My version of a school holiday survival guide (republished for Easter holidays)

Now I warn you, read anything here with a healthy dose of scepticism. I'm really not in any position to provide parenting  advice. However I am qualified to provide parenting empathy. In my opinion parenting is a bit like a really unethical science experiment and our poor  children are our test subjects. The old saying they don't come with a manual is utterly spot on! 

This was never quite so true as during the school holidays. It's not easy parenting during the school holidays....and I only have one to look after. Although sometimes I think it can be just as damanding as 2,3 or 4;  in that mummy resumes the role of sibling, play buddy, ninja turtle punching bag, nurf gun target, helpless herbivore being attacked by a T-Rex then cuddly teddy bear...you name it, but that's a whole different topic, for another day. 

So last school holidays I learnt a lot about parenting, particularly how to do it badly. I have one now 7 year old boy, that most would agree is as a whole a pretty good kid, he's a real 'nature' kid, loves playing outside, loves bugs and animals and is pretty easy going. However I really wasn't prepared for the boredom that would set in over the last holidays, the nagging to play on electronic games, nor the non stop raiding of the fridge and pantry, or the falling behind academically after all the progress he'd made in the first year of school.

This year I'm ready!!!!! Well at least I hope I am. I certainly am better prepared than last year. This year I decided to adopt a few teaching strategies. I've taught and managed adult education and corporate business training for years, how different could it be to managing a 7 year old? Right!?

Funnily enough I think it's more about human nature. Kids and adults just want to know what's expected, they don't want to get it wrong and be blamed or feel like a failure when they didn't know the rules in the first place. That's why in education you give your students a course outline, learning outcomes, lesson plans, progress reports. So this year I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. 

Firstly let's tackle the basic expectations. School holidays is about fun, but not at the expense of driving  mummy and daddy mad, falling behind on your reading, writing and maths and getting no exercise. Yes we can have veggie days. However we also need a bit of healthy routine, a few boundaries and expectations set. 

My son has quite a scientific approach to life, if you can explain to him the benefits of a vegetable, show him a little chart on why to eat something, he'll eat it (yes I'm lucky) so I decided to break up the days activities into some logical reasons why he should be doing them. The main themes in the School Holiday weekday routine are:

1. Look after your pets 

2. Look after your body 

3. Look after your brain

4. Look after your stuff

I don't have to get too technical with a 7 year old, however you might need a bit more evidence to back it up if your child is 15. So my daily school holiday routine for my son looks a bit like this:

Of course when I showed it to my son he announced "That's a bit Harsh!". However anyone who has worked with kids or raised kids will agree often they will fall a little short of what they have been asked to do or will lose interest so you need to set achievable but reasonably high expectations. It's not the end of the world if they don't do it everyday but it certainly gives you a backup plan if the words "I'm bored" comes out of their mouths. So far I've found the school holiday routine has worked surprisingly well, without too much complaining. The routine generally mimics the existing routine I had already set with my son,  however if you're coming from a benchmark of your child watching 8 hours of TV and games it might be a bit more of a challenge. For now I'll try to enforce this routine on Monday-Friday with usual weekend routines of more free time and a day off homework. 

My LOOK AFTER YOUR BRAIN sections was met with "What, maths work!!!??? Argh!", so it was a good opportunity for me to show my son just how many fun learning activity books he has and that he can choose which pages he does. I've already setup a study desk and an old draftsmanship drawer for his writing, maths and fun activity books, papers and stationery. He's quite chuffed having his own stuff in pride of place in the dining area, where I can communicate with him from the kitchen or lounge. I've used some cute old recycled pieces of furniture for a workspace for him.

In order to get my son organised I had to get myself organised first, so I've sorted and labelled all the drawers so he can easily find his maths activity books, writing books and fun activity books.

My next challenge was to set some iPad and game expectations. My son's reasonably new to iPad games and I've managed to ward off the X Box, Play Station games thus far. Although I expect I'm in for the battle in the not too distant future. At this stage he hasn't asked for them so I'm keeping him distracted from them with the ipad.

I've done my fair share of homework and research on the benefits and potentially negative effects of games and I've come up with my own version of acceptable time allocations. I have noticed rather grumpy behaviour when my son has been allowed to play games on the iPad for an extended period and I've had many parents advise me of similar  observations, that's enough for me to stick to a daily limit of 1/2 an hour for now. Additional time can be given if supervised using Mathletics, Learning Ladder or other educational Apps or games.  As an educator that ran a University department for many years and established RMIT University's  first Smart Classroom utilising the very latest in interactive technology I'm pretty quick to adopt new technology if it has a positive learning outcome. However when it is in relation to your own small children it's amazing how much more cautious you are about the potential impacts on social behaviour.  So while I'm still evaluating the benefits and possible negative impacts I've set these ground rules for my son.

So far I haven't had to work too hard at enforcing the iPad rules, what I've found is that once he starts playing outside or building something or reading something, before you know it hours have passed and he hasn't even wanted the iPad, his daily routine serves as a terrific distraction, but as I've said I've been trialing these rules for a while, by the time the school holidays came around, he had a fair idea of the rules.

The next thing to tackle for me was what we call the 'Invisable Muncher'. That creature that raids the cupboards, leaves a trail of crumbs and constantly screams "I'm hungry mum!" A year or so back I heard a mum mention to pack their lunch everyday on the holidays, so they go to it, rather than you. So I've created my own version. I've set up boxes of snacks mainly organic, chemical free and colour and additive free. In the 3 boxes I have:

1. Organic fruit

2. Natural Sweet snacks

3. Natural Savoury snacks

Plus cheese snacks in the fridge. 

My son can pick 2 from each box at the start of the day and effectively pack his own snack box. 

I have found a great selection of natural and organic snacks at Organic shops, health food stores, plus there are now organic snacks in shops like IGA, Aldi and Woolworths. 

To try keep my son out of the pantry I've set up his own little stash of snacks in baskets under the kitchen butchers block. He can choose 2 sweet, 2 savoury snacks, plus 2 pieces of fruit and pack them in his lunchbox and help himself during the day. He can also help himself to 2 cheese snacks a day. The great benefit i find is that if we decide to go out he's packed and ready to go and I don't have to buy food when we're out. It's a bit like packing the baby or toddler food only I don't have to lift a finger! 

This snack box only really lasts until about 2.30pm but I find if I allocated anymore they'll be gone by lunchtime. This way he knows to ration them and then we can review at 3:00, so he does not fill himself up before dinner but has something to tide him over.

Every kid is different, every family is different, but so far this is working for me and so far it seems I'm in for a far less stressful 6 weeks of school holidays. 

My Survival Guide could just save my sanity over the next 6 weeks. To coin one of my often used teaching quotes. "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail". My Survival Guide hopefully might help you develop a plan of attack. To survive the holidays! 

Home Styling solutions that make it simple.

CHOOSE FLEXIBLE STORAGE

These  ladder shelves are a stylish way to get the storage and display areas you need. They don't dominate the room like traditional shelving and you can style them to look minimalist and sleek, kitschy and quirky or rustic and traditional depending upon your accessories.  If you have small items to store select some storage boxes , there are so many options you're sure to find some that you love. 

Find ladder shelves here.  Find the shelves pictures here.

MAKE YOUR WORK SPACE A FEATURE

The key to creating a work space at home is to stick to a few simple rules.

1. Make sure it's somewhere you want to sit. Choose somewhere with a view or good light.

2. Select pieces that complement your decor. Your workspace needs to enhance your home.

3. Keep it simple and use furniture that can be shifted or will go with lots of different accessories.

4. Add some little luxuries in the accessories. A copper desk lamp or a beautiful vase.

Find the desk here.  

You might also like these.

MAKE A FEATURE OF YOUR GIZMOS

These days devices, cables and powerboard seem to take over your living space. Whether you like to charge your devices on your dresser or in your office, here is a great solution. Cables and plugs can be messy and dangerous so this is the perfect solution that actually adds some style. These All Docks come in a range of finishes and wood types so you can select the style that suits your decor. Now recharging your devices is a stylish  affair not. A messy cable nightmare.

 Find a selection of the   All Docks here.

USE ART TO CREATE THE MOOD

Creating a certain type of atmosphere in your home often comes down to accessories. A simple and cost effective way to create a home where you can easily change the mood is to start with a simple neutral  palette for your main pieces of furniture. Then use accessories to dramatic effect by selecting a feature piece of wall art.

The above is an example of how to capture that vintage style. Below you'll see you can create a tropical oasis by adding this dramatic and bold leaf print. The black background will help balance out any darker elements in your home against the white walls. This tropical print with the bold black is very on trend, so you can simply update your decor by switching your art, to create a totally new look.

(Find more wall art here)

Water colours in abstract designs are huge at the moment. The below piece is a beautiful simple and stunning example. This would be a great statement piece above a bed, providing a dreamy quality to the room without having to lean towards the often used pastel tones in abstract watercolour art. 

(Find more wall art here)

The below watercolour tropical print has a calming impact and sets the mood for the rest of the styling. The room has a slightly traditional colonial getaway feel. Creating a holiday destination right in your bedroom. 

(Find more wall art ideas here)

You might want a piece to reflect on in your living room or bedroom,  the monochromatic tones in the scene below mean it would not overpower any colour choices in your room. Alternatively you could add the piece to a pure white room with tiny accents of black, white and grey for a truly dreamy look. 

(Find more wall art ideas here).

DECORATE IN YOUR STYLE NOT IN JUST TRENDS

Find this look here

Often people feel compelled to have their home decor on trend, yet some of the most beautiful homes I've seen are a mix of styles that reflect the owners personality. A mix of old and new to give it a unique feel. A combination of styles that are in tune with the home owners nature. 

Try mixing some of these up to create your own style.

If you like a little glamour with a hint of old Hollywood you'll love  this style. Find items in this style here

If you like an eclectic tribal look you might like this style with the dark tones and textures.

Find items in this style here.

If you like the Scandinavian minimalist look you love this! It's very on trend and goes surprisingly well with a mix of decor styles. 

Find items in this style here.

If you like to keep it neutral  these items will appeal to your aesthetic. They are a great base and will allow you to swap and add accents depending on the season or your mood. 

Find items like these here. 

This is a perfect example of a neutral palette overlayed with blue tones. You might like the neutral look but need a pop of colour (like me) so you can mix it up by adding some art and cushions and accessories in your chosen colour palette.

Get this look here

Earthy tones of wood, leather, plants and metal never go out of fashion. You can any of these accents to another style such as the Scandinavian look above to create your own mixed decor style. 

Get this look here

A simple uncluttered contemporary look with a statement rug is a great way to add personality. You can collect a few rugs and swap them when the mood takes you.

Get this look here

Styling your home to maximum effect is more about making decisions well.  Rotating pieces you love and creating a mood in each room through feature items that you have chosen because they make you happy. That is truly the key. Mix it up a little bit and choose your base pieces wisely. Visit our stockist to find lots more beautiful ideas. 

 

Summer and Christmas Articles are online NOW!

Read all the articles online now right HERE?

www.lilyonlinemagazine.com. 

Creating the Gilmore Girls Dragonfly Inn look

Anyone who has watched the Gilmore Girls will tell you the Dragonfly Inn is the quintessential Connecticut Getaway. Cosy, traditional, a little bit quirky. We've all stayed at a place like this at least once. Where the urge to do a jigsaw puzzle whilst sipping a brandy overcomes you.

Luckily my family are all very fond of this style so I've been surrounded by this deep rooted traditional style most of my life. Collecting odd and old pieces of furniture, glassware, crockery is a bit of an addiction for me.... but how do you create this look in a new home, or if you are starting from scratch. Well I've got everything to get you started right here. You can also read our other articles which have lots more ideas on creating that Gilmore Girls Dragonfly Inn look or other cosy home looks.

These are some basics that will instantly create the mood, follow the links and you'll also find the stockists have a huge range of similar items if these aren't quite your taste.

Large Magazine Rack   by La Verde $149.00. Find this rack and more HERE.

Taupe Hampton Wing Chair   by Black Mango $799.00. Find this winged chair and more here. 

Eternity Coffee Table   $1499.00.  Find this coffee table and more here.

Horse and Plaid Tapestry Cushion $89.00.  Find this cushion and more here.

Décor Jar in Light Wood   by Constance & Co. $129.00 Find this and more here. 

Tall Wall Sconce   by Decor Classics $89.00.  Find this sconce here and more

Memphis Floor Lamp $429.00.  Find this Tiffany floor lamp and more here.

Filigree Candle Holder in Antique Rust $54.95.  Find this and more here.

Abbey Mirror I   by Gallery Direct $299.00.  Find this and more here.

Sometimes it's the little things that create a look. Try these to create this whimsical dining room look.

Royal Doulton Hemingway Jug Large   by Royal Doulton $54.95. Find this and more here.

Bamboo Wing Back Chair $1,120.40 in cream.   Find these and more here. 

Fine Art Lighting Tiffany Table Lamp, 16 by 23-Inch, 232 Glass Cuts $191.51.  Find this and more here.

Appletree Design Barn Yard Rooster Salt and Pepper Set, 2-1/2-Inch, 2-Inch $8.55. Find these and more here.

Add a bright statement cushion.  Find a huge range here.

Cutlery Set Carnaval   by Laguiole by Louis Thiers $149.00.  Find these and more here.

Robin Ginger Jar   by Elegant Designs $54.95.  Find this and more here. 

Lighting, crockery, accents and just the right  what creates the mood. These are some of my personal favourites. 

Bamboo Wing Back Chair $1,120.40.  Find these and more here.

Dragonfly Banker Table Lamp   by Bingli Lighting $169.00. Find these and more here.

Wedgwood Renaissance Gold 5 Piece Set $229.00.  Find this set and more here. 

Spode Blue Room Georgian Plates, Set of 6 Assorted Motifs $60.80.  Find these and more here.

Rooster Glass Figurine in Pink and White $34.95.  Find this and more here.

2 Light Pendant   by G & G Brothers $339.00. Find this and more here.

Small St Germaine Canister with Label Holder   by Davis & Waddell $12.95.  Find this and more here.

Squat Vase in Aqua Fading   by Casa Uno $44.95.  Find this and more here.