Showing posts with label dress ups. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dress ups. Show all posts

Wednesday, 16 March 2016

Going away and feeling better

My energy returned slowly after my day of rest, and 5 days up at Mum and Dad's helped me restore my emotional energy a little. They were away, so we had the house to ourselves and shared with our friends who brought their caravan up and spent the days with us. The kids had a wonderful time, playing iPads, lego, zoo animals, the piano, swimming, watching movies, playing hide and seek and other games they made up that involved toys and stairs and upstairs and downstairs, bike and scooter riding, card games, talking and thinking and learning and laughing. The adults also had a great time, helping with all of the above, and doing puzzles and reading and chatting and relaxing. It was perfect timing for a low key trip away, and I felt much better once we got back.

Since then we've had a few quiet days at home, one of them with Tony here all day which was wonderful (he's still been working long hours, nearly every day). We had a really busy day yesterday, with all 3 kids visiting the dentist (teeth all doing well), then meeting friends at the museum for a very fun afternoon, then visiting my sister and her family before they go to England next Monday. The kids had a great time playing with their cousin - who calls Caitlin 'Cake', and the other 2 'more Cake' (possibly some combination of Caitlin and cousin?) - they love playing duplo and cars and trains with him, and being bossed around by a 2 year old. He is pretty cute. Once we left the kids all voted for Subway for dinner (I had been thinking we'd go to McDonalds, but without hesitation they all asked for Subway) - it takes us ages to order by the time 4 of us decided what we want and how many drinks etc, but it was tasty and fun and everyone was happy with their order.

Other things we've got up to in the last several days
- LiAM and I have played cards a lot - it was funny, a few times I started to suggest that he play a different card to the one he chose - then remembered that his strategic understanding of the game is as good (or probably better) than mine, so I kept quiet, and sure enough, he ended up winning doing things his way. He can think a long way ahead in a game and really understands what all the moves mean
-Tony took Amelie to McDonalds on his day off, she was so thrilled to have some time alone with him
-LiAM and I went for a walk around the dam and explored plants and animals and mud and animal tracks, and talked about all sorts of things
- we've watched lots of Heartland, which has sparked discussion about childcare, parenting practices, relationships, horses, jobs, responsibility, friendship, trust, script writing, decision making
- LiAM has played a lot with his Skylander figures, making up a game for them to play with each other and creating a score sheet for them
- More and more often LiAM is saying 'does this say '....'?' instead of asking 'what does this say?' when he sees text on screen or on a sign
- Caitlin has been helping Tony make some wine with some of the local grapes that weren't picked for use this year
- We've been reading random fact books and learning all sorts of interesting trivia
- lots of talk still about planets, dwarf planets and star constellation
- Caitlin had a sleepover with a friend, and the rest of us visited other friends for the afternoon, the girls played dress ups and did puzzles, the boys played playstation games, and the adults chatted
- we're going lots of planning for our big trip which is coming up rather fast


Wednesday, 24 February 2016

Trip to Yea

I woke early yesterday after a restless night of moving between beds (we ended up with too many people in our bed) so I had a bit of time to myself in the morning on the computer. When Amelie woke up she joined me on the couch and we played Hungry Babies for a while, I love playing and she loves watching so it is fun, and we spend a lot of time looking at the pictures of the baby animals too and discussing their names, whether their pictures are accurate, what those type of animals really do in the wild and so on.

I woke LiAM and Caitlin at 10 as we were leaving at 11 to go to my Mum's to see my godmother. We have been in contact on an off, but hadn't seen each other since Caitlin's baptism at the end of 2004, so it's 11 years since we'd properly caught up. And she hadn't met any of my kids, apart from a 3 month old Caitlin (Caitlin is somewhat different now compared to then!).

While we were getting ready LiAM and Amelie played Lego Marvel Superheroes. Caitlin was out of the yoghurt she's been enjoying so I made her some homemade ice cream - frozen bananas, frozen raspberries and cream - a very tasty fruity breakfast. We left just after 11 and stopped for petrol and at the library and were in Yea by 12.10, I'd been aiming for 12 so was pretty happy with that.

Amelie went upstairs to play with the plastic zoo animals, LiAM and Grandad looked at a book of international coins and tried to identify the coins Dad had given LiAM (they found a few of them), Caitlin practiced her Manga drawing and I played the piano. My Godmother, A, and her husband, S, arrived in time for BBQ lunch and it was so great to see them. They chatted lots to the kids and everyone got along well. Caitlin and LiAM helped Mum and I get the table ready for lunch and we ate out on the back deck, with the 'million dollar views' as S kept saying (they hadn't visited Mum and Dad's place in Yea before).

After lunch Caitlin did manga drawings by request, and her style is developing quickly. She drew a girl with her hair in 2 buns then decided to do her hair that way herself, then Mum remembered she had hair chopsticks, and a kimono so Caitlin dressed up and looked fantastic.


We all looked at A's photo book of the Camino she did in Spain last year, and discussed the walk and some spanish words and the idea of pilgrimage etc.

After the guests left Dad and I (and the kids on and off) looked at maps and photos of Tasmania - discussing our previous trips and planning for Mum and Dad's upcoming trip (Dad's 70th birthday present). We also found some photos of seals and penguins in a book of Ken Duncans photos, which thrilled Amelie, and Dad brought up the photos of when we were in Venice, as we'd been talking about when LiAM took his first steps. He's pretty thrilled that he started to walk when he was in Italy. The kids had a swim in the spa and Mum and I sat and watched them and did some Pride and Prejudice quizzes on jetpunk. After her swim Amelie played some music on the keyboard upstairs, and LiAM watched some minecraft videos. Mum and I looked at the clothes she bought to take to Tasmania.

We left around 6 and listened to an audio book on the way home - The Dare Game by Jacqueline Wilson. I love the depth and flaws in her characters and the raw emotion that these kids express. We stopped at the IGA to get milk and a frozen pizza for dinner, then home to watch Australia's Got Talent. Tony came home before it was finished, it was nice to be able to sit and watch a bit of TV with him while we ate, and to catch up on our days before he showered and went to bed. Caitlin watched Farmer Wants a Wife and Amelie went into the bedroom to watch Pokemon, LiAM flitted between the 2. Caitlin then wanted to watch a movie and LiAM wanted to play Lego Marvel Superheroes, then decided he was too tired so went to bed and C stayed up and watched her movie, while the rest of us went to bed.

Friday, 29 January 2016

Lots of friends and water

It's raining this morning!!! It feels so lovely and refreshing and I feel a great sense of relief. For the last 48 hours the forecast has been for a very high probability of rain - and it has rained lots in some areas of Victoria (and around Melbourne even), but we kept missing out. I've been watching the radar and the rain has moved just to the north or south of us, or died out before it got this far east - it's been so frustrating, and the humidity has been building... So it's wonderful to finally wake up to steady rainy this morning.

On Wednesday morning we still had the kids over from the sleepover the night before. The boys crashed in the early morning after staying up so late, and slept for a few hours each. The girls were surprisingly happy and active. They played the Harry Potter Scene It game for a while, and went for a bike ride next door to pick blackberries, came back and filled up the paddling pool with water to cool off, played on their iPads for a while, and were fading by about lunch time. I took them home on our way to meet up with some other homeschooling families at Lillydale Lake. (We called in to the op shop on the way through and found some more My Little Ponies for Millie, she was very happy).

We got to the playground and I couldn't believe how hot it was! Very oppressive heat and not really fun for playing in the sun. We set up a picnic blanket in some shade and for most of the afternoon the kids (mine and the others) lay on the rugs and only occasionally ventured out into the playground. One family had brought their dog along so she provided a bit of entertainment. I had a good chat to the other mums and one dad. Most of those who were there have only been homeschooling for a short while so it was good to chat about how things tend to progress. As most of the others were leaving our good friends the Hs arrived, and after a while we and one other family moved down to the lake where the kids could swim and cool off. The parents stood in water about shin deep, and the kids played for ages, the big kids as far out in the lake as they were comfortable, the smaller ones in and out a bit and playing in the sand as well. It was such an improvement to sitting in the shade and feeling exhausted!

We headed home when the storm clouds threatened. I was thinking my washing would get wet so I grabbed it off the line straightaway but we didn't get more than a few drops. Tony worked a few extra hours at work then raced in for a quick shower and a bite to eat before heading off to darts - he hasn't played competition darts in over 10 years so was excited to be getting back into it. LiAM and Caitlin fell asleep early so Millie and I played games and then made a tiger mask of paper plates and pipe cleaners.

On Thursday LiAM woke early and came on my walk with me. Instead of going around the dam we went down to the water's edge and looked at the plants growing there and the types of animal footprints we could see. We came back and he played his monster game on the iPod . When Millie woke up she played on the computer for a while, then they watched some tv. It was still hot and muggy and no one felt like doing much. We popped into town at one point to return library books (but the library wasn't open) and to get Millie some chocolate milk which she'd been craving all week.

In the afternoon our friends from Sydney arrived in their bus to spend the night at our house.  The girls went blackberry picking and then spent the afternoon dressing up and playing role playing games. The boys played Halo on the xbox and after an initial discussion about who was going to play first, quickly figured out a way for the 3 of them to happily play with 2 controllers. I had a wonderful chat with L. Once the sun had gone behind the clouds the girls and L and I went down to the dam for a swim. It was so lovely to be in the water. I didn't stay in long, L and I sat on the shore and watched the girls play and swim and cover themselves in mud, it was a lot of fun. Back at the house the girls set up a graduation ceremony for Caitlin and Millie - they made outfits and hats and certificates. There was also a wedding, and then lots of craft, the girls made some really pretty and creative creatures.

We managed to convince everyone to go to bed around 11.30 - they were all exhausted and so were we! It's so great how easily our 2 families fit together, we only see each other a couple of times a year but it's as if no time has passed when we get back together.

Wednesday, 25 February 2015

Birthday parties and days at home

I definitely think this year is going to be easier than last year - I seem to have a better handle on an active/resting balance, and we're not rushing around much at all. I also think I'll be better at saying no when new opportunities come up, if those opportunities are going to have a high energy cost. Or saying yes, while reorganising some other things so that we can do the new thing and not be worn out by still trying to do everything else.

Last week we seemed to find a good balance of being out and being at home. Monday I had an appointment in Healesville, so we met some friends at the library and the kids played with them while I did my thing, then we all went to Queens Park, rode scooters and Ripstik and had a paddle in the creek. Once our friends left we called in to Healesville Pool - I didn't feel up to swimming so I put Millie's backpack on her and the 3 kids had a fun swim while I watched. I had felt too tired to go but by not swimming myself it was actually quite manageable, and we managed grocery shopping afterwards without any stress.

Tuesday we spent at home, watching movies, playing Minecraft, playing lego, playing the piano, playing snakes and ladders and ludo and chinese checkers (by the usual rules and by Millie's made up on the go rules - both were really fun). It was an unexpected day at home, we did originally have plans to visit a friend, which didn't work out, and I'm glad in the end that we had the down time.

Wednesday was my nephew's 1st birthday. We went to Lilydale to buy his birthday present (a helmet to wear when he uses the Balance Bike his parents gave him, and a book each from the kids) and to get pokemon card starter kits for my kids - they had saved up half the money each and I happily provided the other half so that they each got a kit and their games can be more meaningful. Then into my sister's place to hang out for a bit and give T his presents, had birthday cake, then we all (including Mum and Dad) went to a Greek restaurant for dinner. I've been meaning to show F how to wrap T on her back, so I put him on my back for the walk to the restaurant (I love having a baby on my back, and he was quite happy as long as he could see his mummy) and she wore him home. The meal was delicious and it was great having some family time all together (minus Tony though cos he was at work). Back to F's where we chatted and the kids played Pokemon and then home once T went to bed.

Thursday we had Homeschool Group in Yarra Glen. Quite a few families there again, and we did water activities on a hot sunny day. We transferred water between 2 glasses using nothing but paper towel, and then experimented with how it was different if we put food dye in the water (it seemed to go at slightly different speeds). We filled glasses with water and put cardboard on top and flipped them over - and the cardboard stayed on! And we made the water life cycle in a bag - coloured water in ziplock bags which then got taped to a window and you can see evaporation, condensation and precipitation. The kids also played board games, did some craft, rode scooters, played on the swings, played on their iPads and chatted a lot. (The parents chatted a lot too). My kids and I had chicken bread rolls in the park for dinner, then went to karate. Millie wasn't keen to go this week then changed her mind at the last minute, and joined in for a few minutes. I was going to sit out with her but a friend stayed to watch so I was able to participate which was great because I enjoy it so much.

Friday we had a very restful day at home, playing iPad games and watching movies, then we took Caitlin to her first acting class of the year. We dropped her off, where she was very excited to see all her friends again, then the other 2 and I went to Croydon to get dim sims, spring rolls, yoghurt and M&Ms for dinner. We did a little bit of shopping - including at The Full Pantry, my favourite whole foods shop, which was unexpectedly still open so I was able to stock up on things I'd run out of - then went to Croydon library. We finished our food in the park out the front, then spent an hour and a half in the library, watching youtube videos, reading, playing on the computer, borrowing books etc. Picked Caitlin up - she had a wonderful time and enjoyed being in the Intermediate Training group this year instead of Juniors - and home to read some more of Eragon and eventually go to sleep.

Saturday I had a doctor's appointment and a friend came over to be with the kids while I went - she and her kids stayed all day and it was lovely, we hadn't had much time to chat lately and it was great to really catch up, and the kids all played well all day - Terraria, Minecraft, Lego, on the swings, Pokemon, with soft toys etc. Tony actually was home before dark - the first time in 2 weeks, it was a very pleasant surprise to have him around for some of the evening.

Sunday we had a birthday party to go to and for various reasons I hadn't bought presents or organised costumes for the Minecraft theme yet - so we went to Lilydale (Tony had a day off for the first time in 2 weeks and Millie stayed home with him) and got LiAM a Diamond Sword (made of foam) and light blue top/dark blue pants so that he could be Steve from Minecraft. Caitlin bought cat's ears and tail so she could be an ocelot, and we got a dragon costume for Millie. Home and then quickly into costume - Millie was way too hot in her costume on a 36 degree day (I thought she would be, but felt much happier in providing her the costume and letting her make the choice rather than making it for her) so she changed into a skirt with flowers on it and decided she could be a Minecraft Rose. The party was at Hedge End Maze and theire were lots of organised, Minecraft themed, activities for the kids to do, and a great Minecraft cake (made by the birthday boy's dad) and despite the heat everyone had a great time. After the party we stayed at the venue for a while and did some of the mazes and puzzles ourselves, then headed home for a very quiet evening