Addictions

We all have things we don't want to give up.

We all have our addictions, loves, desires, wants and needs.

Some can be bad, some can be good. Some can be here nor there.


Every night when I get one of my girls out of the bath she says the same thing

"Hold me like a baby in the mirror" (said really fast) Holdmelikeababyintthemirror

Now most people will have NO IDEA what this means.

What it means is that I wrap her in the towel. Scoop her sideways up into my arms (like holding a newborn baby) and carry her over to the mirror so she can look at herself in my arms.

IT DRIVES ME CRAZY.

Especially when I know she can get out of the bath  fine on her own and grab her own towel.

However when I analyze it, its a desire to be close to her mum. A desire to go back to how things used to be. A desire to 'be the baby of the house' again. A desire to look at herself in the mirror (which is high and she doesn't get to see often) A desire to have her mothers full attention.

How can I deny one this pleasure?


I have another daughter who loves to be sung to sleep. I am the worlds worst singer.  She will ask no matter the time of night she goes to bed. Early or Late. If we are out or not.

IT DRIVES ME CRAZY

Especially since I know she can fall to sleep without it. She often does fall asleep 'waiting' for me to come. (he he) Sometimes I just don't want to. I'm tired its the end of the day.

How can I deny one this pleasure?


Little things we cling on to can be hard to let go sometimes.

Sometimes we cling to the silliest things. Tiny things that don't really matter.

Why does my 4 year old say "holdmelikeababyinthemirror"?

Does it matter? Does it not matter?

Time will tell.


For the time being (well half the time) I'll give in.

One day they won't need me at all.




*no picture today - my comps broken - blogging from the Mr's laptop - waiting forIT guy to come home and fix all my problems :)

Random Photo Thursday

Wonderful self portraits. Must have learnt this from their mother.

Love the milo/vegemite/dirt/insert reason for grubby face here

Our little piece of Pride and Predjudice

Thanks grandma for the leopard doona. We lurve it. And have to share it.

I love stories about sisters snuggling in the same bed telling each other stories.

Even better when they are a little more grown - like Pride and Prejudice!

(maybe I should have a 5th girl!  OH! MR Bennett! lol the fun I could have with my MR!)

My mother often slept in her sisters bed.

When I posted about the girls loving their bunk arrangement I loved a comment I got.

Recently I was toying with the idea of sleeping the girls in a double bed. It's a bit old fashioned and thought it would be cute while their still little. She said she loved the idea from watching Joseph Smith movies. All the siblings in the one bed!

I also had the idea from seeing some little twins on Oprah. They had the cutest queen size bed to share!

When I only had two girls, they each had their own room.

Now my reasons for squeezing may be

family size related
monetary related (we used to have students in our spare room),
space related
mess related (keep it all in one spot!)
heating and cooling related (easy to do that to one room)

However  I also  like to think of it as lifestyle choice. Old fashioned fun.

Lately they've taken to sleeping like this. The top bunk is now left empty.


It won't last forever, but I hope their memories do.

love and hard work

Devotions etched into the driveway using the new Karcher :)

Love. True Love.

Another one? I'm spoilt!

Guess where we are?

I got to do another one of those things.

Those things I don't get to do often


You know...


go on a date!


Our new plan of a date once a month and temple once a month hasn't been going too well.
I didn't get to do either last month. (not from lack of trying)


Oh but my lovely visiting teacher said to us on Saturday night (after she worked all day)

I'm coming over to babysit. (hosts of voices singing "Hallelujah")

Isnt she nice?!


No You can't have her. She's all mine!!!



So what to do on a Saturday Night in Winter.

Go on the ferris wheel of course!

We hadn't been yet.


Shhhhhh don't tell the girls.

They are going to be VERY jealous

I told The Mr that I forsee another 3 dates here. (I'm a mind reader ya know)

He'll have to take each of the girls separately for Daddy Daughter dates.

HA!

Well atleast I got to go first!



After walking around looking for dessert which was out of our price range
(hey that wheel is EXPENSIVE)

I said lets have thickshakes and fries at Mcdonalds

The Mr finally agreed.


And I said

You're one lucky man.

I am truly a cheap date.



considering I offered just take some blankets up to the Cliffs along with Hot chocolate...
He could have even got away with an even cheaper date. oh well. next time.

Mother = Soft Toy Seamstress

Pretty proud of the platypus, the rest are a turtle, dinosaur and ostrich if you can't tell ;)

I didn't know when I signed on for this parenting caper that it would include being able to design and sew soft toys. You know like I'm a factory or something.

Miss K thinks I am a sewing genius. Which sadly I am not.

She will come to me and say

K: Can we sew an echidna today?

Me: Ummm... No....

K: *pouts and puts on  a fuss*

Me: I'm not a TOY MAKER!!  It's very hard to make these things that your mind comes up with!

(insert much more frustration and me saying no for varying reasons)

K: You can do it! Come on...... *more pouting, and reaches into fabric stash and makes a mess*


OHHHHHHHH OKAY....


And then once again I am coerced into making something from her drawings.

She starts with:  It'll be easy. See just copy this drawing I made


*Le Sigh*


So now we have a box filled with the most hideous creatures you have ever seen. The only one I have made that I love is the Taggie Giraffe we made for Miss N.  The platypus comes a close second. I made the platypus after talking her out of making an echidna. How do you make a toy echidna?? I googled it and it seems no one knows either!

So we have a house full of deranged home made animals. Adds to the ambience I think.


Yep I know. I'm Going into the parent of the year draw.

But all the yelling and hairpulling (my own) that happen during this process will not allow me to accept it.

I'll be happy when she can sew these things 100% by  herself.  (she does about 30%)




Hopefully she'll be good enough to do her own Formal dress. HA.


Otherwise it might look like the poor souls above

Foody Friday

Another Slow cooker recipe I have trialled this week. I'm loving this winter fare.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients

chicken thighs (4-8)
onion (quartered)
2 carrots (sliced)
ginger
Can pineapple chunks in natural juice
300 ml Chicken Stock
1tbs cornflour
1 tbs tomato paste
2tbs caster sugar
2tbs soy sauce
2tbs vinegar
can bamboo shoots
bean sprouts
Rice to serve

Heat oil in frying pan. Cook chicken until browned. Mix in onions, carrots, ginger. Cook for two minutes.

Place in slowcooker.

Put pineapple juice, tomato paste, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and cornflour into a jug and mix to make a sauce/paste.  Add to slowcooker with pineapple pieces. Add bamboo shoots.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours

When ready to serve add bean sprouts. Serve on Rice.

Random Photo Thursday

The most beautiful Miss N. Taken by Miss G.

I find so many random photos not taken by me on my camera. 

I would probably have enough interesting ones to post weekly.

I'll keep thinking about it. See you next thursday? for another random shot.

Testimony of facebook = Fractured Arm

I now have a testimony of facebook.

(like I needed a reason :)


I was at a friends for mothers group.

The phone rings.

Her husband asks to speak to me.

????

He says

Your husband hacked your facebook account (he doesn't have his own!)  and put up a status that said
"Does anyone know where This Girl loves to Talk is?? Miss A has fallen at school."


Friends husband happened to be on facebook and knew that I was at his house

within a few mins I was located

(I don't even have a mobile phone yet ya'll can track me down!!)


So off to school to  pick up a white faced girl who won't move her arm.

Yet she ran down the path and jumped in the car with vigor.

I was doubtful. But the school said I had to go to emergency.


Emergency with 4 kids.

2 with no shoes. 2 extremely dirty from mothers group. No money. No food.

Excellent.

4 hours later

A buckle fracture with cast for 2-3 weeks.

These fractures heal themselves, the cast is just to prevent from banging it and making it worse.


The nurse at first didnt think it was anything bad as Miss A hadn't cried or had any pain medication. She could move and twist her arm. Second opinion of the xray was needed.

At the end of this I was tired, sore, achey and hungry. Irritable kids around me. I was thinking of asking:

Could you admit ME into the hospital?? I could sure use some rest and medication.

The first person in the family (including The Mr and I)  to have a cast. She's pretty proud.


They're eating Mcdonald's (rare) and are watching tv (no tv school term here) so they are happy.
Drowning their non existant sorrows.


This made me almost think I need a mobile phone.... but this is first time in 9 years, so the odds are in my favour... I'm usually at home. I mean growing up we never had phones. We are all alive.

Maybe The Mr will get me a phone ....

instead of having to resort to hacking my facebook to find me!!

I will do nothing

Lay on the grass and do nothing - your kids will be better behaved.

When am I going to learn?

I have had this thought several times, yet I refuse to learn.

I find that if I (or The Mr and I) do nothing but sit and watch with the kids, they are better behaved.

When I am trying to:

clean something/write something/spend time on the computer/make something/add action here

the kids are either in my face, annoying me, making a mess, fighting etc.

However if we decide to SIT AND DO NOTHING

miraculously they are happy to play for hours.

We sit on the varandah and watch - they play

We go to the park and lay on the grass - they play

We lay in the sun on the front varandah - they play around us.

I need to remember to take time to sit and do nothing when the kids can see me because

I can't do nothing:

and lay on my bed, or do nothing sitting on a chair reading, or have a shower -

that constitutes doing SOMETHING to kids.

and they start those above annoying behaviours again

I must sit and do nothing but watch them.

And if I do all is at peace in the world 

Repeat this mantra

I will do nothing.

I will do nothing.

(and then cry because I have accomplished nothing. Except for having a bomb of a house - it doesnt clean itself)

Kaleidescopes

The lovely Fiona (what do you call your husbands cousins' wife?? cousin in law?????) came to my house to teach us how to make Kaleidescopes after I mentioned I wanted to know how after she told us that she made some.

So using these things here

We are able to make lovely patterns like this (this one is random scraps of tissue paper, yet it made such lovely shapes!

 this one is random scraps of tissue paper, yet it made such lovely shapes!

 
So you get some foil cardboard. Silver works best. Cut three rectangles around 10cm x 3.5 cms.

Sticky tape them together on the long edges on the white (back) side of the card.


Then fold together to make a triangle. Sticky tape toghether to hold triangle shape. Like so.

This triangle will go inside of a carboard tube (toilet paper roll or cling wrap roll etc)
If the triangle does not fit snuggly. Cut  a slit down the toilet roll  and use a rubber band or stickty tape to keep the roll thinner. This is now the main body of the kaleidescope.


To make the 'turning end' of the kaleidescope you cut carboard tubes into 10 cms lengths. Place sticky tape over one end covering it completely. Like this - sticky side facing inwards.

Turn over and place all sorts of crafty things in. Little things that will 'stick' to the tape work best.
Tissue paper, vellum offcuts, little beads, paper cutouts, strings etc.


Here we used seed beads, our coloured rice and some bigger beads.

Add these ends on to the end of your kaleidescope and voila you have a kaleidescope. You can twist the end around.

Now if I was a good scrapbooking mumma, the main tube would have been covered with some pretty paper or something. But alas most of our play things are made of rubbish, and I don't scrap!! or making anything cute!




Enjoy changing the ends and looking at pretty colours and shapes!

pom poms

coloured rice

Hope that all made sense. Ask a question if you have one!!

Sabbath

I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

~ John 12:46

Foody Friday

This recipe is a mix of two from my slow cooker recipe book.

Very Easy!

Casserole Beef or whatever cheap cut of meat
1 litre water
beef stock powder
can of lentils
onion

Fry Beef until Brown. Place in slowcooker with water and stock and chopped onions. Cook on low 6 -8 hours. Add a can of lentils in the last hour or so.

Serve on mashed potato.

4 ingredients. Easy. Tasty!

Go the Blues!

A Flurry of blue in our house this morning.

Hard in a house full of girls.

However we scoured the house and found every blue item we own.

I told the girls - they might not be good at running. But they will be the best at team spirit.

We can't win first place, but we'll win the beauty stakes!

 GO PERKINS!

Lewis Lewis in the bin

Freeman Freeman further in

Perkins Perkins on the top

Come on Perkins

Squash the lot

Everywhere we go

People want to know

Who we are

Where we come from

Mighty Mighty Perkins

Razzle Dazzle Bubble Gum
Look out kids, here we come

North South East West

Perkins Perkins are the best
P   E   R   K   I   N   S

Goooooooo Perkins

At the end of the day Perkins was declared the winner.
Must have been our blue hairspray
Channelling winning energy.

Sheet Painting

Here's another activity we did on the holidays.

This idea once again comes from Filth Wizardry

Basically I bought a sheet from the Op Shop and we painted it.

I hung it between the swings and varandah. At a height just above Miss G's head.

We all had fun painting on it.

Theres still plenty of room, so I've kept the sheet for another day of impromptu painting above our heads.

It's fun to paint 'outside the box'  ie  'outside the paper'.

Sisters

Every Day I find random photos on my camera.

Mostly indestinguishable.

Sometimes funny.

Sometimes heartwarming.

Last week Miss K had a friend sleep over. They made a cubby out of sheets and the bunks. They all slept under there. I found a series of  photos days later.

My two eldest girls might fight like cats and dogs. But they love eachother.

Their personalities are vastly different. I have only noticed this lately.

When they were little they liked the same things. They got the same things for christmas presents. They were treated with the same brush. They were almost, in my mind, like twins.

Slowly their personalities are moving apart. I some ways it saddens me, in other ways I'm glad.

One likes outdoors and dangerous activities. One likes indoors,  reading and the computer.

One likes to be left alone and the other craves touch and attention.

However they both like to drive me crazy

Crazy in love with them.

Axe it, Saw it, Destroy it

I've always wanted to be one of those parents who let their kids do anything they want.

Well.....Anything as in:

Using a screw driver to open up appliances to see how they work
Building their own toys, play things
Creating and designing things
Regular destroying of items for a purpose


Usually I am pretty fail at this.
Don't touch our stuff, treat your things better, clean up, don't make mess etc.

Lately I have been thinking more about it after reading through Teacher Tom's Blog 

Talk about the most awesome preschool I have EVER seen. These kids build their own EVERYTHING. They use saws, sanders, hammers. They have zip lines, pulley systems for water and dirt and almost ANY type of MESS is OK. This school is like every kids (and parents) dream!! And did I mention the kids are 2-5 years old!


So often I remember I am not living my own parenting ideals. Occassionally we do.


There was this post a year ago letting the kids go with a saw. When our microwave broke we let the kids take the entire thing apart (I thought I had blogged this but can't find it)

This week it has been going at it with an axe. The Mr bought a axe grinding stone to sharpen our axe which was very blunt. The girls had a go at sharpening (and gave up because it was hard work) and Miss A had a go at chopping wood (fairly unsuccessful.)


So what other types of 'building / exploring work' can I get my children to do?

It always hits home to me when I think - oh my kids could do that, then I find that they actually can't and are really pretty unco. Life and society (and I!) is babying them, and I need to do my best to ensure they have as many 'skills' as possible.

Roller Skating

I went rollerskating again.

This time I was smart enough NOT to take four children (two of whom can't skate) on my own.

This time just the older two.

I had so much fun.

I was sad when an hour in they wanted to go home.

Home?

Here I am skating my groove thing and you wanna go home?

We've got blisters they say, sore feet, are tired.

Bah

Party Poopers.


I remember how much I enjoyed skating as a kid. Each time I go now, I think I should take up Roller Derby. But I'm too scared of getting hurt. I don't do contact sports.


I almost taught miss A how to skate backwards.

A success of the day.

Keeping Miss K upright was my other success of the day!

Since we got sick on the holidays - this is the only outside of the house activity we ended up doing :(

Seeing Spots

I love a bit of a party theme. Kinda gives me a direction to head.

Ever since I saw a 'spotty' themed party idea over at Crafty Crow I've wanted to do one.

Check out these two for some other spot/dot party ideas.

Greeting Arts

Design Mom



However I couldn't convince the older girls.

Miss G is Easy though.

As long as her cousins came she was cool with whatever.


Spotty Themed Birthday Invite

Spotty Number 4 Shirt

Mum in law's spotty fabric is what started it all!

Tissue Paper Ball Decorations

I made 5. Love these.

Spotty Wall Decorations

Spotty Rainbow Cake

Idea courtesy of Lucky Holly

Spotty Round Fairy Bread

I used a round cookie cutter to cut bread. Displayed in cupcake tower.

Fruit Loop Bracelets

The only activity we did - thread frootloops on a pipecleaner

Awesome Round Pinata

My first time doing the crepe paper ruffly look.

The day itself was a relaxed gathering with some cousins.

 It was a pretty free range entertain yourself type day.

In other words organised unorganised Kaos

Now I can collapse in a heap and repeat next month for Miss N's First Birthday.

Never Ends does it? This parenting caper?

Sneek Peek

Loving These Tissue Paper Balls.


Am Currently on my last two for Miss G's birthday party tomorrow.

Note: Do not look at the Martha Stewart ones. As I read on another tutorial Martha must have ironed her tissue paper and had OCD workers readjust each sheet. I knew mine would *not* turn out like hers, so I purposely googled Tissue Paper Ball Tutorials to find ones by *other 'REAL' people*

 These are the cheapest way to make a decorating impact for a party I think. I've spent $10 for decorations for tomorrow.

Tutorials found here:

Hot Diggity

Once Wed

Nothing but Bonfires

Blue Cricket Design

Winter

one of my winter babies..Atleast back then I had a personal hot water bottle

Winter makes me crazy

*eye twitching* neck crickin' crazy.


Often I find I have the kids bathed fed and in PJ's too early.

It's dark and cold and I say 'Go to Bed'.

Then I look at the clock and it's only 5:30pm

oh well.

A mother at school told me she is out every night in winter with her 6 kids till around 8pm. Football training and netball.  Even her baby. I couldn't do it. Sorry to my kids, no winter sport for you.
Friday night movie night is our winter sport ;)


The other night I was putting garbage out thinking  it's so late and I am gonna wrap up with a blanket and read a book and go to bed. Then I see all these people walking down the street. Why are all these people walking around in the cold dark night? Oh it's only 6pm. People do work. Some get home around now.

I am definately spoilt.



Well I'm off to go to bed. Even if its early.



*I place blame entirely on my non insulated freezing wooden house*

The Mr and I

Totally us.! I lurve being silly with the Mr. Makes me giddy.

I feel like I never have enough photos of the MR and I .

I only have a few.

It's not enough.

He's not home often when the camera is out so he often gets -  left out.

So admidst all my self portraits, I try to capture self portraits with him in them.

Most times they fail miserably.

I try to capture non posed, candid moments.

I'll suddenly jump on him and click away.

The Mr likes to wreck them.

I swear he does it on purpose

the what are you doing to me woman? face

the extra cheesy face. I've got a lot of these ones

Alright, Alright I'll put up with it face.

The doing something cheeky one - I have plenty of these too.

But atleast you can see how great my new flower headband looks! I lurve it. I made this one out of one of the kids dress ups! We had a nice shimmery scarf/shoulder throw that had seen better days!

It's Ok Mr. We've got plenty more years for me to snap annoying pictures of you!

Practice your lovely smile.

It's not like I need any more animals.

I feel like a crazy farm house lady

*broom in hand* shoo shoo

We must be the only people who live in the inner city who have chickens that just waltz on through their house. (well maybe not - cause these chickens run amok between three houses)

The neighbours chickens usually pop their heads in have a little walk around and nibble on the crumbs on the floor - plenty of those here - and then they leave again. It must be crumbs that keeps them coming back, cause I'd say the chickens could live a year on the stuff on my floors. Smart Chickens they are.

However last week one gave me a heart attack in the girls bedroom. It wasn't making a sound - I thought it had left like an hour earlier (I had seen it come in) but no it was just browsing the rooms.

The other day one somehow pearched itself on the kitchen bench.

I scared it taking a photo of it, and it ran along the kitchen

Crazy farm lady me *broom in hand* shoo shoo

Lucky I'm not afraid of feathered friends fiends.

Plus I always have Miss K who can catch and hog tie a chicken down in seconds.