My Splendid Family

It's winter - and for some reason when winter comes I just want to grab some knitting needles or a crochet hook and make something.  My mother and grandmother taught me the basics - but I don't know how to do anything fancy.  But that's okay.  I've had fun making scarves each winter with all the wonderful new yarn that comes out. I'm a bit unique in my generation.  My mother taught me how to sew and cook and knit and iron.  I had the skills to be a good housewife before I left primary school.  But in my generation you couldn't be a stay-at-home mum.  The expectation of two incomes has been factored into the price of everything so you can't be one even if you want to be.  And so off to university I went.  Many of my peers didn't get taught these skills.  They say to me "Oh you can sew!  You are so lucky!  I wish my mum had taught me to sew!  I really want to take lessons somewhere!!"  I tell them they aren't missing out on anything.  By

It can be difficult to organize a wedding - most of the people you want to talk to work 9-5 - just like you do!   Often you don't make contact straight away and they call you back during work hours.   And the last thing you want your boss seeing is you ducking off every 10 minutes to take a wedding related call.   The other thing is that it costs money to make all those phone calls - especially if you are planning an interstate or overseas wedding.   And let’s face it - it isn't fun to be told that a service provider already has a booking for that day.   This is where e-mail comes in.   Let’s say you are looking for a mobile hairdresser.   Do your research and find a few who you think could do the job in your local area.   Make sure you include your wish list providers even if you think they are really popular and are sure to be booked out already - an email costs nothing!   And then send all those providers an email when you are home from work in the evenings or the weeke

Increasing I've been hearing of people using Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs) to help them get pregnant.  It makes sense right?  When you are ready you are ready and you don't want to wait!  But it seems their use could be problematic. What are OPKs? There are two types of OPKs available.  One is a mini microscope that is reusable.  I found one for $38.99 on the Chemist Warehouse website just to give you an idea of price.  It allows you to look at a dried sample of your saliva.  If your oestrogen levels are high, your saliva will dry in a fern pattern.  High oestrogen levels accompany ovulation.  If you are trying for a while, or use it for multiple pregnancies, you could save a lot of money using this type. The other type is similar to a home pregnancy test and are not reusable.  I found the Chemist Direct website offering 7 OPKs + 1 pregnancy test for $19.95 so they aren't cheap especially if you are trying for a while.  Though I  have heard though you can get them f

Hello and welcome to My Splendid Family .  We all want our families to be splendid.  We want access to all the information to make the right choices.  We want our kids to have the best possible start.  We want, we want, we want .. you get the picture.  We want a lot!  But what we don't have a lot of is time.  So we want access to good information that gets to the crux of the issue and helps us make a decision. That's where  My Splendid Family comes in.  Join me in my journey to make a splendid family.  I'm at the start of the journey - so expect to see lots of posts on weddings and planning for pregnancy to start off with.  My Splendid Family will evolve along with me - but the posts will remain as a resource for you no matter where you are in your own personal journey. Enough said - lets get splendid!