O August Where Did You Go?

I had the best of intentions, I really did.
This was going to be more than a one-post blogging month.
I started well, didn't I? Blogging on the very first day of August? It was a good post too, that lonely August birthday party post.
It was meant to be joined by others, at least three more.
Yet here I sit, late on the 31st, and that one post was all I managed.

[ CONTINUE READING.......]

It's My Blog's Seventh Birthday (Let's Party)

It's hard to believe that I've been writing this blog for seven years. (Actually I thought it was my 8th anniversary, but then I counted back, and it's only seven.) But still - seven years blogging! that's like 45 in blog-years. I'm like a blog-granny or a fairy blog-mother. What started out as a little exercise in party idea-sharing has turned into a place for me to share my life-journey, with all the fun of the circus, and all the stomach-dropping ups and downs of a rollercoaster. > > Where/how this blog began Today to celebrate my blog-birthday I'm sharing with you my favourite parties, in case you've missed any. I've made the pictures clickable, so if you want to check out a party from days-gone-by just click on the picture and it'll take you to the post.

Read on for a GIVEAWAY to celebrate my seven-year blogiversary...

[ CONTINUE READING.......]

FREE Social Media Icons for Your Blog (you're welcome)

A few years ago I put together a collection of social media icons in various different styles and turned them into Code for people to grab and use.
Considering how common these little puppies are they can be surprisingly difficult to find in an easy-to-use form.

I remember spending hours - days - weeks - hunting for a simple way to add social media buttons to my blog and although I found plenty of actual icons, nowhere could I find a simple way to install them (I'm not on Wordpress, I don't have access to Plug-ins).

Eventually I stumbled across some code, figured out how to make it work, and created that original post with the grabable code for collections of social media icons. My pain, your gain.

Today I'm adding a bunch of new styles to the collection, to help all you lovely code-phobic bloggers out there beautify your blog without busting a brain cell.

These buttons have been *mostly* created by me in Photoshop (with the exception of the Sleek Collection - the style is originally by DesignBolts but I made two different versions of them and turned them into code for easy installation).

[ CONTINUE READING.......]

A Bit of a Blog Change

I've gone and done it, finally. Rebranded my Blog - just a bit.
I've been thinking about it for months and months, racking my brains to come up with a new name/title that would take this blog into the future and make more sense of where I am now?

(Remember waaaay back in January when I talked about needing a new name for my blog?)

I was worried that "Greatfun4kids" might just be a little misleading/confusing/no longer appropriate now that my kids are getting older, and my parties/inspiring ideas are (sort of) winding back.

I had a few goes at "Peek User Testing" - a free analysis by a real person who lands on your blog/website and tries to navigate it/figure out what it's about.

Too often the person doing the test would say, "Hmmmm, Great fun for kids... I guess this is a website that recommends fun activities for children and families."
No! It's not! It's a blog written by a mum who just happens to be a bit of a DIY party nut. Arrrggh!

When this same conclusion was reached by different people on a number of occasions I thought, I really have to do something about this. I need to come up with a new blog name.

[My blog "business card" - saves spelling it all out] 

I put it out to my readers/facebook followers, asking for suggestions. There were a number of good ones, the most popular of which was "Greatfun4life" but when I really thought about it, I don't think this blog is just about fun. I mean, is it? No. It has changed so much over the years, and I write about so many random-yet-connected things. Connected only because they are all things that mean something to me, they are things I enjoy, things I've done, things I think might interest/help/encourage other people. There is no other rhyme or reason to it: DIY, Travel, Book Reviews, Parenting, Parties, Movie Nights, Recipes and Mental Health... not a very specific niche!

I wanted any new name to somehow link to the old one because:

1. People know me as that name. People usually hate change. I don't want to lose people.
2. I just really can't be faffed figuring out how to change my URL and I was scared I'd mess it up 
3. I also couldn't be faffed changing all my email and social media pages/identities to match. I'd have to start again with followers and all my logins - Nope not doing that.
4. Last year I finally got business cards printed for my blog ($20 from Vistaprint); I'd hate to waste them
5. I know there was a number (5) but I can't think of it right now...

So there I was, needing a new name but not really wanting one.

Whenever I'd think of something that might fit I'd google search to see if some other blogger had already thought of it.

Life as it Happens - taken.

Simone Says - taken.

Getting There - taken.

You get the idea.

Then this morning, I decided to just play with fonts in Photoshop, using the picture of my lemonade stand (which I think is still very appropriate and which I love).

Great fun.

It links back to the old. But that's not all I write here. I write other stories.

From the Rollercoaster of Life? On the Rollercoaster of Life?

Hmmm. Does that make sense? Or should it be...

I think we have a winner, folks.

It makes sense to me - I hope it does to you too.

The new title doesn't require me to change my URL, email address, Facebook Page or anything else major. It connects with the old well enough while being a little less specific and giving me more room to move. Hopefully The peek User Testing people will approve.

What do you think?

EVOLUTION OF A BLOG IDENTITY:

 The name "Greatfun4kids" was right off the top of my head...

Next I tried collage headers, which I changed every season (I get bored easily)

 When I grew tired of that, I asked my six-year-old daughter to create some artwork for me...

Our family in all the seasons...

That one stuck around for quite a few years, but eventually I started playing again, and tried a bunch of different versions (none of which stuck) and eventually arrived at:

Which soon became...

I'd love to hear what you think of my attempt at a new name/identity for this blog... let me know!

Once Were Bloggers

If this post were a song from the sixties, it might go,

"Where have all the Bloggers gone... gone to Instagram every one..."

Ha ha. It's true though. So many bloggers I "know" have stopped blogging for one reason or another, but where I thought I'd lost them forever when they abandoned shop, I found that they were alive and kicking it over on Instagram.

On Friday night when we were up in Whangarei for our Cake Escape, we finished off a great day with a "Bloggers Dinner" at a Middle Eastern restaurant (with complimentary Belly Dancer, he he).

At one point someone asked the question, "Hey who here is still actually blogging?".
Giggling, silence, a couple of hands raised.

Then the comments started. "Haha I haven't blogged in forever..." "I gave it up, Instagram is so much easier..." "Yeah people talk to you on Instagram..." "When I was blogging I would get comments from the same four faithful people..."

The funny thing is that these girls - who Once Were Bloggers - had formed such tight connections while blogging that even though most of them had abandoned their blogs long ago, they still see each other as a group. And all you have to say is "Bloggy dinner"! and they're there.

That's one of the things I love most about Blogging - the connections I've made. The real, hearty, online friendships. I have to admit that I MISS SO MANY OF YOU who have stopped blogging.

I understand that blogging is not for everyone. Sometimes you do it for a season. Sometimes you dip your toe in the water, write a few posts, and decide it's not for you after all. Sometimes life and circumstances, new jobs, family drama and general busyness all conspire to put blogging in the too-hard basket.

It becomes just One More Thing on the endless to-do list, and something's gotta give.

I know. I get it. But I still Miss you, my once-were-blog-friends.

I miss Widge, Mon, Rebecca, Weza, Anya, FaerySarah. Gail and Penny I get to see in real life, but I still miss your blog posts. Jackie, Tania, Lyns, Neetz, Rachel, Emma, Vix - some have officially stopped, others just have tumbleweeds rolling through their blogs.

If I look on my blog list at so many of my blog faves it reads: "Last update 1 year ago..." "...4 months ago..." "8 months ago..."
Sigh.

I live in hope that some of my faves will pick it up again once life calms down and I console myself with the fact that I can still connect with my faves on Instagram. Yay for Instagram with it's quick and easy pictorial awesomeness - but it's not really the same.

There's something about a blog. It's a glimpse into someone's world in a way that IG just can't compete with. It's the difference between a snack and a meal.

Bloggers are good peeps. I've never met a blogger (whose blog I love) that I didn't love in Real Life.

I'm glad there are still enough of us old-timers still hangin' on in Blogland.

PaisleyJade, Deb, Miriam, Meghan and Sammy are still here... and a bunch of newbies are churning out posts like there's no tomorrow. (I hope they can keep up the pace).

Whatever happens, I plan on being here for a while yet.
I love blogging, and bloggers and writing stories and having this little window on my world, which I hope you, my lovely readers, find an encouraging place to be.
I hope you'll stick around too.

..........................

PHOTOS THIS POST: From our "Bloggers" dinner on Friday night, where I got to meet one of my all-time faves Neetz in real life. Oh man, she is so awesome! Everyone who knows her told me how lovely she is, but meeting her was even better than I'd imagined. Wish she lived next door; she's a beautiful soul. And so FUNNY! 

Now to the Belly Dancer - he he. That was so AWKWARD! We all didn't know where to look, but her brassiere was impressive - aye Jackie?? (Nothing moved, even with all the shimmying and shaking). 

And then I completely embarrassed myself when I blanked on the name of my blog-friend Tracy, at whose home we Auckland gals had spent the entire afternoon. Someone said "Tracy blah blah blah..." and I had a blank moment where the name rang NO BELLS and I blurted out, "Who's Tracy?"
Oh man. Duh. Sorry Tracy, erm, Janice, uh, Margaret... Lucy?
Yeah, sometimes my brain just blanks and the result is a bit embarrassing. Anyone else ever blank out like that?

• FOR STRUGGLING BLOGGERS: If you've lost your Blogging Mojo Read this

Are you a Once-Were-Blogger? What made you stop? Are you a long-time blogger? What keeps you going?

The Cake Escape - with Bloggers & KiwiCakes

A few months ago I got cupcake envy, when I saw one of my friends posting pics on Instagram of her rosette cupcakes, which she declared "easy". For all my love of parties I am very much an amateur cake decorator, making do with frosting squirters and tips from the $2 Shop and trying to be as clever as I can with my limited skills.

But after seeing those "easy" rosettes on my friend's IG feed, I felt inspired to up my game. I wanted to be able to make rosette cupcakes too, dammit! And I knew just the lady to help me.

So I emailed my lovely Party Partner, Sandra from KiwiCakes in Whangarei, and said, hey I need to learn how to do this stuff better, could I come to a workshop - or would you be interested in hosting a workshop for me and some other bloggers? Sandra was keen, gave me a date, I started a Facebook thread for those I thought might be keen, and the The Great Cake Escape was born.

[Our Intrepid cupcake decorators. L-R: Tracy, Lisa,  Jackie,  Lisa, Kristy and me]

We ended up with a group of six bloggers - three of us who made the trek in my people mover from Auckland, and three blog pals from Whangarei.

All of us were amateurs and cupcake novices, keen to absorb as much as we could from our very clever cake guru who assured us that we would be able to create cool cupcakes by the end of the day (some of us were not so sure - just look at Jackie's face!)

We brought with us a batch of "nude" cupcakes (some of them sunburnt, hehe Lisa!), and spent the afternoon learning a whole lot of cake decorating skills. Man it was fun! My idea of awesome, hanging out with lovely blog-pals while creating edible works of art...

Here's a few of my humble creations:

I was by no means a natural. in fact I am pretty kack-handed, holding the piping bag wrong and wasting loads of buttercream while trying to perfect my rosettes. I will have to keep practising I think!

[The Paris-themed cupcakes are practise for Miss fab's next Party = Paris; the brick wall is an idea for our TMNT Party coming up]

Sandra was awesome - she put us at ease and gave us her best tips and tricks. Turns out the $2 Shop gear I've been using just doesn't cut it. If I want to do awesome cakes I need the right gear. So I got Sandra to put together an Essentials pack for me, so I could take what I've learned and do it at home.

A few things I learnt:

Piping bags - use disposable ones. You can make perfect two-toned frosting by putting two separate colours inside two separate small piping bags and then putting them both inside a large one... and out will come two-toned buttercream frosting.
Crisco - this is the secret ingredient to having buttercream that (a) holds it's shape and (b) is nice and white. Where your recipe calls for butter, use half Crisco.
Tylo Powder - When you're making fondant shapes and toppers for cupcakes, work a little Tylo powder into your fondant and it will harden nicely to give nice non-floppy cut-outs and molds that hold their shape and stand up stiff.
Cornflour: Dust your fondant with cornflour before pressing it into molds so it pops out nice and easy
Equipment: Use the proper equipment to get a proper result. No more $2 Shop gear, if I invest in the basics the job will be so much easier and the result, so much better...

1. Large Coupler for fixing tips to piping bags
2. Closed Tip for piping swirls (start on the outside and work your way in)
3. Open tip for piping rosettes (start on the inside and work your way out)
4. Squiggle tip for piping grass, fur etc
5. Standard Coupler
6. Edible Glue for fixing on decorations 
7. Tylo powder for hardening fondant decorations (work a small amount into a lump of fondant before using

The two-toned frosting applied (by Sandra) using different tips:

[Top left: closed tip; top right open tip for making a rosette]

And here's the awesome squiggle tip which makes such cute "grass" (of course we use gel colours not the liquid supermarket ones - but you already know THAT aye?)...

[Me and Sandra - finally got to meet in person after years of party partnering]

We can't thank Sandra enough for giving up a whole afternoon to patiently teach us novices! I know one thing - my cupcakes will never be the same.

SOME OTHER CAKE ESCAPEES' TAKE ON OUR CUPCAKE ADVENTURE:

• Kristy from PaisleyJade: The Cupcake Escape
• Lisa from All in the Daze: The Secret to Great Cupcakes
• Lisa from Life Blooming: How to Ice Cupcakes Like a Pro When you're Not One

You can check out our creations on Instagram: #thecakeescapenz

Weekend Rewind: Linking up with Maxabella & Co Right Here!

Yay, Friday, my favourite day of the week. This Friday is even more awesome than usual because (among other things) tonight I'm a guest host on Maxabella Loves' most excellent linky Weekend Rewind!

Weekend Rewind is one of the very few linkies that seem to be still alive and kicking these days (and the only one I still link up with), so when my favourite blogger and fellow-party-nut Maxabella emailed, inviting me to be a guest host, I was like, I am there.

Actually, thing is, at the moment I am not actually there (or should I say here?)
I'm having to let auto-post do its magic because right now as you read this I am actually up North in Whangarei, eating dinner with some fellow bloggers, after spending all day learning how to decorate cupcakes FANCY (at a workshop with my lovely party partner, Sandra, from KiwiCakes). Just one more reason this Friday is even awesomer than usual.

I'll tell you all about our adventure next week - and I promise pictures, lots of pictures. I am REALLY looking forward to learning how to do those fancy icing techniques - I do my best but I'm no pro. And I really want to know how to do those roses!
I'm also very excited to get to hang out with a bunch of lovely blog pals and I'll FINALLY get to meet my blog-friend Neetz in person. I bet there will be some hugging.

[Cross Country is a very serious race, obviously]

In the meantime, I've got pictures from today's fun episode of The School Cross Country. This event has always (in the past) provided ample blog-fodder. There have been stories about running while injured, coming in first (and second) place unexpectedly, and stories about what you do when you fall down (um, you get up and keep running, in theory).

[See? Serious.]

But this year? Well it was a bit of a story washout.
Miss Fab (Ten Year Old Girls) made a pact with her pals to jog round the route and try their best to avoid getting a place and therefore having to run again at InterSchool Champs (last year's torture).
So no drama there.

[One of the youngest in the group, sure, but still one of the tallest]

Meanwhile Scrag (who is still six) had to run with the Seven Year Old Boys, and while meeting with no disaster, and finishing a respectable 15th out of 50, was also unhelpful anecdotally.

So I'll just leave you with the pictures, and a round up of my latest posts and an admonishment to drag out you best post of the week and come link up on the awesome linky as soon as it opens (just scroll past the pictures of the little children running...)

IF YOU'RE VISITING FROM THE LINKY (Hello! and Welcome!): You can find out more about me on my About Me Page OR you might wanna go straight for the good stuff...

• Parties: All my ideas and tips (including Parties for No Reason and Theme Dinners)
• Printables: All my free party printables in one place. How convenient!
• Recipes: For people who like things simple, easy and delicious
• Blog Tips: Tips and freebies for beginners, code-phobes and bloggers of all kinds
• Parenting: Confessions of a lazy mother and other gems...

FROM THIS WEEK:

• The Power of One (plus One plus One): My thoughts on the XFactor NZ bullying debacle. Obviously everyone was fed up hearing/talking about it by the time I posted; the comments didn't exactly flood in!
• Ninja Turtle Party Printables: I shared the Free Printables I've designed for Scrag's upcoming TMNT party. No-one ever comments on those posts. It's OK. I'm used to it. (It would probably help if my comment system was mobile friendly, but there ya go)

And if you haven't met Maxabella yet, you should. Go there right now and say hi from me, OK?

While you're at it the other Linky co-hosts are also pretty Awesome: Life Love & Hiccups (looks like my kind of blogger); Sonia Styling (if style is your thing) and Kelly Exeter (has written a book about living Life Less Frantic).

OK HERE COMES THE LINKY...

(***WARNING: I am a bit crap at figuring out time zones and/or following instructions, so it's highly likely that this post will go up before the linky opens. Don't worry, just roll your eyes at my daftness and check back in an hour or two...)

R.I.P. Ethel (and HELLO Zippy Mr Terrabyte)

You can't tell, but right now I'm coming to you live from a brand new computer.
Ethel, my old dinosaur, finally gave up the ghost and refused to stay on for longer than 30 seconds, so she had to go.

Ethel has been a part of the family since before Scrag was a twinkle in his daddy's eye.
I started my blog on Ethel, and wrote almost every single post in my lengthy bloglife from her (except the ones where I blogged from exotic destinations like England and China). Every article I excitedly submitted to parenting mag was created on good old Ethel along with my Christmas book, my Etsy shop and every party, printable and invitation  I ever created. I was rather scared that when Ethel died she'd take all my precious files with her... (but thankfully a computer whizz retrieved them and saved me).

I should have known it was time to put Ethel out to pasture when I got the warning from Microsoft that Windows XP would no longer be supported as of a year ago. Yeah, that's right. Windows XP circa 2006. Even my Photoshop was a vintage 2007 Trial version.

Ethel was eight years old - which is about a century in computer years.

After such loyal and lengthy service, Ethel earned her rest, She's now gone to that e-Waste site in the beyond... and I have a shiny new hard-drive with room for ALL my photos, all my Photoshop documents and a brand new version of Photoshop.
Eek! The luxury of having more than one window open at a time! The bliss of knowing your computer won't suddenly switch off in the middle of a sentence...

All this by way of an explanation as to where I've been these past days. I've been computerless, actually, while I waited for Ethel's younger, sleeker replacement.

Actually it's just the guts that have been renewed.

The kids came home excited to see "the new computer" and stared, disappointed at the same old screen and keyboard. (They'll be replaced when they stop working. There's no retirement before death round here).

I was happy to have a prime example to illustrate what I've been trying to tell them for years: it's what's on the inside that counts!

On the inside of my zippy new computer is a terrabyte of memory. I didn't even know what that was. It's a million megabytes, apparently. Should last a while...??!

Anyway I thought I'd just check in, say hi, Let ya know I'm back, equipped with a brand new story-keeper and photo-holder; stories are oozing out my pores, itching to be told.

Now where to begin....? (give me a couple of days to figure stuff out. I'll be back real soooooon...)

....................

P.S. While I was computerless Instagram kept me connected (my favourite social media app). Photos up top include random gratuitous food shots, proud mama moments and the beginning of my foray in to SEWING. Follow me on IG here 

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Um, hi. *tap tap*
Is this thing on?
Er, remember me? Simoney, sometime blogger. AWOL now since early December.

Well, here I am, returning to action... sort of.

We've all been busy Christmassing, seeing in the New Year, lazing in the sun (or if you're in Northern Parts, freezing your butt off?), so I doubt you've noticed my absence as you've all been busy with your own, ya know, LIVES.
Rather than regale you with blow-by-blow tales of my doings, I'll let the pictures do the talking. Meanwhile I will ramble a bit on some thoughts I've been having about this blog and moi. OK? OK.

(Just so ya know, it's a blazing hot summer here in NZ, which arrived in full force six weeks late; we've just come back from a week's camping; the rest of the time has been spent at home hosting, hosting, hosting...)

[Dream come true having dinner in December with "Love & Light Cat" (from Canada) and other blog-met besties]

I've been blogging now for what seems like forever. In reality it's only six years (the lifespan of my youngest child) and during those years lots has changed. I've changed, my kids have changed and blogging itself has changed.
As blogging around the world has metamorphosed, it is unrecognisable as the close-knit community of supportive mums I found when I started. It's become slick, professional, monetised and huge. (Though here in New Zealand the biggest thing that's changed is that loads of my blogging besties have quit or barely blog anymore).

While the face of blogging has been changing I've been doing my thing here. Sure I've dabbled my toes in a bit of blog-post partnering where it seemed to fit; I've done the odd review for relevant useful products from time to time, but in the last year I've done very little (despite the ongoing requests from random PRs and wannabe guest posters which arrive in my inbox daily).

As my real life has become more busy and complicated, my blogging rate has dropped. As my kids have become less camera-happy and story-willing, I've found myself holding back, blogging less.

[Christmas Eve - my babies aren't so little any more]

And then the killer blow - what felt like the nail in the coffin - my eldest outgrows theme parties. But parties are my thing, I protested. It's what I do!
However November & December left me completely partied-out from all the endless hosting (something to host every week), and I have had to ask myself, Are parties still my thing?
And if they're not, then what?
What do I blog about? And is Greatfun4kids even remotely a relevant blog title anymore?
I'm not just not sure.

See, here's the thing: Time is flying by at such a fast rate of knots.
I can clearly remember saying to people, "I'm just not ready for a new year to start," LAST YEAR.
I was never ready for it, but it came and went anyway, and now here we are again.
My kids are approaching a whole new season of life, I've got a whole new level of parenting staring down the barrel at me and I don't know if I'm ready for that either.

I'm still riding this rollercoaster called parenting, hanging on for dear life, making it all up as we go along, flying by the seat of my pants.

I know I still have plenty of stories in me. I know I don't want to do anything as drastic as shut down this blog which is my window on the world, my own private soapbox... but I'm really thinking it might need a new name. A new identity for a new season.
I don't want to leave behind six years worth of stories, I don't want to start a new blog, begin from scratch - nothing as drastic as that!
I'm just thinking a new title. Something that fits me going forward.
A title which nods to the fact that I am flying by the seat of my pants.
Something quirky. Something "me".

[Best thing about summer: the new pool in our backyard! A humble Warehouse special, but worth its weight in gold]

What am I about, going forward?
I'm a parent who learns mostly by messing up - I like to be honest about that.
Two of my three kids are on the edge of adolescence. There are spectrum issues in the mix which complicate family life (but which my kids don't want me to write about).
We are a bit crazy, very noisy but I crave PEACE most of all.
I've battled depression and anxiety, which are under control right now. I'm also dyslexic - but "gifted".
I love to tell stories and share my struggles honestly but with hope, so others know they're not alone.
I love to make things beautiful and memorable. I love all kinds of celebrations and making the everyday special.
I'm an avid reader (with a failed bookclub who hasn't written a book review in nearly a year).
I'm still a lazy mother who hates being in the kitchen - but I like to share easy delicious recipes when I find them.
We love to travel and we do a fair bit of it.
We live in one of the loveliest places on earth, New Zealand. Our antipodean viewpoint colours who we are and how we live (relaxed, laid back, take us as you find us).
Oh and there's my faith, which underpins it all. And gratitude for the many blessings.

Anything I've missed?

I've already asked my Facebook friends/readers for suggestions and have had a load of ideas but nothing yet that sings to me. I'd love to hear any and all suggestions from you, my faithful readers. Can you help me create a new name for this place that will connect us to the past but take us forward into the future, whatever that looks like?

I do think though, that I've found a new by-line: "Time Flies When You're Having Fun".
Don't you think?

........................

Do you agree that Greatfun4kids needs a new name? Suggestions? Thoughts? Do tell!