Shadow Puppets

Saw these shadow puppets on bloesom last week and loved them... we didn't have any black cardboard, so I put it in my one day pile... after seeing them on my favourite kids craft blog The Crafty Crow this week, I decided we had to make them anyway...

we chopped up a weetbix box, made our shapes and coloured them black with crayon. We pinned up a white sheet in a doorway and placed a lamp behind it. Each of the children had a go at going behind the sheet and telling a story with the puppets. It turned out better than I thought, and it was really fun.. even if their stories went on and on and on and on.... :) Daddy came home and did a story with just whistling, no talking and we understood it... so I am trying to get the kids to try those ones ;)

Mother by any other name would be as sweet

I recieved this card in the mail today.

from this girl

It is things like this that make me glad I am a homestay mum. I have had around 20 other "children" the past 4 years. It says Dear Bobbie - you are my mother of Australia. I love you! Have a good Mothers Day. Yuko stayed with our family at the end of last year and over christmas she will always be in our memories.

This card came at perfect timing, as just this morning at Mothers Group, I was saying I was feeling guilty for not having another child. AT the present moment my husband has decided he is too old to have more kids (thats what I get for marrying an old man :):) we can't really afford a new (bigger) car, we don't have a house yet and will probably need me to work part time to be able to afford one, and by having 3 girls we feel complete, and hope that they remain close friends as they are (kinda) close in age... and what if it was a boy... POOR THING!!

So through this card I am able to realise that I am a mother to many, and that I can extend my love to more than just my own offspring. Last year we had a few students that will have a place in our hearts and we also had two canadian backpackers (young men from our church - so they were safe :) live in our loungeroom for a month. I love to babysit and see my nephews. I love to mother you all.

So to all my children - Yuko, Kyra, Tatiana, Kang Tae, Rachel, John, Eiji, Antonio, Yukari, Shoto, Sho, Mehdi and many more... THANKS for making me the Mother that I am!

Building a Dome

we made this Newspaper Hut by pepper paints and it was a lot of fun. I rolled a few of the rolls while the kids were at school so it would be ready to go when they got home. You need A LOT of newspaper for this. I made the mistake of going to buy the monday paper (too thin) and so I bought 2...still wasn't enough!! so I raided my neighbours paper bin and got her Sunday Paper - so ask around for paper before beginning this craft.

Go to Pepper's website for the instructions it is very easy to make, once the paper is rolled it comes together in 15 mins. If you have big kid or alot of kids, might have to think about making it larger, it is almost too small for my 7 year old.

I would have liked my kids to be more excited about making it... but they are very tired after school - Anika didn't want to help, but they were more than happy to play in it once finished and are still in there this morning.

Memory Monday

after reading this love post by My happy little life... I too got nostalgic and ran off to find some photos of my dear husband and me....

I am going to steal Kelly's last line
".....I would do anything to re-live the month that followed this picture. the butterflies, first kisses, late nights talking.... it was the beginning of my happy little life." This is exactly how I feel.

There aren't too many photos of my husband and I dating because we only dated less than a month before we got engaged, and married 3 months after that... gee life before digital cameras..... so these are photo's of a photo so I apologise for the quality!


this is what you look like when proposed to at Midnight!!
VERY EXCITED and UNABLE TO SLEEP!

now... thats what I'm talking about...

Children quietly reading to themselves!!!

It does happen sometimes... but not often :( It's only because I was washing the dishes and told them that I would be right back in a minute (yeah right mum)

I do so much reading that it is nearly doing my head in - this week 2 chapters each night of Stuart Little (the book is sooo different from the movie, and 2 chapters from Fairy Fun Day Flags book) and of course picture books for Anika to go to sleep to and well the few baby ones Gabrielle throws at me.

I felt better after reading an article in a childrens magazine that pleaded parents to keep reading to their children. They said reading to children usually tapers off at 8 years of age (when children can read themselves) but it said that it is so much better if parents keep going, reading classics, picking up a chapter in the morning (from what you read the night before) quoting poems and verses more often and opening childrens minds to the magic of the written word.

I always told myself that I would read to my kids every night, and that I had read a quote I think from Mem Fox, that said, the best thing to get a child school ready is to have read 1000 books before they start school. I think we have achieved that goal and beyond.

and yes yes... I know Anika is naked... what's new? Grandma bought her some new PJ's and it was cold here yesterday that she actually wore them all day and night!!

Sabbath

I was glad when they said unto me,
Let us go into the house of the Lord ~ David ~ Psalms.

Sunset Storm

A big black storm came over this afternoon. I got home just in time from a womens conference. We were able to go out on the deck and what this spectacle. The sunset caused the black clouds to turn orange.

Masquerade..

Will we get work as showgirls?

Ahhh the joy that is the school disco. 2 years ago when Kalani told me we had to attend the school disco... I was like What? The school I went to, you had to be in grade 5 before you could do that. My daughters go to a small inner city school - that if all the grades weren't invited there would be 20 people attending. The disco's are very young child centred and all invited to attend, even the 2 year old siblings were boogying down.

Theme was fancy dress/masquerade this time. The girls were excited all week and couldn't wait. They were crafting masks at school- ie the one I am wearing and talking non stop about it. Then the reality hit, tired, cold, and we couldn't leave! We were waiting for Ken to finish work then grocery shopping and come and get us - Anika curled up in the pram with a blanket and went to sleep, at one stage I had all 3 of them on my lap sleeping/griseling.... this is a turn about from last year, when one disco we had to leave early and they complained so hard... this year school is really wearing them out and they need to be in bed by 7pm.

Also last year during the two hours the DJ played about 3-5 songs that I felt were very inappropriate for young children. We were far from the DJ or the principal to voice these opinions (and a little shy, first child at school, inexperienced parents) well this year I was dancing with all my girls and close to the DJ when an inappropriate song was played and so I took the chance early in the night to tell him what I thought, I said "I think this song is a little inappropriate for Prep and Grade 1 children(the majority of those dancing) and he looked at me like I was crazy and just shrugged his shoulders! Well I can say that there were no other suspect songs played the rest of the night - so maybe it worked. I was feeling so nervous after, but another parent said to me they also thought it was inappropriate - and I told her I complained to the DJ and she thanked me - so I am not alone.

But other than all those complaints :) it was a good night and they got to shake their groove thangs.

New Addition

I have added a new link list for craft ideas to do with children on the side bar... I will change it weekly or every few days when I come across new ideas to try. There are so many wonderful blogs out there - so many crafty mumma's - that I just have to share!

Yesterdays craft was ink trees using Autumn leaves from Full Circle . As it is Autumn here, we just had to do this craft - the problem in Australia? Our leaves don't fall off trees, and they don't change colour - well 80% of the trees anyway... there are a few non native trees around the place with leaves turning and falling off. We have a persimmon tree in the back yard which gave me the leaves for this craft.

The ink was supplied by a previous awesome Japanese girl YUKO - who lived with us over Christmas. She gave us a lovely present of Japanese Ink, brushes, paper, ink stone etc to do Japanese calligraphy with - well except that it is really hard and we don't know Japanese so almost impossible without her here, we used the ink to do these instead!

Crush the leaves


Blow ink (ours dried too fast,so we had to use a brush)


put glue around "branches"


sprinkle crushed leaves on


and there you have an autumn tree.

Dear Teacher

sorry we are late... we are too busy crafting??

AFter seeing this post by Simply Stork about having an area just for craft always set up and ready to go... I really wanted one... but I live in a REALLY TINY HOUSE - and don't really have room for such a thing... but I had put my request out into the universe... and two days later my neighbour asks "Would you like a desk for your girls? I am giving this one away" Well I was so shocked I said "yes" and then had to think where I was going to put it.

So we now have a permanent crafting station crammed up next to the kitchen table in the dining room.

I think it is easier to turn off the TV... it is hard to turn off crafts in the morning - WE GOT TO GO TO SCHOOL!

Foody Friday

I try to cook new recipes each week. I spent too many years cooking the same things each week. I also cook what I want to eat... sometimes the kids eat it, sometimes they don't, but I am pretty relaxed about that, and hope that one day they will love all the variety. I also try to do a vegetarian recipe once a week. So I have thought that on Fridays I will post some of the recipes I have trialled during the week.

Spinach and Cheese Turkish Pides

1 pizza dough
1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic clove, crushed
1 bunch spinach, washed and shredded
4 scallion, thinly sliced
250 g fresh ricotta cheese
100 g feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumb
olive oil flavored cooking spray
lemon wedge, to serve

Directions
Make pizza dough -
Melt butter in frying pan over medium heat, cook onion, when clear add garlic and spinach. Cook, stirring until spinach wilts.
Transfer to bowl and cool for 10 minutes.
Add ricotta, feta, pine nuts and breadcrumbs to the spinach. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 200°C Lightly grease two large baking trays.
Cut pizza dough into four. Roll out to a 25cm oval shape.
Spoon filling onto centre of each oval, fold in sides and twist ends (don't totally enclose the filling - the shape should look sort of like boats).
Place onto prepared trays, allowing room for spreading. Spray lightly with oil.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crisp and golden.
Serve with lemon wedges.

Toffee Fruit

2 cups thick vanilla yoghurt
12 pieces stone fruit (it is winter here so I used bananas, grapes, apples, mandarins)
1 cup white sugar

Cut fruit, place into serving dish. Place sugar in non stick frying pan over low heat. Heat tilting pan gently back and forth every few minutes until sugar melts and becomes deep golden in colour. Remove from heat. Pour toffee evenly over fruit. Allow to set. Serve with yoghurt.

Chicken Nuggets and Swiss Chicken (adult nuggets)

Chicken Nuggets

Chicken Breast
plain flour
2 egg beaten
bread crumbs

Dice Chicken breast. Dip each piece in plain flour, egg, breadcrumbs. Shallow fry and eat.

Swiss Chicken


Chicken Breast cut thinly in half
plain flour
beaten egg
potato flakes (instant mash powdered potato)
bacon
Cheese (swiss if you like it)

Place chicken in flour, then egg, then roll in potato flakes. Add a piece of bacon to the top. Bake 20 mins, add a piece of cheese on top, cook until melted. Serve with mash potato, veges, gravy.

Cornmeal Crepe Stack


Crepes
1/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cornmeal (I didnt have any, so I made plain crepes)
220 ml milk
1 egg
1 tbs butter melted

filling
olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
500 g beef mince
1 red capsicum, diced
1 can corn kernels
1 cup chunky salsa ( I just used pasta sauce)
1 cup grated cheese

Make crepes. Combine flour and cornmeal in a bowl, make a well in the centre. whisk milk, egg and butter together. Add to flour. Make smooth batter, Set aside 30 mins. Heat pan. brush with butter, swirl small amount mixture to coat frypan, cook 2 mins. Transfer to plate.

Heat oil in saucepan. Add onion, cook until clear. Add mince, cook until browned. Stir in capsicum, corn and salsa simmer 20 mins. GRease and line spring form pan, or a circular dish. Place one crepe into pan, spoon 1/4 meat, cheese, top with another crepe, continue to desired height.

Bake 20 ins or until golden. Top with coriander, serve with sour cream and avocado if desired.

* My kids loved this, I told them it was pancakes and they ate it all up!!

SO SORRY

Sorry if there are actual interested readers out there (cough cough.... hmmmm no there isn't Bobbie) and that my blog has turned into a what craft I did with my kids today (is anybody finding these useful???)

But I am just so excited in my new found excitement for motherhood!! Now, I did lots of cool things when the older two were little I am sure... but funny how you forget over time, then we got superbusy with my husband being a bishop and always here there everywhere and entertaining a bunchload of YSA... so back to reality...

I now have an almost 2 year old!! EKKK!! And older kids watching too much TV (well it isnt that much, NO TV in the morning here, and they go to bed at 6:30 - so they only watch from 3:30 - 5pm - but even that drives me crazy) So I am trying to reintrest them in their artistic abilties. Another downside was having no money...but we are working on that.....so not being able to send them to any after school activities - I am becoming the afterschool activity... so it's now or never...

Plus my husband and I were discussing the probability that our eldest daughter (almost 8) might only be at home for another 10 years!!! EKK!!!! They also go on monthly daddy daughter dates - just them and daddy for 2-3 hours, they takes turn alternate saturdays - we counted once a month, 3 hours, 24 times a year, till they are 18 - Kalani will only have 430 hours alone with her dad!! so scarey - that is all the time we have to teach her and to let her know she is a daughter of God with an earthly father that loves her SOOOO much.... self esteem etc etc... THERE ISN'T ENOUGH TIME >>>> IT IS RUNNING OUT!!!

So back to being a better quality mother, DON'T read kids craft blogs, montessori and waldorf teaching blogs.... It will make you want to craft, build, create, teach your kids like CRAZY!!

and I will leave you with this quote on why we need more handmade things:

We need handmade to balance the mind-numbingly similar machine-made things around us, things that can only express the efficiency and speed with which they were produced. Craft makes our homes more human. We sense the time, care, and skill that went into the making. Resembling life, in its slow accumulation of experience, a crafted piece is an expression of the daily moods of the maker during its creation. It speaks of the concentration and love with which the object was made. It can be sensuous, intricate, full of sentiment- and imperfect. It carries the imprint of the hands that made it." lise crawford

oh and don't get me started on the BUY HANDMADE (or make) FOR CHRISTMAS.
I will be posting on this in the future.

Enjoy those precious children you have.... they aren't yours forever :(

Rainbow/Playdoh Cookies

Wanna make lots of mess? Let your kids make these biscuits!! This Rainbow Cookie Recipe Instructions shown by Plum Pudding and here are our photos...

I had read that during cooking the colours fade, so we made sure we put in a little extra colouring... but WHOAH... ours certainly did not fade!!

*these are real cookies, not fake as someone suggested.

Done in 2 hours

well it might have been less, but I did it in 10 mins here and there... in one day!! I am so proud of myself... so here is our QUIET FAMILY > based on US!



Idea from Simply Stork . Enjoy making your own.

Mothers Day Loot

After seeing Jan's post on her mothers day loot, thought I would share too..

Lindt chocolate - only because they know I share - and dang my kids with their expensive taste - I think I got 3 of those balls in the end.

A New Earth - Eckhart Tolle - I have been watching the oprah and eckhart online classes HERE - but had to stop due to using too much download - they were awesome - I loved it as 80% of the stuff he is spouting I could relate right back to my religion!! Click here for SPIRTITUAL ENLIGHTMENT So my husband picked up on it after quoting non stop from the videos and thoughtfully got me the book..... but the book is a different story - OOOHHHHH my head.... is hurting from thinking tooo much.... the language is deep and philosophical!! So I could be with this book for a while.

Brush - I am always brushing hair, always squealing going on... so this is a super dooper brush - ions, gel pad handle etc etc and the girls say it doesn't hurt as much, so the claims on the label must be true.

Hairclips - Anika refused to buy me stuff I wanted (Ken went with a list) so after daddy talking her out of buying me shoes (I think for shoes, you have to try them on - plus she is the one that LOVES buying shoes - hmmmm interesting)she settled on the brush and hairclips. And she even got lost from Daddy by hiding in the clothes at Target, so poor daddy was very worried. He went on two separate Daddy daughter dates, two weekends in a row - to get this stash for me - and all I wanted was a heart shaped necklace or a locket..... hmmmmm, apparently he couldn't find the ones I circled in the junk mail :)

I got LOTS of homemade cards from school and home. They were sooo cute.

I also enjoyed a wonderful dinner cooked by my sister for our extended family. She did a very good job. I wish I had taken some photos, I will post the one of me at the end of the day - lying down on a massager blanket - the present to my mum from us kids.

Quiet People

Saw this idea for a
Quiet Family by Simply Stork. I thought they were a great idea. I will be making the cloth one, and will show when I am done.

While we are waiting for me to do that (could take a while) we are living with these pipecleaner versions that I also saw at Simply stork Fuzzy People . They made theirs to live in an altoids Mint tin.

Quiet people have no mouths - perfect when you need to remind children to BE QUIET!! Well my kids were quiet for 10 mins while they made their creations, we'll see if they can be quiet at another time....NOT LIKELY!

Success...

After a friend at mothers group told us of her new "have to eat a vegetable before anything else" rule, it got me thinking that my kids don't eat enough vegetables. Especially with all those ads on tv saying have you had your 2 & 5 (2 fruit, 5 veg - everyday)

So following her advice I cut up broccoli, carrot, cucumber, green beans and made a dip to go with them. This is going to be the after school snack, and I am going to try and sneak it into the lunch box too. Well it was a success, they ate HEAPS! of broccoli and carrot - deemed the favourites and they prefered ranch dressing over my homemade cream cheese and corn relish dip. Now I know that dipping vegetables in ranch is not very healthy, but we will work on slowly elimanting that next.

Why didn't I do this earlier - cause I am lazy! and I personally hate raw carrot... so it was a case of if I don't like it I don't make it, which I am now repenting of...

Mothers Day in Photos