Get Active!

This is a busy time of year, and we are currently literally buried under eons of new clothing waiting to be photographed and listed. Favourites like Bebe by Minihaha, Eternal Creation, FreshBaked, Mill & Mia, Baobab and Gaia Organic Cotton are sitting alongside exciting new ranges from Willow & Finn and those yet to come from TikiBoo Kids. Over the next few weeks we hope to share a little more about some of these ranges, so be sure to stay tuned!

This busy time can be stressful; we want to do the right thing by you, our customers, and list everything as soon as possible, however there are only so many hours in the day. Taking photographs and editing them takes time (For this reason we appreciate the effort all stores take when using their own photos, and are less than impressed on the rare occasion when any stores' photos are copied by another store, as such plagiarism appears to be evidence of an immoral disregard for the genuine time and effort most store owners choose to dedicate to their businesses, and seems just plain lazy. Of course, choosing to use our images in blogs or anything which attribute the images to our store or products available at FairyKisses is a different matter, and we have been pleasantly surprised at times to stumble upon such references).

Anyway, I am beginning to take a route this brief post is not meant to be about. Essentially, I wanted to briefly discuss looking after yourself. Since having children my fitness levels have waned. Like many people, there have been a myriad of easy excuses, some more valid than others. A lack of time, illness while pregnant, a lack of resources in the country area I live in, children who are too tired to walk with me and too young to stay home alone, occasional injury. At the time they all seem perfectly valid, however written down in a single sentence they tend to look quite unconvincing as a cover for years of neglect.

The Victorian Government in accordance with their GoForYourLife Campaign has set up the Active Families Challenge this March; 30 minutes of exercise for at least 30 days over a timeframe of around 35 days. I have joined up with my four children, and thus far it has been really rewarding. Not all our days are quality exercise, ie when I get to watch the three boys do Little Athletics on a Saturday morning, however we are enjoying our motivation and time together. One of the biggest rewards has been how much the children enjoy spending time with me doing "nothing much"; kicking a football, chasing them round the garden, going on a secret walk with one while the others do their homework...

I have learnt 10 minutes of incidental exercise snatched here and there is making a huge difference in how fit I feel, even after a few days. I have bought a couple of yoga magazines, and while I don't even know where to start with the exercises, I have been taking heed of the feeling of calm they talk about and using it to my advantage, and have a couple of DVDs on order. I have also been trying new things with my children while they are young enough to encourage me, and I am hopefully young enough to not lose the chance to regain fitness levels forever. I may never learn how to backflip or dance like those on "So You Think You Can Dance" (what I wouldn't give to be able to conquer some of the contemporary dancer's moves!), yet I can still dream, and thanks to being active with my children, I can have fun doing so.

Not the bravest soul, I was scared of hopping on the trampoline until this week, now I am out there jumping around with my two year old when I hang out the washing. I am lunging and stretching away, feeling sore yet happy that I am getting fitter and having more energy in so short a period. I have taught myself to cartwheel (okay, my standard may be that of a lame circus clown), and am having a go at handstands.

One of the biggest issues for me has been conquering fear, yet I have decided it is necessary. After all, if I won't have a go, then I have no chance of learning at all, only regretting never trying. I want my children to grow up knowing that having a go is the important element, rather than achievment through natural ability, and so I have decided that I need to show my children living life and having a go is the most important thing. One of the biggest issues in trying new thingsI also believe fostering this kind of attitude is really important in this day and age where it is too easy to give up activities because you are not naturally athletic. If children can have fun being active even if they lack naturally athleticism, then they are more likely to keep being active and maintaining fitness, and accordingly be healthier and happier children who turn into healthier and happier adults.

For those of you who are already healthy and fit, please pat yourself on the back yet also make sure you try and include your children in some of your activities, even in the backyard, so that they can also reap the benefits of keeping fit. Please also remeber that no-one chooses to be unco-ordinated or slow at running or whatever, people are simply born with different skills. For those of you similar to myself, take your children for a 10 minute walk, buy yourself a fitness DVD, park a block or two away from the shops; Go for your life and Get Active with your family! You will all enjoy it, and feel better for it.

Please Help Those In Need

***** Feb 15: Our Fairy Kisses' donations have run into the hundreds in less than a week. Please keep your orders coming so we can raise much much more over the next 3 or so weeks. Thank you also to the kindness of you, our customers, in purchasing clothing and toys to donate to those in need. *****

Deciding our personal contributions are only a beginning in helping the victims of the Victorian bushfires, Fairy Kisses would like to do more. For the following month (until March 10, 2009), we will make the following donations for all orders placed:

Orders up to $90 include a $5 donation,
$91 - $199 include a $10 donation,
$200 - 299 include a $20 donation,
and orders over $300 include a $30 donation.

We promise no costs will be taken out of your goodwill, so if we say we will donate $5 then we will donate 100% of the $5, and that we will donate the money to the Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund, as they also take no adminstrative or other costs.

If you would like to go one step further and donate any items you buy directly to the victims, please note this in your order and we will send your item(s) to the Salvation Army Church where items are going directly to those affected by the bushfires, and nowhere else.

Please pass this message on to others so we can help those in need.

A Time of Tragedy

* Photo: our yard at 5.45pm during daylight savings, when it should be pure daylight still. The photo below was taken a minute apart, and within 5 more minutes the entire sky was black, aside from the falling spots of ash.

The tragedy of the Victorian bushfire's appear to have resonated around the world. As I write, the death toll has been predicted to reach 230, far greater than any previous bushfire toll. We live roughly 13 kilometres from one of the blazes, and know too many people affected, people who have been fighting to save their property, who know people who have died, too many stories of tragedy. Perhaps the biggest shock has been finding out the fire was deliberately lit. Currently, there are a confirmed 21 deaths from the fire surrounding us, and knowing someone recklessly destroyed the lives of 21 people and their loved ones for a bit of fun, is something most people cannot even fathom.

* Feb 15 update: details are very sketchy, however many people will be happy to know the Gippsland arsonist is behind bars. Aged 39, he was apparently also in possession of child pornography.
Most Victorians and many Australians would be feeling the pain of loss, or the bewilderment of seeing the horror others are experiencing. Lost lives, homes, pets, stock, property, cars, photo albums, the terrible tasks of needing to identify bodies or treat those badly injured, or escort victims back to what used to be their home for the first time since this tragedy took hold. Areas you may have visited on a holiday once have now become a symbol of death, entire towns wiped out in one cruel sweep.

If there is anything you can do, please do. There are some links below you can make donations through. You can also in some instances volunteer time, land or accommodation if you are unable to assist financially. Blood supplies are also expected to be required at various times for burns' victims, whose pain is a lot greater and longer lasting than that of donating blood.

Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund; also accepting donations at National Australia Bank branches.

The Salvation Army: accepting financial donations, and also donations of clothing, essentials like toothbrushes, etcetera, at branches throughout Gippsland (I am not sure about other areas, please check locally).

The Red Cross: please note the Red Cross is only accepting financial donations at this stage.

Donate blood

If you are reading this and have been affected, we send you our sincere wishes. If you are also able to add any further ways to help or contacts for donation, please do so.

Back from Holidays

We have been back from Tasmania for 8 days now. It is always good to be home, although we had a fantastic time when we were away, sleeping in, visiting the Taste of Tasmania - I ate more berries than I have access to in a long time; chocolate coated strawberry and marshmallow on kebab sticks, brandied apricots with pancakes and an extra serve of raspberries and chocolate sauce, and on it went. This was my first visit, and hopefully not my last as I couldn't fit in everything I wanted to before the day was over. We also visited the historical town of Richmond, complete with old gaol, bridge, church, wooden maze and much more. Another highlight was eating pancakes in The Margate Train. The old Tasman Limited was built in England in 1950, and served as a passenger service between Hobart and Launceston until 1978. It is now converted into a series of shops, and you can't go past babycinos for $1 and a scoop of ice cream with sprinkles for another $1 from the Pancake shop, all eaten in the comfort of the traditional carriage, while pencils and paper and toys are brought out for the children. I left my boys in Tasmania when I came home, and spent 8 days without them until yesterday. This was a very strange feeling, and my 2 year old, who had come back with me, drove me crazy the first couple of days as I couldn't get her off me. She missed the boys so much - I think they are much more exciting than Mummy or Daddy - that she learnt to chat on the phone like a possessed teenager, and tried to ring them every opportunity she had.

In the meantime, aside from being kept busy sending out backorders from our time away, I had a secret plan going to turn the toy room into Tara's bedroom. Things went a little awry, as is part of life, however we are getting there. Moving furniture wasn't as easy as I remembered, particularly after I sprained my ankle, and her bed won't be arriving until sometime next week. Nonetheless, the boys were chuffed to see the changes I had made, and I did pick up some very sweet Cocoon Couture charms from the lovely Alex at Bambini Style, who's customer service I can highly recommend. I also ordered Belle and Boo prints (see my earlier post) for the new room, which will look perfect alongside the Bosco Bear babushka removable stickers also picked up at Bambini Style.

Before I go, we are going to be beginning a monthly feature in our blog on a Fairy Kisses' customer. If you are interested in having your child/ren be a part of this, please contact us.

Until next time,
Sally.

PS. There are lots of new markdowns for summer, and not just in our "Sale" section.

Favourites from 2008

Shopping is such a personal experience for many people. We all have individual tastes, which is one reason it is so difficult to choose which products we will stock. It is also part of the beauty of shopping for children. Before they grow old enough to demand short short skirts, thongs and skinny jeans be the mainstay of their wardrobe, the options for parents and friends to choose from is widespread. I personally am a big fan of classic dresses for children, and longer shorts for boys. I also miss the days when Pumpkin Patch used to have so many blues and reds and yellows for boys, now replaced by too many greys and khakis. Anyway, to finish our blog for 2008, here are 5 of our favourite products sold on http://www.fairykisses.com.au/shop/home.php. If you would like to add your favourites, we would love to add them too. There are also 5 favourites from other sources.

1. Koby's rose print playset. Roses and gingham go so beautifully together! If only this was around for our toddler last summer.

2. Mill & Mia's Kiss Daisy Chain dress. Resisting the temptation to select nearly all Mill and Mia products, I have found their Kiss Daisy Chain dress to be irresistible. It is a linen cotton blend which feels superb, and the colour and styling blend vibrancy and chic perfectly. All Mill & Mia prints are made especially for them, so I love knowing that I won't be able to find their print's on another label's products next year.

3. Mill & Mia's patch pocket shorts. If you are after a pair of shorts which look really stylish for boys, then these are the pair. The denim has a different feel and look about it, and thanks to combining a waist tie with the zipper fly, these longer length shorts pass "the jump test" (my boys always try on pants then jump up and down to see if the pants fall down. If they do, they haven't passed the jump test and there is no point buying them).

4. Piccalilly Organic bodysuits. My daughter has lived in this bodysuit. It washes well, and the organic cotton is so comfortable. The sizing is generous, and we are finding bodysuits indispensable for a 2 year girl. It is difficult to find bloomers in a size 2 (except for our favourite Vintage Kid bloomers and Gaia Organic Cotton rosebud botties, both of which have very well deserved places in Tara's wardrobe), and yet wearing this bodysuit under a short sleeve dress when it is too hot for stockings and too mild to wear the dress alone has meant we can get a lot more use out of summer dresses.

5. Baobab striped hoodies. Bold red and navy stripes in a comfortable, easy to wash cotton made all Baobab hoodies a resounding favourite pick for boys and also for girls in 2008 by our customers.


Top Picks from Other Sources

1. All You Need are Australian designers creating products with flair; handmade, limited edition items with a distinctive feel about them. One of our favourites is this matching mother-daughter apron set. Check out their custom made dresses, applique tee shirts, quirky fabric toys, hair accessories and more crafty ideas.




2. Breville popcorn maker. I don't know about you, however my children tend to have appetite's that are never satsified, and it gets expensive looking for alternatives to fill them. This popcorn maker means we can make oodles of popcorn without the oil or mess, and a bag of popcorn for only 85 cents at Coles goes a long long way.














3. New Balance School Shoes. These are the school shoes we swear by! One of our children has the uncanny ability to destroy any form of footwear through his desire to be a footballer. In 2007 we went through 4 pairs of school shoes, and he still ended up spending the last few weeks of school with his toes poking out the end of his leather (yes, he can wear through leasther!) shoes. Come 2008, we opted for these New Balance shoes and they are still in brilliant condition a year later, and the only reason for a new pair is that he has outgrown them. We can't imagine ever looking back.

Christmas Outfits

Do you like to dress your children up for Christmas, or do you decide the perils of Christmas candy and other messy foods are going to be all too much and decide to wear easy to wash dark colours? Or do you have an Australian variation on Christmas by the beach or the pool, where bathers and boardies are the way to go? Tempted as I was this year to go for the easy-to-wash look, I couldn't resist our Emperor's Laundry Audrey dress for our little girl to wear. The colours are perfect for Christmas - and also come in a green version - and I found myself deciding this Christmas was not the time to compromise on style. After all, in the scheme of things, we only have a relatively small number of years to dress our children to our likes and dislikes, so why not make the most of this time? If your children are wearing anything from Fairy Kisses for Christmas, we would love you to send us a photo or let us know what your outift of choice is.

Merry Christmas,

Sally. xx

In the Spirit of Christmas

How quickly time flies!



Add a computer glitch where our internet service was down for most of a few weeks (not healthy for an online business!), followed by the Christmas rush, and it doesn't take long for a blog to go missing in action.

Thanks to a new internet provider and the close proximity to Christmas Day, things are now looking less hectic, phew...

One of my favourite things about Christmas is the opportunities you get to discover new things while you are out looking for presents for other people. With relatives living overseas, we discovered a whole new world of shopping in the UK and my children have already made plans for us to move there so they can take advantage of the shopping. Thanks to the world of online shopping, we were given the opportunity to view everything from the incredible room decor of Dragons of Walton Street (I am having enough trouble finding a white bed for my little one!), to the toys at Hamleys, through to American Indian masks (I needed to be practical here; just because I have never seen these for sale before does not mean my sister would like one to hang in her living room. Think yourself lucky Ernie!)

My new favourite shop to browse is now www.thejapaneseshop.co.uk, followed closely by the dreamy fantasy artworks of Belle and Boo. Some people are so talented!Moving on from the delights of Christmas shopping, albeit vicariously, I always think the spirit of Christmas should be a focal point. Regardless of whether or not you choose to celebrate Christmas, the spirit of giving should be able to be taken away from this season. My 8 year old came to me today looking for wrapping paper to wrap his prized cricket set up to put under the Wishing Tree for "the poor children who can't afford to get presents". He has also spent the morning wrapping his books and toys for his brothers and sisters and writing cards to them. The 7 year old and 5 year old are so excited a "fairy" came and left them a present this morning, and have left a glass of milk out for the fairy in case she comes back. It is really touching to see how the notion of helping others and seeing the joy in his siblings faces is something he has taken on board all on his own.

Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, you can still take the opportunity to embrace the abundance of sharing and love from this time of year. Why not make December 25th a family day, and take advantage of smaller crowds to have a picnic at the Werribee Open Range Zoo in Melbourne, or to place a gift under a Wishing Tree in several shops for a needy child who does believe in Christmas. Take time to cherish those around you, and to do something for those around you, even if they are strangers.

PS Congratulations to Cliffy and Gina on today's birth of Stella Rose, just in time to make the perfect Christmas gift. We are lucky enough to be travelling "overseas" to Tasmania in January to catch up with them, so it may be a while between posts. In the meantime, take care and have lots of fun.