[rating:4.5] If the stunning cover with its embossed typeface and gorgeously retro greenhouse tea party doesn't hook you in, the subtitle surely will - recipes and styling for unforgettable parties. … [Read more...]
Book Review: Real Money Advice for Divorce
[rating:4.5] From the team behind yourfamilyyourmoney.com.au comes this third advice-packed manual on conquering money matters - namely, surviving the complicated and oft devastating rift that is … [Read more...]
Review: At Home by Bill Bryson
[rating:5] Let's just get to the heart of the matter. It's going to be tough to explain how much I loved this book. This may help: my heart raced every time I saw its black, cloth-bound cover (the … [Read more...]
Book Review: Play by Stuart Brown MD
[rating:4] We all know how vital the experience of play is for children and their mental, emotional and physical development. Even the most basic playtime encases a world of wonder and advancement in … [Read more...]
The Place Where Dreams Come True – Anaheim Disney
In 2008, my husband and I made the impetuous decision to snaffle the kids out of school and head to Disneyland. To abscond. To play hooky from life. Irresponsible? Maybe. Naughty? A little. Exciting? … [Read more...]
Book Review: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
It astounds and delights me when authors write first books that are totally enthralling and emotionally satisfying – as though they have been penning novels for many years and have the experience and … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Essential First Year by Penelope Leach
What do newborns need their parents to know? Well, for a start – that life will never be the same again. Oftentimes those overwhelming first weeks and months of a baby’s life is all about going back … [Read more...]
Cookbook Review: Eat Vegetarian by Sam Stern
Sam Stern has always been passionate about food - since he was a kid. Well, actually, he still is a kid. Or a teen. He's a Teenage Chef who published his first cookbook at fourteen and is now … [Read more...]
Book Review: Horrockses Fashions – Off the Peg Fashion in the 40s and 50s
You don't need to be a die-hard retro fashion fan to enjoy this stunning new book by Christine Boydell, showcasing the ground-breaking fashions of the Horrockses label of the 1940s and … [Read more...]
Cookbook Review: Creole by Babette de Rozières
I have a serious love affair with Phaidon, who consistently release some of the most coveted books on the reader planet, and this latest addition is yet another book to teeter on the covetable … [Read more...]
Ending Unfair Trade, one Eco-Friendly Mum at a Time
Emma Davidson may be ‘just’ a young Australian mum of three young children, doing the regular stuff Australian mums do but she is also a quiet force when it comes to the world’s continuing injustice … [Read more...]
Aussie Recognition at the Romance Writers of America Awards
Best selling romance writer Valerie Parv will be popping the bubbles this week. Each year, Valerie mentors an aspiring writer under the Valerie Parv Award (VPA), named in her honour by Romance … [Read more...]
The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama
Barack Obama's appointment as President of the United States has, of course, been one of the pinnacle moments in modern history, carving out an entirely new direction for the future of one of the … [Read more...]
Nigella Lawson Quick App Collection
If you're anything like me - baulking over every family dinner you ever cook - you'll be thrilled to know you can now slip Nigella Lawson into your hip pocket and whip up a culinary nightly storm in … [Read more...]
Review: Our Family Table by Julie Goodwin
I remember watching Julie Goodwin face the judges in the final round of MasterChef, revealing what kind of cookbook she would write if she became Australian's first MasterChef winner. It was when she … [Read more...]
Aussie Mums Struggle to Provide Balanced Meals for Kids
Over 50% of Australian mums are struggling to provide nutritionally balanced meals to their families, according to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). Major food company Nestlé recently ran a … [Read more...]
Book Review: Fat Chance – My Big Fat Gastric Band Adventure
During desperate times, we call on desperate measures - and author Melanie Tait - a journalist and broadcaster with the ABC - certainly weaves a tale of weight loss desperation in her new book Fat … [Read more...]
E-Book Piracy With Author Meg Cabot
E-book piracy is becoming a serious issue for publishers worldwide, particularly now that e-book purchasing is beginning to rival hardcopy sales. When Dan Brown's blockbuster novel - The Lost Symbol … [Read more...]
Book Review: Body Blitz Diet by Anna Richardson
Ho hum and carrot sticks. Diet books seem to be ten-to-the-fried-egg dozen right now, coming out of every fat-gobbling orifice - as usual. Sure, it's because Australia is officially one of the fattest … [Read more...]
It’s an Awesome World with Dallas – WIN!
When American writer Dallas Clayton decided to write a book for his young son, he knew the book’s theme would be on dreaming big. Penning the text in 10 minutes and taking 6 months to complete the … [Read more...]
My no-sugar, no-wheat, no-dairy, no-alcohol Challenge – DAY FOURTEEN – last day!
Well. I made it. Two weeks of no sugar, no alcohol, no dairy and no wheat. It had its ups and downs, but it was also totally do-able, and I'm so happy I made the time to try this programme, inspired … [Read more...]
My no-sugar, no-wheat, no-dairy, no-alcohol Challenge – DAY THIRTEEN – one day to go!
Was it unlucky number thirteen that did it? Today I didn't have to worry about my diet in the least, because I spent most of the day throwing it up, not shovelling it down. Sorry to be graphic, but … [Read more...]
My no-sugar, no-wheat, no-dairy, no-alcohol Challenge – DAY TWELVE
Oh my God. What can a single glass of wine do to the body? I'll tell you. A lot. Woke feeling seedy again this morning, for the first time in days and days, and I knew it was the wine with dinner … [Read more...]
My no-sugar, no-wheat, no-dairy, no-alcohol Challenge – DAY ELEVEN
Okay - a little advice. Do NOT plan a hot date in the hours following a cabbage dinner. Enough said. Woke feeling great and not ravenously starving, as had no desire to pig out before bed last night … [Read more...]
My no-sugar, no-wheat, no-dairy, no-alcohol Challenge – DAY TEN
Woke feeling deflated about rice cracker blow-out last night. Got on the digital scales and YET AGAIN my weight has not fluctuated a single gram. Banged scales with my first and gathered weighty … [Read more...]
My no-sugar, no-wheat, no-dairy, no-alcohol Challenge – DAY NINE
Uh-oh. Day Nine became blow-out day, alas. It all started well. Woke tired but not at all 'hungover' or headachey. Just sleepy. Felt motivated but also wary that I'm not losing a single gram. Could … [Read more...]
My no-sugar, no-wheat, no-dairy, no-alcohol Challenge – DAY EIGHT
Woke on day eight feeling good. I feel lighter. No hungover feeling. My whoozyness and headaches have stopped. Husband is waking me at 6.30am - half an hour earlier than usual - and I start the day … [Read more...]
My no-sugar, no-wheat, no-dairy, no-alcohol Challenge – DAY SEVEN
One week down! Had a terrible night's sleep. Now, this may not seem unusual to some, but I never have a bad night's sleep, so it's unusual for me. Hoping it's all those vitamins and minerals going … [Read more...]
Q & A with Lynette Mattke of PicPocket
Lynette Mattke may have conceptualized PicPocket Books only a year ago, but her pocket business is already growing into something grown-up size. Wanting to bring quality picture book literature to … [Read more...]
My no-sugar, no-wheat, no-dairy, no-alcohol Challenge – DAY SIX
Day Six and I cannot even begin to express to you how glorious it feels to wake up NOT grumpy! Still the occasional snappiness, though. My sense of humour is returning. Heavens to Murgatroyd! The … [Read more...]
Book Review: Raising Confident Happy Children
What do we want for our children other than a lifetime of health? Confidence and happiness, of course. As parents, it's probably all we could ever wish for, most especially because these two elements … [Read more...]
My no-sugar, no-wheat, no-dairy, no-alcohol Challenge – DAY FIVE
Day Five. Woke feeling really tired but that lovely sleepy tired, not that exhausted deathly tired. My daughter woke me right in the middle of deep REM sleep (I was having a dream I took off a massive … [Read more...]
My no-sugar, no-wheat, no-dairy, no-alcohol Challenge – DAY FOUR
Day Three of my Feel Good Regime and eating has been a breeze. In fact, SO much easier than I thought it would. The thought of eating some chocolate turns my stomach, and trust me, this sends me into … [Read more...]
My no-sugar, no-wheat, no-dairy, no-alcohol Challenge – DAY THREE
I really appreciated Danielle's comments on Day One of this challenge, about how she is totally over women obsessing over body parts, and wanting to be thin. I totally agree, and I'd like to reiterate … [Read more...]
My no-sugar, no-wheat, no-dairy, no-alcohol Challenge – DAY TWO
Day Two of my no sugar, wheat, dairy and alcohol challenge. Oh - an no carbs after six. 'Carbs' in this instance involve anything white or beige - refined sugar, pasta, bread, potatoes, rice - you get … [Read more...]
My no-sugar, no-wheat, no-dairy, no-alcohol Challenge – DAY ONE
Today, I am another year older. This in itself, is not such a big deal. But what IS a big deal is how I’ve been feeling this past year. In a word: lousy. The following is quite intimate, but here … [Read more...]
Australian Teens Protective of their Online Identity
Comforting new research conducted by Habbo Australia, the world’s largest virtual world for teens, shows that although young people perceive the internet as a valuable tool for building relationships … [Read more...]
Young Adult Fiction Review: Gamers’ Quest
Although I love young adult and teen fiction, I must admit, it was a stretch for me to open the cover of Gamers’ Quest, a novel featuring computer-generated artwork on its cover. I ain’t a gamer and I … [Read more...]
Book Review: Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert
It's no wonder Eat Pray Love created a world-wide phenomenon in book sales (and simultaneous world-wide gasping in recognition). The book was really good. Even though I've not been through a … [Read more...]
Book Review: How to Make Money on eBay
My first ever eBay find was a duo of Coles Funny Picture books – and I’ll never forget staring at the eBay screen in wonder and elation when I found these titles after a totally unexpectant search for … [Read more...]