Happy haircut

To say I have been anxious at B's haircuts in the past is probably an understatement. I really don't like B having a short back and sides, its not him and it changes his appearance so much. But to get a haircut that isn't short back and sides on a boy is not easy, let me tell you. So when I picked up B from school and said we were going to the hairdressers he was not happy.
"I like my long hair Mum" he informed me.
"So do I," I said, "Thats why I'm taking you to my hairdresser." I thought it would be worth a try.

On all the occasions I had been to my hairdressers I had been blissfully unaware of a special area equipped for the little people. So I was amazed and very pleasantly surprised with the set up. The kids area is just off to the side of the main salon, so any noisy children wont disturb the vibe, and it contains kids seats with mirrors plus lots of toys, entertainment and even a lolly machine.

B was more than happy to sit and watch a DVD he chose, while Mel styled his hair. I was really impressed as B didn't fidget and B didn't complain.

Little Miss had plenty to occupy herself with too.

And what a great haircut he got.

Thanks Mel.


Smooth Hair is located at 241 Unley Road Malvern. Phone 8373 0444
Please note that Smooth Hair has not sponsored or endorsed this content in any way.

That time of year......again....already!

There is no denying it, it is that time of year again....I wouldn't have believed it, except that there's this big event that thousands of people line the streets to see.

So we all got caught up in the commotion and watched the Christmas parade.

Or hid under the brochure seeking shade



There was dancing in the street,





























and magical beasts.





























Crawly things,





























and things with wings.





























Surfing pandas,





























and drummer bands,

We saw a great big sock.

and this nasty lot.

Father Christmas is officially in town....and its not even December!































The Adelaide Credit Union Christmas Pageant takes place at 9.30am on the 2nd Saturday of November every year through the streets of the city centre.

On Show

When I was a little girl the high points of the year were Christmas, my birthday and the Royal Show. Luckily for me these anticipated events were spaced out quite nicely over the year, with never more than four months wait before the fun started again.

However the Royal Show was my absolute favourite. For some reason my birthday, my special day, grew a bit uncomfortable for me. As a child I wasn't happy in the limelight and hated that the day never really met my unrealistic expectations. I didn't really like everyone looking at me, and I was confronted with presents telling of how people didn't know me very well.

Christmas was of course fantastic, it had its own special build up, starting with a wish and a stir of Mum's Christmas pudding. The shop displays would cheer on the festivities, then the pageant would mark the arrival of Santa in the magic cave. And like the lucky children we were, there would be lots of presents, lots of family and lots of food on the day.

However the expectation or journey of Christmas, like opening the advent calendar one window at a time was often more enjoyable to my child self than the day itself. People didn't always behave like you would expect at Christmas, maybe it was the stress of it all, or the alcohol consumed, but that one day of indulgence, like the rise and fall of a roller coaster was fun, but strangely nauseating.

The Royal Show on the other hand always met my expectations. My mum would have a carefully laid out plan that lead us through the show grounds like search and rescue personnel, never missing an attraction. But the absolute best thing about the show was hearing the word "Yes". My Mum used to have some favourite sayings to ease back the pain of saying "No" to me. Her favourite was, "Not today Josephine", which I hated. To abate my thirst or hunger while out, I would hear, "When you get home" and when it came to presents, to ease my anxiety to know what they contained she would always say, "All secrets will be revealed." But at the show there were no secrets, there were plenty of pit stops at the CWA cafe and Mum used to say "Yes" all day long.

So with the Royal Show in town all I wanted to do was say, "Yes" to B and Little Miss, just like my Mum. Yes to the rides, yes to the show bags, yes to hot donuts and yes to looking at whatever they wanted to see. In lieu of big birthday parties this year the show was the carrot, and we did eat.

Little Miss watched her idol fairies perform


B fell slid from a titanic height, just for fun.

We saw and touched pigs, horses, rabbits, dogs and TV watching cows.

Ate hot donuts


Went on the Ferris wheel

Drove a fire engine


Gave out free hugs

And smiled and laughed a lot.

Until it was finally time to go home. 

I asked Little Miss what she thought of the Show and she said, "It was so awesome, I just wanted to shout hooray!"

I tried to ask B the same question but he was distracted by his Army show bag. To our horror it contained not one but four toy guns. He asked me, "Which one of these guns is more powerful?"

I said, "I don't know about guns, except that they kill people."

To which B replied, "How come you told me about snail guns then."

After I stopped laughing I managed to say, "I think you might mean slug guns."

The Royal Adelaide show is on the second week of September every year at the Wayville show grounds on Goodwood Road.

Tea or coffee anyone?

There is nothing quite like a cuppa at a cafe. I believe that a cup of tea or coffee always tastes better if it's made by someone else. It might only cost you $3.20 and it is an opportunity to stop, take a small break and recharge your batteries.



















B loves a chocolate milkshake or will that be an apple juice?
Little Miss orders a baby chino and hopes it will come with a pink marshmallow.
I order a skinny latte to get a caffeine energy hit and justify the sugar I put in it with the skinny title.


There are plenty of cafes to go to, but our absolute favourite is The Green Room at 2 High Street in Willunga (reviewed here).



The Green Room has got 'kid friendly' nailed. For starters they have a fully fenced outdoor area. That's great in itself, but they also have a huge shady sand pit.

But that's not all, there are bikes to ride around, a veggie garden to explore and stepping stones to play with. But I also need to mention the inside, here you will find a special kids area with drawing easel plus table and chairs and very well stocked toy basket and board games to play.
















Visiting a cafe that considers the needs of the younger cafe set is so much more pleasurable for us parents. We get to enjoy our caffeine hit without worrying about our kids disturbing other customers. And it also means we will come back again and again. If you happen to be reading this and you work in a cafe, I implore you to consider the needs of your small customers.

NOTE: The Green Room has not sponsored or endorsed this content in any way, though that would be nice.

Tales alive

There is nothing quite like discovering a magical world that you didn't even know existed.

During the school holidays my Dad and I took B and Little Miss on a picnic to Carrick Hill a historical house that I knew had sprawling gardens. Great for running around in and wearing out the kids I thought. What I didn't know was that they have a story book trail. We discovered the trail by accident as we explored the garden.

A gravel path lead us down to a hobbit-like house built into a bank. Little windows placed at a convenient height begged to be looked in. B's attempts to break in the door thankfully didn't work as we saw inside a gnome with a stash of wine! A sign suggested we lookout for a dragon, but find it we could not. Maybe the Hobbit had already slain it?

The path lead on down past a dry stone river bank with a pretty bright red bridge. We all happily trotted over the bridge but only once we were half way across it, discovered that this was in fact the roof of a green Troll's house. His bumpy hands gripped the bridge planks and threatened to grab our feet. Little Miss was most concerned.

So off our feet ran, past the bamboo forest and into a circle of grass. A sign suggested we look for a red breasted Robin bird, who guards over a key to The Secret Garden. Large gates loomed over us. We found the Robin perched atop a pole and the key was secured underneath him, stuck in a box. At this point we were unsure which way to go, should we venture into the secret garden, without the key? The gates were open after all, or should we continue along another path? For whatever reason we continued down the path. I remember B wanting to go into the secret garden, maybe he was feeling unwell or something...

We probably made the wrong decision as down the path we came across a giant spider web. Despite climbing it, B didn't find a spider until he looked high up into the sky. There was a lovely bronze pig there too, looking longingly for someone called Charlotte?

Further along the path we became completely surrounded by animals. A wolf thankfully helped us and pointed the way to a little home in the shade of some trees which we played in for what seemed a very long time. Then we realised we were being watched by all manner of exotic mammal. Some whom required a gift or two, maybe it was their birthday?

What a wonderful way to spend the day.























Carrick Hill is located at 46 Carrick Hill Drive off Fullarton Road, Springfield. Check website for opening hours and special events.

Panda meander

Ever since Lola (from Charlie and Lola fame) had informed Little Miss that Pandas were in danger she developed a thing for them. Well its more than a thing, its like she is a magnet to all Pandaness in our world.

"There's a Panda" she would cry, as we wait for a lift at a shopping centre. We would all look about searching for some kind of Panda looking animal somewhere, eventually finding a tiny plastic keyring Panda creature on someone else's bag. 

Admittedly we live in a city that has real Pandas so her cries are not totally crazy. No we are not in China, but our city Zoo has come to some complicated arrangement with China, so for the next ten years we have Wang Wang and Funi - real giant Panda's living with us. 

Now in the past I have not been a huge Zoo fan. The Zoo was a fairly sorry experience, with too many sad animals looking bored and cramped in old fashioned run down enclosures. Couple that with a boy, namely B who is not really into animals at all, or in the past walking more than 5 steps in a row, and you can gather that going to the Zoo with him was a memorable experience for all the wrong reasons.

But B has grown long legs, the Zoo has had squillions spend on it and Little Miss is persistently on about Pandas, so we thought there was never going to be a better time for a Panda expedition.

I gather the necessary equipment-

Husband

Children

Pram

Map

We check out the Panda's food while we wait in line

Little Miss doesn't enjoy the sound of the noisy monkey neighbours

But the noise and wait are worth it. This is Wang Wang, Funi was asleep.

Wang Wang eats sitting up like a human,

wanders around this way

and that way

then poses beautifully with my kids.

Time to move on, so B consults the map.

We spy the noisy monkeys through the lush foliage

Discover fluffy babies balancing

and underwater wonders.

See tall animals and short ones trying to be tall.

Time to check out the map again

We find animals to touch

and feed

and talk to.

 

Then make some Panda purchases and call it a very successful day.

Explore the world of child's play at childhood 101











Adelaide Zoo is open 9.30-5pm everyday including Christmas and is located on Frome Road in the city.