We have so much going on at our Facebook [Family Value & Large Families] and Twitter [Family Value & Large Families] pages and we realise not all our readers are a member of these 2 social networking avenues, nor do we expect them to be, so here it is - the week in review….

Things to do at home with the kids

• Nicole at Planning with Kids has inspired with some Christmas Themes and planning for Christmas 2011
• Catherine at Squigglemum has an awesome idea having a Backyard treasure hunt
• Childhood101 has listed Playopedia Picks : Play Ideas for BIG Kids
• Tricia from Little Eco Footprints via Childhood101 has written an inspiring article on Creating Children’s Spaces in Every Corner of Your Home
• How to make magic sand
• Lego Quest Kids is a blog dedicated to children and validating their lego creations & imagination.
• Jean has written an article for Toddler Times 11 Activities to try with your toddler
• Ohdeedoh home, design & children has presented a wonderful article on How to make ‘clean’ play slime
• Grace has a step by step guide on how to make Fizzy milk bath bombs

Recipes & Cooking

• Chicken Balls by Planning with Kids
• Nicole has suggested ‘baking days’ with the kids to fill the freezer with lunchbox snacks (yes! we have learnt muffins CAN be frozen)
• Vegie Smugglers is a new blog / website we have discovered which has lots of recipes (lunchbox stuff too!) to sneak the good stuff in!
• The Organised Housewife has a very yummy recipe for Choc Coated Oreos, Oreo Cookies & Carrot Muffins
• Childhood101 has a recipe for a different brekkie Bacon & Egg Muffins

Things to do out and about

• To spend or not to spend on school holidays……… do school holidays have to be expensive?
• Family Capers has listed a comprehensive list of zoos around Australia.  What to do this weekend - playing with animals

General issues & conversation

• Jane from My Life At Home has written a timely article 10 Things I consider in buying toys for my (young) kids
• Awesome article by Kate at Picklebums on Won’t they miss out? , discussing about our children and whether or not they need to do extra-curricular activities.
• Moving Smart has an easy explanation why You can’t run uphill indoors
• Treating worms
• WifeSwap Australia is coming soon to our TV screens, and although I won’t be applying, FYI applications are due by 15th July.  All details for applying are here
• Motherhood the Musical is currently touring, soon to be in Sydney and we have secured a very special offer especially for our readers.  For more info click here
• WIN a night out with your Mothers Group to Motherhood the Musical

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: [5 year old boy]”There’s one thing good about having lots of brothers and sisters!” [Proud Mum] “What’s that?’ [5 year old boy] “Because I get more presents!”

Today I opened a discussion on Facebook about the expense of school holidays and some of the activities that add up quickly.  Here is a list of activities that our members have been doing these holidays.  Although some may not be local to you, there are plenty of good ideas to assist in grasping the creativity to enjoy the school holidays without getting too stressed and overspending.  With a little planning and a touch of creativity, school holidays do not have to be expensive.

Here is a list of all the activities our families have been doing which will give you a rough idea of expenditure required for each activity.  ENJOY!

• $120 [6 kids - $20pp] Ten Pin Bowling at one of the Oz Tenpin Centres, for 6 children including 2 games & lunch (hot dog & fries, or nuggets & fries) it cost  $120 for 2 - 3 hours entertainment.
• FREE PJ day at home, lots of Wii ‘Just Dance’ and board games
• $25 PLUS $7.50pp Queensland Air Museum OPEN Cockpit Day & Caloundra Central Cinemas
• $22 Family Ticket at your local indoor heated pool (check your local pool for prices)
• $100 [for 4 people]  to go to the movies (cheaper alternative - each of the kids can choose a new DVD for $10 each)
• $2 if you have one locally go to the an All Abilities Adventure Playground (sometimes gold coin donation entry), cook up a bag of popcorn for $1 for snack and the day has cost just $2!
• FREE get each of the kids a TOY CATALOGUE from one of the big toy stores and they can cut & paste into their scrapbooks or on recycled paper from old school books.  Will keep them occupied for hours even if it is indulging them with their ‘wants’ (they can dream can’t they!)
• PICNIC LUNCH Museum of Brisbane & Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art [GoMA]
• $59.95  KidPix Deluxe 3D for MAC available at the Apple store keeps the kids occupied for hours on the laptop making movies and pulling lots of funny faces!
• $20 Village Cinemas Coburg Drive-In is offering $20 per carload every Monday night! (Check out your local drive in for some cool deals!)
• FREE  Locals within the shires of Townsville, Charter Towers, Burdekin, & Hinchinbrook enjoy FREE entry at the Museum of Tropical Queensland , then head on down to one of the playgrounds in the shire.
• $6 [$1 pp] Pilot’s Cottage Museum, Kiama
• FREE City Circle Tram
• $15 per family PCYC [Police Citizens Youth Club] NSW , QLD , WA , TAS , NT , ACT , SA ,VIC
• Kids FREE, Adults $8 Immigration Museum School Holiday Program July 2011
• Kids FREE, Adults $8 Melbourne Museum
• FREE State Library of Victoria

 The great outdoors

• camping
• bushwalking
• parks
• playgrounds
• beaches
• bike riding

Handy items to have on hand in an emergency to entertain

• craft stuff (don’t have to purchase, just save stuff around the house)
• science kits
• DVDs
• jigsaw puzzles
• chalk (for outside drawing) & liquid chalk (for drawing on windows)
• dress-ups (kids can practice for a concert that takes all day, then it’s only a short time the parents endure the ‘performance’)
• playdough

Family Value Article: Keeping the children entertained on school holidays without sending you broke!

Do you have any other ideas?

Winter school holidays at Kids in the studio

ACMI (Australian Centre of the Moving Image)

4 - 15 July [11am - 3pm]

Working with local artists Rachel Feery and Lisa Stewart, who will lay the ‘foundations’ of the city, participants will use cardboard and everyday materials to create a new world.

Build your own piece of ‘utopia’ and watch as the cardboard city grows bigger each day in the ACMI Lightwell.

Recommended for families and kids aged 3 years and up.

Note: first in best dressed - no phone or online bookings are taken in Utopia.

Motherhood the Musical, Australia is currently touring and we have secured an awesome deal with HIT Productions to offer our readers tickets at only $59.50 for 2 tickets (that’s ONLY $29.75 each).

 So grab a friend and have a laugh! 

Laughter Is Good For You!

Ticket Information

Venue: QUT Gardens Theatre, 2 George St, Brisbane 

Dates: Tuesday July 5 at 8pm, Wednesday July 6 at 8pm, Thursday July 7 at 2pm and 8pm

Tickets: Adult: $59.50; Concession: $54.50

Bookings: QUT Gardens Theatre (from 10am – 4pm) 07 3138 4455 or www.gardenstheatre.qut.edu.au  quote “largefamilies” to secure your 2 for 1 offer…..

YIPPEE!!!! The Victorian Government has announced free admission for children under 16 years of age to all three of their Zoos Victoria properties on weekends, Victorian public holidays and Victorian Government school holidays from July 1 2011.

This includes Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary & Werribee Open Range Zoo 

This is awesome news for families so take the children on an adventure to the Zoos Victoria properties these holidays and enjoy “Family Entry at Family Prices”

HOT TIP:  Become a FOTZ member and kids are FREE all year with other benefits TOO!

Today our 11 year old & 6 year old daughters were treated to ‘a day in the city’ with their grandparents.   The Myer Christmas Windows , Melbourne Aquarium & The Immigration Museum were the 3 major sites visited.  Whilst the windows were interesting (the queue was not very long) & The Melbourne Aquarium was worth visiting, however, became claustrophobic with the number of visitors (of particular interest was the ‘not-so-baby’ penguins), The Immigration Museum is the attraction that the girls stayed the longest as it was ‘quiet’ and they could complete the ‘Puppets of the Bamana People’ in their own time with care.  Our children are fortunate to be taken often into the city on ‘excursions’ and often their choice will be The Immigration Musuem - Is it Melbourne’s best kept secret?

The Immigration Museums West Africa : Rhythm & Spirit Exhibition is open daily 10am - 5pm until 29th May 2011

Cost: Adults $8, Concession & Child FREE

For more info about the exhibition  visit the Immigration Museum page here

Rainforestation Nature Park has joined the Family Value Affilate program.  2 Adults & up to 6 Children for ONE family price.  So, if you are a resident around Cairns and the Tablelands or heading up there for holidays, be sure to download our Family Value Rainforestation coupon here.  Back in 2005 we had a wonderful time as a family at Rainforestation and will certainly be going back again sometime soon.  The Army Duck is a fabulous experience as a land vehicle converts into a water vehicle.  The whole Rainforestation experience is both fun and educational.  So, when visiting Rainforestation be sure to take your Family Value coupon with you and don’t forget your Medicare card for proof of family unit. 

FAMILY VALUE = Family entrance at ‘true family’ prices

Costco Australia

Discounts at Docklands in Melbourne as Costco Opens

How Costco Will Change Australian Retail

US retail giant Costco opens Docklands store

Costco opens at Docklands

I wouldn’t even have KNOWN about Costco if it wasn’t for the media hype!  However, I believe the media did their job well because when there is something new & exciting happening, I don’t want to miss out!  So it was, within 1 week of Costco opening I signed up with this Giant Warehouse for $60 online and lured my husband and 6 children into Docklands at 4.30pm on Saturday afternoon.  The parking was easy!  Straight into a car park, but then we walk up the stairs in the direction of the Costco entrance and we become overwhelmed with giant trolleys, lots of people, a large lift and an extensive queue for people to gain entrance.  Ian & I just look at each other, take a deep breath and continue on our journey.  We spot a Costco worker and ask him what we should do.  He suggests we go and find a trolley then we can gain entry via a ‘one day only’ coupon, as although I have signed up membership online I haven’t received any form of membership card.  We feel very important as we gain entrance in the shorter queue.  There are hundreds of people lined up in the ‘long’ queue waiting to sign up for membership!

On entry into the store we feel extremely overwhelmed.  The baby is strapped in the baby bjorn and B4 & K5 fit nicely into the ‘trolley seats’.  B1, L2 & C3 walk alongside the trolley but I think they are also overwhelmed and a little ‘freaked out’ that they walk very close to the trolley and have several ‘run ins’ with us, each other and the trolley!

So our Costco adventure begins.  We pass mixmasters, cooking appliances & accessories, jewellery, storage boxes, and car accessories - seemingly everything but the car!, The first item I throw into the trolley is a bulk box of freezer storage ’snap lock’ bags!  I LOVE my snap lock bags - I almost feel I’m in snap lock heaven!!!  Batteries, basketball rings, clothing - K6 strikes it lucky with a very cute (and extremely affordable) Osh Kosh B’Gosh tracksuit and bodysuits!  Crocs are $24.99, Diesel Jeans are $129.99, Huggies Box of 185 is $67.99 (Bargain!).  The children get very excited when they spot large gumball machines, bulk jars of bubblegum, a tin of 1000 Chupa Chups, boxes of twisties, twin packs of Nutella & Honey.  And the up and coming ‘mini-chef’ of our family, B1, is very excited when we find a 1.5kg block of Western Star butter.  I was extremely excited when I found a large bag of Baking Soda - I LOVE Baking Soda for cooking and CLEANING!  It’s the BEST!  We load up the trolley with canned tomatoes (12 tins), tomato paste (12 tubs), peanut butter (very large jar), burritos (twin packs), pizza bases (twin pack), dishwashing detergent and a massive bulk lot of 60 rolls of Kleenex toilet paper!  The list goes on….and…….on………..and………..on………and……..on.  The children ‘want’ a lot of things.  DVDs, Nintendo DS games, books, lollies, cubby houses, Diego cars and so much more.  I ‘want’ a lot of things including bulk camembert & brie.  I managed to sneak a bucket of basil pesto into the trolley and abstained from putting a jar of Kez’s cookies in my trolley - wouldn’t last long in our household.  My mind begins to ‘wander’ as I dream of hosting dinner parties and I even spot the outdoor BBQ & stainless steel ‘outdoor kitchen’ for just over $3000!  This place has everything!

We had to give much of the ‘freezer section’ a miss as we didn’t come prepared with eskys to keep our purchases frozen for the trip home.  We also abstained from stocking up on Flour, Rice & Sugar as we would also need to invest in some ‘big buckets’ to store the bulk amounts in.

Eventually we make it through to ‘checkout’ with the final ‘bill’ totalling to just over $500.  Not bad for a family of 8 and we’ve stocked up on lots of things!!!!

We then look forward to having Costco HotDogs and unlimited refills for ‘dinner’.  A cheap meal that should total less than $20 for our whole family!  We were disappointed to find out that the ‘eatery’ closes at 6pm, the same time as the store.  Pity, because there are still hundreds of shoppers to leave the store.  Would have been great if they were open a little longer than the store. 

Overall, a great place to shop for a large family.  In years to come I can envision Costco becoming a valuable asset to us as our family ‘grows up’ and so do their appetites!  Costco stocks many of brand name items we have learned to trust.

Family Value Advice

• Go with a list
• Go on a full stomach
• Go when you are in a happy mood
• DON’T impulse buy 
• Know Your Prices
• Take some eskys or cool bags
• DON’T  go by yourself if you plan to stock up - another person to help stack the car is always handy!
• Look out for discount coupons
• Leave the children at home if possible
• If taking children, ensure they go to the toilet before entering store!

Overall, a favourable, happy experience!  Our pantry is now full!  I do think that perhaps our local supermarkets are going to ’suffer’ because of Costco, however, with a family of 8 we need to shop where we are getting value for money.

From where we live, the travel is 40 minutes.  Is it worth the trip?  Absolutely!

Been to Costco?  Don’t like Costco?  Tossing up whether to sign up for Costco membership?  I would love to hear your opinions & questions.

Our ‘little boy’ has just turned 9!  That’s right! L2 celebrated his 9th birthday today in a very busy and stylish fashion!

The day started with the traditional unveiling and giving of birthday presents in Mum & Dad’s room.  L2 was extremely impressed with his ipod touch!  WOW!  The things 9 year olds get nowadays…..  L2 does love his technology! - not quite sure whom he might take after.  ;-). 

So it is, the usual Saturday morning sports - basketball, netball - then off to the movies with a very dear friend of Lachlan’s to see Coraline with 3 big buckets of popcorn!  I have reviewed Coraline at Family Value here. 

Then, off to the Pancake Parlour where Blue Heavens and Alice’s Pancake Surprise are served all round.  After having a giggle at the ‘distorted mirrors’ and watching the ‘ball sideshow’ at Northland for many, many minutes, it’s time to go!

But, not before all jumping on the merry go round - 8 people riding for $2 bucks.  BARGAIN!  I’m not sure whether it was legal but we took great care of the horses and felt it was a great ‘off the cuff’ kind of thing to do.  This is what memories are made of!  You can view the footage on YouTube here.

So, another birthday over, our son is another year older.   Oh how life is passing us by but we are loving watching our children grow up.  We’re very proud of them and enjoying each and every stage.

Anyone else got a new 9 year old in the house?

I have discovered an innovative site specialising in Activity Packs just for kids!  Perfect for those ‘need something for the kids to do NOW!’ moments that happen often whilst ‘in the air’ or ‘on the road’.  Ickle Kids specialises in Activity Packs for Kids on the Go. Ickle Kids range of travel packs contains a selection of handpicked, fun and educational toys for busy mums, dads and carers to just “grab and go”.  Ickle Kids activity packs and travel toys are sure to entertain your kids when you are travelling, dining out at restaurants, waiting for a doctor’s appointment or for taking to Granny’s & Grandpa’s house. Ickle Kids has a great range of magic sticker playscenes, brain teaser puzzles, wooden toys, puzzle books and travel games.  Laine, manager & founder of this wonderful concept will assist you when trying to choose the best game for your child and purpose.

Until 21st November 2008 Family Value & Ickle Kids are giving you the opportunity to WIN Road Block - one of Ickle Kids new and not surprisingly, best sellers.  In Road Block there are 60 challenges ranging from Starter through to Master and we’re sure your ickle ones (and yourselves) will be kept amused for hours.  Start by positionin the building pieces and red car as shown in the challenge booklet.  As the police, you have to position your cards around him to block his escape route.  Can you think a few steps ahead and visualise which police vehicle pieces need to go where?  For your chance to win enter here.  Goodluck!

All Family Card holders don’t forget to claim your 10% discount at checkout when shopping at Ickle Kids.  Don’t yet have your Family Card?  Don’t worry.  You can still sign up for your Family Card.  Free for a limited time!