18/52 - the swing of things

Lily

My little monkey all decked out in her winter uniform.... looking like quite the English school girl.

She is very, very pleased about being able to wear a dress and stockings to school every.single.day!!! 

Yep, it was back to school once more, this week. We had such a fantastic school holidays, with a good mix of travel and fun and chilling out. It felt especially relaxing as Mark had the rest of last week off after our coast trip. How nice it is to potter around the house together... but it was time for regular life to resume.

Eli

Our lovely friend Amber very kindly passed down to us her train table with an assortment of accessories. Such a large 'kid's furniture item' was something I had always avoided purchasing as I thought it wouldn't get used enough, plus they take up so much room. However, we had the space in our new family room arrangement and Eli had recently really gotten into trains so it seemed like a good thing to try out.

Well, it has quickly turned into a 'how did we ever not have this staple piece' situation! We love it!! It's such a great size and set up, and the kids have spent so much time crouched around the table, immersed in play. Not just trains but also blocks, animals, lego, etc. All manner of scenes and activities unfold. As an added bonus, because it's up on the table I am ok with activities being left out so they can make their complex set ups (an animal hospital, for example!) then return to it throughout the day when they have time to spare. An unexpected benefit is that they are able to extend their play as they build upon their ideas each time. It's just lovely to see a new approach to play unfolding - and it doubles as a coffee table too! ;)

Eli races his trains around the track with high speed!

(Thanks, Amber - it is being well used and well loved!)

Miles

I did a simple sensory activity with my littlest this week. Inspired by my lovely friend at An Everyday Story's 'transforming your play' challenge, we used a mirror to extend the experience. 

Just a basket, some cotton balls, wooden blocks, and a mirror. I presented the items to Miles, then let him explore freely. There was a lot of kissing himself in the mirror and tossing blocks and cotton balls hither and thither! ;) However, his favourite activity was very intently placing all the cotton balls into the basket. He was so serious about it! It was lovely to watch him explore, and interesting to see how the mirror brought a new element to the exploration - looking at the reflection as he held or stacked things.

Mark

Well, I am a lucky girl as my hubby actually loves going shopping with me (yes, even window shopping). We always have such a lovely time just strolling hand-in-hand, browsing interesting shops. However, the opportunity to do so these days (kid-free) is virtually non-existent!! But it was his birthday wish to go shopping together as he really needed some new clothes, so we managed to organise it the week after his birthday.

Ohhh, we had a grand old time, wandering around together, with no distractions, just me and my guy and a little peaceful retail therapy! Just what we needed :) Footloose and fancy-free, haha!

We managed to get him a whole new outfit - shirt, jeans and shoes... so of course I made him pose for me the next day, looking all handsome xx

Project 52: A portrait of my family, once a week, every week, in 2014.

More highlights from the week that was...

Need a cure for what ails ya this winter? For colds, coughs, sniffles, sore throats and so on, cook up a batch of this nourishing drink: Half fill a pot with water, then add quartered lemons (yes, the whole lemon, rind and all!), garlic cloves, chunks of ginger, and a good dash of cayenne pepper (it helps clears the sinus and loosens congestion). I also threw in some kale fresh from our garden, just cos we had it and hey, kale is good for everything, right?! Simmer for about 30 minutes till everything goes super soft, then use your stick mixer and blend the whole thing up!! Strain it through a sieve if you like and keep in the fridge. Whenever you need a warming, healing drink, pour an inch or so into a mug, add boiling hot water and a teaspoon or two (or three!) of quality honey. Mmmmmmm, soothes the soul and the body!

'tooooot, toooooot'

Daddy gives Lily a lesson in polishing up her school shoes, fresh for a new term (and I'm so pleased at how well her shoes are wearing so far!).

Aw! Daddy/daughter shoe polishing, haha.

The night before school started back, we decided to do a little marshmallow
roast in the brazier. As Miles watched in utter fascination from the safety of
his highchair, we all roasted marshmallows and enjoyed a roaring fire and the
pleasure of our last 'holiday event' before school and work commenced once
more. Fire & sugar are always a winning combo, haha ;)

Ok, I got a little obsessed with trying to capture the captivating flames! Night/fire photography is haaaard, I had
no idea what I was doing so please bear with me as I play around! 

A single ember floats away...

my firebug!!

After 'one of those days' when patience is short and you want to put parenting into the 'too hard basket' for a while,
(but you can't!!), it was time to start afresh with prayers for wisdom and grace going up on the regular. When the kids asked if they could have a 'real tea party' and would I please sit down with them too, it was time to put the never-ending to-do list aside and just sit and enjoy some lukewarm Rooibos tea with my little treasures. I'm glad I did.

We couldn't resist going to see the Duke and Duchess aka Will and Kate when they were in town last week. I thought it
would be fun to tell the kids in years to come that they saw them! Our whole family lined up outside the Portrait Gallery for their visit for about 1.5 hours to see them arrive and depart. Well, they didn't walk right along where we lined up, but we were about 20m from where they got in and out of their car (we got a wave!) and then they drove right by! Well, it was a brush with royalty at least!! A fun little adventure with a story to tell. The kids waited soooo patiently and didn't even complain when in the end we didn't get to actually meet them. Little champs :) (Will is smiling from the back seat
of the car in the pic, Kate is next to him! We did get video of her but no pics, oops)

Our 'princess bait' - cute kids, flowers, toy and hand made card
by Lily. Unfortunately the lure didn't work but we still had fun :)

One by one, the cotton balls got put in the basket!

A cheeky look!

A little 'before school' imaginative play after their charts are complete. 

Every morning after breakfast, the kids tear into the backyard with baskets in hand to collect the eggs.
I love that they can do this independently, thanks to our low coop set up. They shriek with joy every single day when they find them and proudly bring them inside. And of course we all love eating them!! Mmmm, fresh eggs are so delish :)

a little country corner // our kitchen garden

A welcoming sign from Lily amongst the hay!

We have been fun lately setting up our little 'country corner'.  It got real farm-like (in an urban kind of way) when four feathered friends came to join us at long last! 

Meet Boppy (named by Eli), Henny Penny (Lily), Mrs Scratch (Kate) and Winnie Churchill (Mark - he wanted Winston but I reminded him it's a girl, haha).

They are only twelve weeks old, so have a couple months to settle in and live in luxury before the laying is expected to commence!!! ;) They gotta earn their keep, you know! Oh, can't wait to get those lovely fresh eggs. We had a couple of chickens a while back, which *literally* went back to the farm when I was sick with hyperemisis (keeping my family alive was the main priority at that stage! Couldn't deal with animals too). But it was a great trial run before we now settle into really making these lovelies part of the family. They are both pets and producers - does it get any better?? ;)

And here is a view of our little work zone... (still a work in progress!)

It ain't pretty yet, but it's functioning :) Quite a bit still to do/adjust/change but so far we have: A chicken coop and run. Two vegie beds in, with two more of the same to go in front of the current ones (we are pacing ourselves!!!). We are going to grass all the area in front of the pavers, and put mulch or pebbles of some sort all around the back area (veggie beds and coop areas). The handy stepping stones/pavers (which have just been tossed down, not levelled yet) are great, so in the mean time we aren't all traipsing though the dirt! Got to do something about protecting the vegie beds from the chickens when they get let out for a roam too. Compost etc will probably go in there too, and some narrow beds along the fence. Ahhh, it's a work in progress and I am guessing will evolve as we learn and grow. We have a lot to learn!!

I should really have taken 'before' photos. This zone has really come a loooong way. When we moved in there was a huge jungle here, a big copper log trellis thing, and this whole area was filled (like, seriously jungle-like!) with random plants and cemented boarders etc. With three kids and all that associated busy-ness, progress has been sloooooooooow.... but we were determined to slowly but surely chip away at our project and vision. Bit by bit we have worked away at clearing it and now at last we are on the other side and can make it really functional. So, although it's very late in the season to be planting, we just had to jump in 'cos we were so excited to actually finally be  ready!

They love to eat. And drink. And eat. And drink!! 

Expect a few pretty chicken pics ;)

Lily's favourite game is putting out 'treats' for the chickies! She sticks leaves through the wire and squeals with glee
 when they peck one away!

Our new 'family hobby' is already bringing so much joy to our tribe. Pottering around out here as a family just feels so nourishing and enjoyable. A sweet little family past time. The kids are loving it and it's so fun to experience their awe and joy as they explore every facet of gardening and chicken-raising. Digging in the dirt, feeding the chickens, watering, weeding, and learning together. A family rhythm which will yield many types of fruit :) The kids will learn so much about growing, caring, life cycles, responsibility and so much more. Oh, and we will learn too. It's my new favourite place to be, all tinkering around out there together, enjoying our feathered friends and our teeny little plots of land. Like, practically farmers, right??? ;) 

I am certainly no gardener... very much the lazy 'throw the seeds in and see what happens' type. So it will probably be a long road but we will all learn along the way. And have fun doing so!

It's an area ripe for learning and sharing and growth. And time together... the sweetest fruit of all.

(Let's just hope something eventually grows though, huh??)

A lot of time just spent hanging out, observing, bonding with chickens :)

Getting a head start with a few seedlings in the vegie patch - though we plan to mostly plant from seed. I would say the kids were too impatient to get started but really it was me who voted for a few seedlings, heehee!

Lily's prized strawberry plant :)

Our cute seedlings. Sadly many did not survive the brutal heatwave of last week. Oops. We learnt a lesson there!!

A lot of hope in that little paddlepop stick!

E writing on the plant markers under the shade of the trampoline net.