Playing, Shopping and Eating

We're experiencing a week of catch-ups with friends which means lots of lovely outings, which also means lots to blog about! (busy, busy) Yesterday was a day full of surprises. The friends we were meeting live on the other side of town so it was great to be part of their little corner of the world for the day.

Our play date began at the John Rigby Swim School which is found at 983 South Pine Rd, Everton Hills. You might be thinking that we were there to swim but we actually went for a morning play in the swim school's play centre. Miss M was happy all morning trying out the amazing play equipment with her friend Miss E. The swim school has a padded play area which has a ball pit, huge foam blocks and a jumping castle amongst lots of other fun. It is $7 entry, allows BYO food and has the usual play centre rules of parent supervision and wearing sock while playing.

A great start to the day!

Our next stop was a children's store which I couldn't wait to tell you about. This shop has beautiful designer labels and other brands too but what was so wonderful is that it is all second hand, all clean and in excellent condition. I love the concept of this store as it is not always easy to afford clothes for kids when you're a family with one income. You would never know that the items purchased at this store were pre-loved. The two "treasures" (pictured) I picked up for Miss H cost me $4.50 each and they didn't even look worn. There were heaps of wonderful clothes to buy but I thought I better leave some there for you! Cradles-to-Crayons is found at 3/290 Dawson Parade, Arana Hills. (next to Domino's Pizza) It also stocks pre-loved toys, equipment and furniture.

After our play and little bit of shopping we returned to our friends house for a very yummy scrummy pumpkin soup lunch together. What a really lovely way to spend the day. I wonder if the rest of our week will be just as fun?

One for Mum

Sometimes it's just lovely as a mum to go on an outing where you feel like you've been treated too. Often we head to parks and play centres to make sure that our littlies are catered for but today I found out about a place where mum can have some mummy time and the kids can enjoy a play.

This morning we caught up with some special friends at a place called Home Shop and Cafe. It is found at 20 Stewart Rd, Ashgrove. (apparently where Locomotion used to be) It is a beautiful cafe which has both homewares on sale and tasty food on the menu. It was buzzing with people but we were able to book a back room which was specially set up to cater to people with kids. What a treat! Adjoining this room is a small room, with a small door for kids to access and play with toys.

The food was scrumptious! I had a chocolate brownie (highly recommended by my friend) and Miss M had a Raspberry Cupcake. It felt so good to be able to enjoy lovely surroundings and scrumptious food while Miss M had a play - the perfect combination I think.

It won't be long before I return with mums group in tow so we can all enjoy such a lovely place. Just remember though, if you want to use the back room for your next mummy catch-up you need to book ahead. There's a park down the road which would be great for a play afterwards or you could visit The Enchanted Forest park nearby. (check out June blogs or Parks for more info)

http://www.homestorecafe.com.au/ or 3366 6652

A Night In...At the Movies

We've experienced a few set backs with recent family nights as the girls have been unwell so it was brilliant to finally be able to do our Movie Night on the weekend. Invitations were sent out to the extended family to join us which made the night even more fun.

Everyone was given movie money to spend on movie tickets and munchies from the Candy Bar. I had whipped up some tickets on the computer and made money from a clip art coin I found in Word. Little did Miss M know but this was going to be an exercise in counting as she had to count out her coins to pay for anything she wanted and even the grown ups played along too! Each item had a different amount to pay which was shown on the Candy Bar sign.

The excitement had been mounting for days as Miss M helped me to prepare by buying lollies at the lolly shop, fizzy drinks from the supermarket and choosing a suitable movie to watch. We needed something that was short (for a littlies sugar filled attention span) and something that wasn't above her comprehension. We haven't started Miss M on the big movies yet. Hooray for Target having a big dvd and toy sale! We picked up a lovely Winnie the Pooh dvd for under $10 and it suited the night so well. Everyone enjoyed the cute stories about friendship and they also enjoyed the snacks available. We had little ice-creams, popcorn, lollies and drinks available for purchase with the movie money.

All afternoon Miss M asked if our guests were here and was it time for the Movie Night to begin as she helped me set up the Candy Bar with her cash register. This was wonderful and made it all worth while. Now it's the day after and she has been talking lots about the night she had and how special it was. This probably isn't going to the last of our family fun movie nights. Miss M had a ball and just quietly, I think the rest of us did too!

Ice-creams or Cupcakes?

It would be easy to make the mistake of thinking these are delicious cold ice-creams but they are actually cupcakes. This is a recipe I've used time and again and it can either be made using a cheap cupcake packet mix or mixing up a batch from scratch. You can refer to the cupcake recipe from my June blog posts or under Cupcake blogs for a very simple recipe. (Australian Animal Cupcakes)

Ice-cream Cupcakes

You will need....

Small ice-cream cones - with a flat bottom

Cupcake Mix

Icing - I buy Betty Crocker's Frosting

Lollies

Follow a recipe for making cupcakes.

Instead of putting the mixture into patty pans, put it in to ice-cream cones on a baking tray.

Cook in a moderate oven until golden. It's really important to check that the cakes are cooked on the inside. To do this stick a skewer down the centre. If it comes out clean they are ready.

Cool cakes on a cooling rack.

Decorate with icing and lollies.

Eat!

These are great for a morning baking activity together or for children's parties. Kids will have fun making, baking and eating these sweet treats.

Finding Peace Amongst the Rowdy Rascals

Is it possible to find some mummy peace amongst the rowdy rascals? I think it is. Our outing today with mums group was to Rowdy Rascals Indoor Play Centre, possibly one of Miss M's favourite places to have a play. This is a great set up for kids and parents alike as the kids can play on all kinds of play equipment and you can enjoy a little something to eat and have a chat with friends. There are areas for various age groups, one for the littlies, one for the toddlers and then one for the big kids too. There's also a cubby house, jumping castles and an area with little cars to drive.

Rowdy Rascals is located at Jindalee Homemaker City Shop 32 on Goggs Rd, Jindalee. (Just beside Overflow and across the road from DFO). Prices are reasonable as it is unlimited play. The cafe has both savoury and sweet treats including great food that's suitable for littlies.

Check out http://www.rowdyrascals.com.au/ for more information on prices, food and parties. If you do go for a play, don't forget your socks. It's a lot of noisy fun but believe me you may just find that little bit of peace you're after, even amongst the rowdy rascals.

Butterfly Printing - Following an Interest

Have you ever wondered how you're going to fill the week or even a day with your kids when the hours seem so long? Do you find it a daunting task to come up with activities to keep them busy? Listening to your kids can be the key as they share stories, conversations and questions with you. It's possible to find a whole host of activities to stretch their little minds when they give you the cues.

A few weeks back Miss M and I had a lovely conversation together about butterflies. We talked about their beauty, their colours and how they fly. This gave me the idea to get out the paints and show Miss M how she could make her very own colourful butterfly.

Butterfly Printing

You will need...

White paper - I used easel paper for ours

Paint - colours that mix well are great to use - Cel Mix or acrylic paints work best

Plastic spoons

Fold the paper in half and open out again.

Have your child put paint on one side of the crease in the paper using the spoons.

Fold/ close the paper in half allowing the paint to touch the other side.

Use your hands to press the back of the paper. The paint will smudge and create a beautiful semetrical butterfly print.

Open it back up to reveal your beautiful butterfly.

Hang out to dry and then hang up to enjoy.

Some other activities I could have done to follow Miss M's interest would be....

• Read 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'
• Make butterfly cakes or biscuits
• Make a butterfly stain glass window from cellophane and contact
• Sing and Dance to 'The Buttefly Dance' from The Wiggles Safari dvd
• Fly like butterflies with wings on
• Go on a butterfly hunt in the garden or at a local park
• Borrow books about butterflies from the library
• Make butterflies in playdough using a butterfly cutter
• Visit the Museum to see the butterfly display
• Do butterfly sticker collage

There are 10 different activites listed, lots of opportunities to fill the hours but more importantly there are lots of opportunities to follow an interest or stretch a mind. What is your child talking about today? Is there an art activity, song, outing or story you can think of to develop their current interests further. Children's cues can keep you creatively busy together all day long and then everyone's happy.

The Park With Everything and More

I don't mind driving to a park across the other side of Brisbane if I hear that it's a terrific one. It's great for the girls and myself to experience something new and I really like to challenge Miss M's gross motor skills, especially since we don't have a big backyard. This morning's visit to a park felt like we were going on a road trip but when we got there we soon realised that it was well worth the long drive.

Grande Park is found in Springfield on Grande Avenue. This park has everything a great park should have plus a whole lot more. When we thought we were done discovering every part of what it had to offer and were about to make the journey home again, we found that it had a bike road with street signs and lights too. (pictured below) I couldn't believe that we had left Miss M's bike at home again!

You'll also find several interesting forts and a big spider web to climb at Grande Park but probably the most exciting part is the mountain of giant slides. (as pictured) Mums and dads can even give these ones a go. I loved the swings. I could put Miss H in a baby swing while I pushed Miss M on the big kids swing. They both had a ball! This park has great toilet facilities, bbqs, under cover areas and a basketball court too.

To get there take the Greenbank Arterial Rd off the Centenary Hyway and yes, you may need to take a packed lunch. We're going to next time.

A Grand Plan

Sometimes I don't know where our week will take us. Some weeks I plan ahead for various activities and outings and then of course there are our usual scheduled outings to Mums on the GO and the library. This week started however with a surprise outing which was planned just after waking up.

To begin our outing we did a return trip to Nourish on Racecourse Rd, Ascot to buy two yummy take-away cupcakes for a picnic in the park. (couldn't resist!) Then, we took ourselves to the Portside Wharf area at Hamilton to try out a different park. I'm going to call this park Portside Park because I can't find the name of it anywhere. You'll find it on the corner of Hercules St and Remora Rd, Hamilton, just across the road from Portside Wharf. (approx 15 mins from Brisbane CBD) I'd eyed this park off once before and stored it away in my memory as a good park to visit one day. Finally we went there for a play and it was excellent.

What I liked about this park was its variety of play equipment for kids both big and small to try. A lot of the equipment is not like equipment I've seen at other parks. It's set up with a nautical theme to fit in with it's locality so there's lots of water play things, without the water.

This is definitely going to be a park that we return to with Daddy as it has all his favourite activities - rock climbing, surfing and skate boarding. The surf boards and skate boards were really just balancing boards. Miss M found the skateboards to be a little tricky which was great for her to practise her balancing on all by herself and she was keen to give the rock climbing a go next time when Daddy comes back with us. We also discovered that the park has a road area complete with road signs for kids to ride bikes on and a massive obstacle course which tests all kinds of skills. Miss M had her most fun on this trying out the flying fox, stepping stones and the part where you had to weave your body in and out of the poles.

There was the usual slides, a fort, a cubby house and a wobbly bridge too which catered for little kids. We made mention that next time we would have to come with our sandpit toys to play in the sandpit and bring along Miss M's bike for the bike track and road. There was almost too much to do in one morning.

We finished our park visit with a walk to Portside Wharf to look at the Brisbane River and then devoured a lovely lunch of fish and chips which we bought at Portside for $10 - it was enough to feed our little family. All in all it was a great outing. Miss M told me it was the best lunch she'd ever had which made me giggle on the inside. 'Twas a grand plan to start our week!

Miss M made a birthday cake for Daddy from a tea set bowl and plate. After singing Happy Birthday to him she said,"Blow the Candles up Daddy!"

Passing on the Loveliness....

Thank you Narelle at www.momentsformum.com for this Lovely Blog Award. The more I blog along the more I come across other lovely women bloggers who are sharing their hearts with the world. My passion with blogging is sharing creative ideas and places to visit with children but some of the blogs I like to visit are women creating things to sell or make for their own pleasure. Being new to the blogging world I find it hard to pick 15 women to pass this award on to but here are a few sites I like to visit and I'd like to pass this award on to them. Please pop over and see why.

• Leisa at http://www.eleanorandruby.blogspot.com/


• Kate at http://www.katescorner1.blogspot.com/

Leisa, I may be slightly biased when I say that I love your site but what I appreciate most about Eleanor and Ruby is how focused your interest is. You ooze with a passion for carefully crafted things and I especially love how we share a love for finding "treasures", even if our treasures are very different. I feel your joy every time you post a picture of a new exciting find. Your site is truly beautiful.

Kate, my creative friend, I love to pop over to your site and see how your creativity is growing with each new batch of cards. You're an inspiration to this card making mummy! I look forward to seeing more of your card creations.

If you'd like to accept, you then have to post the award on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you have discovered. Contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Ask me for 15 amazing blog names in a years time and I'm sure I could name many. Thank you again Narelle. Your blog site certainly encourages me and it has been wonderful to meet up with another Christian mummy blogger so soon into my blogging life.

Construction Mix-up

There seems to be mess everywhere in the house today but if I take a closer look it's where Miss M's creativity has been at work. This morning during tv time I set up chalk drawing, water play with blue colouring, playdough with cutters and construction on the mat. I like to set the play area up for some of Miss M's play time . A bit of structure helps her learn to care for her toys and I get to see where the activities take her little mind. Play time is always open to change and extending activities further so it often doesn't go the way I see it in my head and that's quite ok. It just depends on how Miss M plays with what is set up but structured play time is a good place to start as it begins with a focus. Plenty of free-play happens in other parts of our day together.

Rather than set up one construction set this morning I mixed them up. There was the foam city bocks, the magnetic car bocks and to these I added the vet set (Little People animals + people in a jungle setting.) A lovely game emerged as Miss M made a car from the magnetic set and created houses from the foam blocks. What I liked though was how she thought to add the Maisy Dominoes from the puzzle box and those pieces became doors. Who would have known what creative play was going to take place on the mat today from the mix-up of construction sets.

Looking for different construction sets? Here are some ideas that don't cost much...

• Join a Toy Library and borrow the wonderful range of construction sets they have.
• Make construction sets out of wood scraps, milk cartons or boxes. eg Smarties boxes, match boxes.
• Check out your local Op Shops. We have discovered most of our construction sets this way. From my old Kindy days I know that they are worth a lot of money but I have managed to pick ours up for $2 - $5 each or fill a bag for $2. Always check what's beneath the old or dirty looking boxes. You may discover a fantastic construction set just begging to be cleaned up and played with. I have purchased lovely new boxes for ours.
• Find a mummy friend who will swap construction sets for a time.

Three Little Treasures

Hunting for treasure in "treasure shops" (Op Shops) is loads of fun for Miss M and I. We find so many interesting things. Some things we just look at and other things we bring home to our own treasure chest to keep. One day I'm going to share with you a photo or two of all the wonderful things we have found on our treasure hunts. I get so excited talking about them but for today here are the three treasures we've dug up this week.

• An Ariel head for my beautiful niece Miss L who "adores" Ariel and pretends to be her. To see Miss L swim around on the floor like Ariel in the sea is something very special.
• A set of Pet Pals still in their packet.
• A fairy torch still in it's packet. (For 50c)

Already the torch has brought great joy and we can't wait to show it to Daddy when he gets home. It will be wonderful to use at story time tonight. As for the Ariel head, I just know Miss L is going to LOVE it and I wish I could see her face when she finds it. We dropped it off at Miss L's house today to surprise her upon her return from Kindy. That was after a big clean up. She needed a bit of a bath but now she sparkles.

What to Do Today? Water Play!

I came in to the kitchen this morning to find Miss M and Daddy having a talk about funnels and how they work. Daddy was showing Miss M with a tall thin water bottle. It was then that I knew what today's activity would be - water play.

We got out our tray (kitty litter tray purchased at the supermarket), filled it with warm water and a bit of detergent for some bubbly water fun and found some bottles and cups which were perfect for pouring. Immediately Miss M was keen to give the funnels a go. She had seen them being used and now it was her turn - what fun!

Water play, even on a cold day can be loads of fun and adding bottles and cups not only provides extra fun but also the opportunity to practise pouring skills and learn about heavy and light, empty and full, small and tall. This spur of the moment activity proved to be a good follow up to a Daddy/ daughter discussion.

You can extend the activity by...

• Putting a small amount of colour in the water using powder paint or food dye.
• Finding other interesting objects around the house. We found a kitchen seive and that was fun to play with. An egg beater would also provide great enjoyment. It's fun to turn the handle and watch more bubbles appear as the beaters go round and round.

A Bike Hike at the Oxley Common

This weekend finished with a trip to the Oxley Common for a short bush walk. Miss M was almost beside herself preparing for the outing. Daddy was packing up his backpack with supplies of water and coats so Miss M got her little backpack out and filled it with a drink bottle too. It was on her back and she was ready to go well before I had any of my bush walking gear on. This was a precious moment that I wished I'd taken a photo of. She had her bike and bike helmet ready to ride the track and we didn't know whether it would be concrete or dirt.

We piled in the car for our little adventure and once we arrived at our destination Miss M was keen to get her bike out ready for action. The Oxley Common is a perfect place to take littlies as it has an easy walking track. It was past 4pm by the time we started our walk so we knew we wouldn't make it to the end but we are assured that the wetlands are a wonderful finale to the walk along the track. Miss M's "big girl bike" (tricycle) became a mountain bike and braved the dirt. It was a slow journey but worth the experience. Daddy and I had many giggles along the way.

On our walk we saw the Oxley Creek. It was rather brown today but moving along nicely. We said hello to cows having their dinner and we also saw sheep and horses, birds and a windmill. The area beside the Oxley Common is farming area so you get the best of both worlds, farm and bush.

Miss M came across a grassy hill and said, "This is just like Jack and Jill" so before we went home we played Jack and Jill a few times over. And of course there was no way we could leave without a game of 5 Grey Elephants Balancing. This is becoming a bit of a theme as we leave any park - good for balancing skills I guess.

You'll find the Oxley Common on Sherwood Rd, just before the Markets at Rocklea. It features a huge undercover area for holding events, a bbq, great toilet facilities, a jetty for canoeing and lots of grass to run on or play a game of cricket. We've decided we will return for a ride another day. Miss M would love to go for a ride on the back of Daddy's bike so they can explore the bush together.

Secret Messages (Crayon Resist Painting)

We've spent the morning at home with two snuffly girls. It's been a pleasant sunny winters day so Miss M has enjoyed lots of home play time. What made it even better is Daddy was home to enjoy it too. I often become invisible on weekends as they are considered to be Daddy time! Miss M becomes Daddy's little shadow which is so lovely to see.

All morning Miss M and Daddy found things to play in the yard together and meanwhile I set up the indoor/outdoor activities in the playroom and on the back deck. We just had to play with our new red playdough, Daddy built a space ship with Connectrix Construction (found at a "Treasure Shop for about $2") and then we read stories with Miss H and Miss M. I had the most fun creating a secret message and picture on the painting easel for Miss M. She found out what my message to her was as she painted with the water paints. (We have used these water colours for about two weeks now for all kinds of painting fun. They last for a long time.)

Making a secret message or picture (crayon resist painting)

You will need...

White paper - easel paper is great for this

Candle - long white ones work best

Water paints - made from water and powder paint (or food colouring)

Thick brushes

Paint pots

Draw or write on the paper using the end of the candle.

Paint over the paper with water paint to reveal the message or picture.

It's good to use thick brushes so they cover more or the paper area with colour.

For added fun you could get your child draw on paper and paint over it to see their own picture revealed.

My message to Miss M was a message of love but you could have a great time creating any kind of message or picture. Your kids will have a great time too discovering how creative you have been.

Wonder Wall - Miss M's Gallery of Art

Welcome to Miss M's Art Gallery! It's time to refresh the artwork in the playroom/ office/ sun room today. (We live in a little house!) Miss M churns out a fair amount of drawings, cuttings, paintings etc and even though we don't do art activities every day it begins to build up. I like to display her artwork to show how special it is to us. (and it is!)

Back when I started doing art and crafts with one very little baby Miss M I began to put it on the walls to be a family gallery for our own enjoyment. Every so often I take the pictures down and put up new beautiful ones. (and the not so beautiful ones) We've been busy trying lots of different art lately so a change on the walls is necessary. I can't wait to get some of Miss H's artwork up when we get started on it. Keep an eye out for my blog on where I put the artwork after it has been in the playroom gallery.

Here's some extra gallery ideas...

• Name and date each piece of artwork. I like to put Miss M's name on the top left hand corner and the date on the top right. This is ideal for when you put them away later and also when you bring them out again to look at for years after.
• Spell your child's name out loud each time you write it so they learn how to spell it for themselves. We have a song we made up to do this.
• If your child tells a story about their art write it at the bottom or the back of the paper. You'll be able to read the story every time you admire the art and we all know that little children's artwork isn't always so easy to tell what it is.
• When hanging up children's artwork use a good quality blu tac. (Bostik) When taking it down again pull the artwork off gently and remove any excess blue tac by rubbing it gently in a circular motion. You don't want to make Mr Gus sad do you? He he he! We live in a rental house so we talk about how Mr Gus (our property manager) looks after our house and he likes us to take good care of it.

Call me crazy (or a hoarder) but I'm going to cherish my girl's beautiful artwork for many years to come. Now it's time for me to stop blogging and hang up some pictures.

Boys Day Out - Our City Cat and Museum Adventure

When the girl's older boy cousins come for the day the best thing to do is to get out and explore. Once a year JT and MR come with Uncle Phil for the day while Aunty Tracey has a girlie day at the Bead Expo. Saturday was that day. JT and MR are Miss M and Miss H's bigger boy cousins from Toowoomba and whilst these boys are great to have for a visit, our house is mostly filled with pink fun, being a house of girls. We decided this time to take them out on a Brisbane River trip to the Museum and what a brilliant time we had!

The City Cats are a great way to explore Brisbane. They are reasonably priced and come and go frequently so you don't have to wait for long. As you probably already know this is certainly something to consider when you have littlies! Check out http://www.translink.com.au/ for timetables and ticketing information.

We started our journey from the City Cat terminal at Guyatt Park, St Lucia. The City Cat was just arriving when we got there which was so wonderful. JT and MR hadn't been on a City Cat before so that made it even more exciting, so exciting that all the kids didn't know where to sit, inside or outside. There were too many choices so they hopped up and down the whole way there!

Catching a City Cat from Guyatt Park to Southbank takes about 20 minutes, just long enough to see a bit of Brisbane from the river before a walk to the Museum. On our way we saw boats of all kinds, rowers, a bridge being built and the City - definitely lots to see.

To go to the Museum hop off at the first Southbank terminal (No 2) and walk to the right along the river, past the Performing Arts Complex and head across the overpass 'till you're there. This is about a 15 minute walk when you have a pram and little feet tagging along.

If you haven't been to the Qld Museum yet it is well worth exploring. There is so much to see including the huge dinosaur skeleton that welcomes you as you arrive. The Qld Museum has three levels of interesting displays about sea life, animals, cars and planes and so much more. There's too much for me to tell you about but make sure you go and discover the Energex Playasourus Place ("Dinosaur Garden") which features new hands on displays. The Whale Mall is also a favourite display of ours.

The Qld Musuem is a free outing and the City Cat is free for children under 4 so combine the two and you have a cheap day out for a family of littlies. To end our day we had a bite to eat at Southbank and a play in the playground (with the water running under it) at the far end. After this we had a long walk ahead of us before the return trip home on the City Cat. This time the group was keen to sit out the front and enjoy the ride...and the cool breeze. I enjoyed a quiet warm ride inside with MR and my little Miss H. It was a big adventure filled day jam packed with fun and discovery.

Check out these websites for more information..

http://www.translink.com.au/

http://www.visitsouthbank.com.au/

http://www.southbank.qm.qld.gov.au/ (museum website)

Playdough Recipe - Easy as 1,2,3, Simple as Dough Re Me

Sorry for the corny MJ reference in the title but as I blog along I am listening to one of my favourite Jackson Five albums, 'The Very Best Of The Jacksons'. I thought I'd share with you how to make playdough. Thanks Mel for the question. It's a timely follow-up to yesterdays blog - 'Playdough Three Ways'.

Before I get blogging with this recipe I might just mention that the Playdough Three Ways blog is found back in a blog from a few weeks ago. I started it way back then and finished it yesterday. (Look in the archives under arts and crafts) There are a few different ways to make playdough. You can make a cooked or uncooked version but I have to say that I prefer the texture of cooked playdough. Making it is easy and storing it for a long time is just as easy as all you have to do is keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for ages as long as you pack it up as soon as you're finished playing with it.

The recipe for cooked playdough is found on the side of a McKenzie's Cream of Tartar container - simple! Great for those trips to the supermarket when you've forgotten the list! Here it is anyway. I suggest you keep the ingredients on hand in your pantry so you can always have some playdough ready for your kids. Playdough is a good time filler. It can be a lovely quiet activity when you need one, a wonderful fine motor development builder, is fantastic for role play and just great fun for littlies...and parents too.

Cooked Playdough

You will need...

2 cups plain flour

4 tablespoons McKenzie's Cream of Tartar

2 tablespoons cooking oil - I buy a plain brand one

1 cup salt

food colouring - I use powder paint for stronger colour

2 cups water

Put all the ingredients into a large saucepan over a medium heat.

Stir with a sturdy wooden spoon until the mixture congeals; a ball will begin to form. (muscle building stuff!)

It will probably start to catch on the bottom of the saucepan (mine usually does!) but this is the time to take it out and knead on a floured board.

Once the dough has cooled down it is ready for play...play...play. Enjoy!

Caring With Cupcakes

This is the face of my little baker after we finished baking some chocolate fudge 'n' flake cupcakes last week. Don't worry Miss M is not allowed to lick the spatula until the cooking process is done! She loves to lick the "patula" and as she does she makes a pretend licking sound just as if she was pretending in a game in her own little kitchen. I have to giggle.

My husband and I are keen for our girls to grow up with a veiw of others in the world and the needs they have. We try and keep our eyes open for opportunities to let the girls be part of caring for others. Baking seems to be a way that we can easily help out while the girls are so little and Miss M really enjoys cooking and dropping off the finished product to where it has to go. These cupcake were for some leaders who we think are pretty special. Although they're not people in need these leaders take a week of their holidays to care for 380+ kids at a holiday program in our church so we thought they might like to eat some chocolate cupcakes and some yummy vanilla freckle ones too. Caring with cupcakes is a little ministry that our girls can do along with me. There are lots of other opportunites out there, we just have to find them. Is there something you do with your littlies to care for others? I'd love to hear some ideas. While you think, here are the cupcakes.

Mexican Madness

I promised to post this a few weeks back but as it turned out we all were sick so we couldn't have our Friday night fun that week. We decided at the beanie night that we would make the next Friday night fun a Mexican themed night.....just so we could enjoy some Mexican food.

My sister and I made the most delicious nachos and tacos to enjoy at our fiesta - what a Mexican treat! We began the meal with a team race. I recently purchased a world map to teach the girls some geography and teach myself some too since I'm terrible at it. My sister and Miss L raced my husband and Miss M to find where Mexico is. Thankfully the countries were all different colours so it was easier to find when they knew they had to find a purple one. Hooray for Miss L who won!

To end our Mexican fun we had a pinata which I had made on Friday while the girls were asleep. You're probably thinking that it would take more time than this to make a pinata but this time I did a cheats version. I've made a few pinatas in my time and they can take forever to make, putting each layer on and letting it dry out. Here's how I made the pinata for our Mexican night....

Simple Pinata

You will need...

A cereal box

Masking tape

Wrapping paper - you can buy this at Crazy Clarks for 50c a sheet - what a bargain!

Glue stick

Small toys or wrapped lollies to go inside - I purchased some plastic jewellery for the girls

Paddle pop stick

String

Stanley knife

Something to hit it with

Put your prizes inside the box.

Seal the ends of the box up with masking tape but don't be too particular.

Cut up your wrapping paper into medium sized pieces.

Cover the box in the wrapping paper adding pieces 'till it's all covered.

Carefully cut a slit in the top of the box.

Tie some string around the paddle pop and fasten with some masking tape.

Put the paddle pop inside the box and give it a pull - it should sit up against the lid of the box.

Hang up your pinata to dry and then it should be ready for fun.

Don't forget that you need a stick to whack your pinata. We used a sturdy wooden spoon because we only had a little space to play with and the girls are young. (little hands and arms) It's important to make sure that everyone stands back and waits their turn so that they stay safe. Our pinata took quite some time to break open which was a huge laugh. You can use the same process for making a balloon pinata. They are great but you need to do a few more layers of paper and it takes days to make it before it's ready to go. Use news paper for the lower layers and add the lovely wrapping paper to the top.

All we needed to really make our Mexican night extra extra fun was some colourful ponchos and sombreros to do the Mexican hat dance. Oh the fun could be endless!

Another Great Brisbane Park - Oriel Park

The morning with our special friends didn't end at Nourish. It finished with a play at Oriel Park in Ascot. What a fantastic park. Once again I was thankful for the wonderful city we live in. Brisbane has many great parks on offer.

We planned to go to a park but didn't know where a local one was, not being from the Ascot area. My school friend asked the Nourish ladies if they could suggest one and so we ended up at Oriel Park - it was a brilliant suggestion.

This park has many great features, great play equipment for all ages, good toilet facilities, big shady trees covering the play area and a fence enclosing the playground fun. What more could a mum of a toddler ask for. Miss M and her friend Miss K ran off to enjoy all the equipment. There are two large forts, a train with a slide, three different swing areas and other climbing equipment like the one pictured. Miss M was keen to stay for a longer play but our playground fun had to end. Not to worry though because I am sure that we will go back to Oriel Park for a play another day.

Oriel Park is situated on Alexandra Rd at Ascot. It has small shops nearby so it's great for a spur of the moment picnic or a shopping trip to the surrounding pretty shops. I also noticed bbq facilitlies. What a wonderful morning with friends. Thank you to our special friends for a fantastic outing together.

A Search For the Perfect Cupcake

I have so much to blog about after such a wonderful weekend full of outings in Brisbane with family but let me share about today's outing first as it was just so exciting. If you've been reading my blogs since the beginning (not so long ago) you will know that I love cupcakes. I love to bake them, I love to go to places that sell them but most of all I love to eat them. One of my friends suggested that I was on a hunt for the perfect cupcake. Maybe I am and today I think I came the closest ever!

I used to work with a beautiful friend who shares an interest in lovely girlie things so I knew that if she liked a cupcake shop it would be a wonderful place to visit. The girls and I were catching up with a special school friend of mine and her two girls today. (Our littlest girls are a day apart in age as they were due on the same day. Miss E came first!) I asked my old work friend about one of her favourite cupcake shops called Nourish and where we would find it. My school friend and I and our beautiful girls went on a trip to discover for ourselves the amazing cupcakes Nourish had to eat. My old work friend was right...as I knew she would be!

This place had me at "hello" as all the decor was red, chocolate brown and light blue, my favourite combination in decorating. Displayed were the yummiest cupcakes you will ever find and they are made from scratch from a family heirloom recipe. (You can tell!) I chose a chocolate one and Miss M chose a strawberry surprise one which had jam in the middle and went perfectly with her strawberry milkshake. Not only did I love the cupcake I ate, every mouthful was divine but the service was beyond great. This is a must try place! You can find Nourish at Shop 3/68 on Racecourse Rd, Ascot. (Just near one of my other favourite places - Gourmet Haas + almost across from Woolworths)

We couldn't resist bringing home a cupcake for Daddy to devour too. It came home beautifully packaged up in a white box with string along with two little cupcakes inside for Miss M and for me. What an added little surprise! We'll definitely be back for another cupcake date - very very soon!

Check out http://www.nourishcupcakes.com.au

Spray Bottle Painting

While Miss H is asleep Miss M and I try to cram as much fun into the morning as we possibly can. Miss M has recently enjoyed being creative with construction sets which we've had for a long time (found at "treasure shops"). All of a sudden the opportunities for creativity have become endless. (Thanks to Daddy's early morning block play time) The other day Miss H was having a wonderful sleep so we got out the mega blok construction on the mat, stories and a story chair, playdough play at the table and the best of all.....spray bottle painting.

This is one of the messier activities in my list of arts and crafts but it is so much fun that Miss M had to try it over and over and over. It was hard to get her to put the spray bottles down! Here's how it's done.

Spray bottle painting

You will need....

White easel paper

Easel

Spray bottles - we chose to do two colours but you can do more

Powder paint

Water

Apron

Mix up the coloured powder paint and water inside the spray bottles - we chose red and yellow.

Put white paper on the easel.

Stand a short distance from the easel (1/2 mtr)

Squirt paint on to the paper and watch the dotty picture form.

It's important to stand back a bit while squirting the paint as the closer you get, the more drippy it gets and you won't see much of a sprayed effect. A fantastic painting will begin to appear.