What's Happened Since October?!

Alot! This update will include a few different items - with photos from most of the events we got up to each week. (My apologies for the slack blogging, my only excuse being pregnancy). Events in order of most recent listed first:

1st Dec. Carol Singing: at Erin Park was a blast! (no photos sorry) The residents just loved us! Which was quiet reassuring given we were rather nervous at our lack of practice. I think I speak for us all tho, when I say we were really blessed ourselves when it was so evident we had made a difference to their morning. Thanks for having us Erin Park!

29th Nov. BBQ Breakup/picnic at Maraetai: surprisingly, it was a fair afternoon! A bit of wind, but a couple of us still worked up the courage to get in the water (which was very pleasant!). The children enjoyed the playground, and eating their dinner alfresco with each other - what an adventure!

25th Nov. Christmas Crafts: Michele Gallichan came armed with pasta, glue guns, & gold paint. She taught us how to make gorgeous christmas decorations out of Pasta. Those that braved the hot glue enjoyed creating unique wee angels for their Christmas Trees. Thanks for your time Michele (Mum), we totally appreciated it!

18th Nov. Gardens Picnic: No photos for this one, as we were all esconced in the cafe drinking our hot coffees and some of us indulging in some yummies. When we did venture outside for a walk to see the ducks, the rain decided to make it's presence known, so we all raced with our prams back to shelter. Ah well, we enjoyed the coffee & chat at any rate.

11th Nov. Sewing: Far out! Who knew we could be domestic goddess'? Well, we are. All sewed a pefect invisible hem, so men... Now your wives can easily take up your new trousers if they're too long. :o)

4th Nov. Flowers: Jenny Rosser was awesome! She showed us all how to put together an arrangement, and mostly from the sorts of flowers we have in our back yards. We all really enjoyed it and went home inspired! Thanks so much for your time & skills shared, Jenny!

Bus Train Playground Adventure

Next week, the 21 Oct, we are going to ride the train to Papakura, play on a cool playground there, then catch the bus back home to Manurewa.
Costs: Train = $1.40, Bus = $1.60 Make sure you have the right cash - makes it easier.

We will meet at the Southmall Train Station at 10am. WARNING - be very careful where you park your car. If there are no all day parks avail, it is a good idea to find parking on the road - NZ Wheel Clampers are very active at Southmall.

Bring along morning tea to have at the playground. We aim to catch the 11.25am bus back to Rewa. It is a good idea to bring an umbrella pram rather than the buggies - for ease of jumping on and off the bus.

If you have any queries, please call Monique or Catherine or Jo W.

Butterfly Creek

We had a blast at Butterfly Creek to end the term together. The kids had the opportunity to pat a goat, pat a Lop-eared Bunny, and see all sorts of other creatures: Llama, Calves, Goats (which Samuel insists are Horses), Pigs, Chickens, Lambs (to whom Lucy was fast losing her shoe to), Dog, and Guinea Pigs.

Some of us rode the wee train around - lots of fun!

More photos in the slideshow...

Kids Craft

This week we did a morning on Craft Ideas for Kids:

Here is the recipe to Playdough (cooked) and Finger Paint. There are both cheap forms of entertainment for your toddler. Messy? Well, now that summers here, we do this craft outdoors. Yay for Sun!

Playdough

1 c salt, 2 c flour, 2 c water, 2 tabs cooking oil, 4 tsp Cream of Tarta, food colouring.

Put all in a pot, heat and stir. Catherine's tip is to put the food colouring right at the start so you don't have to work it through afterwards. Once it starts to stay together in the pot looking like playdough, pull it out and knead it.

Finger Paint

1 c flour, 1 c cold water, 3 c boiling water, food colouring.

Mix the flour and cold water, stirring until smooth. Pour the mixture gradually into the boiling water and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Add colouring and cool.

Thanks Catherine!

What is a Hug?

Hugging is very healthy.
It helps the body's immune system. it keeps you healthier. It cures depression and reduces stress. It induces sleep. it is invigorating. it is rejuvenating. it has no unpleasant side effects. Hugging is nothing less than a miracle drug. Hugging is all natural. It is organic and naturally sweet. it contains no pesticides, preservatives, or artificial ingredients and it is 100% wholesome.
Hugging is practically perfect. There are no movable parts, no batteries to wear out, no periodic check ups, no monthly payments, no insurance requirements. it offers no energy consumption and returns a high-energy yield while being inflation-proof, nonfattening, theft-proof, nontaxable, nonpolluting, and fully returnable. [Paul Planet, 'Lets Hug']

My husband & I are currently doing "Growing Kids God's Way" and last week the subject was The Father's Mandate. Excellent material. One of the things it discussed was ensuring we routinely hug and be affectionate with our kids. I think Gary Ezzo's quote says it all "If you fail to communicate your love through your touch, you will eave behind a yearning heart that can be taken captive by anyone willing to give it attention. Don't leave your child open to the affections of the wrong person."

Something to ponder.

Stretchmarks...

We all hate stretch marks, and we all hope like heck that Bio-Oil works! Here's an artical you may find interesting. I've scanned it in, so you need to download the two pages.

The Scourge of Stretchmarks:
Page One
Page Two

P.S. I like to think of stretchmarks as my scars of love... The love of my child.

How to keep that Toddler Active

Most kids love copying Mama. I've been saving all the plastic containers that have good lables on them and then they become Sam's toys. He has a small shopping trolley, so he can do the shopping. He loves to spend time unscrewing and screwing lids on things. It's a cheap passtime, and the kids think they're so cool copying Mama with her cooking & shopping.

Winter Soups

What a great day we had today! Lots of people - a big welcome to our new people, great to meet you!

Here's the link to the recipes I cooked today. WonderMums Soups

Have a try yourself - quick & easy. The Pear & Parsnip Soup is an awesome entree when you want to impress. The Broccoli is very nutricious - afterall, it's a "green" vege!

Remember - If you plan to come to Butterfly Creek - you need to register your interest with me asap. Thanks!

Teddybears Picnic

Our teddybears picnic was a blast! Catherine set up a great trail for the kids to follow, complete with all sorts of things bears like - honey, salmon etc. leading evenutally to the kitchen where a Monique-Bear leaped out growling at the kids (feeling rather ridiculous I might add). Here's a couple of pis for you to enjoy of the dressed-up kids.

Toy Library

We had a presentation from the Toy Library in Papatoetoe. It was really great! Looks like a fantastic system, and our toddlers tried out some of the toys.

They are situated at: Papatoetoe Stadium Community Rooms, St George St end of Allan Brewster Centre, Tavern Lane, Papatoetoe. Phone 277-0745

They hold over 650 toys including videos and CD ROMs.

Open from: 9.30am to 11.30am on Wednesday and Saturday.

Have a look!

Reese Bryon Kilpatrick Born

Reese greeted his Ma & Pa on his due date like a good punctual lad. Born 29 July 08 mid-afternoon, weighing in at 8lb at Papakura Maternity Unit.

Laura is doing really well and is now enjoying being at home introducing her son to the wonders of this world.

Congratulations Laura and Sam!!!!

Swapsies

Swapsies Day was a blast I hear! I'm sad I missed it. You raised $38.40 for Woman's Refuge and we also donated all the remaining goods to them. They were very thankful. It was awesome for us to have the opportunity to help others in our community. So good work girls! Save up your castoffs again, cos we'll do this again in Term 4. Some ideas of things to bring are "shoes, toys, clothes, books, baby gear".

Budgeting with Justin

Last week, Justin came and told us the best ways to make a budget and stick to it. You can download his presentation, and a sample budget here.

Presentation (206kb)
Sample Budget (37kb)

Thanks Justin - we learnt alot!

Preparing your Pre-schooler for School

Laura came and taught us the types of things to teach our kids for school, and even advised us on the things we shouldn't teach them - there are things the teachers like to teach them. So here are the documents and resources we were given.

Download them and have fun!

Laura's Notes (22kb)
Resources (8kb) You print each sheet twice - one acts as the board, and the other is cut up into squares to match to the board.

Thanks Laura!

I'm an Auntie!

For those of you know have met my sis-in-law Kat, she had her baby girl! Born at 5.55am on 11/6/08 at Middlmore - 9lb 6oz, very large baby for a small Mummy! Will update with a pic later. For updates & pics - see my personal pages. 19 June - They've named her Erika Amy. Yay! Now she don't sound like a nefarious Rapper... (Baby G) or a watch. :o)

Josh Pointon Arrives!

The wee Pointon baby has been named, Joshua David Pointon going by "Josh". He has certainly made his mark on our hearts. I was priveledged enough to witness the birth and "Wow" what a miracle. Jo delivered naturally at Papakura at 5.40am on Sunday morning. Weight 7lb 8oz, Length 49cm, Head 34cms. Jo was a star - I was/am very very proud of her! Jo and the baby are now safely back at home and enjoying settling in together.

Congratulations Mike & Jo!

Abigail Smith arrives

Yay! Abigail Katy Smith arrived at 8am Sunday morning via natural birth at Papakura Maternity Unit. Abigail is a goregous wee girlie who is feeding well and looking great! Weight was 8lb 4oz. Jana & Abby are now back at home and settling in.

Congratulations Will & Jana!

Things to do...

So how do you entertain that wee toddler?
How about a playdough session? This is really good for your little one to learn about textures, and develop some co-ordination with their hands!

Paints are really great for the same reason. Kids love playing with wet & messy things (to keep their clothes clean, you can get a "Silly-billys" bib with arms from most baby stores). Samuel also thought eating paint would be great! Thankfully they make it non-toxic!

Sam enjoys drawing with crayons also. You can tape the paper to their highchair tray or the table, and let em go for it!
Playdough – uncooked
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup water
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp food colouring
Put flour and salt in bowl. Mix water, oil and colouring and combine with dry ingredients. Knead well, extra flour may be required.

Playdough - cooked
1 cup salt
2 cups flour
4 tsp cream of tartar
2 cup water
2 tbsp cooking oil
food colouring

Mix dry ingredients together. Add water, oil and colouring. Blend until smooth. Stir over heat until mixture becomes comes away from the sides and forms a ball. Tip onto board and knead well.

Lois Sheppard has been awesome and come to show us many different cheap & easy recipies - which is fantastic when you're trying to work to a budget but still want to eat YUM food! Download her recipes here:

Apricot Muesli Slice

Crusty Mince
Meatloaf (2 sauces)
Sausage Casserole

Scones

Corn Fritters

Lemon Tart

Sam Allan born

Sam Montgomerie Allan was born on the 7/Apr/08 at Middlemore. He is a darling wee bundle weighing in at 7lb 14oz. He has two siblings to love him already!

Congratulations Tania & Roy!

Lucy Beale born

Tim & Ruth had a healthy baby girl, Lucy Jennifer Beale, born on the 7/Apr/08. Lucy weighed in at 6lb14oz. Lucy was born at Papakura Maternity Unit.

Congratulations Ruth & Tim!

Check them out & see their updates on their blog.