just because it's not Halloween..

We know it's not Halloween... meh..missed that one (well we don't really celebrate it much here in Australia) but tonight after school we accidentally fell into a ghoulish type theme. Completely impromptu. On walking back to the car from school we passed a school mate's little brother with a Spiderman painted face. During our drive home it was decided that Mum would face paint this evening... and Mum begrudgingly agreed! Admittedly once we got started it was fun and I got into the spirit. I think the painted finger nails just topped it off and kept the customers happy.

On Monday I found out that a friend who I hadn't seen for a couple of years had passed away after being diagnosed with leukaemia only 8 months earlier. Like me, she had 3 children (almost identical ages) who have lost their devoted mother in the saddest of circumstances. She discovered her illness 3 weeks prior to giving birth to her youngest son and was consequently isolated from him for the first 3 months of his life. It has absolutely shocked me beyond belief that this could happen to a beautiful young woman in the prime of her life with so much love to give and receive from her growing family. It seems that almost everything I do throughout the day reminds me of Nicole and the loss that must be felt by her family. It's a reminder that life really must be lived each day to the fullest as you never know if it will be your last. On that note, I decided to take the kids bowling on Monday night after school which is not something we would usually do on a week night. As Nicole would have said, "it was ace!"  Rest in peace lovely lady.

impatient harvesting

We've been watching our little produce garden grow now for a couple of months. Anyone would think we were green thumbs, but alas, I put it down to beginners luck. We've even been in a position to share the love and make up a few bundles of parsley & herbs for friends and family.... I know.... who would have thunk it???

All this excitement lead Ruby and I to the assumption that our baby carrots must be flourishing like our herbs...  so we took to the little patch with much enthusiasm and pulled those babies.

It was ever so exciting to see them come out of the ground, even better to see my five year old pulling them given she planted in the first place. 

Sadly, after washing and cooking we discovered that they were a little too premature and not quite sweet enough for our palette. Fortunately we have another 2 bunches which we'll patiently leave alone for a while longer. The back yard is starting to look like a blank canvas (this is good, as it means the weeds and junk are going) so we are getting closer to creating our dream veggie garden with fruit trees and a few chooks. First project will be to plant potatoes in the old tyres. Isn't Spring just the best season for getting motivated and productive!

butterfly, batman & bunnies

We have recently acquired a set of face paints.

The face painting has lead to dressing up. Lots of dressing up. They make me laugh!

I read back my last blog post and realised that I sounded like I have issues with girls being girls and boys being boys. If I can please clarify. What I was trying to say is that I wish children weren't taught to act a certain way based on their gender. I believe that every child should be encouraged to play with and play as whatever they choose. As a Mum I try to demonstrate to my children that we can be whatever we dream of - male or female/boy or girl makes no difference. I was never the best student at school when it came to english & literature.... nothing has changed! Maybe I should just stick to the arty stuff :)

easter is in da house : coloured eggs & bunny ears

Happy Easter! We're off to the park for our annual Easter Picnic - hope you have yourselves a relaxing day.

This years Easter crafting included new bunny ears (next year if I get myself organised I'll put together a tutorial on how to make them) and colouring boiled eggs. One project for me & one for the kids. Typically left to the last minute - yesterday. Aaah I wouldn't know myself if it was any other way!

baking tray printing

If you are a parent or carer at home with pre-schoolers (or even schoolers now that the holidays have started) and looking for creative activities to keep them occupied then look here for a multitude of ideas by Amber, a clever mum with her own "two little craftmonkeys". You can even sign up and have weekly inspiration popped into your inbox. Too easy.

Today we made our own hand printed Christmas Cards using this tutorial. Ruby (who is 4) was able to do most of this on her own with just a little assistance. She was just beaming with a sense of achievement at the end.



The thing I like about this activity is that other than a paint roller (which we purchased at the local hardware store for a couple of dollars) everything else you will need is probably in your house. This is good for me as I tend to do things on the spur of the moment with little (ok honestly usually no) forward planning. Yes Mum.... nothing has changed! Often my ways lead me to creative thinking as I'm left to find substitutes for ingredients or materials I don't have at hand. This has resulted in some disasters along the way but also made the making fun and the end product uniquely ours.