I was just thinking today, as I was buying things for goodie bags, what my favourite city was to visit last year for the Olympus lunches. I loved them all, and hate to play favourites… but Melbourne really stuck with me.
I don’t know, everyone seemed so chilled and a little bit cheeky, and I think we just made the most of our time hanging out. I’m looking forward to going back.
Melbourne, we’re coming back! On Saturday September 26th, Olympus, Rachel Devine and myself will be hosting a workshop for you guys to pass on the passion of photography to your kids. Basically we’re going to spend three hours eating beautiful food, having fun with photography and learning quick and easy tips from Rachel, and then putting them into action.
I’ve been spending the past few weeks searching the perfect locations, and I’m a bit in love with our Melbourne spot. We’re heading to the Stables of Como.
So if you’d like to join us, we’d love to have you. All the details are below. We’ve got 30 seats to fill {15 adults, and 15 kids}. It’s free. Olympus provide the cameras, Rachel provides the photography lessons, and I basically give good gift and lotsa hugs.
DATE: Saturday September 26th
WHERE: The Stables of Como
TIME: 11am til 2pm
If you’d love to join us, simply leave a comment below answering the following question: What’s your favourite thing to do with your kid/s? And why?
Competition closes September 21st at noon. Lucky guests will be notified by email. Guests must make their own way to the event. Lunch is on us!
I look forward to meeting you and your kids, and having fun with you!
P.S. I’m an ambassador for Olympus. If you’d like to read more about our relationship you can read this post.
I’m a reader and a fan from Argentina, and for work reasons I’ll be in Melbourne next week. Sadly, my plane back leaves on the 26th at 11 am! Such a sad coincidence.
Can you please recommend blogs from Melbourne so I can find activities for my free days? I would love to get advice curated by you. I really admire your braveness, your great taste and your attitude. Much love!
Try Broadsheet.com.au I adore my hometown. What do you like to do Romina?
Hi Romina. I live in Melbourne. What are your interests and how much time do you have?
I love going on adventures with my children – zoo, beach, city… the list is endless! I love showing them new things and seeing their amazement, It really is amazing seeing how much they learn and take in from getting out and about in the world. My 5 year old daughter is starting to pick up my phone to take photos. I love seeing our adventures and even our everyday, through her eyes and would love to support her growing passion more with your workshop. (Email address – amac119@hotmail.com)
My absolute favourite thing to do with my three year old daughter when she wakes up is to have a huge cuddle in bed. So often we have to rush off to something else in the mornings like kindy or play dates but I love those mornings where she jumps onto the bed and dives into my arms and we get to just hang out. We sing songs, read books, jump around in our PJs and be silly together. And we always end up just laughing until we forget what was so funny in the first place! Would so love to join your workshop Chantelle! Thanks!
My favorite thing to do with my seven year old is when I pick her up from school, first a big hug and kiss, then a chat and debrief about her day….she tells me all the cool things she learnt, who she played with, her successes and goals, and how she feels. It makes me feel connected to her and what’s going on in her life
oooh how exciting!! There are so many fabulous things to do in Melbourne with kids. We love visiting the gorgeous botanical gardens and the gardens up in the hills, like cloudehill and the rhododendron gardens. We’d love to join you for the lunch!! xx
my kids are grown up, but what i love doing with my grandkids is make things whether its cooking,playdough,paintings, playing games together, going to the park or just for a walk, throw
in taking lots of photos of them yes i love everything i do with my grandchildren,WHY….. it makes me so happy to see them having fun…..would love to meet and lunch with you chantelle….
Ohhh I would love to do this!!! 🙂 I would bring our new baby Emilia Piper (15weeks) with me 🙂
We are so blessed to live in a beautiful coastal/country town (6hrs from Melb). We love getting to go to the beach whenever we can. The kids, no matter what the weather is like always end up in their undies/nappy and end up in the water 🙂 the best part by far is taking the kids to see the humpback and southern right whales that come into the port in winter 🙂
If I am lucky, I’d love to bring a friend & her little one with me if possible to help with the drive because we are so far away 🙂
I love to laugh with my kids, however that happens. Oh and eat, we love to eat hehehehe
What’s your favourite thing to do with your kid/s? And why?
Anything that makes them happy. My daughters and I love doing arts and crafts together, we love to cook and we love to sing and dance like no one is watching. All of these things close the world around us and at these moments only the three of us exist. Happy, humble, together!
My daughter recently asked me to teach her how to crochet. It’s been fun working with her and showing her the stitches. It’s something my Great Aunt taught me and now I’m passing the skill down to her.
My two boys and I love to dance uncontrollably to fun music when we wake up in the morning! It sets us up for a happy, silly day 🙂
My favourite thing to do with my daughter who is 2yo, is in the morning she comes into our bedroom and climbs into our bed, gives my husband and I a big cuddle, she tells us what she dreamt of (usually bubbles and rainbows) and chatters to us until we get up. Working full time I don’t get to see her much now so I absolutely cherish this time with her.
As much as i would love to bring all 4 of my children, i would bring my 12 yr old daughter who wants to be a photographer, you see my fave thing or time with my children is quality one on one time with them, be it movies, park, lunch, shopping or going to the beach. It steps us away from our busy schedules where I can spend time with just them.
Hey Bree! I’d love to share this workshop with you and your daughter. I’ll email you now. x
Our favourite thing to do is play on the beach. We have races, my son digs holes & pretends to be a dog. Why do we love it? Because it makes us laugh, and we get outside & enjoy being active together
Oh my daughter and I would love this!!
My favourite thing to do with my kids is actually to photograph them – while some people say you should put the camera away to be in the moment, I find it has the opposite effect on me. When we’re hanging out with a camera in my hand, I’m looking for the special small moments, and I get the chance to stop time and capture who they are at this stage of their lives.
xx
Hey Megan. I’d love for you to join us! Email heading to your inbox now. x
So exciting! I have 7 yr old twin girls and we love laugh. Why? Because life is short and being a kid is even shorter so we have to enjoy life each and every day. So we dance, we joke, we make videos, take funny pics and sing really badly
I love to get out and about with my kids, enjoying nature and letting them run off some energy!
There are lots of things I love to do with my boys (I have 3, possibly 4 – will find out when the wee one is born in a few weeks haha), going on adventures, especially to the beach, is one. But I know their favourite is our movie nights : ) We make pizza at home, they take turns picking the movie, we have snacks and just enjoy each other’s company while chilling out for the night. We do that once a fortnight and it’s always looked forward to.
Spending time, just spending time. I know it sounds cliched, but sometimes we forget how important it is to connect, even if it’s just watching a movie together or sitting side by side reading. And as an aside – I hope you guys love the Stables as much as I do – it’s an amazing venue!
Hello! I’d love for you to join us. Sending you an email now. xx
Swimming!!! There is nothing more delightful than watching them having endless fun in the pool or ocean!!! Water just makes people happy I think
I love spontaneous day trips with my kiddies. From Daylesford to Lorne I love exploring and just having fun with my kids. We love being outdoors and enjoying nature. Then to capture the special moments from the day so we can look back on them and remember the great times we shared together. I would love to join this event and to have my kids there with me would be amazing!!
I love going riding with my daughter. We both have a horse each, and its so wonderful that we can enjoy that passion together. We also love reading together 🙂
For over a year now I’ve made it a personal challenge to include at least one of my two children in each photo for #FMSPhotoADay (aged 2 and nearly 5). It has become a highlight of each day for all of us. My 5 year old now decides what to photograph him doing every second day for the prompt for that day. It’s such a great way to be creative together and to also learn all about photography. we love it.
This day would be a great way to expand on this love of photography for both of us (he has an Olympus camera that he has named ‘Kevin’).
Hello Rachel. Loved your comment, and would love for you to join us. Email being sent now! x
My daughter and I love spontaneous adventures – just getting up and going seeking new things to draw, photograph. No plan, just being open to what we experience. I love her creativity and enthusiasm and that even something seemingly mundane can be amazing if you really look. She is almost eight. I hope we stay creatively linked like this forever!
My favourite thing to do with my girls is get out and about and explore, from the city to the beach, and up into the beautiful hills in The Dandenongs we love being tourists in our own city, beautiful Melbourne!
You’re invited. Sending you an email now. x
My favourite thing to do with my three girls is to go to the beach. They are so energized in the sand and sunshine, and are sooo happy running and cartwheeling along the beach!
My favourite thing to with my kids is to get outside and enjoy the sunshine☀️☀️☀️
Why … Because we live in Melbourne and its sometimes a rarity!
But I love how the sun peps us up, the fresh air clears all our heads and being outside at the park, beach or just the backyard is a great way to focus on each other … Sometimes via a lens ?
Yes please. I think my favourite thing to do with the kids is colouring in. I love seeing how they see things and seeing how they are improving
Row! Would love for you to join us. 🙂
The most favourite thing that I do with my two girls is to just be still. To sit, watch and listen, to be with them. Listen to the beautiful stories from their day, watch their carefully choreographed dances and look at their cheeky but sincere smiles.
I love playing in the sandpit with my two little ones. It’s something that Miss 3, who has cerebral palsy, can do with Master 5. I love that it’s something they can do together, the sandpit is our moment of normal and I love it, even when there is sand all through the house!
My favourite thing to do with my children is give them cuddles. I love the giggles or smiles and the feeling of them being safe and protected, if only for a few precious moments. It is such a perfect act of love.
I love my time with the three kids together, and family time is the best, but I just treasure one on one chats with my children over a hot chocolate or an ice cream or pancakes. I love that we can do that readily at home or that we can make it a bit more special and head out on a ‘mum and me’ date to a nice cafe or the like. I love being able to really get to talk about what’s going on with them – the highs, the lows and the everyday as well. Easy but special x
Oh please please pretty please!! I entered the last melbourne comp and i’m going to try my luck again! Our little family of 5 live 3 hours from Melbourne in beautiful Warrnambool, at the end of the Great Ocean Road AND it just so happens we’ll be in Melbs that weekend having a little family getaway! AHH! Perfect!! So our little family are very fortunate to live in a beautiful seaside town so spend a lot of time at the beach, bike riding, kicking the footy, baking, making “crafty” goodness. The kids are now getting big enough to have board game nights too which is ace, and hilarious! My folks & sister live in the UK so we also love love LOVE to travel and are again, very fortunate to do so quite often. We strive to ensure that our kids know just how lucky they are to have these opportunities too. Anyway, my boys and hubby are all soccer/footy mad so they have their “thing”… I’m a photographer myself so i’m endeavouring to get my little Miss Maya (5) passionate about it too. She is the most darling, obliging little model for me SO often, i’d LOVE to be able to spoil her with this opportunity and have this become our little “thing”. Oh my goodness she would just be beside herself!! Eeek, epic entry, sorry! I tend to rant when i’m excited!! Thanks for the opportunity to enter again, love your work Chantelle xx
Hey Jodie! Sounds like it’s meant to be. Email heading your way. x
My favourite thing to do with my kids is to have a picnic and run around in the sunshine! You cant beat a good healthy dose of vitamin D. Then when the day is done and they have had dinner and a bath I give them both a kiss and squeeze them as much as I can because I know it wont last. I cherish little moments like this everyday.
I enjoy sitting just before bed and hearing more about their day. We listen, laugh,learn and teach. I may even tell them a little about when I was younger and maybe naughty! They always fall asleep with a smile and I enjoy the debrief with their beautiful souls and imaginative minds.
I love to take my kids on individual dates 🙂 My eldest (10) is a keen snapper, he loves to use my phone or whatever camera is handy and just take pictures. He’s mad on sushi and yum cha. My youngest (almost 4), we call Happy Gilmore… He loves to play mini golf and finish off with an ice cream 🙂 We also like to team up on Daddy… When he leaves the house, we round up all the Nerf bullets… find a hiding spot and then ambush him! This then initiates the family Nerf battle 😀
Hey Crystal! Life at yours sounds awesome. Check your inbox for an email from me. x
What I love doing most with my daughters is ‘creating’. Sometimes it’s cooking, sometimes doing art & craft, sometimes knitting or sewing. We create something & we create special memories at the same time. Please please please choose us, it would be amazing!
holidays with my girls are the best, when we don’t have to worry about work, school, schedules and routines and we can spend more quality time together with me saying “yes!” much more often ?
No question… My girls and I love a flash mob dance party in the car! Windows down, music loud, makeshift microphones and of course rocking dance moves!
Hey Ruth! I’d love for you to join us, and feel free to flash mob us! 😛
take away sushi eaten at the beach followed by a walk, a splash, a kick of the footy, some treasure hunting, and some quality time with my three peeps. ages 13, 12 + 9… these times are so precious + important!
My favourite thing to do with my little lady is to share.
Share places, share stories and share experiences.
She’s such a cool little chic that everything we do together is sprinkled with joy.
The other favourite thing we do together is called “snuggleugg” which is where she will lay across me, in my arms like a big oversized baby and snuggle. If she is ever bothered by something or has woken during the night she’ll come straight for a snuggleugg. I’m sure the day will come when she doesn’t need to be comforted like this, so for now it has to be mentioned in my favourite things to do. Xx
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing. Am sending you an email. xx
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This may sound really daggy, but me and my little son love going on the metro train. What can I say he’s a cheap date! We buy a 2 hour ticket and just cruise around. Get off at a random station and have lunch, then hop back on to go home. His enthusiasm for everything train makes you really look at things differently. Like yeah Boom Gates are awesome buddy! I get it, they flash and make noises and control the traffic. Amazing! It’s nice to not be a jaded adult for a few hours lol!
Hey Charlotte. I’d so love for you to come to the workshop/lunch. Email heading your way. x
My little girl is my one and only and we do everything together. Being an only child myself I try to make time to play with her (usually a board game or a puzzle) and reading books, lots of books. I think if you asked her though she would tell you that no outing is complete without a visit to a cafe, some banana bread to share and a baby “cup-o-cino” (and I don’t even drink coffee!).
Sadly I am not a mum, however I’m lucky to live very close to my nephew and 4 nieces. My favourite thing to do with them is recreating the memories I love from my own childhood, particularly things that involve my Dad (their grandfather) such as planting potatoes, picking wild blackberries and learning about nature. My Dad is 88 so I’m afraid he may not be around long enough for the kids to have clear memories of him. I love encouraging these simple moments together and taking photos so they’ll have something of him to keep forever.
My favourite thing to do with my son is to jump on our bikes and travel around our neighborhood. Making sure we say hi to all the animals and checking out nature. On a good day diggers and bulldozers make his day. A play on one of the many playgrounds around us is also a must for us
My favourite thing to do with my kids is photograph them.
They are only toddlers, and my eldest (two and a half) is going through that
‘don’t take my photo’ phase. I have found a way around it, I sit the camera in
my lap and aim it at her face, sometimes well, sometimes not so well, and then
I just chat to her and ask her questions. The facial expressions and pure joy
that comes across her face, particularly when we talk about baking or her
favourite book (which at the moment is The Hulk, what the?) is captured better
than any forced fake smile I have ever snapped. If only I knew how to use my
camera, I mean really use it not just switch it on to ‘intelligent auto’, I
would have some seriously magical moments caught on film.
My favourite thing to do with my kids is to go camping! We camp by a river with family and friends, swim, play in the grass, ride bikes, sometimes we relax under a tree and read or paint our nails, go for bush walks and sit by the fire playing eye spy and eating marshmallows. Lots of things to take photos of during the day. My eldest, turning 11 next week, has just joined Instagram and loves to post a pic.
I love cuddling with my kids – no matter how old they get they still seem to be the perfect size to fit tucked into my shoulder.
Oh what a hard question! I simply love spending every day with kids! It’s the little things that count. Whether we are going for a quick walk around the block, exploring the zoo, splashing in the waves at the beach, or having picnics at the park, my kids continually surprise me by finding beauty in EVERYTHING! My four year old loves collecting sticks, coming home and arranging them into different positions and then photographing them! 99% of people would walk past his stick collections, but he sees the beauty in them! My 18 month old loves butterflies and has an uncanny ability to spot a butterfly wherever we may be! Needless to say, my iPhone is full of butterfly pics!
It seems the simplier things grab my kids attention and engage them more, baking with their dad, shooting netballs through the hoop, recently teaching me how to do hand stands against the wall (“you’re getting good mum!” – lies, I wasn’t!) and walking to the local cafe for a milkshake/coffee run Saturday after sport. They still hold my hand (aged 10 and 7.5) and aren’t embarrassed when I kiss them goodbye at school so I’m holding on to that for as long as I can. We also love a movie night under a blanket at home with a bowl of popcorn…
Mine are starting to get older and don’t appreciate my company anymore which is a bit sad, but I still enjoy reading to my youngest and he has the most amazing imagination which I would like to say is down to all the books we have read over the past 12 years.
At dinner time, when we are all sitting down enjoying a meal together, I ask my kids (10 and 6 years old) two questions (well I actually ask more than 2 questions, but these ones are consistent!) “What was the best thing that happened to you today?” and “What did you do that was nice to someone else today?”. I have only just started asking them these questions, but I just love the conversations that it starts. I also love that I am making them think of the positive of their days and hopefully they can start looking for opportunities through out their day where they can be kind to someone else.
I have started this in particular for my son who is a lovely kind boy, but not terribly academically inclined. I am conscious of showing him that sucess comes in many forms, not just through getting good scores on tests. He is the one that I would bring along to share in this day. Photography would be a hobby we could share.
Hey Ali. I’d love to see at the workshop. Will send an email with details now. x
My kids are 13, 12 and 9 and I have to admit that I’m lucky to be able to spend each day hearing about their day at school when we have our after school snack. That’s when I have my 2nd cup of coffee for the day and yes, it’s MY snack time too 😉 I kove hearing their stories, drama, and giving some advice too when needed. I hope this never ends!
Very simple really. Making breakfast with my daughter and heading out to the cubby for the morning.
this week it was my birthday and my kids gave me birthday morning cuddles.. and then a rather ticklish foot massage. it was the highlight of my week. too many favourite things to name just one – but I guess broadly, getting out and experiencing the world xx
My favourite thing to do with my kids is go camping with them. Often we end up somewhere off the grid, with no phone reception (bliss) and we are forced to just get back to the simple things in life, like just sitting together, relaxing, chatting and most importantly, just connecting with each other. It is the time spent in one another’s company, more than the place or the things we’re doing, that is the important part, and to be able to do it without the everyday distractions of life, is a gift.
My 6y/o daughter, my beloved OMD-EM10 (that I LOVE.. thanks to you and Rach for the recommendation!) and I, would be beside ourselves to join you guys at the gorgeous Stables of Como. (That’s right… even my camera is excited, as it has dreams of doing more than auto mode, haha) Fingers crossed!
Debs! I’d love for you to join us. Emailing coming. x
I love making and capturing memories with my three! Picnics in the park. Road trips. Birthday parties for their toys. Baking fun treats. Lots of crafty mess and treasures they have made for me to collect and cherish! The years are going much too quickly for my liking and I want to soak it all up and enjoy them! I LOVE my E-M10 and capturing so many awesome memories!
Sounds awesome. Email coming to your inbox soon. xx
I love adventuring with my 3! Anything that gets us all out of the house together or alternatively if we can’t get out the next best thing is baking! Having my own dessert business means we’re often all in the kitchen getting messy and making memories!
I love playing board games with my kids, going on walks with no real destination in mind (just exploring and seeing where our legs take us) and snuggles in bed reading stories.
We love to hang out at the beach. The sand, the water, the smell, so soothing for all our souls.
Having been told I’d never have children, it is a joy watching my 15 yr old grow and learn and play with our dog. Seeing her face change with her emotions, watching her struggle and seeing her work it out. Even in the angry times, the sad times we make memories to hold onto.
I love to do anything outdoor, riding bike, beach, hiking or picnic with my little boy because there’s no tv or computer game to distract us, just nature and people but I should have my camera with me to capture moments and the and anything beautiful catching my eyes. We do also love the cuddle and story time before bedtime.
My favourite thing to do with kids is going to the zoos here in Melbourne. Having adventures in everyday life too
Our favourite sunny day activity would definitely be shell picking on the beach! Our boys are in love with the sand and sea.
I love working on a project with my kids. It might be something in the garden or cooking or painting something. Just being together, hanging out and having fun accomplishing something together. It makes me happy.
We like to get in the car and go somewhere new to us in Melbourne… Be it a cafe, park or local attraction. We haven’t lived here long & we don’t really know anyone so we enjoy spending time together, exploring Melbourne & entertaining one another.
I love to hang out with my daughter; she is bright and creative. We go for walks and she takes photos of everything… Absolutely anything and everything!
She also does a mean manicure 🙂 Lately we’ve spent more time together, as she has been recovering from a car accident, and can’t attend school. We’ve been doing some distance education, which requires her to do a project on something she is passionate about; this photography workshop is the perfect activity for us.
I am most chilled, mindful and happy with my children when we are near the water! Whether we are at a beautiful beach, by the river where we live, or in our pool it brings out the best in us all. Taking photos takes me to my “happy place” so being near the water allows me to capture so much beauty!
We love to spend time together as a family, enjoying life’s simple pleasures. Our family is going on an adventure of a lifetime at the end of the year, heading around Aus in a van. Our boys are growing so fast & life is short, so time to slow down & enjoy those special moments & make some beautiful memories 🙂
We love to hang out or especially stay overnight in the city (Melb). Something we don’t get to do very often, but would love to explore more of! Ooh melbourne, you excite us <3
My boys and I love to laugh. It doesn’t matter whether we’re doing the grocery shopping, school pick up or painting the chook shed (like we were yesterday). We all love to laugh together. Both boys, even at ages 7 and 3, have great senses of humour and they crack me up. It’s a wonderful, joyous thing that I hope lasts forever.
At the moment they both like taking photos (perhaps because Mummy does). Mr 7 is showing some aptitude with a knack for good composition. I’m the third generation of keen photographers in my family (following my Mum and her dad) so it will be interesting to see if it passes along to the fourth generation.
The Stables is a perfect place for your workshop Telle. So Melbourne and the forecast is for sunshine!
I use to run after my kids but these days they run after me! It’s nice to see the transition from mother to friend has been so much fun. I’m presuming my grandparent role is not far away so I need to learn as many lessons as I can. With social media being engrained in our lives I figured that learning how to use my new camera was my first lesson! 😉
I would love to come (all the way from Perth) with my 5 year old son and just so happen to be in Melbourne this weekend!
Miss four and I love reading. We can literally lose hours in the world of books. I love how it develops her imagination and lets us just “be” together. She has also recently discovered the joys of photography. She’s surprisingly good, and now I have to wrestle my phone or camera from her on a daily basis. 🙂
The weekdays are so hectic and harried that weekend are all about slowing down. I am a big believer in keeping Sundays activity-free. We call them Slow Sundays and it basically
means we don’t rush off anywhere and we move slowly. The week is so busy with
school, kinder and after-school commitments, it’s crucial to carve out some
slow time on the weekend to replenish and recharge. Slow Sunday often involves some baking,
gardening, pondering and taking photos. Thanks to you and Olympus my girls are getting very interested in photography and they often help me set up photo shoots on the weekend. And they don’t mind being in front of the camera as well!!