Love: That today I am able to visit a few shops that I have never previously been to in all my years of living in Wellington.
Hate: That time flies, and before I know it, it is time to head back.
Love: Looking at beautiful things that inspire me and makes me giddy inside.
Hate: That the price tags means I can’t take them home (just yet…hehehe)
DRRRROOOOOOOOLLLLLL…..It’s an asian vase…….DRRRROOOOOLL!
I loved the time to myself after the kids went to bed. It was quiet and still. It felt like there was an endless amount of time in front of me to use how I liked. And that is how I treated it, endless. I would go to bed way too late, spending time on things that, in the grand scheme of things, didn”t really matter. It started affecting me in a negative way. I was behind the 8 ball when I woke up. I felt tired during the day. I knew I had to make a change.
I thought that if I advertised it to the world through my blog…then I would have to go through with it. I thought about using twitter. I was not familiar with twitter, but I thought I would give it ago, and learn as I went along. Not only did it help with reporting my progress, but it helped me with my motivation and accountability.
If there is a goal that you are working on, but you’re not sure if you have the will power to pull it off. I would totally recommend “twittering” about it. I know it helped me on at least 3 occasions when I felt tempted to slip into old habits. (Staying up late on Friday night, sleeping in on Saturday morning, and having a “nana nap” on Sunday afternoon) Knowing I would have to twitter about my downfall, convinced me to keep on track with my goal.
6 Things I got out of my Goal of “Early to Bed, Early to Rise”
1. Alertness. I felt alert and prepared for the day ahead. My mind and my body felt alert, and I had more patience. Having a 20 min power nap, drinking plenty of water and getting sunlight also helped me with alertness.
2. Downtime in the evening. I logged off the computer at least between 30mins-1 hour before my bedtime. This meant I was not tempted 5 mins before my bedtime to “just look at this other website, because it will only take a minute!”. I read books, magazines and chatted with my hubby. It was a nice transition into sleep for the night.
3. Quiet time in the morning. It is so peaceful in the mornings. Just you and your thoughts. There is time for nice long prayers, and just to be still and think. It was a perfect start to the day.
4. Exercise. I had not exercised in a while, but because I of the extra time in the morning, I was able to fit in a daily walk/jog
5. Empowerment. I felt empowered because I was making good choices that affected not only me, but my family as well. When I woke up earlier, I felt a lot more in control, and ready to face the day having made my first good choice for the day.
6. Family Involvement. Both my hubby and I were going to bed late and waking up late before I started the goal. After I started, my hubby decided to join me, and raved about how much stuff he was able to get done in the morning. I noticed the whole household started getting up earlier. My 7 & 9 year old daughters also joined me on occasion on my early morning walks. They prepped their stuff the night before, and woke up and got themselves ready all by themselves.
6. Happier! Good sleeping pattern + Exercise +Feeling of achievement = Good Mood!
Some good reads:
Simple Mom: 4 Great Reasons to Wake Up Early
I don’t know about you, but something I quite often think about is: “How am I doing in regards to developing my relationship with EACH child?”
We do things to strengthen our family, but what do I do to make sure that individual children are getting what they need from me.
So that has lead me to this week’s goal: Strengthening my relationship with each child.
One of the things I will be doing is making One on One Time more of a priority. It could be an impromptu talk with my daughter while we are having breakfast. Or setting time aside for a different child every night to talk and/or do something they enjoy.
Mixed in through the day will be fun activities, notes in their lunchboxes, more kisses and cuddles, taking a child with me on errands or have them get involved with chores so we can talk alongside each other and of course lots and lots of listening, and increased patience and understanding.
I am looking forward to shifting from “what needs to be done” to “how can I use my time more effectively to be a good mother”. I am also looking forward to hunting out special moments to bond with my each children.
I enjoyed using Twitter last week! (See my twitter progress on the right hand side of my blog) It really did help me with my motivation, so I will twittering my updates throughout this goal!
I’m really looking forward to it! (Feel free to join me!)
Some great links:
Tutorial for Plastic Bag Flowers. Tali from Growing up Creative shared an easy tutorial on how to make flowers out of your average plastic bag. I think it would look stunning hung from trees for a garden party, or a special girl’s fairy party. Cost: FREE!
http://www.growingupcreative.com/2010/04/6.html
10 tips For Coping with a Larger Family. Nicole from Planning with Kids had this to say about this post, “Although the tips..could easily apply to a family of any size, the difference being for us is how critical they are to smooth daily running of family life.” I was nodding my way all through the post, all the things she mentions we do in our house, and it makes SUCH a difference! Check her website out, it’s great!
http://planningwithkids.com/2009/07/21/10-tips-for-coping-with-a-larger-family/
I love this quote! Alicia from A Magical Childhood always finds the BEST quotes (and the best web finds! The plastic flowers was from her blog too!) Look at this quote that she shared recently:
“Discipline isn’t just about winning or losing.
Every power struggle offers you the opportunity
to connect with your child or disconnect.
The relationship you will have with your child
when he’s an adolescent
lies in the words and actions you use today.
Ultimately your real power is in that emotional bond.”
–Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
Kids, Parents and Power Struggles
http://magicalchildhood.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/wise-words-2/
Yummy recipes! Caitlyn from Knitter in the Kitchen has a great blog where she shares mouth watering recipes along with her knitting/craft projects.
Creative You. Simone from Great Fun 4 Kids shares a wonderful post that talks about how we often have a limited view about what Creativity is. She says,
“We are all artists, girls. Our canvases are our children, our homes, our gardens, our relationships, our lives.
We express our creativity through the obvious: art, craft, music, cooking, decorating, style…
…and the less obvious: celebrating, encouraging, enjoying, giving, nurturing and appreciating the beauty we see around us.”
She goes on to talk about how we might have to find out where our creativity lies. So ladies!! It’s not that we aren’t creative….we just need to do a bit of experimenting. (I am soo on that journey, and loving it! I have tried more things in these past 2 years than the previous 8 years put together!)
http://greatfun4kids.blogspot.com/2010/04/creative-you.html
It’s not even winter yet, and our family have already been struck down with illnesses. I haven’t had a chance to go out by myself about 3 weeks now, so I jumped at the opportunity on Thursday night to have a discovery date.
I had 2 hours up my sleeve, so I headed down to our local shopping centre.
I enjoyed getting out of my work clothes (i.e. jeans with holes in the knees, and a comfty top that has flour on it from the day’s gingerbread making) and into something a bit more flattering.
I enjoyed sauntering around the shops at my lesuire. Picking things up, looking at them for a long time, then putting them down, walking around the store, then coming back to it and picking them up again. (You know, all the things you can’t do when you have a child in tow!)
The bookstore was great….books and stationery, how can you go wrong?!
There were lots of the beautiful things in the homeware/gift shop, Trends. I fell in love with the big vase of chinese lanterns in different colours. I found a picture off the web, so you can get an idea of what they looked like:
You probably would have noticed one of my favourite quotes on my blog, “Live in the moment, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering!” by Fanny Crosby. So you will understand why I had to take this beauty home:
Sometimes children can get a bit of cabin fever when the weather limits you to indoor activities.
At the moment I have a child with a runny nose and cough, so I am getting a bit of cabin fever myself! (Can you tell I’m on day 4 of our “quarantine”??)
To get us out of the house, I took the kids out for a drive today. We talked about and watched the trains go in and out of the station, we went to the docks to see the crates getting lifted by huge machinery, and watched the logs being loaded onto a cargo boat. Lots of exploring from the comfort of our car.
Yesterday, I took the kids for a drive out around the bays. We went right from Oriental Bay to Owhiro Bay, watching the big waves break against the rocks. The surfers in Lyall Bay were certainly taking advantage of it.
I came across two really distinctive building on our drive around the bays. I was amazed that they actually looked lived in!
Later on I found out they are owned by some people who rent out “The Lighthouse” and “The Keep”. What an original idea!
Since it looks like my son will need to stay home from school tomorrow as well, I went searching online for some more ideas to combat cabin fever. I found two articles with suggestions that are right up my alley. I can’t wait to try some of them!
Parents Connect: Cabin Fever and Rainy Day Activities for Kids
Babble: 25 Ways to Fight Cabin Fever
I have been a night owl too long!
Now that school has resumed, I need to get back into good habits.
So my goal for this week is to go to bed early, and get up early.
I’m starting out easy, and will go to bed at 10.30pm, and wake up at 7am. Then, if I can get it back even earlier, that will be a bonus!
I get ONE FREE PASS, which means I can either stay up late OR wake up late on ONE occasion this week.
Unlike my “1 Week Challenges” that I have done in the past, I won’t be posting about this goal every day. Instead, I will post a summary once the week is done.
I will also be using Twitter (see my twitter progress on the right hand side of my blog…I’m quite new to twitter! So it will be fun!) to help me with motivation!
Wish me luck!! (Feel free to join me!)
Free Downloadable Quote: Ok, Stephanie Fizer is seriously talented! She is offering this free downloadable print by Henry David Thoreau. Love it!
http://stephaniefizer.typepad.com/blog/2010/04/a-free-print-for-you.html
Her etsy shop is packed with lots of yummy things she has created. Check it out!
Loads and loads of cute handwriting fonts! Fonts for Peas section of kevinandamand.com is literally oooozing with cute fonts. People submit samples of their handwriting, and then they turn it into fonts that they (and we!) can download for free! Genius!
http://www.kevinandamanda.com/fonts/
They even have downloadable doodles too!
Want to read a book, but don’t know what to choose? Over at Diapers and Divinity, Stephanie has posted her “book report” on books she has recently read, and a list of books she would like to read. What is also great about this post is the “comments” section, where people have added their favourite books. (Make sure you check out the link back to a similar post she wrote, because there are a lots of recommendations in the comments section as well!)
http://diapersanddivinity.com/2010/04/13/book-report/
A really cool experiement you can wow the kids with! At Household Hacker they have something called “Scientific Tuesdays” where they post videos of experiments using household items. I can’t wait to try the experiment where they melt a styrofoam cup using household nail polish remover! Wow!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4eRbiunL4M&annotation_id=annotation_363303&feature=iv
A great way to document your child’s life. Enjoying the Small Things is a wonderful blog that I recently discovered. Kelle’s photography skills are amazing! She puts together a book for each year of her child’s life using Shutterfly. It is beautiful!
Here is a link to see the book and the contents:
http://www.kellehampton.com/2010/04/it-is-finished.html
Here is a link where she talks a little bit about how she made it:
http://www.kellehampton.com/2010/03/i-lied.html
Here is a link with pictures they took once the book arrived:
http://www.kellehampton.com/2010/04/right-now.html
There is something really Jane Austen-ish about doing needle work don’t you think?
That’s what I caught myself thinking as I looked up from my cross stitch at my 9 year old daughter who was sitting next to me concentrating on her cross stitch project.
Times have certainly changed.
Like the fact that often, sewing is done more as a hobby than out of necessity. My mother used to sew our clothing because of lack of funds. She ran a sewing class out of our home while she was pregnant, in order to earn money for a new (old) car. But now, we can easily pick up an apron or a skirt and it will cost next to nothing!
I’m coming to realise that getting started with sewing isn’t cheap! I emptied out all of my pocket money today at Spotlight in order to establish a sewing kit. The next step is saving and purchasing a sewing machine…but for now I will be borrowing my mother’s. Thanks mum!
Another difference that we face today is that we are time starved. Back in Jane Austen’s day, the richer folk had plenty of time to pass, so they would take up needle work, paint, learn the piano forte, languages and travel. Now we have so many things that fight for our attention!
I’m not sure why these arts are lost to some and so alive with others. Is it because they always loved it while others had different interests? Or perhaps you needed a mentors who always had their hands busy with some craft projects, and you couldn’t help but to learn from them?
Maybe you can enlighten me, but for now, I am enjoying re-teaching myself how to do some of the crafts that were taught to me a loooong time ago. What’s interesting is that my daughters are really enthusiastic about learning as well!
I almost feel like I am turning back the clock and returning to the 60s as I work away on the sewing machine making a new headband for my girls, or the 70s as I crochet a beanie or the 80s as I knit myself a scarf or the 1800s, as we work away on our cross stitch projects like today.
Lessons Learned:
I have been inspired by the book I finished reading called “The Hiding Place” (the courageous story about Corrie ten Boom and her family during the Nazi rule in Holland) and also the conference talks by the leaders of our church this month.
I love it when you read or hear something that makes you want to live life a bit better.
I am conscious that being too busy can rob me of having a more purposeful life.
It’s like you are so busy climbing a mountain, intently focused on your feet to get up as quickly as possible, that when you finally get up to the top and look around, you realise that you are way off track from where you want to be.
We can be physically busy, but I also think we can be mentally busy. You know when you mind is constantly filled with to do lists and what you need to do next! We need to work hard to live and appreciate the present. It’s like climbing that mountain, but stopping to look around, to appreciate those things you have overlooked or forgotten (so guilty of that!)
When I am physically busy and mentally busy, I can hear myself say “I’m running late”, or “I can’t right now” when I get a thought in my head to do a good deed…ugh!!
So, I need to try and slow down and leave room in my life for the good stuff!
My kids eating ice cream at Oriental Parade with their extended family
Leave room in your life:
I am so glad that Amanda from Mommy’s Idea Book found me, because it means that I found her great site! She gave me these great awards, which I really appreciate! Thank you Amanda!
So, instead of the usual “My 5 links for the week”, I thought I would include 15 links to some interesting blogs.
Thank & link to the person that gave you the award.
Pass this award on to 15 fantastic bloggers you’ve recently discovered.
Contact said Blogs and let them know they’ve won.
Thank & link to the person that gave you the award.
Pass this award on to 15 fantastic bloggers you’ve recently discovered.
Contact said Blogs and let them know they’ve won.
State 7 things about yourself.
I have already mentioned 7 blogs I love to read in a previous post. Here are another 15!
Just because I am housebound, doesn’t mean that you have to be 
Here is a list of activities that are currently running during the school holidays in Wellington. Enjoy!
TRANZMETRO – $2 DAY (thanks Ula for mentioning this)
You can get out of the house, and go anywhere each day on the Hutt Valley, Paraparaumu and Johnsonville lines, for a tiny $2 dollars per day. (Excludes Wairarapa services)
Date: Tuesday, 12 April, Wednesday, 13 April and Thursday, 14 April
Time: Between 9am and 3pm
Location: Hutt Valley, Paraparaumu and Johnsonville Lines
THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE – KID’S SHOW (thanks Cara for letting us know about this)
Join The Improvisors in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice for their first ever improvised show for kids – it’s interactive, great fun and hilarious! In under an hour and with the help of the audience we’ll take you on a magical journey, which is limited only by your energy and imagination.
Date and Time: Monday, 12 April – Friday, 16 April, 11am and 1pm. Saturday, 17 April 11am
Cost: $10
Location: Circa Theatre, 1 Taranaki St, Wellington
With singing and dancing, this new and very different version of the Robin Hood story is brought to you by the writers and producers of Little Bo Peep and the Cabbage of Doom.
Date and Time: Monday, 12 April – Friday, 16 April, 11am and 1pm. Saturday, 17 April 11am
Cost: $10, groups 10+ $9
Location: Gryphon Theatre, 22 Ghuznee St, Wellington
In this tale of blended families gone horribly wrong, Hansel and Gretel try to outwit their mean stepmother, when she abandons them in the forest, but their hungry tummies land them in big trouble.
Hansel & Gretel need all the help they can get to escape from the wicked witch with a taste for pudgy boys and find their way home!
A cautionary tale of the dangers of too many sweets! Call 04 385 0292 to book.
Date and Time: Monday, 12 April – Friday, 16 April, 11am and 1pm. Saturday, 17 April 11am
Cost: $10, groups 10+ $9, Under Two FREE
Location: Tararua Tramping Club, 4 Moncrieff St, Mount Victoria
CAPITAL E: THE FARM AT THE END OF THE ROAD
Join woolly sheep Matilda and Duchess, Henry and Henrietta the free-range chooks and ragamuffin sheep dog Buck, as they follow a moon-lit road to help Farmer Mac find a new home. Age 2-7
Date: Monday, 12 April – Friday, 16 April
Time: 10am and 11.30am
Cost: $12 per person. $44 for a group of four. $10.00 per person for groups of 10 or more. Under two FREE.
Location: Capital E McKenzie Theatre, Civic Squre, Wellington
Down on the farm there are a host of wonderful animals to play with — see the Capital E National Theatre for Children’s performance of The Farm At The End Of The Road and then join us in the playground to make a mask of your favourite farmyard animal to wear home. Age 2+
Date: Monday, 12 April – Friday, 16 April
Time: 9.30am-1.30pm
Cost: $2 per mask
Location: Capital E Playground, Civic Squre, Wellington
There is nothing more exciting and mysterious than the art of mask — they’re fun to make and wear and for thousands of years they have been used to entertain and disguise. Come and explore the world of mask at Capital E’s Masquerade. Change your own face in our fun virtual booth using facial recognition technology, see an interactive display about masks and all their uses, then get hands-on and make two masks of your very own to take home and continue the fun. Age 4+
Date: Monday, 12 April – Saturday, 17 April
Time: 10am-4pm
Cost: $5 entry, $8 with entry to Commedia Dell’Arte workshop (see details below).
Location: Main Floor, Capital E, Civic Squre, Wellington
(Over at Chez Lee there is a lovely blog post & photos of their daughters enjoying making masks)
CAPITAL E: COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE PERFORMANCE
Come and meet Arlecchino, Pantalone, Scaramuccia and their friends. At this performance you will learn about the art of Commedia Dell’Arte, a form of mask theatre that evolved in Italy, influencing early clowning and ballet. The same masks and characters have been used for hundreds of years. Amazingly all these characters will be performed by just one man, Ralph Johnson, how does he do it? Through the magic of Mask of course! This fun, interactive workshop will give you a taste of this amazing art form. Age 4+ Adult Suprvision required
Date: Monday, 12 April – Saturday, 17 April
Time: 10am-4pm
Cost: $8 includes entry into the Capital E main floor Masquerade
Location: Main Floor, Capital E, Civic Squre, Wellington
MAD HATTERS FUN AT THE MUSEUM OF WELLINGTON & SEA
Make a Mad Hat! Come to the Museum these school holidays and make your very own ‘mad hat’. For just $2 kids can get creative and decorate their hat and go into the draw to win one of 10 children’s passes to SkyCity cinemas. You may even want to bring a picnic and have your very own Mad Hatters Tea Party!
Date: Mon 12, Tues 13, Wed 14 April
Time: 10am-1pm
Cost: $2
Location: Queens Warf, Jervois Quay, Wellington
KIDS CLASSES AT CONFIGURE EXPRESS, QUEENSGATE, LOWER HUTT
Configure Express Queensgate is holding special Kids Classes. The Class which runs for an hour involves fun, games and group fitness. Class costs $5 per child and is for children aged 6-10 years of age. Bookings are essential, please phone 04 576 0941.
Date: Monday, 12 April, Wednesday, 14 April and Friday 16 April
Time: 10.35am-11.35am
Cost: $5
Location: Configure Express, Westfield Queensgate, Lower Hutt
LACE UP A LENGTHY LOVE BEADS NECKLACE AT TE PAPA, WELLINGTON
Date: Tuesday, 13 April
Time: 11am-12pm
Cost: $2
Location: Te Huka ā Tai, Level 4, Te Papa, Wellington
POMPEII AT PLAY FAMILY DAY AT TE PAPA, WELLINGTON
Kids, enjoy a fun-filled day of games, stories, crafts, and talks – and learn all about the bustling ancient city of Pompeii, buried in a cataclysmic volcanic eruption.
Date: Wednesday, 14 April
Time: 10am-5pm
Cost: Free entry to Te Papa & Discovery Centres. $2 for craft activity
Location: Discovery Centres, Level 2 and 4, Te Papa, Wellington
TE PAPA EXHIBITION: A DAY IN POMPEII
Experience the beautiful city of Pompeii – and its tragic destruction – in this blockbuster exhibition.
Date: Now until 25 April
Time: 10am–5pm every day, and until 8pm on Thursdays
Cost: Adult $15, Child 5, Under Five FREE
Location: Visa Platinum Gallery, Level 4, Te Papa, Wellington
CRANK UP THE RECORD PLAYER AT TE PAPA, WELLINGTON
Date: Thursday, 15 April
Time: 2pm-3pm
Cost: $2
Location: Inpsiration Station, Level 4, Te Papa, Wellington
A LIST OF OTHER GREAT ATTRACTIONS AROUND WELLINGTON
CRAFT/ART CLASSES
CRAFT HOUSE, HUTT ROAD, THORNDON
ARTSIGHT, ABLE SMITH STREET, WELLINGTON
VILLAGE BEADS, JACKSON STREET, PETONE
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You may also be interested in:
Getting sick during the school holidays isn’t exactly what I had planned! I’ve been sick since Thursday, and the doctor says it is viral and that it will probably go on a few more days! ugh!
The kids have been great and hubby has been keeping the house ticking along.
Hopefully, I will be back on my feet really soon! Then I will have something more to post about, other than the colour of my tissue boxes (which have quite nice floral photos actually!)
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You may also be interested in:
Swing on down to Westfield Queensgate during the school holidays for heaps of birthday giggles and tonnes of fun for everyone. There’ll be some really cool entertainment and I’ll be there every day to have a laugh, play or cuddle.
Date: Monday, 12 April to Friday, 16 April
Time: 1pm
Cost: Free
Location: Ground floor, Queensgate, Lower Hutt
It’s party time with Alice in Wonderland, The Mad Hatter and The White Rabbit! Join them as they get their tea party started with dancing and singing. Anything can happen in the magical land and crazy tea party Alice has found herself at.
Date: Monday, 12 April to Friday, 16 April
Time: 11am and 2pm daily
Cost: Free
Location: Centre Court, Ground floor, North City Plaza, Porirua
Collect a trail sheet from NatureSpace or outside the Te Papa Kids Store. Follow the clues to find facts about the fossil treasures that have been found in New Zealand. Enter your completed sheet into the entry box outside the Te Papa Kids Store – and be in to win a fossil prize pack!
Date: Now until Sunday, 18 April
Time: 10am-6pm
Cost: Free
Location: NatureSpace Discovery Centre, Level 2, Te Papa, Wellington
Come and meet Zelda the Magical Dinosaur, Adelaide the singing Dodo Bird and see Zappo and Zappolina in an all new magical, musical show.
Date: Monday, 12 April to Friday, 16 April
Time: 11am and 1pm daily
Cost: Free
Location: Near the Food court, Johnsonville Shopping Centre, Carpark entrance on Broderick Rd & Moorefield Rd, Johnsonville
Make sure you’re at a branch near you for entertaining, interactive stories, or mad-hatted activities and a chance to show us your artistic flair.
Date: Tuesday, 13 April to Friday, 16 April
Time: Variety of time
Cost: Free
Location: Variety of locations
Workshops are free for children over the age of 5 and must be accompanied by an adult.
Date: School Holiday DIY Clinics: Tuesday, 13 April and Thursday, 15 April
Weekend DIY Clinics: Saturday, 17 April and Sunday, 18 April
Time: 10am
Cost: Free
Location: Bunnings Warehouse, 9 Heriot Drive, Porirua
These holidays, be spellbound by famous tales from Ancient Greece, India, China, the Pacific, and beyond. Master storyteller Dick Weir tells of tricks played and lessons learned.
Date: Thursday, 15 April
Time: 12pm-12.45pm
Cost: Free
Location: Wellington Foyer, Level 2, Te Papa, Wellington
Kids, explore the strange and amazing plants and animals that flourished in New Zealand millions of years ago. Got a fossil of your own? Bring it in for Te Papa’s palaeontologist (fossil expert) to identify.
Date: Friday, 16 April
Time: 11am-12pm
Cost: Free
Location: Nature Discovery Centre, Level 2, Te Papa
Come and meet the wonderful WotWots. Join in as SpottyWot and DottyWot sing and dance to their favourite animal songs.
Date: Saturday, 17 April
Time: 11am and 1pm
Cost: Free
Location: Ground floor, Queensgate, Lower Hutt
Come along and participate in this fun filled, action packed interactive day. See Fire Engines, Ambulances, Police Vehicles, Helicopters, Coastguard and Live Rescue demonstration and much more!
Date: Saturday, 17 April
Time: 10am-3.30pm
Cost: Free
Location: Waitangi Park and Chaffers Marina Waterfront
Is it possible to not spend any money during the school holidays?
Lessons Learned & Spending detox: Day 7
|
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
|
10am-6pm: Dead Precious Fossil Trail
11am & 1pm: Zappo & Zappolina
11am & 2pm: Alice in Wonderland
1pm: Monty’s First Birthday
|
10am-5pm: Dead Precious Fossil Trail
10am: Kids DIY Clinic
11am & 1pm: Zappo & Zappolina
11am & 2pm: Alice in Wonderland
1pm: Monty’s First Birthday
|
10am-6pm: Dead Precious Fossil Trail
11am & 1pm: Zappo & Zappolina
11am & 2pm: Alice in Wonderland
1pm: Monty’s First Birthday
|
10am-6pm: Dead Precious Fossil Trail
10am: Kids DIY Clinic
11am & 1pm: Zappo & Zappolina
11am & 2pm: Alice in Wonderland
12pm-12.45pm: Storytelling with Dick Weir
1pm: Monty’s First Birthday
|
10am-6pm: Dead Precious Fossil Trail
11am-12pm: Become a Fossil Expert
11am & 1pm: Zappo & Zappolina
11am & 2pm: Alice in Wonderland
1pm: Monty’s First Birthday
|
10am-6pm: Dead Precious Fossil Trail
10am: Kids DIY Clinic
10am: Emergency on the Waterfront 11am & 1pm: WotWots |
How to make Homemade Yoghurt. Rachel from “Small Notebook” shares with us her simple recipe on how to make your very own yoghurt! (Be sure to make time to scroll the comments where people share what they put in with their yoghurt to make it extra yummy!) http://smallnotebook.org/2010/03/29/how-to-make-homemade-yogurt/
Original ceramics. Melissa from “Tiny Happy” shows us how she decorates ceramic cups in her own unique style using a special pen for ceramics and porcelain. I love the idea of making use of the white cups and plates that you find at second hand stores to put your design on. Just imagine the kids having a go, and making some memorable art! http://tinyhappy.typepad.com/tiny_happy/2010/01/ceramics.html
Loads of Crock pot/Slow Cooker Recipes. Stephanie from “A Year of Slow cooking”, made a New Year’s resolution to use the slow cooker every day in 2008, and she has shared all her recipes on this blog. My favourite part is “the verdict” where she tells us how it turned out. http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
Videos series aimed at the Beginner Sewer. Threads Magazine has provided a few short informative videos for those who are starting out sewing. My daughter and I watched it together. Although I know a little bit about sewing, it was good to get a refresher, and to get some advice on what materials would be handy to buy. http://www.threadsmagazine.com/teach-yourself-to-sew
DIY Kite. Valerie from “Frugal Family Fun Blog” shared an easy kite tutorial and said “I can guarantee the kite will fly”. I like the sound of that! http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2010/04/weekend-rewind-make-kites-not-friends.html
I will be going off line during easter weekend.
I hope that you all have a relaxing holiday with your families.
May you enjoy this special season, and all the blessing that come your way.
I have been trying to play catch up from this past week, which has been busy in our household.
After dropping my daughter off at Playcentre, I was torn between using my time to work (chores) or to play (discovery date).
I ended up compromising….I spent 5 mins in different areas of the house tidying up: hallway, dining, living room and family room, and 10 mins on the kitchen.
Then I went to the local cafe and ordered a chicken ceasar salad and read my book (reading North & South at the mo…it’s getting to the good bit!)
In my 9 years of motherhood, I don’t think I have ever sat down for a paid meal during a week day by myself!
I can’t wait to go to an actual restaurant in the city for one of my discovery dates….that would be indulgent! (If you don’t know by now…I love food!)
A few years ago, I would not have been interested in dining by myself. But when I first started doing discovery dates, I got up the courage to go to a restaurant in the evening all by myself. The restaurant ended up being practically empty (!) but still, I was proud of myself for trying something new. Since I haven’t had much Thai food before, I asked them to recommend something and it was SOOO good! The owners were fantastic! A great experience for a newbie!
Who knows, if it is the fact of calling it a “discovery date” means that you push through barriers you have in your mind. For me discovery dates are all about giving yourself permission to do things you love, to appreciate the moment, and to try new things and get out of your comfort zone.
