FREE!

MARCH 2014

Taking perfect photos

for your scrapbook

FREE wall ART to

collect for your

child’s room

Your Free local Parenting magazine

Creating

Memories

that last

Contents

Special Features

18 19

First of three kids wall artwork to collect Making memories that last

Articles

Co-parenting with nature Treasuring precious memories Excerpt from diary of a pregnant Mum Taking the perfect scrapbooking photos My 2014 money challenge

6 8

12 16 21

Regulars

Letter from the Editor Ask a professional - ques-tions from readers Monthly Recipe - Easy fried rice Make a change Your Story - A precious little angel Kid’s fun Community Noticeboard Business Directory Classifieds

5 9

10

11 14

23 24 25 26

March 2013

Find us on Facebook 5

info@smallstepsparenting.com

www.smallstepsparenting.com

www.facebook.com/smallstepsparenting

Letter from the Editor

Dear Reader,

As an old chapter in my life ends

and a fresh new one begins I feel an

excitement about the future and a

tug toward the past.

This issue of Small Steps is dedicated to the memories that we cherish

and the finished chapters of the past.

I encourage you to think about your own past and allow yourself to re-

live some of those special memories and maybe do something to pre-

serve those moments for years to come. Our article on page 19 should

get you off to a great start.

This month as an exciting new collectable, page 18 brings you the first

of three children’s room artworks. Cut the page out each month and

frame it to create a great decoration for your child’s room.

Also don’t forget to send in your pictures of your children to win our

cover star competition (details page 11). We have had so many gor-

geous entries so far and we don’t want you to miss out on this great

competition.

Thank you for joining us again in the Small Steps journey .

Julie-Anne England

Co-parenting with Nature

It’s 3am, and the baby monitor is lit up like

a Christmas tree. I groggily knock things

off the nightstand in an attempt to evaluate

the situation in the next room. I see through

bleary eyes on the two inch monitor, my

two year old - standing in his crib, fingers

crammed in his mouth, muffling the cries

of pain. My heart hurts for him, and I wish

nothing more than to take his pain, bottle it

up, and chuck it into the ocean. I am not

the first mother to experience this, and I

certainly won’t be the last. You see, my

son began teething at three months. And

when he begins cutting a tooth, it usually

takes about a month to finally pop through.

Like many mothers, the former protocol I

followed was a round of over-the-counter

pain killer every 4 or 6 hours. All the time I

would administer these medicines to my

delicate little child, I felt uneasy. I knew

there was something wrong with the way I

was doing things. I hated having to use

synthetics medicines at all, but I knew no

other method to bring my child comfort

and relief. It wasn’t just teething, either.

Fevers and flus, colds and coughs - all the

typical stressors of a young child just de-

veloping his immune system. And my only

available option was to medicate the symp-

toms away, sometimes even medicating

away his body’s natural attempts to fight

the germs. Around the time my son was 6

months old, I began really evaluating the

way we lived, the things we ate, the chemi-

cals we cleaned with, and the products we

put on and in our bodies. I was tired of

feeling the stress of the ramifications by

which these chemical-laden options were

bound. As I began to truly contemplate

God’s design for our bodies and our world,

I realized that there had to be a better way.

I was desperate for something different,

and so I began seeking out more natural

ways to live. Every day was exciting! I

spent all my free time learning about living

naturally. I began making our own deodor-

ant, laundry detergent, hair care products,

and lotions. I drastically changed our diets

to real foods, one ingredient items, and

staples made from scratch. We chose prop-

erly sourced animal products, free of anti-

biotics, growth hormones, and pasteuriza-

tion. These were all amazing changes, but I

still hadn’t quite found something to re-

place the modern medicine hiding in our

cabinet. That is, until I stumbled across

essential oils. Essential oils are an incredi-

bly powerful form of natural medicine.

They are typically 50-70 times more potent

than the herbs and plants from which they

are derived. Instead of one synthetic com-

pound designed to target a specific symp-

tom, essential oils have hundreds of natural

compounds that address a myriad of issues!

I was so excited about this natural medi-

cine, but as I began researching, I realized

there was a big difference between com-

promised oils and oils of quality. Eventu-

ally, I happened upon an amazing essential

oil company that is dedicated to providing

quality oils. It is called doTERRA. I did a

load of research on several different com-

panies including doTERRA, and was

thrilled when I realized how outstanding

the products from this company are!

doTERRA is the only essential oil com-

pany whose oils are tested by multiple third

party laboratories, so I know the quality is

guaranteed - no weeds, pesticides, foreign

contaminants, or diluter oils. I was also

astonished to note that, where most other

essential oil companies forbid internal use

and use with children, doTERRA actually

recommends this for many of their oils. It

6

7

wasn’t long before I was chucking our bot-

tles of modern medicine into the garbage

and reaching for my oils instead. I was em-

powered to help my family in more ways

than I had ever imagined! I was able to

bring relief for issues I would never have

even imagined I could. Combining the

amazing power of essential oils to aid in

prevention and treatment along with our

new real food diet, edible cleaning products,

and homemade toiletries, our health is at its

highest. The best part of all is that I no

longer feel sick to my stomach helping my

son when his gums are in pain, he is run-

ning a fever, or he has banged his head. If I

do have to turn to medicine for an issue, I

am able to use natural remedies that help

the body to heal itself without leaving a trail

of destruction in its wake. I’m no longer

bound by the side effects of modern medi-

cine. I am empowered to give my child’s

body exactly what it needs to heal itself.

And the best part is that, I’m not just sup-

pressing symptoms. I’m literally putting

whatever it is that our bodies need to heal

themselves right on the scene! I am a much

more confident parent now - having oils I

can trust, making smart choices for our

health, and living as naturally as we are

able.

Written by Cyndi Wells, mum of one and

business woman at Makers Way.

doTERRA is a consultant-based company.

To order any oils, or for any questions,

please contact Cyndi Wells at Mak-

ersWayOils@gmail.com. You can also find

out more on the web at www.Makers-

Way.com. To attend a recorded webinar

about doTERRA, go to www.Makers-

Way.com/webinars.

8

Treasuring precious memories

Two days ago my Mum’s house went on the

market. Yesterday it sold and reality hit me

that the house I grew up in would no longer

be a part of my life. I’m not really sad, more

nostalgic as I think back to the past, the

memories that I have cherished throughout

my life and the memories that were created

in my childhood home.

I smile as I picture my brother accidently

hitting himself in the face with his boogie

board (he was trying to hit me), I remember

all those long summer days spent in our

backyard pool, the front yard games we

spent hours playing with our neighbours

and those really really early mornings wait-

ing for Santa Claus to come.

Although there were probably times of tur-

moil, I remember my childhood with a great

fondness. Being a child was such a great

gift and now as my own precious children

slumber in their beds I get to look at life

from a different perspective—that of a

mum.

I am so aware of how quickly the time

passes, how each moment is gone often

before you had the chance to fully enjoy it,

but it is because of the gift of memory that

we can go back and do it all over again.

I love that there are so many things that can

bring us back to those magical moments in

life; a photograph, a song, a quote from a

movie, a glimpse of a special place - these

are the things we treasure.

You have all heard the saying “Live as if

it’s your last day on earth”. I understand the

meaning behind it, however it is not practi-

cal to not think about the future at all. We

do have each day at a time to enjoy and to

use for good but we also need to plan for

the future and secure for ourselves some of

those magical memories.

Now I think about how I can create lasting

memories for my own children. I think

about how I would like them to remember

their childhood. I think about how I would

like them to remember me. I want to be

around, I want them to remember spending

hours playing inside the cubby house with

me, having little tea parties and going on

quiet nature walks. I don’t ever want them

to think back and say I never had time for

them. All my life I dreamed of growing up,

marrying my prince and having two beauti-

ful little girls. Now that my wish has been

fulfilled I am going to do my absolute best

to treasure my life, my family and my

friends and continue to create the best

memories that one could ever have.

Ask a Professional...

QUESTION: My husband and I are currently renting and trying to save for a deposit on a

house. Is there anything we can do to make it easier to get a home loan in the future?

You should enquire with an independent mortgage broker, who isn't restricted by being tried

to any one institutions lending policies, of the minimum deposit required to obtain a Home

Loan. Some institutions may only require a minimum of between 5 and 10% of the value of

the property, this may exclude purchasing costs such as Stamp Duty. Some institutions may

also have more flexible lending criteria in terms of your employment and savings history,

your age and the location of the property you wish to purchase. If you are a first home buyer

there may also be Government incentives you should enquire about. The bottom line is be

prepared to purchase what you can afford without over extending yourself financially, which

might mean not buying your dream home first up. It's an achievement just to be a home

owner albeit with a large mortgage! Best wishes Michael.

This answer has been supplied by Michael Voss who is our qualified financial

planner. Learn more about Michael on our "About Us" page on our website.

This advice is general advice only and you should speak to a qualified broker

for more individual information.

Method: 1. Cook rice according to packet directions. Allow to cool in

fridge.

2. In a hot fry pan or wok heat a small teaspoon of olive oil.

Add the bacon and stirfry for 2-3 minutes. Push to the

side and add the egg. Stir while cooking until no longer

runny.

3. Add in the shallots and peas and stir for a further 2-3

minutes.

4. Lastly add the rice and soy sauce and stir until all com-

bined and hot. Serve.

For a complete meal, marinate some chicken breast strips

in a honey soy marinade for a few hours. Cook over a

medium heat until brown and cooked through. Serve with

your fried rice.

10

Monthly Recipe

Easy fried rice

Ingredients: 1 cup long grain rice

150g of bacon (diced)

1 egg, beaten

A small bunch green

shallots, ends removed

and chopped finely

1 cup frozen peas

3 tablespoons of soy

sauce

YOUR CHILD AS OUR

COVER STAR? Small Steps Parenting Magazine is looking for a

brand new cover star for their magazine! The

winner will receive a photo shoot with Big Fish

Photography, all images on a flash drive to keep,

PLUS a framed keepsake copy of the magazine

with them as the star!

To enter, simply email a photo of your child to

info@smallstepsparenting.com

Entries must be received by 15th April 2014. The four

finalists will be announced in our May issue and the

winner will be selected by our readers. For our full terms and conditions please see our Face-

book page.

Change Change Make a

Here at Small Steps Parenting Magazine we

believe it is important for us to be aware of

others who are less fortunate than us. We aim to

do what we can to help people and want to

encourage you to do the same.

This month we thought we would highlight the

importance of community. I live in an lovely neighbourhood and have been here for a long

time and just recently we decided to move. Although I have always been aware of the great

relationships I have in this neighbourhood, this impending move has really made me see

what great neighbours I really have. It is also nice to have the support when you need it….

An ear to listen if you are sad, a friendly face when you return home from work or someone

that you can pop in to borrow an egg when you ran out and you are in the middle of a cake.

This month try to introduce yourself to one of your neighbours that you don’t know. If you

know all of them, do something nice to let them know that you value their friendship.

Do you have something you are doing to make a change in your community? We would

love to hear about it. Maybe you would even like to share it with our readers. Email us at

info@smallstepsparenting.com

Excerpt from the diary of a pregnant mum

January 6th 2013 - I just got home after

being at the doctor. I was being checked

because I thought I had a virus. The results

were not what I had expected…. I’m preg-

nant! Words can not convey what I am feel-

ing right now. Robbie and I have been try-

ing to conceive for over 3 years! Every

month disappointment hits me as I realize

once again that I am still not pregnant. Two

months ago Robbie and I decided to stop

trying. We thought that we needed a break

from all this baby focus and decided to plan

a nice trip away - we were thinking maybe

Europe.

As I went to the doctor today I honestly

though he was going to say that I was a bit

run down and had a virus. Pregnant was a

word I tried not to think about anymore. Not

that that was easy, with my friends popping

out children like left, right and centre. I

can’t believe it is finally my turn.

I’m not sure what the doctor thought of my

reaction when he said I was pregnant. I just

sat there, completely shocked for a moment

and then began to cry. I think he thought I

didn’t want the baby. Well he couldn’t be

more wrong. I was born to be a

mother.

Can’t wait for Robbie to get home so

I can tell him the news…

January 7th 2013 - I couldn’t have

asked for a better reaction from Rob-

bie to our baby news. I was cooking

dinner and casually mentioned that I

thought we should postpone our

planned vacation and look for a house

with an extra bedroom. Robbie

looked confused “Why? Have you

decided to go ahead with starting

your own business?” I had been toy-

ing with the idea of starting an accounting

practice as that’s what I did.

“No, I just think with everything happening

that we might need an extra bedroom,” I

told him.

He started to look really suspicious - and

perhaps a little frightened.

“What do you mean ‘everything happen-

ing’” he asked.

“Well I just got back from the doctor and

apparently I’m pregnant.” I beamed, I

couldn’t help it.

He was so shocked he literally dropped the

glass he was holding. I didn’t care. Then he

started to smile, then he almost strangled

me in the biggest hug he has ever given me.

Yep, we are going to be parents!

1st March 2013 - Today was my first ultra-

sound. Can you believe I am already 12

weeks pregnant?! It was such a surreal feel-

ing seeing that tiny little body, that already

looked human, inside me. It moved around

a lot during the ultrasound and I can’t wait

for the day that I can actually feel it.

Robbie calls the baby “Junior”. I think he is

hoping for a little boy. He has been so great

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these last few weeks, really taking on his

protective role over me. He makes me lie

down a lot and he even brings me snacks

and things when I’m not feeling good be-

cause of the morning sickness.

He was so excited about the pregnancy that

he has told everyone! He didn’t care about

the supposed 12 weeks rule. He evens tells

shop assistants and any delivery man who

ever comes to our door, he is so proud.

14th April 2013 - I wonder whether it is

normal to have doubts about everything? I

mean, I really do want this baby, more than

anything, but I just wonder whether I can do

it all. What if I am a terrible mother? What

if the baby doesn’t like me? What if it cries

all the time? Will I even be able to handle

the birth? How will we live off just one

wage? So many questions….

15th April 2013 - I had another ultrasound

today and guess what? It’s a boy! I’m so

excited. And you know what? All those

doubts… gone! I know that it’s not going to

be easy and that I’m not going to always

have the answers but I will learn as I go

along. I will do my best and when I don’t I

won’t be afraid to admit my mistake.

Robbie is over the moon about it being a

boy. He came home this afternoon with a

mini football. He is already planning more

kids to give him a complete soccer team.

14th September 2013 - Today is my due

date. I cannot believe I’m about to enter the

“mum club”. Gone are the days of me as

just a couple and soon there will be another

little person to take care of. I feel like I am

ready. Everything is all set up in the nursery

for the baby, my hospital bag is all packed

and I now wait with excitement for this

brand new season in life to begin…

Combos Slides Obstacle Castles Slushie Machines

Phone: (02) 4571 1240 or 0402 100 681

Email: tomcatjim1@bigpond.com

Birthdays/Corporate Events/Preschools/Fetes/Christmas/New Years

Your Story

Angela’s Story - A precious little angel

We were blissfully happy and over the

moon to find out we were expecting our

first baby. The pregnancy was progress-

ing perfectly, I felt great with not even a

touch of morning sickness. I eagerly

waited for my bump to appear and raced

to the maternity boutiques to buy mater-

nity clothes as soon as I thought I began

to look pregnant. I thought life couldn’t

get better.

I was also a midwife with over 6 years

experience helping women birth beautiful

babies and caring for women and their

families during their childbearing experi-

ences.

I never thought anything would go wrong.

I was 26 weeks and 3 days pregnant when

this all changed.

I was relaxing at home after a lovely quiet

shift at work when I realised I was having

some mild cramping pain, I thought it was

just tummy aches, definitely not labour

pain. I was thinking about the possibility

of the pain being labour but convinced

myself I was being silly, after all, I was

only 26 weeks pregnant. The pain stopped

and I ate dinner with my husband, just

like a normal afternoon. We talked about

the baby and discussed picking up the cot

and change table during the week. When

my husband and I went to bed the pain

started again, I told my husband I was

going to pack a hospital bag ‘just in case’

the pain didn’t stop. I went to the toilet

and as a stood up, my waters broke. I pan-

icked. I was also bleeding a lot. We called

the hospital to tell them we were on our

way; my husband was so supportive and

calm. On the way to the hospital I told

him that our baby might have passed

away inside of me when my waters broke.

I was so scared.

The hospital I went to was excellent. My

baby’s heart beat was found to be normal

and strong. I was put under the care of

many specialists and I felt that I was in

very good hands. I had steroid injections

to help my baby’s lungs mature quickly,

antibiotics to prevent infection along with

many other treatments to potentially im-

prove my baby’s outcome. As I laid on

the uncomfortable bed, I closed my eyes

and told myself to stop this nonsense, stop

contracting and stop bleeding. Nothing

that anyone could do could stop the inevi-

table, my contractions became stronger

and I was bleeding heavily. I was rushed

for an emergency caesarean section. I

remember laying on the theatre bed think-

ing to myself ‘this is your birth experi-

ence, try to take it in’. My husband was

by my side, holding my hand. I had al-

ready booked into birth classes to learn

how to meditate through labour and I was

convinced I was going to have a natural

labour. I was reflecting about this when I

was having my emergency caesarean. We

chose not to find out the sex of our baby

during the pregnancy so when they told

us he was a boy; we looked at each other

and cried with happiness. I let my hus-

band choose his name, Colton. The mid-

wives and doctors let me have a quick

look at my baby as he was rushed to the

neonatal intensive care unit, he was so

beautiful, I have never seen anything

more beautiful my whole life. He

weighed just 940grams.

In NSW 7.4% of babies are born prema-

ture (before 37 weeks gestation). 0.7% are

14

15

born before 28 weeks gestation (NSW

Health). Babies born before 24 weeks

gestation have a very small chance of

surviving and if they do survive, the

chances of long-term complications are

high. Long term outcomes and survival

rates increase with each day further of

gestation. Unfortunately, in Australia the

rates of premature birth have not really

changed in the past 20 years.

I knew too much. I still cant answer the

question if it helped or hindered my ex-

perience, but I was grateful that I had

knowledge about premature babies and

what I could do to become involved in his

care.

The journey in the neonatal intensive care

unit was not easy, there were complica-

tions with Colton’s health and he was

struggling.

On my son’s 22 day of life my heart

broke and my baby became an angel.

During my baby’s 22 days on this earth,

our time was mixed with so many differ-

ent experiences and emotions. Heartfelt is

a volunteer organisation dedicated to giv-

ing the gift of photographic memories by

taking gorgeous photographs of extremely

premature, sick or stillborn babies, all free

of charge. Our family were fortunate

enough to have 3 sessions with a beautiful

volunteer photographer throughout

Colton’s short life. We treasure these

photographs with our

hearts and are forever

grateful for this service.

We also were very well

supported by the Ronald

McDonald house charity,

who provided me with a

bathroom, bedroom and

kitchen facilities, they also

provided a quiet area I

could use the breast

pumps that the Ronald

McDonald house also had

set up. This support was priceless to us.

Bears of hope are another invaluable or-

ganisation that has continued to support

us through counselling, support groups

and other events. We also were given a

bear of hope when Colton passed away.

This bear is very precious to us.

We could never express the gratitude we

have for our family and friends through

this unbearable time. We choose to em-

brace Colton’s life and share his story

whenever we get the opportunity. I write

this article to help raise awareness of sup-

port available for when pregnancy, baby

and child loss tragically occurs. The sub-

ject of baby loss is becoming more so-

cially acceptable to discuss and I never

want to feel uncomfortable to say I had a

baby who is now an angel. I want to hon-

our him in any way that I can, for the rest

of my life.

I felt the overwhelming love a woman

has for her child and now truly under-

stand what a woman means when she

says she would do anything for her chil-

dren. I will always hold Colton in my

heart, instead of my hands.

http://www.heartfelt.org.au/

http://www.bearsofhope.org.au/

http://www.rmhc.org.au/

Written by Angela, one of our Hawkes-

bury mums.

16

Taking the perfect

scrapbooking photos 8 Tips for better scrapbook pictures:

1. Use what you have, and know how

to use it

Cameras come in all shapes and forms

these days. It doesn’t matter what you

have, or the price tag attached to it, if you

understand how to use your device you

are already on your way to capturing great

memories. It is a real misconception that

you need a fancy camera to take great

photos. iPhoneography is proof in the

pudding that something as simple as mo-

bile phone, while out and about, can cap-

ture some amazing and unique photos,

ready to share with family and friends

through social media instantly!

Whatever you use, play with it, and get to

understand it. Look up those symbols and

use them. If you own a DSLR have a

look at courses run through your local

community college who can offer 1 day

courses, or courses that run weekly for 6-

8 weeks for a couple of hours once a

week. These are great value, and will

give you more in depth knowledge on

how to use your DSLR

2. Light

If you are setting up to specifically take

photos, determine the best place for

light. When inside, this is usually in front

a large window or glass door. The best

spot to place your subject is facing the

light, and at a time of day when the sun

doesn’t come right in. If you do not have

enough light, your photos will end up

looking blurry. If you are unable to find

the right settings for your camera to take a

clear picture, use your built in flash. If

you are outside, photos are best taken on

an overcast day. Avoid making your

subject face the sun, as this will result in

squinty eyes. Having them with their

backs to the sun, will stop them from

squinting, and should give a nice even

light over their face. With a little bit of

practice, you can also capture natural sun

glare using this technique, which can be a

beautiful effect on your images.

3. Set it up Have everything set up and within arms

reach before taking pictures. Look at

where you are going to take your photos,

and if you have to move the washing bas-

ket out of the way. Look at the surrounds

and anything which will fall into the

background. Whatever you want capture

your child doing, having it all set up be-

fore hand gives you plenty of time to take

photos and enjoy the moment with your

loved one.

4. Play first, snap later

Before you take pictures play with your

child. Participate in whatever they are

doing. This helps to relax them, and gets

them concentrating on the task. Paint a

painting, sing a silly song with their toys,

or push them on the swing. Make them

feel comfortable before you pull out the

camera.

5. Get down to their level

When taking photos of young children

make yourself their size. Get down on

the floor and continue to interact with

them. Getting down to their level will

make you less intimidating and will also

open up your options on how to photo-

graph your child.

6. Mix it up Avoid jumping in with your camera

straight away, telling your child to say

cheese and to look at the camera. If

you’ve set something up, try to make a

story out of it. Start by taking pictures of

things they are holding on to, how they

are holding on to it, what they are mak-

ing, which hand are they using and what

they are doing with their feet. Take a pic-

ture from over their shoulder to get “their

view” of what they are doing, and without

them looking get a picture of them con-

centrating on what they are doing. By

doing this, you are getting the child to

become comfortable with the camera

coming out, and you are capturing some

wonderful, natural images of your child at

play. At the end you can get them to pose

and smile with the finished product.

7. Talk to them When you have the camera out, make

sure you keep talking to them. Ask them

what are they doing, are they having fun,

do they like that colour/toy. Constantly

asking them questions keeps their atten-

tion to what they are doing. Towards the

end you can ask them to copy you and

your actions if you are wanting posed

photographs. Let

them see the pho-

tos you are creat-

ing to make them

feel important and

involved.

8. Be creative

with apps and

post production Some cameras

will have some in-

camera editing

that you can use

(refer to your manual). There are lots of

programs out there for post production

editing on your computer, and loads of

free editing apps. Don’t be afraid to try

out different effects, using text, boarders,

textures and cropping. The apps that I

currently use are: Camera+ (for taking

photos), PS Express (for touch ups),

Frametastic (for storyboards) and PicLab

(for final editing and text). I have found

with my current apps I have bought the

extension packs to remove watermarks

and unlock extra features. At the end of

the day regardless of how perfect the pho-

tos are, you will have some great memo-

ries to keep for years to come!

Written by Kate Roberts, a mum and

owner of the business Big Fish Photogra-

phy.

17

19

Making memories that last

As a parent you often get so involved in the

craziness of everyday that it is hard to stop

and enjoy the short time you have with your

children as they grow. If you ask most par-

ents they will be shocked as to how quickly

the time with their littlies went. Many will

talk about how it feels like just the day be-

fore they were holding their baby in their

arms and now the child is all grown up.

Below is a list of ideas to preserve your

memories so you can relive them over and

over again in the future.

Create a family photo album each year.

Allow everyone to have some input as to

which photos to use and write notes

about the occasions. This can be easily

done as a scrapbook or by creating

printed photos books through places like

Kmart, Harvey Norman or online.

Make a time capsule - our kids page

(p.26) shows you how. This is great

memory to create for a milestone like

moving house, to start off a New Year or

the beginning of a new season in life.

Make hand prints of the kids each year in

paint or plaster. It’s a very cute reminder

of how little they once were and you can

see their growth as the time passes.

Write a diary to your children during

your pregnancy and while they are little

about your plans for them, your thoughts,

feelings and cute things they said or did.

This can be a priceless memory that you

can give to them when they are older.

Start a memory box for each of your chil-

dren. Collect things for it and hide it

away until they are older and give it to

them on their 18 birthday. You may

choose to put things in it like a newspa-

per from the day they were born, their

first pair of shoes, their hospital bracelet,

their first outfit etc.

Make a big photo wall in your house.

Use photos from the past as well as cur-

rent ones and be constantly able to relive

these fond memories every time you

walk past. This is also a great way for

visitors to your home to see your gor-

geous family.

Have a letter book to your partner and/or

children. Write letters in it and leave it on

their beds. Have them reply and return it

to you. This is a fun way to see your kids

writing evolve and a great memory

keeper. Also a lovely way to keep your

romance alive with your partner!

Interview the kids when you go on fam-

ily holidays. It’s a great way to remember

the little details and you can stick the

answers into a book along with some

photos.

Create a profile silhouette of each of the

members of your family (you may just

choose to do their head) and put them in

frames for one of the walls in your home.

If you can try to make one for any pets

you have too! This is especially funny if

it is a goldfish!

20

Interview each of your family members

on their birthdays. Ask them their favour-

ite food, best present, who their best

friend is, their favourite thing that hap-

pened that year, the place they would

most like to go etc.

Get professional photographs taken now

and then and don’t forget to display

them!

Have your children’s fingerprints

stamped onto jewellery for a cute keep-

sake.

Collect something from every place you

visit as a reminder of your trip. This may

be a fridge magnet, a keyring, a bumper

sticker or even something as simple as a

shell or some grains of sand. Display

them on a shelf as a reminder.

Turn your child’s first drawing (or first

recognizable drawing) into a keepsake by

having it printed on a tea-towel, t-shirt or

fabric square for the family quilt. Hang it

up for all to see or place it inside their

memory box.

Create a “year in review”. Find a blank

wall (or a pinboard) and put up photos,

quotes, fun memories and awesome reci-

pes as the days pass. At the end of the

year put it all into a book and start fresh.

Take lots of video of your family. Try to

gets video of the kids playing, their first

moments, family holidays, birthdays and

Christmas. At the end of the year have it

made into a DVD with the clips you have

created. This is one of my favourites as I

love to look back to see the kids when

they were so tiny and relive those pre-

cious first moments almost like you are

there again.

Create your own special memory keep-

sake. This will become something you

can treasure and may become a fun fam-

ily tradition that you all look forward to.

Enjoy!

King Equestrian Academy is a unique

riding school run by Specialist coaches.

Students are shown the value of

good horsemanship and given correct

schooling from the beginning of their horse

careers. King Equestrian Academy is the

only riding School of its kind. We provide

retired champion show horses as mounts for

our pupils and trainers that are competing

at top level to mentor the students . Come

and have fun at King Equestrian Academy!

www.kingequestrianacademy.com.au info@keahorsetraining.com

79 Sargents Road, Ebenezer NSW 2756 Phone: 0425 807 792

Riding School KING EQUESTRIAN ACADEMY

21

My 2014

One month into my 2014 money challenge

I have realised that maybe $10,000 was a

bit ambitious for a money goal.

After sitting down and looking at my

spending habits for the end of 2013 I

thought that minimising my grocery bill

would be quite easy if I was careful. I

guess I didn’t take into account the fact that

I was already a fairly careful shopper - I

usually buy with the specials, buy in bulk

where I can and don’t buy things that I

don’t really need. As a result I was quite

disappointed to discover that my last four

weeks of grocery bills look like this;

Honestly, I have no idea why my bill aver-

age actually went up $11 per week! With

other spending I was able to reduce my

bills by buying less impulse buys and

choosing cheaper alternatives for things

like paper towel, toilet paper and nappies.

Through this I actually saved $80.

I now felt more determined than ever to

stick to my goal and work out how I could

actually save more money. I began by writ-

ing down my end of year goal ($10,000)

and dividing that by 52 weeks. That gave

me a total of $192.31. This is the amount

that I would need to save each and every

week to reach my (now seemingly out of

reach) goal. I decided firstly to revisit my

grocery bill. My goal with my grocery bill

was to get it down to $150 per week. I was

starting to think that maybe this was an

impossible task but I was determined to try

again. I wrote down my target of $150.

Then I divided it by 21 (three meals per

day for seven days). This left me a with a

figure of $7.14. That meant for me to reach

my goal of $150 for groceries I needed to

spend no more than $7.14 per meal. But

was that even possible?? I decided to find

out. First I wrote a menu plan. It was

healthy but allowed for cheap meals using

things like rice, pasta, cheap cuts of meat

etc. Then I wrote a shopping list based on

my menu plan.

Then I went shopping….

And my grocery total was a staggering

$112!! I could not believe it. I had created

a menu for an entire week, wrote a list, did

not deviate from the list and I achieved

below my goal of $150.

Now may I point out that this shopping trip

did not include snacks or toiletries so I am

aware that on those weeks my bill will be

higher, however, I was thrilled to see that it

was possible to feed a family of five for

under $150! My new aim was to keep that

up while providing nutritious and filling

meals every day of the week.

You are probably wondering if there is

Money Challenge

Grocery bill per week

January week 3 $235.59

January week 4 $210.73

January week 5 $292.87

February week 1 $364.09

some sort of magic trick that I used to get

my bill down to under $150. And honestly,

I am interested myself whether I can keep

this up every week. The only things I did

differently was that I shopped exclusively at

Aldi, bought the cheaper brands and bought

things in bulk. I was able to buy 2kg of

mince this week for only $9. With my fam-

ily I can make four different meals with two

kilos of mince. The best thing about this

shopping trip was that my family didn’t

even notice I had done anything differently

which shows that neither the quality or

quantity of my meals changed.

I just focused on the goal of $7.14 per meal.

I would spend the majority of that on a cut

of meat or main part of the meal and then

bulk it up with cheap things like rice, veges,

bread and simple side dishes.

I was now feeling super inspired to focus on

other areas that I could save money. March

for our family is full of birthday’s and cele-

brations so I started thinking about gifts and

how I could save money with the gift buy-

ing without giving cheap junk.

So that is my next plan of attack for reduc-

ing my spending and increasing my savings.

Next month I will let you know what I have

discovered about saving money with gift

buying. You can also stay up to date with

our Facebook postings and follow the blog

on our website.

Julie-Anne England

Easter Special of

just $250 for family portrait,

includes disk of 20

signature images!

Call Helen on 0414647109

for more details!

Photography for the whole family

Kids Fun!

23

Make your own Time capsule!

Creating your own time capsule is a fun way

to make memories and preserve some of the

past. It is really easy to make your own time

capsule. A time capsule is simply a collection

of things that you hide or bury to be reopened

at a set time in the future. This period could be

10 years, 20 years or however long you like.

This is how you make a time capsule of your

very own:

Get a box or a plastic container for your capsule

Collect items for the capsule - this may be a newspaper, some photos of what you

look like now and where you live, a letter to yourself in the future, a list of your fa-

vourite things etc.

Put them all inside the box or container. If the box is cardboard place your items in-

side a Ziploc bag first to help protect them from moisture.

Seal the box/container. You may then like to wrap it in lots of plastic and tape to

make sure the items inside stay protected.

Put a label on the front with the date when the time capsule can be opened.

Bury the time capsule or put it somewhere safe (like in the garage or have your par-

ents put it in the ceiling of the house - but don’t forget where you put it)

Open it up when you reach the date on the label!

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Do NOT Open Till 2nd March 2024

Join Small Steps birthday club! We want to know when it’s your birthday.

Have Mum or Dad send us

an email or post on Facebook so

you can join our birthday club. All kids who join

will receive their name printed in our magazine

for their birthday month, a special birthday card,

balloon and announcement on our Facebook page.

Kids! - Get your

parents to take a photo

with you and your

time capsules to share

on our Facebook

page!

Community Noticeboard Do you have a free play-

group, event or

program for families? List

them here on our

community noticeboard for

FREE! Email us. Thursdays—Fortnightly

9.30am—11.00am

South Windsor Family Centre

Greenhills Way

South Windsor

The playgroup is for families/carers of

twins or parents expecting multiple

births.

Hawkesbury Twins and More Play-

group provides an informal welcom-

ing setting to socialize, interact &

share experiences with

others who have Twins and More.

Bring a rug for babies to lie on & any-

thing else you may need!

For more information please call

4577 9804

Circle of Security Parenting Peppercorn Family Services and Tresillian

Family Care are offering the Circle of Secu-

rity program This is a free program starting on Friday 21st

February that aims to: Provide a safe environ-

ment where parents can focus on their strengths

and struggles as parents, and give parents a road-

map to better under-stand their children's needs.

For more information about this pro-gram or

other parenting programs that we offer, please

contact us on

Ph: 4577 9804

Email: dropin@psinc.com.au

SOUTH WINDSOR

FAMILY CENTRE

6 Greenhills Way

South Windsor

Free Parenting seminars held in con-

junction with Hawkesbury Community

Health.

Topics:

Breastfeeding and Nutrition

Dental / Development and Milestones

Toileting and Behavior Management

10.00am – 11.30am

Tuesday 4th March

Tuesday 11th March

Tuesday 18th March

Bookings are essential

Please Call Peppercorn Family Ser-

vices

4577 9804

Or email

dropin@psinc.com.au

Child minding available

Peppercorn Services Inc Parenting Seminars

25

Business Directory

Shazam Photography

www.shazamphotography.com.au Ph: 0416 957 592

Mention this ad for a FREE 8x12 print with each package purchased Any full set only

*November only

Appointment only, mobile service available

South Windsor NSW 2756

Advertise your

business here for as

little as $45 a month

McGraths Hill Children’s Centre Inc

69 Andrew Thompson Dr, McGraths Hill Ph: 4587 7141 or email: mhcc@westnet.com.au

Open 6.30am-6.30pm

From birth to 6 years

Nutritious meals daily

Community based - Not for profit centre

Preschool transition programs

Tahlula’s Eclectic Bazaar

Shop 3, Lachlan Court

100 George Street Windsor

www.tahlulaseclecticbazaar.com

Phone Liz: 0418 664 227

Handmade

Vintage

Retro

Upcycled

Recycled

Unique

Now in a

brand new

shop!

All articles in Small Steps are for editorial purposes and not necessarily the opinion of the publisher.

Small Steps does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any of the information, content,

or advertisements contained on, distributed through, or linked, downloaded, or accessed through this

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or other materials displayed, purchased, or obtained by you as a result of an advertisement or any other

information.

In no event shall Small Steps be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, or consequential

damages of any kind whatsoever with respect to the service, the materials, and the products. You are

encouraged to exercise discretion while browsing the Internet. No part of this publication or the corre-

sponding website is to be copied or reproduced without permission.

26

Welcome to our brand new classifieds page. This page is specifically

sourced for our readers. We will list jobs, items for sale, services and

garage sales. For the first few months while we build awareness of this

section, all postings will be free. So please call us on 0415 216 186 or

email your enquiry if you would like to list something.

Breastfeeding, settling and parenting

help. Qualified registered nurse and lac-

tation consultant. Contact Lynne.

www.betterbeginnings.com.au

Financial planning and budgeting help.

Speak to Michael Voss. 23 years experi-

ence (02) 4782 1702

Your Walk Counselling. Professional,

flexible, economic and reliable online

counselling for adults and children.

Yvonne Wilson BSc (Hons), MCouns

Your_walk_counselling@hushmail.com

Greater Western Painting & Decorating

Ron La Rosa 0411 751 722

Ceiling restoration, filing and patching

100% satisfaction, free quotes

greaterwesternpainting@gmail.com

Magazine distribution for Small Steps

Parenting Magazine. Starting at 2-3

full days per month, can be worked

between school hours. Please phone

0415 216 186.

Bright Starts bouncer. Removable mo-

bile. Plays music and/or vibrates.$15

Fisher Price play mat. Plays music. $25

Bumbo seat. Comes with tray. $35

Free baby bath. Slight crack repaired

but no leaks.

Bouncer $5

Phone Emma 0414762845 pick up

Londonderry

Services Jobs

For Sale

Classifieds

39 39

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