melbournemamma

2019 Reading Challenge

January 4 2019 By melbournemamma 31 Comments

Melbourne Mamma 2019 Reading Challenge

Calling all book lovers! I’m setting myself a 2019 reading challenge and I’d love for you to join me.

I set myself this same challenge last year and I didn’t quite get through the list as I some of the books I read in my book club, didn’t meet any of the criteria that I had listed (didn’t plan that very well, did I?)

However, I did manage to read 14 books in 2018, which was a pretty good effort, considering I am a chronic migraine sufferer.

Anyway, this year I am determined to read all the books in the challenge as well as additional books in my book club.

I know what it’s like to be a busy mum (ie not have much time for reading), so I’ll only include 12 books in the challenge. However, I’ll include an additional six books for those of you who will have no problem smashing through 12 books in one year. …

Top 10 Family Christmas Movies

December 14 2018 By melbournemamma Leave a Comment

Top 10 Family Christmas Movies

It’s time to curl up on the couch with the kids and enjoy some wonderful family Christmas movies.

My kids love all of these movies and I sometimes find them watching throughout the year and not just at Christmas time.

I’ve included all the movie classifications and as a guide, the age that I’ve found them appropriate for my kids (Note: all children are different and only you know what is best for your own child). If in doubt I recommend you visit commonsensemedia.org, for further infomation regarding each movie and to see reviews from parents and children who have watched the movies themselves.

Home Alone (Rated PG, Age 8+) – An eight-year-old troublemaker must protect his house from a pair of burglars when he is accidentally left home alone by his family during Christmas vacation.
The Polar Express (Rated G, Age 6+) – On Christmas Eve, a young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express, while learning about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas.
Jingle All The Way (Rated PG, Age 7+) – A father vows to get his son a Turbo Man action figure for Christmas. However, every store is sold out of them, and he must travel all over town and compete with everybody else in order to find one.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (PG 13, Age 13+) – The Griswold family’s plans for a big family Christmas predictably turn into a big disaster.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (Not rated, Age 3+) – Laughed at because of his nose, Rudolph runs away into the North Pole wilderness, where he meets a gentle polar bear. When his friend Zoey, an attractive young doe, is captured by evil Ice Queen Stormella, Rudolph comes to her rescue and also helps Santa save Christmas.
Elf (Rated PG, Age 7+) – After inadvertently wreaking havoc on the elf community due to his ungainly size, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to the U.S. in search of his true identity.
The Santa Clause (Rated PG, Age 8+) – When a man inadvertantly kills Santa on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place.
Gremlins (Rated PG, Age 9+) – A boy inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.
Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas (Not rated, Age 4+) – Disney’s biggest stars shine in a magical all-new movie – sure to become a holiday classic! Mickey, Minnie, and their famous friends Goofy, Donald, Daisy and Pluto gather together to reminisce about the love, magic and surprises in three wonder-filled stories of Christmas past.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Rated PG, Age 7+) – On the outskirts of Whoville, there lives a green, revenge-seeking Grinch who plans on ruining the Christmas holiday for all of the citizens of the town.

And it just wouldn’t be a Christmas movie list without me mentioning my own favourites, they’re not really suitable for the kids, so wait until they’ve gone to bed to curl up on the couch or in bed; Love Actually, The Holiday, Die Hard, Trading Places and It’s A Wonderful Life.

What’s your favourite Christmas movie?

Dear Santa Printable Christmas Letter

November 27 2018 By melbournemamma

I made a Dear Santa printable letter for my kids and I’d love to share it with you.

You can download and print a copy of the letter below.

dear santa christmas letter template

As my children get older (8 and 11), I’m finding it harder and harder to come up with great gift ideas and I’m sure Santa struggles too.

They usually end up giving me a long list of random stuff – stuff, that they don’t need or even really want. Stuff that they play with for a short amount of time, sometimes only Christmas Day (don’t you hate that!!!), before it begins to gather dust on a shelf or gets hidden in a cupboard.

In this letter I give them five choices only – something they want, something they need, something they’ll wear and something they’ll read. They can also ask for one special thing that they REALLY want, so that Santa knows which gift they’re hoping for the most. It’s also a great way to steer them away from only asking for toys.

Please feel free to print it for your kids too. Click here to open PDF version for printing.

There’s only four weeks until the big day, so make sure you get the kids to mail their Dear Santa letter to Santa ASAP.

What are your kids asking Santa to bring this year? Share them in the comments below to help other parents (ie me!) come up with some great ideas.

dear santa christmas letter

Beds 4 Everybody Mattress Giveaway

November 13 2018 By melbournemamma 49 Comments

If you’re looking for a new mattress for the kids or yourself, you need to check out Beds 4 Everybody, a Melbourne family owned AND Melbourne made mattress company.

I’ve been needing to get a new mattress for my 11 year old daughter because she wanted a bigger bed (if I had known she was going to be so tall I would have bought her a king single to start with #hindsight) but quite frankly the thought of traipsing through mattress shops all over Melbourne, trying to figure which ones to buy, was giving me a headache. There are soooooo many options when it comes to mattresses these days and I had no idea where to start.

Enter Beds 4 Everybody, a new local business, who heard that I was looking for a mattress for my daughter and offered to send me one for her AND also provide me with a mattress to giveaway to a lucky Melbourne family!

Beds 4 Everybody have one goal – to make quality beds at an affordable price.

Foam is the most expensive component of a mattress. So, Beds 4 Everybody make their mattresses with Recofoam, allowing them to produce a budget mattress with extra layers of foam and comfort. Beds 4 Everybody also sell exclusively online, which means they can heavily reduce the numerous costly overheads, and pass the savings onto customers. However, they do have an showroom in Cheltenham, if you want to have a look at the mattresses before you buy. The showroom is located within the factory where they manufacture their beds.

Beds 4 Everybody also make bed bases and ensembles. All bases are made from recycled timber and have a outer cover to match their mattresses. All products come with a 5-year warranty and also include free shipping within metropolitan Melbourne (mattresses can also be delivered across Victoria for an additional fee).

Since 2011, their parent company has supplied over 50 000 refurbished beds to Victorian charities and welfare organisations. So it seemed only logical to create Beds 4 Everybody and begin to produce brand new mattresses to sell to the public.

My daughter has now been sleeping on her new mattress for nearly two months and she loves it. We recently had a slumber party for her birthday and she insisted on dragging the mattress in to the playroom to sleep on as she now refuses to sleep on anything else.

I actually had a little nap in her bed last week (DON’T tell her) when I had a migraine because my neighbour was mowing the lawn right near my bedroom and I needed to get as far away from the noise as possible. Her bed was so much more comfortable than my own bed.

Note to self: Do not give children comfy new mattress during last week of school term as they will not want to get out of bed. Wait until school holidays!

Check out my daughter’s first reaction to her new mattress here!

The wonderful folks at Beds 4 Everybody, are so generous, that they’ve also given me a mattress to give away to one lucky reader. Winner can choose between a single, king single or double.

Terms & Conditions

Entry is open to Melbourne Mamma newsletter subscribers only (subscribe here) .
Entrants must answer the following question in the comments below “In 25 words or less, tell me what size mattress you’d love to win and why”.
This competition closes at 10.00 pm (Melbourne time) on Friday, 23 November 2018. The winner will be randomly drawn and notified via email newsletter. Any prize not claimed within 48 hours of notification will be redrawn.
To qualify to enter you must be aged 18+ and live within 20 km from Melbourne CBD.
Winner can choose from single, king single or double size mattress. Not transferable or refundable.
Prize is ONE mattress only (single, king single or double) and includes delivery within 20 km radius of Melbourne CBD.

Ultimate Melbourne Christmas Gift Guide 2018

November 5 2018 By melbournemamma 1 Comment

There’s just seven weeks until Christmas and I’ve rounded up the best products from some of my favourite local stores and created my Melbourne Christmas Gift Guide.

When you shop from local stores this Christmas, you won’t be helping some CEO get a nice fat Christmas bonus, you’ll be helping a local Melbourne family have a wonderful Christmas, or perhaps a much needed family holiday or even make it easier for a business owner to send their kids to a school holiday program while mum and dad are working during the school holidays.

Avoid the mayhem at the shopping centres and shop from the comfort of your home (all products are available online). Not only will you be doing yourself a favour but you will also be supporting local stores that really appreciate it – especially at this time of year.

In the guide you will find gifts idea for kids of all ages, along with mums, dads, teachers and stocking stuffers under $20!

Rainbow Wall Clock $79, ICONIC Rainbow Puzzle $110, Kid O Myland STEM Car $60, Toddler Christmas Creative Box $39.95, See-ya Suitcase $99, Red Velvet Santa Sack $69.95, Toddler Dinosaur Creative Box $39.95, Vintage Balance Bike $99.95, Dinosaur Crayons $16.95, My First Multi Play Activity Cube $64.95 ,

Preschool Christmas Creative Box $39.95 , Name Crayons $20, Animals of the World Canvas $124.95, KontraBand Kids Headphones $34.95, Sunjellies Retro Basket $35, Dear Little Mailbox $39.95, Le Toy Van Popcorn Machine $69.95, Preschool Space Creative Box $39.95, KICKBricks $99, Sailor Wall Clock $79

Freckle Christmas Tree $4.95, Sphero Mini $81.99, Neon Clock $69, Happy Mail $21.95, DIY Sound-Activated Walking Dinosaur Kit $36.99, T-Rex Money Box $19.95, Wing Bookends $59, Hands Free Walkie Talkies $39.99, LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar $38.95, Christmas Reindeer Chocolate $6.95

Forever Young Print $99, Origami Animal Necklace $99, Harry Potter Hedwig Owl Mug $24.99, Stainless Steel Flask $45.00, Neon Clock $79, Metropol Scooter $129.99, Beach Sounds $69.95, Herschel Backpack $79.95, Ultra Drone Storm Camera Wi-Fi $94.95, Tallala Towel $39.95

Craft Beer Gift Box – Four Pack $44.95, Chocolate Freckle Thanks $6.95, Best in Black Tea Kit $35, The Ultimate Movie Buff Quiz Mug $22.99, Teacher Gift Box $20, Personalised Teacher Bookmarks $17.95, Twelve Days of Christmas Tea Advent Calendar $40, Weekly Pad $12.95, Santa’s Specialty Hamper $40, Michel Cluizel Chocolates $49

Christmas Calories Block $6.95, Antipasto Platter $85, Glasshouse Hamper $119, Bucket List $29.95, Sun Umbrella from $129, For the Love of Tea $80, Goal Digger Planner $44.95 , Vintage Ladies Bike $289.99, Folding Wine Table $99.95, Kollab Shopper Tote $24.99

Skwosh Swim Trunks + Craft Beer $99, LEGO Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter $114.99, Personalised Best Dad Bamboo Wall Hanging $45, Beard Oil Gift Pack + Craft Beer $59 , Get Shit Done $12.95, OrbitKey Clip $49.90, Weekender Hamper $149, Gents Shoe Polishing Kit $32, Mens Travel Set $185, Coffee Break Basket $60

Get Shit Done $9.95, Pastel Arch with Unicorn BIY Kit $19.95, Outer space crayons $16.95, Mini Patternation Magnetic Game $18, Xmas Grab Bag – Chocolate Raspberries $6.95 , Fortnite Do Not Disturb Sign $12, QUUT Alto Sand & Snow Toy $19.95, Fornite Dance Tee $15, On The Go Colouring Book with crayons $6.50, Glow In The Dark Temporary Tattoos $7.99, Who Am I? The Hilarious Guessing Game $14.99, Little Messages $16.95, Xmas Chocolate Freckle Pop $6.95, Little Whale Light $19.95, Desk Pad $12.95, Frosty The Melting Snowman $16.95, Mesmerised Book for Newborns $15.95, Apple Park Mini Bunny Rattle $11.99, I Love Gaming Poster $12.99

Have you started your Christmas Shopping? What’s on your wish list this Christmas?

All prices in the Melbourne Christmas Gift Guide were accurate at the time of publication. Please contact individual stores for any porduct enquiries.

* This post contains some affiliate links. If you make a purchase via one of these links, I will receive a small commission, at no cost to you.

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