05.15.2016

MiniMeis – Down Under / Baby Back Carrier

We were very excited this week to receive our MINIMEIS carrier, it is perfect for hikes, theme parks, museums or even at the airport. It even makes a short walk easier and simply perfect when you want to give your child that bird’s-eye view whilst knowing your child is safe & secure in the MiniMeis Baby Back Carrier.

The MiniMeis has revolutionized the way babies are carried, it not only provides your child with a view of the world as you see it, it also leaves your hands free to point and interact with your child. MiniMeisis is simple to put on and has clip buckles with self locking straps for maximum convenience and comfort.

The MiniMeis Baby / Child Shoulder Carrier is ideal for an active family making hiking, family day trips, holidays, walks to Pre-school or even walking the dog easy and fun.

When not in use, your MiniMeis Baby Back Carrier quickly folds in half so it’s easy to store away.

We are lucky to be able to introduce you to the lovely Cassandra, Mummy of 3 boys and distributor for MiniMeis Australia to tell us more of the story behind this great idea and how she got involved……

Welcome Cassandra,

I stumbled across the crazy world of baby wearing while I was pregnant with No.2 boy. I was sucked right in! Within months I had an awesome ‘stash’ that included soft structured carriers, wraps, ring slings, wrap conversions…you name it, I had it! So when my darling boy entered the world I was busting to use them all! Reality check….he HATED being worn! I tried everything! Front carries, back carries, hip carries, outside, inside, sitting, standing, dancing, hopping on one leg even! I had maybe a handful of successful carries in the first year of his life. By this stage I was pregnant again and had pretty much given up, with the hope that No.3 (boy again) would be a lot more cooperative and so far, so good.

One day I was browsing the world of Instagram and stumbled across the MiniMeis carrier! Genius! What kid doesn’t like shoulder rides? We managed to get one down here after pulling a few strings with Scandinavian family. It’s been AMAZING! Dad happily wears it as well and my toddler has never been happier! We hadn’t had it very long and I just knew this was a product I wanted to get behind!

What we love about the MiniMeis:

Compact / light/ great for travelling

Dad friendly

Best view for your child

Free hands for child and wearer

Can be used from 6mths to 5years approx

Easy to use

Available in Australia now

The MiniMeis Baby Back Carrier Toddler Package includes the following.

MiniMeis shoulder harness.

Upper section seat for a child of 2 – 5 years of age (or a maximum child weight of 20kg). This upper section has no harness, so the child remains stable via the Velcro leg loops.

Extra padding which can be useful in the summer months, when you want to use your MiniMeis with less padded clothing such as T-Shirts.

Small & Light – Collapsible
Ergonomically made for perfect body balance
Norwegian design

www.minimeis.com.au

Insta: @minimeisaustralia

Facebook: www.facebook.com/minimeisaustralia

04.18.2016

Struggles with infertility – Should I have waited so long to start trying?

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Written By: Charlene Moore

Get to Know Charlene, she is married to an avid golfer and mum to a soon to be 1 year old. Recently Charlene became a stay at home mum and is trying to find her creative side all the while living life to the fullest with her family. You can get to know more about Charlene by catching up on her blog teeoffwithcharle.BlogSpot.com

I’m writing this post because my husband and I struggled with infertility. Luckily, it was a simple fix but I can’t help but get mad at myself for waiting so long to start trying to conceive only to find out that we would have struggles in getting pregnant.

I was 19 when I married my husaband(23). At the time, I was SOOOO not ready to have a child. We had agreed to wait at least 2 years before trying to conceive. Those two years flew by and we enjoyed every minute of them. When the topic of children came up once again, we both agreed that us being us right now was the best. We were settling down and trying to find our career paths. We didn’t want to bring a child into our fast paced unknown crazy lifestyle so again we agreed to put it off another year or two. Fast forward two more years. We celebrated our 4th anniversary and were living comfortably. We had most of all our debt paid off, we both just received two really good jobs for our area and we were finally slowing down. Of course, like any other married couple you were 24 and 28, we got asked the question, “so when are you guys going to have kids.” I am not joking you like 15 times a day….A DAY! It drove me nuts. It wasn’t that we didn’t want kids, it was just we were loving our lifestyle and content with us for the time being. Another year went by and one of our family friends announced she was pregnant. I couldn’t have been more excited for her. But at the same time, I felt sad, that I was missing something and that something might be a baby. My husband, needless to say, agreed!

SIDE NOTE:

I hadn’t had a problem with my menstrual cycle until I got on birth control. That stuff messes you up. I got on birth control right before I got married and it did WONDERS to my body……NOT. Within 4 months, I had gained 40 lbs. I went from a size 36 B bra size to a 36 DD and i was CRAY CRAY. Let’s just say I got off of it ASAP and we had just been “careful.” Since I got off the birth control, my cycles never got back to normal.

BACK TO STORY:

After hearing our friends announcement, I decided to go get everything checked out. The 1st doctor i went to diagnosed me with PCOS, started me on some medication (that I didn’t need) and gave me what they call an HSG (where they shoot dye into your fallopian tubes to make sure they aren’t clogged). I didn’t feel like I was getting any answers so after a few months I went to another doctor. The 2nd Doctor took blood work, viewed my HSG and told me I had a little low testosterone level and my uterus looked to have a slight indent but something that was pretty hard to detect unless you look really close. Needless to say, he admitted he was no help and referred me to an OBGYN Specialist. This is when I met the blessing of a doctor that would help us become parents.

The 8 months that I dealt with clomid, prometrium. driving 45 minutes for my appointments paid off. We had surgery to remove scar tissue which was holding my ovaries upside now which in turn didn’t allow an egg to be released in June 2014. Two month later we became pregnant. We were more than ecstatic. You can read my whole story on my blog http://www.teeoffwithcharle.blogspot.com/

I guess what I am trying to say is, I am a firm believer for “if it happens, it was MEANT to be.” But I deep down wish that I would have gone through all of this 4 years ago. We will be celebrating our 8th Anniversary this next Monday. We are the ages of 27 and 31 and have our first child. I can’t help but think how many kids we would have if we would have tried all this earlier. If you are like me, I was in denial that something was wrong so that was one of the main reasons i kept putting it off. I didn’t want a doctor to tell me that something was wrong. But waiting, we became more mature and this parenting thing kind of seems a lot easier now that I am older. I love my child more than anything and wouldn’t change a thing about our journey but if your reading this, your trying to conceive, go to your doctor. THEY WILL HELP.

Please Leave Comments as we would love to hear from you….

NOTE: All the information provided on www.pipersienna.com is for general information and entertainment purposes only. Guest bloggers and other contributors to www.pipersienna.com are responsible for their own submitted material on my website. The opinions expressed by any third parties are their own and do not always represent the position and belief of www.pipersienna.com

03.22.2016

Calling All Mummy Blogger’s

Ever wanted to write a blog post?

Or know someone who does?

Calling All Mummy Bloggers!!!!!

Never written anything – Not a problem get started right here. No experience necessary

I’m looking for guest bloggers and I’m want to hear from anyone who would like to share thoughts, experiences and writing with others on anything baby, child or Family related.

Wanting to use the great community we have subscribed to the blog to help one another

Mums supporting Mums ??

Feel free to tag any one you know below or email me || [email protected]

03.01.2016

Green Eggs and Ham Character Breakfast Review – Carnival Cruise Lines

Ever wondered what green eggs and ham taste like?

Well we know!

Delicious !!!!

We have just returned from a 9 day Carnival Cruise from Sydney Australia to Noumea and surrounding islands and while sailing we reserved a seat at the most fun meal at sea- The Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast with Dr. Sess and Friends.

We rose early on the last sea day on board to join The Cat In The Hat in the main dining room, which had been transformed for the occasion, into a colourful and magical world with bright polka dot linens, silly centerpieces, an ice sculpture and more!

Green eggs and ham for breakfast!? You bet

Our breakfast feast was quite delicious. The menu includes Trufulla Tree Pancakes, stacked mini red & white pancakes that resembled the Cat’s hat, Dr. Seuss parfait, moose juice and goose juice, and of course, green eggs and ham. The menu was a feast for the eyes and tummy, Plus if red pancakes and green scrambled eggs aren’t your thing don’t worry as a more ‘traditional’ breakfast is also available if you’re not game enough.

The whimsical Dr. Seuss characters roam the dining room while you eat and will come and interact with the kids and they make sure they visit with every table. The Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 & Thing 2, as well as Sam I Am all make appearances throughout breakfast and are available for family photos plus you are allowed to take pictures with your own camera so you have the bonus of not having to pay extra for professional pictures.

The Green Eggs and Ham breakfast is offered the last sea day of each cruise and will be held in the main dining room its open to families as well as the young-at-heart.

This brunch is priced additional to all the other dinning options that are included in your cruise price but it is fantastic value at only $10 per person.

It is similar to other character dining that we have been lucky enough to experience at many of the Disney character dinning spots at US theme parks (which are way more expensive)

The wait staff on Carnival are over the top friendly and really go above and beyond to make your trip memorable. This breakfast is no exception! The Staff dresses up in costume and even don blue wigs plus perform a fun routine for guests which my kids loved.

The Green Eggs & Ham Breakfast on the Carnival was more than a meal, it was an experience and in my opinion well worth the price.

Thanks for all the questions I have been receiving regarding our cruise and cruising with toddlers, I know a lot of you are wanting to book and I promise I’m working on a blog post that will hopefully answer a few of your questions and help in your planning, keep an eye out very soon.

Love Kerry and Miss Piper xoxo

02.23.2016

Miss Piper Turns Two

Last week we Celebrated a very Happy Birthday Party to mark Miss Piper turning the BIG Two.

It wasn’t a massive affair just close family and friends sharing in our special day as we didn’t want Piper so overwhelmed that she couldn’t enjoy her day. We had just 8 children in total and the afternoon could not have been more perfect.

We had been away on holidays for the nine days leading up to the party and only returned home the night before the big day so I was determined not to stress myself out and keep it as low key as possible. Most of the setup was done before we went away so on the morning of the party we only had the lawn to mow, a quick shop and some food to prepare.

Here’s how we did it and a few party planning tips that work for me:

Decide on a theme – Go easy on yourself here, pick something easy that you have seen heaps of, it makes shopping easier as you’re not running around looking for random things that don’t exist (been there done that) and its also better on the budget. Plus remember a theme can be as easy as just a colour all you need is something that ties it all together for you.

I fell in love with all the beautiful tableware and accessories at little Ginger who had everything in the colours I had in mind and once I made contact they were full of helpful suggestions that made my planning and decisions easy. The kids just loved the pom pom and ribbon wands that they could play with during the party then were able to take home as gifts from Piper for attending.

This time our theme was Olaf (from Frozen) One of Pipers all time favs. But I didn’t want the over the top Frozen Princess Theme so we tried to stay with more of a colour theme with aqua, white, silver and blue and just added Olaf in, mind you while shopping leading up to the party some Princess merchandise did keep finding its way into my trolley.

When planning your styling choose a couple of areas to style and spend the money on just those areas. Don’t waste time and money trying to style everything and anything, it’s better to have a couple of areas looking great than odd decorations spread out all over the room.

Organise and set up as much as you can as early as you can – when a party is on the horizon and I’m in the last couple of weeks before the big day, I try to do something every day even if it’s just something small.

Tip – Pipers grandma even made the cupcakes three weeks before the day and put them in my freezer and the icing the week before and put it in the fridge, so all I had to do on the day was defrost, put the icing on top and pop the decoration in!

Food – Ask for help! If you have any budding chefs, grandmas or aunties around, usually they wont mind whipping up a tray of sandwiches and if that’s not an option and its stressing you out then buy it from the shop! As long as the kids have something to eat they are not usually that fussy. Big hits at our party were the kids finger sandwiches with ham and cheese, the fruit platter full of fun finger sized fruit and of course cake!

Our stunning cake was made by a family friend and topped off with a stunning personalised cake topper from Bambini Boutique

Tip – Get a good cake topper and you can’t go wrong!

Last but not least,

The birthday outfit being the fashionista that Miss P is, this is an all important one at the top of our list! A couple of main things that must be considered is that it has to be practical, a romper/playsuit is perfect at two if Piper couldn’t have sat comfortably on the floor, played in the yard and ran around or had been wearing something that tripped her up or made her itchy then she would not have enjoyed her day and would have insisted on being naked for the duration of the party.

As soon as I saw this stunning playsuit from Bouni and Bhati I knew we had found just the right amount of sparkle and frill, the perfect Frozen colour and it was lined so didn’t scratch plus no skirts so we didn’t spend the day seeing undies in all our photos. It couldn’t have been more perfect, and has left us wanting one in every colour.

And that Flower Crown – well is there anything more magical, this was custom made to our theme by the very talented Avierley Boutique we just let her know our colour theme and then let her surprise us with this masterpiece complete with butterflies. I am so happy with the outcome it was so perfect. I don’t know what this amazing lady does to her crowns to make them stay on children’s heads but Piper wore this crown for the whole party, it stayed in place and was obviously very comfortable as Piper didn’t touch or ask for it to be removed the entire time.

So that’s it, a beautiful afternoon spent celebrating our big Miss Two, just add some amazing party decorations, great friends and a cake and TA DA! Best party ever…. Now to start planning the Dinosaur party for Mr 9 in only 4 weeks time!!

Love Kerry and Miss Piper xoxo

11.01.2015

Shop Piper’s Collection over at Neapolitan Home Wears and Save

Still waiting for the Christmas Gift ideas inspiration to take hold?

Then be sure to check out one of our new finds Neapolitan Homewears

You can even check out our favourites products in Piper’s Collection

NEAPOLITAN Homewares brings together an eclectic mix of all things wonderful and colourful for your home and life. Take a look around and you’ll find bright, practical and playful homewares and gifts offering a twist on the traditional.

The NEAPOLITAN Homewares range includes designer cushions, colourful melamine tableware, vintage print tumblers and cake stands, weekend and everyday bags, funky storage containers, retro print tins, porcelain canisters, children’s games and dinner sets and loads more.

Plus as a bonus shop “Piper’s Collection during the 1st Nov – 8th Nov and receive 15% OFF

Piper’s Collection – 15% off using code PIPER15

Ban.do Sip Sip Tumbler – Holiday Palm

$25.95

froy & dind kids memory game

$19.95

Londji jigsaw puzzle – Bon Voyage

$49.95

OMY Design & Play Kids Colouring Placemats set – Fantastic

$34.95

RICE Colour Changing Lamp

$15.95

RICE Kids food containers – Butterfly & Ladybird shaped

$19.95

RICE Kids melamine cup – Strawberry

$7.95

RICE Kids melamine fork & spoon – Strawberry

$7.95

RICE Kids melamine tray – Strawberry

$26.95

RICE Square tiered food containers with carry strap

$29.95

We enjoy sharing our new finds with you all and love hearing feedback, so if you have found anything exciting please drop us a line and let us know.

Happy Shopping Kerry and Miss Piper xoxo

10.11.2015

Piper’s Christmas Gift Guide

Welcome to Piper’s Christmas Gift Guide for 2015… Enjoy

Santa is on his way in just 74 more sleeps, which means now is the prime time to organise and buy all your Christmas presents and get wrapping so that you can sit back and enjoy the festive season in style.

Now for most Parents I know that can bring a lot of stress, What are you going to buy your little one? Are they going to like it? Will it be in stock? I bet so many questions just like these are flying around in your head as you read this right now!

That is where we come in. To help ease the stress of the festive season, Piper and I are going to show you what is on the very top of our wish list for Santa!

If you’re looking for some different and exciting gift ideas for babies and toddlers then this is perfect for you.

We are so excited to show you our wish list and can’t wait to hear what you think.

Baby Grand Piano from Dear Friend Children’s boutique. Available HERE

Great for little ones with a BIG imagination.

This is the most amazing toy as it provides hour of entertainment while also providing a creative outlet at the same time, plus makes a great room décor item as well, its a Musical instrument that consists of 30 playable keys which are chromatically tuned with a full two octave span. Small Hammers strike metal rods producing lovely chime-like notes (not an electronic toy). Solid and sturdy wood construction plus comes with sturdy stool/bench that’s perfect for little bottoms. This will make for a perfect present under the tree this year.

Wonderful high gloss finish. Available in black, white and pink

The Piano measures 49 cm high x 50 cm wide x 53 cm long

The bench measures 20 cm high x 28 cm wide x 18 cm long

Christmas Fairy TuTu from Mee + Mae. Available HERE

Perfect for your little princess.

These tutus are lovingly made with a beautiful Satin Ribbon Trim. This is a staple item for every Princesses wardrobe!

100% Nylon Tulle with 100% Polyester Satin Ribbon Trim.

Handmade double layered tutu skirt with an elasticated waist and yards upon yards of super soft Tulle to make the ultimate fluffy tutu for your Princess! Wear for a special occasion such as a newborn photoshoot, cake smash/birthday party, or every day just because!

These tutus are available in a selection of festive colours.

Upper Dhali Keepsake Doll Prints. Available HERE

The perfect addition to any room décor.

These Whimsical Watercolour Art prints have been exclusively created from original images captured of Upper Dhali handcrafted dolls.

They can be purchased as a beautiful single print or as a collection to adorn any room, just stunning in a collection to add that touch of magic to a special place in your house that will always be treasured.

Printed on high quality digital print on 280gsm premium cardstock with a GLOSS finish, Size – A5

Blooms Butterfly Doll To order see instagram page: @blooms.butterflies.doll.studio

Beautiful Dollies looking for new Princesses to love.

Any Princess will light up when she sees one of these lovely ladies under the Christmas Tree, Beautiful handmade Dolls Made in Australia with love, the attention to detail and high quality of these beautiful dollies has to be seen to be believed, these lovely ladies are looking for homes and doesn’t every Little girl deserves a special dolly to love.

Leluci Night Light Available HERE

Beautiful Remote Controlled Night Lights

The beautiful Woodlands Dream Light, is safe and subtle just perfect for any little persons room. It changes 12 colours, 4 brightness’s plus a sleep timer and remote. Kids just love them.

.12 stationary colour or colour changing options, four brightness levels, sleep timer and more makes this a perfect night light for your child’s bedroom.

12 gorgeous designs helps match with many themes.

Sleepy Owl
Rocket ship
Fairy
Construction
Unicorn
Woodlands – Bambi and rabbits
Noah’s Ark
Dinosaur
Giraffe
Koala
Dragon
Monkey

Polly Panda Softie – Hello Lucy Available HERE

Miss Poppy Panda Softie

At appox. 45cm tall this is the cutest lady you ever did see! Handmade with love in Australia, she has the sweetest hand painted face and spot dress. Hello Lucy has a beautiful collection of furry friends looking for homes, could you see a Miss Kitty, River Wolf or a Merkitty in your collection? We have two softies and I want more! (I mean Miss Piper wants more) The Perfect addition for boys and girls under your tree this year.

Personalised Santa Sacks Not in the shops . Available HERE

A Very special keepsake to use again and again that is for the whole Family.

Christmas is a magic time of year – why not make it just that little bit more special with these gorgeous personalised santa sacks? There are so many different ways to personalise the sacks – there is something for everyone. This year we have a special personalised sack for everyone in the family, even the dog and cat haven’t been left out!

They also make for a great gift for family and friends, a very special keepsake. Plus don’t for get the fury members of the family too!

SixSister Beadworks Bracelet Available HERE

Give a gift with meaning! She will LOVE it!

Sterling Silver Name Bracelet for babies or little girls. Soft cotton candy pink pearls accent smooth and sparkling silver beads. Delicate and sweet, this makes the perfect gift.

Girls Beaded name bracelet, the perfect gift for niece, granddaughter, goddaughter, flower girl gifts, christening, new baby girl, baby shower, dedication jewelry for infant, 1st birthday bracelet, daughter, birthday present the list just goes on!

The one we choose is a Personalized Pink & White Name Bracelet ‘Piper’
Intricate and elegant its sure to be treasured.

.925 Sterling Silver.
White Freshwater Pearls.
Pink Swarovski Pearls & Crystals.
Custom Colours Available.
Handmade with love, plus is arrives elaborately gift wrapped in a beautiful box tied with a satin ribbon, saving you another job of wrapping.
Sizes available are Newborn-3 months, 3-9 months, 9-18 months,18 months, 3yrs, 3 – 7 yrs, 7-10 yrs, 10-14 yrs

Christmas Headbands Le Petit Bouton. Available HERE

Christmas is Le Petit Bouton’s favourite time of the year! So this year they have captured some of that magic in the Christmas headwear collection. Launching in October the range includes buttery soft organic cottons in gold and silver metallic’s, striking reds and soft pinks and sage. The perfect prints for the many events over the festive season.. But not so Christmassy that they can’t be worn year round. We hope you love them as much as we do and we look forward to seeing your little Christmas Angels wearing their Le Petit Bouton headwear whilst they celebrate and create this year’s Christmas memories.

Handmade with love from the softest beautiful imported organic fabric that has approx 25% stretch which is completely adjustable, by untying and knotting at the desired length it should easily fit from 4 week old to 5yo

Cloths Rack/Play Tent from Spunkii Kidz Available HERE

Perfect piece for any kiddies play room, bedroom or reading nook.

My Kids just love tents! They sit in them to watch television, eat and play. Plus the bonus extra of this one is I get a cloths rack too!! Yeah two for one, something for baby and mummy.

These are handmade using pine & oak for the perfect natural finish they are available in a range of stunning fabrics plus the inside of the tent offers storage pockets on one side and is easy to remove & collapse for easy storage.

The frame can also be used on its own as a clothing frame for dress ups or a room accessory.

Sizing for measurements are as follows

Toddler 120cm tall X 90cm wide
Kidlet 120cm tall X 120cm wide
Tween 180cm tall X 120cm wide

Also available from Spunkii Kids (pictured) are these adorable wooden pastel blocks which are perfect for baby play or display and this stunning ‘Peace Maker’ Headdress WOW this is such an amazing piece to own.

We hope you found some helpful ideas to get your shopping under way to a vey enjoyable Christmas with the ones you love, remember when you buy small and shop from the shops above you are supporting mummy bosses and the money is going directly to support mums with little ones like yourself which makes your gift even more special, Thankyou for supporting this great community.

Please drop us a line and let us know what other ideas we can add to our list.

Happy Shopping!

Love Kerry and Miss Piper xoxo

09.28.2015

Introducing – Beautiful Button handmade Children’s Fashion

Today we are excited to introduce you to the very talented Rachel from Beautiful button as she shares her very honest journey into the kids fashion business. It’s such a pleasure to get to know and work alongside such talented and passionate women. Grab a cuppa and enjoy the read.

Welcome Rachael,

Starting anything new is hard. Whether it be something small such as the little choices we make on a daily basis. Or conversely, a decision that could ultimately change the course of your life. Anything new is hard.

Almost a year ago I made a decision that has changed my life. I didn’t set out with an end goal, it just naturally progressed and although my life is a little more chaotic now, I wouldn’t change it at all.

I am a mum of two, a wife and a high school teacher. Anybody would think that, that would be enough for one person. But I have had it in my heart for quite a few years now that I thought I was capable of more. Capable of seeing myself in a different role but I just didn’t know what. As a natural progression of finding out what I love, which are my family and being creative, my small online business for children’s clothing and accessories, Beautiful Button, was born.

I am on a journey as I’ve never run a small business before and I have had no training. I have made a lot of mistakes but I have also learnt so much along the way; about my business and about myself. So I thought I’d share a few thoughts on what I’ve learnt when trying something new and things I had to constantly remind myself of along the way.

‘Suck it up princess’

Be open to criticism and advice.

When I first started the business, I could see that what I was doing was not working. So, I chose 5 other business’ that I respected and emailed them and said something along the lines of ‘I love what you do, I’m new at this, do you have any suggestions for how I can improve?’ What I got back was interesting. For the most part it was helpful advice. There was one however that was really blunt. Initially I was angry and hurt. But eventually I saw the criticism for what it was; a stepping stone to getting better. Anybody can ask for help, but it takes a bigger person to take the suggestions, not as criticism but as advice.

‘Why is not an annoying question’ Learn from others.

For me, as I’d never run a small business, let alone used social media as a platform I needed to watch and learn from others around me in order to learn what to do and what not to do. Simple things like how to take a good picture, what my Insta feed should look like, getting my name out there by commenting and liking other business’ and mums images, when to post, what to post and how often to post are all things I’ve learnt from others. You are not alone and the support and guidance from others, particularly those who have gone before you, is vital to getting through any new season.

‘Selective hearing can be a good thing’

Know who to listen to.

Today in the world of faceless, instant, online media, it seems everyone has an opinion. But the question is who do we listen to. In the beginning it seems everyone is open to giving their two cents. But the trick is knowing which sense to take. Take advice but don’t do anything that is going to hurt you, your brand, your clients or your network contacts. Don’t get caught up in what everyone else is doing or saying. You are your own person and you can make your own decisions.

‘Keep the important things; important’

Why are you doing what you do?

For me, starting a business was primarily to keep me at home with my kids for longer. Additionally it was a creative outlet and also obviously to make some more income. Over time as I got busier it seemed that I was spending less time with my kids, the creativity was becoming a chore rather than a pleasure but, I was making more money. It has only been recently that I have stepped back and started to look at ‘why’ I’m doing this. You can so easily get caught up in the momentum of life that you forget to reflect on what is important. ‘Why’ do you do what you do.

‘People matter’

Remember the people who got you there.

Your family, your friends, your network contacts, your customers. These are the people who love and support you. Make sure your time goes into thanking and loving them for who they are and who they have made you.

These are just a few thoughts on my journey. As I said, starting anything new is hard. Take the step to see yourself, your life with more. Constantly challenge yourself. New is hard, but it is the hard things in life that shape and define us into who we are.

Thank You Rachael, such inspiring words thankyou so much for sharing with our readers.

Love Kerry and Miss Piper xoxo

08.19.2015

Top Turn offs when choosing a Brand Ambassador

I get daily questions from Mum’s and Dad’s starting out and wanting to build their account and become Brand Ambassadors for companies, plus I speak to alot of the companies I work with each week who ask me for ideas on what accounts to look at and what they should be looking for when choosing a Brand Ambassador to represent them.

So…… it got me thinking that in the past I have written about ‘What to do to make your account look good’ so now is the time to point out a few turn offs that put prospective companies off choosing you!

And since I couldn’t do it on my own I turned to a few of my favourite shop owners and asked them all for the things that turns them off the most!

…….and came up with the Top Five Turn Offs.

1. Don’t bag out other businesses – if you are annoyed or offended by something you have seen or heard keep it to yourself don’t air it publicly! Send a message to one of your friends and have a whinge but keep to off your page.

2. Don’t fill your page with competition entries or Brand Rep entries – the odd one is fine but it’s a turn off if people can’t see your gallery, choose the brands that you really feel suit your style and stick to them.

3. Don’t Send messages to random people and groups asking them to follow you or for Shoutouts, this just annoys people and won’t build genuine followers, you don’t want people who have felt forced into following you.

4. Blurry unclear photos – Big turnoff, if you are looking to represent a company and little Miss or Mr is going through a stage of running out of every photo then stop and wait awhile and come back to it when things improve.

5. Don’t keep changing your user name and making new accounts – find something you like, stick to it and make it work for you, as changing all the time only becomes confusing for your followers.

And as a bonus I was asked to throw this one in, if you are lucky enough to be chosen to represent a brand then remember these two points:

Don’t ask for Freebies for your mates – if you are representing a company anything you receive is for you and you alone, you should be encouraging family and friends to purchase from the store not trying to score freebies for them.

You don’t get to choose what you get! – Don’t ask for what you want sent to you (unless of course you are asked to choose) The shop needs to send the product they need marketed be thankful for what you get and do the best job you possibly can with it.

I would love it if you could add your two cents worth below and add your comment on “what turns you off”

Love Kerry and Miss Piper xoxo

07.16.2015

My Five Top Tips When Traveling With Kids

Traveling with kids certainly requires a lot of planning and even more patience but with a bit of know-how, travelling with small children needn’t be a hassle.

Here’s my top Five Trips to try when traveling.A new bag of toys for the car or plane, you can’t underestimate the value of new loot for the car or plane ride. We bring a small bag filled with new toys for each trip and I pull them out one by one, no need for them to be expensive just bits and pieces that have never been seen before is the key.

Bring a Medicine Kit, No matter how well everyone looks before the trip, things can change very quickly and try finding a chemist open at 11pm when your desperate is no fun. We have a pre-packed kit and pop it in the carryon bag just in case. Ours includes cough medicine, something to reduce fever, something for vomiting and diarrhoea, band aids, tweezers, cream for itchy bites, cough lollies. I learnt this trick the hard way with when my 3 year old started vomiting every hour on the hour, 8 hours in to a 16 hour plane trip and I had all this with us but didn’t put it in our carryon and it was packed in our luggage in the baggage compartment and the staff are unable to give you anything.

Down time Admit it, how many times have you had the temptation to fit in everything you can in one trip? This strategy may seem like a lot of fun at the time, but then everyone gets home exhausted. Plan for some down time every day of your trip. This could mean a leisurely bike ride, read a book, an afternoon at the park or a swim in the hotel pool. Even an afternoon nap. When booking a hotel look for one that includes Breakfast in the price, often it’s not that more expensive but it makes for a good start to the day as it gets everyone up out of bed, will include some healthy options and makes it just makes for a smoother day if everyone’s tummy is full before setting off on your days adventure.

And last but not least, definitely don’t forget the baby wipes. Even if the family is out of nappies, baby wipes are a must have when traveling, you can clean hands, faces, toilet seats, mop up almost anything with them just pop a couple of packs in different bags just in case.

Drop us a line we love to chat Love

Kerry and Miss Piper xxx