THE MINI OFFICE

When I first came across an example of the 'Mini Office' I thought that it was a great idea!  At times we have three kids sharing the dining table which can be distracting.  While R & B are doing their workbooks and worksheets, L likes to draw (she calls this her 'homeschooling').  They like to share their opinions about each other's schoolwork, which is sometimes helpful but more often than not unwelcome!!

I wanted to make a Mini Office that was going to survive a fair amount of wear and tear.  I imagined that after being used for a few months and occasionally altered, they would start to become dog eared and tatty.  I headed off to Officeworks in search of something similar but more sturdy than the regular Manila folder and found a plastic version that would do the job.  (It would have been nice to have a colour option, but alas they only came in boring old cream)

If all went well and these last quite a while, we didn't want to find that at a later date they were not large enough to suit our needs.  Keeping this in mind we joined three of them so that we would have 4 sections to use. After gluing them together we set about printing out and decorating/personalising various items to be attached.  While working on each layout and thinking about the pretty decorative bulldog clips that I had shown great restraint in keeping out of my Officeworks basket, I realised that if I left one section blank with a bulldog clip attached, it would provide a great place to clip any loose papers that needed to be close at hand or easily referred to.  Several sheets could be left attached and swapped around depending on what we were studying at the time.

Now that they are completed and in use, the kids are always eager to set them up!  They treat them with a air of importance and have a new respect for each other's space.  R treats his as if it is 'top secret' and will not allow his little sisters to peer inside!  (I have been permitted to reveal it's contents here on the condition that they never look at the photo!)  They are also strangely more tolerant of any annoying sounds that may be coming from the other side of someone else's mini office. It has been suggested that they be used at meals times, which could come in quite handy! Hmm.. 'The Mini Dining Room'?

PASTIMES AND TIMES PAST

The last couple of months have been a jumble of schooling, little projects, snotty noses and broken appliances.  When I think about those past weeks, I realise that it is no wonder I have neglected our blog!  After we had suffered from an awful bout of the lurgies which had us all take a turn at feeling miserable, we had the dishwasher and washing machine give up within a day of each other.  Now as annoying as it was to lose the dishwasher, it was a time saving luxury that I could survive without.  Unfortunately the washing machine is a whole other issue!  With three children and a working husband, the past few weeks of hand washing and Laundromats have been the bane of my life.


Although there seems to be less time available to do all of those things that we wish to do, we have continued to plod along at a steady pace.  (surprisingly I even managed to read a couple of novels The Quest and The Persimmon Tree )


Something that I never imagined to undertake in a serious manner keeps me occupied during what little idle time I have remaining.... knitting!  (I am not entirely sure what inspired me to begin) I thought that something simple would be best to practice on, so decided that the Fleck Stitch Envelope Purse was a good place to start.  The kids were all eager to have one each, so after choosing their preferred colours I altered the instructions for each of them so that they were deeper and wider (better for carrying those all important toys or whatever the day's role play required!).  I have completed two for the girls and am now three quarters of the way through working on the 'Postman's Bag' version that the little man of the house has requested!

I am not the only one that has decided to give the craft of knitting a go.  B was eager to begin finger knitting and R (who had previously mastered the art of finger knitting) has begun working on a scarf for his nan!  It's a slow process, so I suspect his nan will be lucky enough to receive it just in time for Winter 2011 (or maybe even 2012!).

BOTANICAL GARDENS

Ever since we knew that Great Grandpa was coming over for another visit from the mainland, we planned to spend a day out at the Royal Botanical Gardens. It's a place that we love to enjoy as often as we can. The kids can run around barefoot on the open expanse of freshly mown green grass, roll themselves downhill until they are too giddy to stand and explore every nook and cranny of the gardens, while adults can sprawl out lazily and watch the world go by....

Unfortunately the day began with ominous grey clouds hanging over the area. We had hoped that they would clear and provide us with blue sky and sunshine, but as we came within 1km of the gardens, it started to drizzle.

We had all looked forward to the day so much, that we ignored the rain and headed into the grounds. We passed groups of people heading back to their cars, but as we entered the gates and rounded the corner we could not believe our eyes - standing in all it's glory was a grand old Carousel!! The kids were instantly drawn to it and squealed with delight when then realised that they would be able to take a ride! As we climbed on board it continued to rain, but by the time we had finished whizzing around, we were delighted to see that the rain had finally cleared and the sunshine was starting to seep through the clouds.

After inspecting the steam engine that powered the ride and having a quick lesson on how it all worked, we wandered idly around the conservatory, sub antarctic plant house, vegetable gardens, cactus house and Japanese gardens.

It's amazing how hours can pass so quickly while having such a lovely time with family.... it's something so simple, yet provides so many happy memories....

EASTER 2010

Easter is always a fun time to do craft and to deliver hampers of easter treats to friends, family and neighbours. We started with easter bunny paper baskets then moved on to homemade chocolates, hot cross buns and dyed eggs. Needless to say we all enjoyed the activities and created some happy family memories!

MARCH BABY

Our first celebration in our new home was L's 2nd Birthday! It's now official that all of the babies in our family have grown up to be little people. It's such an enjoyable time of parenting, watching them become capable of looking after themselves in many ways, but at the same time, still need the occasional tear wiped or knee kissed when they trip over themselves in a hurry to get somewhere. L shows both of these traits. She shows her independance by insisting that she does things for herself, she likes to join any game that her siblings are playing no matter how robust and yet sometimes prefers to cuddle up with her mummy or daddy and watch the world go by. She is a very special little princess full of affection and we all love her to bits!

SETTLING IN TO OUR NEW HOME

It has been long overdue, but I have finally taken a moment to update the blog from our new abode. There are plenty of other things that I should be doing, but I guess there never is a time when there is NOTHING that needs to be done!

We have managed to complete a long and stressful move from the countryside, into suburbia and are settling in quite well. It has been a difficult adjustment (possibly more so for me than other family members!), but the advantages of living close to town have helped to make life comfortable. Luckily the home we have moved to is in a fairly quiet location and although smaller, I am enjoying not having to clean such a big house! Whenever D or I come across something that annoys us about our new environment, we always remind each other "'Pros and Cons..... Pros and Cons....." there are many things that we now miss but also many new things that we can now enjoy. Life always seems to have a way of balancing itself out like that....

There has been plenty of work to do around our new home. The rose bushes can hardly be seen through the weeds and there appears to be the remnants of an old vegetable garden that is begging for a bit of TLC. We have however, already managed to turn the overgrown courtyard into a sunny herb garden and turn an old slab of concrete into a shady gazebo complete with table and chairs that will come in handy on rainy days.

Of all the changes in lifestyle that this move has provided, the one that I am enjoying the most is being in close proximity to the foreshore, beach, parks and playground. There is nothing quite like slipping out to take our dog Max for a walk before breakfast and taking in the fresh ocean breeze. I intend to make a habit of this... (now I just need to get myself to bed earlier so that I can be bright and fresh in the mornings!)

Life is full of surprises... one year ago I would never have guessed that we would be living where we are now. It certainly does pay to be adaptable, because in the end every cloud really does has a silver lining! (Sorry about the cliche!!)

Fun with Solar Power

R has always been intrigued by anything electrical, so when he received a solar powered 'Connetrix' kit for Christmas, he could not wait to start constructing the three designs that were shown on the box. On the first day the 'Rocket' was constructed, then over the next couple of days the 'Space Module' appeared, followed by the 'Satellite'. He enjoyed watching them come to life and had soon begun to make his own construction designs which he would proudly demonstrate.

Happy 4th Birthday!!

Another year has passed us by, with the silly season making the final month of 2009 zoom by in the blink of an eye. As usual, Christmas is celebrated and then Boxing Day is spent pulling down tinsel and trinkets to make way for Celebrations of another kind.

This year the Birthday girl turned 4! It's always so hard to grasp the reality of just how quickly our precious children grow. One moment B was laying in my arms, a sweet quiet baby who never really spent much time fussing. Her good sleeping habits continue, with her being the only of the three to happily stay snuggled up in bed until later than necessary. When coming into our room early, she prefers to snuggle in between us rather than jumping around all over the place as her siblings prefer to do!

This year for B's birthday, her Nanny had stayed over and we shared pancakes for breakfast, then later headed out for a country drive and picnic. The weather was glorious, so after some ball play in the park it was not surprising that we later found ourselves at a waterhole having a swim in the fresh clear water. After we had all exhausted ourselves (and lured B back to the car with the promise of her Birthday cake waiting at home) she ended the day in a bathtub overflowing with bubbles!

We all had a memorable time, a day the kids are wanting to repeat as soon as they can! It certainly was one which we will all happily recall for the years to come!