marissa writes a blog

Giggling, Hooting and Crafting with Sophie

2013-05-05T16:36:00.003+10:00

Soph aka Hootabelle

The other day Soph and I had a great time with the new Giggle & Hoot magazine :)

We got sent a free copy to review here on the blog and we're already fans of Giggle & Hoot so it was an easy yes to the offer!

Here are a few pics of what we got up to:

Soph coloured in her own mask - I think it was meant to be Hoot but she's a Hootabelle fan ;)
We loved putting the felt Hoot together
Soph and I cut out the door hanger and she wrote her name on it

Plus there were stickers, drawing activities, and heaps more :)

This is a great magazine to take with you anywhere you need to keep the kids busy - I'd take it with me if we were going to a restaurant, doctor's office, or anywhere else I need to keep the girls amused without being too noisy.

If you're looking for your own copy, you can grab it for $5.95 - it's on sale from April 17 from ABC Shops, centres, online and newsagencies nationally.

Easy Easter Bunny Craft!

2013-03-31T08:59:00.000+11:00

We got into some very cute and very simple Easter craft today!

The girls loved it and I did too :)

Here's how we made them:

1. Grab a small paper plate and paint the inner circle pink (we also put glitter around the edge)

2. When it's dry, cut the paper plate in half (now you have bunny ears!)

3. Now take a large paper plate and draw your bunny face on in thick black texta

4. Then just staple your ears to the large plate and your bunny is done!

The girls painted theirs pink, purple & blue..

I think they look fantastic! Here's Soph with hers:

Happy Easter from all of us!

x Marissa

Linking up with the awesome:

Little Moments..

2013-03-26T13:48:00.001+11:00

It always amazes me the beauty you can see in the little moments of every day life!

.. and then 5 minutes later one is yelling at the other one because she doesn't want to hold hands anymore ;)

Does this happen in your family?

x Marissa

Movie Review: Safe Haven

2013-03-11T13:30:00.001+11:00

This post is not sponsored or partnered
This post contains an affiliate link
picture credit

Ok I have to say I LOVED this movie.

Safe Haven is fantastic! The storyline is great, it has great acting, the plot twists are awesome and the soundtrack makes me feel like I'm on holidays :)

There's a chance I've seen it twice already ;)

Here's the trailer from YouTube:

I haven't read the book yet but it's next on my list!

Have you read Safe Haven? Or watched the movie?

What did you think of it?

Does anyone else feel like their kids are growing up way too fast?

2013-02-10T22:22:00.000+11:00

On one hand, I'm loving that Georgia can walk, talk, feed herself, and play well with her sister.

On the other hand... I do miss those baby cuddles sometimes! And Soph is getting so independent!

But 2 children is enough for us I think, so I'll just have to embrace the fun stuff the kids do now that they're growing up, like:

Georgia learning how to do headstands (thanks Ben for teaching her that one!)

.. and Soph's growing obsession with craft (ok, I'll admit it, I love the craft too)

And it is nice not to have to sterilise baby bottles anymore!

How about you - do you miss the baby days in your family (or are you in them now?)

x Marissa

Getting crafty with The Wiggles

2013-01-25T21:38:00.001+11:00

I love crafting with my girls, even though I'm terrible at it!

Nothing pretty about our craft, we just get the kit out, dig in, get messy and let ideas come to us as we go..

On this day, Soph asked if we could colour in paper plates, so I got some out, and some paint, and we just started to colour them..

Cut to 3 plates later and we realised we had a green, a purple and a brown plate - so we decided to turn them into friends of the Wiggles ;)

Henry & Wags at the top, Dorothy on bottom left and Captain Feathersword on bottom right

Georgia LOVED it - she's Wiggles obsessed at the moment - which I think is causing friction between me and the Husband, seeing he is team Greg and I am team Sam.. Soph is team Emma and Georgia doesn't seem to care as long as someone's wearing a yellow shirt ;)

Who's your favourite Wiggle?

x Marissa

Who knew the Golden Globes had REAL couples in love!

2013-01-15T08:54:00.001+11:00

I had a ball yesterday hanging out with some lovely ladies watching the Golden Globes!

In between sipping & snacking and chatting about the gorgeous dresses and how funny Tina and Amy were hosting, I noticed how normal some of the celeb couples were!

Just normal people who actually love each other: Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner,
Hugh Jackman & Deborra-lee Furness, Kristen Bell and Dax Shephard..

I haven't got permission to post pics, so head over to ivillage for a look!

It was nice to see some ladies dressing for their figure and looking incredible instead of just cramming themselves into whatever was on trend - Adele, Claire Danes, Jennifer Garner - beautiful :)

Did you watch the Golden Globes? Comment below and tell me your favourite couple, favourite frock of the night!

x Marissa

Happy New Year!

2013-01-01T13:00:00.002+11:00

Just a quick post today to say Happy New Year :)

We've had a stressful week with Sophie breaking her arm (falling off a swing) on Boxing Day and needing 3 days in hospital with surgery.. then poor Georgia burning her fingers last night on her mashed potato (I felt terrible - it was a lot hotter than I thought it was and she got them in there just as we were about to test it!).

Our local hospital is full of kind, understanding, helpful people - staff, volunteers and other parents - we are so grateful to them :)

The girls are in great spirits and handling it all really well - better than I think I would have in their shoes!

I do want to say a big thank you to Ben, our family, friends - all of you for your support and well wishes while all of this was happening - you are amazing xx

So, in light of the stressful week, the new year brings with it a sense of new beginnings and hope (aw, I sound like a movie) and I'm going to make the most of it!

Here are my resolutions for 2013:

I'm aiming for life to be:

Happy
Healthy
Balanced

..and of course I'll still be finding ways to make life easy as a busy mum :)

I'd love to know your resolutions! Comment below and let me know what they are - or if you don't do them, let me know what you are most excited about this New Year :)

Sometimes the simple games are the best

2012-12-20T08:42:00.001+11:00

It's funny how you can spend so much money on toys and craft... only to find it's the simplest, cheapest things kids spend the most time playing with!

A week ago, I came across this free Christmas Shadow Match printable at Busy Little Bugs and thought it was adorable!

I printed it out, cut it into squares and started playing it with Sophie.

Half an hour later she was still going all by herself!

And she's played with it almost every day since :)

What do your kids play with the most?

Christmas Card Colouring with Sophie

2012-12-11T09:08:00.000+11:00

Soph helped me with our Christmas cards this year - we got some great colouring in ones through my friend Amy and they were a big hit with Sophie! Ok, I admit it - I loved colouring them too ;)

It was a nice way to personalise our Christmas cards this year, and a nice way for Soph and I to spend some time together while Georgia napped.

Here's how they turned out:

Lovely!

I take no responsibility for the messages inside though - Sophie asked if she could decide what we would say, and I wrote them word for word, and added a warning message to the back of each envelope:

So Christmas cards are done for the year!

What are you up to this week?

Linking up with Jess for the first time!

Credits:

This post isn't sponsored, and all products were purchased by me. if you're keen to check out Amy's cards, you can see more on her Facebook page here :)

Free "Mummy's Time Out" door hanger printable!

2012-12-04T14:09:00.001+11:00

While I love being a mum, sometimes it's nice to have just a few minutes all to yourself.

Today all I want is 15 minutes to catch up on a bit of blog reading, but I just can't seem to find that 15 minutes yet! Maybe this would help ;)

Want one for your house? Head over here and subscribe for my blog updates and it's all yours, for free!

What I wore: New scarf!

2012-11-29T08:34:00.002+11:00

I got this gorgeous new scarf when I went to the Raid My Wardrobe event a few weeks ago.. it was only $5 and I love it :)

I've paired it with a pair of pull on jeans from Kmart ($9 I think) and a plain long black tank I've had for about 10 years.

A simple ponytail, and my usual wedding band and huggie earrings and I'm ready!

Join in! What are you wearing today?

New YouTube channel

2012-11-27T08:28:00.001+11:00

I don't know why I decided to delete my original personal YouTube channel, but now that I have I really miss it!

While I LOVE doing my weekly videos over at Beautifully Organised, I need a space where I can chat about things that aren't to do with organising - family stuff, hair, make up, what I'm eating, what I'm reading, just every day stuff that doesn't really fit over at the organising blog :)

If you would like to watch my quick hello video on my new personal channel, click below!

Cookbook review - Jamie's 15 minute meals

2012-11-20T09:37:00.000+11:00

My lovely Mum gave me a copy of Jamie's 15 minute meals the other day!

We gave one of the chicken recipes a try over the weekend, and while it took longer (abut 45 mins), it was so good!

The recipe we tried was Golden Chicken, Braised Greens & Potato Gratin.

Here's Jamie's version:

Here's how it turned out at our house:

I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the greens were! Leek, spinach and peas together - who would have thought?!?

I'm taking the book to my gorgeous friend and dietitian Nicole Barber to get her opinion on the recipes health wise - Jamie mentions in the book that he had a nutrition team working with him, but it can't hurt to see for myself!

We're thinking of trying a recipe every week - if we do, would you like to know how they go?

Credits:

All pics taken by me - I snapped pics of the book from my iPhone. Jamie, if you're reading this and want me to take the pics down, let me know :)

The links on this page are affiliate ones for Book Depository. I buy my books through them, and if you buy through my links I get a couple of dollars... which I tend to use for blogging, and to buy more books ;)

Beautiful photos for your beautiful family

2012-11-13T18:55:00.000+11:00

I love taking photos of my kids, even though I’m terrible at it ;)

Mine are always taken on my iPhone and more often than not they’re dark and shadowy, or my girls have those wooden smiles (“Cheeeese!”), which are adorable, but just don’t capture the moment the way I imagine it will when I take the picture.

I want photos that truly capture the essence of my girls’ personalities - Georgia’s cheeky grin and Sophie’s studious looks when they play together. I want to see the real life loveliness when I look at our family photos - where the pictures match the memory I have of that moment, rather than the usual ‘family poses’ I see in almost every one I take.

Photos that show how happy, and bubbly, and cheeky, and funny, and thoughtful, and playful our girls are!

Photos like this:

Gorgeous. These photos are from caraloren.com.au and they are exactly what I’m talking about - they capture those real life family moments and show the true beauty of them.

Cara’s website gallery is full of bright, happy photos of people in real places like parks, beaches, out & about, or at home. She goes beyond traditional portrait styles and weaves her session into the fun times you have together - your weekend away camping, Christmas craft making, a day with Nanna, or that moment when Dad comes home from a trip.. Beautiful.

Her blog is exactly the same - warm and inviting, with beautiful photos and stories of her own life mixed in. It’s a lovely spot to visit when you want to relax for a few minutes and look at something pretty. Look at this adorable day at Taronga Zoo :)

If you’re looking for photos like these for your family, check out Cara’s website here. She shoots Australia wide and her pricing is all inclusive - you get all of your images on disc so you can print as many you want, as often as you want, in any size. Cara even has a FAQ page that covers things I wouldn’t have thought of, like the best times for pregnancy photos or newborn photos and what to wear on the day of your session. Helpful things like that are what really make a difference to me.

Make sure you go over to Cara’s Facebook page and like it - you’ll love her updates :)

Credits:

I’m so happy to have Cara on board as a sponsor of Marissa Writes A Blog. Her work fits perfectly with what I’m all about - embracing the beauty of everyday family life!

You’ll see me feature Cara’s logo on the sidebar of my blog for the next few months, so when you’re looking to book in photos for your family, just click on the logo button and it will take you straight to her website.

P.S. I think a set of gorgeous family pics will make for some beautiful Christmas presents!

New hair!

2012-11-10T14:52:00.001+11:00

Well, maybe not new hair, but freshly done hair :)

There's always that first few days of "Do I really like it? It feels too different.." but I think it's important to embrace and enjoy change.

Next time I think I'll ask for a bit more natural looking foils and some more light brown thrown in among the blonde, but for now I'm excited about playing with clothes and make up and feeling pretty & girly :)

I heart my body

2012-10-25T20:37:00.004+11:00

There's a beautiful movement happening every year thanks to WeHeartLife.com called I HEART MY BODY I've never seen so many wonderful, positive posts written by real women with real bodies and I LOVE that I'm joining in this year.

These are a few snaps of my body over the last five years.

In that time I had two babies so there have been some significant changes to my body.

Here's what I love about my body:

1. I have great legs

2. I have beautiful long hair

3. I have a bright, happy face

4. I have pretty hands

Sometimes I forget the things I love about my body, so it's good to write them here. It will remind me to:

Stand tall & stop slouching

Walk & sit gracefully

Moisturise

Look after my hair

Get more sleep

Be proud of myself

Be a healthy role model to my girls

What do you heart about your body?

When you're not looking..

2012-10-16T13:36:00.001+11:00

Look what happens when your back is turned!

Today I heard Sophie talking quietly in the bathroom while I was putting baby Georgia to bed.. not too worried as toilet training has generally been going really well.

Then I saw this...

the poor tree..

I went to find Sophie and ask her about it, only to find her innocently doing yoga in the lounge room..

What? No, I was here all the time..

Looks like we'll be doing some sort of toilet paper craft tomorrow!

Luckily, I found some great ideas after searching on Pinterest - check them out here!

Has this ever happened to you? Tell me your worst kids-and-toilet-paper story :)

How often do you say these things at your house?

2012-10-08T08:21:00.001+11:00

So baby Georgia is getting more & more grown up every day!
She's gorgeous (of course!) but I'm finding myself using these phrases on a regular basis:

"No touching please, just watching.." (TV)
"That's not for eating, that's for playing.." (any toys)
"Chairs / beds / lounges are for bottoms, bellies or backs - NOT for standing on.." (furniture)
"Foot off the table please" (you guessed it..)

There's a reason we call her Cheeky! Or maybe she's cheeky because we call her that... chicken & egg?

x Marissa

I'm going spooky this year..

2012-10-03T22:50:00.000+10:00

This year I'm getting into Halloween at our house :)

That's right, Halloween - even though I live in Australia.

I know not everyone thinks we should embrace it, and it's not a tradition over here, blah, blah, blah ;)

I can't lie - I'm in it for the fun factor. The craft with my kids, the dress ups, and maybe, just maybe, a couple of spooky home made treats!

We won't be trick-or-treating though, mainly because my girls are a bit young, the neighbours aren't really into it, and I'd be too tempted to eat Sophie & Georgia's lollies anyway..

I'll be joining in on Dannie's Halloween Blog Hop every Wednesday, so if you want to get spooky with us, you are totally welcome xx

This week I've dressed up my profile pic thanks to Pickmonkey.com!

This is the standard pic I use on almost everything online, especially stuff for Beautifully Organised.

Here's the before:

And here's the after:

Love it!

So tell me, are you doing Halloween this year? Do you think we should in Australia?

x Marissa

Linking up with Dannie!

The Thirty Things Challenge

2012-08-28T15:02:00.000+10:00

My friend Dorothy at Singular Insanity is currently running The 30 Things Challenge - where we list 30 of our positive qualities.

I LOVE this idea, especially for mums - we spend so much time cramming as much as we can into our day to help out our family that sometimes we forget we are people too - wonderful, kind, beautiful people who should be focusing on ourselves a bit as well :)

So here's my entry - just off the top of my head while baby Georgia sleeps and Sophie is out at the library with her Nan & Pop..

The 30 things challenge: write down thirty of your positive qualities: things that you, or others, like about you.

I'm a really positive, happy person
I help busy mums
I sing and dance with my kids and don't care how silly I look
I'm a good cook
I'm organised
I LOVE my family & friends
I have pretty hair
I manage my time well
I tell my girls (and husband) I love them everyday
I play bad cop well when my girls are naughty
I make amazing muffins
I make making beds fun
I support my local cinema by going to the movies many, many times
I care about people
I love a challenge
I always have a good reason for doing things
I make great tea and coffee
I tell people when they look lovely
I donate to at least 3 charities every year
I'm getting better at saying no, but saying it nicely
I find easier ways to do stuff
I'm creative
I love to read
I make great kids tents out of blankets and chairs
I share what I know and love
I don't stress when my kids watch TV
I'm always learning
I take time for ME without feeling guilty
I appreciate everything the Husband does for us and don't give him a hard time about playing golf ;)
I dress to suit my figure but don't panic if I don't look perfect

What are the things you love about YOU?

Linking up with:

Credits:

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Happy Moments..

2012-08-22T22:29:00.000+10:00

Moments like this make me so happy :)

I just can't believe they're both looking at the camera AND smiling at the same time!

And the bears... so many bears!

Do you have a favourite photo of your kids?

My 3 Favourite Movies of All Time

2012-08-11T20:35:00.001+10:00

I LOVE movies.

I would happily watch one every day if I had a couple of extra hours available! As it is, I make sure I have time to watch at least one a week, at the movies or on TV / DVD.

My top 3 movies of all time are:

One Fine Day: with Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney. I must have seen this 7 or 8 times with my best friend when it first came out. Seriously, it's lovely. It made me love rainy days. And New York. And now I have it on DVD and my iPad and it's my fallback movie if I can't sleep..

Mr & Mrs Smith: With Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. I love the story, the action, Angelina's hair.. everything. Except Vince Vaughan (sorry Vince).

Le Divorce: with Naomi Watts and Kate Hudson. This is a cute little movie about 2 american girls living in France - I think it's based on a book. Love the story and how pretty France is in it :) Plus this is one I saw with a dear friend who passed away unexpectedly a few years ago, so it will always be one that reminds me of her. Amazing how a movie can do that..

What are your 3 favourite movies of all time?

P.S. I can't guarantee all names have been spelled correctly on this post and I'm in a bit too much of a hurry to Google them tonight as we're about to watch a movie. So, George, Michelle, Brad, Angelina, and everyone else - if you're reading this post, let me know if you need me to change anything ;)

Real Life fashion: Easy, stylish and comfy outfit for busy Mums

2012-06-15T20:21:00.001+10:00

Brown boots, black tights, long white singlet, extra long grey cardi, orange scarf

So you know I'm all about making life as easy as possible - especially with 2 kids under 4 to look after.

Soph's at an age where she'll help out around the house or play well by herself, but Georgia's just started to crawl and she's fast!

Here's what I look for in clothing at the moment:

Flattering
Easy to move in - can I sit on the floor in it and play with the kids, change nappies, etc?
Warm (it's winter here in Australia)
Goes with other things I have in my wardrobe
Multi purpose - can I wear it in different ways?

I'm loving these Proskinsright now - they're warm, stretchy & comfortable AND flattering - they're supportive as well. Check out my legs ;)

Black goes with everything in my wardrobe so that's easy but what I'm most impressed with is how many different ways I've been able to wear them.

I love tights with long shirts and even longer cardis, (and of course cute boots and a scarf).

But just in case you are more of a 'leggings aren't pants' person, here are the other ways I wear them:

Under a denim skirt
Under a knitted dress
Under slouchy pants on really cold days when I'll be outside
As workout pants - really comfy and I feel a bit sexy in them too which helps a workout ;)
Under my pjs on a cold night

Actually, the 'under my pjs on a cold night' AND 'as workout pants' work really well together when I work out first thing in the morning!

If you're thinking about adding a good quality, flattering, versatile pair of leggings to your wardrobe, this is the brand I recommend.

The price point is higher than I would normally shop for but in terms of value for wear - so worth it. My $10 Kmart tights lost most of their stretch after the first wear and pilled & faded really quickly (sorry Kmart, I still love you but not your leggings) - I've had NO fading or pilling yet with these and I've had them for a couple of months now now, so to compare cost per wear:

Kmart tights - not as flattering, damaged after 1 wear = $10 per wear
Proskins - look better, feel better and no damage after at least 15 wears = $10 per wear. And they are still going strong - I'm expecting more than double that number of wears

You can find out more about Proskins here, check them out and tell me how you would wear them!

Credits:

I received a pair of complimentary Proskins for this review I love them - even wore them today writing this blog post :)

Edit Jan 11, 2013: I've just become a Proskins affiliate today so I've adjusted the links to reflect my affiliate tracking. I still wear these heaps and they gone really well over time - no wear or damage to report so far!

Behind the scenes of a review at MWAB

2012-06-11T14:10:00.001+10:00

So I've been addicted to Red Rock Deli Corn Chips lately! But the review post I had originally planned for them did NOT turn out how I thought it would!

Come behind the scenes with me..

I had a lovely blog post all thought out for you - my plan was to take a lovely pic of my little family all playing outside for the afternoon, snacking on our new corn chips with some good cheese, some salsa, etc and generally having a lovely relaxing time.

We were given 3 different flavours to try out:

Trio of cheeses
Sea Salt
Fire roasted red chilli & lime (oh boy, these were my favourite..so hot, and SO good!)

The weather was too cold the first day I planned our little picnic afternoon tea, so instead of styling up a photo opp outside I just opened a pack and we snacked on them inside - they didn't last long.

Oh well, we still have 2 packs left.

Then a couple of days later I noticed a second pack had disappeared... turns out the Husband has given them to his Mum and Dad to try after raving about them.

No problem, we have a pack left - I can still do my pretty picnic snacking photo on the weekend.

Then this happened on the Friday night:

Yes, that's the Husband with the last packet of corn chips. Opened. Eating them.

At least he was nice enough to share them with me (ok - I snatched the packet away from him and ate the rest)!

Man, I wish we still had some left now - it's so cold and rainy here today, a nice spicy snack would be perfect :)

Do you like spicy food?

xx Marissa

Credits:

I received complimentary packs of RRD Corn Chips for this review. My favourite is definitely the Fire Roasted Red Chilli & Lime, but Trio of Cheeses nearly won ;)