Cardboard castle

On a cold, sunny, November Sunday, daddy and mummy went for coffee and took a look at the monthly farmers market. Prior to their coffee indulgence,  the kids were dropped off at grandmas' and their great aunts' house, mawahaha!

OK, so whilst I was having a coffee I was half listening to my husband and half thinking about what I could do with two bored kids on a Sunday afternoon. Other than the usual Sunday walk in the woods I thought it was time to use the recycled items I had accumulated over the past week or so. I dared to ask what the girls would like to build and the inevitable answer spurted out, "A Princess Castle".

Bare in mind I am not really an arts and crafts person I am more into my painting so I had to delve deep into my childhood memories to when I built my own things out of household items, Blue Peter style, (except when I used to watch the show I never had the items required to build a magnificent masterpiece).

So here is what I and the girls built together.

I should add a disclaimer of sorts - yet again it ended in tears (I think this should be the name of my blog) because they did not want to stop playing with it but the 'pools' became a bit of a water hazard when the girls sneakily took water from the sink and added it to form rain which was poured over the top of the'castle' and the overflowing pool then became a scientific project!!!

Once the tears had subsided the 'castle' was used for its intended purpose, to play house with their mini dolls and pretend there is water. :) Phew!

(Instructions will follow later).

Cleaning Mad.

I do obsess about the house cleaning and making sure it is organised and clean but really do I need to really go mad over it? Does a little dirt and mess hurt really? Well no but we are brainwashed by TV that mess and dirt is bad for you, sure in excess it is but like most mothers, I make sure the house is tidy before I have visitors, the kids get shouted at if they make a mess while I am in the process of tidying up or I have just finished the clean-up. I need to step back and forget about it all, forget that I have no dishes to eat off, that the muddy boots have been trampled through the house leaving stains on the carpet or rug, that the table is covered in arts and crafts so there is no table to eat off. 

At the end of the day all the above does not matter because it is not going to last long. Eventually they will grow up and not want the hugs and kisses I offer or the activities I spend time researching for them or infact they will not want to spend time with me at all at, unless they want to spend my money. Caring about what others think about my house should be of no concern (unless I want them to return again). 

So my daily mantra and please join in if you feel the need.

 Leave the cleaning alone until the kids have gone to bed.

Art Center

I am in the middle of designing an arts, crafts, writing, homework area for my little ones. It will involve: using a recycled bookcase, glass jars, keeping household items, paint, glue, glitter, pens and so on. It is going to be a long process as I gather items from within the home. 

Progress will be posted as it unfolds. Cheap is the name of the game, nothing fancy and something the kids can help me with. It will teach them (I hope), to recycle, to  use their imagination and create, it does not have to be expensive to be fun and it will be an interactive family project.

Currently I am inbetween home ownership so renting limits me with how much I can do. I will, however, not let this stop me from creating a space that suit our immediate needs and wants.

If you have done anything similar, let me know I would love to see your project. 

Recycling for later creations

Organising with glass jars

"...finger-paint more, and point the finger less."

What an amazing quote below, I have to remind myself to take things slower and get at my children's level while I still have time to do so. I am sure I am not alone.

“If I had my child to raise all over again, I’d build self-esteem first, and the house later. I’d finger-paint more, and point the finger less. I would do less correcting and more connecting. I’d take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes. I’d take more hikes and fly more kites. I’d stop playing serious, and seriously play. I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars. I’d do more hugging and less tugging.“ -Diane Loomans

I found this quote here: http://artfulparent.typepad.com/

Have a safe bonfire night

 

Remember, remember the 5th of November...

We had a great evening at the local bonfire and fireworks display. We were lucky enough for us to walk to it and be home in a few minutes. My eldest daughter thought it was great, my little girl liked it but she thought it was a bit loud. All in all it was a safe night and mild with no rain! Lucky us.

Science Projects for 3-6 year olds

I saw this book by Muriel Mandell and thought it would be great to do some very simple science experiments in the home using items you can normally find around the house, e.., straws, bottles, lemons etc.

The first experiment I tested with the girls, was to see if you can bend a straw without touching it. They seemed quite excited about it all, but the task I had was trying to explain where the bend was, then one of the kids accidently trod on the toe of the other one then there was pushing and shoving and there the experiment ended for another day. 

What did I do wrong? I have no idea, maybe I got them at the wrong time of the day, maybe they had no clue what was meant by a bend (when actually it appears broken). So I was somewhat disappointed that the 2 minute session ended on a low note. 

Am I the only one who deals with this? I read other blogs and they seem idyllic, well organised and well received. I think someone somewhere is trying to paint the perfect picture that does not exist or maybe I am  being honest. It would be great to hear that I am not alone in this huge world of parenthood.

UK Library

So the library I used prior to this blog was based in Vancouver but I have moved back to the UK, living the village life and it is not cheap!

I have signed up the girls to the library and they have their own dinosaur library cards. Today I went on the mobile library bus that sits in the car park across the road of my house every Friday morning. I chose not to have TV or Sky/Cable therefore DVD's are our source of entertainment, therefore since Friday night is pizza, popcorn and movie night I would get a few kids DVD's, which include, Cinderella, FiFi, Rupert the Bear and Angelina Ballerina. As I went to check them out to my horror and amazement you actually have to pay to take out DVD's. I could say a few profanities but after all this blog is for kids and parents. Of course I did not have money, just library cards so I was informed I could pay next time I drop them off.

Hmmm! Sure, it is cheaper than renting from the video store but I thought I was going to a library that had free resources.

Oh well! Village life will continue forth.