Archive for December, 2009

December 31, 2009

Housework and Fun?? It is possible!

It’s been a great week of relaxing. Yesterday, we went on another of my favourite bushwalks in Khandallah that ends up at the Khandallah Playground.

This morning, hubby and I worked on our goals for the year.

Next, was getting the house back in order!

On small pieces of paper we wrote what job needed to be done and a fun a game. The aim was to do the job for 20 mins, then stop and play the game as a family for 10mins. We put all the pieces of paper in a container and took turns drawing out the job and associated game. This worked well for our children aged 8, 7 and 5…my 2 year old pottered around, and helped out here and there. It also kept me from getting overwhelmed by focusing on a small job rather than the entire house….oh! and focusing on the game at the end didn’t harm either! We also took plenty of food breaks, and kept things light and fun!

This is what we got done today:

JOB: My youngest daughter’s room. GAME: Musical Statues

JOB: My son’s room. GAME: Hide and seek

JOB: Laundry. GAME:Trampoline

My hubby flipping the kids on the tramp

JOB: Kitchen. GAME: “Don’t eat the Prophet!” (An alternative to “Dont eat Pete” that the kids were taught at church. I have pictures of prophets that I scattered on the floor, then we put a lolly on each of the prophet’s face. One person covers their eyes or goes out of the room, while the group chooses one of pictures to be “it”.  When the player returns, they eat the lollies one at a time; but the minute they touch the picture that is “it” we all yell out “DON’T EAT THE PROPHET” OR “DON’T EAT PETE!” Their turn is over and the next player leaves the room. Continue until all have had a turn.

JOB: Hallways. GAME: Tickle Monster

JOB: Family Room. GAME: Watched a DVD before bedtime.

Well, I’m off to play Guitar Hero which we rented to rock in 2010!

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog.

I also appreciate your lovely comments, I love reading them!

See you all in 2010!

Posted in Homemaking | 2 Comments »

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December 30, 2009

My 5 links for the week

http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/PARENTING_TIPS/sibling_rivalry.html – If you are finding that the holidays are bringing out the worst in your children, this article might help.

http://rainbowchildcraft.blogspot.com/2009/12/run-run-run-as-fast-as-you-can.html – Don’t you just love these gingerbread men with a bite taken out of them!? It’s my fav decorations for 2009!

http://memoriesoncloverlane.blogspot.com/2009/08/tutorial-on-how-to-make-blog-banner.html – I love it when people share their knowledge. Here is a tutorial to make your own “professional” looking banner for your blog. I am still trying to figure out Picasa, then I would like to give this a try!

http://lazymomtofour.blogspot.com/2009/12/cooking-make-your-own-peppermint-bark.html – These look soooo good! I’m so glad she shared her recipe with us! I just wish I can try some now!

http://thelongthread.com/?p=5450 – Instead of throwing away your Christmas cards, recycle them into next years gift tags. This post shows you how! So easy!!

www.vistaprint.com/free-photo-flip-books/gallery.aspx?pg=72

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December 30, 2009

Things I love: Warm Fuzzy Moments

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain and the sound of my children….outside?!?!

Then I realised they were all in the tent that we put up yesterday. Thoughts that went through my head….

“they are all in there??” (it’s not the biggest tent)

“………..”

“no fighting??”

“……..”

“nope, still no fighting”

“Oh my goodness, they are playing so nicely!”

****blissss*****

Just listening to them gave me warm fuzzies, so I opened my window wide so I could listen to them play.

It has been a great day, lots of warm fuzzy moments, like when they were playing doctor together: one was the doctor, another was the assistant, my youngest was the patient with her sister as the mother….sooo cute!

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December 28, 2009

Family Traditions: Fish ‘n’ Chips by the Beach

When Summer rolls around and it looks like the sun will stay radiant and warm during the evening, we try to head down to the beach to have a picnic dinner.

So today, we packed up the kids, picked up our fish ‘n’ chips and headed to Plimmerton Beach.

I watched over my youngest as she spent her time finding rocks.

(she has taken one to bed with her!)

She loved chasing the “mama duckies” (aka seagulls).

Hubby took the older kids into the water and had a great time.

Thanks Summer for gifting us with a beautiful evening ;)

Posted in Family Traditions | 4 Comments »

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December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas 2009!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Hubby and I enjoyed listening to carols and christmas stories as we wrapped presents and filled stockings.

I am filled with gratitude for the gifts we have received from the Lord and Saviour.

I am grateful for this season to reflect upon and celebrate Christ’s birth.

I will see you all when I come back online next week.

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December 24, 2009

Fun Kids Activity: Going to the Bush

Yesterday “Windy Wellington” lived up to its name, and served up a blustery summers day. The wind can be a bit annoying when you have children (and adults) with ants in their pants and cabin fever. Thankfully Wellington boasts numerous sheltered walkways and tracks that even a suburban mama like myself can tackle.

The walkway I chose is one of my favourites. When we first stumbled across it I just felt like I was in the Lord of the Rings….it felt magical. (Yes, I had hobbits on my brain, it was around the time of the world premire in Wellington after all!)

We only attempted a short portion of it last time, this time the kids and I got so high we could look over Johnsonville. (If you look really closely to the picture below, you can see the red roof of “The Warehouse”.)

I was so proud of the kids! They all did so well! (How is it that they have more energy than me?)

Reasons I love the bush:

  1. It is contained. The kids can’t run out onto the road! I just have to get the older kids to slow down every now and then.
  2. It is sheltered. We could hardly feel the wind, and the canopies sheltered us from the harsh sun.
  3. The kids are in their element. They just love it so much.
  4. It gives my kids super powers. I am not kidding you, my kids don’t seem to notice how far we have walked or how steep the incline is when we are in the bush.
  5. It feels good. Being in the outdoors, being close to nature, breathing the fresh air, feeling your muscles working seems to give you a natural high.
  6. It is flexible. There is no real destination, no real deadline. You can stop and rest, you can even turn around whenever you want.
  7. It doesn’t cost any money! Gotta love that.

Posted in Fun Kids Activity | 2 Comments »

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December 23, 2009

Sun…Glorious Sun!

I realise that Christmas symbolises different things to different parts of the world. For example, I have been interested in the posts from American, England and Canada about “snow blizzards”, “school closures” and “scooping snow from the front of the house”. For us in New Zealand and Australia, Christmas is a time where we get to enjoy the sun, beach, and nature (I know weird huh!)

Yesterday was such a day….it was a beach day! We went to Scorching Bay for a swim and a picnic. Then we headed over to the playground by the beach in Petone. Scorching Bay has beautiful sand, perfect for building sand castles and lounging around on. Whereas the beach at Petone has great shells, stones and sticks. The kids enjoyed finding treasures there (swirly patterned rocks, clam shells, and sticks that became walking sticks, writing sticks and sticks to conduct music, or welcome a crowd at a circus “Ladies & Gentlemeeeeeen!”)

Here are some things I learned:

  • It takes a long time to find 5 togs (swimsuits), 5 towels, 5 sandles, 5 drink bottles, make lunch for 5 people, and put sunscreen on 5 bodies.
  • I am now comfortable taking 4 kids to the beach by myself. Not quite ready to brave the swimming pool solo.
  • The beaches weren’t as crowded as I thought they would be.
  • I love watching my kids play. I get warm fuzzies when they look out for each other.
  • It is difficult to take pictures and look after 4 kids. I gave up soon after we arrived, and decided to wait until we came to the beach with hubby.
  • The kids loved the idea of “sand blankets” to keep them warm after they finished swimming. (I had the kids lay down and I covered them with a layer of warm sand)
  • We stopped by the supermarket to pick up some ice cream. Ice cream was a great way to end our day!

My favourite part of the day was when I was on the swing with my youngest on my lap. I loved how she lay back on me as we swayed back and forth in the sunlight…..*bliss*

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December 22, 2009

Inspirational Poem: The Night Before Christmas

“T’was the night before Christmas and all through the town
Not a sign of Baby Jesus was anywhere to be found.

The people were all busy with Christmas time chores
Like decorating, and baking, and shopping in stores.

No one sang “Away in a manger, no crib for a bed”.
Instead, they sang of Santa dressed-up in bright red.

Mama watched Martha Stewart, Papa drank beer from a tap.
As hour upon hour the presents they’d wrap
When what from the T.V.
did they suddenly hear?
‘Cept an ad.. which told of a big sale at Sears.

So away to the mall they all flew like a flash…
Buying things on credit…
and others with cash!

And, as they made their way home from their trip to the mall,
Did they think about Jesus? Oh, no… not at all.

Their lives were so busy with their Christmas time things
No time to remember Christ Jesus, the King.

There were presents to wrap and cookies to bake.
How could they stop and remember who died for their sake?

To pray to the Savior…
they had no time to stop.
Because they needed more time to “Shop til they dropped!”

On Wal-mart! On K-mart!
On Target! On Penney’s!
On Hallmark! On Zales!
A quick lunch at Denny’s.
From the big stores downtown to the stores at the mall,
they would dash away, dash away, and visit them all!

And up on the roof, there arose such a clatter
As grandpa hung icicle lights up on his brand new step ladder.

He hung lights that would flash.
He hung lights that would twirl.
Yet, he never once prayed to Jesus…
Light of the World.

Christ’s eyes… how they twinkle!
Christ’s Spirit… how merry!
Christ’s love… how enormous!
All our burdens… He’ll carry!

So instead of being busy, overworked, and uptight
Let’s put Christ back in Christmas and enjoy some good nights.”

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

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December 19, 2009

My 5 links for the week

http://lilmagoolie.wordpress.com/ – I am loving this new blog I have stumbled across. Maddie has got a great eye for finding things all over the web that you just want to drool over! From crafts to home decor, she covers it all!

http://www.felt.co.nz – It’s like a New Zealand Etsy!! yay!

http://www.purlbee.com/ – For all you crafters out there who want a project that will make you look like a pro..go to this site, they have some awesome ideas.

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/snowy-ornaments – I happened to catch Martha Stewart’s Christmas Special the other day. I just love this ornament that she made! Maybe I can attempt it with the kids?

http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2009/12/jingle-bell-christmas-card-display/ – I am needing some ideas about how to display our Christmas cards. This post has quite a few good ideas….anyone have any tips?

Posted in 5 Great Finds | 2 Comments »

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December 18, 2009

Your Opinions Please: Guilty Pleasures….what’s yours?

“Guilty pleasures”….we all have them – some we admit to, some we will never reveal to a single soul!  

I’ll tell you mine, if you tell me yours!! 

 

  • Twilight! nuff said! – GUILTY!
  • Gifts that I have bought for my friends, then kept for myself! – GUILTY!

  • Mmmm sugar coated donuts! – GUILTY!
  • My Spencer and Rutherford bag! – GUILTY!

 

  • Period Dramas! Reading and watching them. Jane Austen is my fav, but any will do…Bronte, Gaskell..yum yum yum!! – GUILTY!
  • Sleeping in! (I don’t get to do this much anymore *pout*) – GUILTY!

 

  • MAC makeup! – GUILTY!
  • Staying up way too late reading blogs! – GUILTY!
  • Having long chats with my gal pal in Aussie! – GUILTY! (these are pictures my daughters took of us when Shelly was over in New Zealand)
Photo taken by my 8 year old daughter

Photo by my 8 year old daughter

 

Michelle & Mika (me!)

 

 

Photo by my 6 year old daughter

 

 

 

Posted in Random Ramblings | 5 Comments »

December 17, 2009

Family Traditions: Our Special Tree

Kindness Tree, Good deeds Tree, Goodwill Tree, Service Tree whatever you want to call it (we don’t actually have a name for it!) this is a tradition that we started in our family that has really brought the spirit of Christmas into our home.

The idea came from the first day of my advent calendar I once had: “Gather 24 ornaments for your Christmas tree and place them in a basket under the tree. Each time you complete an act of service, put an ornament on the tree.”

I took a spare little tree we had, and the spare decorations we weren’t using on the main tree and placed them in our family room. Whenever we noticed someone doing something nice for someone else, we would say “go and put an ornament on the tree!” The kids love it, and I love catching the kids being good!

Just this morning, my 7 year old was feeling sad about something, so my almost 3 year old came over to her and rubbed her back and mumbled something in toddler-speak, it sounded something like “oh, are you ok?”. So we told her she could go and put an ornament on the tree (Which is great, because she has a real fetish with ornaments! 2 years ago she crawled and pulled off all the ornaments off the bottom of the tree. Last year she took bite marks out of the styrofoam ones. This year, she picks them off the tree like apples and carries them in her wicker basket!)

So if you are upgrading your tree and decorations, this could be a wonderful way to make use of those items! You could even make and advent tree with numbered ornaments or a Gratitude tree where you would say what you were grateful for, then put an ornament up. The possibilities are endless!

Posted in Family Traditions | 2 Comments »

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December 16, 2009

Telling Tales & Talent

things i can do without:

  • children telling on each other from across the house “mmmmmuuuummmyyyy, (fill in a name) did (fill in the crime)”

things i can’t do without:

  • being in awe of my children’s creativity and individuality

Posted in Random Ramblings | 1 Comment »

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December 15, 2009

In the kitchen: Christmas Pudding Puffs

Photo by Juggling Motherhood

Want the “wow” factor the next time you bring a plate to a Christmas function? Try making these delicious treats using MallowPuffs (or equivalents).

I saw the recipe by Simon Holst in the Little Treasures magazine a year ago, and thought they were the cutest things! I made a tray of these for the Family Home Evening we had last week at my friend’s house.

Photo by Juggling Motherhood

Christmas Pudding Puffs

Ingredients:

MallowPuffs (or equivalents)

Jaffas (or some sort of red candy)

Spearmint leaf lollies (I found these at The Warehouse)

Icing – You can either use melted white chocolate, or make your own icing with icing sugar. I used the icing sugar version. As I assembling each “pudding”, I would put it straight into the fridge to allow the icing to harden so the “holly” wouldn’t start sliding off.

Icing

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tbsp boiling water

1 cup icing sugar

1-2 tsp extra water if required

Put the butter in a medium-sized bowl, add the boiling water and stir until the butter has melted. Sift in the icing sugar, then mix to make a soft, smooth icing. Add 1-2 tsp extra water if required, but don’t make the icing too soft or you won’t be able to stick the decorations on.

Assembling the “puddings”

Spread about a teaspoon of icing on each MallowPuff then decorate with a couple of spearmint leaf lollies and a jaffa or two!

(I used 1 packet of jaffas, a packet of spearmint leaves and 3 packets of MallowPuffs and it made a huge tray full.)

Photo by Juggling Motherhood

I don’t think my kids have ever seen a traditional Christmas pudding!

Posted in In the Kitchen | 5 Comments »

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December 14, 2009

My 5 links for the week

http://simplemom.net/5-simple-techniques-for-enhancing-your-images-with-children/ – Simple tips on making the photos you take of your kids look professional!

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/ebooks/SelfCareCards1.pdf - We all know we should take care of ourselves, but we get stumped when it comes to what to do! Click on this link and print out your own “self care cards”.

http://smallnotebook.org/2009/12/11/tie-a-pretty-gift-ribbon/ – I find video demonstrations so much easier to follow than reading instructions. This post includes a wonderful video that shows you how to tie a ribbon that you can undo easily (rather than resorting to the scissors everytime)

http://www.ehow.com/how_4747612_gift-bow-recycled-materials.html – I love this DIY idea of making your own cute bows for your presents! I can’t wait to try it!

http://www.serenejourney.com/2009/12/whats-on-your-good-habits-list/ – I am guilty of focusing on what bad habits I need to drop. This post made me realise that we need to be focusing on what good habits we want to develop!

Posted in 5 Great Finds | 2 Comments »

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December 12, 2009

The fight of the century: to start housework or not!

Ok, I’m a tad dramatic, but sometimes it feels that way to me! I know some of you out there don’t put off the housework and just “get on with it”. I know there are also people who actually love to clean…I’m telling you now I am NOT one of those people. Sure, it feels really good afterwards, but it’s often the first step that I have the trouble with.

Ding, ding, ding! Let’s get ready to rumble!!!

In one corner: “to clean!”

In the other corner: “not to clean!”

you want to, you don’t want to

your motivated, your just too tired

you have the time, you feel stretched

your focused, you are easily distracted

your children are settled, your children are clingy

you can ignore the mess, you just can’t stand it any more

you know it will look great in the end, it is so frustrating when it gets messed up again

…and the fight goes on.

On bad days, when I am low on energy, I put the blinders on and try not to see all the things that need to be done (like a visual to-do list starring back at me!)

On good days, when I am motivated, I will tackle a room 15mins-30mins at a time, and will reap the benefits of an organised and orderly home.

This week I got quite a bit done, which has been really great! (yes, some of it has already been undone!!) The kids have been helping with their chores etc. I guess there is a balance of living your life and enjoying your life, rather than constantly focusing on cleaning up after your life.

I admit, I do struggle. I just try my best, and if I have a bad day,  I try to pick myself up and “fight” another day tomorrow!

Posted in Random Ramblings | 2 Comments »

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December 11, 2009

Fun Kids Activity: Christmas Bingo

Christmas Bingo is a simple game that can be pulled together relatively easily and cheaply. The great thing about bingo is that it is a game that can be enjoyed by little children, as well as big adults!

Our family was assigned to run a game at our friend’s Family Home Evening that we were invited to. After surfing the internet, I came across crayola’s site with this great bingo game!

http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/search.cfm?txt_search=christmas

If you want to be tricky and make a larger bingo playing card, follow these steps:

1. I printed all the 5 playing cards onto white paper.

2. Then I cut out the bingo portion of the page.

3. I worked out the right percentage to enlarge the bingo game to the width of the paper. (If you have a copy function on your multifunction printer, click on 100%, then I clicked on Zoom, then I increased the percentage to around 122% – I have a preview function on my Canon MP520, which was helpful to see how big the enlargement was going to be.)

4. Then I copied the enlarged version onto red and green cardboard paper. (Obviously you can use any coloured card. I copied each playing card more than once, as we had over 10 people playing the game.)

5. I also copied one more enlarged version of the bingo game onto some white card and cut it out to make the “calling cards”.

If you want to use this game again, I would recommend laminating it. For counters you can use cut up bits of cardboard. In our family we use a variety of “gems” as counters that we have collected over the years.

The winner received a mini candy cane :)

Posted in Fun Kids Activity, Marriage & Family | 1 Comment »

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December 8, 2009

Computer Glitch

Happy December everyone! I hope everyone is doing well, and are easing into the holidays without too much stress or worry. Just remember to be kind to yourself, and don’t burn yourself out by living up to the expectations that are usually set by you, and only cared about by you. **hugs**

I have been out of action as my computer did a funny thing and told me that I got a virus. So I have been using my hubby’s laptop to check email etc.  My hubby uses the laptop in the evening, which is when I would normally blog – hence lack of posts. So bare with me as we get things sorted!

Just a quick re-cap on what’s been going on:

  • my son who started school recently has finally settled in, and is a happy chappy. (isn’t it funny how when you are going through a hard transition, you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then once everything settles, you say to yourself “if I had know it would have been all ok in XX days, I don’t think I would have worried about it so much”
  • my daughters and I were on the Johnsonville Playcentre float at the Johnsonville Santa Parade. It was loads of fun, and Wellington gave us a wonderful day for it as usual (after raining the night before.)
  • went out with a fellow “foodie” to Strawberry Fare. I was tempted to get my usual dessert (the one with layers of white and dark chocolate..mmmm…), but with a bit of encouragement, decided to try something new and was glad I did. The Torte there was so yummy! We were joined by two more lovely ladies after they finished up their dinner date at Flying Burrito Brothers. We ended up chatting until just before midnight!

Hubby needs computer so must dash!

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