“At certain times of the year, it does seem like a never ending stream of kids birthday parties to attend which usually means presents and cards to buy too. Save yourself the time on shopping for individual presents for children by building a Present Stash.
When you find something that you know a kid will like that is also really great value, why not buy a few more of the same item to go in the present stash. That way you will always have a ‘go to’ for the next birthday, or if you get caught out at the last minute you won’t have to make a dash to the shops. We’ve done this so many times with books, GI-Joes, Smiggle stationery, and crafty kits in the past.
If your child gets given something for their birthday that they’ve already grown out of or have something very similar, just add it to the present stash.
And either make your birthday cards, or buy cards in bulk either from a $2 Shop or when Whitcoulls is having one of their 50% off sales.”
We all have tips that we use around the home to make our life a bit easier. Why not share them with us?
Some examples could be: Tips on making life easier in the kitchen, housework, being healthy, parenting, how to balance time for yourself, or some encouraging words on motherhood.
Looking forward to hearing from you! Contact me here.
Guess what? My friend, Leilani Rorani has taken part in the “I’m A Mormon” video series. She’s done such a great job! She shares her highs and lows, and what helped her get through them.
Leilani is one of the most down to earth people I know, and such a lovely person. I’m so proud of her!
As part of Family Home Evening on Monday, we watched the final of the Rugby World Cup, All Blacks vs France. Guess who we were supporting?!
These are the treat bags I made for the kids.
I was totally inspired by the adorable bags that Cheri from I Am Momma – Hear Me Roar made for Halloween. Check out the photo from her site, cute! She includes a really easy to follow tutorial on how to make them.
For my treat bags, I put the logo of the All Blacks, but you could print anything on them! I was thinking they would make great themed loot bags or prizes for birthday parties.
Themed Loot Bag Tutorial
Copy and Paste the image of your choice onto Publisher, Word or whatever equivalent you use.
Adjust the size of the image to fit the size of your paper bag, leaving enough room for the stitching and a slight border. It does not need to be exactly centred, because you are cutting the image out.
You may find that you need to tape the paper bag to some paper or cardboard before putting it in the printer. My printer caught the bottom (flat part) of the bag, just fine without taping it to paper.
Carefully sew around the image, leaving an opening.
Depending on how you printed it, and where you left the unsewn space to place the lollies in, you may need to cut your bag to access it. As you can see from my bag, I printed it so I could use the opening of the paper bag as my entry point for the lollies.
Sew the opening shut. (This is where you find out if you have over stuffed your bag with lollies! You may need to eat a few lollies to close it, but that is the price you have to pay, ladies!)
Now, all that is left is to cut out your shape, and you are finished!
I’m excited about the various guides and tutorials that I get to share with you this week.
Toddler in Tow has lots of information on fun things to do with your children. They mainly cater to Porirua parents, but quite often they list events in other areas. Their school holiday listings, for example, covered activities in Wellington through to Upper Hutt.
Skip to My Lou has created a great resource for those homemade-present-makers out there.
I have now added crochet ripple blanket, Rapunzel hair, and yummy bread bowl to my ‘things I want to try’ list. (Which is growing at a rapid rate!)
We were set to win against the French in the final. The All Blacks were the only team in this year’s tournament that were unbeaten. We even defeated the French in the pool match with ease.
It was supposed to be a great game to see the All Blacks do what they do best – WIN.
But……we were told over and over again, “do not underestimate the French”.
“They are unpredictable”, commentators and players from past and present repeated.
Unfortunately, we got to see it first hand in the finals of the Rugby World Cup.
To the All Blacks credit, we hung in there….
….but we weren’t supposed to just “hang in there”, we were supposed to topple the French.
That just didn’t happen. What they all said was right, the French were indeed, unpredictable. The team that came to play in the finals, was a different team to what we have seen throughout the tournament.
They made us work. There was no room to move. Both teams wanting to be crowned, the World Champions of 2011.
In the end, there was only ONE point in it! ONE POINT!
And it was OURS!
Source: Getty Images
When other teams would have lost focus and discipline, the All Blacks dug deep for the entire 80 minutes, and made us proud!!
It seems too crazy to be true… the first-five eighth, who kicked the crucial penalty kick to ensure we stayed in the lead, was not the replacement for our injured Dan Carter. No, he wasn’t even the replacement for the replacement. He was the FOURTH choice!
Stephen Donald came in, after all THREE first-five eighth were injured during the tournament (poor Aaron Cruden was injured in the final). The legend goes, he was fishing in the Waikato 2 weeks ago, before he received the call to join the All Blacks in the World Cup squad. Just look at where he ended up! The hopes and dreams of New Zealanders on his shoulders in the Cup Final! Boy, did he deliver!
Rugby World Cup Champions!! Sounds sooo goood! **happy dance**
The irony:
In 1987, we played and won against the same opponent, in the same (upgraded) pitch, when New Zealand and Australia hosted the first World Cup. We had not won the Rugby World Cup since.
I was 10 when we won the 1987 World Cup. My oldest daughter is now, 10.
Favourite Part of the Game: Prop Tony Woodock scoring an amazing try from a set move at line out.
Worse Part of the Game: Being ONLY 1 point ahead for the majority of the game. I mean, talk about nerve-racking!! If they scored a try, it was over. If they got a penalty goal, it was over. Aarrrgghhhh!!
Favourite Part of the Night: Richie McCaw getting his hands on the Webb Ellis Cup. As we like to say in New Zealand, “YOU BEAU-TY!!!!”
Did anyone else feel sorry for the French after their defeat? They looked sooo gutted (another kiwi term?)
Maybe it was because we KNOW how they feel? Unfortunately, we have been where they are, and it is oh so bitter. The feeling of anticipation and hope, followed by crushing defeat.
We have become experts, because we have lost the last 5 attempts at becoming World Champions, since our win in 1987.
This year was our year, and we are so proud of the All Blacks for delivering! Our win is dedicated to all the All Blacks teams, who were number one in the world leading up to the World Cup, but weren’t able to take home the trophy.
Richie, Graham Henry and the boys, as a nation, we sure are proud of you!!
As I finished getting the kids into bed last night, a thought popped into my mind:
“What super power would come in handy as a mother?”
Here are some things that I came up with:
Mind Reading Power: I can imagine this would come in handy with teenagers.
Super Patience: Just when you think you’re going to lose it, you get a huge whoosh of calm energy to last to the end of the day (or until your side kick arrives).
Super Energy: Two hourly feeds during the night or the witching hour before dinner, is no match for the super hero who never gets tired.
Super Intelligence: You will no longer be stumped with what to say or do when faced with sibling rivalry, toddler tantrums or teenage angst.
Mary Poppins Power: The specific power I am referring to, is when she clicks her fingers and was able to clean a room “spit spot”. Nice!
Power to Turn Back Time: This would be helpful in sooooo many situations!
The Ability to Clone Yourself: Perfect for when you have 3 kids talking to you at one time, or when you have to breastfeed, play with your toddler AND get dinner ready, all at the same time! Phew!
I am curious….if you could have any super power, what would you choose?
Gosh, it’s been a while, but then again, time seems to be whizzing by lately.
Life has been really full with things that ‘need’ to be done (house stuff, Playcentre stuff, etc etc) as well as lots of fun things like meeting up with friends and family (two words: chocolate buffet! yum!) and trips to the beach.
I have a new calling/position at church. I am part of the Relief Society Presidency in our ward/congregation. (The Relief Society is the women’s organisation of our church.) I feel really good about this calling, and really excited about it!
I’m looking forward to the next 2 weeks. A break from school/drops offs/pick ups and hurried pace of life.
Has anyone else started thinking about Christmas?? 2 of my kids are born in November, so I have birthdays on my brain. (PS if you have already finished ALL your Christmas shopping, please lie to me and tell me you haven’t started! hehehe)
I am actually a day early for her meme, but there are a list of things that I am grateful for today.
When you have a house full of sick children, and you are not feeling too hot yourself, you start to feel grateful for the simple things:
Soft tissues, that don’t feel like sandpaper after the third use. (Kleenex Aloe Vera 3 ply Tissues never lets me down.)
Lots of fruit in the house. Perfect for a quick and easy snack for hungry kids (yummy plums!)
Peace. Even though, I have all 4 kids at home with various sniffles, temperatures, sore throats etc, everyone seems to be happy doing their own thing, or chilling out together. If there was such a thing as a “sick mother’s wish list”, this would be right up there!
Last week, we were really, really busy in the evenings. This week, we have been busy during the day. I am grateful that I have nothing big planned, for the next few days, so we can concentrate on getting better.
On the plus side, my health held up for the cupcake sale that another mum and I organised, to raise funds for the school camp. I wish I got a picture of the lines, because they were HUGE! It was fantastically supported, and we didn’t have any cupcakes left over, and no one missed out!! Awesome outcome!
I made those lollipop cupcakes
I thought I would try my hand at making a cookie monster cupcake and a sheep cupcake. Both were lots of fun. I got a bit stuck on how to do a sheep’s head. After trying lots of different things, google images came to my rescue. (That is black food colouring applied with a skewer, not drawn on by a pen…just incase you’re wondering…).
Our experiments with the sheep’s face, inspired my daughter to make some pig cupcakes. She thought, that one of the noses we tried for the sheep, would look better as a pig’s nose. Since we had white & pink marshmallows, the pig cupcake was born. I loved her creations.
PS And I am loving my new 50mm 1.8 lens for my camera. I took all of these photos with it. Usually, I would have to tweak the colour in Picasa after taking photos, but these are straight out of the camera. And boy oh boy the bokeh/blur/depth of field is AH-MAZING!
Samurai Pork Burger – A sandwich marinated with teriyaki sauce.
Sweet Corn Pie
McDonald’s New Zealand
Kiwiburger – A hamburger with a fried egg and slice of beet
McDonald’s India
Maharaja Mac
“two all lamb patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.”
Veggie nuggets (with masala and chili dipping sauces)
McDonald’s Netherlands
McKroket
100% beef ragout with a crispy layer around it. It’s topped with a fresh mustard/mayonnaise sauce.
McDonald’s Philippines
McSpaghetti – Pasta in a sauce with frankfurter bits
McDonald’s Uruguay
McHuevo – A hamburger with a poached egg on top
McDonald’s Paraguay
McMacos
McFilet
McFiesta
McDonald’s Italy
Vegetariana Salad
with lettuce, corn, olives, carrots, cherry tomatoes and more.
Marinara Salad
with shrimps and salmon in fresh lettuce.
Mediterranea Salad
with cheese and olives
Fiordiriso Salad
with rice, tuna, ham and mushrooms.
McDonald’s Hong Kong
Curry Potato Pie
Red Bean Sundae
Shake Shake Fries
McDonald’s Ireland
Shamrock Shake
(although these have been available in the past in Canada around St. Paddy’s Day, I include them because they are served in Ireland year round, and no one’s seen them here for a few years.)
McDonald’s Chile
McPalta
tomatoes, avocado,mayonnaise, onions and mustard
McDonald’s Bahrain
Veggie Burger
McDonald’s Sabah & Malaysia
McEgg
(not a mcmuffin, a BURGER)
Fried Chicken
Pineapple Pie
McDonalds Mexico
McBurrito a la Mexicana
McNifica
McDonald’s Japan
Teriyaki McBurger
Green Tea Shake
French Fries With Seaweed Flavouring (nori)
(also in curry, mexican, and barbecue)
Chicken Tatsuta Burger
(this I actually ate – It is a grilled breast of chicken with a sort of ginger-soy-mayo sauce. Very good!)
Macaroni and Cheese Burger
(I dont know what this is called but I saw it in a limited time promotion in Tokyo. By the time I got around to eating at a McDonalds, the promotion was over!)
McDonald’s Portugal
Bica
(a type of espresso)
Pasteis de Nata
(Portuguese style cakes)
McDonald’s Siwitzerland
Vegi Mac
(vegetarian burger)
McDonald’s Singapore
The Love Burger
prime cut chicken grilled to tender perfection. Smothered with the tangy taste of honey mustard sauce and topped with a delicious combination of juicy tomatoes and fresh lettuce
Kampung Burger
farm fresh lettuce, cheese, a patty of chicken sausage and a tangy slice of chicken, topped by a slice of pineapple – all packed between two old-fashioned toasted muffins,
McPepper Burger
Two beef patties smothered in a thick, spicy black pepper sauce and topped with diced onions
McTowkay Burger
an egg and a beef patty marinated in a special “towkay” sauce, crispy lettuce and mayonnaise, all sandwiched between a sesame bun.
Kiasu Burger
extra large lean chicken patty seasoned with extra spices, marinated with extra sauce, topped with fresh lettuce, all sandwiched on an extra large sesame seed bun.
McDonald’s Sweden
“The world’s first “McSki” opened in Sweden with Ski-Thru service. Skiers can ski up to the counter and order their favorite McDonald’s sandwich without missing a beat on the slopes.”
Fisk, Kyckling och Vegetariskt
Dryck
Dips�s och Dressing
Plusmeny
Presentcheckar
McFeast & Co
Stora Menyn
McFish & Co
ViktV�ktarmenyn med McChicken
ViktV�ktarmenyn med McGarden
McGarden & Co
McAroni inkl. mellanstor l�sk
McDonald’s Argentina
The McNifica
a hamburger sandwich with cheese, tomato, onion and lettuce.
Yesterday, the schools were closed due to the snow.
My bored 10 year old decided to do some baking. (Yus!)
Chocolate Chips Muffins
Apple Crumble
Thank you Edmonds Junior Cookbook for her inspiration! (We added rolled oats to the apple crumble recipe, and swapped out the blueberries and added chocolate chips to the muffin recipe.)
I love the illustrations in this recipe book. It helped my daughter do the majority of the baking by herself.
I remember collecting illustrated recipes similar to these ones from magazines when I was her age.
The recipes are written and illustrated by Mary Pat Fergus, and she has illustrated other recipe books as well (although, a lot of them were published years ago.)
By the way, this isn’t a paid review…although it sure does sound like one! hehehe
We have received some crazy weather in Wellington!
It started snowing on Sunday…and we DO NOT get snow here. In fact, they say the last time we had weather like this was 30 years ago!
This is what happens when people get snow in their city for the first time in decades:
- We scream “IT’S SNOWING!!” and all go outside to feel the snow coming down (even if it is a slight snow flurry).
- We take lots of photos and videos.
- We do not go outside dressed for the snow. We attempt to enjoy it in whatever we are wearing….usually t-shirts and shorts.
- When it gets too cold, we finally get dressed warmer. We rummage around to find our beanies, gloves and scarves. They are quite often in a box or drawer that is usually untouched for 364 days of the year.
- We cross off all the things we want to do in the snow: snow fight, build a snowman, snow angels, jump on the snow laden trampoline etc.
- We look the other way when we catch our children eating the snow from the ground (we may even take a photo!)
- We worry about driving (even if there is nothing on the road).
- We stock up on the essentials before we get “snowed in”. No one owns snow tyres or snow chains – we have no idea how to drive to the conditions.
- We watch cars get stuck in front of our house.
- We Facebook excitedly about our adventures.
- We then spend a lot of time on Facebook viewing other people’s comments and photos of their snow adventures.
- We have lots of hot chocolates and warm baths.
- We use the dryer a lot for all the wet clothes and gloves etc.
- The hallways get filled with gum boots, jackets and pants.
Then we repeat the whole thing again the next snow day!
I have a couple of great recipes to share with you this week. Imagine not having to wait to go to a fair or an amusement park in order to have your fix of funnel cake..mmmm…funnel cake… I’m also curious to see if I can make my own chocolate sauce which hardens.
Using an old pot to make a stylish rope bowl is genius!
I love that we can print the super cute notes and have them on hand to say “thank you” or “hi, I’ve been thinking of you”.
Please take a look at the family photo tips by Me Ra Koh, they’re really useful!
Thank you Catherine from Wild and Precious for sharing the following tip with us!
“A few months ago I purchased a basket for “downstairs” items. We keep it right by the stairs, I toss things into it all day long, and after dinner I take it downstairs and put things in their proper place (or I have my girls do this job). When convenient, I use it to carry “upstairs items” back up with me. I’m less worried now that someone will tumble headfirst down the stairs after tripping on a princess shoe or a dirty towel I’ve thrown onto the stairs!”
We all have tips that we use around the home to make our life a bit easier. Why not share them with us?
Some examples could be: Tips on making life easier in the kitchen, housework, being healthy, parenting, how to balance time for yourself, or some encouraging words on motherhood.
Looking forward to hearing from you! Contact me here.
What if your child had the opportunity to listen to Eric Carle (Writer & Illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar) talk about his journey in becoming an illustrator and writer?
What was life like for Quentin Blake (Illustrator for Roald Dahl’s books, also a writer), and when did he start drawing?
What is Maurice Sendak like? (Writer & Illustrator of Where the Wild Things Are) Did he always have such original and interesting ideas? Where does he get his inspiration from?
There are fold-out pages, that reveal photos of the illustrators when they were young, and in some cases, artwork from when they were children. They also include a full-page portrait by the illustrator. (I think that was one of my favourite parts! I loved the thought that must have gone into each drawing.)
Although this book is aimed at children, I must admit, I really loved reading it as well.
Here are the list of illustrators included in this book:
“Good Reads” are reviews about books that I have come across (usually at the library) that I have fallen in love with, and have to share with someone! I’m always on the look out for special picture books, chapter books to read to my kids, craft books or books with a great message!
Sydney was great! Thank you for your supportive comments before I left. I really appreciated them
Sydney is…well…huge!! The underground subways, reminded me a lot of Tokyo’s subways. LOADS of people and everyone seemed to be in a rush!
One thing that I noticed in Sydney’s city centre, was the proportion of young adults compared to older people. You know that scene in chitty chitty bang bang where they arrive in the small town and they realise there are no children? Well, it felt like that, but the older adults seemed to be missing. Maybe I was near the University? In Wellington, there are a lot of office buildings, so I am used to seeing a mixture of ages.
There were many opportunities to eat good food. Shelly’s dad took us to some amazing places to eat!! Thai, Japanese, Malaysian and a super yummy chocolate place where I had a chocolate pizza. Yum!
Time Out for Women is a day (or weekend in the States) where women gather to hear inspiration messages and music. Time Out for Women Tour travels all around America, and for the first time, it came to Auckland, New Zealand and Sydney, Australia. (Shawni Eyre Pothier from 71 Toes spoke at TOFW in Oklahoma.)
This year’s theme was “Choose to Become” – All Things are possible to him that believeth Mark 9:23. So all the messages and the music that was presented was absolutely empowering, and left you wanting to “become” a better version of yourself. We laughed (A LOT! – Hilary Weeks is such a hoot!), we cried, and we felt the spirit. Sheri Dew, Brad Wilcox, Virginia Pearce, Hilary Weeks and Laurel Christensen were all outstanding presenters. There were so many things that were said that made an impression on me.
• Who influences me? (Not just people – but how do I spend my time. Eg TV, internet, books etc). Who do I influence? Where am I looking to get my influence from? Where should I be looking?
• “Don’t be the one thing standing in your way” was a fantastic message that went along with the theme. It is our choice to move forward and become what we want to be – sometimes we just need to get past our biggest obstacle – us!
• On Sundays I feel totally inspired and so good at church. As well as I get clarity on my purpose and what my priorities should be. There is no reason why I can not have those feelings during my scripture study and personal time. I want to aim to have those feelings I have at church on a daily basis.
I can tell you that since arriving home, I have been a better mother. I was floundering a bit before I left. I even felt that in some conflict situations, I wasn’t handling it well. I didn’t feel empowered at all. Although, I still do some parenting boo-boos, I find that I am parenting purposefully. Instead of being overwhelmed by the conflict, I think things through and come up with a fair outcome (instead of saying the first thing that would come to my mind to make it stop.) Now the trick is to keep all this good stuff up!
Maybe I need to schedule regular getaways throughout the year to recharge my batteries! Hahaha, who’s with me?!?!
Enjoy this footage from YouTube of Hilary Weeks (then check out her “Favourite Things” song and “To Do List” Song…you will be glad that you did!!)
Ok….so I have a day left to get ready for my (solo) trip away to Australia on Thursday.
I have lots of things to think about and lots of things to prepare. I can tell I am going to be writing a bunch of lists after I finish this post – packing lists, list of to-dos for tomorrow. Did I mention that I am probably taking 6 kids to the movies tomorrow. Ha!
I know that come Wednesday evening, I’m going to be feeling really sad at leaving everyone….
Through all the rollercoaster of emotions, I am really grateful that I am able to have this quick visit away, and to go on a wee adventure to Sydney for a few days.
The kids will be in the capable hands of my hubby…..he really is a keeper. Sunday at church will be interesting. He will be juggling his Bishop responsibilities and 4 kids by himself. I can’t wait to hear how it goes.
Ok…I’m off to do some laundry, so they have clothes to wear over the next few days. I don’t want them turning up to church in their PJs!
