memory game

Our girl must've played this at Kindy as she set it up by herself and insisted that her brother and I play. The photos tell all, collect things for the tray,  take some time to look at them, cover them, secretly remove an item ( or in this case 3 items!) and the players then try and say what items have been removed. T was really good at it - please excuse the yucky old tea towel!

dino pasta

My friend told me about these so we got them in the groceries last week. They're not expensive and our kids will eat pasta of any shape- but they looked like fun- and it says they're high fibre. The picture is of them cooked- a stegasaurus, a brachiosaurus and a kind of scrunched up t- rex ( they were all like that).  I love silly stuff.

pastel flowers

We drew in the garden today. We had a big talk about the colours, shapes and textures and I let them go for it.  I love the chat that goes along with this sort of thing, they enjoyed saying nice things about each others work- love them.

 

for the birds

I've decided to try and do something from my 'Kids' pinterest board every Friday ( our at home day). This morning we made bird feeders with the last of our Cheerios. The photos pretty much sum it up- great hand eye co-ordination practise for them- and they snacked at the same time. We hung them outside their rooms and  I love that they sat quietly at their windows waiting for birds to come.

dollshouse is done!

I like how it turned out, it's not perfect but I didn't want it to be. There's still space for more furniture in future too. The Sylvanian cat family look happy and I found a Sylvanian racoon in an op shop so she's joined the house hold as the cook : ). I'd like to get a little frame for a picture of both children above the stairs and would one day like to add some working lights. The kids are at pre school today so they'll have it to come home too- perfect on such a rainy cold day.

  

dollshouse update

I work faster than Fletchers ( a Christchurch joke) so today I finished painting the outside of the house and the roof. I've chosen some fabrics as I'm determined to make curtains, bedding etc using fabric that I already have. It's looking like pinks and blues and today I found a cute curved diamante sticker that I thought might look nice on the bedroom wall as a sort of 'blingy' bunting. My husband thinks I'm mad but I want to wait until I get the lino and carpet offcuts before I paint any walls- so I can be sure the colours are just right. I'm also deciding whether or not to do some scrapbook paper walls, here's a link to the cutest dolls house I've seen- and I've seen lots!

Sarah Jane Studios- dolls house

Yes.. . I can feel my mind changing, but that's all part of the process ( and fun!).

valentines day

I like Valentines day, I tell my family that I love them daily but I don't think there's anything wrong with saying it again on Feb 14th. The children and I made these gifts for family members ( potential spoiler there!). We started with some already played with red playdough which we rolled out. I helped the children cut out heart shapes and we used lace and the rolling pin to press patterns into the dough. I baked them at a low heat for 3 hours and let them dry out for a few more days. We applied a layer of silver paint by dabbing it with an old sponge and once that was dry I spray varnished them. I've hung them on ribbon and now have to think of a nice way to package them and in some cases post them as they're quite delicate. We made a special one for Dad with his name on it. Mum, you can choose yours!

sticks and stones

We went away this weekend and a little art box went with us. There is no shortage of rocks or driftwood at the beach near where we went so I thought we might paint some of them. We ended up with brightly coloured 'magic wands' a couple of whales, a love heart, some bugs and a ladybird. We brought some home with us but others stayed there in the garden. I think the grandparents like them as they're a reminder to all that the hut really is a place for family. 

digging it

Even the annoying, dusty and literally house shaking experience of having major roadworks outside your house can be turned into something fun- well we thought so anyway!

magic sponges

I moved the boy's bedroom yesterday (swapped him with us) and wouldn't have been without my little magic sponges. They really do remove scuff marks on walls, doors and skirting. I can get quite carried away and do one end of the house to the other! They're good on the fridge and stainless steel too. I've read something online about keeping them away from children and not even letting older children use them. This is probably good advice as how a seemingly plain little white spongey thing can do such a good job of removing marks is beyond me!

The Chux site says they're detergent and chemical free though...

http://www.chux.com.au/the-chux-range/chux-magic-eraser-range/magic-eraser%C2%AE-hard-surface-cleaner-8pk/