Fun in a Bucket

One of the easiest, most sure ways to engage kids in simple outdoor play is to add a little water to the mix.

 

One classic idea is to let the kids “wash dishes” outside.

All you need is a couple of buckets, or big bowls, some dishes for washing (you’ll probably want to choose the unbreakable variety), and some water. Add a dot of dish soap to one container of water and reserve the other container for rinsing. 

What a simple way to enjoy a little time in the shade – washing, rinsing, splashing, talking, laughing, and playing.

 

 

Whether it comes from a sprinkler, a swimming pool, or the beach, there’s nothing quite like playing in water in the summertime.

 

These are cheap plastic tubs from The Warehouse filled with water. (usually have toys stored in them)

 

 

 

Splash through spring and into summer with fun water games and activities for the whole family to enjoy

 

A favourite at our house is Water Balloon War – kids love the competitive nature of a good, old-fashioned water balloon fight. A laundry basket makes a great container for freshly filled balloons; simply line the bottom with a towel to prevent any sharp edges from puncturing the balloons, causing them to detonate early.

 

 

Whats your Favourite water play activities you do at your house? We would love some more ideas, Leave a message in the comments box below

 

 

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Family

The last time we had our family picture taken was when Georgia was just the tiniest bump in my belly. And now here we are with a 5 year old and an almost 3 year old, so we figured we'd better get it documented before we have another child or something crazy...

 

All dressed up and ready for my brothers wedding

 

When was your last family photo? Do you try doing them every year or just find it only happens when you have a family get together where your all dressed up?

Let us know in the comments box below

 

The big 5

 

 

We had James 5th Birthday Party at our home.....with 26 kids and their parents!! I can laugh now because it is over and not only did we survive, but James had the "Bestest time ever".

 

 

Friday saw me all domesticated and baking and I even wore an apron (give me a sec whilst I shine my domestic halo). I was feeling very Martha like except for the part where I had a complete meltdown over the Oreo Pops that I had seen on Pinterest and tried to recreate. After I destroyed 3 packets of Oreos trying to get them on sticks, I finally admitted defeat and started with easy Rocky Road slice instead.

 I then went on to bake and create until I was completely spent and I had a fridge full of goodies for the party the next day...

 

So without further adieu, I present to you James Magical 5th Birthday Party.

 

 

James LOVES Thomas the tank engine and all his friends.

So this year being 5 years old, we went with "James the Red and Black number 5 train" as our theme.

It really was a Special party for one very happy little 5 year old. After the guest were thanked, farewelled and sent home with a lolly bag, we collapsed with exhaustion.

 

Oh I nearly forgot (yeah likely) the cake.

 

We asked James what he wanted for his birthday cake and no surprises he wanted something which would involve a train from his Thomas collection.

 

Train quarry cake

 



 

 

Happy 5th Birthday James

 

 

What are your Christmas traditions?

Can you believe that there are less than 100 days until Christmas? I've noticed that Pinterest is full of wonderful Christmas ideas, some stores here in New Zealand have already got their Christmas displays ready and lots of Christmas blogs are posting more and more frequently.... I guess I'd better get myself organised and find some Christmas inspiration.

6 Christmas Gift ideas to buy for under $30

Here a are 6 ideas of gifts under $30 all from New Zealand shores. Make your Christmas easy and buy online from local businesses this year! 

 

#1 - Ducks bath toy, Source

 



 

#2 - Spike Back Pack, Source
 

#3 -  Bananagrams, Source

 

 

#4 - Fix-It Tool Box, Source

 

 

 #5 - Ukulele, Source

 

 #6 - Magnetic Board, Source
 

 

Christmas in New Zealand is the complete opposite of traditional images of Christmas. Movies, books and Christmas cards nearly always show Christmas as cold and snowy, with people wrapped up in their warm clothes and gathered around a crackling fire. In New Zealand though, it’s warm and (if we’re lucky) sunny, with people in shorts, t-shirts and jandals.

James decorated most of our tree by himself Last year.
He designated himself in charge of the “tournaments,” his word for ornaments, and he took his job very seriously by giving orders to Georgia.

 

If my kids could, they'd leave the Christmas tree up all year round.

 

Christmas is a time of traditions, the things that you do year after year. There are lots of different traditions from all over the world, including:

• In Brazil, fireworks go off in the skies over the cities and huge Christmas ‘trees’ of electric lights can be seen against the night skies in major cities such as Brasilia, San Paolo, and Rio de Janeiro.
• In Greece, very few presents are given to each other. Instead, small gifts are given to hospitals and orphanages.
• In Switzerland, bell ringing has become a tradition, and each village competes with the next when calling people to midnight mass. After the service, families gather to share huge homemade doughnuts called ringli and hot chocolate.
• In Wales, taffy making is an important part of the Welsh Christmas. This involves making a special kind of chewy toffee from brown sugar and butter. It is boiled and then pulled so that it becomes lovely and glossy.

What are your Christmas traditions? We will be sharing our Christmas traditions with you over the next couple of weeks but we would love to know how you celebrate Christmas...
Leave us a comment in the box below 

 

YUM

Red Velvet CupCakes

 

Red velvet cake and red velvet cupcakes have become increasingly popular on the past year

 

 

Velvet Cupcakes – they’re such a classic cupcake and would be a perfect treat to bake over the coming weekend. Give them ago!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups (125gs) sifted flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup (57g) butter, at room temperature
3/4 cups (150g) White Sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla essance
1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk
1 Tbsp liquid red food coloring
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:8oz (227g) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (60g) Icing Sugar, sifted
2/3 cup slightly whipped cream

Method

Red Velvet Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F) and line 12 muffin tins with paper cupcake liners. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.
Working quickly, divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 18-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then remove from pan. Let cool completely before frosting. Either spread the frosting with a knife or offset spatula, or use a large 1M Wilton open star decorating tip to pipe the frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and icing sugar and beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to pipe. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.
Makes 12 cupcakes.

Pet day

This exciting day takes place annually early in the fourth school term. It is a day to bring along the much loved pets and any creations that the students have made.

 

Its nearly that time of year again, PET DAY

Pet days are an enduring country school event.

 

Last year James and Georgia were in the preschool section. They each had a lamb.

 

 

Over the past few decades, a growing body of research has shown that the presence of pets and companion animals is beneficial to human health and well-being. Pets can have a profound impact on the psychological and intellectual development of children, which is why having a class pet or setting aside a designated day as "pet day" can be extremely beneficial to students and teachers alike.

 

Pets Stimulate Creativity

Children are naturally curious and imaginative, and having a pet around can stimulate that natural curiosity. Most children are interested in or inquisitive about animals, regardless of whether they have a pet at home or not. Many teachers who have had pet day at school have said that the presence of an animal seemed to stimulate their students' creativity in the arts, literature and music. Even students who did not have a natural aptitude for the arts would write stories, draw pictures and act out plays involving the animal.

 

In November I will blog about pet day.

Can't wait to show you photos and tell you how all it goes.

James is now at school so will be entering the judged sections.

He has a Lamb called Milly and is having a calf called Molly!!

(Watch this space)

 





To Reproduce or Not to Reproduce...

Well, the news is out! Finally! We were so excited to announce to the world that we are expecting a little bundle in July!

 

 

I think I have three main reactions right now. Excitement. Nerves. and Relief.
Obviously the excitement and joy are overwhelming, Nerves are because I'm going to be having a 3rd child and Relief because Georgia keeps asking for a baby sister or brother.

 

 

I used to have these thoughts in my head of having 4 or 5 kids. But with having had 2 kids already that idea has changed. Ryan and I spent a little bit of time here and there chatting about the why’s and why not’s of us actually committing to having another baby.

Should we reproduce???

 

Why Reproduce???

The reasons to do it weren't as compelling as with my previous two kids. It's not like we needed to make another kid to keep the first one company - that box was checked. And we already had the two major genders covered. But aside from just generally wanting a bigger family, I had this nagging sense that someone was missing. I'd look at our dining table and think, if we don't have another kid, there's always going to be an empty place at our table that someone should be sitting in. (Some would say we should have just gotten a smaller table.) This was not a rational feeling, and I hate having irrational feelings. It seemed like a stupid thing to consider, anyway, what if we did have a third kid, and those feelings bubbled up again? It wasn't like I was prepared to keep scratching that itch indefinitely, so why not stop now?

 

Middle Child Syndrome

 

Then there was the issue of middle child syndrome. Initially, I didn't know what this term meant, but it didn't sound good. There's just something about the word "syndrome" that seems sinister; you can put it next to another word that's perfectly innocuous and it will instantly start sounding bad. Take "eyebrow," for example. Eyebrows are great, everyone has them, yet if you say "eyebrow syndrome " suddenly things look pretty grim.

 

Being me, I ended up Googling "middle child syndrome" and reading roughly 50 different definitions of it (some of which conflicted with others). Based on what I read I wasn't convinced that it was a real problem, it seemed to me that there were so many other ways in which we'd probably screw up the kids that a little thing like birth order would be hardly noticeable.

 

You'd think that a person who had already decided to have two kids (without angst, without doubts) would have no trouble deciding whether to have a third - but, um, no. For all the reasons I mentioned above, the decision was much harder the third time around, and Ryan and I continued to waffle. We'd decide that we definitely, absolutely wanted another child, and then we'd be up all night with two kids crying and being sick on us and think, there's no way we're signing up for this again. Only complete idiots would have three kids on purpose.

 

One reason for having three kids is so that you can stop talking about having three kids.

 

So with that we decided to have a 3rd child, We didn't want to spend our lives wondering....