Kids on the Coast Magazine

Expecting The Unexpected

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:37:20 +1000

Well it’s been one of ‘those’ weekends for me. The eldest of our KOTC kids started her first job on Saturday. (She’s featured above aged 8) Mixed emotions for me as a Mum, sending my first child off to work at 13 1/2. In that instance of her getting herself ready for ‘work’, I reflected a little on where the time has gone. Part of me doesn’t want her to give up her Saturdays for work just yet - she should be swimming in the pool and jumping on the trampoline. The other part of me is excited for her, as I know we are stepping into the next phase of independence, confidence and just the general feeling of being a little bit more ‘grown up’. We’ve opened a bank account with a real ATM card (although she did still ask for a pink card!) and she has big plans for all the shopping she will be able to do when we visit Bondi Junction in January.

On our way back, doing 110kms, listening to Miss 13 tell us about her day, there was a sudden clunking under the bonnet of my car. Losing power, I idled to the side of the highway (just avoiding semi trailers!) and managed to get ourselves to safety. In the two hours we were stranded on the highway, I shifted in and out of panic mode about where I would find the funds, at this time of year to fix a car. My mind had me thinking I would need at least ten thousand dollars to replace an engine (not even sure where I got this figure from), I have a daughters 12th birthday next week, and my other daughters 11th birthday 2 weeks later - not to mention Christmas. Oh and the shopping trip to Bondi Junction? That was a road trip to Sydney - from the SUNSHINE COAST! Aaaagh! I was cranky with myself for never having a bank of savings ready for the unexpected - but how much do you need for the unexpected? And isn’t additional food, and trips to the chemist, and outgrowing clothes kind of unexpected? And anyway, why do I only flinch if the electricity bill goes over a thousand dollars instead of the five hundred dollars it seemed to be only a few years ago? I know it isn’t only me who is feeling the pressure of rising costs - but I do wonder how other families prepare for the unexpected.

I haven’t heard how much my car will cost just yet, I’m leaving that one in my husbands hands. As for Miss 13, she was tired and had sore feet after her first day of work - but ready to go back again next Saturday. After her shopping trip to Bondi, she is saving for a Mini Coupe. I think she thought I was joking when I told her it’s her turn to buy the Christmas ham….

Deadline week… an Editors perspective

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:44:00 +1000

This week we finalised the Gold Coast and Townsville editions of Kids on the Coast magazine. It has been a week of thorough reviews and final edits, but also looking towards the Sunshine Coast edition (at least for me…). I interviewed our fabulously interesting crafty mum profile in a park (with a coffee in hand for each of us of course) while her daughter played; began receiving the articles for edit; started working on the reviews and of course my own articles for the next edition.

Simone, our Production Manager and Associate Publisher, had to get her headspace out of print for Gold Coast and Townsville when I dropped into the office as I wanted to talk about the layout of the next Sunshine Coast edition. I need to start working on the Sunshine Coast edition almost as soon as the previous one is completed. The writers need to be briefed and the products for review collected and trialled.

This time around we have had so many fantastic books to choose from I am thinking of starting a section on our website for those that don’t fit in the mag. What do you think? And there are so many beautiful homemade and crafty items at the markets and online that it is hard to choose who will be in Handpicked. Check this Out is really challenging, as we don’t want to just bring you run of the mill items, and not everyone wants to send in a sample (we are happy to return them!). We just want to make sure that whatever we recommend, we have personally seen or tried. Do let us know if you find something really special and completely unusual!

There is a lot for me to do now before the artwork is developed for the next edition. So of course, as I sit here typing, my son has decided that a xylophone is definitely the thing to play while mummy is working, and I am reminded of the many challenges of being a work from home mum… but for me, I wouldn’t swap it for anything.

- Jackie, Editor

Our current Sunshine Coast issue

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:34:24 +1000

Our current Sunshine Coast issue

"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one."

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:18:09 +1000

““Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.””

- Dr Seuss

On days like today, it is easy to be a mum. My kids were pretty well behaved, the weather was...

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:17:15 +1000

On days like today, it is easy to be a mum. My kids were pretty well behaved, the weather was fantastic and generally we had a wonderful day. That said, my day was nothing like it was supposed to be.

Today for me was planned as an editing day for the next edition of Townsville and Gold Coast Kids on the Coast. I was also going to update our style guide (it is the guide that we send to our contributors to ensure that we have some rules around what to include and not include when they write for us). And finally, I was hoping to do a little online surfing to Check Out some new and exciting products for upcoming issues and pop into some of our local stores to look at cool items. And of course, if I had time, I was going to go through some of the fantastic suggestions that have been sent in for Handpicked.

None of this was to be for me today. On days like today, it is not easy to be a working mum. The kindy called me just after 9.30am to tell me that my daughter was off the scale high (she has type 1 diabetes) and as I had already given her an extra needle this morning (because she was a little high when I left her), I really needed to pick her up. Milford Lodge have done a fantastic job looking after my little one, but on days like this, it is best for me to look after her, so I can check her levels regularly. So instead of one five year old for the day, I have both of my angels. I gave up on the idea of work and decided to play… and we had a wonderful day together, but boy am I in for a busy few days now!

Jackie - editor

Cover star!

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:35:00 +1000

Every Kids on the Coast cover takes a great deal of thought, effort and patience for all involved. This cover especially presented one of those uncanny moments that we sat back later and just had to laugh at how things, very strangely, often turn out exactly how you originally wanted them too!

As usual, time crept up on us (as it does) when our fab photographer, Andrea Sproxton, got her whip out for us to organise our next cover shoot. We knew what we wanted, a boy dressed in vintage clothes, in an old fashioned car. OK - so originally I wanted a real vintage car, but sometimes we have to settle for second best. Bright Sparks very kindly loaned us a toy car, while Prince Ratbag sent some spunky boys outfits which all worked perfectly together. All we needed was a child.

Toni suggested a really cute boy from her daughters daycare, named Charlie, who had the perfect look for a vintage style cover. Only problem was that his mother was due to have a baby a couple of days before the photo shoot, so she probably wouldn’t feel up to attending.

Plan B - We were contacted by a lovely lady named Angie, from her agency called Model Me Little. After browsing her website, we found a very, very cute little boy named Mikah. Yay - we found our cover star!

So all was going to plan - we had the background, the car, the clothes, the child. One problem though - Mikah didn’t want to give us a smile. No matter how much bribery we offered, how many silly faces we pulled, how much dancing around we did - we just couldn’t crack the smile! Kids are kids - and I’m really glad we can’t read their minds! I mean, we know our jokes aren’t funny…

So, Plan C - Andrea phoned a friend of hers to bring over her little boy, who thankfully was available (remember I mentioned time creeping up - there was NO time to reschedule a photo shoot! Deadline was looming!) While we let out our sighs of relief - Toni received a phone call from Charlie’s Mum. Remember Charlie? The little boy from daycare whose Mum was having a baby? She said to Toni “I believe Charlie is coming to your place for a photo shoot”…. Hang on… huh???

That’s right, Charlie just happened to be friends with Andrea’s friends son, and was spending the day with her to give his Mum a rest with her newborn.

Considering Andrea’s friend lives at one end of the Coast - to Toni’s friend - we still shake our heads at the day Charlie became our cover star!

Cheers, Simone

Photo

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:01:43 +1000

Kids on the Coast Magazine

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:00:31 +1000

Kids on the Coast Magazine

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who..."

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:00:00 +1000

““Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.””

- Dr Seuss

We are finally blogging!!!

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:59:00 +1000

Ok, so I’m a little new to this - actually really, really new to it - so I’ll be very happy if this blog even appears on my screen - let alone yours!

It seems that blogging is the new craze (besides a reality tv show, and I can tell you that we really don’t want to go there) and I have to say, I’m a bit of a sucker for crazes. So for a long time, we have been talking about starting a Kids on the Coast blog. For those who know the team here at Kids on the Coast, will understand our little hold ups often turn into weeks - maybe even years - but we do eventually get there. Since we first mentioned blogging, a couple of other things took the front seat, including the launch of our Townsville magazine, interviewing and hiring new members of the KOTC team, an office move (to the beach! Yay!), just to mention a few - in the meantime Toni, our publisher of KOTC had her second baby. Well Saskia is now 2, Toni is pregnant again and we are still talking about starting a blog - so here I am. I’ve finally started a blog.

At first, I didn’t really have a complete understanding about the point of blogging - I mean I love reading them (I can’t get enough of reading blogs) but I wasn’t sure whether or not you would be interested in what I had to say. I then thought of the office antics, the conversations between us as Mums discussing anything and everything that goes on in our daily lives - both at home and in the office, the hours, the fun, the laughter, the tears, the chaos that it really takes to bring you a magazine every two months (which is why there would NEVER be a reality tv show!) but overall we wanted you, as our readers to get to know a little bit about us and behind the scenes of Kids on the Coast.

So between myself - Simone, Jackie - our editor, Toni - our publisher (our office entertainment!) and the girls here in the office, we hope to bring you some informative, entertaining reading. Please feel free to contact us at any time if there is a topic you would like us to discuss - we love feedback! Cheers - Simone