January 26, 2011

Book Buddies


 
Do you remember Maisy? Well she inspired these :)

I made these book buddies to add to books that I gave as Christmas gifts to some special little boys in my life, my nephews! I decided to cut these out free-hand (no pattern) and it surprisingly worked out really nicely. (Perhaps a little bit of luck was involved, 'cause this type of brave cutting can go very wrong sometimes!) I then stitched the felt pieces together, filled the bodies with batting, stitched them up and then glued on the rest.

I won't say much here about The Very Hungry Caterpillar, other than it being a terrific book for a young child (aged 2-5 approx). If you would like to read another post I did about this book, click here.

I do want to tell you a little bit more about Lost and Found, by Oliver Jeffers. But before I do, I need to tell you about another Oliver Jeffer's gem. I was first introduced to this author when a colleague told me about his book How to catch a Star.(Thank you Carey!) Big One and I soon loved this simple, beautifully illustrated story of a little boy who loved stars and very proactively made all sorts of plans to catch a star to be his friend. I think it's a great story about "making a plan" and perseverance when you are faced with a problem.


Lost and Found is about the same little character, who this time tries to help a penguin, who he thinks is lost. In the end, however, he realizes that the penguin is simply lonely and wants a friend. It's another sweet story and a great icebreaker to introduce a conversation about loneliness and friendship. I think that both these books by Oliver Jeffers are great additions to a young child's library (aged 3-6 approx) and are super books to be used in Play Therapy.

Till next time, happy reading!

PS. I am linking this to:

January 18, 2011

Happy Birthday Big One!!

Oh dear, where has the time gone? Sorry, I am a little behind in posting, but it's been rather busy around here. Tomorrow it's back to school after an AMAZING 6 week Summer break! So much prep seems to go into this big day...sorting uniforms, organizing stationery, attaching name tags to just about everything! And, to add to the busyness, a rather important person also turned 9 this past weekend!

My little boy is 9...where did the time go?

So, how did we spend this special day? Well with Granny in tow, we went off to Ratanga Junction...Cape Town's very own theme park :). There really is something for everybody and I think it's well worth the admission fee.

  That's Dad and Big One right in front! This rollercoaster (Bushwhacker) was definitely the favourite ride of the day. I think Big One did it about 8 times :)


Little One and Granny. Little One didn't want to get off this one!


The Lady Bugs Ferris Wheel.

We all loved the boat ride.

 Having fun on the Rats and Cats bumper cars.

Big One you are our STAR!! You truly have a beautiful way about you...you make us laugh and you astound us with your creativity and interesting perspective on life. Thank you for being such a blessing. We love you and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

To see and read more about Ratanga, click here.

January 8, 2011

Painting fun


When Summer arrives in Cape Town it brings along the wind, which can blow rather ferociously at times. It also brings welcome relief from the heat! We are lucky enough to have a small enclosed back garden, which is mostly sheltered from the wind and this means that we can have some beautiful Summer times in our backyard in the evenings. 

In December we had one of those almost windless evenings and I decided to let Little One paint outside. I gave him acrylic paint and sponges (saved from the inside of tablet containers) and attached them to pegs. This is a great way to let a younger child paint, who doesn't yet have adequate control over a brush. Little One decided to use the paint brush anyway :). He also decided to paint with the sand that I used to hold the plastic container down!



Afterwards, he wanted his nappy off...running around the garden naked is just one of his favourite things to do! What fun! I LOVE these pictures :)


Wherever you are and whatever the weather, I hope you are having some holiday fun.

January 4, 2011

2011 is here!



I have been away with family for a few days in Vermont, Hermanus, and it was wonderful! We are very blessed to have access to a family holiday home and we usually find ourselves there over New Year. This year the weather was strangely a bit miserable, but I actually loved it. (I don't function so well in the very hot weather!) So, in spite of the weather, we had lovely times on the beach, walked around enjoying the amazing natural beauty and, of course, just got to kick back and relax a bit with loved ones. I think the best part about getting away is the fact that you leave all the must-do lists at home and you have no choice but to CHILL!!

I wanted to take this opportunity to not only wish you, but also to thank YOU, my wonderful readers, for joining me so far on this little blogging adventure. When I started this blog in March last year, I had a certain vision for it, but I can honestly say, it got a bit of a life of it's own. I never thought that I would be sharing so many kiddies' crafts and Mommy-made games and toys. This has been so much fun and my children have only benefited. I won't tell you what I have in mind going forward, but I certainly hope to keep you all reading in 2011! 

To those of you who have come back time and time again to leave (very kind) comments or even email me with feedback and encouragement, THANK YOU!! It's your continuous support that really keeps me motivated. I have also been so blessed to make some amazing faraway friends and this has been an added bonus of this blogging journey that I am so thrilled about. I know too that many of my readers are closer to home and are not necessarily bloggers. Thank you so much for subscribing ...I can't express how it makes me feel to know that you choose to receive my posts in your inbox :).

And last, but certainly not least, I would like to wish all of you a very happy New Year! May it be a very special year for you and your families.

Till next time, 
Georgia
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