that's life

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to become a mum. ‘When I grow up, I’m going to have a big family,’ I told everyone. So when I first met Gary, then 27, in April 2011, I explained my dreams to him. ‘Me too,’ he smiled. Already a doting dad

Beneath the glow of the fairy lights Jacqueline Patrick served up Christmas pudding, topping it off with lashings of custard. ‘Here you go,’ she said, placing a bowl in front of her husband, Douglas. ‘Another cherry Lambrini?’ Douglas smiled as he si

Peering through the shop window at the tinsel, festive lights and other Christmas delights, I gasped. The magical Christmas shop on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland, was my dream come true. If only I had my own shop, then it could be Christmas a

Helping my father Mick cut wood as a kid, I was fascinated by the spiders. Disturbed by dad’s axe, they scurried away. On my 25th birthday, I even celebrated with a tattoo of a big black spider on my back! Years later, though, when my eldest son Jaco

Let’s have burgers for dinner,’ my son Ian, then 22, said after his brother, Alexander, 16, walked in the door from school. ‘I can cook them over the firepit,’ he added. It was a warm Friday in 2017, and the boys and my husband Sheldon, who we call S

Turn to entry coupon (p52) to enter! HOW TO WIN... If you look at the two pictures, we’ve made a change to the second picture. When you have found the change, write the number of the quadrant in which the change occurs on the puzzle entry coupon

To give a rustic look when wrapping Christmas presents, collect dried leaves, gumnuts or banksia cones and spray with silver or gold paint. Once dry, attach them to plain wrapping paper with craft glue. Kylie Brown, Perth, WA Save tears – and en

Hanging the lights on our Christmas tree, my two sons, Jack, then 18 and Tom, 16, looked pleased. ‘Great job boys. The tree is massive this year,’ my husband Lee, then 53, said. ‘Sorry, maybe I went a bit overboard,’ I said, laughing. With two weeks

The ground was thick with a blanket of white snow as Jonelle Matthews arrived home. It was December 20, 1984, and the strong-willed and lively 12-year-old had just sung ‘Jingle Bells’ with her school choir at a bank near her home in Colorado. Excited

Breastfeeding my newborn bub, Rosie, I cuddled her tightly. ‘Isn’t she perfect?’ I smiled to my husband Andrew, 32. Despite being a little more irritable than my first two kids, Evie, then five, and Alfie, three, Rosie was feeding, sleeping and growi

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a traditional decorated tree, but remember they can be a fire hazard. While artificial trees can be made from flammable materials, real trees can also be a hazard, especially if they get too dry. To ensure your tree s

Taking my toddler Ray’s hand, I put it on my belly and told him he was going to be a big brother. ‘Will I be able to play with him?’ Ray, then two, asked. At 30 weeks pregnant with our second baby, I’d been monitored since an ultrasound had showed ab

After being asked by his sister-in-law to dress up as Santa Claus one December, Frank Pascuzzi sprayed his black hair with white paint and rented a red suit. After seeing the joy the jolly old character brought to the kids, Frank fell in love with th