Nightwolf's Den

Family Time Activities

Today we’re taking a break from all things Christmas and I’m handing over my blog to guest poster Sophie of Delivery Hero.

image credit

Spending time with the family is one of the most rewarding things in life. It helps build and strengthen family bonds and establishes memories in the making. But what family time activities can you do on a daily basis that both kids and adults would enjoy. Here’s my top 5 things for keeping everyone entertained.

5 Great Family Time Ideas

Gardening. Get the kids involved in growing plants or vegetables in the garden. Take them to the garden centre and help them pick out their own seeds or plants that they can tend to. They’ll love to feel responsible for something and watch the progress of the plants growing. If you don’t have a garden or it’s the wrong season then consider growing some vegetables indoors. Buy some small plant pots and tomato seeds and get the children to water them everyday.

Eating dinner together. Of course eating dinner together is one of the most traditional ways for families to spend time in each other’s company. Even if you have no time to cook, order a takeaway (www.deliveryhero.com.au/takeaway/sydney/) and catch up on how each other’s days went.

Watch an old movie together. Films such as Gone with the Wind, Mary Poppins and Oliver are all family classics that everyone will enjoy. Or perhaps opt for the Star Wars trilogy if you’re children are a little older.

Baking. Brownies, cookies and gingerbread men are all relatively foolproof recipes and kids’ favourites. Also, check out Nightwolf’s great recipe for cookies and banana bread here. For something a little different try making fudge or toffee.

Build a Fort! A classic family time activity that the kids will love. Use pillow, sheets, cushions and the children’s imagination to build the best fort in the world!

The Many Benefits of Family Time

These are just some of the many family time activities that are a great way to keep kids entertained and help families interact. It’s been proven that the positive supportive relationships that often come from families spending time together are hugely important in the early years of a child’s life. They help with cognitive development, healthy emotional development and social attachment of children. All the more reason to rent out Star Wars and get building that fort!

On my wishlist

This is part of a series of posts focusing on Christmas. You can see all my Christmas posts here.

I’m going to take a little time today to share what I’d like for Christmas – you know, just in case hubby decides to read my blog, which I know he won’t.

A new diary. I’m getting the 2012 Log Your Memory yearbook (review coming soon) but I’d love another diary. Either the OTI one (in purple)

or the Inner-B one

which would you recommend?

Next, some scrapping supplies. Hubby is getting me some Project Life bits which I am super excited about. But I think I’d also like these

a subscription to Lime Tart	Memory Works Christmas pack

Memory Works Simple Stories Baby Steps	more copics

hmm what else?

being able to join this

and some Willow Tree

What’s on your wishlist?

Joining in with Tuesday 10 over at Just Me

Christmas Food Pt 2

This is part of a series of posts focusing on Christmas. You can see all my Christmas posts here.

So back into it. Two sauces down, two to go. Well that was the plan. After cooking some caramelised onions the other night I decided to go with them instead of tomato sauce.

Caramelised Onions (sourced from Taste.com.au)

Makes 4 cups (original recipe was 1 cup)

8 tbs olive oil
12 large red or brown onions, sliced
8 tbs brown sugar
4-8 tbs balsamic vinegar

Heat oil in a large frypan over low heat. Add the onions and a good pinch of salt and cook very slowly for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them from catching. Don’t be tempted to turn the heat up, as you don’t want the onions to burn.
When onions are softened and tinged golden, add sugar and balsamic – this will start the caramelisation process. Cook onion over low heat for a further 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sticky and caramelised. Use immediately, or store in the fridge, in a sterilised jar or plastic container, and use when required.

and the last was a sweet Caramel.

Caramel Sauce (sourced from Taste.com.au)

Makes 8 cups (original recipe was for 2 cups)

160g butter (say margarine but we only ever have butter in the house)
4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 x 375ml Carnation light & creamy evaporated milk
500g marshmallows

Combine butter and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 minute. Pour evaporated milk into mixture and stir until well combined. Add marshmallows and stir until marshmallows melt. Pour into a serving jug and set aside to cool slightly.

I’ll take a break from the foodie posts for a couple of days and be back later with some ideas for presents.

A day late

but our Christmas tree is up. Mainly purple & silver this year (with a gold star… need a new one)

Miss K had a ball ‘helping’ put decorations on the tree. Now I just need to keep her away from it so she stops taking the decorations off!

and our tree for 2011

November 2011 Round Up

(The idea & questions for my round up come from Katie the Scrapbook Lady.)

What books and/or magazines did I read this month? Better Homes & Gardens December & Christmas editions. Getting ideas for Christmas presents.
What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month?
Tv – Doctor Who, Glee, Castle
What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?
Hubby & I had a nice meal for our 5th wedding anniversary. Went to the Craft Fair at Deloraine with Mum.
What gifts did I give and/or receive?
Did more Christmas shopping.
What special or unusual purchases did I make?
The kick-starter for Con X . Bought a new fridge/freezer
What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
All pretty healthy this month Smile Mum is doing well.
What were my accomplishments this month?
We put in to get a house loan! We organised to get the kitchen finished and some other jobs around the house.
What were my disappointments this month?
Not being able to buy fresh strawberries to make jam for Christmas (on the upside I made greengage jam instead). Travel sponsorship for DPCon12 rejected.
How did I do on my goals for the month?
Journal every day Check
Do some scrapping & art journaling Check
Exercise at least 3 times a week. still not happening but I did go for a couple of walks
Try and keep the house a bit cleaner It got cleaned for the evaluation & is still kinda clean
Organise at least one scrapping day with mum Nope
Anything else noteworthy to include?
Mum had reversal and check ups have been going well. Was selected for the Log Your Memory Design Team for 2012.

Back up all digital pictures. DONE
Format memory cards. DONE
All photos off phone. DONE
Sort all November photos into 2011 folder. DONE
Make a backup copy of the photos onto my desktop computer and EHD. DONE
Backup any other documents or files as needed. DONE
Backup my blogs. DONE
Clean off my work area, empty my inbox, and clean up my computer files. DONE
Update LYM Logbook from Momento app DONE
Print December pages for LYM Logbook DONE

Goals for December
Journal every day.
Do some scrapping & art journaling
Organise at least one scrapping day with mum
Blog at least once a week.
Post my Christmas series on my blog.

A Christmas Meme

Found on Lisa’s blog – Life as we know it.
Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate. with marshmallows. And a candy cane
Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wraps them. When we were young they had the same paper as the ones from mum and dad. I must remember as Miss K gets older to wrap them in different paper.
Coloured lights on tree/house or white? Coloured lights. and just on the tree.
Do you hang mistletoe? No.
When do you put your decorations up? Usually on the 1st December. Or if I do the tree at Mum & Dad’s it’s the first weekend in December.
What is your favourite holiday dish? Um, anything with turkey. I love turkey at Christmas.
Favourite Holiday memory as a child? Eating way too much, playing backyard cricket with the cousins. Lots of family together.
When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I honestly don’t remember
Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No. We get up early and open then on Christmas morning.
How do you decorate your Christmas tree? It’s a bit of a mish mash of decorations and tinsel.
Snow! Love it or Dread it? I would love snow on Christmas day, just once.
Can you ice skate? Never tried it. I can rollerblade and have been told it’s similar.
Do you remember your favourite gift? My doll house made by Dad. I’ve still got it and plan on doing it up and giving it to Miss K.
What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Spending time with family and friends.
What is your favourite Holiday Dessert? chocolate mousse pie. I’ll have to blog the recipes one day. It’s so yummy. Chocolate and raspberries & red tulip after dinner mints (if you can ever find them)
What is your favourite holiday tradition? Breakfast at Mum & Dad’s. Croissants, ham off the bone, pineapple and cheese.
What tops your tree? A gold star
Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving. I love making gifts for family & friends
What is your favourite Christmas Song?

Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? Have to be decent ones, not the cheap ones.
Favourite Christmas Show? Showing how much of a geek I am – the Doctor Who Christmas special
Saddest Christmas Song? Do you know I can’t think of one.

I’d love to see your answers.

It’s beginning to look a bit like Christmas

Well it’s nearly December 1st and I’m getting in the Christmas spirit a bit early this year. Starting with my blog. Over the next day or two you’ll notice a few changes to the look of my little bloggie Smile

Ooh, That’s Pinteresting!–the home edition

Joining in with Tina for Ooh, That’s Pinteresting this week (first time I’ve played along)

Tomorrow we’re getting the house we’re in valued so we can go for a bank loan. Fingers crossed we’ll be home owners by the end of the year. Which means we can do more stuff around the house.

I would love to do this for the planned BBQ area in the back yard.

Source: google.com via Caroline on Pinterest

and this would look awesome as edging on the paths and maybe even the driveway

Source: flufflefritz.com via Caroline on Pinterest

and this inside the door to look after my keys

Source: junodesignshop.com via Caroline on Pinterest

This is what I want the laundry to look like

Source: twoellie.com via Caroline on Pinterest

then in the pantry I will have this

Source: decorchick.com via Caroline on Pinterest

and I’d love this for beside the fridge (except there is no room after buying a new fridge/freezer)

Source: learning-to-b-me.blogspot.com via Caroline on Pinterest

All these images (& many, many more) can be found on my pinterest. If you’d like an invite, let me know Smile

Getting your Christmas craft on

Anyone who knows me, knows I love to create stuff. I love pretty much anything crafty.

Today I thought I’d share with you some of the Christmas craft classes floating around the net at the moment.

Shimelle’s Journal Your Christmas

I did my first Journal Your Christmas (or JYC) last year & I loved it. Every year, JYC includes daily prompts from the 1st of December to the 6th of January, the twelfth day of Christmas. AND as with every class at Shimelle’s, once you take a class you have access forever & can take part in future versions of the class. Starts 1st December

Kim Archer’s Handmade Christmas

This one is new to me this year. It’s six days of ‘fabulous Christmas-y step by step projects’. Keep an eye out for me sharing what I make after the class. Starts 25th November

Big Picture Classes – 12 Days of Christmas

Not one I’ve done but sounds interesting – 12 days of projects with different Big Picture Classes teachers. Starts 13th December

and then there’s the many sites out there listing homemade gifts. Here’s a few of my favourites.

101 Days of Christmas
Crafty Christmas (hmm this site is a bit of a distraction lol – lots of cute links to printables)
2011 DIY Gift Guide

and then there is sooooo much on Pinterest!

My Christmas pins
Pinterest Christmas search

Speaking out

Today I’m joining other blogger from all around the world to take part in Speak Out, ‘a collaboration of BlogCatalog and Wanderlust, who have teamed up to launch an international domestic violence awareness campaign and fundraiser’. Speak Out is encouraging bloggers to tweet, blog, talk about, share and general just encourage people to “Speak Out” against domestic violence.

There are so many stories being shared and I have decided to add mine. I am a survivor of domestic violence. For 8 years I lived in terror for my life on many occasions. WARNING this post discusses issues that some people may find triggering.

When I first met my ex I thought he was great. He helped me get off drugs and seemed nice. He was older but that was nothing unusual for my choice in men. The first year or two were ok. He had a bit of a temper but I’m know for having a temper myself so thought nothing of it, he’d never hit me.

Then we went out one night with some friends. After quite a few drinks we decided to head home and that’s when it started. He was yelling at me about flirting with one of the guys who had been there. I laughed and told him not to be stupid. Then *thump*. He smacked me across the face and stormed out. This pattern continued over the next five years in varying degrees. Sometimes it was just a slap or smack other times it was full on punches. Make up became my best friend as I often would have to cover bruises and cuts. Often I’d fake illness so I didn’t have to go out and see anyone.

I eventually decided to go to uni just to get myself out of the house.This ended up making things much worse. He became so jealous of my new friends, what I wore to uni and accused me on more than one occasion of sleeping with a few of my new friends. The violence also increased. One night in particular stands out. One night I think I will never forget. The one night that made me decide it was finally time to leave.

It started out innocently enough. Two of my now close friends from uni had just moved into town and to celebrate my bff & I decided we should all go out on the town for a few drinks. Now my ex was a big drinker. We all were. At around 11 we decided to head home. He cracked the shits & decided to sleep in the car. I probably should have left well enough alone but I went out to check on him. The next thing I knew he was yelling at me and calling me all the sluts under the sun and how he knew I was sleeping with one of the guys from uni. I yelled back and then *wham* he had me on the ground, trying to choke me and banging my head into the cement. Luckily my friends heard my screams and rang the police and came to help me. He ended up in custody over night while I went to hospital so they could check me out for concussion and broken bones. I stayed with my bff that night then she took me to my parents the next day where I told them everything that had happened. Dad looked like he was ready to kill, as did my brother. Dad said I wasn’t going back there. He rang me the next day and apologised, said he had a drinking problem, an anger problem and so much other bull that I had heard so many times before. “It’s not me, it’s the grog”, “My dad was violent”… A couple of weeks later I made the final move. I went and saw him & said I was sorry but I couldn’t live my life in fear anymore.

There is more to the story but I’ll save that for another time. He didn’t let go easily – threatening phone calls, emails, message. Lies spread to mutual friends. Friends who know the truth now & have apologised for not believing me. I’m glad I got out but it was hard. I honestly feared for my life and I know that is why many people (because domestic violence happens to BOTH women & men) choose to stay, because they honestly fear for their lives.

I urge you to read this post. I agree when Wanderlust says “Whoever you are, wherever you are, please know this. You should never live in fear of speaking your truth. You should never be afraid to be yourself. If you don’t feel comfortable being 100% yourself in your relationship, please, please, think long and hard about why you are there.”

If you are in a violent relationship, please seek help. Tell someone. You are worth so much more than living in fear. In Australia you can contact Reach Out

P.S . I’ll be back tomorrow with something a bit more cheerful. Today, this story needs to be told. We need to Speak Out. ');