Santa, did you send your RSVP?

It's that time of year again - all the big department stores here in Sydney (and I think, Australia wide) are having their big toy sales. I was brave enough today to venture into Big W, at 37 wks pregnant with a 5 and 3 year old in tow, to have a look at what they had and I was impressed. Gigi started school this year and is quite the little party girl. We have lots of parties coming up so I had lots of presents to buy and despite the hussle and bussle, long queues, screaming kids (ironically, not mine this time, surprise, surprise) and Gen Y shop assistants who would grunt at any question, I actually managed to get my shopping done without too much trouble. Hmm, my blood pressure was slightly up at my routine visit this afternoon so maybe I was a little more stressed than I am letting on...
But seriously, if you are in Sydney, Big W & KMart started their toy sales today, Myer started last week and finish up on the 25th July and Target is getting ready for its big sale starting July 22. I better place a call to Santa - in this time of global economic crisis, he will be looking for a bargain wherever he can get it. Wonder if Big W online delivers to the North Pole? : )

Bratz Disco Party - A Dress Rehearsal - and a very special announcement - Happy Birthday Gigi!

Thanks everyone for the emails - I haven't been as consistent with my posts of late as we are renovating a new house which we hope to be moving into in a few weeks - sooooo excited! But in the meantime, we also managed to throw a farewell to the old house/birthday party for Gigi over the weekend - she wanted a Bratz Disco Party (which ended up being all about Hannah Montana anyway!) and here is a little picture of the girls at their dress rehearsal. Once we are settled into the new place, I will post all the details of the party as it is a popular theme for little wannabe rockstars! Oh, and I will have to catch up and post about Lulu's Tinkerbell party from February - whoops, thanks for reminding me : )
PS: Happy Birthday to my gorgeous 5 year old - love you G x x x x x

UPDATE: If you can't wait for the details of the Bratz Disco Party, I have just left a comment on one of my favourite blogs, MamaMia regarding children's parties with some of the details of what we got up to : )

Little Violet is a tie dye cutie in Juicy Couture

We love a little bit of tie dye on the weekend - and Violet Affleck is uber-cute in these Juicy Couture Tie Dye Velour Pants

Mommy's High Heel Shoes - what a great idea for a book and inspiration for my new weekly shoe feature..watch this space

A friend of mine sent me the link to this book - it's called Mommy's High Heel Shoes. The illustrations are just delightful and I am thinking about getting a copy for Gigi for Christmas. It has also inspired me to start up a new weekly roundup of celebrity baby shoes which will also feature some fantastic children's footwear designers from around the world. I have lots of shoe featured blogs in the "Funky Little Feet" category, including some pretty Australian designs worn by Suri Cruise in her stay here in Australia. You can read more about this lovely little book here

Suri Cruise is a little Moppit!

Moppit is one of my FAVE online boutiques (I told you all about a cute cupcake puzzle Gigi & Lulu got from them last year) and our favourite little celebrity princess was spotted in Moppit this week while on location in Melbourne with her mummy Katie Holmes. Suri Cruise was seen in the Charity Black Dress, as well as the Teal Footless Tights. To complete the outfit, Suri was wearing the Kidorable English Rose Dots Rainboots. You might remember Kidorable being the brand of ladybug umbrella that Suri carried in New York back in November

Taronga Zoo's newest addition - It's a boy! And he is no small fry!

Soooooooooooooo cute! Here is the newest addition to the elephant family at Sydney's Taronga Zoo. The as yet unnamed baby elephant was born on the 4th July, the first baby elephant born in an Australian zoo, part of the breeding programme that commenced with 5 elephants being brought to Australia, including mum Thong Dee, from Thailand in 2006. If you are looking for a great idea for the school holidays, why not pop in and say hi! There is also a competition to name the little (big) fella - check out the Taronga Zoo website for details

Scooter Season !

The Mini Micro Scooter is getting a real workout amongst the celebrity babies - Ava Eliot Jackman has shown her skills on the scooter several times this year, as has Matilda Rose Ledger, seen over the weekend with mummy actress Michelle Williams in New York on her scooter, on which we first saw her in April

Mini Jackman, Ava Eliot, on her Mini Micro Scooter, speeding along in a Speedo rashie - phew, that's a mouthful : )

Iconic Australian swimwear brand Speedo makes these cute Long Sleeve Toddler Sun Tops, as seen here on Ava Jackman, daughter of actors Hugh Jackman & Deborra-Lee Furness. Down in these parts we call them "rashies". Gorgeous girl is again working that Mini Micro Scooter which we saw her on in March and earlier this month

Who's the fairest of them all? Ava Jackman of course!

Ava Jackman just LOVES her Mini Micro Scooter - and she LOVES spending time with her daddy, actor Hugh Jackman, combining both loves in New York this past weekend. Ava must also love Disney Princesses - she has a Snow White princess dress on over her tracksuit on their play date

Celebrity Princesses - from boots to scooting - getting around on the Mini Micro Scooter

After seeing some groovy little shoes on some of our favourite little fashionistas this week, the Mini Micro Scooter has popped up as the popular mode of transport for our pretty little friends. Ava Eliot Jackman was first seen on hers back in March and this week we have seen Matilda Rose Ledger & Clementine de Vere Drummond scooting around their neighbourhoods on the same pink Mini Micro Scooter. Clementine in new to our blog - she is the daughter of model Claudia Schiffer & film producer Matthew Vaughn, and we hope to see more of her soon : )

Make every day a Smile Day! 1st April brought to you by the Clown Doctors & Humour Foundation

Wednesday 1st April is Smile Day!
Brought to you by the Humour Foundation - creators of the Clown Doctors - please give generously to this wonderful programme that helps put smiles on the faces of sick children in hospitals throughout Australia. The Clown Doctors "dispense doses of fun & laughter" and help the children in our major hospitals take their minds of their illness and their extended stays in hospital. A great organisation and a great initiative - don't forget to spread the joy tomorrow and SMILE.
As my Nonna used to say: "if you see someone without a smile, cheer them up by giving them yours" x x x

Suri again - this time at the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre in LA - we LOVE the white tap shoes

On an outing with mummy again (where is that daddy anyway??), little Suri looks adorable in her Ralph Lauren Cotton Pintuck Dress and little white beginner tap shoes, similar to the ones Gigi has by Bloch
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Ava Jackman out with Daddy on a Mini Micro Scooter

What a cutie! Little Ava Jackman was scooting around the West Village in New York City with brother Oscar & actor daddy Hugh Jackman on a Mini Micro Scooter, available in Australia from awesome online boutique, Bambini Pronto

Cool Cubbyhouse, Cool Mum - First Lady Michelle Obama plays with Malia & Sasha on their new swing set at the White House

Now that's a cubby house! Meet the newest addition to the White House - Malia & Sasha Obama try out their new playground equipment in the grounds of their new home at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Mum, First Lady Michelle Obama is joining in the fun too. Sasha is wearing the Juicy Couture Hooded Puffer Coat - the same one worn by Coco Arquette in January - and we love Malia's boots - they look very warm & toasty!

Our favourite celebrity Princess as our favourite Disney Princess - Cinderella Suri

While daddy Tom Cruise took in the Daytona car race with big brother Connor, Suri with mummy Katie Holmes took in Disney World in Orlando, making a special appearance in her gorgeous Disney Ballerina Princess Cinderella Costume, available at the official Disney online store.
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Kaiya Eve Pettiskirts - add to my Gigi & Lulu favourites!

I have posted before about Gigi's love of dancing & tutus and when I came across the Kaiya Eve Pettiskirt in Baby Pink or Rainbow and matching Kaiya Eve Ruffle Fluff Top in Baby Pink I had to tell you all about it. Although the top reminds me of a dress my Nonna made for her toilet roll dolly, it is gorgeous none the less. The pettiskirts are so full and fun that I can't help but think if I bought two of these, I would never get them off Gigi & Lulu. If you are stuck for a birthday gift, a pettiskirt is a great idea for a present for any little girl. After all who doesn't like dressing up and looking like a fairy princess..

Jerry Seinfeld shares my view on pinatas...

I have just read a very funny article about Jerry Seinfeld and his opinion on children's birthday parties and such games as Pin the Tail on the Donkey and pinata smashing. I have previously discussed my dislike of pinatas (until I discovered the string pull variety) and how dangerous they can be and Jerry hits the nail on the head in his take on the activity. Click here to read more and have a chuckle..

Christmas Craft - Santa Serviettes

How cute are these? Something to keep the kids amused and at the same time, something practical you can use on Christmas day. I found this craft project on one of my favourite sites - Kidspot. Simple Santa serviettes made from some white craft paper, a couple of googly eyes and a red serviette. A great way to liven up your dinner table on Christmas Day ; )

Christmas Tree Fancy Dress Costume - Complete with mini- me Baby & Toddler versions - now I have seen everything......

For something a little bit different, an unusual idea for a Christmas Fancy Dress Party costume. Most of us go as Mary or Joseph, or an Angel or Wise Man, or even the jolly old man in the big red suit. I must say, I would never have even thought about going as a Christmas tree but these costumes are pretty cute, especially the baby sleeping bag - ingenious. I can totally see Gigi or Lulu in the toddler costume, although they look more like they belong in Whoville than in the corner of the lounge room...

We HEART Family Fun Day!

As I have done in the past, today I have attended an event that I have recommended in my blog, with the intention of giving my feedback on my experience there. What can I say - today we have had an absolute ball! The last time we really flew by the seat of our pants and had a fun, no stress day was probably when we went on holidays in March. Needless to say, it was well overdue. We started the day at Matilda's Market - a fantastic market of handmade wares from several talented local designers & artists. I met many new contacts, several of which I will be blogging about in the near future, and at the same time, caught up with Melissa of 4 Little Ducks, who I have recently raved about, and saw her new summer & Christmas ranges of kids wear. Wait till you see Gigi & Lulu in their new 4 Little Ducks Tees. We then moved on to the Touched by Olivia charity Family Fun Day. This was a great event, with lots of families enjoying the market stalls, amusement rides, face painting, celebrity appearances, pony rides and much much more. Gigi even got to have her first pony ride - and she loved it! After a turn with Daddy in the teacups ride, we even put Lulu in the swing ride, next to Gigi, and she was beside herself - she laughed the whole time she was on there. Besides the ladies toilets at one end of the park being out of order (a council issue, not the event organisers), we had such a lovely family day. The delight in your children's faces when they get a simple balloon just melts your heart, let alone squeals of delight when they see Dorothy the Dinosaur. To top it all off, we passed an awesome Christmas shop on the way home so Daddy stocked up on more Christmas lights. Did somebody say Griswalds?