tricks

DIY CHRISTMAS PLACE CARD GIFT IDEA

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR YOUR LOVED ONES? SOMETHING THAT MAYBE EXTRAORDINAIRE? AND HAS STRONG PERSONAL LEVEL?

Christmas season is here…means gift hunting starts now.

However, our family loves DIY. As a family, we have one tradition that we carry through over the years – is to give something personalised to our beloved families and friends. We want the absolute best for our loved ones. Seeing them smile with genuine appreciation at something we’ve given them is enough to send us soaring with happiness. We hope they get that its more than just a gift, it is our gesture of your appreciation for them.

So…this year….we have finally prepared something pretty and practical for all the receiver. It is something that suits all ages and is versatile to be collected as your fave house decor. We were inspired by @paperplayground to make a place card / (slash) photo frame. How cute this idea is. YES! It is a place card with your name and our Christmas wishes for you, then when the Christmas season is over, fell free to change the namecard with your latest holiday photos. Yipppiiee! Sounds like a plan, huh?? I thought ot myself – Brilliant! I would love love love love to receive that sort of gift from someone. ><

Now, let’s get onto business.

THINGS YOU NEED:

Acrylic photo block frame (with or without glitters) – I used glitter ones to create snow effect
personalised name card – design by Canva (free design templates app)

AUD 6
AUD 8
AUD 8
AUD 0
AUD 0

HOW TO:

Select your favourite design on Canva
Write the name on it
Print the name cards
Place the name cards on the frame instead of photo

Jared has prepared 20+ namecards this year to be given out to his friends. We are pretty much ready for this festive giving season. What a year it has been. Thankful that finally today we can press the”pause” button and reflect to the past 48 weeks. AGAIN! We found that God is faithful through our faithless season. Today we are blessed beyond to be a blessing to others.

We do hope that this simple idea will help you sort out your Christmas present this year. Easy to make at very low cost. Why not give them a try? If you have any other personalised Christmas gift ideas – please share below on the comment. I need some inspirations for next year. 😉 Bye for now….

Love,

Kenny

7 RITUALS TO KEEP MY SANITY AS A MOTHER

I had a lot of questions from families and friends regarding my recent status as a mom of 2 boys;

how do you cope with 2 kids?

My classic answer would be – Yeah, I am fine! (while busy covering my boobs during feeding time and telling Jared to finish his lunch including the veggies).

The truth is – I AM NOT OKAY. I NEED HELP. I NEED AN ASSISTANT.

My motherhood journey aren’t always neat and beautiful as my Instagram/Pinterest feed. Some days are glorious. Some days are scabrous. Some days I win a lottery. Some days I lost my sanity.

Unlike my husband who had an above average EQ level. Mine is probably on the edge of the bottom line. I struggle with my patience a lot. However, I do not let this fact define who am I as a mom. I realised as a parent, we are the role model of our kids behaviour. Thus, it is very important for me to keep my physical and emotion being in front of my kids by keeping my sanity.

On a bad day; or when thing goes wrong. I do these 6 rituals to help me back to my rational state of mind.

1. STOP & BREATH

Mom-hood is indeed a full on job from am to pm. Busy busy busy…it’s all I can say. I rarely find myself sitting on the couch with stretched leg. When the bub were finally asleep, your 3yo were calling you to be his sparring partner.

Mom-hood is selfless, you decide to put someone else’s need above yours. However, this would become a boomerang when we forget to maintain our health being. We may feel over-giving and lost to the occasion.

Being a mom is like having 3984 tabs opened at the same time. Your brain never stops working. Imagine if you never switch your computer to sleep mode or forget to format your hard disc. One day it hang randomly from overused/overloaded. Same thing with our brains, we gotta remind ourself to stop and breath. Your baby can cry for another 5 minutes without getting injured. Give yourself a space to restart your button. Lock yourself behind those pantry doors.

2. DRINK WATER

A new study found that drinking water can improve your mood.

Breastfeeding takes up a lot of my energy and time. It consumed me to a deeper emotion level sometimes while keeping up with a busy buzzy toddler. So, in order for me to win my everyday hustle, I have to keep myself hydrated. Drink a lot of water when things go wrong, let it cool the heat within me. Or probably

3. TURN ON SOME MUSIC

Music, more than any other art form, has the power to give me an immediate emotional hit. Everyone has a song that can instantly make them cry, or a tune they can’t help but dance to. Music is an easy way to manage not only our feelings, but how we function. At this point, I would do whatever helps to get my mojo back. SO TURN IT ON HIGH AND DANCE TO IT. And let the kids dance around too.

4. HAVE SHOWER

Having a warm bath helps me relaxed my tension muscles. But, hey mama, isn’t bath time is a luxury thing we get to do most of the days?! Yes, it is! When I can’t fit myself to the shower, at least I manage myself to wash my face and both hands. And let this warm water does its magic to my mood.

5. PHONE A FRIEND

You need to let it out. Let me clear it up once again. YOU NEED TO SAY IT LOUD. that you are having such a crap day. do not keep it for yourself. let the world knows you are not okay today. Trash that negative vibes out of your mind, mouth, and body. I guarantee it will instantly ease your burden. SAY IT LOUD OR WRITE IT CLEAR!

Get some confirmations that you are not alone on this. Get your tribe to cheer you up and shower you with word of affirmations and encouragements.

6. WORD

Before I ended my day and labelled it a “bad day” – let me get back to His word. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right – 2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT)

His word gives me perspective while the world gives me an objection. And I choose that WHO AM I IS DEFINED BY THE WORD NOT THE WORLD. I am wonderful and beautiful, I am called to do this, He equips and enables me to finish the task.

7. GET SOME SLEEP

Last but not least, cuddle your precious bears and rest with them together. Forget the laundries and dishes. Leave the toys & crumbs on the ground. Do not put so much pressure on your shoulders. Enjoy the cuddles for a little longer before they outgrown your hugs, kisses and bed. 😉

Keeping my sanity is very important for me. I believe of our capacity to love others is determined through our contentment about ourself. Our feelings are transcend through our action. And kids, they are able to feel our pain and disappointment.

Everyday I want to learn to love myself better and to love my kids deeper. May you also have the same desire. And again I remind you, that it is okay to be not okay. You are human and you are normal. Ask for help TODAY by clicking the links below: (no way sponsored)

Beyond Blue

R U OK

LIFELINE

Love,

Kenny

6 TRICKS TO DECORATE YOUR ROOM ON BUDGET

Who doesn’t want to live in a “pinterest” decorated room? Huh.

But, how much will it cost me? How much effort we need to pay for this?

Wait….decorating your room won’t be necessarily costly or time consuming. Perhaps, you only need a little tweak or good catch around the house.

As a growing family with single income, we always find ourself adjusting our lifestyle again and again. We moved houses several times, but it doesn’t mean we buy new things every now and then. We love to keep things minimal yet liveable. So here are my tips in decorating a house on budget.

6 TRICKS TO DECORATE A ROOM ON BUDGET

Regular Declutter – How often do you do decluttering? I used to be a person who was very unorganized plus irresponsible to my belongings. If I can’t find things, I will straight away buy a new piece or set. I piled up so many junks around the house that will eventually become an eye-pinching wall art in my room. Till I met my organized husband, and he inspired me to be his clone. Nowadays, decluttering has become a part of my life. We do declutter every trisemester. First, the house feels light. Second, it freshen your soul. Third, ease you to find and move things around the house. Once you get cleared your house, you might find some old forgotten bits and pieces which will suit your house theme. Such as, a cute family caricature, an old newborn book journal, a traditional wooden music instrument, a handmade plate you bought overseas, etc.

Move around your furniture – Every now and then, you need to re-arrange the furniture around the house to freshen up your mood. Who would ever think that changing position of your sofa or dining table could give a different vibe in the house. Do you realize that visual repetition is boring? But changes boost your interest? Most importantly, it’s my favourite zero cost hacks in decorating a house.

Featured wall – It is so trendy nowadays. But sometimes paintings can cost much of our money and time. Another way to keep your wall on trend is by sticking a wall sticker / paper. Easy to apply on dry surface and easy to peel off without damaged. Perfect for those of you who are living in an apartment like our family. Top hack for all mums; decorate your kids wall room using duck tape/round label from officeworks. It cost less than A$5 for the entire wall in the room.

Frame the kids’ artwork – ha. This is obviously my favourite hack. We all know that a pretty wall art can be pricy sometimes. And definitely we need more than one wall arts to fill the house. Alright….why not skimming through your kids school artwork and find some best one which match the colour theme of the room. Next step is….. FRAME IT!! Voila… your new Picasso wall art is ready to hang.

DIY – One of the thing I love to do as a stay at home mum is DIY. When the house is silent, I love to express my creativity through some art and craft. Most of the time, it cost less than the off-shelf bundles. More than that, I love how DIY bundles add a personalized touch to the room. (eg: DIY Dreamcatcher)

Light it up – Invest in a good light fixtures. Light fixtures work as a vital element in decorating any room. As per the experts, the decorative lightings are the architectural jewelry pieces. So, to have the best home decoration, it is necessary to consider the shape, style, size, and color of the lights. A creative use of lighting can actually enhance any home décor project a lot. Its the hero in the room.

Hope you enjoy above articles. And be encouraged to start a new room decor project for your own house.

My last tip is to be creative. Stylish does not always pricy. Find small precious things in the house and make them stand out.

See you on the next post! X

Love,

Kenny

10 SMALL SPACE HACKS YOU MAY NEVER CAME ACROSS BEFORE

Whether you live in a small apartment or have a tiny room in your home, it’s quite likely that you’re going to get yourself into some trouble figuring out how to make your space livable. – Shelby Wax

Our growing family lives in a 800 feet; 2 bedroom apartment. There are 3 (soon to be 4 ) living under the roof; 2 adults, 1 toddler, and 1 newborn’s on the way.

Not to brag that we have a LOT of stuffs. toys and music instruments, since my boys are musician buddies. For more than a year since we moved in, we have never felt comfortable with the space that we’re staying in. You will see stacked stuffs on every corner of the room. Or perhaps some squeezed things in between the cupboards. Trust me, the view was really unpleasant to the eyes and soul. Limited storage is mainly the only problem we could jot down on the list. But then, I realised, if we didn’t try to make things work, it won’t do any good to us, especially with the next living human addition is going to enter the house.

Thus, this year, we made a new resolution to create a livable home for the family.

After spending 264 nights on pinterest, we came up with 10 hacks of making small spaces livable. Hope we did something right, and may inspire you to start revamping your space.

10 SMALL SPACE HACKS YOU MAY NEVER CAME ACROSS BEFORE

TALL THIN LEGS – Furniture with tall thin legs are the go-to solution for the storage issues. They looks light, they don’t use up a lot space in the room, we are able to tuck away stools or extra storage baskets underneath.

VINTAGE CRATE – Do you have some unused crate? Do not throw them away, store your magazine and books there. And in case you need a coffee table, it will do too.

SKIP THE FLOOR LAMP – proper lighting is really needed in the room, but sometimes a floor lamp could be very burden. Instead, hang the lamp next to your bed or working table. Then, you may have more free space to work on the ground.

HIDE THEM SHOES – Who love shoes? I DO!. Too many is never enough to me. I loose count on my black shoes. Duh. But, seeing them placed on along the doorway is way too heavy, plus it leaves stains on the wall too. So, why not hiding them at the back of the door and leave your doorway clean and tidy.

CLEAN STATE – Visually open up your space by painting your walls white. The neutral works wonders at making a home feel bigger and brighter.

MULTIFUNCTION FURNITURE – It’s all about functionality. Be smart in choosing your furniture and homewares. Pick high-tech things which covers 2-3 functions for the house. For example, I bought this bedside table/coffee table/speaker. It has Bluetooth and phone charger too. Perfect for a relaxing night in my room.

COLLECTIBLE JARS – You may have no space for another boxes or baskets in your room. No worries. Collect more pretty jars in your room, and store your jewelry, cables, and stationaries in there. Other thing, these jars will add some aesthetic look to your room.

EMBRACE MIRRORS – Invest on some mirrors. It will definitely adding reflective surfaces to open up a tiny space.

FLOAT UP – Shelving units are great for adding some much needed organization to a home, but they can also take up quite a bit of space. Consider using floating shelves instead that let you place other furniture pieces below.

STICK ON THE WALL – Great way to store your outfit master-piece is by hanging them on the wall. Make them a statement in the room.

Motivation is a horrible leader. So, don’t wait to be motivated. be active and motivation will follow. – @crtvchurch

Above are some results of our “active response” towards the new year. We are still waiting on some deliveries and giving some finishing touch to some rooms here and there. We are extremely happy with how it turned out so far. It’s not the best compare to other houses. Yet it is livable for the whole crew of The Tjungs Squad. (well, isn’t it the end goal, is it?) Both adults and my kid are happy to stay longer in the house while creating beautiful memories here.

What about YOU?! Are you still waiting for some motivation to do your house or are you ready to make some move to make things happen?!

Full house tour blog is coming up in a few months time, predicted to be out before the 2nd baby arrives. So, stay tuned for more. And if you’re happy with the home decor contents and wanting more of this, please like and share this blog and follow my motherhood journey being unfolded every single week. Bye for now. X

Love,

Kenny

4 WAYS TO FIGHT OFF THE WINTER COLDS

Hey guys! Hope you are doing well these days. Hope the house is coping well with the weather transition lately.

Well…with the winter months fast-approaching, kids will soon be picking up those dreaded winter coughs and colds. To help stay on top of your kids’ splutters and tackle any nasties this winter, it is important to stock up the medicine cabinet with the winter essentials! Well, the philosophy says… better prepared than sorry. For this matter, I trust Little Range Winter Package which includes the following:

Little Coughs
Little Eyes
FESS Little Nose

Below I shared some tips to fight off this cold months:

Stock up the right food produces for the season – build a strong immune system is very important for the season. Stock up some great powerful and colourful range of fruits and vegs to your pantry, such as, citrus, kiwi, spinach, broccoli, carrots, garlic and ginger. They are good for immune system. Try also including one daily serving of probioitic-rich foods/snacks to their meal plan, such as yoghurt (plain, unsweetend is best), plain greek yoghurt, and miso soup. Add them to their fruit salad bowl or let them have a dip.
Practice good hygiene – children often forget basic hygiene practices like washing their hands and covering their mouth when they cough. Make sure you remind them wash their hands before meals or sharing food. It’s also common for children to rub their noses and eyes. Be sure to have tissues at the ready for their noses and eye wipes handy such as Little Eyes to help clear out the residue from around the eyes. And children are notorious for copying their parents behaviour, be mindful about your hygiene practices to make sure you’re being the best.
Clear out the noses and coughs – The nose is the perfect breeding ground for bugs that can cause colds and flus. Clear out kids’ noses with a saline non-medicated nasal spray such as FESS Little Noses. This will not only help children breathe better, but will also flush away any nasties and clear the nasal passageways. And for those with a cough that can keep everyone up at night use a natural cough syrup such as Little Coughs, which contains ivy leaf extract to offer soothing relief from coughs and chesty congestion. Sleep is one of the best immune boosters of all!
Stay dehydrated – it can be hard to remember to stay hydrated during the cooler months, so soups come in handy in getting varied nutrition and plenty of liquid into our little ones. It is necessary to get creative on preparing the meal for little ones, because they are too creative in picking on the green and non-green stuffs on the plate. It is our responsibility to make sure we prepare a comfort meal for their eyes and their tummy. Meatballs are always the best option to hide some veggies, miso soup paste is a winner for everyone’s tongue, and buckwheat soba makes a healthier choice than pasta. You might our family’s favourite “Miso Soup with Meatballs and Soba Noodles”. Recipe attached on the next blog post under “creates”. Check them out.

Lastly, here’s my direct review on the Little Range Winter Products itself. My son got some cold & flu symptoms since last Easter long weekend. So, I gave him a try of Little Range products. He has been using these products for the past few days, and both of us were very happy with the outcome. Little Fess Noses helps him clear up the blocked nose, Little Coughs improves his sleep during the night, and mommy loves how light and handy the Little Eyes handy package is, it can fit to any type/shape of mommy’s bags. Side note: J loves the flavour and the syrup texture of Little Coughs too. Another happy day. happy kid. happy mommy.

So, are you keen to try Little Range Winter Package yet? Visit the nearest pharmacies around your area and get prepared to fight off this approaching colder season. X

Love,

Kenny