rosalina/ ice play

We lost a second tooth today.. shes not even 5 yet!! How do I slow her down from growing up???


Weekends seem to be less crafy and more do-y/ go-outy. Which suits me fine after being at home most of the week. Dont get me wrong, I love being at home, hanging out and doing awesome stuff with my kids. But I also love going out as a "gang" and especially as today we went swimming :) All my kids seem to have been born with gills and fins. Jumeirah is such a fish I am not quite sure whether she spends as much time above the water as she does below. Not really swimming as such, more wrything like an eel. She loves it. Jared, now a bit more cautious with age and not quite as adventurous as his older sister, but still just as difficult to get out. Someone who knows that "mum can get as cross as she likes but its still wont get her back in to get me out once shes dressed" and uses it to is full advantage. And my tiny fish, whos trick today was launching herself as fast as she can in the opposite direction of daddy to see how fast he can get her back above water. Quite funny to watch really :) She has no fear of water yet so it really doesnt matter how much she goes under or how much she swallows she still goes back for more.
Unfortunately no photos of any of this as cameras arent as waterproof as I would like and slippery fish wont hold still long enough :)

So instead I am posting an older idea I posted on facebook which my kids absolutely loved and its something we will be doing again very soon as the weather here heats up.

ICE TREASURES


This activity takes a bit of preparation but its so worth it.. my kids have spent hours doing this during the week..

Start by finding a large container that will fit in the freezer.. icecream container is a good size.

Put in about a quarter full of water. ut into this water the first layer of treasures : I had coins, buttons, plastic dinosaurs, marbles, shells... anything I could find on the floor ;) obviously it will have to be larger items for smaller children. You wont need heaps of things in each layer you freeze so start with about 5 to 10 items.
Put in the freezer for a few hours.. I am shockingly impatient and kept trying to freeze more layers too fast and everything kept falling to the bottom.. it really is much more fun if you let it completely freeze.
When its frozen, add your second layer of water, about half way and 5-10 more treasures.

Again into the freezer.
Third layer of water and final layer of treasures... let freeze. NOW THE FUN PART! trying to release the treasures!



I gave my kids some spoons, a bowl of warm water, syringes, and then left them to it :) They started in the shade so it wouldnt melt too fast, then moved it out into the sun to see how fast it would melt. Takes ages in winter :)



Great for exploring water, cause and effect, fine motor and patience.

Also, finally, I have begun my beautiful little waldorf doll for Jumeirahs birthday. Her name is Rosalina, or Rosie for short. Actually this is the second one as the first one was a hilarious disaster. I worked with the pattern I got ages ago (here) but it didnt really work for me. I have a friend who also used this pattern and hers turned out great but mine? Not so much. So I hunted further on the net and found another style. ( will post when its finished so I know the whole pattern is great). And so far... its fantastic and shes just how I wanted her. (havent sewn on her hair yet but thought I would post one now anyways!)

busy brain day/ scrapping for kids/ car painting

Yesterday at rest time I actually took some time to sit for myself (its rare but I so needed it after the last two weeks!)and so I have Jumeirah some pipecleaners to construct something for me while I lay on the floor beside her. She made me this sleep fairy and "when I wave it around your head you will rest for a hundred years".
Sounds fine by me. But I will settle for 60 minutes :)

Well we have had a very big day in our corner of the world.. we finally got to celebrate Amahli's birthday today :) After having such sick kids for such a long time it was great to see them finally well, happy and running around at the beach :)

Unfortunately I completely forgot to Blog yesterday ( I KNOW! I can hardly believe it myself ;P) because I got so involved in the NEXT birthday surprise. For Jumeirahs 5th birthay ( about 3 weeks time) ( YIKES) I am making her a book of herself for her first 5 years. Its a massive project but one I am really enjoying as I go back over the copious amounts of photos we have taken. Its been a real eye opener to see how much the little girl has changed in such a short time. I have gotten tear at memories more than once but I know shes going to love her book. Will post it when its done :)

Yesterday we had a fairly productive day as all kids were feeling much better. Jared and Jumeirah both wanted to do car painting this morning, so I happily set that up for them. ( great paint activity for boys who arent so much into paint cos they really just play " cars" and and looks great!)

After the fun Jumeirah had making a card for a friend last week, I gave her a bigger project to do. In the school holidays we got a kit from a friend at "The Scrapping Bee" that was bits and pieces to make a scrap book page. I got this out and she got to work, working out where she wanted to glue the "bits" and then instead of a photo, she made a picture of herself and Amy at the park.

These are a great christmas gift for family or teachers and look really effective no matter how its set out. I let her do this on her own as her way is normally better than mine.


This a fairly easy activity to set up. You just need some scrapbook paper/card ( or normal cardboard will also work but its nice to have some patterned card as well) and some hole punches or you could just cut your own shapes out. We use a glue pen for less lumps and bumps but really any glue would be fine.








And while Jumeirah did this, Jared got the tongs out of the drawer and wanted to sort the buttons out after seeing it at preschool. Another fun way to strengthen finger muscles, work on hand eye coordination and it also use lots of patience.

I love busy brain days :)

Have you stumbled across some busy brain activities?? Let me know so I can do them too and give my own busy mushy brain a rest:)

chalk painting/ I fell in love again today

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child” Picasso

Someone once asked me whilst I was pregnant with Amahli, " How will you have enough love for three kids?" Probably one of the stupidest questions I have ever been asked but it made me think about the fact that I was about to have a second girl. How would I love her the same? How would our bond be different to the bond I have with her big sister? Will it feel different to love another child? And I remembered going through this before having Jared, wondering how I would ever love him as much as I loved Jumeirah. I was kinda shocked at how much love I had for him, right from the first moment I saw him ( this may sound strange but having Ceasareans really screws with your head and maternal instincts took a little longer to kick in completely with Jumeirah).I had struggled quite a bit at the thought of having three when she first showed up in a blue line, but the instant, overwhelming powerful love kicked in as soon as she was born. We have had our moments, her and I, the not sleeping or feeding dramas, but I am really seeing a lovely little personality (feisty, demanding and independent but really shes a beauty) as she discovers herself and makes a place thats hers in our family.

Today.... with Jumeirah at preschool and Jared still not 100% and tucked up on the lounge with "Nemo" and his blankie, I took my littlest babe outside to play. This morning I dug out a bag of clothes I had put away for her and tried on a dress she was given last year ( too big then, it now fits!) and we had a lovely game chasing each other up and down the hill. She was such a delight to be with this morning, only a few lingering traces of the babe thats been so sick this last few weeks. I grabbed the camera and she happily obliged my photo obession and I captured this little one in all her absolute gorgeousness. And I fell in love... again... or more... whichever... both :)

This afternoon, Jumeirah and I got out and made some chalk paint ( we made this ages ago but it was good then and it was good today too!) and painted the fence. I loved how to colours came out on the fence and it was lots of fun. It gave us some lovely time to chat about her day and paint away the worries :) Very therapeutic :)

Eric Carle inspired butterflies

Strangest thing on my clothesline.... this little baby sock keeps turning up in the wash. Every few weeks I seem to find it in here in amongst everything else. Its strange because my babe is now 1 and wouldnt have fitted this for over 10 months, but stranger still... its a boy sock so Amahli has never worn it. So it hasnt been used in over 2 1/2 years.... how it keeps turning up is a mystery! But it is a good reminder that my babes dont stay babes forever, my kids are growing up... Im trying to enjoy every minute, every stage, every day because they are all just the greatest little things I have ever been blessed with.



We found this awesome painting/cutting activity from Deep Space Sparkle and just had to try it.
Jared and Jumeirah made the paper last week, both fairly keen to help with this one strangely enough, but both let me draw in it with my fingers, they used forks and spoons to create patterns.

stuff you'll need:



Today we got the paper out and made some templates to trace for the wings and body. Jumeirah was really keen to trace and then cut. I was told not to chat as she was concentrating :)




Then we put them together on a page with glue.
I loved the result of these!





Unlucky for me, two special preschool teachers are getting them tomorrow with a note of love :)

I also tried to clean a pair of bean bags today with my little "helpers" who helped me empty the bags of beans into bathtub. I then went to wash the bags whilst they discovered how fun it is to play in polystyrene balls. Barbie enjoyed her spa treatment, Jared loved just running his hands through them.



And although we had them all over the place, it was so great to see him happy and playing again after being so sick. Unfortunately, this stuff is really hard to control so its a once off activity but it was still very fun! ( and it took mummy ages to pick it all up!)

jelly again/ birthday countdown calendar

waiting for daddy.....


I only had one request from my sick little guy today.. " make Jelly?" With a very nasty ear infection and croup, I decided that I could let him make the only thing he wants to eat.
And its funny, making Jelly is really boring. But for him:

He tore open the packet (fine motor skills and hand eye coordination)

Poured the water in (hand eye co ordination and talked about how its dangerous to touch boiling water)

Stirred until it had dissolved (talked about how crystals "melt" with boiling water, cause and effect)( he also loved making the jelly spin faster when he moved the spoon faster and slower when he moved it slow)


Added cold water ( hand eye coordination)

Got out the jelly cups from the cupboard ( self help skills)

Poured it into each cup (we had to work out that we could only pour a small amount to start with so we had enough for everybody)

And so while we did this very "everydayish" activity, he was able to do by himself all the things that Jumeirah usually does for him when we make jelly (she did help a little bit but was more interested in her own thing today) so he got to do most of it, and work on so many little skills at the same time. . Plus he absolutely loves the stuff so it meant I had it on hand in the afternoon! And he was so proud of himself when he'd had done it, he got her a cup of jelly from the fridge and said "Look! I did it, Jeira!" And she (in a voice that sounded remarkably like mine) says " Good work, Jared! You did a good job!"

The best part really is the taste testing bit :)





For the last few days, since her friends birthday party on the weekend, Jumeirah keeps telling me all the things shes doing for her party. It changes regularly and I normally respond with a " yes, well we'll see" or a " how about we chat to daddy about it?". I finally got jack of it and said "Its not for three weeks yet!" and she asked " well, how long is that?"

And so we set to work making a Birthday Calendar Countdown.
We typed out all the days from here until her birthday and made it into a calendar style grid. Each day has the date, and the days of the week are listed above each column.
I left the middle empty so she could draw a birthday picture in the middle. I told her that each morning she could come and cross off a day and watch as the days get closer to her birthday.

ballerina fairy on the top of her cake


She really loved doing this and regularly goes and counts the days left and works out how many preschool days she has between now and then.
Its been a good way to help her get a greater concept of days and weeks and it will finish on the 3rd of December, just in time to get ANOTHER calendar to cross of the days until Christmas!!
Hopefully the second one will contain chocolate :)

happy thoughts/card making for kids

He may not be into craft, but he loves to do the washing!! ( no this isnt slave labour, he cried when I told him he couldnt help... how could I say no??)


Jumeirah was in a mood this morning. Nothing I did was right, nothing I said was right. I got breakfast wrong, her hair was too "jungly" ( I tried not to laugh then got busted for snorting whilst trying not to laugh). Moods like this dont normally occur often in our house ( at least not from the kids :) ) so I wanted it changed pretty quick.
I made her sit up with me at the table and while I fixed breakfast, I wanted her to think of some things that make her happy. "Nothing really" was the happy reply. And so I told her my list of happy things.

Smiles



when my flowers start growing



rainbows... "Hey they make me happy too!" and so I asked her to draw a rainbow. She then told me she could do it herself and got to work drawing things that made her happy.

Her list:

Rainbows

Presents

Daddy ( gee surprise surprise)

Lollipops

Jumbos

And so she drew a picture for each thing and then asked me to write it out so she could copy it. I thought I might do this activity every year, so she can see the things that still make her happy and the things that have changed.







This wasnt done in pretty colours (although she asked if we could paint it tomorrow) but it did what I wanted it to do: it made her happy :)







She drew this for me as a "surprise". Its her helping my flowers to grow cos she knows that makes me happy too :)



Yesterday we had one of her preschool friends birthday party and she asked me if she could make her a card herself. Normally I dont really let her raid my scrapping stash but I allowed her to pick a few pieces of card and gave her some hole punches, glue and a few other bits of "bling" and let her go for it.

She had a lovely time making this card for her friend. I wanted to keep it as its the first one shes done on her own but she told me to take a photo instead :).

She also wants to do more card making in the week. You dont need expensive card stock to do this, any cardboard will do. I bought the hole punches from a scrapping shop but you can also get these cheaper from Spotlight or other craft shops. They are great for strengthening finger muscles. Its also cheaper than buying one and it was great for her self esteem as she was really proud of herself.

menu planner

"Imagination is the highest kite one can fly" Lauren Bacall

I had to go to the shops last week.. just to get bread and milk. Oh,and some cheese... and while Im here I might as well find something for dinner.... and $140 later I am home and wondering just what the heck I bought and crap I forgot the milk.
Shopping for 5 is becoming increasing expensive and not only that, I am finding that by the end of the day, the most I can come up with for dinner is 2 minute noodles and even that is going to take me 2 minutes longer than I can be bothered to think about. And so I decided to give Menu Planning a go.

The idea is that I will plan for the month ( yep Im starting big!) each nights meals, thus eliminating the need to think about what to cook, and also (hopefully) stopping the random 'quick, I've got nothing for dinner" run at 5pm, and lastly it will hopefully mean that buying all the meat and things for the week I wont have the need to impulse buy. Sounds Good?? Well we will see how it goes. :)

On Friday night, I sat down and menu planned, dug out old recipes ( I am seriously s tuck in a cooking rutt where I pretty much cook the same meals in a weekly rotation.) and also went through the Coles website for recipes and ideas. I wanted to find some new things to try ( about once a week) and also wanted to find some things I can do especially for my husband as well ( yeah how good an I, I know). I actually got pretty excited as I watched the menu fill up with some great ideas. I printed it out onto some paper Jumeirah painted for me during the day and stuck it to the fridge.

Tonight it was great. I love the feeling of being super organsised. All day I knew I was making special fried rice. So when 4pm hit, I did the boiled rice and it was ready to go. Jumeirah and I had been to a party all afternoon so I was grateful to myself for not having to work it out when I got home. I totally didnt have to bother my already fried brain, which it will no doubt thank me for when it returns and realises what I did for it today.
I ordered meat online for Wiggly Tail butcher so hopefully that wont take too long to arrive and I am set! (I dod have backup for a few days if this fails)
Will let you know how this week pans out :) (PANS!haha! get it? Pans? Cook? oh man I must be tired)


Anybody got any easy meal ideas to share?? Maybe we can all make a combined Menu Planner together!


There was something else to get excited about today.... check out Fairy Glen.





ITS GROWING!! Unbelieveable really as I have never grown anything in my life except my hair. Jumeirah and I were so amazed that these little plants that we planted not that long ago are soom going to have flowers.
The fairies are going to love it :)