Preparing for Lent.

With Ash Wednesday approaching, we have been working on planning what we will be doing for Lent. We have been having conversations and discussing what we will sacrifice and why.

Still a work in progress but we will be ready by tomorrow!

Our littlest attempted this bridge at the playground this morning. Her first time, she even stopped to grasp the upper ropes and dangle herself above the ground. I had my heart in my mouth watching her, but she made it safely and confidently across. It's amazing what children can do if we get out of the way and let them do their thing. 

Say cheese! We made a camera with a slot for changeable magnetic tile "lenses". Great for learning colour mixing too. 

Bakemania.

I spent my Saturday baking like a mad baker (think soft kaya buns, pineapple thumbprint cookies, the husband's hearty morning tea buns) but.. This one right here probably has a pretty good idea of how Saturdays are best enjoyed.

I feel like my weekends ramp up from my weekdays, instead of down! Here's to a hopefully slower Sunday, now that my week's baking is all done. 

36!

I'm incredibly grateful for the children who made my birthday yesterday extra special by simply being there. These guys hung out with me; We went to the beach, got ice cream and had a couch potato afternoon.

Big girl: Are you having the best day of the year so far, mum? 

She checked in so many times during the day to make sure I was having a great birthday. I sure was.

The wonderful husband made South African Bobotie (pronounced Ba-bo-tee), a dish I'd been wanting to try for awhile. Neither of us has tasted it before! The children decorated the dining table with wild animal figurines, the floor with a red carpet (blanket) and a popsicle stick crown for my dining chair. 

The bandung (rose syrup) cake they made was a hit, and they were so pleased with how it turned out. Only a quarter of the bright pink cake remained after dessert. 

Thanks, Mom! 

The love from family and friends, near and far, made the entry into my late thirties pretty amazing. 

Swimming and Cake Baking.

Our little man started swimming lessons earlier this term. He cried for the entirety of the lesson, the first two times. We had a breakthrough today when we had no tears and some participation on his part. Definitely a win for us, today.

Another win, is the children baking my birthday cake by themselves this afternoon. I found a simple recipe (just 6 ingredients), and let them run with it. I helped them later on with melting butter and the oven work, but couldn't do much else even if I wanted to because of this timeout diversion:

They did a pretty decent job, i think. 

Proud of them. Thanks, children. 

Isolation Ready.

We all have our own way of coping with the pandemic and making peace with it. Getting our isolation room ready was mine. 

The sofa bed we ordered in November finally arrived today. The amazing husband carried out the assembling of it and we pushed and squeezed it into the room. 

The many faces of family life. 

The little man was a keen helper in thy kitchen today. We made kaya to have with our toast tomorrow morning. 

"Can you take a picture and a send it to dada?" he asked. 

Scrumptious Food and Covid Approaches.

This weekend has been culinary yum-ness as we made yu sheng (yes! First taste of it in 5 years!) with Val on Saturday and bandung muffins on Sunday.

We fried wanton skins to make the familiar golden pillows and the children enjoyed yu sheng more than I thought they would. Turns out they are smoked salmon fiends and ate most of it! 

We got a bottle of unsweetened rose syrup from a family friend (apparently it's available here in 2 litre bottles) and made this:

Bright pink mini-muffins to test out our new mini-muffin tray. 24 little muffins cannot stand up against the appetites of four children. Next time I must make more. 

Covid community infections have been rising sharply from Friday. 2000 cases, and promising more daily. Two years of pandemic and this is only now reaching our doorsteps. We have been incredibly blessed. 

It is sobering, though. Our children's school reported its first community case today and close contacts have been informed and will need to isolate. 

We firmed up our family covid plan and talked to the children about what to expect in the coming weeks. With a plan in place, hopefully things will be more manageable for everyone as we move ahead. 

God, I know You're very fond of curveballs and putting us out of our comfort zones to grow in faith, but be kind, okay? :) 

Excitement on the Lane.

The husband was doing his chores in the kitchen when he saw a man dash into our front yard. The man quickly U-turned and continued down our little cul-de-sac. Where could he go? It was a dead end! The husband went out to check things out around the same time our neighbours did.

They'd also spotted the strange man running onto our property. A police patrol car turned onto our street not long after and asked if we'd seen a man who fit their description. We had! It turns out the man was wanted and evidently trying to escape the police. He might have seen the playground in our front yard and thought it led to a park reserve or a way out.

We pointed the police in the right direction and they went off. Thankfully they said that he did not pose a risk to public safety. We're grateful our neighbours were looking out for us. Like the husband often says, "good neighbours are the best form of security".

I woke up feeling exhausted this morning. I had to dig deep to find the energy to play "trolls" at the playground, a game the little man really likes and I usually enjoy easily. Thankfully, God's grace and joy are abundant and there was enough to see me through the day. I'm only just discovering the joy of sitting with the children and playing. It's taken me 8 years to find that side of myself (What can I say? I'm a slow learner.) and I'm happy to report that we had a grand time building a "dinosaur fairytale castle" out of magnetic tiles and wooden train tracks. Neato!

At bedtime, the little man rolls over to my and whispers, "you're the best mummy in the world." aw, thank you, child. 

I'm relieved the day is almost over. We have an early start tomorrow because the big boy needs to be in school earlier for an excursion. 

Brother & Sister.

Sibling love. These two have their golden moments, like today where they got along splendidly. And in the next breath, she might grab a fistful of his hair and pull hard, laughing merrily as she does. Or they might take turns spitting at each other across the aisle from their respective car seats.

Blink and you'll miss the kindness and camaraderie. Or it'll be drowned out by the shrill shrieks of the children. Yet it's clear our little lady thinks the world of her brother. He took off his shirt at bedtime because it was too warm. Guess who else decided she needed to sleep without a shirt too?

This evening as I helped them change after bathtime, I looked at their laughing faces and saw their older brother and sister in them. The older pair have developed a special kind of bond over the years of fighting and playing together. With some grace, these two will do the same. 

A Broken Umbrella and Apples.

The wind whipped hard around our house all of last night. I woke often, half-expecting to hear the sound of our polytunnel ripping out of the ground each time.

Thankfully, we emerged mostly unscathed, the only casualty being an outdoor umbrella that managed to break in the wind despite being closed.

The wind was still going strong in the morning, but we managed to make it to mass. As the wind howled outside and branches lashed against the stained glass windows, I thought to myself that the church was probably the best place to be in a cyclone.

One happy effect of the cyclone: some green apples on a tree in our neighbour's yard shook themselves free and landed in our garden. What a treat!

We enjoyed them with brie and crackers for morning tea. 

I'm just glad the cyclone made landfall during the weekend. It would have been a lot more inconvenient and worrying had this happened on a school day. 

Cyclone Dovi.

Cyclone Dovi looks set to make landfall tomorrow, but already the winds are building up. Egged on by the wind, our wheelie bin tried to make a run for it but toppled over unceremoniously. We've secured them for the time being and checked on our other outside things. 

It should be a windy and humid Sunday, but otherwise a safe one.

The husband had a lovely harvest from the garden today, and this went into a pasta for dinner. Mm. 

Rainy Day Plans.

The promise of rain all week was finally fulfilled today, and it rained for most of the day.

We attended mass this morning. During Holy Communion, our little lady announces, "I want that," pointing at the ciborium. Through her eyes, she sees food, wants it, and is not happy that she can't have any of it. 

That phrase, "I want that", is a hot favourite at the moment, right up there with "what's that, mama?".

We spent the rest of the morning at the museum. We had time to wander and dwell on the exhibits, which was lovely. 

Hot chocolate was a definite highlight of the visit.

Me: What was your favourite part of our trip to the museum?

Little man: The elevator! 

No kidding. We made an extra joyride up and down the elevator; he asked to do that before we went home. He loved the dinosaur decals on the outside doors and pressing the buttons to make the elevator go. He would have had a grand time in Singapore where elevators are everywhere!

I'll finish off with a bunch of riddles courtesy of our eldest child:

Q: Which fruit comes with its own straw? 

A: Strawberry 

Q: Which fruit is always sad?

A: Blueberry 

Q: Which fruit is always rude? 

A: Raspberry 

A berry merry weekend to all! 

Unlocking the ABCs.

While our littlest lady sleeps, the little man and I work on our ABCs together.

His enthusiasm for learning shines through in the way he's excited to spot the letters he's learned everywhere he goes. Papa says he was poking at the TV screen this evening, pointing out all the letter A's he could see.

We learned about cicadas earlier this week and learned to differentiate the call of the male and female cicadas. At the playground this morning, he listened and could identify the less obvious clicks of the female cicada amidst the raucous chorus of the male cicadas. It's wonderful to see learning taken everywhere.

Me: Wendy Wolf. Can you make the "W" sound? What other words can you think of that start with "W"? What about something you like to drink? Wuh, Wuh...

Him: Wuh-Wuh-Blackcurrent! 

I probably shouldn't have led with that 'cause Ribena always wins water. 

Political Ramblings.

There is a parliamentary bill looking to pass a law banning conversion therapy in New Zealand. At its most severe, the law could potentially see parents prosecuted for affirming biology in their child undergoing gender identity issues. It passed its second reading in parliament yesterday. I'm no longer hopeful it will be rejected (conversion therapy is likely to be banned in future, along with possibly faith-based prayer/counselling and parental input), but I'm glad the MP for our electorate was 1 of just 7 who voted against the Bill.

I wrote him an email thanking him for standing up for like-minded parents and families. When the bill was in its initial stages, I contributed a submission opposing the bill. I don't think I've ever taken any interest in political issues while in Singapore. Being here in New Zealand has changed that somewhat. 

The socially liberal, progressive leanings of New Zealand society have certainly challenged me to be more vocal and deliberate about what I value and stand up for. There is something about direct opposition that really makes one think. 

It's a lonely road to walk, though; Christian values are not popular these days. Yet, hope springs eternal.

In a country with one of the world's most extreme abortion laws, I might not be able to do much, but I'm determined to speak truth where I can and support those who fight the good fight. Some things, like biology, don't change with the times, although some people will have you believe otherwise. For the future our children will inherit, every little bit counts. 

Pretty Nails.

We took the children on a rare shopping trip to spend some of their ang bao money. Our littlest bought herself a nail polish set (water-based and peelable).

She loves painting her nails and would happily paint them multiple layers over if we let her. :) 

She's at a pretty screamy phase now... My ears were ringing this morning from her adamant shrieks. Not enjoying it a whole lot, but it's these quieter moments that keep us going and sane. 

Pineapple Tart Baking Day.

When Val slept over, we got old school pandan waffles for breakfast. 

We headed to her home to make pineapple tarts after breakfast. 

We made about 200 tarts in about half an afternoon. Val says they taste like her childhood, which sounds good enough to me.

We shared some with our neighbours and have some to enjoy ourselves. 

A Sleepover.

Little man: Look at me! I'm the boss of the world!

This one and his random quips.

The husband was absolutely knackered at the end of what's been a relatively short week. He seems to have hit the ground running this term, but thankfully there is the long weekend to recover before we repeat this next week.

 

Val is staying over tonight to spend some time with the children and give us a bit of a breather. Our big girl helped her make pastry for pineapple tarts this evening. The husband and I might go out for breakfast tomorrow while she's here. 😉🍳

The First Day.

The littlest ones and I spent the morning at the playground, imagining sea monsters and fighting them with swords. Our swords turn turned into wands along the way to make crazy magic.

We climbed Mt Taylor to watch the cows and shout "cow poop!" every time we passed a cow pat (there was lots). 

We picked wild blackberries growing abundantly there and brought some home for the older ones to taste.

The little ones picked me some wildflowers too.

Little man: Does this make your heart feel happy?

Me: It does!

Him: Happy that you will buy me ice blocks and pokemon toys?

Me: Not THAT happy! Haha!

Nice try, child.

The older ones had many stories to tell about their first day back. Sounds like it's been a great start for them.

It's been a really good day, but the sheer mental load of being on the ball every moment of the day is gonna take getting used to all over again. 

Tortilla Wraps and School Tomorrow.

We hosted a couple of young friends for the day and had a grand time making tortilla wraps for lunch. Picking tomatoes from the garden for lunch was a real treat, too.

The husband and I treated ourselves to a chocolate mug cake each, enjoyed with a side of Disney+, to celebrate his first day back at work. He cycles to and from work now, a new development for 2022.

School starts for our older two tomorrow. We will have a year 2 and a year 4 in the house. Exciting times :)