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I wish there was a manual on what to expect when raising a child when I brought my babies home from hospital. Everything I ever read on the subject, before having them, was thrown out the window as soon as they were born. I didn’t know if I was ‘Arthur or Martha’ most days, and still don’t.  DAIRYLEA Australia have come up with #MUMMYHACKS. A campaign for us Mums to join together and share our easier (and cheesier) time saving, cost efficient and no nonsense tips to make this parenting gig a little less stressful.

Who is DAIRYLEA?  DAIRYLEA, the cheese brand that is much loved in the UK is finally making its way to Australia! DAIRYLEA is a healthier cheese option for your family which is free of artificial colours and flavours. The DAIRYLEA range of products includes delicious CHEESY POPS, STRIP CHEESE, FRIDGE STICKS and CHEESE PODS.

Most days I survived by the seat of my pants, just struggling, minute by minute and letting the kids dictate how the day was going to pan out. Most of my #MUMMYHACKS came out of trying to do the best I could in the shortest amount of time, with the least amount of money and keeping the kids happy. One #MUMMYHACK I’d like to share is how to come up with easy dress up costumes for kids.

No one ever told me about fancy dress costumes or dress ups, especially now that my two children (daughter nearly 10 and son nearly 8) are in school. There’s school discos, book week dress ups, Halloween and birthday parties. It seems like every other week there is a reason for a dress up. I got sucked in early buying ready made costumes from the store but soon started making do with material scraps I had laying around, sewing simple dresses or op shopping for second hand items. Needless to say, the kids have had heaps of fun with them.

It wasn’t until I picked up a second hand black Ninja suit for my son that my costume woes were over. It consisted of a black top, black pants (both elasticised at the wrist and ankles so I bought a much larger size), the mask and a tie for the waist. There was a black cape on sale as well and the whole lot cost me well under $10. I just wished I’d picked up these pieces of clothing earlier. It would’ve saved me a lot of money and time.

As you can see by my daughter’s choices of costumes, nothing is ever straight forward. AND the worst part about it is they always change their minds right at the last minute. With the basic black outfit and a few added props they can be Darth Vader one minute, and with a painted black box with white tape marked for eyes, they can be transformed into Enderman from Minecraft.

There are many other uses for a plain black costume including some of these examples.

If only there were #MUMMYHACKS around when my children were younger. Their whole category is a life hack for mothers, so they’re launching a new DAIRYLEA range with an idea that taps into that desire to balance the fun of being a Mum with much-needed practical help.  Follow the DAIRYLEA Australia Facebook page for heaps more #MUMMYHACK ideas.