Kids Summer Bedroom Update: Part One

I have been meaning to share this little room update for a few weeks now and have finally got around to blogging it! With the impending arrival of a new baby in a few months, we needed to evaluate how we use the bedrooms in our house.

We have three bedrooms upstairs and two downstairs...BUT our children are still too young to be so far away from us and really need to be close to us. Our house layout is perfect for teenagers but we are a few years off that so in the meantime, there will be sharing. :)

Harry and Rosie's previous bedroom was in the smallest and warmest room in the house. It is a lovely room but gets super hot during summer and they have had some trouble getting to sleep in there in the past. It is fantastic in winter though! We decided that this would make the best room for the nursery so set about the mammoth task of moving the bunks and everything else to their new room.

I am very single minded when I approach jobs like this and will literally not rest until it is finished. This usually means I am still working away in the late hours of the night to get it all done. We decided to prepare the new room as a surprise for Rosie and Harry while they were staying with their grandparents for the weekend. It is too difficult to tackle such a big job with little ones around!

A few months ago I got Taff to bring back some Ikea Fabler Resa duvet sets from the UK as I thought they would be great for a summer bedroom and suitable for girls or boys. They are very light and fresh looking and I love them! They were also very cheap, even better. :)

The duvets were the only things we purchased new for the room. Everything else we repurposed from their olds rooms and other parts of the house. I made Harry's bottom bunk more boyish with his red star and stripe cushions and his blue 'H' block art (I made this myself) at the top of his headboard.

I tried to make Rosie's top bunk more girly with some pink pillowcases and cushions. I also strung up her bunting that I made from Cath Kidston fabric a couple of years ago. It is always satisfying creating a new look for very little money and I really enjoy little projects like this. :)

Project Life Tuesday: Sad Parenting Moments

Project Life Tuesday for today is sad moments in parenting. I know that there will be many times when my children are hurt, but when they are, it breaks my heart! I picked up Harry from preschool recently and found this bruise under his eye. It turned out he had been kicked in the face by a "friend"...on purpose.

I was so upset and my distress was even greater in the morning when his bruise became ten times worse. I just wanted to bundle him up in cotton wool and keep him by my side so he could never experience any hurt again. The funny thing was that Harry himself was already over it and assured me he was fine and that it only hurt "when he pushed it hard". He continues to play with his friend every day and all is forgotten. I probably need to take a leaf out of my four year old's book!
Challenge for Project Lifers: Take a snapshot of your child's next bruise or scrape. It does feel very strange to do so but every bump tells a story. :)

December Fun: Letters to Santa

Can you believe that December has rolled around so quickly? "Old people" used to tell me that the years go faster as you get older. They were so right!

With the arrival of December comes all the fun that comes with it. We decided to start with our letters to Santa. After all, it is important to give Santa as much notice as possible for these things! :)

I found these fantastic Santa Letter printables at one of my favourite blogs, A Little Delightful. The talented Bianca creates the most amazing things for her blog readers and I highly recommend you stop by for a look when you have a spare moment. 

Rosie and Harry drafted their letters first and then we set about writing them on these gorgeous templates. They had so much fun doing this and are looking forward to sending these off to Santa.

Of course, I want to keep these gorgeous letters for our family album so Santa will have to settle for a photocopy of them instead. What activities do you have planned for the coming weeks?

Project Life Tuesday: Quotes

Project Life Tuesday for today is favourite quotes. Do you have one that you particularly love? For me, it is this one...

I found this quote on Becky Higgin's beautiful blog and if there is a quote that sums me up perfectly, this is it. I LOVE being at home and there is no where else I would rather be. I would choose an evening or weekend at home over any any other outing. This seems to be a family trait (on my side!) and one which has lasted for generations. I am happiest at home and look forward to walking in the door each afternoon after a long day at work...it is my favourite time of day.

To remind me of this, I just had to frame this great quote from Jane Austen, which makes me smile whenever I see it. You can download it here for free from Becky's blog.

Challenge for Project Lifers: Is there is a quote that sums you up?

Holiday Fun at Butterfly Creek

A few weeks ago we headed to Butterfly Creek, an animal park in South Auckland.

It has been quite a while since we last went so it was great to see the new crocodile and bug section.

Rosie and Harry were able to pat the new spring lambs and have a hold of the rabbits and guinea pigs.

They were even able to feed the baby goat a bottle! They have heard me share stories of how I would feed my pet lamb Josie each day.

I have always felt lucky to have had that time living on the farm and one of the sad things about living in the city is a lack of these opportunities for my own kids.

The Butterfly House was also great and they loved having the butterflies landing all around them. You can see from the foggy photo how hot and steamy it was in there!

I would recommend Butterfly Creek for all ages and my kids really enjoyed it. They are looking forward to visiting again soon.

Project Life Tuesday: Magazine Inspiration

Do you have a favourite magazine that really inspires you? I have several that I love but have recently cut down and allowed myself only one each month...usually Your Home and Garden. It arrives in my letterbox mid month on a Friday and there is much happiness when I see it! I LOVE seeing what other people are doing in their homes and even though not all the interior styling is to my taste, I can appreciate it for what it is and glean inspiration for our own home redecoration process.

This snapshot was from a recent issue and I absolutely loved this house. I really want some of that circular art!

Challenge for Project Lifers: Do you have a favourite magazine that inspires you to take action and recreate something magical in your own home?

Chocolate Weetbix Crunch

There are times when you NEED something sweet and you need it FAST! This is my 'go to' recipe when I am feeling my family are feeling like a quick sweet treat. :)

Chocolate Weetbix Crunch (Microwave)

100 grams butter

1 Tb golden syrup

1 cup white flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 Tb cocoa

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup crushed weetbix (approx 2 biscuits)

Melt butter and golden syrup in a mixing bowl at 50% power for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Stir until melted and add remaining ingredients. Press into an oblong dish (I use a glass Pyrex one) approximately 27cm x 17cm and cook at 70% for 5 minutes.

Mark into squares and cut while hot.

Sprinkle with icing sugar or chocolate icing when cool.

I am the type of person that hates to waste anything so I make this recipe when we get to the bottom of a Weetbix box. It is perfect for using up all the "crumbs" in the bag and is a great lunchbox filler which you can whip up in no time. :)

Project Life Tuesday: Tools of the Trade

Project Life Tuesday is tools of the trade. :) If you are a regular reader you will know that I have a bit of thing with washing. I love to do it, I love to fold it, BUT I hate putting it away!

To make the whole washing process a little easier I picked up some washing baskets that bring a smile to my face. These are my two favourites of the four that I own. Yes, we have a lot of washing and that is only going to increase with another little one on the way. :)

Challenge for Project Lifers: What are your tools of the trade that make running your household a little easier?

Project Life Tuesday: Favourite Places

Project Life Tuesday for today is favourite places. Do you have a favourite place in your house? One of our favourites is Rosie and Harry's bookcase in their bedroom. They both love books and are very lucky to have regularly received books as gifts from family overseas. They also love trips to the library and this is becoming a Saturday afternoon outing with Taff. They are slowly building up their collection and really enjoy revisiting old favourites.

They spend a lot of time choosing books from here and it is most definitely a favourite spot.

Challenge for Project Lifers: Take a photo of a favourite spot/nook/corner in  your house. :)

Bagging a Bargain

Don't you just love a bargain?

I picked up these striped lamp shades in the clearance section at K-Mart for $1 each a few months ago and have finally got around to using them. They are actually from the kids section but I thought they would be equally nice in our guest room.

I went "shopping" in our garage for a couple of old Freedom lamps that we got many years ago and after ditching the old shades which had turned an unsightly pale yellow, I put my new $1 shades on.

The old lamps now have a new life ahead of them and were cheap as chips! I have a thing for stripes at the moment...and navy blue. :)

Project Life Tuesday: Paint Accidents

Project Life Tuesday for today is when painting fun goes awry. I picked up Harry from preschool the other day and went to give him a little kiss on his head...and saw this!

Simple, I thought. A quick wash and it will come out easily. It didn't. We are now up to several days later and four hair washes and there is still red paint in there. It will have to grow out at this rate! Every time I see his little red head I think about the fun he must have had at preschool that day...and smile.

Challenge for Project Lifers: Take a photo of a little accident that has taken place with your little one lately. :)

School Sharing Morning 2011

Rosie's school recently held their annual sharing morning for the junior students.

It is an opportunity for parents to come in and see their child's work and have a look at the displays around the classroom.

As a teacher myself, I know the work that goes into preparing for a morning like this so I really appreciated the opportunity to visit Rosie's room.

Each of the children had a set routine of items they wanted to share with their parents and they had prepared short little "speeches" on each of these.

Rosie loved showing me her reading and writing books and was especially proud of her poems and art.

She even showed me the height chart for the class and to our surprise, she wasn't the shortest! For the longest time she has always been the smallest in the class. :)

Although it isn't always easy to make it to events like these, especially for working parents, it is so worth it when you see your child's face light up when you appear at the door and I am so glad I got to go this year. :)

Project Life Tuesday: Special Notes

Project Life Tuesday for today is something close to my heart..special notes.

Rosie and Harry both love to write little notes to me (well, Harry can't write yet, he draws!) and I often find them in all sorts of places. On this day I came home after a long day at work and I could see that the kids were fussing around something on the table. When I went to investigate, this is what I found!

They had picked me some "flowers" from the garden and wrote me this little note. After a rough day of all day morning sickness, fatigue and work, this was just the thing to perk me up. I love being a mum!

Challenge for Project Lifers: Take a snapshot of a special note from someone you love. :)

Smurfs Premiere: Part Two

Rosie has always loved dressing up, so this Smurfs experience was right up her alley!

They all had costumes tailor made to fit and had helpers there to do their hair and make up.

While waiting in the 'green room' for their performance, Rosie started to get very nervous but with a few encouraging words she was excited to get out there.

We all went and waited in the theatre for the opening festivities to start and then the Smurfs were introduced as special guests.

I was so proud of all the Smurfs and they did a great job!

As a reward for their hard work we were given free tickets to the show and some special treats so Rosie and I sat with the other Smurfs and their parents in the reserved section and enjoyed the movie together.

Was it a good movie? Let's just say that it was 90 minutes that I will never get back but Rosie loved it and that made it all worthwhile. I am so grateful that she had the opportunity to participate in something like this and I know it is an experience she will treasure for a long time. :)

Smurfs Premiere: Part One

A couple of weeks ago Rosie had the opportunity to perform at the Smurfs NZ Premiere at Sylvia Park.

Arriving at the theatre on the morning of the premiere

Her dance class were invited to present a Smurf dance and they worked for several weeks to try and get themselves ready for the big day.

Trying the hat and shoes for size in the foyer

This involved practises twice a week and individual work at home to try and get it looking as sharp as possible.

Quick rehearsal in the empty theatre

Rosie's dance teacher uploaded their routine onto a private You Tube account and she was able to work on this at home in her own time.

Getting her hair slicked back and ready for the hat

We encouraged her to practise at least twice a day and gave her as much feedback as we could, to help her improve.

Leotard on and waiting for make up

Rosie is, by nature, a very shy girl and her dancing has really helped her to come out of her shell.

Smurf transformation begins

She absolutely loves to dance and it has been one of her favourite things to do since she was very small. She even started to dance to the background music in a department store today!

Blue face paint fun

Tomorrow I will share the rest of the Smurf pics. :)