Dana's no-fail Orange and Cinnamon Fudge

I am a self professed pretty-good-baker and equally-good-cook. But I have a secret shame, despite the many amazing things I can bake - I can't make fudge... There, I said it.
I do, however, have an amazing no fail fudge recipe that is perfect for this time of year. It is done over a low heat (or a microwave if you like) and is a simple one that kids can help with. It makes great gifts for friends or teachers.

Ingredients:
1 can condensed milk
600g chocolate chips or buttons or chopped chocolate (about 3 cups)
8 drops of orange oil or 1/4 teaspoon of orange essence
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

Line a 20x20cm tin (or similar) with tin foil.
Melt the chocolate with the condensed milk over a low heat stirring constantly. Or microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between.
Once all the chocolate is melted add the orange flavour and the cinnamon and stir until smooth.
Pour into the tin and leave to set in the fridge.

Notes: 1) You can buy orange oil in kitchen speciality shops.
            2) You can replace the orange flavour and cinnamon with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and
                1/2 cup chopped nuts.
           3) Use this recipe to pour in to cookie cutters that have been wrapped in foil so it
               doesn't run out the bottom. Let the kids decorate the tops with lollies or silver balls.
               Once set remove the foil from the bottom and wrap in cellophane to give as gifts to
               teachers.

How to travel with kids and stay (semi) sane

image source http://www.kidspot.com.au

Christmas and the holidays usually involves some kind of travel for the family. Be it a decent length drive or a massive long haul flight, there are a few things that can help the journey go a little more smoothly. A little planning and thinking ahead can make a huge difference in the overall experience!

1) Plan your journey.
Try and work it around your families best times of day, ie when kids are most likely to sleep! Some families I know dress their kiddies in their PJ's, feed them up, bundle them in the car and take turns at driving through the night. I only recommend this if you can both manage to get a sleep during the day first. Flights that go over tea breaks or late afternoon are probably the worst, try and go for early morning if you can. For long haul flights, you are likely to be in the plane at all times of day, make the most of stop overs as a chance to run the children ragged in hope you can get them tired.

2) Pre-pack the car the night before.
If this means buying a few spare toothbrushes, just do it :-) have a small list of genuine last minute items blu-tacked to the inside of the door or to the steering wheel of the car so it doesn't get forgotten.

3) Put together some entertainment packs for each kid.
Small shoe boxes work well. Visit the local $2 shop and get a few new things specific to each kids likes and abilities. If you have a portable DVD player or laptop/tablet stock up on movies that the kids will enjoy and pack them too. Books are great and some kids like to colour or draw while driving.

4) Pack snacks, and LOTS of them.
You will be amazed at just how much contained children can eat! Try little things that you can ration to make them last longer - chippies, chopped fruit, grapes, small sticks of cheese, marshmallows (or other lollies that little kids won't choke on while you aren't looking). A little bottle of water each popped in the freezer the night before will help keep it cool, watch the rules on international flight with liquids however. You cannot take foreign food into a country, but you can eat it on the plane before you land. Give the kids a lolly-pop to suck on take off and landing, or feed a little one their milk to encourage their ear pressure to stabilise. The may have sore ears for a day or so after landing, so give them some grace.

5) Leave with plenty of time.
We all know how amazing kids are at making us late, allow an extra hour to get to the airport, that way when you have to head back home for the favourite soft toy that they now suddenly cant live without, you can and still have time for the toilet stop you will also inevitably have to make on the way to the plane. When driving, plan to stop every hour or so, unless the kids have miraculously all fallen asleep. Stop, have a play at a playground, run along the beach, feed the ducks, have a treat at the local cafe, have a picnic lunch, play a quick family game of sardines or something similar, take some photos and jump back in the car.

6) Get a mascot.
Consider buying a soft toy to make the journey an adventure for, get the kids to take photos of or with the toy and collate a scrap book of its adventures.

7) Dress like a team.
As corny and very nineteen eighties that this sounds, dressing the family alike or at least in very bright colours makes finding a running toddler in a busy airport, or cafe, or park so much easier. Others will work out that you belong together and are more likely to say "he went thattaway". Taking a family picture on your mobile device before you leave is also a handy trick for the old "have you seen this kid..?" Juuuust in case. Not that we plan on loosing a kid!

8) Get a carrier.
Find some way of carrying the younger ones around the airport/stopovers. A baby carrier for a baby or an umbrella style pushchair that will fit in the overhead luggage for a toddler is a lifesaver for the long stop overs in large airports.

9) Thank people for their patience.
Consider putting together a little thank you card and a cookie/candy for the neighbouring rows in the plane, get the kids to give them out pre-flight or mid-air Thanking the people for understanding how it is to fly with littlies so far from home.

10) RELAX!
Accept that sometimes, kids will be kids and that hot, hungry, tired, disrupted kids will likely play up, and maybe cry, and maybe forget how to use a toilet, and maybe even get travel sick. You know what? Its OK! It's only for a short while (36hours long haul may seem like forever, but its really only a day and a half, some of us laboured longer than that, you can do it!). Make use of offers for help from the flight team. And take lots of deep breaths! Laugh off the small stuff and try, try, try to enjoy the trip the best you can.

What do you REALLY need for a new baby?

Having children is expensive, there is no denying it. However it doesn't need to be nearly as expensive as the retail outlets would like you to think. Working out what you really need, what is an useful extra and what will really sit in the drawer probably untouched is a bit of a guessing game, until you have been there.

The basics: A baby needs some way to stay warm, some way to be fed, some where to poop, some where to sleep and a parent who loves it. That's the bare basics. Going by this, at a pinch, you could get by with a warm swaddle (or two), some nappies, some boobs and a loving parent figure who is happy to share their bed.

There are a few more things that would really be helpful, almost essential to modern life with a baby however.

Clothing:
Don't go crazy buying new born clothes! Babies don't fit them for long (some never do) and people will give you lots of newborn outfits at a baby shower/ once baby is born. On the other hand, do buy a couple of outfits just in case, we only had 2 and had to venture out on a shopping trip on the way home from hospital to get two more. Ask around - you will be surprised how many people are willing to lend you their newborn things, they are in them such a short time, and with careful washing they stay new looking for a lot of wears!

Bodysuits: (short or long sleeved) are useful as they avoid the clothes all riding up every time you hold baby by their torso, they act as the singlet layer when its cooler and as a t-shirt when its hot. Body suits with envelope necks that stretch over the head and clip together between the legs are the easiest to put on and off - important when dealing with poo-splosions, as you can also remove them down over the bottom. Get 4 or 5 

Growsuits: Can be worn day or night for the first while. Choose growsuits with press studs that go all the way down the inside of the legs for ease of nappy changing. Get 4 or 5

Hats: Select a hat that can be thrown into the wash and that has a brim that's big enough to shade baby from the sun. Choose a beanie that doesn't have a cuff as these can unroll unexpectedly and cover your baby's eyes and face, which can pose a safety threat. Ones with ties stay on much better than those without. Get one warm hat and one sunhat.

Warm things: Jackets, jumpers, cardigans. Select outer wear that can comfortably fit another layer or two underneath so you can easily keep baby warm. Find a local Nana and see if they will knit you something, or look at the hospice shops, they often stock handmade nana-cardys.

Socks: Consider choosing one colour and sticking to it for each size. You will lose many socks and being able to pair up odd socks will save you having to buy more.

Bibs: paying for quality really does pay off with bibs. When it comes to eating solids I reccomend getting some sleevey-bibs (ie ones with sleeves). They save a lot of washing. Again the good quality ones last much longer than the cheaper quality ones.

Swaddles: My babies mostly lived in a nappy, bodysuit and a swaddle the first 2 months, of course they were given plenty of not-wrapped-up-tight time, but they preferred to be snuggled in. Buy a good quality, large swaddle. There are all sorts of fancy ones on the market, but I prefer a simple flat one that will work as a cot blanket later on. Merino is amazing as you can use it in the hot and the cold weather.

Bathtime:
A baby bath is handy, but a kitchen sink is much easier to fill and empty. Some babies go straight to showering with mum or dad. Which ever you choose always keep your grip hand soap-free, those bubbas get SLIPPERY!

Babies don't really get dirty, and I am all for natural things, so don't go crazy washing baby with harsh soap. Warm water removes most things, and a very mild bar soap in small amounts will wash anything that needs more, including their hair. Babies with eczema should avoid anything with Sodium Laural sulphate as it is very harsh on their skin.

Massage oil: Again go for something natural, and some thing as simple as olive oil would work. Iti Baby makes a nourishing natural baby massage oil, which is also available fragrance free on request.

Towels/Cloths: You can buy specific baby cloths and towels, but the ones you already have at home will work just fine!

Change Time:
It is well worth doing the maths on buying a good set of cloth nappies. They do up with either Velcro or domes and are very easy to use and to wash. They no longer need soaking and just wash in a normal wash. We worked out for us buying 15 reusable nappies saved us $1000 in disposables in the first year alone. Once you have a second baby the savings get crazy!

Bottom Cream: Again natural is the way to go, something as simple as coconut oil can act as a barrier, moisturiser and anti fungal/antibacterial all in one. For more intense barrier/moisturising try Iti Baby Bee Balm or Bottom Cream. The Bee Balm also doubles as a dribble barrier and great on eczema prone creases.

Change Table: These are helpful but by no means essential. A simple blanket on the floor will do just fine, once baby starts rolling (as young as 10weeks) change tables are no longer safe to use.

Sleep:
Bed sharing, when done properly, is the cheapest safe option for a sleep space. Babies only use a bassinet for about 12 weeks, so don't spend alot on buying one. Ask around you may well be able to borrow one. The other option is to go straight into a cot. Buy the best quality one you can afford and it will last all your kids and re-sell well too, or look for a good condition one second hand. If buying second hand, check that it meets the Australian or NZ safety standards and that all the bits that are supposed to move do so and those that aren't, don't.

Bedding: Don't go crazy buying bassinet bedding, a pillow case makes a great fitted sheet, and cot blankets folded in half will work well if they are needed. If baby is swaddled they won't need much by way of blankets anyway so you are better off spending the money getting a good couple of swaddles.

Out and about:
Baby car seat/capsule: Legislation concerning car seats and infant restraints have changed in recent years so ensure the car seat you plan on using complies to current legislation. If you are planning on having more than one baby it is often cheaper to buy a capsule then hire it more than once.

Pram/stroller Try to road-test friend's prams before purchasing your own. This can be one of the most expensive baby purchases you'll make and finding a pram that serves your purposes is important. Despite the style you like, make sure it is easy to open and close, and preferably fits in the boot of your car with ease.
 Rain cover for the pram Some prams have their own rain covers which can be bought separately, but you can buy universal rain covers that are designed to fit various styles of pram and these are generally cheaper than the branded version.

Sling/pouch carriers: Road-test slings and pouches with your baby in place before you purchase - you need to find one that evenly distributes baby's weight, is comfortable and is the right size for you so you don't hurt your back. I bought a Moby wrap second hand quite cheaply and found it amazing for getting out and about without needing a pushchair for the first 6 months.

Nappy-bag: Choose a bag that is big enough to house the essentials but not so big you could move house in it. A "good" nappy bag should have internal compartments, a 'wet area' and a fold able change mat. However a computer laptop bag with pockets and a folded flat cloth nappy works just fine and costs about 1/3 the price.

So there you go. I'm quite sure you will end up with much more than this, but this is the basics that you would need to survive the first 6 months. Anything you need to buy look out for lay by options, big sales and second hand goods. Luckily most of us get at least 7 months warning that baby is on its way, plenty of time to look around for bargains and pay things off if need be.

Is there anything you wouldn't be without? Feel free to comment below!