Archive for September, 2009

September 30, 2009

In the kitchen: Traffic light jelly

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Traffic Light Jelly is a pretty simple treat that looks really cool!

Although this can be done in a bowl, I think putting them in individual glasses has much more of a “wow factor”.

The cups you use don’t have to be stemmed, as long as they are see-through.

The kids all choose a colour that they were going to be “in charge of”.

DD8 was first. She mixed the green jelly and poured it into the cups using a ladle.

TIP: It helps if you do the first one, and then the child uses it as a guide to fill the other cups to the same height. Also it makes the jelly set quicker if half the amount of water is boiling hot. Stir and dissolve. Then put the second half of the water in, but this time put in cold water. This way the water ends up being luke warm, so it cools down and hardens quicker. When you put the cups in the fridge to set, put them on a tray to make transporting them in and out of the fridge easier.

Once the jelly was semi set (you put your finger in and it is solid), DD6 came along to add her yellow jelly. (you can use orange)

DS4 added the final colour, red!

DD2 made a bowl of traffic light jelly with the left over jelly that didn’t make it into the cups. (This was an easier job for her, rather than spooning set amounts into individual cups)

We started making this late morning, and it was all done by after dinner for dessert! YUM!

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September 30, 2009

Spending detox: Day 3

Ummmm….I’m sounding like a broken record….but I slept in again! Hmmmm…I am starting to see what goal I need to be working on very soon!

How we spend day three:

  • Kids all played dolls etc together

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  • We made a huge mess, and had loads of fun with junk construction
  • I went met up with 3 of my friends for a “girls night in” at my friend’s place,where I taught them how to make sushi TEMPTATON: go out and buy some yummy drink for the night

MONEY SPENT TODAY: $0.00

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED:

  • Just because I am on holiday, doesn’t mean my laundry is! I have so much laundry to catch up on! What was I thinking? That the laundry would collect and wash itself?
  • Stress and anxiety = Stressed and anxious Mother. I have no idea how mother’s working from how fit everything in? I took the opportunity while the kids watched the DVD to try and work on the Playcentre training schedule for next term. I need to get it sorted by the end of this week, and the added stress does not help me be a happy mother!
  • Let go, regroup and rejoin the kids. Sometimes you just need to let the stress go. Park it, and address it later. It takes effort to unwind and let go of the stress, but it is so worth it. It is so much more fun to be “present” and enjoy the kids, rather than having your mind plagued with things you can not sort out while the kids are still awake. I was glad that I did this, so I was able to be “present”with the kids. We ended up making kebabs  (I was being a funny mummy in the kitchen and started dancing around while DD2 and DS4 yelled out “stop” and “go”…..did I mention that there was no music…hmmmm unless you call the tunes coming out of my mouth music!), and then I went out and got the junk mail, which gave me the idea of doing junk construction with the boxes etc in our recycling bin and old catalogues etc.
  • Having fun the with kids is great, but you need to keep the routines up, otherwise you pay for it later. Case and point: the laundry.
  • If you do not project ahead and plan according, you will end up making more trouble for yourself. Dinner was late, which had the roll on effect of the clean up being late, and by the time I was due to walk out the door for a meeting, my hubby was left with all the tidy up and bedtime was just around the corner….oooops!
  • Good conversation with Good friends + Good food = A Good night. We all staggered out of my friend’s house past midnight. We had no idea it was that late because we were having such a good natter!

You may also be interested in:

Is it possible to not spend any money during the school holidays?

Spending detox: Day 1

Spending detox: Day 2

Spending detox: Day 4

Spending detox: Day 5

Spending detox: Day 6

Lessons Learned & Spending detox: Day 7

Posted in 1 Week Challenges, Homemaking, Random Ramblings, Stretching your Dollar | Leave a Comment »

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September 29, 2009

Fave five: Fun and easy games

These are my favourite games to play with the kids. They are so simple and fun and all the children enjoy them (even the adults!)

  1. Tickle Monster – We all gather in a room with a bit of space, and I close my eyes, spin around a few times and start reaching out to find the kids. The kids run around to try and avoid my clutches (usually screaming with delight)! When I find them I tickle them! TIP: I usually shuffle around on my knees, so I don’t walk straight into the wall or something. I also started wearing gloves so I wouldn’t accidently scratch any of the kids while I fling my hands around trying to find them.
  2. Hide and Seek in the Dark - We turn off as many lights as the younger children are comfortable with. Then you play hide and seek like normal, except the person who is “it” has a torch or lantern that they use to find everyone with.
  3. Red Light, Green Light  – Everyone lines up against the wall opposite to the person who is “it”. The person who is “it” faces away from everyone and yells “green light!”. Everyone starts moving towards the person who is “it” until the person who is “it” yells “red light!” and turns around to face everyone. At that moment, everyone has to freeze! Then the person who is “it” says “green light” and turns and faces away from everyone etc etc. Everyone tries to move during the “green light” to get to the person who is “it” first and win the game! If you move during a “red light” you have to return to the start.
  4. What’s the time Mr Wolf? – The person who is “it” is the wolf. They stand at the opposite end of everyone else. Everyone yells “What’s the time Mr Wolf?” The wolf replies with a time eg “1 o’clock” – then everyone steps forward one step. It can be any time up to 12 o’clock eg “4 o’clock” – then everyone steps forward four steps. Once they finish stepping forward, they ask the wolf again “What’s the time Mr Wolf?” and the wolf will continue to say another time “3 o’clock” etc etc whatever he likes. At some point the wolf will say instead of a time, he will yell ”Dinner time!!” which means he starts chasing everyone to pretend to eat them, and everyone starts running away from the wolf. TIP: if your kids get scared at the idea of a wolf eating them, let them know that if they get back to the wall before the wolf gets them, they are safe.
  5. Musical Statues - Pretty easy. Just turn up the music and dance when the music is on, and freeze when the music stops. We sometimes dance different styles of dancing, like ballet, or crazy dances etc.  The kids love being in charge of stopping and playing the music. I think they get a lot of enjoyment out of being in control over whether mummy moves or not.

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September 29, 2009

Spending detox: Day 2

Once again, we all woke up late, but I can’t blame it on daylight savings this time because I went to bed late the night before!

How we spent Day 2:

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  • We went to the craft workshop at the hardware store.

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  • Watched a show at the mall. TEMPTATION: they were selling a cute tote bag to raise funds for a charity and the kids wanted to go upstairs and have an ice cream like we have done in the past.

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  • Went to a park that we haven’t been to before TEMPTATION: there was a shop across from the park with a big sign saying “fresh bread” yum!
  • Had a yummy lunch at home
  • Watched DD6′s free DVD that she choose yesterday
  • Did more origami and the girls dressed up as farm animals
  • Had dinner at home
  • Went out to get DD8′s free DVD. TEMPTATION: saw a couple of DVDs that I wanted to rent.
  • Played tickle monster
  • Played hide and seek in the dark

MONEY SPENT TODAY: $0.00

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED TODAY:

  • I could have easily spent little bits of money here and there without thinking today.
  • You don’t necessarily need to go out to have fun. We had just as much fun yesterday when were stuck inside because of the weather.
  • Not having a strict plan meant that I didn’t have the added stress of trying to push the kids to keep to a schedule. We only decided to go to the craft workshop about an hour before it started. When we finished the crafts, I decided to try a nearby park that we had not been to before.  On our way to the park, we drove past the mall, and I remembered a show was starting in 5mins, so we stopped by. After that, it was off to the park and then home for lunch.
  • Being prepared pays off! The kids gobbled down the fruit and water we packed. Another set of clothes would have come in handy when one child spelt water on their pants, and the other got their top all dirty. If we didn’t pack any food, and the spills were worse, we would have had to cut out outing short.
  • Provide activities that suit your children. You know your child best, and what they will or will not enjoy. The younger kids didn’t really go for the pot painting, so we went for a walk in the outdoor area of the shop, while the older girls finished up. My DS4 found the music at the mall event too loud, so I stood back with him, while the others sat closer to the stage etc etc
  • There are definitely parks that you need to closely supervise children (eg where there is water or equipment that the younger ones may be unsafe on), and there are parks that you could get away with sitting down the entire time. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Atlhough today’s park was one that I had to closely supervise the kids (which is sometimes hard when the younger ones are going in different directions) there was lots to do and it kept them entertained for a long time.
  • It is sometimes tough to manage outings with children who range in ages. The older ones get too far ahead, while the younger ones get behind. It’s important to regroup and restate the rules to keep everyone safe. A happy outing means you are more likely to do it again!

You may also be interested in:

Is it possible to not spend any money during the school holidays?

Spending detox: Day 1

Spending detox: Day 3

Spending detox: Day 4

Spending detox: Day 5

Spending detox: Day 6

Lessons Learned & Spending detox: Day 7

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September 27, 2009

Free activities to do with your children

  1. Check out if there are any free activities at your local library. Sometimes they have story time, or special events during the school holidays.
  2. Check out if there are any events happening at your local mall.
  3. Bake some easy recipes with the kids like pikelets, rainbow cupcakes, pita bread/toast pizza etc.
  4. Make traffic light jelly.
  5. Arrange a playdate at a friend’s place or arrange to meet at a park.
  6. Go park hopping to your favourite parks or go on an adventure to a park that you have never been to before. You can usually find lists of playgrounds on your local council websites or take a look in your map.
  7. Have the kids help you make a picnic and go to the local airport and watch the planes take off.
  8. Time to get messy! Make your own playdough, gloop or fingerpaint and have fun!
  9. Go to your local kid friendly museum that doesn’t charge for parking!
  10. Get the children to help you make a family newsletter to email out to family and friends. Have them summarise what they have been doing lately (if they are old enough they can type it themselves, or you could ask prompting questions to your younger children.)
  11. Pack some water, a warm top and a snack and go on a nature walk. You could even bring some paper and crayons to do some bark rubbings and collect materials for a nature collage.
  12. Go bike riding/scootering/roller blading at the local school.
  13. Fill a sink up with soapy water and let them go for it.
  14. Get a paintbrush and bucket and let the kids “paint” the fence with water.
  15. Potions making. Provide a bowl, spoon and a selection of items from your pantry (flour, herbs, cocoa, essences) and items collected from the outdoors (flowers, grass, bark). Pretend to be magicians and make up silly spells.

Last updated: Monday, 28 Sept 2009

I will keep adding to this as I think of things.

Please share what fun things you like to do with your child/ren!

Posted in Fun Kids Activity, Stretching your Dollar | 1 Comment »

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September 27, 2009

Spending detox: Day 1

Our sleeping is all out of wack because of Day Light Savings. We all woke up so late today for the first day of the holidays and Day One of the Spending Detox!

As I mentioned, my girls were not too enthusiastic about my “brilliant” idea! We later had a talk about whether they have ever done something that seemed hard or challenging, but then succeed, and how they felt when they achieved it. I tried to explain that, this week was going to be similar to that. It is something that may seem difficult, but we will feel so good when we achieve our goal. (not too sure what the drama is about, it’s not like I am a spending queen…hehehe)

The kids have been playing so nicely today. The 3 older children have been playing barbies (well, my girls were playing barbies and my boy was using his mobilo and playing with the girls and their barbies) My two year old just pottered around playing with the others, and following me around. She also enjoyed some water play in the sink towards the end of the day.

I started to make a list of things that we could do during the holidays that was free. I even found some free local events that we could attend if we wanted.

We had an early lunch and missed morning tea since we had a late breakfast. As I was cleaning up, I made a note to myself that if we were going to do various activities at home, it would be really important to make sure that we have as much space available. In other words, we all needed to pitch in to keep the benches clean (so that we could bake or do messy play in the kitchen if we wanted to) and keep the family room manageable (I’m sure the clean space that was available to the kids this morning fostered their lengthy play there.) So keeping on top of the house is going to be an important challenge this week.

Oh! Another important challenge: to get plenty of sleep. I know when I am tired, I don’t have as much patience and the fun ideas don’t seem to flow.Wasn’t so tired today, so I’m sure that helped me have a good day.

After I cleared the bench etc, I made a batch of playdough. I thought it could come in handy if the kids got bored and came to look for something to do.

The two younger ones played with this, while the older girls continued to play dolls. Later on the older girls came and made all sorts of fun things. DD8 made an apple that opened up to reveal a smiling worm inside…cute!

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After hubby came home, I went out with DD6 (darling daughter 6 year old) to go get her free DVD. (I asked my DD6 to write down the order of when people go out and choose their DVD for the day – the perk for her was that she put herself first!)

We didn’t end up watching any TV today. My DS4 asked to watch TV whenever he was bored, I managed to distract him by getting him involved in what I was doing or making some origami or printing him out some cut and paste worksheets that he started getting interested in yesterday.

How do you fill your time during the school holidays? Is it something that you love or dread?

You may also be interested in:

Is it possible to not spend any money during the school holidays?

Spending detox: Day 2

Spending detox: Day 3

Spending detox: Day 4

Spending detox: Day 5

Spending detox: Day 6

Lessons Learned & Spending detox: Day 7

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September 27, 2009

Free school holiday fun in Wellington (NZ)

Did you know that it is possible to have fun and keep to a budget?! You can provide your children with exciting, new and fun experiences without having to fork out any money…here is how:

  • Rent a free DVD: Go to your local Video Ezy store and ask if they have a “Holiday Card”. This card allows one household a free kids weekly movie every day of the holidays (26 Sept – 11 Oct).
  • Attend a free show: Go dance and sing along with the NC Duck this week at 11am and 2pm from Mon 28 Sept – Fri 2 Oct. There will also be a night show on Thur 1 Oct at 6pm. http://www.northcityshopping.co.nz/duck-web
  • Watch some circus acts: Go and see the amazing circus acts at Westfield, Queensgate, Lower Hutt at 1.30pm, Mon 28 Sept – Fri 2 Oct. Monday 28 – Diabolo, Tuesday 29 – Juggling, Wednesday 30 – Devil Sticks, Thursday 1  – Spinning Plates, Friday 2 – Juggling. http://westfield.co.nz/queensgate/news/ItsCircusTime.html
  • Watch a funny magic show: Zappo the magician and his assistant Zappolina will be visiting the Johnsonville Mall to perform two shows daily at 11 am and 1pm  from Monday 5 Oct – Friday 9 Oct. They are also launching their album “Wibbly Wobbly”.
  • Go to a craft workshop: That will cost money, I hear you say, not at Bunnings! They have Kids DIY Clinics where they do lots of creative activities. This school holidays their theme is “Craft in the Garden”. Workshops are free for children over the age of 5 and must be accompanied by an adult. Bookings are essential for all classes, you need to contact your local Bunnings store (Naenae or Porirua) to register.  http://www.bunnings.co.nz/learn-how-to-DIY_kids-diy-clinics.aspx

Let me know if you know of any other free events around Wellington!

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September 27, 2009

Is it possible to not spend any money during the school holidays?

So here is the thing. I woke up this morning thinking it would be a great idea to have a spending detox for a week. In other words not spend any money other than for bills, groceries and petrol for a week.

When I told my 6 and 8 year old daughters, they were not too impressed.

I quote…. “nooooooo!” (note to self: must try and sell the idea a bit more!)

Now I could easily not spend any money for a week if I wanted to. I mean, I have done it plenty of times….granted there was usually a sick child in the house, so we were house bound…hmmm…maybe that doesn’t count??

So my first order of business (basically to make me feel better) was to do some research. I wanted to know what was out there that was free during the holidays. Do you know what? I was pleasantly surprised, there is actually quite a bit on! Bless those lovely people who are putting on all these lovely activities for the children free of charge! It is making my job to stick to this goal a whole bunch easier! yeah!!

So, I will post what I have found out, and I would love it if you would tell me what you do with your children during the holidays to stay sane, and keep from going bankrupt!

You may also be interested in:

Spending detox: Day 1

Spending detox: Day 2

Spending detox: Day 3

Spending detox: Day 4

Spending detox: Day 5

Spending detox: Day 6

Lessons Learned & Spending detox: Day 7

Posted in Random Ramblings, Stretching your Dollar | 1 Comment »

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September 27, 2009

In the kitchen: Cooked Playdough

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This is the playdough recipe that we use at Playcentre. This recipe is perfect for my 4 kids, so halve it if you have less than 4 kids, and double it if you have more than 4!! Once you start making your own playdough, you won’t need to buy it any more, and as long as you keep the ingredients topped up in your cupboard (especially the salt) you can make it on demand!

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  • 3 cups Flour
  • 1 1/2 cups Salt
  • 3 tablespoons Cooking Oil
  • 6 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
  • 3 cups Water

Put all the ingredients together in a large pot and stir it constantly over a medium heat.

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Add some food colouring if you wish, or you can wait until the end and split the dough and add different colours.

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Once the playdough starts to come away from the bottom and sides of the pot, take the pot off the heat, and plop the playdough on some flour.

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Kneed until you get a nice texture and it isn’t too sticky.

PLEASE NOTE: When you are finished with the pot, fill it with water immediately to make cleaning a lot easier.

Also this playdough is extremely hot when you start kneeding it so, please take care, and do not give it to the children until it has cooled.

Apparently this playdough will keep indefinitely if stored in a covered container

Posted in Fun Kids Activity, In the Kitchen | 2 Comments »

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September 25, 2009

Paper shapes mosaics

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My 6 year old daughter

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My 2 year old daughter and 4 year old son

My 8 year old daughter

My 8 year old daughter

My 2 year old daughter

My 2 year old daughter

Materials needed:

  • glue stick
  • coloured paper
  • scissors
  • cellotape

As I was finishing my star chart, my DS4 (darling son aged 4) and DD2 (darling daughter aged 2) said they wanted some stars too. So I cut them out some stars and gave them some paper and a glue stick. My DS4 then cut out some strips of paper and stuck it by his stars to make “shooting stars”. He requested some more shapes, so off I went to get some coloured paper and cut out a bunch of shapes in different sizes and colours.

They had a blast! Then DD8 and DD6 came home, and said “what are you guys doing?!?!” and joined in straight away.

So as you can see this activity is suitable for all ages. It is great for fine motor skills as the little hands manage the scissors, glue and cellotape. They are also able to express themselves creatively. There is shape and colour recognition as well. (My 4 year old would go over to the Tupperware Shape-O to get ideas on what other shapes he could add to his picture.) My children also had to practice patience, turn taking and negotiation skills as we had one glue stick, one cellotape dispenser and one pair of scissors. Sure I could have got a few more supplies, but sometimes it is good to provide opportunities where they get to practice those skills.

I took photos of them working on their artwork to put in their journals, and I videotaped them talking about their pictures that we stuck in our kitchen, so we can document this fun memory.

TIP: Have paper and scissors available so that the children can cut out any other shapes that they want for their pictures.

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September 25, 2009

Seeing and appreciating the stars

Star Chart

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Last week I was reading “The Incredible Gifts of Women: 12 Gifts That Will Change Your Life Now” by  Barbara Barrington Jones . In the book there are many stories of women who went through difficulties and sadness, but they came out of it with hope and courage. I just felt so humbled.

Before I went to bed, I went out to the lounge to say my prayers. As I finished my prayer I looked up through the window and saw the most beautiful starry night. A dark cloud then came by and obscured the stars for a time, before it moved on. As I looked at the beautiful stars again, the thought came to me…these stars are like the blessings in my life, so beautiful and such a source of joy. The clouds that hide the stars are like the times I focus on the negative, or what isn’t going right. I am so caught up with thinking about other things, that I can not see the good things in my life. The blessings, the good things in my life are still there, but so often they seem to get overshadowed.

These thoughts have stayed with me throughout this week. I have tried to be “in the present”, trying to appreciate and really “see” and take notice of all the good things. I tried to not let my thoughts get overshadowed by regret for past actions, or anxiety about the future.

Tonight I made a simple little chart, to help me notice the good things during the day.

Whenever I would think of something that I am grateful for, or when something happened that made me smile, I would write it down on a pre-cut star and put it on my chart. It has helped me to “live in the moment” and appreciate the many wonderful things or “stars” that can easily be looked over and forgotten.

How often do you take stock of your life? How do you stay “present” and “live in the moment”? What do you do to notice and appreciate the good things in your life?

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