winter?

 

Yesterday afternoon was gorgeous.  In the morning we headed to MOTAT with hats and coats but by afternoon the kids were in the hammock outside just in their pajamas!  It was lovely.  I was painting my toenails a week or so back and both boys insisted that I do theirs too.  However apparently it's not so cool to have painted nails as a school boy... "everyone in my class was interested in my toes" he told me, and asked if I could take the nail polish off.  Yes the hammock is a bit mouldy... I'm not sure if that's fixable or not?  Any ideas would be welcome... bleach? exit mould?

super model

Guess who's the gorgeous cover model on the front of the latest Parenting magazine?  Yes it's our school boy cheesing it up for the camera.  He's also in the "free-range kids" article inside, a pretty good read too.  I think he did a lovely job and is pretty good in front of a camera (I think the millions of photos I take of him help with that) ;o)   It's funny seeing him on the shelves at the supermarket, and a photo taken by someone else too!

this moment

{this moment} -  A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Thanks SouleMama for the inspiration.

six years already??

How can it have been almost six years ago that we met for the first time?

You were born wide eyed and alert and that hasn't changed a bit, you continue to amaze us on a daily basis.  We are so very happy and grateful that you're in our lives.  We adore you sweet boy.

picnic blanket

Okay I must confess that these photos are not recent.  They're from the end of Feb when we ended up in Starship with the wee guy's asthma.  It's the picnic blanket I made from Handmade Home (one of my favourite crafty books).  It just happened that we'd been at the lantern festival when his asthma got really bad and we popped in to Starship on the way back to our car.  Pleased that we did because they made us stay there for a while.  It was also nice to have this blanket on hand so I could put something over him while he slept.  Having my camera (had taken it for the lanterns) for a bit of entertainment was also a good thing.

His asthma has been totally under control (touch wood) since about the middle of April.  Even since we got him onto regular preventer medication it has made the world of difference.  I can't believe it took us so long to get it sorted.  I didn't realise that it wasn't normal to be needing his blue reliever a few times (or more) a week.  Since starting on the preventer (maybe 10-12 weeks ago) I don't think he's needed it at all.  Yippee!!

more bagel faces

We made bagel faces for lunch at the weekend with our delicious home made bagels.  The boys loved them so much when we made it last time that I can't believe we left it so long before we did it again!  It's a pretty fun lunch as you can just use what ever you have in the fridge, sprouts are definitely good for hair though.  I had to tie the little guy's fringe back while he ate, it's getting very long.

lantern walking

We've been talking about the seasons recently, how the days get shorter and then longer again.  I heard on the radio that it was the winter solstice and thought we could do something with the kids to celebrate it.  So yesterday we made tissue paper lanterns and took them for a walk around the neighbourhood before dinner. It was really sweet and kind of magical.  I'm trying to get a bit more magic into the boys lives and a little less reality.  I'm reading a lovely parenting book called "Heaven on Earth" which is really inspiring.  A lot about natural toys and magic and celebrating family.

bagels

I made bagels yesterday!  They were delicious!  A little bit of effort involved but I think that the more we do it the easier they'll be (and the smoother they'll look).  Got the recipe from the Destitute Gourmet book "More Stunning Food from Small Change", a great all round cookbook.

getting back on track

Slowly but surely life is returning to normal. I'm on antibiotics for possible pneumonia (or bronchitis) and am finally starting to feel better. Getting full nights of sleep (kids are better now) is making a massive difference. I'm loving the little things like walking the boys to school and kindy, vacuuming the carpet, getting the washing out on the line... things that I generally take for granted.

I haven't been inspired to get the big camera out yet or to make much of an effort but it'll get there soon I'm sure.  In the mean time here are some snaps from our misty walk to school.  I like misty :o)  The pix were taken by #1 who is needed to take some pictures of his walk to school.  #2 played the drum on every bin we walked past. Boom boom boom.  He looks really big because he's the same height as the photographer.

more doctors...

I'm miserable.  The past two weeks have been the worst ever.  #2 had two days recovered from his six day tummy bug (we thought) but has been sick again since Wednesday.  The vomiting in the middle of the night is wearing us out!  It doesn't help that I'm sick with rattly breathing and a nasty chest cough that is not improving at all.  So we're off to the doctor (for him) and to get my antibiotic prescription filled.  I am exhausted and experiencing extreme cabin fever.  The little guy needs to be close to the bathroom so even the school run is a problem for us at the moment.  So there has been a lot of TV watching and lying on the couch for both of us.  I wish my Mum and Dad hadn't moved back to Christchurch!

Thank goodness for a number of friends who have been taking #1 to school for me, and to his after school thing, loaning us DVDs (we have enough now thanks), returning library books (including paying for the one that got puked on!) and buying us bread and bananas for the BRAT diet that we've put #2 on.  Apparently Bread, Rice, Apple and Toast (BRAT) is the best diet for a gastro bug... let's hope it works soon!  Here he is making himself a banana toast sandwich for breakfast.  Hopefully we'll be back on track next week!  Or else I think I might move out ;o)

looking for a princess

Little Miss M (my sweetest wee redhead niece (okay my only niece)) will be turning two next month and I'm making her a princess and the pea set for her birthday (inspired by this one).  It might be a little bit old for her (really have no idea) but she can always grow into it.  I'm reasonably confident that if she sees this at all, she won't know that it's something for her.  I made twelve mattresses because in the Lauren Child version of the book (she's getting that too) they make a big deal of counting them out one by one.  So the mattresses turned out super cute... now for a suitable princess.  She needs to be about 6 inches tall.  So far I'm thinking of maybe laminating a paper one copied from the front cover of the book, I've never really made a doll from scratch.  Any ideas?

the kindness of neighbours

On Wednesday I sent our 5yr old up the road (in his pj's - we were all sick) to give some yeast to our nice German neighbour.  She knew the kids were home sick and so sent him back with a cool kiddy documentary type DVD about the NASA space programme.  The boys were especially impressed with the zero gravity food play that went on.  When he returned the DVD later that day (still in his pj's) he came back with three delicious hot pretzels which we ate for afternoon tea. They were amazing.  I've made bread before but never with that yummy European style crustiness on the outside.  So in the wee hours of this morning (around 5am) I thought now that I'm up (with the sick 4yr old), I may as well pop some dough into the bread maker and give it a try.  Sadly my electronic scales are not working properly and so I guessed the amount of flour.  Not a good idea... I think I put in about seven cups and it needed five.  We still made them but next time maybe they'll be worth blogging about.

i spoke too soon

It's 540am and I'm taking dictation from a four year old...

I love you Grandpa and I'm coming down for my birthday.  I'm snuggling in bed together, in mama's bed.  I'm feeling really sick. that's all.

It's true.  Perhaps I jinxed it by calling that last post "recovery" but this has been probably the worst night so far.  Changing bed sheets at 8pm and again at 1130pm and showering the sick boy.  Then up at 330am and 440am at which point it seemed sensible to stay up a bit longer (glad we did) and then at 530 I decided that we may as well stay up.  So if you talk to me today and I'm tired and grumpy that'd be why.  I think what makes it worse is that I'm still sick myself and B is miles away having fun!

6am and the whole house is up now.  Joy.  I'm having a  nap this afternoon!

recovery

I too have caught the kids dreaded bug, although it's quite different to their symptoms.  Around about this time last night B & I were cleaning vomit from under the bunk beds (after having removed the top bunk sleeper into the safety of our bed, and the bottom one into the shower).  Not only had #2 thrown up onto the wall side (away from all the carefully placed towels and bowl) but he'd slept through it.  Sadly a library book had to be thrown in the bin    but that was the only casualty.  This must be one of my first ever photoless posts.  Didn't think you'd want to see any of this though!

kitchenaid!

While I wait for the kitchenaid mixer I've been saving up for (hopefully should get it in the next month or two), I found this apple cutter and corer which does a great job!  Really an unnecessary kitchen gadget but so nice.  We are a house full of sickos at the moment.  Some nasty gastro bug is doing the rounds... I suspect it's what DaddyB had about 10days ago but we can't be sure.  Anyway not much feeling like blogging.  I got back from my long (childless) weekend away visiting family to be up half the night looking after our vomiting school boy.  Little brother got the bug last night.  Ick ick ick.