Playdoh...

I promised some playdoh and today I found a new recipe so I tried it. This one is just mixed together without cooking on the stove, but I'm not sure whether its a bit too crumbly... I'll have to try more oil next time I think. Recipe came from Sew Liberated.

Birthday party...

One of the reasons we were away in the "big smoke" was to celebrate the recent birthdays of Aunty T and Uncle R. Here's a couple of shots from that.
The kids got to lick the cake bowl when Grandma made it - although they were concerned that Uncle R might arrive early and want some! Then Mr Happy had to get in the act with the candle blowing...
But they had a wonderful time! Thanks, family, for making their day, and especially Grandma and Grandad for letting us stay for a while. This morning over breakfast Mr Happy asked "when are we going back to Grandad's?" and wasn't happy with the answer:-(
We also visited our friends, the E Family, while were away, so a special hello to Mummy M and Little Misses S, E, K and D. It was lovely to catch up and we must try to do it again soon.

A little break...

Just a note to let you know that mummy and kids are having a little break while we visit Grandma M for a couple of days. Back soon...

Dusty day...

Like other places, its super dusty here today - usually the view is much clearer. Silly me, didn't realise and hung out washing then went out all morning... currently re-washing all that! But did have a lovely time at the shops with kids.

Which reminds me... We interrupt our usual broadcast to say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UNCLE R!!!

Hope you've had a great day;-)

Lucky us!

We got a lovely surprise on the doorstep today - we won a prize! From a competition run by the Playgroup Assoc. And just in time for school holidays, so there are 2 excited kids here...

Lunch on the deck...

School holidays! Loving it today - no school run, happy kids keeping each other occupied, sewing time, lunch outside, all good! Even got clever and used the timer on the camera;-)

Flower Parade...

The big parade was on yesterday and we decided the kids would love it! Beautiful day but pretty hot in the sun so we found a shady spot next to truck. There were heaps of entries this year - we overheard someone say 140! Mr Happy got a bit tired of it, but Little Miss was rapt. She especially liked the beautiful ladies and butterfly stilt-walkers. Mr Happy liked the fire engines. An ice cream was the perfect way to finish - and let the crowd disappear a bit!

Bike Day...

Thursday was Bike Day in the park for Little Miss and her class. It was a beautiful day and the kids loved it! There's a huge park not far from school that we walked over to then let them, go for a couple of hours. Little Miss decided she didn't really want to ride but she had a ball directing traffic. We had to keep reminding her not to jump out in front of moving vehicles... Mr Happy also had fun riding. You can see him in a stripey blue shirt and blue hat with his back to the camera, as he surveys the oncoming traffic.

Oops!

Mr Happy has recently discovered he can climb into the bath by himself and is very keen to do it without supervision "like a big boy". But last night we laughed...

He shed the pants and headed for the toilet. Mummy and Daddy were just outside in the hall chatting. A few minutes later, he was back in the bathroom and I followed him in to lift him into the bath. But he was already in - shirt and all! He'd been so keen to get in by himself that he completely forgot to shed the last of the clothes first! So Funny!

Play before school...

We have a 'no TV before school' policy here and it works really well. The kids seem to find all sorts of games to play together while they wait for me to be ready.
This morning it was making a car park under the kitchen table. Every car or truck they could find was parked carefully under the chairs as they giggled like it was a huge joke.
It amazed me that they played quietly for a good hour, then suddenly got high as kites and noisy when Daddy got up! Why is it that Daddy sparks such noise?? Wish I knew how to stop it...

Going to school...

Although Little Miss is the Preppie this year, Mr Happy loves going to school each day. We are encouraged to visit in the classroom each morning and do reading, so he gets to play. There are a couple of other little brothers and sisters to play with, so it's great! Little Miss T is a gentle soul and they built these tall towers together one morning - so pleased with themselves!

This morning they decided to read like the big kids, so they set themselves up in the beanbags and she read a book to him. Too cute!

The Great Outdoors...

The kids spent an hour or so playing outside this morning...
A container with an inch of water and a paintbrush can keep them happy for ages. They paint the fence, the deck, the walls of the house, the gates, anything really! A great game.

And there are shoots in our pot we planted with flower seeds last weekend, so that is very exciting too!

A not-so-perfect day...

By 8am I knew this was going to be a not-so-perfect day...
I woke with the shoulder and neck pain that I've had for a couple of days now - very disappointing because I figured it would be gone by now. (Don't worry -its only muscle pain from lifting a 3 yr old!)
Then the kids slept late - sort of an ominous sign usually.
And sure enough, Little Miss has a tummy bug that has her running to the toilet and not quite making it... so no school for her!
Then Mr Happy insists that he doesn't need to go to the toilet - until he has an accident on the living room rug! Mummy is not happy!
But luckily by then Nurofen has kicked in to mask neck pain!
So I clean up all the messes, haul the rug out to the deck to dry - thank goodness its a sunny day - and wash all the yucky clothes.

Must report the day has been ok since then, although Little Miss is still sick. But both are happy enough to watch TV and play, and I even did some more work on my scrapbooking.

Let's hope tomorrow is less yucky! Gotta be, hasn't it?

Beautiful...

This is the lovely tree that comes over the back fence near our clothesline. I love it when it's in flower! So pretty!

Look in the mirror...

Gee he makes me smile!
Even when I'm trying to take photos of the bookends on the shelf, he has to get in on the action. But funniest of all, he has to look at himself in the mirror while he's at it!

Bookends...

More additions to the new bedrooms... bookends!
Aren't they cute?
Butterflies from Target and stars from Myer

Rocks for Daddy...

Kids are funny...
They tell me this is a Father's Day present for Daddy. They spent ages out on the deck creating them with rocks from our graden and a hula hoop.
Just had to share...

Father's Day

We've had a pretty quiet Father's Day here. Sleep in's and late breakfasts... Daddy and kids to the park for a while... Football and Barney the dinosaur on TV... plant watering and outside play... Card making and dressing up... We lost power a couple of hours ago so now we're wondering when it will come back on, but luckily planned BBQ dinner

Gardening...

CraftyDaddy and I freely admit that we are not gardeners. We have no knowledge or experience. We can't even keep alive plants people give us! But we are willing to try for the sake of the kids, so today we planted herbs and flower seeds.

Stay tuned to see whether they actually survive...

Still catching up...

I seem to be catching up each day this week with my blogging. Here are the photos taken yesterday of our new haircuts. Little Miss is very excited and pleased with hers - shorter than ever before. Mine is lighter than it was, and Mr Happy is just darn cute with short hair again;-) But can you tell we had a little trouble getting good photos?...

More from Wednesday...

Wednesday was the Book Week Parade at school so the kids all dressed up as book characters. In Prep there were lots of princesses and fairies, plus a good number of pirates and Harry Potters. All very cute!

Grandma M visit...

We had a lovely visit with Grandma M today. She came to school with us, saw the Book Week Parade, and spent some time in the classroom while we worked on our "Top Secret" Father's Day project. Then we had some time at home before the afternoon school run. Then she gave baths while I did an emergency run to the sewing machine repair guy.

Thanks for a lovely visit, Grandma.

Teddy wants to watch TV...

As soon as we arrived home from school this morning, I was informed that "Teddy wants to watch TV".

"OK", I said, "but what are you going to do?"

Mr Happy looked at me blankly for a minute... then replied "Watch TV with Teddy"

So here they are together.