Friday Love

Today I am grateful for...

*Storytime at the library
*The exercise running to get there on time, pushing over 30 kilos worth of kids up a hill!
*Red Radish cafe... One of the only cafes I have ever been to that has a huge play area for kids and I am not worried about the kids getting bored which means fun for kids and relax for Mum!
*Cute kids to play with. Angus had heaps of fun playing peek-a-boo behind the bean bags with a 3 year old boy we met. (He is growing up so quick)
*Such happy kids
*Clay
*Couscous
*Guinea pigs
*Chalk for drawing roads and zebra crossings on concrete. Bike circuits rock.
*Togetherness (even if I had to lock myself in a cupboard at one point for some personal space)

Right Brain Exercise and Encouragement

I loved this idea to protect chalk pastels and so I did this with mine at home. 

Last weekend, I took an art class run by a local Gold Coast artist at her cafe Canvas. It was so much fun. I had been trying for quite a while now to delve into my art but every attempt I made, felt like failure. Like most artists, I am my own worst enemy. What I struggled with was my desired visual outcome. What I achieved was never quite good enough. In life I have been learning that the outcome is not always the most enjoyable part, in fact, it is, in most cases if you let it, the process of doing/creating. Most of you reading may already know this but for me it has only just sunk in and it has significantly changed the way I look at the world around me. Instead of being discouraged by the failure to meet a desired result, I am now only seeking the joy in the process! I don't know why I let this  result based thinking rob me of this joy.

Blind continuous line drawings of my teacher in pencil

We did some right brain exercises which involved drawing in continuous lines without looking at our drawings, drawing with eyes shut, drawing from memory. These exercises allow the right brain to be active without the left brain, (the reasoning) to kick in. I got so much out of this, it helped to shut out all those thoughts that occur (which for me are usually negative). Instead, I was able to clearly focus on my subject or object and notice all the details within. I really improved on my observational skills.

A pear in chalk pastel

 After indulging myself in an art session and a nice cup of coffee I felt so encouraged and rejuvenated. I didn't care what was on my page at the end of the day, I just enjoyed the experience of creating.
Are you a right brain exerciser?

Friday Love

Today I am grateful for...

*A fantastic holiday in Boonah, full to the brim with Easter craft, playing with cousins, exploring the farm, reconnecting with family, learning from wise friends, performing at 'Variety Night' (and laughing our heads off), eating chocolate, making chocolate, avoiding chocolate, experiencing the epic Easter Story at Lake Moogerah, all the help at hand in a large group with kids (if only I had a village like this everyday)
*A home to return to
*A great book I can't put down, "Unschooling Rules"
*Friends who put up with it all and can laugh at most things
*Children who teach me things everyday
*Drive through Coffee Shop
*My True Love who brings flowers home for not only me but for my girls too (Lord please bless them with a love such as this)
*For the generosity of those around me
*Reconnecting with old friends who in 10 years have changed but somehow stayed the same (and multiplied)

Friday Love

Today I am grateful for...
*all the help I can get, my hard-working hubby who always thinks of me and gives me time to be alone and recharge... sew.
*no one drawing attention to the 3 or 4 baskets of washing waiting to be folded for the last week.
*play dates and park meets with so many kids this week, new friends and old.
*the school holidays, time to escape again.
*the mornings a spent drawing and painting with my girls this week.
*the generosity of others, I feel so blessed when others give so freely of themselves, I only hope I can do the same.
*my big girl Poppy who became a real encourager this week
*my little Ruby who completed her potty chart today and is now officially trained
*my baby boy Angus who learned to dance this week - heart melts every time!
I am a lucky girl indeed!
I hope you have all had a lovely Friday and have a fantastic Easter break. x

Kids Craft Idea: Put Your foot In It

We had quite a bit of rain last week and that left us stuck in the house. We ventured downstairs to get creative and we ended up painting with our feet. It was great, the girls got a bit more energy out and got to get very messy as well as creative. We had some large cardboard boxes that we opened up and spread them out on the garage floor. No crazy rock and roll music or drip painting like Pollock but the girls had plenty of fun.

Friday Love

Friday, you have not been kind to me... I've had a shocker so the love is gonna have to wait until tomorrow when I have some perspective! ....back to my wine and chocolate and tacky romcom. blah

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Today I am grateful for

*A good sleep in and a level head to look back at my week with gratitude 

*These little cuties that I shared my week with

*Little Dragon music

*A Night out on the town with my man (he had to tackle me to get back in the car to go home)!

*Our wonderful babysitters

Matching Skirts

1/2 a meter of fabric, 2 meters of binding, 1 meter of elastic and 1 hour later... two cute skirts for my two little girls.

When the girls came home from their morning walk I surprised them with these matching skirts and they were very excited. I wonder how long I can sew for them and get this reaction? I was super excited because of said reaction and because the skirts cost around $4 each and was so quick and simple o make. Love it.

Friday Love

Today I am grateful for...

*Good mates to share the day with
*Three sleepy angels on the drive home
*Health after two days of feeling rotten
*The help of my mum so I could spend a whole day in bed yesterday!
*Two little girls, learning to look after one another... Playing doctors (we have seen a few lately)
*Our lovely new guinea pig additions to our family, Mike and Knight. For the first time in a long time,  there are now more boys than girls in our household.
*Sleep after such a busy week

Kids Craft Idea: Spaghetti Painting

Want to do some painting with the kids? Mix it up today with a sensory twist.

 Instead of paint brushes use spaghetti! This was a cool way to paint and the kids loved it. A little too much at times. The pasta was warm and they made a meal out of it before getting their pasta in the paint... or what remained.

Once again, we had a ball and got very messy indeed. So that's dinner and craft in one! Yay! Now I'm wondering what else we can eat and craft with... Any ideas?

Kids Craft Idea: Tin Bird Feeder

This is a pretty simple, straight forward craft idea that could be as elaborate and decorative as you like and could lead to more learning opportunities.

What you will need:

A large tin, thick twine or rope and bird seed. You will also need some plastic and glue to keep in place. We used an empty milk carton.

Directions:

Remove both ends of the tin with a can opener (make sure there are no sharp edges sticking out). We used a tin with a lid so only one end needed to be removed. Trace a circle around the tin onto a piece of plastic. Cut the circle out and then cut in half. Glue or tape the plastic pieces to the ends of the tin to create a troff type enclosure. When the glue has dried loop a long piece of twine in through the cylinder and use it to hang from a branch. Place bird seed inside. Now wait patiently for the birds to find it...

You can decorate it as little or as much as you like and you could take photos and study the kinds of birds who visit.

Friday Love

Today I am grateful for...

*Rain and plenty of it
*Chocolate Cupcakes and my two little cooks who consumed way too much chocolate icing than the recommended daily intake...
*Storytime online for snuggling up in bed to a good story that I didn't have to read... ah.
*No cook playdough with sparkles less mess for mum, more texture, a little extra sparkle and plenty of squishability for kids.
*The leather belt Angus played with for half an hour
*A very lovely baby sitter who made it possible for me to take down the wet washing and vacuum pathway through the mess.
*Pizza, another favourite cooking activity for a rainy day.

Kids Craft Idea: Puffy Paint

This is a fun craft activity for something a bit out of the ordinary. Make puffy paint. The kids enjoyed making it just as much as using it. Be sure to make plenty if you are going to make a few different colours.

Instructions

• equal parts of flour, salt, and water
• food colouring or tempera paint

Mix dry ingredients thoroughly and add water. Divide into small containers for several colours then add food colouring into each container (you can also use tempera instead of food colouring). Put the paint into squeezey bottles for smooth lines or apply with a paint brush for a more painted and textured effect. Have fun and get messy!

Double Layer Skirt

Love this design. It is the simple kind... Easy for anyone to make.

Ruby is loving this skirt I made for her yesterday. It is a very easy design to make but the added layer makes it a bit fancier, a bit twirlier and a bit more exciting than the average skirt. Sewing binding around the hems of each layer makes it a bit of fun too and you can mix and match materials which I love. I will be making plenty more I think. I'm wondering if the pattern works for big people too... Poppy has already put in her order, anybody else?

The instructions are found here on this lovely lady's blog, Dana Made It, along with heaps of other cool tutorials.

Friday Love

Today I am grateful for...
*A computer!!!! (It was repaired after water made its way into the spacebar which protested)
*Energy expended on a long walk and swim and play with out mates.
*Playschool
*Tap shoes
*Washable textas
*Mousaka for lunch
*The weekend to come

Friday Love

Today I am grateful for...
* friends who drop by with goodies.
* new resolutions
* moments when ALL the kids are asleep.
* empty shopping corridors to run through and balloons
* the times when paint touches paper or canvas (not chairs, floors, strollers, boxes and walls!) Although I am grateful their sense of adventure.
* a 4 year old who can feed a baby, vacuum and mop floors.
* sleep

Photocopy Art

Here is a quick and easy craft idea that your kids might enjoy at any age. Open your photocopier, and arrange an assortment of objects on the glass surface, shut the lid as best you can and print in black and white. High density or contrast works best. The copier will print out an interesting photocopy of your arrangement which you can add to using paints, crayons, pencils etc for an interesting artwork or leave as is for a simpler look or series of prints.
You can experiment as much as you like. You could try objects with interesting textures, transparency, different shapes and contrasting colour or patterns. You could even try printing on the same paper several times for a layered effect... There is lots to learn about and is heaps of fun.

Friday Love

Today I am grateful for...

*The company of such lovely Mummies at our play group
*The 'Curious George' Soundtrack, music to play to...
*A beautiful sunny day that wasn't stinking hot like every other day this week
*Playdough, puzzles, pencils and popcorn that covered the entire carpet but filled the afternoon.

Kid's Craft Idea: Clothes Design

You have to admire children for their honesty.

I made a simple skirt which was a little too drab for my expressive four year old. "We need some decorations" she told me. So she pulled up a chair and said "Okay now, let's get to work." After scrounging around through my button collection and fabric off-cuts she soon came up with a pocket design of her own to jazz up her new skirt. And I can honestly say, I'm glad this little girl knows what she wants and is not afraid to tell me so.

Friday Love

Today I am grateful for...

*The rain

*Midday naps with cuddles from my girls

Poppy's Work Space

I am so amazed at how kids want to learn and how they WILL learn no matter what. I had little to do with this situation but I love the place that we're at.

The other day, Poppy decided to set up her own work space (under no influence from me). So I got the small table and chair we had just painted and made it into a desk. She put it in her room and set it up with tins full of pens and a basket full of exercise books and sat down to draw. Today she was in there again, she announced, "Ok, now I'm going to do some work," and off she went. I gave her one task, to draw her favourite place. It was Australia Zoo so she drew all the animals she saw and added some text, I wrote the names of the animals and she practiced writing them herself. 

I am amazed. Poppy is, by her own will and initiative, teaching herself and forming her own patterns and rituals, with little direction from me. And this coincides with the beginning of the school term, in which Poppy would be starting kindergarten. My mind is at ease now. How wonderful it is watching her grow and learn here in our home.