From the monthly archives: December 2014
This afternoon my four little munchkins arrive home from a week away at Grandma and Grandad’s farm (huge thank you to my lovely folks for having our four stay for a whole week) .
I am so excited to see their little faces this afternoon and hear all about their adventures on their big trip away.
How the time has flown by!
It is not that long ago that we had four kids under 5 years old.
A house filled with high-chairs, nappies, baby toys and cots.
It reminded me of this post I wrote a few years ago when we took the kids exploring in Western Australia. The youngest two (2 and 4 years old) were determined to climb the hill with the ‘big kids’. The very thought of my little poppets scrambling up a rocky hill scared the pants off me! Yet off they went, take a look below…
Enjoy xx
From the vault (29/09/2012)
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Part of the deal with a large slightly chaotic life with the tribe is encouraging independence…from a very early age.
This does not come easy. At all.
This is not one of those things that gets easier with time.
Cultivating independence takes a big risk, a lot of holding your breath, heart thumping loudly in your chest kind of moments.
This was one of times.
This is how you learn to climb (the under 5’s edition).
Beginning the ascent… Little L bravely charges on
Hurrah!! Little L reaches the summit (I breathe a huge sigh of relief)
Enjoy xx
We are a family of book-lovers.
Self-confessed book-worms who can all pass the time reading, poring over the pages of beautiful illustrations and talking about how our favourite characters reacted.
So, it is no surprise then that we all have a wish list of books we would love to read over the Christmas break or, […]
We are a family of book-lovers.
Self-confessed book-worms who can all pass the time reading, poring over the pages of beautiful illustrations and talking about how our favourite characters reacted.
So, it is no surprise then that we all have a wish list of books we would love to read over the Christmas break or, if we are super lucky, receive from Santa.
Here is the tribes literary wish list for Christmas (sounds a lot like Dr Seuss!):
- Little L’s list for littlies (0-5) – first readers (the Reading Eggs books are fab), Winnie the Witch, The Day the Crayons Quit, any of the Flower Fairies books
- Flashdance (6-9) – anything by Andy Griffiths, The Little Lunch Series, How to Train your Dragon series (Cressida Cowell), Non-fiction books about bugs or anime (how to draw Japanese cartoon characters)
- Captain Jack (7-12) – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (JK Rowling), Lord of the Rings – separate volumes, rather than the all-in-one book (to make for easy holiday reading), Mapmaker Chronicles (A. L. Tait), non-fiction books about sea creatures, dinosaurs. volcanos or robotics
- The Mini-Fashionista (7-12) – The Blood of Olympus (Rick Riordan), Quidditch through the Ages (JK Rowling), The Chronicles of Narnia, any of the Thea Stilton series
- Ladies and Gentlemen (that would be my lovely husband and I) – Pip Lincolnes fab new book, Beci Orpin’s new book, The Great Zoo of China – the latest from Matthew Reilly
Enjoy xx
Been successful lately?
Motivation is a tricky thing to nail down.
How do you get yourself motivated to get up, get moving, make a change, get started, and well, get on with things?
Some of the challenges we try to tackle seem insurmountable at first.
Giant mountains of stuff to tackle, decisions to make, which options to choose, where to start…
I thought I would share a trick I’ve been using for a few years now to get your motivational mojo flowing.
This trick has helped me successfully complete my studies (with kids in tow), design and create super cute items for my Etsy store whilst also juggling a full-time career, tackle giant mounds of folding/washing/mess that four kids generate.
I call it the 20 minute rule.
Pick the job you have been putting off.
Let’s take folding the washing – which tops my list as the worst household chore ever! Get the basket/s out, pick a flat surface (dining table or folding trestle table works well), then set a timer. As soon as the timer goes off, get cracking. Only do that task, sort/fold/put away for 20 minutes. Don’t try to do something else at the same time. Just sort/fold/put away. When the timer goes off, stop and check your progress. Now you’ve made headway! Do you want to do another 20 minutes? Or do something different?
For me, nine times out of ten I am happy to keep going until it’s done.
I have tried this trick on studying, and it works just as well. Set up, ready, set a timer and go! Read, highlight, take notes, start that assignment. After 20 minutes I am usually in the zone so will keep going. If I am not, then I have at least started and it’s a lot easier next time to sit down and get into it.
Ok, now, what is the job you are putting off? Can you spare 20 minutes? Go!
Enjoy xx
One of my poppets sketching to create her own masterpiece
In my part of the world it is school holidays, and for us that means less homework, less worrying about uniforms, hats and socks and more time for all members of our family to do the things they would really like to do.
It can also mean hearing the words ‘I’m bored’ a lot more.
Every day.
On repeat.
So I thought it was a great time to share some ideas that I have tried/ tested/ blatantly pinched from fab vacation care we have used/ borrowed from friends/read on a couple of great blogs:
- Write up a list along with your kids of a list of easy activities/ ideas, then laminate it and stick it up in the kitchen/another high traffic area. Some ideas to think about including: play heads up, build a Lego city, play with the kinetic sand, play a board game (guess who, monopoly), play a card game, paint your nails, plan and put on a puppet show, go to the reading nook and read a good book, make icy poles for later, bake cookies, set up the lounge for a movie (popcorn, tickets, etc). When one of the kids says ‘I’m bored’ simply point to the list.
- Try planning each week together, then write it up and pop it on the fridge. Schedule in lunch, morning snacks, play in the park, free time. The kids can then run the show! Kikki K has some great planners, and you can also get some printable ones here online.
- Keep ‘go bags’ packed and ready to go. We have a tub for helmets and hats, a spot for scooter and bike parking, and a bag for beach/ pool. After we get home, we clean out and repack- the bag. No more last-minute scrabble for goggles, towels and thongs…
- Ask around! Whether you ask on Facebook, at the park, friends or family, ask and you will get new ideas, hot tips and even playdates. Better yet offer to have some of the kids friends over and give your friends/ family a break and give your own kids someone new to play with. I am always amazed how adding an extra child or two to my bunch is less work rather than more.
- Visit your local library, art gallery, museum, cultural centre, and then give the kids a sketchbook or notebook. Encourage them to document the day, copy the paintings, draw what they see.
Happy holidays!
As always, enjoy xx
