Marshmallows in Autumn.

After-dinner marshmallows and hot chocolate with the neighbours were a sweet way to round off the last weekday of the school holidays.

Our photobooks arrived today! Our little man made his own 2021 Lockdown photobook in addition to our family's annual one.

The husband got his work shoes mended today at a cobbler. The soles had worn out from five years of pacing the classroom. They cost a pretty penny to mend and left an impression on me because I'd very likely have chosen to throw them away and buy a new one. His shoes are looking as good as new, and are a good reminder that we can always do more in pursuit of a low-waste, sustainable lifestyle.

Getting Creative.

Our big girl had been asking for a new eye mask after she misplaced hers some time ago. She uses them at bedtime to block out light and was using her brother's for a bit. Cue her holiday project: a DIY eye mask. 

She picked out her own fabric from our stash, made her own pattern, cut and handsewed the mask. 

She finished it this morning after beginning last night, and was very happy with the finished product, imperfections and all. 

Ready to go back to bed! 

Seeing his sister at work, our big boy was itching to create something too, so we made some microwaveable heat packs, handy for the upcoming winter.

It was their first time working with the sewing machine. Lots to take in, as well as learning how to handle a mini-project from start to finish. 

Pinning fabric, preparing for sewing. 

Getting comfortable with working the sewing machine 

In order to preserve the peace, I made an extra two heat packs for the younger children too. One isn't pictured. The packs are filled with rice and are made with 2 or 4 sections each so the rice is always evenly distributed. Two minutes in the microwave and they keep the children toasty for a good while after! 

Winter, we're ready for you! 

To-Dos, Done.

The break has been a good time to catch up on rest and tick off outstanding items on the to-do list.

I finally managed to finish our family's 2021 photobook and that's on its way to us. Our bigs got new shoes and with wintery approaching, our little man and big girl got fuzzy dressing robes to keep them warm after swimming lessons next term. 

 "Mum, do I look like a Jedi?"

The husband got me a weighted skipping rope, something I'd been wanting to get this holiday. A friend skips as a great way to get some exercise in without having to leave the house. For me, physically leaving the children to walk or run is probably the hardest part, so this seems like pretty a good deal. The husband put out an egg timer set for 15 minutes, and I managed to skip in sets of 30 skips today out in our front yard. I had a little audience for awhile but mostly the children played on the playground while I exercised and I could still stop to tend to the ones who wanted mum. I'm surprised by how much of a sweat just 15 minutes of skipping worked up. Definitely really hoping I can keep this up!

Our big girl had been wanting to bake Anzac biscuits since Anzac day was observed yesterday. We baked this evening after our littlest had gone to bed: she, reading instructions, measuring out ingredients and rolling out dough balls and he, mixing, tasting (of course) and flattening the dough balls with a fork. A good team.

While waiting for the biscuits to bake, she and I talked about fractions and how to read/write/understand them. Very important when reading recipes and measuring out ingredients. Also, knowing the difference between tbsp and tsp is key! 

They got to stay up to enjoy the fruit of their labours dipped in warm milk. Yum. Them and the shameless freeloader on the right. Haha! Good thing we love him enough to share the spoils! 

World Enough And Time.

The children woke up early and finished the rest of the musical before I got up. It's good that Val is always game to read and be present with these guys!

We attended mass together, and it was a new and meaningful experience for her to have a little child sticking to her and wanting to be a part of her worship. "Jesus is there," is what she gently told the little lady each time. 

Our big girl marvelling at a book on the Catholic Sacraments, Lego style. Beautifully crafted and written. 

Today, I sketched leisurely with our big girl, played hide and seek with the little man, read aloud Enid Blyton's "Secret Seven" with our big boy and finally cradled a crankily sleeping little lady in my arms while I watched "Around the World in 80 Days" with the husband at the end of the day. 

That's what it's about, isn't it, spending time? It's an ongoing challenge to choose what to spend my time on at any given moment. Continuously learning to be present and to spend my minutes on what matters most. 

Early Birthday Celebrations.

It has been a day of celebration! Val will be travelling soon and the bigs wanted to celebrate their birthdays in advance with her.

They invited her to share a meal of one of their favourite things: 小笼包/soup dumplings. The big ones were thrilled to have a basket of dumplings each to themselves! 

We went for a swim after lunch, had a light dinner of DIY muffin split pizzas, and cut cake! 

"Cheese cake", quite literally. A wedge of creamy brie with 9 candles in it, and two wedges of blue with 7 candles in it. Crackers and a delicious and complementary pear paste on the side. 

Our big girl was overjoyed. After he got pranked with a pile of fresh fruit for a cake last year, our big boy warily asked if it was a prank before tucking into his brie. 

Next and final stop: Movie night and Val's sleepover. We watched the Sound of Music, which had us wrapped up in the feel-good-ness of the exuberant fraulein Maria and her adorable charges. Even our little man, who wasn't sold on the movie at the start, was eventually captivated. We didn't make it through all 2h55min of the movie but the older ones have permission to power through the last 30 minutes first thing tomorrow.

What a day it's been. 

Rainbows End!

This is the highlight and much-awaited trip of our Easter Break. We'd won a $200 voucher to spend on touristy activities in Auckland and decided on this. The children were over the moon. Our little man was eager to try out more rides than his height qualified him for, and looks set to be more of a speed junkie than either of his older siblings! 

Bumper Boats

This was our second visit, and definitely more enjoyable than the first now that our children are older. Yet, moving the family around the park and considering everyone's needs/ride preferences is quite an effort. Ideally, and in future, we'll look into having one parent and one child visit at a time. 

Meal Train Ends.

Our Neighbours Meal Train serves its final meal tomorrow. Yesterday, we sent along dinner, a simple Chinese meal: Steamed egg with minced pork, stir-fried veg, stir-fried sliced beef with veg, and white rice. We had that for dinner ourselves and it was comfort food for a blustery day.

Our friends enjoyed the meal, (they enjoyed the steamed egg and asked for a recipe) and took the chance to thank us for the street's generosity in feeding them during a tough time. It also occurred to me that accepting help in the first place often requires an equal and opposite measure of humility. I thanked them for allowing us to support them, and she admitted that it was not easy to say "yes" to help.  They are all doing better now, and it was a good chance for us to develop as a neighbourhood community.

The much-needed term break is finally here.

Some nail-painting was in order first this today.  

My toenails are an array of cheerful colours at the moment!

I'm looking forward to the time together. 

Happy Easter!

Holy week was tough, Triduum was a challenge but we made it!

Holy Thursday:

Our friend got into an accident in the evening so the husband went to get her after her car was towed off. She's thankfully all right. In the meantime, we set up an adoration room by darkening our prayer room, lighting a candle and playing some reflective music. The children "stayed with Jesus" for awhile before bedtime.

Good Friday:

Crown of thorns with soup has become a bit of a tradition that the children look forward to. They helped with making the crown. 

Easter Sunday:

Empty tomb rolls for breakfast. Simple enough for our littlest to help.

Our children were super excited to find out that their sacrifice beans had turned into jelly beans! 

We attended mass:

And had our usual Easter egg hunt, which all the children absolutely loved.

It has been a day of intense celebration.

Blessed Easter, everyone! 

He is risen, Hallelujah! 

A Playdate, & the Easter Triduum Begins.

Our little man had a friend over this morning. We were about to leave for the playground when the neighbours popped by for a play. One of the boys was celebrating a birthday and we had to have a round of  "happy birthday" hot drinks and marshmallows. 

A full but cheerful morning with this lot. 

We made it to the playground in the end and had a pretty decent runabout. 

All that activity left me pretty knackered by the end of the day. Glad to have made it to the end of term 1! 

I'd thought Holy Week was challenging but then the Easter triduum begins and the cross feels like it's gotten even heavier. I'm barely making it to the finish line here, and can't wait for Easter Sunday. 

Bought vs Homemade

Yesterday, I paid $5 for a loaf of "tear and share" bread from Countdown supermarket as a quick afternoon tea for hungry tummies.

While it tasted good, I was convinced I could replicate it for less. I cobbled together a loaf with a basic dough recipe, homemade BBQ Sauce, homegrown tomatoes, salami and cheese I had on hand. 

I charred the top slightly while trying to get a golden brown finish but otherwise was quite a success. The husband happily ate the charred bits and declared them the best part! 

A hearty bite that fed more people than the supermarket loaf did. I'm quite happy with the way it turned out! I suppose I ultimately pay for the time spent; 5 minutes of effort (in and out of the store) vs a couple of hours from scratch. I do believe there is a time and place for both options. 

Now to experiment with toppings for future loaves. 

Fun With Paint.

"I want to create the Olympic rings," our big girl said. We looked up the colours of the rings online, and she printed the rings using paint and milk bottle caps.

With the skies threatening rain all day, we set up our paint station indoors for the children to get creative.

We explored several painting techniques over the course of the afternoon...Rorschach art technique, printing. (If anyone reading this knows of other cool age-appropriate painting techniques we could try, I'd love to hear from you!) 

The three younger children were proud to see their creations up on our art wall. 

Earlier today, I cycled to our nearby playground alongside our little man on his own bike. Amazing effort on his part to navigate the little inclines and slopes on the way.

They brought toy cars and had a great time on the slide. (That little giraffe car came from the Singapore Zoo!)

"I had a great day with you," the little man tells me at bedtime. So did I, pal. 

Living and Learning.

Finding practical ways to spend a little more time sitting and being with the children today was manageable. Last night, the husband and I identified places in the day I can manage my time a little better, or carve out pockets of time to play.

I thrive and come alive outdoors. Sitting and playing indoors is hard because my mind drifts off to the many things waiting to be done. So this is a big challenge for me.

One step at a time. 

The Opperman family texted me this evening. They wanted to tell us that at a party we were all at over the weekend, our big boy showed kindness and thoughtfulness that meant a great deal to them; he asked our friend (Mr Broken Collarbone) what his favourite pizza flavour was, and made sure to bring him enough pizza. He probably knew that moving around was hard for our friend and wanted to do a bit for him. I need to affirm our big boy tomorrow!

What we got up to today. Stamp pads are clearly not just for stamps. 

Hard Truths.

Today, my dear children hit me square between the eyes with "you never play with us". They certainly know the way to a mother's heart...armed with a lance!

It stinks to hear, but there is also some measure of truth in it. So as much as I wanted to cry foul and play the victim, I appreciated their honesty, and after a good heaving cry in the husband's arms, I managed to tell them as much.

What now? We'll see. Still processing. 

Happy 4th birthday, my darling! He asked for a donut cake, and a donut cake he got. Borrowed my neighbour's deep fryer to make these golden-fried rings of dough for the occasion.

Special breakfast in the morning, rock-climbing after mass, and a Happy Meal for lunch. Our four year old's idea of a great birthday! 

    "Keep up, dad!"

    First family climb. 

Lots of love for their beloved Aunty Val

After all is said and done, there is much to be thankful for. 

Refill Shopping.

In a bid to reduce our plastic waste, we've made the foray into buying some of our pantry items from refill stores. This means bringing our own containers to a store, filling them up and paying by weight.

Not everything is cheaper to buy in this fashion and it has been an exercise in balancing cost with our desire to be eco-friendly.

We save a great deal by buying pasta this way. It costs 59c/100g, compared with approx 80c/100g for packaged pasta of the same brand. 

Loose tea leaves (pictured in front, in a jam jar) are also significantly cheaper than tea bags. I'm about to switch over to using reusable tea bags or a metal tea ball for steeping my tea.

It's one more shop for us to visit, but worth it as a small step toward zero waste. 

A Storm in the Store.

The little man had a really hard time today because of a Pokemon plushie he wanted to buy but I'd said "no" to. He ran quite comically away from me, wailing, and I went to pay for my items. 

The cashier raised an eyebrow and smiled when she figured out what was going on. "No biggie", her look said. We got to chatting about her son who is now 23. It's amazing how the parenting experience is such a universal one, no matter how old your child is. There is always a story to tell that another parent will nod emphatically to and understand instantly. 

I caught up with my little man who was still holding onto the soft toy. He really wanted it, but I couldn't possibly reward the behaviour by buying it for him (it had crossed my mind for just a split second! Don't roll your eyes, husband!). I gave him a choice between returning it himself, or having me return it for him. I finally helped him choose the latter and carried him out of the store.

I think recognising that tantrums are developmentally appropriate is half the battle won. The other half is... Maybe in knowing when reason and choice won't work and when it's just time to help them out with a gentle but firm "I'm going to return the toy for you and I'm going to carry you out of the store with me."

He didn't fight me when I returned the toy and carried him out. He found new delight in a coinslot helicopter ride and didn't talk about the toy again. 

In the moment at the store, it was an overwhelming situation for him and understandably difficult. It was just an interesting situation to reflect on and realise he also probably melted down because of the poor sleep he'd had last night. I wonder if the tantrum was more about the state of mind and less about the toy itself. 

We spent a good part of the day with the Stamilla family, and the young ones got in some good play time. It's been too long since we'd last seen them and the little ones are all not so little anymore!

Sleeping Tips & All Aboard Our Meal Train

Our big girl's sage advice on how to fall asleep quickly:

During the day, I take pictures of nature with my mind and if I have trouble falling asleep I look at those pictures with my imagination. Otherwise I clear my mind and think of nothing. That helps me fall asleep quickly.

I told her that it's advice that would be hugely beneficial to our big boy and I.

We've started a meal train page for our friend who's nursing a broken collarbone. It turns out he'll need surgery next week. Meal Train is a very cool idea that quite literally puts everyone on the same page. Everyone knows what everyone else is bringing and exactly when help is needed. Also, might I add that I have neighbours who are awesome cooks. I might invite myself to dinner on April 9!