every day. With a bit of forward planning and a few tricks and tips, you can pack nutritious lunch boxes that will get eaten.

Pack Protein

Pack a protein rich sandwich whenever possible – red meat (beef and lamb), fish, egg or legumes (like baked beans) all make great fillings – to deliver a boost of essential nutrients – particularly iron – needed for concentration and being active. Plus protein power will help keep children satisfied for longer
If your child has recess late, swap lunch foods with recess foods. By 11.30am most children will be starving and a protein rich sandwich will help sustain them for the rest of the day
Use your child’s favourite dinner for lunch – use bolognaise in wraps spread with light cream cheese or spread of choice to make yummy roll ups. Great for left-over taco mince making mini burritos.
Blend leftover vegetables and meats with stick blender, add a little ricotta or creamed cottage cheese to make delicious and nutritious dips to be eaten with vegetable sticks or crackers. Using left-overs saves time, money and ensure an iron and nutrient-rich meal to help boost concentration and avoid the afternoon energy slump.

Always pack Fruit

Fruits need to be small or chopped to appropriate size
Freeze chunks of fruit to make a refreshing frozen treat at recess – and to help keep lunchbox items chilled

Encourage them to go for the good stuff first

Don’t ask your children to be mini-nutritionists.
Especially for smaller children and those starting school:
Use coloured dots to help identify recess and lunch
Use gold and silver stars to identify which foods to eat first

Portion Control

Kids like kid sized portions that fit easily into small hands
Mini bake at home rolls are prefect for pint-sized sambos
Don’t overfill sandwiches. A perfect student lunch might be a small roll spread with hummus and filled with finely sliced left-over meat from last night’s dinner

Sliced cold roast or corned beef or left over lamb chops deliver a nutritional boost of iron to aid afternoon concentration

Lunch Boxes

Chose an appropriately sized insulated lunch box – ideally with a zip for little hands to open easily
Avoid ‘tackle box’ style lunch boxes – which encourage kids to over-eat and can make choosing the best foods for them a challenge. Kids will always go for the quick to eat salty and sweet snacks over the carefully created sandwich.

Summer safety

As weather warms up parents fret about keeping lunch boxes cool

Freeze a low fat milk drink, low fat yoghurt tub or freeze fruit cubes - along with an ice brick - this will keep contents chilled
Make sandwiches, muffins, scrolls etc a week ahead and freeze. They will be deliciously fresh at lunchtime and will help keep contents cold
Invest in an insulated lunch boxes - with zip
keep food fresh and protected in reusable plastic containers

About Kate

Kate is an accredited practicing dietitian in Queensland with 20 years experience. She runs 2 private practice clinics and provides corporate consulting services to many companies. The author of 2 cookbooks, lunchbox cards and co author of 2 self help books, she is passionate about the health and nutrition of families. Kate has two children: Jack aged 10 and Rosie aged 7.

Links

More some of the lunch box recipes from Kate, click here: Family Dinner and Lunch Box Ideas.

Hey girl.

Kelly Be A Fun Mum — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 06:57:12 +0000

I’ve been chuckling all afternoon. I found the hilarious Ginny’s ‘Hey girl’ pictures through Little Eco Footprints, and since my husband is such a good sport, I am joining in. Go and take a peek at other Significant Other Hey Girl Photos here: Hey girl.

Live Blogging: Home Again

Kelly Be A Fun Mum — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:23:06 +0000

Live Blogging: Brisbane — 9:00 pm

Thank you for joining me for this New Zealand live blogging series. I’m home again now, and am feeling very tired so this will be a short post.

Today, I had the opportunity to explore more of New Zealand’s North Island in the Ford Kuga. It was a picturesque drive, and included a stop for lunch at Ascension Vineyard, where most of the pictures below were taken.

It was a fun trip, but it’s always nice to come home again. Next week, I’ll be back to my usual blogging. Have a lovely weekend with your family.

Live Blogging: What I’m Wearing

Kelly Be A Fun Mum — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:55:06 +0000

Live Blogging: Hilton, Auckland — 5:30 am Brisbane time / 8:30 am Auckland time

It’s a glorious day for a drive! I’m just about to check out of the hotel and then I’ll be off on the Ford Kuga Road trip. I’m already in love with Auckland and am looking forward to seeing more of the North Island. Any New Zealanders out there? Your country is pretty special.

Below is one of those awkward I’m-taking-a-photo-of-myself shots.

What I’m Wearing: I dressed for comfort because I’ll be sitting in a car for a while. I’ve opted for black stretch pants, Mix white tank top, long grey cardi (also from Mix) and a red scarf for a bit of colour. The sunglasses are from Mix too. Yes, I’ve been totally sucked in by the buying-clothes-with-my-groceries concept.