Dr Jenn’s Top Books for Kids

12 favourite books for the first three years

1. Bear on a Bike - Stella Blackstone and Debbie Harter
2. Rockin’ Babies – Dr Jenn Berman and Cynthia Wall
3. Mi Amor Por Ti / My Love for You – Susan Roth
4. C is for Coco – Sloane Tanen and Stefan Hagen
5. Snowmen at Night – Caralyn Buehner and Mark Buehner
6. The Peace Book – Todd Parr
7. The Snail and the Whale – Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
8. Iggly Peck, Architect – Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
9. Smash! Mash! There Goes the Trash! – Barbara Odanaka and Will Hillenbrandt
10. Bats at the Library – Brian Lies
11. Michael Recycle Meets Litterbug Doug – Ellie Bethel and Alexandra Colombo
12. Wild about Books – Judy Sierra and Marc Brown

12 favourite classic books for the first three years

1. Swimmy – Leo Lionni
2. The Carrot Seed – Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson
3. Goodnight Moon – Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd
4. Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? – Bill Martin and Eric Carle
5. The Cat in the Hat – Dr Seuss
6. The Kissing Hand – Audrey Penn
7. The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle
8. Blue Hat, Green Hat – Sandra Boynton
9. The Runaway Bunny – Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd
10. Make way for ducklings – Robert McCloskey
11. The Little Engine that Could – Watty Piper, George Hauman and Doris Hauman
12. Harold and the Purple Crayon – Crockett Johnson

Superbaby
- by Dr Jenn Berman

Princess websites

Time to start brushing up on our royal trivia. Oh, to be a princess:

• Crown Princess Mette Marit of Norway
• Crown Princess Letizia of Spain
• Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
• Queen Rania of Jordan
• Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
• Kate Middleton, Prince William and the official Royal Wedding

Royal Rumble tea towel by Luke James
Available from Culture Labels’ the Official ‘Alternative’ Royal Wedding Souvenirs Shop offering you design-led limited-edition Kate & Will’s royal wedding souvenirs.

Gratitude cards and poster

Inspired by a fellow blogger, I created some gratitude cards and posters.

I created the gratitude cards by printing out the template (below). I placed some nice paper on the back, then got them laminated at the local copy shop and cut them out. You can store your cards in a box or bowl on the dining room table and select one to read at meal times.

You may like to print out and laminate the poster at the same time. The poster is to remind you to think of 5 things that you are grateful for every day. You may like to place it above the sink in the kitchen for when you are doing the washing up, or in the bathroom for when you are brushing your teeth.

• Gratitude cards (PDF)
• Today I am thankful for… poster – available in green and pink

Check out 365 grateful website for more more appreciation ideas.

Top 20 paint colours

White and neutral paint colours have continued to be popular choices at Inspirations Paint & Colour. Deep grey hues overwhelmingly dominated this year’s list of popular colours. The top 20 paint colours are:

Whites and pale neutrals

1. Dulux Hog Bristle
2. Dulux Antique White USA
3. Dulux Vivid White
4. Dulux Natural White
5. Dulux Fair Bianca
6. Dulux Lexicon
7. Dulux Whisper White
8. Stowe White
9. Dulux Ecru
10. Dulux Sandy Day

Colours and dark neutrals

1. Dulux Red Box
2. Dulux Domino
3. Colourbond Woodland Grey
4. Dulux Namdji
5. Dulux Capsicum Red
6. Berger Octavius Oak
7. Dulux Manor Red
8. Colourbond Ironstone
9. Dulux Wayward Grey
10. Dulux Jarrah

For colour matching refer to:

• Berger paint and colour guide (PDF)
• Colorbond’s residential colour chart (PDF)
• Dulux colour
• Inspirations Paint and Colour

Inspirations Paint & Colour shops are giving paint discounts for those affected by the Queensland floods. You can also donate your Colour Clique discount.

Queensland Floods and Cyclone – shop to help 6

Here is an updated list of shops donating to the Queensland Disaster Relief Appeal, for the floods and cyclone:

• Australia Post charity stamps – 10 x 60c stamps with $2 donated
• Blue Turtle – pendant inscribed with the empowering words, “What does not destroy me makes me stronger”.
• City Beach – selling flood relief wrist band packs.
• Cotton On Foundation will donate 100% of proceeds from the sale of Cotton On Foundation bottled water and charity bags
• Dress for Success – help replace business clothes
• Fashion for Flood Relief – looking for donations of clothes or accessories – ladies, mens, and childrens for charity event to be held on Wednesday 23rd March
• Fashion.To.Aid – an eBay auction from some of Australia’s leading fashion designers and retailers
• Fashion Trade by Country Road and Red Cross – donate clothing and accessories to a Red Cross retail shop for a $10 discount card
• Lorna Jane’s Swap Shop - pre-loved exercise wear donated to charity
• Mumpreneurs Connect Cyclone Yasi Charity Auction – call for donations
• 5X5 Underwear Drive – Please send clean undies to PO Box 414, Margate QLD 4019

Check out the Qld Floods help (includes cyclone) page for the full index of ways to help out. I’ll continue to update both pages this week…

Queensland Floods and Cyclone – shop to help 5

Here is an updated list of shops donating to the Queensland Disaster Relief Appeal, for the floods and cyclone:

• Australia Post charity stamps – 10 x 60c stamps with $2 donated
• Blue Turtle – pendant inscribed with the empowering words, “What does not destroy me makes me stronger”.
• Casey Barnes – Never Break You – single
• City Beach – selling flood relief wrist band packs.
• Cotton On Foundation will donate 100% of proceeds from the sale of Cotton On Foundation bottled water and charity bags
• Dress for Success – help replace business clothes
• Fashion.To.Aid – an eBay auction from some of Australia’s leading fashion designers and retailers
• Flight Centre, Escape Travel, Student Flights, Travel Associates, Quickbeds and Cruiseabout – donating $10 from every international and domestic airfare or holiday package its leisure travel shops sold in Australia between now and the end of February 2011
• Lifeline’s Qld Floods Tshirt It won’t break our will – all net profits will be donated
• Lorna Jane’s Swap Shop - pre-loved exercise wear donated to charity
• MOR cosmetics – will donate 25% of profits from their E-Boutique to the 13th of February

Check out the Qld Floods help (includes cyclone) page for the full index of ways to help out. I’ll continue to update both pages this week…

Anything is possible inspirational singlet – Lorna Jane
Brisbane – Matthew Condon

Queensland Floods – shop to help 4

Here is an updated list of shops donating to the Queensland Flood Relief Appeal:

• Australia Post charity stamps – 10 x 60c stamps with $2 donated
• Casey Barnes – Never Break You – single
• City Beach – selling flood relief wrist band packs.
• Cotton On Foundation will donate 100% of proceeds from the sale of Cotton On Foundation bottled water and charity bags
• Fashion.To.Aid – an eBay auction from some of Australia’s leading fashion designers and retailers
• Flight Centre, Escape Travel, Student Flights, Travel Associates, Quickbeds and Cruiseabout – donating $10 from every international and domestic airfare or holiday package its leisure travel shops sold in Australia between now and the end of February 2011
• Flood Relief: Artists For The Flood Appeal music CD – various artists
• Kids Designer Auction for Variety Queensland Flood Appeal – organised by Style Milk – closes Friday 4th February
• Lifeline Bookfest – free entry. Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane – Saturday 29 January until Sunday 6 February
• Lifeline’s Qld Floods TshirtIt won’t break our will – all net profits will be donated
• MOR cosmetics – will donate 25% of profits from their E-Boutique to the 13th of February
• Powderfinger – I’m on your side – single

Check out the Qld Floods help page for the full index of ways to help out. I’ll continue to update both pages this week…

Photo by Jack Tran

Queensland Floods – shop to help 3

Here is an updated list of shops donating to the Queensland Flood Relief Appeal:

• Australia Post charity stamps – 10 x 60c stamps with $2 donated
• City Beach – for every pair of Billies sold this week in City Beach stores and online, Billie will donate a pair of shoes to those affected by the  QLD floods. Also selling flood relief wrist band packs.
• Cotton On Foundation will donate 100% of proceeds from the sale of Cotton On Foundation bottled water and charity bags
• Dangerfield QLD Myer stores  (Pacific Fair, Brisbane, Robina and Carindale)  will donate 20% of sales until Wednesday 26th January
• Femmes de Fleurs (Brisbane etsy shop) – donating 50% from all sales until Wednesday 26 January
• Flood Relief: Artists For The Flood Appeal music CD – various artists
• HoneyHoney will pass-on $10 of every purchase until the end of January
• Lifeline Bookfest – free entry. Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane – Saturday 29 January until Sunday 6 February
• Lifeline’s Qld Floods Tshirt It won’t break our will – all net profits will be donated
• MOR cosmetics – will donate 25% of profits from their E-Boutique to the 13th of February
• Polli will donate 20% of all online orders this month
• Powderfinger – I’m on your side – single

Check out the Qld Floods help page for the full index of ways to help out. I’ll continue to update both pages this week…

Queensland Floods – shop to help 2

Here is an updated list of shops donating to the Queensland Flood Relief Appeal:

• City Beach – for every pair of Billies sold this week in City Beach stores and online, Billie will donate a pair of shoes to those affected by the QLD floods.
• Cotton On Foundation will donate 100% of proceeds from the sale of Cotton On Foundation bottled water and charity bags
• Diva will donate 100% of proceeds from sample sale. All items $2! Unit 7, 9-13 Winbourne Road, Brookvale – Saturday 22 January
• Femmes de Fleurs (Brisbane etsy shop) – donating 50% from all sales until Wednesday 26 January
• HoneyHoney will pass-on $10 of every purchase until the end of January
• Makeupnet will donate 50% of sales until 20th January
• Polli will donate 20% of all online orders this month
• Ramalama will donate all profits this week
• Writers Auction – Auction open until 11pm on Monday 24th January
• 99 Bikes – donating $50 for every Bike over $200 OR $99 Service sold between 15-23 January.

Check out the Qld Floods help page for the full index of ways to help out. I’ll continue to update both pages this week…

Queensland Floods – shop to help

Here is a list of shops donating to the Queensland Flood Relief Appeal:

• Cotton On Foundation will donate 100% of proceeds from the sale of Cotton On Foundation bottled water and charity bags
• Cue is donating 10% of its proceeds this Sunday 16th January
• HoneyHoney will pass-on $10 of every purchase until the end of January
• Hollywood Style will be donating all profits from 14th – 16th January
• Jeanswest will donate all profits from stores trading on Saturday 15th January
• Ladakh will donate $10 from each garment sold online until Sunday 23rd January (extended)
• Makeupnet will donate 50% of sales until 20th January
• Mimco (and Mimco UK) will donate 100% of all net profits on Friday 14th January
• Samantha Wills – 20% from some products for 4 days only
• Polli will donate 20% of all online orders this month
• Witchery will donate all net profits from Friday 14th January

Check out the Qld Floods help page for the full index of ways to help out.