Some reading, some listening, some doing

Bridget read this. I thought it would be okay because of it's historical context (I love the Minoans!). She's listening to it on a playaway from the library too.

 Jonah finished reading Robin Hood, and is now onto the secret 7 series, and loving it :)

both the boys are listening to this on a playaway. I thought it would be boring for them, but they are both enjoying it. It's got a lot of geography in it which they both like. Actually, I think they just like to listen to something with headphones in their ears...so I'll see if I can find more of these ;)

Today the boys are playing Korean war (after watching Australian's at War last night). Jonah is planning to find out more about the Chinese army, and what it is like in China now.

new additions

Twins, a boy and a girl. They are identical, and classically toggie. We named the girl Eli.

I so love that my children's lives are full of chickens, kittens and new baby goats. and that they get to see them being born :)

some watching

Shabbat Shalom

"Life is like a mirror.  The people you see reflect back to you the way you present yourself.  If you look happy, they will respond buoyantly.  If you look upset, they will be cautious or concerned.  If you want a joyous life try to be happy around others.  It will make it easier on them and more enjoyable for you.  Remember, everyone causes happiness ... some when they come, some when they leave." ~ Shabbat Shalom Weekly

Yum.

Nourishing Traditions buckwheat pancakes. a new shabbat morning tradition.

My Billy

I love this boy. No asthma meds for him today :)

21/10/11

Torah Portion resources

The parshas (is that a word?!?!) start again this Shabbat. I want to be a bit more deliberate with the portions this year than we were last cycle, so here are some of the things we will be using;

• Parsha songs from Chabad.org - new for us this year! They are very simple, catchy and cute :)
• Parsha weekly videos from G-dcast.com
• Supporting activities from Akhlah.com

I also love the colouring pages from Aish.com, but we are a bit over them having used them for about 5 years now!Still, there are some nice stories in the family section on Aish that are related to the parsha, so I may browse through them from time to time.

Welcome home :)

last of Sukkot

I made a beef curry in the camp oven, and we had roast sweet potato with it. It was a huge success for our first camp oven meal :)

the boys played some totem tennis while it cooked.

An excellent idea!

 This is from KidsCraft Weekly. I think I can tweek this for older kids and I am so going to get organised to do this!

Do things ever get completely crazy at your place?

Our most feral time is usually towards the end of the day when the kids are hungry and tired, but dinner is still 30 minutes off.

I recently came across a great idea that has helped to restore calm to even our most desperate times. It's called the crazy container and it's a very simple concept.

All you have to do is sit down and think of some fun activities and crafts that can be done with very little preparation. Then, write down the name of each of the activities on individual cards and put them into a small basket or box.

When things are going downhill fast, avert impending disaster by having your little one select an activity from the crazy container.

It's a simple but brilliant idea that has saved many late afternoons in these parts.

If you're interested in starting your own crazy container you might want to check out my list of no fuss craft ideas. Choose the ideas that appeal most to you and you're well on your way to having your very own disaster aversion device.

homemade bookmarks

The kiddies made some bookmarks today.

 (William turned one into a door hanger!)

here are some interesting ones I found on the web :)

Frugal Village

Paper Pile Kitten

Lovely Little Shelf

Presents Last Minute

Dancing Flowers

Randomization

Sky Ink

Here's Bridget's monster mark...

 so cute :)

When a whale dies...

Whale Fall (after life of a whale) from Sharon Shattuck on Vimeo.

Action Pack

This looks good! I know a friend who's kids would like this too, I think :)
Action Pack - a mini mag for kids who want to do stuff. 

Shabbat 16/10/11

The Bosua's came for the day. It was lovely to see them again and also to meet Michelle's mum and step-father, Mimi and Sticks.

Here are a few shots by William... (he's getting pretty good I think!)

We finally finished our 500 piece puzzle! Man, that was a mammoth two weeks :)

(actually, 499 pieces and we couldn't find one in the door. grrrr!)

 messying about with the camera before bed :)

Sukkot 2011

Well here we are celebrating the first day of Sukkot with a campfire and dinner outside under the trees; our natural sukkah!

Sukkot is, in Jonah's words 'my favourite feast'. I know that the tent isn't really a sukkah, but it is a fun thing to do and it gets the kids used to celebrating this time each year.

Actually every year that we keep Sukkot we realise more and more the things that are missing...like the gathering of ourselves in Jerusalem, and the fact that we are unable to dwell outside for the whole 7 days because its spring here, not autumn which for us = the sneezing, running noses and itchy eyes of hayfever.

Even so, it is important that we mark this day (and all the other appointed times) and do the things that we can do. We can have a shabbat and we can build a sukkah (of sorts!), and we can enjoy each other's company in the cool of the evening by a lovely fire.

and the pets enjoy having our company and the warmth of the fire too. Which is nice :)

Chag Sameach Sukkot :)

13/10/11

We celebrated the first day of Sukkot yesterday. We put up tents and set up a little fire pit in our forest :)

this is our lovely place from the driveway. The green is lush lucerne.

walking up our 1km driveway to collect the mail

 the boys started martial arts this week and they absolutely love it! here they are practicing..

Blogger is playing up so I'll post more photos from dinner around the campfire later.