Train Whistle Blowing

"All aboard!"

The girlies and I are playing together with everyone over at Childhood101 for We Play.

Two girls, different ages, same toys sometimes means squabbles so when I see them creating together, playing together, problem solving and being team players, I have to stop and enjoy the fun filled, lovely moment (and take a photo or two).

I've been collecting these fruit boxes for a while now and they came to good use when the girls decided to make a train for themselves and their toys. They made an old style train which had to have a whistle but when we couldn't find our sports whistle something else need to be used instead. Their little wooden recorders made the perfect sound. This was such a lovely game and it lasted for what seemed like ages on our cosy, homey, Sunday afternoon.

"Train whistle blowing, makes a sleepy noise. Underneath their blankets go all the girls and boys."

Come and play at the Childhood101 We Play link up.

For the Love of Baking

A cake made for "Aunty Symon" (Uncle Symon)
by my littliest, Miss H, with some help from me.
Both girls had a great time decorating it.
It's a layered chocolate mud cake - the cheat's version!

I have a passion for cooking that is absolutely unstoppable! It's what gets me up in the morning (like this morning) to try a new pancake recipe (for us). 1 cup plain flour. 1 cup milk. 1 egg. Mix and cook in a warm pan 'till golden.

It's what has me buying new recipe books and trying out the recipes.

And,it's what keeps me up late at night decorating chocolate cupcakes for the next day's function. 11/3 cups SR flour, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 125g butter, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 11/4 cups caster sugar, 2 eggs and 2/3 water. Mix, pour in greased cake tin and bake in moderate oven. (Women's Weekly Kids Party Cakes Recipe Book)

I just LOVE to bake but where my passion is growing deeper is when I'm passing on the great love of cooking to my girls. We read cookbooks, borrow cookbooks, talk about cooking and all the different ingredients. We discuss how things work, what ingredients will do to the taste of the food and then of course, the best part....we taste. Sometimes our cooking experiences are spontaneous and sometimes they are well planned and you'll find our ideas on the shopping list. One thing I've found though is the more we cook, the more I can start to step away from the bowl.

It's such a joy to see the girls love to cook. Will it be a case of "like mother, like daughter"? We'll have to see but for now I'm enjoying this time with my baking beauties.

Do you enjoy baking experiences with your kids? What's their favourite recipe?

Digging Patch

The girlies and I are playing along with everyone for We Play over at Childhood 101.

This house of ours is a work in progress. It's missing some of the comforts or special features houses can have but we love it and we'll continue to work on it (probably over many, many years). Until it's finished some of its not so lovely features become our best play areas, like the muddy car tyre tracks where a driveway should be. After the rain it's a great place to dig, float boats and make mud pies. Anyone feeling hungry?

Miss M mixed the mud with sand to make her pie

A Visit to the Zoo for Free - Queen's Park Ipswich

There is so much to love about a trip to Queen's Park, Ipswich. Firstly there is the gigantic playground which has every sort of play fun in it. Then, there is the cafe which overlooks the playground but what is most unique and special about Queen's Park is the animal enclosure.

Entry to this area is completely free although a donation is encouraged to help with the ongoing work there. In the last year they did up much of the enclosure and added some new features so it's even more interesting to visit. You'll see many animals from Australian natives, to birds in the walk through avery, to baby farm animals. Feeding in the farm area happens twice daily at 11.30am and after 3pm.

We love seeing the spotted quolls, the bilbys and the emus but you'll also see dingos, cockatoos, kangaroos and many other animals. It's a wonderful way to spend a day! Of course you can pack a picnic morning tea or lunch or enjoy a bought lunch as you sit on the huge deck.

Queen's Park is in Goleby Ave, Ipswich and there is plenty of parking to be found .

This is definitely a favourite place for us to visit. We really don't get there often enough but that's ok 'cause it makes it such a special place. If you live in Brissy, it's worth a trek to Ipswich to see the animals. Go and say "G'day!"

Glow-worm Adventure

The Natural Bridge, Springbrook

I cannot go without telling you about our trip to The Natural Bridge in Springbrook, Queensland. To get to Springbrook takes about 2hrs from Brisbane and some of the trip is spent enjoying winding roads and beautiful views. Springbrook is a magnificent place but a most spectacular sight is found when you visit The Natural Bridge in the Springbrook National Park.

Last weekend we packed up the family and headed out of Brisbane for a day trip to the Natural Bridge. It's amazing as it is - a waterfall flowing through a huge hole, made in the top of a basalt cave but what we planned to see was the glow-worms which have made the cave their home. Having two little girls in tow, we didn't leave our trip till too late in the afternoon but just late enough so we would be able to see some of the glow-worms lit up. They are incredible - lots of little lights on the cave walls which almost look like fairy lights. The girls were amazed and even though I'd seen them before, I was amazed all over again.

Venturing out a little later allows you to to enjoy seeing the glow-worms along the paths too but we'll leave that for when the girls are a bit bigger. As we left the cave area Miss M asked me when we could see the glow-worms again. How could we not go down and take another look before leaving!

It's a great journey and a manageable sized walk for littlies - Miss H (2.5) happily walked the whole track. If you would like to see the glow-worms I would suggest arriving at dusk and be sure to take your torches to see the path ahead (the glow-worms don't appreciate torch light). Pack a picnic afternoon tea or early dinner to enjoy in the forest surroundings as there are picnic tables nestled in the forest, beyond the carpark. There are toilets too (not my favourite kind) but they are there.

We'd definitely give this family outing a glowing report!

PS I would have loved to show you a picture of the glow-worms but they seem to be quite camera shy.