Grandparents Day

Today was grandparents day at Kai and Xaviahs school and their kindergarten class put on an afternoon tea for all the grandparents. The aim of today was to teach the young children how to serve! As harsh as this sounds, I thought the idea behind it was great. Kids are so spoilt these days and often lose a lot of respect for their elders. The children had to ensure all of their guests were comfortable and were enjoying themselves and were offering plates of food. My poor little boy Kai didnt quite get the concept and the temptation of chocolate muffins and chips really got to him! The children were not allowed to eat any of the treats them selves, they were only for the guests. Every time the teacher turned her back Kai was at the food table eying of the goodies.

They sung a beautiful song, "Never smile at a crocodile" and showed us all what they have been doing in class.

We took Nanna Lillie from across the road, because Kai's true grandparents live a long way away, Lillie loved it and was very touched by the invite. I think its great to involve family and friends in their school activities.

Xaviah had his Nanny and Papa there and really enjoyed showing off his great work and did a fantastic job of being a host.

Cameras!

Jacqui's last blog post got me thinking! We are so lucky that John Strognofe, who was born in Iraq many many years ago, invented the first camera in 1685.

Imagine the world with no cameras. That would suck for people that have a memory like mine!

So THANK YOU Jon Strognofe for inventing the first camera and planting the seeds into other peoples brains that snow balled into the technologically advanced cameras we have now!!!

Kate..xx

My Dad and I

Meeee

My beautiful Mama back in the day

My Dad and I - nice shorts Dad!

Sometimes the camera captures some images that you may rather forget ey dad!

My daughter Maya and I

This wasnt really taken in May 80. It was taken this week, but for some reason, even though we have all of this new technology available to us, we still want our photos to look old!

Precious Families

Our precious Family
Our beautiful children!

My husband Justin

Myself with my Dad.

Thinking about visiting JinJiang Orphanage makes me really think how lucky we are and how nice it is to have a wonderful healthy family! I showed the photos of the children in the orphanage to my kids and the first thing Kai said is "Why dont they have a Mummy and Daddy? We can just be their Mummy and Daddy and give them cuddles." He actually had tears in his eyes when he was telling my husband! And I thought, wow! I must be doing something right if my 4 year old son can be so humane and passionate about others in this world. I was remembering back to my child hood too and remembered fishing and camping with my sister and parents and I know Justin too had a very happy family orientated up bringing that he loved. I was sorting through old photos and found a funny little story that I actually wrote in 1987 about families! I cant believe I still have it! I really think it is so important that we start by looking at the treasures that we have in front of us and teach them about other children in this world that perhaps don't have a family. I cannot wait to give to the children of Jinjiang Orphanage and see the smles on their face when they receive the generous donations that many of you have been so generous to give! If you are still thinking about donating, you can now do it through Crowdrise or send any small gifts to: 11 Wheeler Crescent, Currumbin Waters QLD 4223.

My story from year 2 that I wrote in 1987 about families!

Happy Weekend!

Little Sunflowers

Today I would like to introduce a wonderful store that stocks our clothes in the UK called "Little Sunflowers". Little Sunflowers is a family business run by husband and wife team Bev and Andy Toogood.

They began with a small shop in Wendover, Buckinghamshire in 2004. In October 2007, when the online business got bigger than the shop, they relocated to Horam in East Sussex, where they now have a bricks and mortar store and an online shop. Bev and Andy have two young sons, aged 3 and 6, and the move to Horam meant a better quality of life for the family.

Customer service is at the centre of their business, and they constantly receive great

feedback from their customers. They are also well-known for their use of social media to

promote their business, and have a presence on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. In fact,

they were recently featured by Social Small Biz in a case study on the use of social

media in business.

(http://www.socialsmallbiz.com/2010/05/26/social-small-biz-case-study-little-sunflowers/)

They are a great store to deal with - very friendly and helpful and they stock lots of other great brands as well as Three Little Trees.

Three Little Trees is growing all around the world and we love hearing about success stories and the history behind our stores! Well done Bev and Andy! xx

Stealing Hayley's idea!!

One of our favourite retailers Little Pinwheel has the most awesome blog. If you havent read it you MUST go and become a follower! Hayley writes about deep personal things in her life that a lot of people wouldn't have courage to go near as well as snippets of her cute little families every day life!

When I read one of Hayleys latest blog posts it made me realise that I too am always behind the camera and that I do not have nearly enough photos with my children. I am completely 100% stealing Hayleys idea for this week and taking a photo of myself with my child/children each day of the week.

I will not post them everyday because I DO NOT like being in front of the camera AT ALL but at least Xaviah and Maya will have heaps of photos to look back on when they get older!

Thanks for the kick up the bum Hayley!!

Kate...xx

Coffee with Polka

Myself, Jo and Kate

Myself, Noon and Kate who loves having her photo taken!

The gorgeous outlook

Winter has certainly set in! I was all rugged up today on the Gold Coast, the wind was very chilly!

It was gorgeous however sitting and watching the choppy surf from the comfort of "The Elephant Rock Cafe" at Currumbin Beach, we all had delicious meals and the coffee was nice too. We met with Jo Morgan from the very cool label "Polka". It was so fun catching up with someone in our industry; she is really lovely! Its amazing because the clothing industry is really secretive and there is no manual to developing your own label! Its funny though because we both seem to be doing very similar things! Cant wait to catch up again for another cuppa with Jo.

xx

A NICE DAY BEING A MUM!

GOOD MATES!

SOMETHING WAS PRETTY FUNNY!
MASON, LAWSON AND KAI

Today I scheduled in being a mum.... no work (well only a few emails he he) and a bit of house work, I kept my little boy Kai home from pre school and we had a really nice day! I took him to our local play group that he absolutely LOVES and I got to catch up with lots of friends that I don't get to see very often while having a nice cuppa and a scone. I could not believe how excited Kai was to be there! He spent the whole 2 hours racing around madly on a little bike, traipsing through the garden looking for bugs and giggling!

I have been trying to keep him home one or two days a week lately from school; his teacher suggested that it might be a good idea. His quite young for his age and was getting quite tired and distracted at school. Its funny how children can be so different, my daughter is very advanced and independent for her age and always needs to be challenged and certainly never likes to be helped, which I admire, she is amazing. Where as Kai is a real cruiser and is only just becoming interested in drawing and the alphabet over the last month, but he is very sensitive and cuddly and doesn't like doing things for himself. Both of my children are really beautiful in their own ways and I am really enjoying getting to know their unique personalities as they blossom and grow.

Kai is really benefiting from spending some one on one time with me and I think he is learning quite a bit just doing day to day activities at home. His teacher is really happy with his progress as well and says that he is much more attentive when he is in class now and is more interactive in class activities. Being a teacher has to be hard work, but I think she is doing a good job at treating each child individually and working out what is best!

We went from play group and had lunch at "Kirramisu" cafe on Kirra Beach front with one of my lovely friends Steph and her daughter Hazel. Its a beautiful spot and has great food! The staff were really patient with the kids too, which all of you mums know how hard it is to find a child friendly cafe!

By this time our day was just about over, we went home for some quiet time while I checked a few emails (i cant help myself) and went and picked Lily up from the bus to go to swimming lessons.

My little man was sound asleep about 5 minutes after leaving swimming! bless!

All in all it was a lovely simple day, being a mum.... which I really miss sometimes! xx

The Pagoda Tree

Today I wanted to write about one of our lovely Three Little Trees fans "The Pagoda Tree". For those of you who live in Melbourne the Pagoda Tree is a one of a kind place that provides a one stop shop for women's health care.

The Pagoda Tree is home to a complete service for Natural Ferility and Women's Health. we provide complete and comprehensive reproductive health care for women of all ages, as well as complete general health care for men, women and children. Our centre specialises in fertilty and pregnancy related issues whilst also providing complete preconception care programs.

We are an integrative health care centre, where our practitioners are more than happy to support your journey in whatever way we can. Our practitioners are highly qualified in their field and offer you warmth, compassion and presence. we understand the delicate and sensivite issues that some of our clients face and we are available to be of service and to listen.

Natalie Kringoudis from the Pagoda Tree would love to help you! Come and see her or contact her for further information at:

Contact Address:
Lvl 2/124 Bridport St. Albert Park,
Victoria 3206
154 Thirteenth St. Mildura
Victoria 3500
Victoria Australia
Tel 03 9686 7454
Fax 03 9682 7454
info@thepagodatree.com.au

MOODI

Last night I went to a great Jewellery and clothing party. I am not really into parties that sell things, i really hate the pressure! I actually only went so that I could catch up with friends that I never see because of my busy schedule! I was however really surprised! The label of clothing was called Moodi and they design all black garments for women that are very slimming! See below:

moodi reflects the fashion needs of today’s modern woman who desires clothing that is not only comfortable but stylish.

moodi designs are created using Modal, a natural fabric renowned for softness, comfort and a silky texture. This unique fabric is produced from beech trees whose strength gives not only a lasting resilience to frequent washing and wear but will also retain its vibrant colour and crease-free lustre.

moodi garments are designed to be as flexible as you are and can be worn as work, leisure or lounge wear. Match them with sandals for casual cafe lunches or add heels to transform your moodi garment into stylish evening wear.

Visit their website at: www.moodi.com.au

sunset at currumbin Beach

Playing our stone game
Daddy and Lil heading down to the beach
Kai having fun!

Lil after her surf
Surfers Paradise in the distance

Kai
Little Surfer Girl Lily
Lily and Kai
I was impressed with this sunset surf shot!

What a perfect afternoon! Justin finished work earlier than usual so we took the kids down to our local gorgeous beach at Currumbin for a play and surf. Lily is just learning how to surf and loves it, but to be honest I think that my husband loves that his little princess surfs even more! She is amazing though, no fear at all and great balance! The waves were only little today but lots of fun for lil. Kai is not interested in surfing yet, but loves climbing the rocks and running in and out of the water like most 4 year old boys do!

It was really nice to just sit and watch.... especially after what I wrote about yesterday, it was really nice taking a couple of hours to watch my family having fun and just being them!

"The Alley" is such a unique place, the rocks are gorgeous and the back drop of Surfers Paradise seems surreal against the blue tranquil sea!

Justin had made a game up last time he took the kids to the beach that they love and we all had a little play. You draw a circle in the sand then another bigger one around it and dig a small hole right in the center (sort of like a dart board) then about 5 meters away we draw a line and we get 2 stones each and we have to try and get bulls eye. ha ha. Very simple but great family fun!

once the sun hit the mountains the chill in the air was freezing... we all ran for the car with the nice warm heater and headed home for baths and dinner! xx

The lucky country

OUR BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN!!

You never really realise how truely lucky you are until you see certain things or have certain moments that make you look at your life and see what you have right in front of you and all the precious little moments that we take for granted every single day!

Life runs along so quickly, often too quickly! I know sometimes as much as I love my life, I always feel like I need to slow down and just stop and play with my kids or just to sit in my back yard and watch them run around and giggle is precious.

As some of you might know Kate, myself and my Mum are off to China next month. It began as a business trip but just this week we have found something very special that I think will change my life forever! JinJiang orphanage is in The southern Chinese Province of Fujian. I came across it while trying to locate how far "JinJiang" was from the airport we were flying into in Xiamen. My heart just about broke when I started reading. I know that there are many places like this out there, but if we can all just try and help someone in this world maybe some of these children will suffer a little less and perhaps find some simple happiness in their lives that we take for granted every single day.

I had no idea how common cleft palate was in the orphanages! What would usually be a straight forward procedure to fix in these orphanages could be a death sentence. See the segment below from The Fujian Kids website:

Approximately 27,000 children with cleft lip and/or palate children are born annually to Chinese families. Most of these children will end up in orphanages.

Once in the orphanages, many of the cleft children have a difficult time. Often, these babies have difficulty getting nourishment because their ability to suck is impaired. As a result, they are in a perpetually weakened state and highly susceptible to disease. Some die of starvation. Special feeding equipment can save the lives of these children, but these nursers are not available in China.

Cleft Palate Nursers

FujianKids is helping provide cleft palate nursers to babies in orphanages throughout China. Please consider taking some with you to China when you travel. (Sorry, we can only provide these nursers to families in the U.S.) Nursers come with instructions in Chinese and labels that clearly indicate the nursers are for use by cleft-affected babies..

The nursers weigh almost nothing, but they do take up a little space in your luggage. For example, a box of 6 Enfamil nursers measures 6" x 6" x 6", but the nursers can be taken out of the box and distributed where space is available in your suitcase. If several families traveling together are adopting from the same orphanage, they can bring extras to give to their agency representative. The representative can then give the extra nursers to other orphanages that need them.

I learnt by buying these special feeding tools we could save many of these children's lives. We have posted on our face book page that we are accepting any help that Three Little Trees fans can afford or give up. I cant believe that spending as little as $20 could save children like these.

Kate and I are going to take over a couple of extra suit cases of clothes and bedding for them as these are basics that are always required and we have already had many generous offers of donations.

Most of all I am just looking forward to giving them some love and cuddles and learning from them, because I know throughout my whole fortunate life I have not seen anything that I know will inspire and open my eyes to the needs of others like this experience will.

xxx

THE ORPHANAGE

CHINA'S FORGOTTEN BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN