Gammon and Chips | The adventures of two kiddiewinks, by their Aussie expat mum

Fancy dress-a-go-go!

Well, just to warn you now… this post isn’t about Gammon OR Chips – it is (please try not to shudder) about me – Mummy Gammon & Chips. Just to fill some of you in on what I’m like – I reckon that if you did a straw poll of my friends and asked them … Continue reading »

The Koala Brothers. Image Copyright Spellbound Entertainment.

Koala Brothers Vs The Wombats

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that the theme song to ‘The Koala Brothers’ on CBeebies sounds just like ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’ by The Wombats? I’d really like to think that maybe these Australian native animal are in cahoots and have been helping each other out. Like they all get … Continue reading »

The adventures of Gammon & Chips

Welcome to my new blog called Gammon & Chips, after nicknames we use for our 2 children, Callum (3) and Freya (1). To find out how they got their names, check out this blog’s ‘About’ page. The idea behind this blog is to document all the funny things, no matter how small or insignificant they … Continue reading »

Parcelgenie? Parcelgenius more like it! 30% discount on gifts with this fab app!

I am rubbish at acknowledging birthdays. And wedding anniversaries. And ‘bon voyage’ journeys. Come to think of it, I’m pretty terrible at sending any type of ‘I’m thinking of you’ type greetings. And that includes ‘get well soon’ messages. And ‘good luck in your upcoming exams’ gestures. And ‘congratulations on your Nobel Peace Prize win’ … Continue reading »

Soul Dome at Brighton Fringe – 360º Family Film Fun

Calling all Brightonians! Stuck for ideas of things to do with the kids this coming week? Looking for a new experience for you and your family? Well, look no further! Gammon, Chips and I were lucky enough to attend the press preview a couple of weeks ago of the totally-unlike-anything-I’ve-ever-seen-or-been-to-before Brighton Fringe venue, the Soul … Continue reading »

My Top 10 Travel Games for Kids (Without Props)

Hello from Malta! I’m writing this blog post while on holiday with Gammon and Chips in a lovely 300 year old farmhouse in a sleepy little village in the south of the island called Qrendi. We’ve just spent the last week on the even sleepier island of Gozo (about a 30 minute ferry ride from … Continue reading »

My Top 10: ‘You Know You’re A Parent When…’

As a Shortlister in the Fresh Voice category of the BritMum’s 2013 Brilliance in Blogging Awards (BiBs), BritMums have asked me to write a Guest Blog Post for their blog. Click to see my guest post which lists ‘My Top 10 ‘You know You’re a Parent when…’ Moments’. So there you go. I hope you enjoy! Have … Continue reading »

I still call Australia home

With it being ANZAC Day in Australia last week, my thoughts turned to home and the family and friends that I miss there on a daily basis. I have a regular weekly Skype call with my parents so they can see Gammon and Chips growing up before their very eyes (albeit through a webcam lens). … Continue reading »

I’m shortlisted… but I need your vote!

Yeah!!!!! Thank you all you lovely people out there! I am SO happy to announce that my blog, Gammon & Chips has made the Shortlist for the 2013 Brilliance in Blogging Awards (the BiBs for short) in the Fresh Voice category. Thank you SO much to everyone who has nominated me – I’m so pleased … Continue reading »

My MAD interview!

As a finalist in the 2013 MAD Blog Awards, the lovely Jane Blackmore (AKA Northern Mum) interviewed me for the MAD Blog Awards website. You can read my interview here. Be warned… there are some dodgy fancy dress photos. Sorry Doug! And if you like what you read, why not vote for Gammon & Chips … Continue reading »

Sleep is beautiful!: Review of Dormeo Octaspring Evolution Memory Pillow

The topic of ‘sleep’ seems to have taken up a disproportionate amount of words on this blog to date. It’s mostly linked to sleep deprivation which is a turmoil we are going through as a family at the moment and generally goes a little something like this – Chips wakes in the wee small hours, I … Continue reading »

Confessions of a mother of a high-energy child

This week, I am thrilled to have written a Guest Blog Post for the KalliKids website, called ‘Confessions of a mother of a high-energy child’, written specifically about my experiences of being a mum to Gammon, who I secretly nickname the Tasmanian Devil from the Looney Tunes cartoons. KalliKids is a brand new UK website … Continue reading »

Top 10 rainy day activities for kids

The following is a guest post by Nancy Parker from eNannySource, which is a US-based company which prides itself on matching up the perfect nanny with the perfect family. A former nanny herself, Nancy has spent plenty of time testing out these top 10 rainy day activity tips with the children she’s looked after, so you … Continue reading »

BritMums’ Brilliance in Blogging Awards 2013

It hardly seems like a week goes by without another round of blogging award nominations at the moment. And, yes, here is another one! The BritMums’ ‘Brilliant in Blogging’ Awards 2013. Sorry, I know that I’ve been asking an awful lot of you of late, my lovely followers, with regards to various blogging awards, but … Continue reading »

Marbellous fun in the freezer!

This is a follow up post to my one last week entitled ‘Marbellous fun in the snow!’ If you’ve read that post, you’ll know that, during the latest lot of UK snow, I had the great idea to attempt to make giant ice marbles with Gammon and Chips as an activity we could do while … Continue reading »

Chips: 0 – Sleep-deprived Zombie parents: 1

I’m tired at the moment. Very tired. I obviously look terrible, because the first thing my parents comment on when I Skype them in Australia first thing on a Wednesday morning is how tired I look. And I’ve run out of Touche Éclat, so that doesn’t help either. The reason I’m tired is because I’ve … Continue reading »

Marbellous fun in the snow!

Well, with the recent (very surprising) cold snap and loads of snow here in Brighton, I’ve been looking for fun activities that I can do with Gammon and Chips whilst being snowed-in. I saw a pic of these really cool Ice Marbles on Pinterest (photo courtesy of Queen Vanna with caption by Slay My Boredom) and … Continue reading »

Vote 1: Gammon & Chips! (MAD Blog Awards 2013)

As I’m sure many of you know (I’ve been banging on about it so much that I’ve even bored myself to death!), I’ve been chosen as a Finalist for the 2013 MAD Blog Awards. These are awards which celebrate mummy and daddy parenting blogs in the UK and I’m so excited and honoured to be … Continue reading »

Gammon and Chips: The Portrait, by Ashley Jayne Nye – great gift idea

Today’s blog post is about a fab portrait that has been done of Gammon and Chips by a very talented lady called Ashley Jayne Nye. Ashley is a portrait artist based in South East England who specialises in portrait art of babies, children and families. All you need to do is to supply a photo … Continue reading »

MADDIE is going to the MADS!

Wow wow wow wow wow! I am so excited! A girl couldn’t hope for a better International Women’s Day! Who’d have thunk it, but I’ve only gone and somehow got myself into the finals of the 2013 MAD Blog Awards! In not one, but two categories! Yes, my lovely labour of love, my Gammon and … Continue reading »

‘Pom’ + ‘Aussie’ = ‘Possie’: Expat Family Health

A couple of weeks ago I was approached by the Expat Family Health website on Twitter (@expatfamily), as they had come across my recent article ‘My Top 10 Tips for Surviving a Long-Haul Flight with Children‘. They were interested in my story as an Aussie expat living in the UK with two children, and wanted … Continue reading »

HSBC’s Expat Explorer Website

Last week, HSBC Expat Explore (@expatexplorer) found me on Twitter and asked me if I would adapt my blog post on Surviving a Long-Haul Flight with Children for the ‘Top 5 Lists’ section of their Expat Explorer web portal. As a proud expat and keen traveller, I was very happy to do so! You can … Continue reading »

There’s a naked photo of me on the internet!

OK, so it’s probably not what you think it is, but believe me, after me having had two children (Gammon and Chips), an all-inclusive holiday to Tunisia in September, and Christmas in Australia, you will be very thankful that it is not what you are expecting! Take a trip over to fellow blogger With Some … Continue reading »

2013 MAD Blog Awards

Hello my lovely Gammon and Chips followers! Well, this is a first for me. As a newbie blogger, I have no real idea what the whole ‘blog awards’ thing entails, but it sounds like lots of fun, and seems to be a really good way of getting your blog out and about, so I figured … Continue reading »

My Top 10 Tips for Surviving a Long-Haul Flight with Children

As an Aussie expat living in the UK with 2 children under 4 years old, the pull to get back home regularly to show off the kids/get some help with babysitting have the kids spend some quality time with their grandparents, cousins, and uncles and aunts is very strong. I’ve done the London to Sydney … Continue reading »

Secret Cinema. My highlight of 2012.

With 2013 firmly underway, I thought I was due a blog post looking back on the year that has been. When I sift through my sleep-deprived 2012 memory for possible highlights, apart from fun times on two family holidays, socially we have pretty much battened down the hatches this past year, courtesy of our narcoleptically-challenged one … Continue reading »

Mummy, mummy, mummy… is it here yet? Is it here yet?

The build-up started in earnest about a week and a half ago in our house. You know the way it goes – the seemingly constant TV ads about it; the mentioning of toys every time we go within a 3 mile radius of a shop; the asking at least 15 times a day of “Mummy, … Continue reading »

Gammon & Fish & Chips

We are no longer a mere family of 4. Overnight the number of we Sinclairs has increased to 11 with the acquirement of 7 fish, which, along with an aquarium starter set, were Gammon’s 3rd birthday present from Nan Nan and Bampop in Australia. If Gammon’s levels of excitement are anything to go by, our … Continue reading »

Spew forth, my child

I should have guessed that something was up yesterday when Gammon came home from nursery. The normally 12-hour-a-day ‘tigger-like’ toddler walked slowly in the door and headed straight over to the sofa, cuddling up to the cushions and announced “Mummy, I’m just going to have a little rest”. I didn’t even know the word “rest” … Continue reading »

What’s your definition of relief?

Today mine is: “Not having to abandon an almost full (including frozen goods) shopping trolley in the condiment aisle of Sainsbury’s in order to take my son Gammon to A&E after he gleefully told me that he’d put a raisin up his nose”. At least if I had gone to A&E I wouldn’t have had … Continue reading »

Pontins: The Experiment

No, I can’t quite believe it either. With a little coercion by my very thrifty friend Sarah, we booked a weekend away at (sssshhhhh, don’t say it too loud) Pontins at Camber Sands. It was a KGB Deal for only £39 for 3 nights, which considering we’d paid £40 for 2 nights of camping the … Continue reading »