Teapots and Tractors

Hayden and his First Assembly

2012-03-01T14:12:00.000+08:00

This week we saw Hayden attended his first assembly at school. It's hard to explain to a 4 1/2 year old what an assembly is until they have been to one! He went off to school happy because he knew a relief teachers assistant that he liked was going to be there! Already picking favourites!

But immediately he noticed the changes....the names weren't out to write his name as the room was set up so parents could come and have a look at what the students had completed in the first weeks of school.

So change of routine had him looking at me as if they must be nuts not to put the names out!

Then we went to assembly. Hayden came with his class after most of us were seated. He immediately tried to retreat and cried. It was all the people - most that he knew...but it can be overwhelming. He also didn't stand for the National Anthem but sat with his fingers in his ears! (Maybe he is quick to realise that its a terrible national song!)

I was so proud when he stood up to get his merit certificate. First one ever. He needed help to get up but was much more relaxed when an older friend got one and was standing up there too!

So as far as stumbling blocks go this was a very minor one. Saying that we wont really know how he will react until we get to the next assembly! Hopefully all will be fine and he will have a great experience with assemblies in the future.

PS As a side note for all you teachers out there of small children...not just mine who has PDD-NOS...if you want them to bring something for news explain or show examples of what to bring...we had quite a problem finding something Red to take to school. They all had different colours on them and apparently Hayden's teacher told him to bring something red! So he was! So he has taken a piece of his large building set! It is Red!

Decluttering & The Entry Way

2012-02-28T11:54:00.000+08:00

As I mentioned in my challenges with Deb at Home Life Simplified we are trying to find ways to make our house have less clutter by reducing our dump zones. Therefore reducing the amount of cleaning and tidying that needs to happen.

Now is where I jump on the bandwagon and tell you how I have made our entry way work better for us. Others have given them fancy names such as command centres or launch pads, quite simply ours is just where you walk in the door and everything lands on the floor and bench.

And as many good redecorating stories begin ours starts at Ikea! I went in for a couple of things and walked out with 2 loaded trolleys and my little boy in control of one of them! I should point out here that I did leave a large pile of stuff in Perth for my daughter Jordan. Things she needed to help store things in her room at her college.

Expedit Put it together myself too!

We enter our house through the back door. It's important to know that when your trying to change routines there is no point trying to do something that will not be easily achieved and maintained by your family.

Basically I realised that it's where my childrens shoes end up, inside the back door (hubby's are outside to air out!) and that this year and then next year when Mikala starts school we will have school bags and notes and library bags to deal with.

So basically we used a 2x2 Expedit some gorgeous boxes and magazine files and we have a functional solution to one of our many dump zones.

Here it is!

Still need to do some labels for the magazine files - just seeing how they work for us at the moment.

I love those white flower pots from Ikea for holding pens and things.

One side for Hayden and one for Mikala.

At the moment we have bike helmets, reading folder and library books.

The shoe boxes...still seeing if we will keep the lids or not. S

o far both kids are putting them back on ...its their Dad that cant push them back in and put the lid on!

You may notice that I like blue!

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SYL 12 & Happiness

2012-02-27T21:15:00.000+08:00

Things that make me happy!

I thought I would show you what makes me happy in pictures this week.

My children - Mikala

Hayden

and Jordan. (So very proud of her!)

My gorgeous husband.

My garden...even though its taken a battering from the heat!

A cup of tea...I start my day with a cuppa and then I love catching up with friends over a cuppa!

My nieces and nephew are very special to me and they make me happy when I see them as do the rest of my crazy family in Geraldton.

I love to share a glass of white wine, or bubbly but a bourbon and coke is my favourite.

I'm happy when I reading and creating and even exercising...

so I should do these more often!

Week 8 challenge from Deb at Home Life Simplified. Its never to late to start!

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Blogging and Getting it Right!

2012-02-25T11:59:00.000+08:00

I've been a bit quiet over the last couple of weeks and I'm finding it hard to find my niche with this all. I'm not really a great mother, or great housekeeper, or great cook...I was trying to work our what I wanted to blog and why I wanted to blog. I suppose I'm not the only one that thinks about these types of things especially when you just get started and have no idea how all this works.

I think I may suffer a bit of envy...I want one of those gorgeous looking blogs and I want it now! lol Not to have squillions of readers but for the wonderful people that follow my blog and my facebook page to have a nicer and brighter page to read.

And I need to work out time to do it in that doesn't affect my family and especially my children.

I also don't want to 'copy' everyone else. This week I have created an entry storage solution for our school bags and shoes and things. I was inspired by many other bloggers and Pinterest and feel torn about blogging about something everyone else (that is how it feels) has already done!

Anyway hopefully I am going to work this all out in my far to active mind and remember I wanted this to be a personal blog about our families day to day life. I don't want to change the world but I do want to LIVE in it!

SYL12 and My Goals

2012-02-13T14:55:00.001+08:00

Goal Setting and Priorities is the topic for this week of the SYL 12 challenge from Deb at Home Life Simplified. I think that by doing our mission statements and then the Wheel I was able to quickly see in what areas I wanted my goals to be headed.

My Goals and Priorities

1. To keep a tidy and clean home free from clutter and dump zones!

I have already been working on this by changing some of my habits but am on the look out for a great routine chart that will keep the whole family on track and not just me! So if anyone has any suggestions I'm all ears.

My blog post on Decluttering our Master Bedroom

Also we are slowing working our way through all the 'stuff' that we own and trying to either find a home or throw what we don't need. The two hardest things at the moment are all my teaching resources....what do you do with when your not teaching and they are quickly going out of date with another new curriculum looming! And the other is the toys! Being able to get to Perth or Geraldton to get some useful storage solutions is something we need to do.

Finally the reason I want to make this as a goal is that I am happier and calmer when the house is tidy. Simple as that!

2. To set aside time to be creative!

I love scrapbooking and have just found Project Life. I need to get on top of ordering my photos for that I am waiting on a delivery so I can continue. I have set up a Project Life area and I am going to make Thursday night (Greys Anatomy night) the night I will sit in front of the TV and get this done.

Blog post about how I organised my Project Life things so far...

I also want to do more embroidery. Have bought some supplies so I can start anytime....yes anytime....still haven't started....!

Isn't this gorgeous...I have it pinned on my embroidery board on Pinterest. [Image Credit]

I also have been pinning furiously on Pinterest and now have quite a range of crafts that I would like to try.

Not sure how to do it all as yet but I am working on it...maybe have some friends come for a craft morning/afternoon/evening! But I have a goal and if I can get the Project Life under control then I will work towards the other things.

3. Health and Fitness - I want to be fitter so that I can participate with my children more and not be so exhausted after an activity.

I plan to exercise 3 times per week!
I would like to shift 10 kgs but will be happy to stay the same if I can be much fitter.

I also have a hidden agenda to get my husband more active!

So far I am playing tennis on a Saturday and taking a Fitness class on a Wednesday. Need to fit in a walk somewhere as well. Actually schedule it my diary!

There are other things I need to work on as an individual and as a family but these are the ones that are most important to me!

I believe that they are all achievable and manageable and something I could continue for life!

I'm looking forward to reading the other goals of the other bloggers in the challenge!

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Jungles and Superheroes

2012-02-12T14:06:00.000+08:00

Don't you love the way that when you tell a child that you can fly to the moon that they believe you? Or if you ask them if they have seen the tiger that lives in the jungle (bush) near our house, that they say Yes!

Wouldn't you love to be able to go that place in their imagination where anything is possible? Mikala is particularly good at imagining things. She often wont go down the other end of the house because she has decided their is a dinosaur in a particular room. When we drive past any bush she lists the animals that you might see in that 'jungle'! Obviously she is great at role play activities and has just started flying around the backyard as a superhero. So funny watching her teach her Daddy to fly the 'right' way!

Hayden on the other hand isn't really into these games. He doesn't like to play dress ups at all. He has just started playing games like Superheroes or like Mums and Dads. He plays because Mikala is playing. He has learnt this from his little sister. This is not to say he isn't creative and doesn't have a vivid imagination. He can build a great train track or loves to build Duplo cities or Lego vehicles. He can even play jokes on us!

He just takes things a lot more literally than the rest of us at times. Not all the time. Hayden was showing his Dad his sore on his leg today, and I walked past and told him, "Hayden don't touch your sore you need to wait for it to drop off." An offhand comment which had him look from me to Rich with absolute devastation and he said, "My leg is going to drop off!" Quickly we reassured him that his leg was definitely NOT going to drop off!

Sometimes you don't get the immediate reaction so you know he didn't understand but will wait to later to ask questions or to be upset about what he has heard or been told. With this in mind I try to take care with what I say and he really doesn't understand when someone is stirring him.

So hopefully the more Mikala plays and imagines the more Hayden does! And hopefully her Dad learns to fly like a proper superhero soon!

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Playgroup and Valentines Day

2012-02-10T15:16:00.001+08:00

I am the President of our local playgroup. We will have about 12 families, hopefully more that can participate in playgroup in our small town. We share a local sports pavilion with other activities and sports. We are grateful for the space. But sometimes it would be nice to be able to set up a home corner and leave it out for the term...or even a week!

[Picture Credit]

Last year and this year our first playgroup sessions for the year will fall around Valentines Day. Next week it will be Valentines Day. Both times I have been lucky enough to run the activity for the 0-4 year olds as they do some craft activity.

Couple of things to remember when organising a craft activity for that age group:

Make sure you have enough materials. Especially scissors and glue. The older children might like to do more than one.
Don't forget the Parents. We have some really crafty Mums involved in our playgroup and they can turn playgroup activities into a work of art! This is valuable for the children as well, using the parents to demonstrate and to show our playgroup children that crafting is fun and worthwhile!
It has to be doable by the 3 and 4 year olds and there has to be some elements that the littler ones can do.
And finally in my experience the more glitter the better!

I have been trawling the Internet, other blogs and Pinterest for a great craft idea. These are some ideas just in case you would like to do something for Valentines Day too.

Bianca from a little delightful has some beautiful printables and also some great craft ideas on her blog.

This blog post by Liz from Bizzy Dayz shows the types of activities you can do with small children...one starting Kindy and Twins!

Some Printables from Club Mooo above.

and Martha Stewart is always great for simple but effective craft ideas.

NB: I don't really do Valentines Day, always make my husband feel guilty for NOT doing anything for me. But today he made my month! Rang me from work today to ask if I was busy Tuesday. I said no I didn't think so, and apparently we have a babysitter and a booking for dinner. So I promise not to complain about him again ...this week!

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Parties and Ideas

2012-02-08T21:18:00.001+08:00

Do you like planning events? I do!

What I would love to do as a job is Party Organising and Planning. My biggest problem is I love to do this but I would like to shrink away before the guests come and enjoy. It's a buzz to get every ones lovely comments but what I really want to do is make sure the person that the event is for, is the one that thinks its special. Especially kids birthdays...all the little things add up to a special day.

In the last couple of days I have managed to put together a few birthday parties that my kids have loved and a Surprise Ruby Anniversary party for my parents in law.

Rainbow Fairy Party

Since moving here what I have noticed is how much easier it is to get special things for birthday parties and decorations just in the last year. Definitely no party store down the road. Online shopping is great for this type of thing.

This is my dinosaur cake which turned into a volcano, not shop to get more cake from after it didn't work out!

No more time to cook more!

But you need to be more organised. Which is why I have been thinking about parties this week. If you follow me on Pinterest you may have noticed I have started pinning some ideas and invites on there. It's like I'm waiting for the inspiration to hit me! My little princess is 3 in the first week in April which isn't that far away! And sometime in there we will be having our kids baptised. Hayden's birthday isn't until July but as I see ideas I have been pinning them for later.

My problem is what to do for my princess. I asked her!....She said she wants a truck party! (not likely!) I asked my husband.....Another fairy party! (That was only last year!) I even asked Hayden....and he said "Octonauts!" (That was last year too!)

Hayden with his Captain.....(cant remember his name) cake!

So I have 4 weeks to allow enough time for mail to arrive or to head to a bigger centre! Lets hope the inspiration hits me while I have pinning away, otherwise it will be a Fairy Octonaut Party on a Truck!

If you have any good ideas please share!

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Storms and my Cool Boy

2012-02-05T11:30:00.000+08:00

In a previous post I talked about my Cool Boy Hayden having PDD-NOS. Its on the Autism Spectrum, but to most people Hayden is a happy boy with lots of energy!

That is until we get clouds in the sky! What he is showing you on his IPad is a weather map of the radar near Perth as the remnants of Cyclone Iggy went through.

He often amazes me when he shows you things he can do on the computer or IPad but he has worked out how to check the radar through one of the Apps on the IPad.

In the last couple of weeks here we have had a number of storm fronts roll through. We were out of power for 25 hours (thanks to the generator nothing lost or damaged!) and huge branches broke off our trees. We have had hail and lots of thunder and lightening. And Hayden just doesn't like it. I think it's the sensory overload. Too many sounds and the lightening fascinates him all at the same time as being scared by a clap of thunder.

Even on his first day of school he was using the excuse to stay home that there were clouds and there was going to be a storm!

So the best things for us to do is to explain that we wont get hurt if we stay inside. We talk about the clouds and that they don't always mean a storm, and we hold him close. Big tight hugs calm him down so he can cope with all that's going on.

We try to carry on as normal if there is a storm but if the power is out its a great time for shadow puppets on the wall!

How many of you have children or family members who are terrified of thunder and lightning? {Just quietly Hayden's Grandma, my MIL is frightened as well!}

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Decluttering and the Master Bedroom #1

2012-02-04T13:22:00.000+08:00

Last week I showed how I organised a space dedicated to my Project Life. I actually managed to even start completing the start of a title page...think that would be easier to do at the end of the year a a 2 page layout about our fishing at the Marina with the kids. It was easy and I really enjoyed it after all the initial angst about getting it done right!

Well since then I have managed to keep that space working just as that, but have moved around the room and am about half way through decluttering what is stashed in our master bedroom.

I cleaned out my husbands cupboard, and found all the missing clothes he couldn't find. I believe he is an adult he can put his own clothes away...but after cleaning it out again think its time I took that job back. Putting shorts in one place and T-shirts in another is just too hard! I do hate seeing him put a shirt on that I know I ironed and doesn't look ironed now!

I cleaned off the top of our chest of drawers where I have my jewellery and hair things, and now have my makeup because of my absolutely darling little girl has developed a makeup obsession! Especially lipstick! We have a tiny ensuite which just cant cope with any things in it!

Not a great photo...but this is the Mascara Incident!

Yesterday it was lovely and cool and I thought I would sort a plastic tub I had which had photos, negatives and some memorabilia. Most of it had been put in this tub at least 8 years ago!

This is the before...and there was another large photo album on top so the lid wouldn't close.

After...waiting for more photo boxes.

I put my photos into envelopes and label them, so that they are easy to find and it keeps like photos together. I have lots more photos to sort but have started!

Really was just the other day!

Now I need to go to Ikea. I'm using the DVD boxes to store my photos and need a couple more!

Then today I got on top of our wardrobes...with the dust! {"Puff" Insert Ventolin inhaler here!} Love it when you find things that may have been lost. I found the Lego harvester in pieces that my son and husband having been looking everywhere for. Must've been put up there when it was broken to be worked on without helpers. I found some lovely glasses and a race car money box that I had bought at some time to have on hand if I needed some presents. (Really hard to get nice presents sometimes around here, if your invited somewhere at the last minute!)

So now I have some space for storing some more tubs or thinking our winter rugs! And when I lay in bed the mess wont bother me anymore.

So half way through, think I have finally convinced Rich that we need at least a new bed frame. I need some more photo storage and really need some under bed tubs for shoes! The joys of living here mean I need to be patient. We are going to Perth in two weeks so I will keep writing my list!

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School and Labelling

2012-02-01T15:39:00.000+08:00

One of the things that you notice when school returns as a teacher is that some parents help their children to be more organised and some don't. Its a pity as teaching kids how to look after their own belongings is a life skill.

Saying that, there are some children that find being organised is their biggest challenge for the day. Just finding a lead pencil can take 30 minutes and then they have turned everything upside down looking. So things just get more and more jumbled and messy.

So a few quick tips to help your child be able to look after their own belongings, be able to identify their own belongings and be able to find them when needed.

Hayden's reading folder...It wasn't blue so I have added some alien/space contact and now its 'cool'!

Label EVERYTHING! This includes clothing (especially hats and jumpers), stationary, all books, calculators, lunch boxes and water bottles.
If your child is just starting school and can only recognise part of their name (not all children can write or recognise their name when they start) make sure they at least know the first letter. Make it prominent. Within a few weeks they will recognise their name....it will be unlucky if they are in a class with 3 Jacks or 3 Mollys, but if they are use their initial from their last name.
Make your child aware of how you have labeled their belongings so they can identify and find things themselves.
If you use stickers, kids can and do peel them off! Check their things at the end of each term.
If you write on the item, you may need to check and rewrite. Remembering anything that is washed can wear off.
DON'T label your child's hat right where their forehead is. A bit of sweat and they have their name on their head.
Don't just replace what they have said they have lost. Check with their teacher, and in the depths of their trays (or where they store their belongings) and if the school has lost property check it. And if you happen to find Jack or Molly's hat in their give to them, they probably don't even know its missing! Their Mums (and Dads) will appreciate it!

Grandma embroidered his name on his Pillow for Kindy.

So for those of you that have already headed off to school...its not too late to do some extra labelling and for those like us here in Western Australia start labelling!

NB: If you do this well when they are young by year 5 they do the whole lot themselves! Although they do ask for the most expensive contact, stationary and labels!

This year I have ordered from Stuck on You . They had a great special and had the right mix of labels for us! Will let you know how they go when they get here! They had a technical problem which has delayed our order.

Schools and Saying Hello

2012-02-01T07:18:00.000+08:00

If you have kids at school I'd love you to try and do one thing this week.....

Say Hello to another parent/carer!

Whether your child is starting Kindy, been at the same school for years, or you have moved to a new school take the time to say Hello.

{Image Credit}

There are a lot of anxious parents that just need someone to say Hello and maybe ask how they are going. Sending our children off to school can be one of the hardest things that parents do. Trusting other adults to help our kids learn and grow!

I moved my eldest daughter around a fair bit so that I could finish my University Degree. She had 3 daycares, 1 Family Daycare Mum, and 4 primary schools. All had good and bad points but the parents I met during Jordan's Primary School years made the difference.

When I returned to uni for the THIRD time Jordan went to a small school in the middle of a big city. From the moment we walked in the Deputy made time for Jordan and the support I received as a parent (who was much younger than the other parents!) was unparalleled. They organised a roster to pick Jordan up from school one afternoon a week so I didn't have to organise after school care, we had coffee, and we would spend 10 minutes each day outside the classroom talking about our day and kids. These women and men will never know how much this meant to us at the time!

{Image Credit}

So take a minute to make someones day!

You don't have to become lifelong friends but a smile and a kind word can go a long way!

If you want to say Hello to me, leave a comment, join my blog or you can find Teapots and Tractors on Facebook HERE!

Project Life and Organising Part 1

2012-01-31T11:00:00.001+08:00

I thought I would share with you the start of my Project Life. Well the part that will get me started anyway...that's what I am hoping anyway.

This is my Cobalt Project Life...I also have the Clementine Core kit!

I'm going to use the Cobalt as the basis for a school Album for Hayden and the other for our 2012 family album.

In our bedroom we tend to hide things, we have furniture we would rather not have and my dressing table because it is low tends to be the place that everything from clothes to magazines to Lego gets dumped. I am attempting to change some of the dumping habits in our house! At least in my our room.

This is what was underneath a big pile of clothes!

So a couple of weeks ago I took a trip to Ikea...came home with many things but also bought a couple of nifty shelves and some flower pots. So today I cleared everything off the top of the dressing table and gave it a bit a polish and laid out my project life things.

There is a space for my Journalling cards when I OPEN the boxes!

I really need something to put my journalling cards in so I can access them easier. But for now I'm a step closer to actually starting.

I have sorted my first lot of photos I have had printed and I am ready to start and hopefully along the way the space will evolve and I will find some appropriate storage solutions.

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Project Life is a back-to-basics approach to memory-keeping and be found HERE and I love it!

SYL12 and the Wheel

2012-01-30T12:56:00.001+08:00

The wheel looked easy! I can do this. Little did I know coming up what went around the outside of the wheel and then assigning a number to how well I'm doing in that area wasn't as easy as it sounded on paper.

The Simplify Your Life Challenge for week 4 was a challenge. It was one that challenged one of the those core values I have already identified! Honesty. I couldn't lie to myself or anyone that might actually read my post or blog. (Every comment I get makes my day!) So to be very honest my Wheel of Life would never have been able to roll!

The following is just a quick breakdown of what I put on the wheel and some of the reasons for my scores.

1. Family Score 3/5
This year we are trying to do more things together and at the moment we can all be home but not actually doing anything together. I want to make sure they are my first priority especially when I am offered work and then have other commitments. I love to catch up with people but do need to say no sometimes.

2. Home Score 3/5
I am aiming to try and get simple housework tasks completed each day so that I don't end up with piles of washing and avoid that ..."Oh no, someone just knocked on the door and the place looks like a bomb went off!" feeling. I also have some jobs like painting and sorting and organising I would like to get completed instead of putting it off.

3. Finances 2/5
This year we have some extra costs and I am going to have to try and work more when I can to cover them. Trying to stick to a budget so that we don't feel overwhelmed will be important....and NO Mikala doesn't really need more clothes!!!!

4. Community 3/5
I like to be involved in community groups especially if they benefit my children or local town. I do think I need to make sure I follow through on commitments but also ask for help when I have spread myself too thin.

5. Garden 3/5
We are working on a small budget and slowly building a garden. We have lots of space to develop, but really need to think this through. I need to commit time to do this so that it doesn't become a burden.

6. Creativity 3/5
I have this plan to be more creative this year. Whether it is writing my blog, completing a project life album or doing some embroidery. Making time for this and setting up work areas to make it easier to access.

7. Relationship 4/5
We are doing great most of the time. We really do need to make time to actually go out for dinner occasionally and have some time without the kids.

8. Health 2/5
Last year I did have an operation that made me feel better about myself. Basically had my pelvic floor fixed. Now I need to take it one step further and do more exercise, eat better and listen to my body when I'm tired.

Lastly to make all of this work the computer may have to go off earlier in the evening and not be the first thing I do in the morning. A friend of mine who has 3 small children and works part-time posted on her Facebook that she had set her alarm for 5am and set out her workout clothes....I think she is inspirational and if I could do this just one day a week I would have one day, start the way I wanted!

So to end I hope to start with small changes that will make big differences. And I plan on starting with Family and Health!

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Families and Missions

2012-01-23T09:55:00.001+08:00

Week three of the SYL challengerun by Deb at Home Life Simplified asked us to write our own Family Mission Statement.

.....and now I am stuck. It is true getting hubby on board is easier said than done. He is happy to go with the flow and let me do what is best for us and the family. As long as that includes farm time for him and the footy. He is much less social that me which often means we choose to do things separately. So thinking about my values and what we want to achieve for the year I have casually approached the subject with him and this seems to get me more answers than making him sit down and listen!

Recapping my values were: Family, Honesty, Creativity, Learning, and Responsibility. (Not in that order!)

This is what I came up with.

This will be the year we:

Learn together

Respect each other with kind words and actions

Know we can takerisks – someone will always be there to support you

Experience life as a family and have some time on ourown

Do more exercise

Are more financially aware and prepared

TophamFamily Mission Statement 2012

Kindy and The Drop & Run

2012-01-22T16:26:00.000+08:00

There has been a lot of Back to School chatter on the blogs lately. I think having our homes back is what its partly about but the rest is just trying to find ways to make school 'run' easier. As both a teacher and a parent I have lots of tips but lately many of the tips I give others are going to make me look like a hypocrite! The one that worries me the most is, "Drop and run!" The sooner that you can do this I believe the sooner the child realises that they can do it on their own, and they are OK!

But what happens when you have a child with their own little wiring that doesn't fit the mould?

Quite honestly my eldest (who is starting Uni this year! I know WOW I look young! pmsl!) was a great candidate for the "drop and run" routine. But she had been to daycare, grandparents, aunts and Godparents from the day she was born. She knew I would come back hopefully on time and pick her up. My little princess will be fine at school I think because there is so much there that she will WANT to do. Plus she gets another year at home for me to make sure she is ready.

But my Cool Boy keeps me awake at night. And the closer it gets and the more things I do to prepare him for school the more worried I get. Most of it is probably completely unnecessary! For my new readers Hayden has PDD-NOS which means he is a great kid who has some sensory issues and some trouble communicating (though his improvement in a year is amazing) and sometimes he misunderstands the rules of socialising.

He is lucky there will only be 8 kids starting with him at Kindy. There are only 2 classes in the whole school so he pretty much knows everyone. He will have some aide time to start with but hopefully he wont need this for long.

Hayden, Mikala & I on his 2nd Kindy Readiness Day

What worries me is that he thinks I stay in the office when he is at school. For his two Kindy Readiness Days I did. Was a great opportunity for me to do some photocopying of a Playgroup Cookbook fundraiser! Every day I have been telling him I will be coming home and looking after Mikala and doing the housework. But he repeatably tells me, "No Mum you in the office!"

So over the next couple of weeks I am going to blog about how I get Hayden and us ready for school. I already blogged about getting him a school bag, but will also touch on routines, lunchboxes and whatever else comes up. Keep your fingers crossed that it's all smooth sailing and it will just be me crying at the gate!

KIndy and School Bags

2012-01-21T12:47:00.000+08:00

School starts in less than 2 weeks. It is lovely being a relief teacher at this time of year as you don't have to worry about planning anything or making some great welcoming posters and wondering if they will change what class you are teaching at the last minute ...even though you have been planning for a month (that may be an exaggeration we do need a holiday week or two first!).

I have been talking to Hayden about going to kindy. The closer we get the more adamant he is about NOT going to school. "Me will just stay home me thinks!" That is exactly what he says! Like there is actually a choice!

This week I bought him a new school bag. First I did take him shopping and try to get him to choose one which was impossible. So I went and bought him a blue and black bag which isn't Thomas the Tank Engine or Ben 10 or have skulls all over it!

It was while I was buying his school bag that I realised the reason he couldn't choose a school bag was maybe my fault. I have a thing about what school bags should do. So here is MY list of what I think makes a good school bag!

Must be a backpack....much easier to ride your bike to school if it's a back pack.
Must have 2 separate large pockets. One for food and the lunchbox. I can't count the number of times that I have washed out a students bag that has a squished yogurt all through it!
The other one needs to be able to fit in a homework book or folder - at least A4 size and their library books. Kindy kids usually bring home large picture books so you need room for them.
Must have a drink bottle holder on the OUTSIDE! For the child that doesn't do it up and it leaks everywhere.
Must be waterproof!
Must look COOL! (that rule was Hayden's!)

Hayden likes his new bag but I really think he would rather I put it away so it wasn't a reminder that he was going to school.

NB - we ended up with a RipCurl Bag which wasn't too expensive but wasn't cheap either. But it did fit all of my "requirements"! And will hopefully last a couple of years!

Playrooms and Artists

2012-01-18T13:45:00.000+08:00

With Jordan off to uni in Perth we decided that we would give the room that she stays in when she is home a bit of a rearrange. Try to make things work better so people can still stay in there but so Hayden and Mikala can use the room to play in. It was just a mess all the time!

One big mess! What we started with!

First thing we did was take some things out. I put a filing cabinet I use for loose leaf teaching resources in the laundry (not entirely happy about this but it will have to do for NOW). We took out a huge desk that takes up a lot of room but no-one uses and put it in the shed for my husband to use.

Secondly we moved some things around. A cupboard and a set of drawers and the TV thats in that room. We added a little table and chairs and some toys and its all starting to come together.

The still working on it After photo!

I did add this little print that I found on pinterest and that you can find here as a lead up to school starting for Hayden.

Jordan's doll house and precious Baby Born Ann (That no-one is allowed to touch!) and the print.

The Owls my Mum made. Aren't they gorgeous!

HOOT! HOOT!

There are still things to do: The cupboards are just melamine and the doors dont shut properly and the drawers are hopeless...but will do for now; The mattress on the floor is the bed and we need a new bed frame....or even a Sofa bed for the room when we can; and finally we need to paint. However in the background of all the photos are my little artist..Mikala's pictures and I am going to give her a little longer to stop drawing on the wall! And I wont paint when its HOT! lol am I the only person with suck a prolific artist...you can be cleaning the wall and she will find anything to draw with at the other end!

The only problem with rearranging is that you tend to make more mess in the process and I am still finding homes for some of the things that we couldn't get rid of or need. But the room has been kept relatively tidy by both kids and they are happy to clean up in there...just to get them help with their rooms and the lounge now!

2012 and My Values

2012-01-16T22:48:00.001+08:00

2012 is starting out very busy. I am already behind on these challenges after a week away and it is only week 2! So Deb, I promise not to give up but I will get there in the end!

I found thinking about My values as a hard one, trying to separate them from my families, from my husbands and from my friends. I wanted to make prominent the 5 that make me who I am, and help me to become the person I want to be.

So here they are....highly personal and by putting them out in the blogosphere very intimidating...what if I cant always be or demonstrate these values?

1. Family

My gorgeous youngest two children, Hayden & Mikala

My husband Rich and our kids.

My stunning eldest daughter Jordan

2. Responsibility

3. Learning

4. Honesty

5.Creativity
I believe that many of the values I have picked actually encompass others. I suppose your interpretation is what makes it YOUR value.

Obviously my values are personal but I love that when you read other peoples posts you can see what makes their worlds spin. Pretty boring if we were all the same!

Home Life Simplified Week 2 Challenge to Simplify your Life

Bribery and the Zoo

2012-01-16T16:07:00.001+08:00

We were in Perth for 5 days. Yesterday we took the kids to the Perth Zoo. We went there for 2 reasons.

A friend of mine whose daughter is 3 weeks older than Mikala told me she was toilet training her daughter by promising to take her to the zoo. So I offered it up to Mikala and in 3 weeks she is fully toilet trained...taking herself and all. Biggest problem we have had is teaching her to hold her dress or skirt up since that's what she ALWAYS has on.
We also went to the zoo as the kids have just been soooooooo well behaved its unbelievable. Hayden has coped incredibly well with me saying we have to go NOW...to look at another house, mainly I think that he actually realises that we NEED to find Jordan somewhere to live. They have played well at the unit and touch wood... They have managed short trips to the shops well. Hayden still needs an incentive...but when binoculars at Kmart cost $1 how hard is that.

The kids love the zoo and although we only stayed for the morning and probably only seen half of it we had a great time. We didn't stay for longer as the humidity was awful and I think we all know that 3 hours of walking around for 2 small children is more than enough.

Hayden & Mikala getting a ride!

Highlights were: Mikala seeing the Mother and baby Orangutans and saying, "Daddy look there's Mummy and Kala!" (referring to herself). Think she may be the only person who could ever compare me to an Orangutan! Hayden loved the tigers and the crocodile. And both kids and us could have sat and watched the Elephants for hours. Tricia the Elephant is my favourite! (Sorry Jill couldn't sneak her out!)

The whole way around the zoo Mikala carried a pamphlet which had part of the map on it and a picture of the giraffes. She kept referring to it and making sure we were going in the right direction. Very cute!

What are you looking at? Mikala wanted to take the Meercat home!

So when the weather cools down a bit we will go back to the zoo again and check out all the other animals that the kids didn't even know they missed! Might need another reason to bribe Mikala!

PS We didn't find a house will have to come back, maybe do some day trips to house viewings. If your looking for a rental in Perth be prepared!

Storage and Duplo

2012-01-10T10:35:00.000+08:00

We have a lot of Duplo! No let me rephrase that we have TOO much Duplo! We have some that is Megablock brand as well. At this point I wont mention my husbands Technic Lego!!!!!! or his stash of lego bits from his childhood, or Hayden's lego collection that he is building now.

Now I know I said too much but with a 2 and 4 year old it is something they can play together or alongside each other. It easily makes hospitals, quarries, farms or police stations. So that all the Duplo is not ALL out at once...although yesterday at one point it was we have separated the Duplo into boxes.

The first large one just has stuff! Mainly farm bits and peices! (Didn't you know you need a lion and giraffe on your farm!)
The second large one just has all the CAT megablocks and other diggers, excavators and truck parts!
I made a smaller box up of the Dora Megablocks and some other building pieces for Mikala so its easy for her to find what she is looking for...which is usually the babies and the swing!
And finally Hayden & Mikala were bought a new Hospital set by their Grandma for Christmas so for now because Hayden doesn't want this mixed up I have put it in its own smaller box!

Doesn't actually look too bad here, should take a pic of the farm in the loungeroom

and the hospital/policestation in the playroom!

Out at the farm there is another collection of Duplo which came from both my husband and his brothers when they were younger and now their Grandma has added to it! What amazes me is that they can be playing with the blocks here and head out there and thats the toys they pull out of the room to play with.

At the moment we are going to put up with it all nice and separate...though I should label the boxes because apparently its all too hard for my husband when I do this! Plus Duplo is relatively easy to clean up compared to the little lego peices which seem to make their way to either under my foot or in the vaccuum cleaner.

2011 & the Positives

2012-01-07T08:55:00.000+08:00

To help me get into the groove of blogging regularly and have something to write about when the inspiration leaves me I am linking up with Deb from Home Life Simplified. She has come up with a great idea to help simplify our lives....well I'm hoping MY life.

The 52-weeks-to-simplify-your-life-challenge starts with the challenge to think about the positives and and what went right in the last year. Which I think of as a great way to start...too often we can recall what went wrong and how we handled that but I find it harder to think about the positives. So the following is some of what went 'right' for me.

I am lucky enough to be married to a man I love and I think that is lucky in its self.
My three beautiful children - My eldest Jordan finished High School - did well and now can do nearly anything she would like! I am very very proud of her! I followed my gut and everything I have learnt as a teacher and parent that told me that my cool boy Hayden was different but still so very wonderful and went through the process of getting him Speech help and also a diagnosis of PDD-NOS. (Basically he in on the Autism Spectrum!) He has come so far and I found the dignosis as a positive as it justified everything I was doing for and with him and that I wasn't a neurotic mother. (hopefully anyway!) My youngest Mikala is just a delight to live with but with all the stubbornness and attitdue of her older sister which makes them both independant and strong willed and also very easy to love...and she is only 2 1/2years old!
My family - I have the best parents in the world. And honestly if I told you all the things that make them positives in my life I would be writing a novel! My siblings and extended family really do look out for one another and I miss being near them!
Professionally after a couple of years out of the work force I have dipped my toe back in and found that although the curriculum has changed (and probably will change again) I have all the skills as a teacher to TEACH. Work makes me feel human at times when I can be a bit low and feel a bit isolated living away from my family.
My friends - I'm not one of those people that has 100 close friends, I have lots of friends but only a few that I could actually ask for help. Knowing that I can ask them for help even though it is very rare that I would, makes me feel very lucky to have them in my life. There have been a few times over the last year when their words, glass of bubbly, a like on facebook or a phone call have helped me to stay positive and mostly on track.
My garden - which really is a very big work in progress. I love making my garden look nice and we are doing it on small budget bit by bit. My bright pink frangipani flowers outside right now make me smile. You may all laugh now but gardening has really come to make me happy in the last year or two.
Crafts- which I really dont find time for but manage to do a bit of makes for great conversations with friends, great gifts and a relaxing way to watch TV.
Sport - how could I forget winning a Netball grandfinal! I really enjoy Netball and Tennis and maybe will have that go at Golf this year...if that positive thinking continues!

So if you join all those things together I had a great 2011...even better than I even thought! And it even gives me some things I would like to work on in 2012!

Teapots and Tractors: Scrapbooking & Project Life

2012-01-06T14:29:00.000+08:00

Teapots and Tractors: Scrapbooking & Project Life: Christmas was very quiet in Miling but we all still ate too much and received some wonderful presents....well I didn't quite get what I wa...

Scrapbooking & Project Life

2012-01-06T14:26:00.000+08:00

Christmas was very quiet in Miling but we all still ate too much and received some wonderful presents....well I didn't quite get what I wanted for Christmas on Christmas day but when it arrived yesterday I was quietly really excited! I have decided to try to complete a Project Life Album this year! Becky Higgins has created this wonderful and easy way to Scrapbook without some of the time and lack of design ideas(or is that just me????) constraints that I find with traditional scrapbooking. I intend to do some of the other still but don't feel like I have to do a whole page about everything.

I ordered the Cobalt range here if anyone is interested....may have got some of the Clementine on its way as well. Ssssshhhh don't tell Rich!

One of the reasons I don't Scrapbook is that I don't have a space I can lay it all out and not have little 2 & 4 year old fingers touch it. I plan on setting up a basket or box with my Project Life gear and sit down one night a week for a couple of hours and order photos (I use Snapfish) and then journal and enter the photos I will have received into the album! These are my plans...hoping that I will be able to follow through with them.

Back to that space issue....I have started to organise my things in our passageway cupboard. Its quite big but I haven't quite worked out how to make it all work yet. It would be good to have table or slide out desk so that I can scrap in there then close the door and no-one would need to worry what was in there...but it is doubling as a storage place for games and my mountains of teaching resources!

I actually think it looks soooooo much worse in this photo than for real....really need to get onto that!

Hopefully over the next few weeks I can maybe move more closer to some organisation and show you some progress on my project life album. Which might mean I have to mess up the cute little box it came it!

Christmas Parties and the FLU!

2011-12-23T13:38:00.000+08:00

At the beginning of last week when I looked at my diary I was excited about what was to come. School Christmas concerts, tennis, Kids Christmas Tree, a friends 40th and most of all my Mum and Dad coming for a couple of days!

By Tuesday it was all over! All of us came down with the Flu...in DECEMBER! Hayden and I ended up in bed together for 3 days and my poor little princess came down with it as we recovered. Rich did get a dose of it....but he will tell you that he just toughed it out!

All my Christmas plans were forgotten and many of those exciting dates on our calendar were ignored. Other than the fact that we couldn't get out of bed, we really didn't want anyone else to get what we had.

I have to say that a few good things did come out of it. Mum and Dad still came and helped look after us (Sorry Mum for making you sick!) and Dad built the kids their new cubby/slide/swings! As sick as they were they love it! And the other exciting thing was that Father Christmas made a very quick but cherished stop out the front of our house on the way to the Christmas Tree! Hayden and Mikala were beside themselves with excitement and loved their early Chrissie present!

We did do some really simple Christmas Craft when the kids were feeling a bit better...mainly stamping and cutting & gluing.

So even though we are just going to our first Christmas party as a family tonight the kids are still excited about Christmas and I still have 2 days to find my motivation and do some cooking and cleaning!

Christmas & Rocky Road

2011-12-22T14:38:00.000+08:00

Every Christmas I make Rocky Road. I make three different ones. One for the kids, one for the white chocolate lovers and one for the dark chocolate lovers! Everyone always loves them and I have had about 5 people in the last week ask if my Rocky Road recipes are in the cookbook we made for Playgroup.

My answer is no! I'm a bit protective of my recipes but truly I am very happy to share them with others. I'm very quick to say what is in them and how simple they are.

Today I am going to share my Kids Rocky Road with you all. Super easy and actually one of my favourites to eat.

Kids Rocky Road Recipe

Ingredients

1 packet of milk chocolate melts
1 packet of rasperrry lollies (black and gold brand work well!)
1 packet of marshmallows
1 packet of clinkers

1. Cut all the lollies in half.
2. Mix together in a bowl.
3. Carefully melt chocolate and as soon as melted pour over lollies.
4. Mix together so all lollies are coated.
5. Pour into a container of your choice. I find the silicon ones work well because you can get them out easily. Put in the fridge to set.
6. When ready cut with a hot knife.

Rocky Road makes a great Christmas treat for a friend or neighbour.

I'm off to try now a delicious fudge recipe that I found at The HOME She Made

Kindy & Christmas Decorations

2011-12-01T21:13:00.000+08:00

Well we had another day at Kindy Readiness today. Hayden really enjoyed it which was fantastic...but really have to move out of the office so that he knows I don't stay at school. I'm not sure how many times before and after he asked me if I stayed with him, and my answer always was,"I was in the office remember!" And of course I was photocopying more playgroup cookbooks.

Anyway back to this post. The teacher and teacher assistants managed to get so much completed in 3 hours it was amazing. The kids did some cooking, made reindeer ears, and the coolest hanging decoration, which I am going to have to try myself, a Santa poster, fitness and who knows what else.

I am so proud of my little man and how far he has come in the last year! The last couple of weeks of transition have paid off, I just hope the school holidays aren't too long and we don't end up back at square one. I'm exhausted getting him to school twice in the last couple of weeks, imagine when its twice a week!

Kindy and Spaceships

2011-11-29T20:55:00.000+08:00

The other day my son did his first day of Kindy Readiness Program at our small local school. Exciting! Yes! Terrifying YES YES YES!!!

I have no problem with the school or its teachers and having a small kindy group of only 7 students is fantastic....but I have a son with PDD-NOS. It helps make him exactly who he is which is a bright, funny boy who loves building trains or lego creations. And he LOVES tractors (part of the name of the blog!)

It also means he suffers with anxiety and one of his biggest coping mechanisms is to stay home and then you wont get frustrated, upset or confused with his environment or other people. It took me 2 hours to get him ready for school, coercing, bribing, using anything I could think to encourage him to go. I was exhausted before I even got him there. Imagine how he must feel.

All in all he had a great day. He made a spaceship and was very proud of everything else he brought home. This was a huge relief for me knowing that if he had've had a terrible day I would never have got him to go back.

So with trepidation and a little excitement he gets to go back to school this Thursday......lets hope he has another great day!

Guilt and Children

2011-10-19T20:09:00.000+08:00

Lately I have been feeling a lot of guilt. My eldest daughter is about to finish high school. I'm going to her graduation next week but last week I missed her birthday...first time ever (I did send her flowers and present!) and missed taking her to get her drivers licence. She was in the middle of exams and asked me not to turn up and help celebrate with my other two children as they aren't conducive to study! I still felt GUILTY!

This week her Grandparents (where she stays while at school) are letting her have a small party with her friends. Again I'm not going to be there...I am going to watch Australia beat New Zealand in an International Netball Match! I feel guilty even though I know what 17 year old wants their mother looking over their shoulder at a party!

And wait there's more!........this week I am working at a large school one I haven't been to before. And while it's not a horrible place to work its just bigger, I dont feel involved (that could be a good thing) and I wonder is the money worth missing out on time with my two youngest children. Some places I teach I feel that I am actually facilitating student success and I am happy to get very involved. Other places I feel like the relief teacher I am, someone who walks in does what they have to do and can walk out at the end of the day! I detest that type of teaching!

On those types of days I would rather stay home and do housework...and for those that know me well, that is a big statement! At least then I would have my two children with me, pulling on me to kill another spider, wanting me to push them on the swing or to read a story.

Or maybe we could all just get in the car and go and see my big princess....

Thunderstorms and a Snake

2011-10-10T21:37:00.000+08:00

Today I chose to nearly completely stay inside. One quick walk to the shop made me realise that the flies were going to win any battle I had with them. So instead we did some craft - some collage with an old magazine which consisted of my little princess completely covering herself and the table with glue! We also played Lego which seems to be a constant addition to our loungeroom at the moment!

Craft time!

Between the flies and both kids fighting over everything I should've known that a thunderstorm was imminent! As soon as the thunder started my gorgeous boy started to become anxious. He can be a little sensitive to deep sounds and thunder is definitely not one of his favourite sounds.

He kept checking outside, asked me to get some 'lights' (candles) ready and told me which rooms they needed to go in. He jumped through the bath just in case the lights went out while he was in there. With more thunder starting outside I am grateful that he is asleep and I hope that the storm continues around us and not straight over the top of us to wake him up.

I'm sure many homes in the Wheatbelt are the same as ours. As soon as a storm passes and its safe to use the phone, my husbands mobile starts continually beeping so that the 'blokes' can compare rainfall. The house phone also gets a little worn out! Rain excites farmers like nothing else...generally its great news but occasionally its not. My garden always LOVES it!

I'm hoping that tomorrow we have a quieter day - NO thunderstorms and maybe NO sibling fighting!

Oh I nearly forget...we had a timely reminder today that we all should be more careful of snakes. When checking the rain gauge AGAIN my husband came across a 45cm dugite! Always glad its him and not one of the kids ....or me!

School Holidays and Shoes

2011-10-09T22:11:00.000+08:00

School Holidays are something that I often look forward to. My eldest princess may be home from school, I wouldn't have to work (not that I work that much!), and we would do something a little exciting! This holidays have been a little different.

This is my eldest princess' last school holidays and she only had a week before her exams will start this week. A little unfair - but within a month she will be finished school FOREVER! (Well until Uni, or Tafe or some kind of adult learning starts!) So she came home this week to study.

We did take a day and head to Perth for some well earned shopping. Which earnt her 4 new pairs of shoes. The blue shoes she bought with the towering wedges were sensational. Can you sense the jealous mother here? I would love to own shoes like that but I just dont think they would be practical walking down our main street or at our last Black Tie Party (held in a shearing shed so NOT safe for towering heels!).

Mooloola Mila Wedge

However we do have a Spring Dance coming up in a few weeks. I might just have to head back to Perth for a new pair of fantastic heels myself although I might just go with the 3 inch heel not the 5
inches she can pull off with ease!

So enjoy the rest of the school holidays....1 week to go and remember a new pair of heels (or flats!) can make any woman feel fantastic!