51.52 Decorating Christmas Cookies and Memories

'Twas the week before Christmas, the kids were done with school (hooray!) and we had a whole week to get into the Christmas spirit before the day itself.... it was so lovely to have the chance to wind down and gear up together! 

We don't usually do cookie decorating, partly because the cookie making stage often seems too much prep, to be honest! But then a friend gave us a plate of plain shortbread cookies and since the hard part was done, we decided to just have FUN! I pulled out a bunch of sprinkles that sit in the cupboard and rarely get used, made some simple icing and let the kids go wild. There was icing everywhere, sprinkles everywhere and the cutest, messiest, not-very-Christmassey cookies. And let's be honest, a whole lot of finger licking and sprinkle-sampling went on too. It was really cute and actually relaxed and enjoyable!!

Cooking with kids is admittedly not my fave thing to do (looks so sweet, usually mayhem, haha!) but this really was so fun. I think because it was easy and simple and it was neither a lot of work to prepare or pressure riding on the outcome (either of those seems to guarantee that the stress overcomes the joy of the process!!!!). The kids had a blast just decorating like crazy, haha. They were verrry generous with the sprinkles, needless to say!

With a quiet day just before Christmas, we made cookies and memories and mess and it was truly as sweet as the sprinkles.  

Project 52: A portrait of my family, once a week, every week, in 2017.

31/52 - our happy revolving door

Lily

Mark spent this week down in Melbourne, doing a week of intensive theology study. I had been bracing myself for a week of 'flying solo' but at the last minute ended up with two lots of wonderful guests to fill the house and our week - I certainly did not have much of a chance to be lonely!

Our first batch of house guests for two nights were a true delight....the lovely clan from Documenting Delight, that is! What fun it was to have a 'twin family' stay with us (they also have a 6 year old girl, 4 year old boy, and a baby boy!). Eli was only concerned Errol (their Dad) would not have Mark to play with, haha!

Oh, what fun we had. The kids instantly clicked and enjoyed playing, playing, playing while we parents chatted, chatted, chatted. What a blessing it is to welcome new friends into our home. They are such a beautiful, good-hearted family. It was ridiculously cute to watch our six children connect in such a lovely way too.

So, here is Lily and Priya. The moment I told Lily a six year old girl was coming, she was thrilled. They shared Lily's bed at night, and by day they giggled, played, crafted, dressed up, rainbow loomed and just generally did what insta-BFF's do ;)

Eli

Our second guest for two nights was my dear old Dad! We always love having him stay. We usually tackle a project or two around the house (this time - the front garden!) and enjoy just hanging out. The kids simply adore him and they always get up to all manner of hi-jinks (it's basically like having four kids to corral, haha).

My middle boy in particular just adores quality time with Grandpa :)

Miles

Hmmm, looks like someone got into the textas!!!!!

Mark

My handsome man before he set off for the long drive to Melbourne.

So strange to have him away from us for a whole week, we missed him like crazy (even amidst the crazy of a week full of house guests). I'm so thankful he can fulfill his dream of doing this study (theology units through an American University), and I will be even more thankful when he is back home with us once more.

Hurry home to us, honey!

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

More highlights from the week that was...

A little early morning Jenga between Eli and Priya. It was so cute, he really struggled with their names. First he called Theo 'Leo' for quite some time, then he settled on calling Theo and Priya 'Prio and Thea', heehee!! :)

Theo spotted the Kinetic Sand tub under the play table and asked what it was and could he play. Before long everyone was digging in and having a wonderful time (including the parents and the desperately determined babies!)

Sweet Georgia generously gifted my trio with their very own pair of Slugs and Snails tights from Baby Goes Retro - who said boys can't wear tights?! These are so adorable and cosy, paired with a coat, shorts and gumboots - ready for any weather! Georgia got some gorgeous shots of all six kids in tights and gumboots! Eli said 'I love these so, so much, they are so, so, so warm. Why did they put red cars on them, I think they just knowed I like red'! :)

Can't believe I made this adorable little batch of legs!! :)

I mean... c'mon!! Cutest little legs ever!

These guys made themselves busy at the craft table, making all kinds of creations together. Theo kept gifting me with little drawings, which totally melted my heart!!! Sweet boy. Note Miles by the way... he is soooo desperate to be
part of the crafting action, he is always seating himself at the table, ready to go! Actually, most of the time he climbs on top of the table, haha.

I think my dinky little camera got intimidated by Georgia's amazing camera (oh yeah, not to mention her amazing skills!) and totally refused to take any decent pics, blurring and warping the colours everywhere. Well, that's my story anyway! ;) So, this is a dodgy pic of a very sweet moment (well, just after a sweet moment). Miles obviously thought Florin was a very cool baby cos he kept gently patting his hair, it was soooooo precious! 

Six gorgeous kids all in onesies. Cuteness overload. What a delightful bunch.

The kids treated us to a puppet show. There were some dubious story lines and much hysterical giggling from both the actors and the audience!

He is a busy boy but he is also drawn to stillness. He just LOVES puzzles and it amazes me to see him so still and focused! I think puzzles are so great for kids. Lily was never keen but now gets into them too thanks to E's fascination. We got him this gorgeous Djeco puzzle for his birthday - it's 100 pieces and pretty big but I thought would be good to stretch him. And it did, but he works away patiently till it's all done - time and time and time again!

Such a cute scene - animals walking the snowy streets of Paris :)

Yep, the loom band craze has hit our home! We got a kit for Lily's birthday after several requests. I have to say this is one fad/craze I can happily jump on board with... enhancing fine motor skills, concentration and encouraging giving to others.. what's not to love?? We found the easiest way was fishtail finger looming and I spent a happy afternoon with the kids on our bed, as we all fumbled our way through looming. It was very satisfying for all of us!

Even Eli got in on the action. He was so cute, concentrating so hard!

These colourful little things seem to crawl out of the box at night and seep throughout the house!??!

Last weekend we took the kids to the theatre for the first time as a Birthday treat
for Lily. We saw the musical 'Wombat Stew' and it was simply magical. The
kids loved the whole experience, it was so exciting and involving! The first of
many trips we hope - live theatre is such an enriching experience. The day made
this theatre-junkie mother very happy :)

Lily's first Swatch watch (birthday pressie). The most adorable watch ever, I think :)

Her first attempt at looming. A little wiggly but she straightened out on subsequent attempts!! She only wore it for a few hours then decided she prefers to make them, not wear them ;)

I was transferring the rock collection into a new basket when Miles came along and decided to help me out by transferring them back again. He was so methodical, I just loved watching him at work :) 

kinetic sand // digging in!

Have you heard about Kinetic sand? Better yet, have you played with it?


When Mark's parents kindly asked what we thought Eli would like for his birthday, I was quick to suggest something I thought he would just looove - kinetic sand! I'd heard amazing things and I just knew it was the kind of thing Eli would love to dig his fingers into - literally. He loves his sensory play, that boy! It was the perfect gift that would get hours of play to come... (thanks Marg and Dave)!


If you haven't heard of Kinetic Sand.... be prepared for your mind to be blown, haha. Yes, it's kinda like regular sand... but so much more. It's 98% sand and 2% magic, as they say. That 2% being something called Polymer. Somehow, it sticks together, not spraying everywhere or getting under your nails so its great to play with indoors. It forms together in incredible shapes, yet with a slight touch, it comes alive, oozing and pouring away. You can slice and dice it and mold it and pour it. It's fluffy, it seems to almost move by itself. It's cool to touch, slightly damp yet not wet or sticky. It's just.... a whole lotta fun! Trust me ;)


Here is a clip that shows the wonders of Kinetic Sand.... (but you really have to feel it yourself!)

It is pretty pricey, but lasts a lifetime so if you think it's something your kids would realllllly enjoy, then I think it's a good investment. You can also get little kits of tools to take the play even further. Look around on eBay for good deals, though after much searching the best deal I found at the time was here. (It seems like the 5kg packs can be hard to find in stock?).

When Eli opened the gift on the night of his birthday, the whole family (including grandparents) could not stop touching this stuff... it really is an experience! I had seen and read so much, but it's true - until you touch it yourself, you just can't fully understand how intriguing it is, the way it forms and falls, it's so textural and soothing and just a sensory delight. Not to mention the endless creative possibilities.

These photos are from our first proper play session (of many more so far). So many ways to explore, this was just our first little taste :)

Melting from their hands.... it's amazing to see and  feel it 'pour'.

Notice how it doesn't all just spray everywhere like normal sand, so makes it a great indoor experience as does not get so messy. If clumps fall out, you can pick them back up by pressing them with another clump of sand.

Slicing and dicing!

We have yet to unleash event a fraction of the possibilities I am sure! So much fun to come...


If you have played with Kinetic sand before, fill me in with ideas of ways to extend the play. I saw somewhere they used ink stamps to press letters into the rolled out sand - fun! What else??