My Mud Pie Kitchen Rules :D

I was in search of inspiration Friday night when I stumbled across the idea of a Mud Pie Kitchen. Brilliant! I thought back to my own childhood days hidden round the side of our house, scrapping together piles of dirt and fashioning them into all sorts of beautiful creations. My brothers and I often organised lavish weddings in the backyard and would adorn our festive mud cakes and biscuits with beautiful flowers and make heaping piles of 'salad' for our imaginary guests. Then my brother and I would marry and then we'd toss flower petals into the air to draw the nuptials to an end.

Saturday morning I shared my plan with Kookaburra and showed him the article. I read it aloud and he drank in the images. He was buzzed and so excited at the prospect of looking for his own pots, pans and utensils for making his own Mud Pie Kitchen a reality. We roped Kangaroo in and he caught the excitement bug lickety split real quick and we headed out to the op shops. Kookaburra is so cool. He knew exactly which op shop to visit and had described in detail the copious amount of needed items awaiting us there.

A great play like this had to be shared and we invited the Cool Cousin Crew to our Mud Cook Off. They rocked up mid-morning Sunday as the sky loomed darkly above threatening to split and wash away the potential fun.

Undaunted by the prospect of rain the kids all went out to the old barbecue and began.

We couldn't serve a banquet without cutlery and my attempts to have them wear shoes was quickly lost in translation. Wha.... What shoes?!

The rain has been ridiculous. The kids are standing in an old, cracked pond and it has rained so much it is no longer draining away to the complete joy of my crew. 'Can we really play in it?!', incredulously they ask.

And yet again here comes the rain :D

Kids play is their work. I sure wish it was mine :)

Kookaburra found jumping in puddles to be awesome fun except for when the mud splashed him in his eyes. Not so great.

Super, Scrumptious, Green Salad waiting to be served.

'No! It can't stop raining!', he yells crazily to the sky. 'Mum! I'll just pray for more. Please God, this is so much fun, may we please have more rain?!'.

Little mother very busy in her kitchen.

She looks aghast at her grubby, muddy sister and quietly says, 'You can't come into my kitchen. You're all dirty!'. Yep, I thought that was pretty funny too :D.

As the barbecue area flooded the scope of play increased.

Gradually the Mud Pie Kitchen Play began winding down, so to prolong the entertainment I injected some fun into it by providing a liberal serving of beans, lentils, chickpeas and whatever other dried stuff I had in the craft cupboard. The colours, variety and texture reignited the fun and the kiddo's continued on playing for quite awhile longer. Due to the wet clothes they're wearing, I'm not going to admit for how long they were out there. I'm guilty of erring on the side of delaying the inevitable when great fun is to be had.

As it was well after lunch I had the kiddo's do a tidy up. We weren't precious about it but nothing was to be left out in the yard and their concoctions were encouraged to be left as they are for the next time. In the next few days we'll check on the different brews to see if any of those beans and chickpea additions have sprouted.

Hot showers, soaped and scrubbed, hair washed and to the table for hot chips, followed by a Christmas movie. A Super way to spend yet another very wet Sunday.

Have you met Hermes?

No? Well, here he is, and seemingly permanently perched upon Kookaburras' shoulder. Hermes is Kookaburra's little Quaker Parrot, a gift from myself and his Dadda for his ninth birthday way back in May. Quakers are meant to talk, a great attribute but that wasn't the reason for choosing Hermes. Quakers are well known for being extremely affectionate and make a beautiful companion bird for children, which Hermes more than is. We also chose a male because they are less likely to be hormonal, feisty, territorial and aggressive then their female counter parts. Sound familiar girls?! Hermes has learnt a few words. Hello, Kookaburra's name, Out! (okay that's my fault but it's not me yelling at my boys , instead it's just something that's often said/ yelled at the dogs when they start play fighting inside the house - remember the no screened entrances to Little House, it is a problem) and the best one would be his maniacal cackle which develops into a good, crazy belly laugh. Good sign that!

Not long after what felt like dawn, Kookaburra and Hermes hit the kitchen to make some pancakes and our hands down favourite recipe is by clever Vicki from Home Revolutions. Kookaburra has made these pancakes a few times and is gradually becoming more confident. I'm slowly easing him into the idea of keeping his own recipe journal too. He's excited about the idea but Kookaburra hasn't got so much love for the writing part of it.

We love these pancakes topped with Blueberry Sauce and Ice-cream. The Sauce recipe comes from a health conscious fellow homeschooling Mumma who loves to experiment and tweaks recipes to get things for more nutrition. I find that pretty hard to do because I loathe waste and bad cooking does lead to exactly that around here and of course it also means wasted money and I just can't bring myself to do it. Oi! The responsibility! Anyway, here's the recipe :)


Blueberry Sauce

* 1 Tbs of cornflour
* 1 Tbs of caster sugar
* 2 Tbs of apricot jam
* 1/2 a cup of water
* 2 cups of frozen blueberries

:) Put everything, except the berries, into a saucepan, mix and place on medium heat and keep stirring until the sauce thickens. Add the berries and stir gently until heated. (use a lower heat if using gas)

:) Serve with pancakes and ice-cream :D

Maybe we can see the true reason for Hermes hanging with Kookaburra so much.

I actually have another recipe to add tonight.

Since I stopped playing soccer and hockey two years ago, I've become ridiculously, extremely sedentary and instead of tailoring down my eating to suit, I seem to have done the opposite! All those blocks of chocolate and Mummy Morning Teas with cake and coffee have finally hit gravity central and I'm shocked and increasingly unhappy about the weight gain. So now I'm counting calories and next week I'll be signing up for a membership at the gym. I'm also getting my boys on board and together we're trying to get Mumma moving in at least one way every day. Just so you get an idea of just how freaked out by the weight gain I am, I now weigh the same as when I was full term with Kookaburra. Not good. I really miss my sport but I did not enjoy the time commitment away from my boys, the big one included.

Here's that recipe:


Teriyaki Salmon with Noodle Salad

2170kj per serve low fat high, protein and great brain food too

* 400g salmon fillets (we only had one piece which weighed maybe half that and it was fine for one adult and two children. Salmon = Expensive!!!)
* 2 Tbs teriyaki marinade
* 1 Tbs honey
* 2 1/2 cm piece ginger, grated (I didn't have any so I just omitted it :)
* 300g rice noodles
* 150g snow peas, halved
* 2 carrots and 2 zucchinis, use a peeler to cut into ribbons
* 3 Tbs of sweet chilli sauce
* 2 Tbs salt-reduced soy sauce

:) Gently toss salmon with teriyaki, honey and ginger in a non-metallic bowl. Set aside.

:) Cook noodles according to the packet instructions. Drain and place in a large bowl.

:) Spray a large wok with oil and cook snow peas, carrot and zucchini over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Toss with noodles, sweet chilli and soy sauces.

:) Cook the salmon either on the frying pan or in the the grill on medium heat for about five minutes each side. Rest and then roughly chop into the noodle salad.


Thanks Australian Healthy Food Guide!

Hopefully, with a huge amount of effort, I might begin to be a heck of a lot healthier over the next few months. I may even develop that super power ability to resist temptation and once again gain control over my conveyor belt eating habits. Here's hoping and praying for strength when my will is so self-sabotagingly weak :)

Rainy Days and a Confession

The weather has been hugely unseasonal recently. Although today seems clear that's generally how it all starts. Gradually the heat builds and we find our clothes sticking to us. My boys peel off their clothes and are soon running around in their underwear. Wish I had that liberty but therapy is just too costly. By the afternoon we can see dark clouds building ready to release their heavy outpouring by late afternoon. This weather hasn't caused us much difficulty except hampered our summer fun out door plans. These have been replaced with more, generally, sedate activities. Sunday, though, was an exception. It's Dadda's day off and we were stuck inside and the wet weather was really beginning to feel oppressive, so I guess my boys and I suffered a temporary madness :D! Wrestling and tickling, running and very loud yahooing (hugely liberating to be loud and have the downpour smother the noise) outside and in , was loads of fun and I know that I'm a Mumma of two little boys because I get the biggest, tightest hugs and I love you's from them afterwards :).

But all this wildness left me really flat. With two dogs that can waltz on inside whenever they please (Little House has four entrances and none are screened) and the near impossibility of getting our own feet completely dry every time we step outside, the floor was really beginning to look atrocious and I felt dismal. And who can contend with those odds? Why clean and only have to do it again the following day and the next and the next?! At this very moment little house is shut up, even though it's usually opened up around seven am or so, but my little men and I cleaned last night and we are savouring the results, pet free :) So back to Sunday, to help rid myself of the misery that had beset me, we went for a spin out to Iri'ni to check the water levels and how near, if at all, the water had risen in proximity to the eventual house pad. The water through the easement of the corner of our property had definitely come up a few meters and the house pad (as we already knew :) was high and dry.

I tried to catch a few shots of how heavy the rain was but as always I really don't think these images even come near to capturing it.


So now to that confession.

I rarely record our little life and times at the moment because I've found myself always wanting to turn the internet on 'for just five minutes'. Well, it is Never just that and my lack of self-control (eek! I've put it in print for the world to see) has led to all sorts of problems. The biggest being, my lack of interest in doing anything too much with my boys and I've noticed an alarming shortened attention span, which I attribute completely to facebook. I've been flicking between facebook and certain other favourite pages on my internet and am achieving nothing worthwhile.

I spoke to Mr E about this not so little problem and as always I go the extreme, vouching for no internet access at all, but thankfully Mr E, My White Knight, has come to my rescue. His solution has been very sensible and pretty funny considering my age. He has put a parental time limited control on access to the laptop completely and has also set the laptop to switch off at ten pm (as I found out the other night, Grrr.....).

Mr E is my balance point and I'm so thankful that I can turn to him whenever I'm in need . He is never critical and always loving. I can definitely learn from him.

Only One More Sleep....

....till Mr E and I day trip it to our major city center and get to see, chill out and groove to

Mr Jack Johnson :D

Only one more sleep.

Excited much? You bet!






In times like these,
In times like those,
What will be will be,
And so it goes...

There's always been laughing, crying,
Birthing, dying.
Boys and girls with hearts a-taken,
Give and break.
Heal and grow and recreate.
And raise and nurture,
But there not from time to...

Times like these,
Times like those,
What will be will be,
And so it goes...

And there's always been stop and go,
And fast and slow,
And action, reaction,
Sticks and stones
And broken bones,
Those for peace and those for war,
God bless these ones, not those ones, but these ones...
Man...

Times like these,
Times like those,
What will be will be,
And so it goes...

And it always goes
On and on and on and on and on
On and on and on and on it goes...
Mmmmm....mmmmmm...

Introspection

Time for a closer analysis of me.

It's Sunday morning and I'm working my way through some materials on homeschooling, parenting, life and Christianity. I'm sitting at my own desk with all the materials neatly arranged just waiting for me to move forward and commit fully to what I believe. To what I might know, if I let myself. But why do I hold back? Make excuses? Put it off until later? Raise impossible barriers so I can defend myself against those who may never ask and don't really have any business asking? I'm talking about faith. My faith. What I believe.

I'm such a people pleaser that I find it hard to move forward in my life and make a commitment to a belief system. It frightens me. What will my husband think? I know he's supportive to the utmost and possibly ridiculously so. Mr E always encourages and never belittles what I'm thinking about. He always listens and rarely if ever casts a judgment. Of course it is important to me and my marriage about what I believe and how that affects our family unit and also what I may come to expect from my beautiful husband but that doesn't necessarily make me the people pleaser I claim to be.

My values are like the leaves blowing in the wind. My closest girl friends are either non-believers or have a view of the universe that is radically different from my own. But I can always see their point. I can validate easily how they have come to their conclusions for themselves but when it comes to myself what do I have? Not that strength. Words fail me and my thoughts are incoherent, much less explainable and defensible. But I guess that's the key, defense. Why do I feel the need to defend myself with family, friends and acquaintances? Why do I need to feel validated by anothers' approval? It's ridiculous and crazy and makes me want to scream! Who am I? I have to identify myself through my own value system not someone else's which I can only sum up through their words and actions.

I'm also more afraid of something else.

If I believe in God and in Christ I know I'm not worthy. I know I can't live by all the 'rules'. I know I'll break them because I am weak. I am not virtuous. I have a mind that thinks what it will and I battle with myself and often lose.

So, I turn to prayer.

I've always told myself that I'll make a decision regarding my spirituality when I know enough. Bit of a cop out though isn't it. When would I truly know enough.

There are women in my life who are beautiful examples of Christian womanhood. When I am troubled, confused or want support it is with them I will find my strength.

And my husband.

And I will keep praying, continuously :)

(a small disclaimer - my blog is for my thoughts and never will I claim to be clear, concise and make any sense. But I value this space. I have somewhere to come and write about how I'm feeling. It aids me in clarity and I hope that it's understandable but if not, that's okay. Because already I feel my fear ease a little through 'talking' about it. Thanks for hanging out with me this morning and reading my ramble :D)

Tune in....

...to a great book :D

We've been a bit busy lately. Too busy to blog and barely enough time to eat. We have been reading and playing and playing what we've been reading. Today we read the entire 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and watched the 1971 version starring Gene Wilder. Tomorrow, I think, we'll read the entire book again. Why would we do that? Well, we're lucky ducks and are going to see a play version of the book at a nearby theater and we are so excited as one of our little friends is starring and is even playing several different roles.

This little Oompah-Loompa ditty about Mike Teavee really made us giggle. Enjoy!

"Mike Teavee..."

(from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)

"The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set–
Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we've been,
We've watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone's place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they're hypnotised by it,
Until they're absolutely drunk
With all the shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don't climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink–
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSES IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK–HE ONLY SEES!
'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say,
'But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!'
We'll answer this by asking you,
'What used the darling ones to do?
'How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?'
Have you forgotten? Don't you know?
We'll say it very loud and slow:
THEY...USED...TO...READ! They'd READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching 'round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it's Penelope.)
The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,
And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,
And Mrs. Tiggy–Winkle and–
Just How The Camel Got His Hump,
And How The Monkey Lost His Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There's Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole–
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks–
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They'll now begin to feel the need
Of having something good to read.
And once they start–oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hears. They'll grow so keen
They'll wonder what they'd ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.
P.S. Regarding Mike Teavee,
We very much regret that we
Shall simply have to wait and see
If we can get him back his height.
But if we can't–it serves him right."

A Quiet and Fruitful Day

Mosaics with our local DIY Hardware Warehouse, Bunnings, was a last moment call for our little crew this morning. It was a great suggestion from my clever, frugal, dear friend which has set me thinking about what other activities in our vicinity may be low to no cost for us to participate in.

My Boys loved doing this. The mosaic materials themselves were a little disappointing but the point was to experience new ideas and use the activity as a launching point for further investigation if we wish.

Kangaroo created Mitzi, our 'new' four wheel drive (look out, adventures ahead, I'm sure :).

And Kookaburra just had fun patterning and experimenting with the different tiles and cement glue. We all left very happy indeed and have filled out the little forms which have booked us in for pretty much a free workshop every week, very nearly to the end of January.

We boxed up our beautiful artworks and went to hit our local library to see what was on offer there. Not much, but still card making and Christmas decorations will be fun to participate in. Whilst there we picked up a few more books and amongst them was The Indian In The Cupboard and after two chapters in, we're all hooked! We also choose an audio book by Jackie French which has kept our little men entertained for the afternoon whilst Mama Me slogged it out through the horrid house work that has built up. But I always enjoy our home so much more when it's all put to right and in reasonable order, so I'm happy.

I'm going to scour our local area for more free to nearly free workshops and activities next week and the first place I think we'll investigate next will be our Gallery's. At the library, I did find stuck to a pin board a notice regarding a Music teacher who has decided to give a l ecture/ talk regularly on composers and such once a week at our newest gallery so I'm considering checking it our with my little men. Exposure and opportunity my friends. If at first we don't understand, that's okay because we're laying down layers of knowledge which we add to over time.

So the Ms French has inspired our Kangaroo yet again and we're loving his drawing's. They are gradually fleshing out and developing more character. He still begs for us to do it for him or have us sketch the outline but we really try to be as hands off as we can and let him develop his own special style. Beautiful to watch but sometimes it really would be easier to just do it for him but that's not an attitude we want to develop.

Can you guess that the audio book The Natives were listening to was about horses? :D