Batman Lego Party

A little short of a month ago Big One celebrated his 9th birthday with this special party. Unlike years past, we had a much smaller group and it was mostly family and a few friends that joined us for the afternoon. It was great fun and I really focused on the children and left the adults to chat and eat yummy cake. Deciding on a birthday theme seems to get more difficult as Big One gets older, but the inspiration behind this one was a Lego computer game he received for Christmas. (This Mommy needs a theme to work to!)

This year I opted for cupcakes rather than a cake and made the toppers myself. I used my favourite circle punch (can't live without it!), awesome Batman stickers care of Grandpa, and toothpicks. The party boxes were bought from a local party shop and decorated with plastic bats.  If you are very observant, you may have noticed that the party boxes do not look the same in the two photographs above. The table was all decorated, when Big One said to me "Mommy, there are no polka dots in Batman." I knew he was right and the boxes did look a bit babyish for his age, so with minutes to go, I pulled off the polka dot strips (they were simply cut from wrapping paper). Afterwards I had a giggle...here I am trying to slip in pretty blue polka dot paper into a 9 year old Batman theme! I should really have a girl :).

The games were a huge hit, with the children coming back for more and more.

  For some more super Batman inspiration, check out this party here. 

Till next time...

Teaching Kindness

I think most of us would like to be thought of as kind individuals...I also think that we would like our children to possess this quality, but have you ever thought about how children become kind? Can you teach kindness? I think so. For me it comes down to this ...you need to be what you want your children to be. You need to teach by doing, not preaching! It's a simple truth...a behaviour modeled and observed is far more powerful than a behaviour spoken about.

Now speaking of kindness, this past December, I was bowled over by Katherine Marie's advent post, where she committed to 24 acts of kindness running up to Christmas day. (To read about it, do go see here). But even more impressive, is that Katherine has decided to continue with her kindness mission and has challenged fellow readers to commit to 52 weeks of random acts of kindness in 2011. Quite extraordinary don't you think?! Katherine has called this amazing project 52 Smiles and has given lots of wonderful ideas and inspiration over on her website, so be sure to check it out.

I have certainly been inspired and so have decided to take up this challenge. I would really like to focus on kindness and compassion in 2011 and in making it part of my life, I know I'll be instilling it in my children. They will join me for the ride! Now, I don't know what it is like where you live, but here in South Africa we really have many opportunities to be kind...without having to look very far. On a daily basis South Africans are approached at their homes and in their cars (at traffic intersections and shopping malls) and we are asked for food, clothing and money. We have such high rates of unemployment here, that others begging is a part of our lives and honestly, sometimes one can even feel a bit harassed. (Just keeping it real) For me personally, this year I want to always give with a generous and happy heart and I want to give more intentionally. I also want to share my plans with my children and I want to act on it.

Maybe you want to join me for the ride too? I'll keep you posted now and again of our efforts.

Take care till next time...

PS. Yesterday here in Cape Town it was about 35 degrees Celsius, so my postman knocked on my door with a huge grin on his face. Being kind felt really good!

Georgie's Picks {Absolute Joy}

What can be better in the sweltering heat than this?

  

I have been meaning to post these for awhile - this happy moment took place in December.  As I look at these pictures now, I realize that these are some of my last "in a nappy" pictures of Little One. We started potty training just over two weeks ago and it's been going so well. It's only nappies at night time right now. It makes me extra happy that I captured this!  

Tonight I was reading Snapshot in my inbox, a newsletter sent out by Ingrid Owens of CameraShy and she asked, "Why do you take pictures?" She writes that for her it is about sharing beauty. She says that she wants to share the beauty of a moment with others, not to brag, but just to share the joy of the moment. She would like everyone else to SEE what she saw and to FEEL what she felt when she took the picture. I couldn't agree more!

Ingrid's blog is great, especially if you want to learn more about your digital camera and taking better pictures. Do go check it out.

Till next time, happy capturing...

PS. Georgie's Picks is where I share some of my favourite pictures and moments with you.

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:

Tot Tuesdays at My Delicious Ambiguity 

Show and Tell at ABC and 123 

Kids Get Crafty at Red Ted's Art Blog

Read.Explore.Learn at JDaniel4's Mom
Feed Me Books Friday @ Little Sprout Books

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.

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.

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

Merry Christmas

 

Sock Snowmen

Says one snowman to another: "Do you smell carrots? " :)

Sometime in the 1990's, a local shop here in South Africa sold the terrific American Parents magazine and I use to love buying them. One of my favourite copies was a December issue that had the most amazing Christmas crafts in it. I don't ever part with such great inspiration and ideas, so these have been safely kept in one of my many art-and-craft flip files for all these years! These very sweet snowmen are one of those crafts.

Little One has amused me so, by saying that they are "cool" (which they are:)) and "key-ute"! But, each time I leave him alone with them, he rips off their noses!

Hope you are having a great Christmas week.

PS. I'm linking this to  

Tot Tuesdays @ My Delicious Ambiguity

Show and Tell @ ABC and 123 

                               

Pipe Cleaner Teddy Bear

I found this Teddy Bear tutorial a few years ago at my local craft shop Joh Se Winkel. Now having the blog, I just couldn't resist sharing it. So here is the tutorial and pictures:

Take one pipe cleaner (the thicker, fluffier ones work better) and cut off 6cm. These are the ears. Then cut off 10cm (the arms). You will be left with 14cm (the legs).

Bend each end of the 6cm piece to the middle and then do the same for the 10cm piece and the 14cm piece. After bending the 14cm piece, bend it down into the shape of an upside down "V".

Take the second uncut pipe cleaner and make a tiny loop at the top. (It looks like a long walking stick). Put the ears into the loop and fold the pipe cleaner twice over the middle of the ears. Then continue folding the pipe cleaner over, but once to the side (of the middle) and then to the other side. You have now created the face. If you lift the ears, the little face will show.

Put the arms under the chin and put the legs directly under the arms. Bend the remaining pipe cleaner over the legs and over the one shoulder and then repeat over the other shoulder until the pipe cleaner is finished. Tuck the end of the pipe cleaner in somewhere. Lastly add the eyes and nose carefully (otherwise there is glue all over the face) and dress as you please! :)

I made some teddies today with some eight year old friends and they managed to get it right (with just a little help). So this is a nice fine-motor activity for older kiddos.

I hope you found this easy to follow and will be making some of your own.

PS. I'm linking this to: 

Christmas Link-up Week @ Mummy Crafts 

The Christmas Blog Party @ Holiday Haven 

Christmas Sharing Time @ Raising Memories 

Tot Tuesdays @ My Delicious Ambiguity 

Show and Tell @ ABC and 123