Wandering The Road Less Travelled

On the first day of December

2011-12-01T15:30:00.001+13:00

Well the first day of December was finally upon us today, and the girls couldn't have been happier. After ripping into their chocolate advent calendars, Sienna had the honor of opening our first advent fish. She netted $2 and a Santa chocolate, and was able to reveal our first activity for the month, an old favourite, chocolate spoons! We made these last Christmas, and the girls loved stirring them into their hot chocolates.

We even got Miss Madi to take part.

There was some chocolate leftover, so while the spoons set, I dipped some strawberries for the hard at work husband to enjoy when he got home.

These ones are Kyla's

These ones are Sienna's (digging the cute lil' face, yes?)

These ones are Madi's.

These ones are Denver's.

And once set, they had to do a test run of course....

Feeling Advent-urous

2011-11-25T11:29:00.001+13:00

I saw this adorable advent calendar idea at the Crafty Crow blog, and decided it was perfect for this years big advent calendar. The fish were a little fiddly to begin with, but once I figured it out I was an origami fish making machine. Sienna helped with the eyes. The kids still have those chocolate store brought ones, but I like to have one of these too. Each of them will take turns opening one of the little origami fish, starting from youngest to oldest. In each little fish is a chocolate heart or Santa, a joke or activity for the day, and a $2 coin. Needless to say, the girls cannot wait until December 1!

Techno

2011-11-22T18:18:00.001+13:00

Roger will tell you, and he's not lying, that technology hates me. I'm not a big fan of it, either. Basically I want a phone that I can text on and a computer I can waste time on. That's it. When I'm not breaking something, I'm seeking help on how to use it, often from my kids, who have adapted to each and every new device with an ease that leaves me full of envy and wonder. Recently Roger brought a tablet, and the conversation is filled with this 'app' or that 'app.' The kids pass it between them, easily negotiating the touchscreen controls which leave me baffled, and laugh, discuss and encourage each other. I'm constantly amazed by them, the world is a far different one from my own childhood, pre-internet. I can't even imagine what is to come, but I have an idea that what ever it is, my girls will embrace it fully.

You Can't Catch Me....

2011-11-15T14:38:00.001+13:00

For a while now, Sienna has been talking about making gingerbread people. So today the two of us mixed up a batch of dough, and she patiently waited while it rested in the fridge for 1/2 an hour. Then she got busy cutting out the people.

And sticking eyes on some. Others she left blank, to put 'icing eyes' on.

Ten minutes in the oven, a few minutes to cool, and it was time to get decorating. Miraculously, some extra helpers appeared.

(Kyla made this Santa one. She's always so creative and precise in her ideas.)

They were declared way better than shop brought ones. Tasty and fun.

Dear...

2011-11-03T20:53:00.000+13:00

The girls often decide to play letter writing. Today they spent well over an hour writing, cutting, 'posting' and receiving letters backwards and forth. Of course they were all written as Glee characters....do you sense a theme there?

Things I find on my camera.....

2011-11-02T13:50:00.000+13:00

The girls took off to the room with my camera yesterday, to take family portraits. If you are a Glee fan, these won't need much explaining, if not, well, you should be!

(Sam and Annaliese - Sienna picked him a new girlfriend, and their child).

(Mercedes and Shane and children)

(Kurt and Stacey - Sienna has a crush on Kurt, so he wasn't allowed to marry Blaine, he had to marry the character she 'plays'.)

(Tina and Mike Chang (the panda) and their baby).

(Brittany and Santana and their adopted baby)

(Jessie and his two children - solo dad, no woman could put up with him).

(Rachel and Finn and baby).

(Quinn and Puck (the horse), and Beth).

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T12:19:00.000+13:00

Ah Halloween.
The girls were so excited about the arrival of this day. We crafted and decorated and planned and costumed. Sadly the girls learned that expectation doesn't always match reality when only one house on our street gave out treats. The rest refused to open their doors, or yelled that they had nothing. Wow, way to go neighbours.
I guess that put people off trick or treating too, as only one group made it up our end of the street. At least they were very impressed with our decorations and treats.
Poor little Sienna was crushed, and cried herself out, clutching her one lonely chocolate treat. I made her a 'boonilla' shake and she was able to dig into our leftover candy, so the smile was back on her face by nights end. Here's some pics from the last few days, I can't figure how to turn them the right way, so sorry for the crick in your neck!
(PS, I made the Red Riding Hood cape, clever me, yes?)
(PPS, I am aware of the irony of the Big Bad Wolf wearing a vegetarian hoodie, but it's my fave, okay?)

Splashy Art, Pottery and Tile

2011-08-22T15:17:00.000+12:00

Some years ago my sister-in-law made the girls (there were three at the time) a dessert bowl each, hand painted with their names on. Somehow or other, Denver (the menace as she is affectionately nicknamed some days) managed to smash Kyla's bowl. Fast forward seven or so years and we now have one extra daughter and two missing bowls. So when a coupon for a discount trip to Splashy came up, we jumped at it. Last Friday was 'paint day'. It's going to be two weeks till the finished goods are being put to use, but here's a sneak peek :-)

Sunshine and Chalk

2011-08-22T15:09:00.000+12:00

Helper

2011-08-22T15:00:00.000+12:00

Morris family goes baking.

2011-07-28T15:16:00.000+12:00

Returning to Hamilton also saw us return to the TSSG NZ, the group for girls with Turner Syndrome in New Zealand. A lot of the members are Waikato based and moving around we sort of lost touch with them. The group now has two branches, one for youth members like Denver, and one for older TS women. Vicky, mum to the lovely Molly organised a family bake-off recently, in Matamata, home of the Hobbit and where we used to live for a short time. It was great to revisit the adorable little town and show the girls our old house and the Countdown that was Roger's first appointment as manager, (was it always that small? lol). It was so ggod to see Vicky again, we used to visit the MacKenzie Centre together when the girls were little, but since we had moved away we had lost contact.

The yummy entries :

Some of the other contestants enjoying the fruits of our labour :-)

Denver the winner with her trophy (above) Denver and Molly (below).

Being such a big family we had two teams in the bake-off. Team 1 Myself, Kyla and Sienna. Team 2 Roger, Denver and Madison. There was a little bit of rivalry, naturally, as we set to work. We were making a passionfruit shortbread and some cupcakes for Sienna to decorate. Roger's team was making red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing. As you can see, the winners were Team 2, Roger, Madi and Denver. Nevermind, next year team 1 has vowed revenge! ;-) A really wonderful day out by all accounts.

Pet Show 2011

2011-07-28T14:52:00.000+12:00

Hit the Pet Show at the new Claudelands Arena a couple of weekends ago. I have to say the newly renovated site is impressive, with a great cafe. I remember going to quite a few dog shows there with mum when I was younger. This was different, a full on expo of all things animal. The little ones (big ones opted out of coming), got up close and personal with cats, dogs of all varieties, rats, fish and a few farm animals. We picked up a few goodies for Gilby and the girls even got to ride a pony!

Climbing up the Walls

2011-07-28T14:39:00.001+12:00

The Morris family are still alive, though some days barely. The bugs have been rampant in our house the last few weeks, when the spewing stopped the sneezing started. I had to wonder why we even moved back to this cold, damp area of NZ. I remember struggling through winters as a kid, with asthma and croop and one heck of a fog horn cough, and now I'm subjecting my kiddos to the same thing.

There has been some fun sprinkled around though. The kids have found a new favourite past-time, climbing at Climbzone the kids area at Extreme Edge Rock Climbing. The first time Sienna struggled to make it up halfway, but on our return visit she rocked it, getting to the top of many of the walls! Madi had a few attempts, but her fear of heights held her back and she declared climbing was 'not her thing'. Unfortunately it isn't the most economical of activities ($13 for Kyla and Denver, $6.50 for Sienna), so whilst the girls want to go back every weekend, its more of an occasionally type activity.

Spy Girl

2011-07-12T10:24:00.000+12:00

What has the littlest Morris been up to lately? Well, when she isn't watching Scooby Doo movies and episodes (Oh I love Cartoon Network), she really enjoys finding things. It started with those Osbourne puzzle books. We got every one the library had out, and she delighted in finding all the little things. Turns out she was pretty good. She has a knack for noticing details, much like Madison, and I'd still be peering at the page long after she'd found everything in the list. Then we went to visit my mum in Rotorua. She'd got some big search books from one of those people who sell books at workplaces. Sienna entertained herself most of the weekend finding the hidden objects, amazing Nana at how good she was. In the end we took the books home, and weeks later she is still at it.

She talks a lot about spies and mysteries. She wants this toy spy cam she has seen on the TV, with a little attachable snake part that can spy on people around corners. The other night she took to following me around the house hiding in the shadows and darting about 'spying', and her and Denver practice trying not to laugh in case someone hears them. So cute.

Fishy.

2011-07-11T15:25:00.000+12:00

I just finished cleaning out the fish tank. Random I know. Why post about it? Well, it was on my list of 'things I need to do but don't want to so keep putting off.' It was green and icky and well over due, so today I whipped out the gear and cleaned it. This blog has been on that list too. What to do with it? Continue on, posting intermittently, somehow find the time and inclination to post more often even though I haven't yet, change it up? This was essentially just the kids space, and easy way to record those day to day events and trips. It's the longest running blog I have now, probably because it's about everyone else, so I don't suffer huge doses of insecurity and delete it. Gah, my brain hurts, I remember why I was putting this off.

What I know for sure is I'm not closing up shop or running off somewhere new. I'll try to post more, but probably won't. Maybe as well as updating you I'll ponder the Universe from time to time too, I'm pretty confident next to no one is reading these days, so it can't hurt.

Zoo Tales

2011-03-31T20:22:00.000+13:00

A few weeks ago we went to the zoo to celebrate the birthday of Ubuntu ('Bunty'), the little white rhino. While we were there we decided to get a family pass, which means we can visit the zoo as often as we like for the next year. The girls and I decided that Thursdays would be our 'Zoo Day', as the giraffes have their feeding time at 2:30pm, and one of our most favourite things to do is feed them! Last time we went my camera was flat, but not today!

First we bumped into this guy, an Eclectus Parrot, who was such a showoff! He chatted away to us and the girls were enchanted by him.

Then we headed on and saw some of our mammal friends. The Spider Monkeys, Cotton-Topped Tamarins, the Ring-tailed Lemurs who were back in their enclosure after it had undergone some alterations, and a rather sad looking Siamang.

Then we visited the chimps, who were enjoying a lay-about in the autumn sunshine.

We made our way around the little lake and then sat in the shade and refueled with a little picnic.

Then, you guessed it, it was time to see our friends the giraffes. We listened to the chat from the keeper, while she was mauled by them, lol. Then it was the best part, feeding them!

Then after that excitement we headed up to see the Sumatran Tigers. These guys (brother and sister) are usually hard to spot, but last time (camera-less of course!) one was right at the observation window. We didn't hold out much hope that we would get that lucky again...but...we DID!

After a stroll trough the wild bird aviary, we checked in with Bunty and family, then had a look at the reptiles. Sienna loves the reptiles. After that we had an iceblock and met a new peacock friend who struts around the zoo looking regal.

I then came across a weird species of monkey, very noisy lot they were, what's worse, they followed me home! I'll have to see if I can return them next week :)

Museum Madness

2011-03-28T13:06:00.000+13:00

See what happens when you don't update your blog often? I end up posting two museum visits back to back! Anyway, last time we went to the museum they were setting up the Dr Seuss exhibit. Rog knew I'd want to go, being a big Dr Seuss fan, so on Friday we packed up the kids and once again hit the museum. The Dr Seuss exhibit was probably (if I am brutally honest) a little underwhelming, but we had loads of fun exploring the rest of the museum, including Excite, the hands-on area for children. Sadly, unlike Te Papa you have to pay to play, but at $20 for the family it wasn't too bad (the rest of the museum is free).

After exhausting all the activities in Excite, we went downstairs to look at the Waikato River exhibit, which included the girls favourite 'shaky house' that you sit in and it throws you around simulating an earthquake, or volcano eruption. They also loved this little 'bug' (below) which shows you what it might look like travelling along the bottom of the Waikato River.

Back upstairs was the sweetest little garden area, with knitted fruits and veges for the kids to 'plant' and 'harvest'. Have to say they had a wonderful time in this bit, and have requested a similar set-up at home!

Then we took a look at the Stories of Hamilton area, which had a lot of old photos and such. They had little embossing machines that the kids loved using, and we even got to dress-up!

Madi was looking 'depressed' because that was what she thought everyone looked like back then. I said there were some happy people too :)

Then Kyla and Sienna had turns at being little school girls. Cute!

Hatchlings

2011-01-27T16:22:00.000+13:00

Today we decided to use our GrabOne coupon and hit the Hatchlings Exhibit on at Waikato Museum. It's about dinosaurs, eggs, babies , you get it. The girls had fun wandering around and getting hands on with some of the exhibits. Madi read aloud some crazy dinosaur facts and there were a few 'wow look at that' moments.

In the pic below Ky has her hand on an Ostrich egg. We once stayed at a B&B that farmed Ostriches, and Rog had an Ostrich omelet for brekkie, I think they didn't use the whole egg just for him though!

Sienna found these air vents in the floor, so she did her Marilyn Monroe thing on them.

And of course, what would a glance out the window be without some people floating down a giant river on a lilo? Hmmm.

The Trinket Box

2011-01-26T14:40:00.001+13:00

This morning little bear staggered out of bed, trawling blankey along behind her, and greeted me with 'Can we do the box now?' The box was a present from Nana, originally she sent Denver one for her birthday last week. Well, that wouldn't do at all. Didn't Nana know that Sienna wanted a box? NEEDED a box? Nana got right onto it as all good Nana's do, and lo and behold yesterday a package arrived. It's a kitset type of activity. You add a little water to the enclosed plaster of paris, mix it up, pour it into the mold and leave it to harden overnight. Sienna wasted no time hitting the paints this morning.

She spent ages decorating the bottom (yes, the only bit you don't see, lol).

She wanted the interior to be yellow 'like sunshine, but not hot like sunshine.'

She was very pleased with the final product, now sitting full of her precious jewelery.

Spin Art

2011-01-05T17:24:00.000+13:00

Camp Out

2011-01-05T17:21:00.001+13:00

Last night the kiddo's (Ky, Sienna and Denver) decided to try camping in the backyard. They set up a bed on the trampoline, I sprayed them with bug spray and they snuggled down. I was pretty sure they wouldn't last out there, being their first time, but this morning everyone was still there. I should say that I was on the couch in full view of them all night, as well as the fact the backyard is locked and guarded by Gilby, thus, they were completely safe. They can't wait to do it again :)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-27T21:07:00.000+13:00

Good ol' Santa did his thing, complete with pesky bows.

Somehow he knew just what to get to make everyone happy.

Stomachs were stuffed to bursting point.

Games were played and presents tested.

Though poor Barbie may have got a little more than she bargained for. Next year maybe a GI Joe.

Hope you had a good one friends. Roll on another year!

Santa Claus is Coming!

2010-12-24T15:07:00.000+13:00

He's not very far away, time to hang your stockings up, tomorrow's Christmas Day!!!!!!!!!

Mini Christmas Mosaics

2010-12-22T15:44:00.000+13:00

We found the inspiration for today's activity here and I've been stashing away bottle top lids for a few weeks now. Sienna and I lay on the floor and sorted Christmas coloured beads out of our big bead bag. Then it was time to break out the big guns...hubby's drill!

After I had drilled holes in the lids, threaded them and filled them with tile grout. Then the girls went for it.

Stained Glass Biscuits

2010-12-19T12:54:00.000+13:00

These are one of my favourite Christmas baking things. I just love how the lollies melt into the biscuits and then look all pretty when you hold them up to the light. Sienna helped me bake a batch today, which entitled her to eat them all, she thought. She was a little miffed to find she had to share them :)

Creating Carolers - A pictorial

2010-12-15T18:47:00.001+13:00

Christmas Collage

2010-12-15T18:41:00.000+13:00

My girls like nothing more than to print out, cut out, stick on, (make a GIANT mess). They have boxes of old magazines and know their way around Google images, and are always making collages of some kind. So I decided we would make a Christmas one. They picked out the pics while Sienna and I constructed the collage tree, and then they set to work decorating it.

Chocolate Dipping Spoons

2010-12-11T07:52:00.000+13:00

Yesterday's craft I found over here. My girls are big hot chocolate fans (though Maddie drinks coffee), even in the summer, so I thought these would be fun. I guess ours weren't as 'perfect' as the ones from that blog, but we had a lot of fun making them, and I think they look pretty awesome.

They even made me a couple :)

A lot of the time we make things which the kids like but this was one that they LOVED, especially the finished product.

Our Gingerbread House

2010-12-05T14:50:00.000+13:00

So, we made a gingerbread house today. I tried not to help too much, and let them throw on whatever, but did have one issue with 'someone' using too many lollies. However, we got there in the end. Even if I stuffed up the sticking together part and the roof was distinctly bowed in the middle. Adds to the charm I say ;)

Guess who is in the chimney?

Ack, stop looking at that roof!

What gingerbread family doesn't have pet crocodiles in the yard?

Then, as every good scientist knows, what goes up, must come down :)

Oh, and Maddie did partake, she just asked to be kept out of the photos.

The first days of Christmas

2010-12-03T16:04:00.001+13:00

Yesterday we started decorating the house. Sienna took a particular liking to these gel-type decorations that we got from Farmers.

She likes to put the dots on top of one another and see what colour they make. Today was our planned visit into town for the Christmas Tree light up, and tomorrow we were off to Santas Balloomin Fantastic Balloon and Lolly Shop at the Base. But fearing that it would be too busy on a Saturday we decided to head over today instead.

Christmas is certainly looking colourful so far!

Maddie's Advent Calendar.

2010-12-02T13:33:00.000+13:00

This year Maddie, ever the angsty teen, found it really hard to find an advent calendar that she liked. Barbie and Dora just don't cut it anymore, and the cutesy Christmas themed ones made her want to barf. So I put it to her that perhaps we could make a custom one. We melted chocolate and hardened it into little mould's shaped like hearts, stars and Christmas trees, then wrapped them in foil. Maddie chose 24 celebrities, plus a pic of herself, printed and cut them out. We stuck them onto the chocolates, and then onto some card.

Number seven was her special request, a copy of the Last Sacrifice novel by Richelle Mead due out on the 7th of December.

Keepers :) Merry Christmas!

2010-12-02T12:27:00.000+13:00

Why I should just give up on taking a nice family picture.

2010-12-02T12:05:00.001+13:00

Well, the first of December knocked on the door yesterday and we embarked on our advent activity calendar. First up, family Christmas pictures! *cue groaning from children and husband*. Turns out my camera remote didn't feel like working, which made things a little difficult. We couldn't seem to get the right angle, expressions, composition. However, sometimes I think the out-takes are more fun than the 'keepers'. Let me share.

The one where Gilby gets amorous.

The one where Gilby starts to realize the joke is on him.

The one where Gilby seeks compensation, in the form of candy canes, for his humiliation.

The one where I realize I kiss with my eyes open, ewwww!

The one...er....

The one where these two decide to have a conversation, and Sienna looks for nits.

The one where Maddie wishes she were born into another family. Any other family.

The one where Denver looks like Mr Bean and Kyla should have stood in the centre.

The one where Sienna does her Macaulay Culkin 'Home Alone' impersonation.

The one where we half decapitate the man. Uh, you don't need your brain right?

Look what came in the mailbox...

2010-11-30T21:47:00.000+13:00

Good ol' Saint Nick replied to our Santa letters. Much excitement and anticipation now!

Fashion Week

2010-11-30T21:43:00.000+13:00

I got called into the lounge today to watch a runway show. The kids, Kyla, Denver and Sienna had found some clothing bags in the garage, set aside for coming years, and decided to try some on. Kyla then helped them set up a catwalk (some blankets) and directed them, choosing their outfits and playing music. Denver and Sienna had so much fun, as did I photographing it! I love that they can get so excited about hand-me-downs. Here's the (MANY) pics.

I'm not really talking about pizza, okay?

2010-11-25T15:36:00.000+13:00

Over the years, my relationship with pizza has changed. In my teens I was completely content with those pre-prepared pizza's from the chiller or freezer, that required nothing more than the ability to open a packet and work a microwave or oven. In my early adult years, with a busy family, often I would turn to the other easy option, and order takeout pizza. Cheap, fast and oh so easy, I didn't concern myself with anything other than filling up everyone's tummy. After I became a vegetarian I fell hard for Pizza Hut's vegetarian pizza, and for the first time I began to experiment with different toppings, my all time favourite being a thin based, vegetarian pizza topped with tomato, mushroom, onion, capsicum and loaded up with jalepeno's, chilli flakes and cajun spices, HOT!

Eventually I became a vegan, and decided to make my own pizza's using the rather expensive, but animal-free, mozzarella cheese substitute, made out of potato of all things.

People will tell you a lot of different things about pizza. Some will say there is nothing like a stuffed crust meat supreme from the pizza place. Others will argue that unless you are making your own dough, organically growing your own toppings, and cooking it in an authentic stone pizza oven you can't begin to call it pizza. Some people will even tell you that they don't like pizza at all, and refuse to eat it.

People will argue passionately over toppings and base's and cooking methods. They will exhaust themselves convincing you that their pizza is the most delicious pizza, all the while it grows cold and tasteless waiting to be eaten. They will be cruel to each other, as if rejecting their pizza is rejecting them. But here is what I have to say.

It doesn't matter where your pizza came from, how it's cooked or what it's made of.

There is no perfect recipe to fulfill everybody.

What matters is one simply thing.

YOU LOVE EATING IT.

Back Story

2010-11-24T15:45:00.000+13:00

I have to say, it's damn hard being a parent. I know from experience it's also damn hard being an adolescent.I try not to forget that when I'm dealing with the antics of my eldest girls.
I know what it is to feel so angry all the time and not have a clue why, to question your place in the world, to want the people you love to hear what you have to say and value it.
I've always said I want my girls to feel safe enough to vent. To be able to cry and rant and say terrible things they don't mean and know that I will love them no matter what.
But in reality, I'm just a woman. A parent, learning my way, stumbling, fumbling, trying to make everyone happy and often failing everyone. I'm weak, and flawed and sometimes too exhausted to care.
After a weekend of Maddie kicking off about seemingly everything I'd had enough. I stormed into her room and packed up her computer and desk and took it to the one place I knew would bother her more that anything...her younger sisters room.
Now Maddie loves her computer, this I knew, it's busy hum fills her room from first thing in the morning to late at night. She uses it to write and communicate and express herself. Like me she finds the virtual world easier to navigate, and her computer is the key to that world.
I took that key. In the heat of my anger, worn down by constant button pushing I pushed back, the one button I knew would hit home.
Almost instantly I was in turmoil. I felt like I should be that parent who says what they mean, who stands behind their punishment and 'teaches that lesson'. But also, I realized that we had both acted badly, and in retaliating, in lashing out and punishing, I had gone back on that promise to be that safe place to fall. I had said, in effect, 'Don't lay this crap on me, I don't want to deal with you and if you make me I'll make you regret it.'
Sure Maddie had acted badly, but do two wrongs make a right? Was I not the adult here? Should I not have acted differently, at least waited till I was thinking rationally and could approach the situation with calm.
But should I back down? What message would that send? What about respect and consequences and tough love?
So I guess 'Bring Madison's Computer Back' was born of Madison's need to get her beloved computer back, and my need to not back down entirely. A compromise. A way of forgiving each other and moving forward.

Letters to Santa!

2010-11-18T12:22:00.001+13:00

Signed, sealed, and ready for delivery :)

Advent Adventures

2010-11-18T00:00:00.000+13:00

Today we spent much of the day preparing for December by creating an advent calendar. We found this idea over at the Crafty Crow.
First Sienna and Kyla painted the water colours we needed to form the basis of the paper dolls.

Then I cut out the little apron shapes and Denver wrote the numbers on them. Really proud of her as she finds writing difficult, but she really persevered.

When the paintings were dry, I joined them together, three pieces at a time, folded into six and cut them into doll shapes. Then I wrote the activities we had planned for each day on the backs of the aprons. The girls then drew faces on their rows of dolls (they picked one row of six each).

(Sienna's)

(Maddie's)

(Denver's)

(Kyla's)

Then we stuck them up on the wall, above Buddha, who I'm sure won't mine even though he doesn't 'do' Christmas.

I have a tendency to avoid Christmas, but this year I wanted to make up for the past years of grinchyness and we have a fun month planned. Our activities list looks like this.

(Oh if you're in town and want to join us let me know!)

December 1 ~ Christmas Photographs

December 2 ~ Decorate the house

December 3 ~ Go out to watch them light up the big tree in Garden Place

December 4 ~ Santa's Balloomin Fantastic Lolly Factory

December 5 ~ Make a gingerbread house
December 6 ~ Learn some Christmas carols
December 7 ~ Make salt dough ornaments
December 8 ~ Perform Christmas dance
December 9 ~ Buy our K Mart wishing tree present
December 10 ~ Make Chocolate dipped spoons
December 11 ~ Strawberry picking
December 12 ~ The Hamilton Christmas Parade
December 13 ~ Make Christmas gifts for visitors
December 14 ~ Make a Christmas collage
December 15 ~ Make Christmas carolers (craft)
December 16 ~ Write our own Christmas themed story
December 17 ~Christmas in the Park
December 18 ~ Christmas Baking
December 19 ~ Perform Christmas play
December 20 ~ Visit the Templeview Christmas lights
December 21 ~ Christmas movie marathon
December 22 ~ Mini mosaics
December 23 ~ Christmas baking
December 24 ~ Make table centrepiece
December 25 ~ CHRISTMAS!!!!

Dark Falling by Madison Morris (First Completed Assignment for Young Writers Programme)

2010-08-11T14:44:00.000+12:00

I didn’t mean to fall from heaven. Call it fate or destiny or whatever but it was all the fault of a malicious black cat.

I was sitting beside the lake of my childhood summers, Lake Stephanie, with my legs knee deep in the shallows when it approached. I was gazing at the red and gold fish swimming lazily in the sparkling water, the aquatic blues and greens merging into each other, like the paua shells my little brother Thomas used to collect. I was so deeply immersed in thoughts of happier times with Thomas, that when a dark shape appeared beside my reflection in the water, it scared the hell out of me, it's intense blackness stark against the whiteness of my skin.
I stared at it for a few moments, but all I could see of the reflection next to me were swirls of black, and the red flashes of the fish who were hurriedly swimming in frightened circles. I turned my torso around, and it was then that I saw the animal’s features for the first time. It was the tallest cat I had ever seen; it towered above me. It’s needle-like whiskers and sharp dagger shaped ears framing ruby eyes, so mesmerising that I couldn’t bring myself to tear mine away.
When the beautiful creature caught me staring however, it gave me a long hard glare before it turned around and leaped away into the bushes that surrounded Lake Stephanie. It briefly occurred to me then, that with its height and body, he or she could just as easily be a larger feline, like a leopard or a panther. In fact it looked exactly like a larger version of my beloved Sophie, my pet before I had come to this place.
I stood up quickly and felt a wave of dizziness hit me, as faint fragments of memories swirled around my mind. I realized I had no idea how long I had been sitting here alone, at the edge of the lake, comforting myself with memories of endless summer days, swimming and laughing until I cried. I was startled to realize that I had almost forgotten what it was like to love and be loved, I had almost forgotten those I left behind. I turned to look at the bushes; this creature had entered my heaven, but how?
The thought of following the cat terrified me but so did the realization that if I didn’t, I might be alone forever. I walked towards the bushes searching for the track of paw-prints. I quickly located them in the soft ground and started to make my way through the undergrowth. For a moment I hesitated. Looking behind me I was startled to find that my beautiful heaven had disappeared behind a white mist. I had no choice but to continue after the cat.
I pushed through the bushes after Sophie. Sophie??? The thought froze me solid in the middle of the bush; did I really think the large feline that had crawled through these bushes minutes ago was the same cat that had been mine as a child? The same Sophie who had slept curled on my bed every night until...I....left? Is that how I had come to be in this place? I started to move forward again, if I stopped to ponder these strange thoughts, I would lose track of Sophie.
Less than five minutes later I emerged from the bushes. And the second I stuck my head out I wished I hadn’t. The scene before me was like something out of a sickly twisted horror movie. It was pitch black, despite the fact that it had been daytime just moments before. The only light was from, wait for it, Sophie’s eyes, and let me tell you those flashing rubies were less inviting than the darkness. I tried to manifest some sunshine or light of any kind, something to help me break through the darkness, but it was no use. This was Sophie’s domain and whatever powers I had were useless.
In one of the most horrifying things I’d ever seen, Sophie gave a huge growl, and before I could react, bounded towards me, tearing at my pure white wings, my head and my arms, ripping with her razor sharp teeth and claws. Worse than the scorching pain was the betrayal, why would Sophie - dear sweet Sophie who I had raised from a kitten - attack me so brutally?
One second I was in the sky being shredded to the pieces by Sophie and the next I was waiting for my soul to be destroyed the way my body had been when death had come the first time.

“Ohmigod she’s waking up! Somebody get me a nurse!”
I opened my eyes to see the tear stained faces of my family leaning over me.
“Oh Rachel, honey, you’ve come back to us finally, we thought...” My mother’s voice was hoarse with emotion and her make-up was dripping down her face.
“Mum.” I croaked. “What’s happened, where am I?”
“Rachel,” said Dad, giving mum a hard look and taking my hand. “Don’t worry sweetie, just rest now, we’ll talk some more later.”
I frowned and started to ask another question but found myself slipping into sleep, had this all been a dream I wondered? Heaven, Sophie, the lake? It had all seemed so real. I felt a soft brush at my finger tips and I struggled to open my eyes, Thomas’ face appeared at my bedside, no longer the sweet little six year old I remembered, he was now a young man. He leaned forward to whisper in my ear and it was then that I could have sworn the same big blue eyes he’d always had, flashed red.
“This belongs to you.”
I looked down at my hand; there nestled between my fingers was a small pure white feather.

Snakesssssssssssss

2010-08-06T09:15:00.000+12:00

Yesterday Sienna was adamant that she wanted me to teach her something. So we found a sunny patch to sit in and read the story of Perseus and Medusa. We watched Percy Jackson the Lightning Thief a couple of weeks back, and the girls were interested in the myths, so I had gotten a book out on our next trip to the library.
After we had finished reading, the two of us made a Medusa face. Sienna loves drawing and cutting and creating, and once we had finished our Medusa, we made two more.
In case it all looks just like fun, I do ask Sienna questions as we go along to see what she is picking up.I asked her to count how many snakes there were so I knew how many tongues to make, and she did this. When I asked her what snake started with, she thought for a minute then said, S!
So I got her an S handwriting sheet, and she set to work on that.
After all that, in keeping with the snake theme, we decided to make snake cookies, and decorate them.

The Maximum Ride Adventures by James Patterson

2010-06-22T22:57:00.000+12:00

*** Prologue***

The Maximum Ride Adventures By James Patterson

Life as Maximum Ride and her flock should be easy. No adults, no rules and hey, even wings (!); What could be better? Well besides the fact that they're MUTANT BIRD kids on the RUN for their LIVES, nothing.
The series centers around Max, a fourteen year old teenager who has taken up the role as leader of the flock - the name of their little group of seven - ever since their former guardian Jeb disappeared years ago. But life as Max is never easy for besides looking after the flock - fourteen year old Iggy, Fang also fourteen, eleven year old Nudge, eight year old Gasman (literally), and Angel who is just six. The flock are on the run from the place they grew up in, named The School. The School being a lab for evil scientists, that experimented on the kids as they grew up.
This young adult book is like nothing I've ever read before, and that's a good thing. Max is my kind of girl and nothing gets in her way. To anyone, male or female, old or young, looking for a few great reads, then this is the series for you.
My Rating of of five for this series of adventures is 4.5. They were some of the most fantastic reads yet, my only criticism would be the heart breaking ending of book six.
My favourite character and favourite book are one word and one word only: Max.

***Epilogue***

I picked up the first Maximum Ride novel, The Angel Experiment about six months ago. I'd never read a James Patterson novel before, although obviously I'd heard of him, and the subject matter was instantly intriguing ; children genetically modified, mixed with avian (yes, that's bird!) DNA. The novels, (there have been six so far, and a movie is also in the works), centre around the flock. Rescued from the laboratory that created them, called the school, by Jeb, the kids are led from adventure to adventure by strong rebellious Max. Fang, her friend (and maybe more) is a boy of few words, Nudge is a girl who enjoys a little attention, Iggy and Gasman are the jokers of the flock, and Gasman's little sister Angel may be just six, but she is anything but a helpless little girl, not to forget Total, the talking dog who becomes so much a part of the flock that he grows a set of wings.
The Maximum Ride series is full of action and excitement, which has you reading just one more chapter, until you realise you're at the end. I'm not usually an action junkie, but the violence is not graphic or repulsive, and the tender moments are just quite lovely. The characters are engaging and amusing, and I couldn't help but admire them all, especially Max, who despite her lack of education and parenting, manages to keep her odd little family together and alive, while enemy after enemy launches the attack. With enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, these novels are one of the best YA series' I have read, definitely a 5 out of 5.
My favourite book so far has been Fang, although I have to confess to a few tears at the end, I can't wait for the next one, which I believe will be titled Angel.
My favourite character is so hard to determine, I love Max's rebellious spirit, Fangs quiet loyalty and Angel, well, just for being Angel. So I'll cheat and pick all three!

Keen? Check out the Website (if you get past level three on the game you're a legend!)

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, a review.

2010-06-18T12:33:00.000+12:00

***Prologue***

It was the most exciting chapter yet, fan’s eagerly gripping the sides of the book as they read. Thoughts passed through their minds at lightening speed: Who was going to come out of the battle on top, Victoria or Edward Cullen? And finally what would become of Victoria’s soldier Bree Tanner?

If you’ve read The Twilight Saga : Eclipse you would already know the answers to all of the questions above, but would you know the answer to the question, what life did Bree Tanner live before she and the rest of Victoria’s army attacked the Cullens?

Well you’re in luck twi-hards because the Twilight Saga’s author Stephenie Meyer has released another Twilight Saga addition; a novella about Bree Tanner's life titled; The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner.

Newborn vampire Bree Tanner’s Seattle life is anything but simple. Besides dealing with the constant burning in her throat caused by blood-lust, Bree also has to deal with her growing feelings for vampire pal Diego, her master Riley’s ongoing orders and her, Bree’s mysterious and unknown creator.

What I thought about this book: Stunning. Marvellous. The Short Second life of Bree Tanner may just be my favourite book in the saga. Superb in every way, the only thing that let me down was the super tear-jerking ending.
My Favourite Character: Bree Tanner
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Congrats Mrs. Meyer you did it again

***Epilogue***

So, if four novels, one quarter of a manuscript and three movies weren't enough to sate your appetite for a certain vampire family, Stephenie Meyer recently released a novella, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. Originally, like Midnight Sun for R-Patz, this was written for the actress playing Bree, Jodelle Ferland to help her really get into the character in Eclipse. Stephenie Meyer requested, as a thank you to her fans, that it be made free to read online. And it is, but only until the 7th July, so get to breetanner.com quick if you haven't already.
Maddie and I were skeptical about the word 'novella', considering how lengthy the Twilight Saga novels are, so were surprised to find that it was in fact just 178 pages, easily readable in an afternoon.
Bree Tanner is one of the newborn vampires, recruited by Riley, the leader of the vampire army and created by Victoria, who, in an effort to block Alice Cullen's powers of foresight, is only known to the newborn army as 'her' and is never seen by any of them. Bree develops a relationship with a fellow recruit, and together they begin to unravel the net of lies that has snared them. There are a couple of interesting scenes that shed light on the Volturi and Edward Cullen, that I wasn't expecting, but I definitely feel that Bree's story drew me in and the addition of the familiar Twilight characters added little to the story.
I've heard a lot of criticisms of Meyers writing, most written in that lovely shade of envy green, but for me, the one thing that she does superbly is to create characters that you want to invest in. With Bree Tanner it's no different, and although if you've read Eclipse you'll realise that the ending is not going to be pretty, I found I couldn't help but be pulled in to her story. Obviously this is meant to be a companion novella to Eclipse,but if you've never picked up a Twilight novel, as a stand alone story it's a worthwhile read, and perhaps a good first taste of Meyer's flavour of writing.
I'd rate it a 4.5 out of 5. My favourite character was Fred, whose peculiar 'power' kept me amused through-out.

Our To-Reads this week.

2010-06-11T15:55:00.000+12:00

Prologue

(Right side)

Maximum Ride: Schools Out Forever By James Patterson YA fiction

The Vampire Diaries: Shadow Souls By L.J Smith YA fiction

Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports By James Patterson YA fiction

Maximum Ride: The Final Warning By James Patterson YA fiction

The Lonely Hearts Club By Elizabeth Eulberg YA fiction

Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind By Marilyn Kaye Childrens fiction (had to check it out cause my lil' sis was raving 'bout them)

Nobodys Girl By Sarra Manning YA fiction

Beautiful dead: Book one- Jonas By Eden Maguire YA fiction

Jaquie Brown's Guide to Everything By Jaquie Brown Adult (non) fiction (Hay is reading this too).

And many more that are yet to release. At the moment I have started on five of them (I have a rather big memory) -Nobodys Girl, Shadow Souls, Maximum Ride: Schools Out Forever, Bree Tanner and Early to Death, Early to Rise. So far they are all great and hope to review some soon :)

****

Both Reading

The Short Life of Bree Tanner: A eclipse novella By Stephanie Meyer

(FREE online until July 5)

Madison Avery (cool name): (Book 2) Early to Death, Early to Rise By Kim Harrison YA fiction

Dark Guardians: Shadow of the Moon By Rachel Hawthorne YA fiction

(Both downloaded from Whitcoulls Ebooks)

Epilogue

(Left side)

Salem's Lot Stephen King (Recommended by Rick, thanks dude!)

Wolfcry Amelia Atwater Rhodes

Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger (I took a test on Facebook and it said I was most like Salinger, so I decided to check him out)

Shadowkiss and Blood Promise (Vampire Academy Series) Richelle Mead

The Fury, Dark Reunion, and The Return Nightfall (The Vampire Diaries) L.J. Smith

Wings Aprilynne Pike (I don't *do* fairy stories, but Maddie insisted I try it).

The Devouring Simon Holt

I Lost My Mobile at the Mall Wendy Harmer

Lock and Key Sarra Dessen (Maddie's all time favourite novel)

Chosen P.C and Kristin Cast (Book three in the House of Night Series. I've read 1, 2, 4,5, 6 and 7 but somehow I missed number three).

Jatta Jenny Hale

Dark Secrets 1 Elizabeth Chandler (Maddie finished this and LOVED it).

The Den of Shadows Quartet

2010-06-10T12:38:00.000+12:00

The Den Of Shadows Quartet by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Four Complete Vampire Novels
One Captivating world

Random House Australia 2010 / 595 pages / ISBN: 978-1-86471-861-4

***Prologue***

So a few weeks ago Hay and I were doing our regular browsing of our local library’s young adult section and we suddenly came across a quartet vampire novel by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes titled The Den of Shadows. Although the novels inside sounded great, I have to admit I was intimidated by them as I was about to read four complete novels by an author I’d never heard of before but Hay convinced me to give them a go and for that I thank her for they were....incredible.

The quartet starts off with The Forests of Night- Risika being the main character but unlike some vampire stories out there, Risika is not a human in love with a vampire, oh no, Risika is a three hundred year old vampire and perhaps she could fall in love with a human...if she weren’t to busy hiding from her past. But when memories from her past start to resurface so does Aubrey, one of the most powerful vampires Risika has ever known and the same vampire who took away her innocence and her soul. How far will Risika go to try and save her life and maybe, just maybe, gain vengeance for her human life.

What I thought about this book: It was a fantastic read with a great narrative by a powerful female vampire who proves you don’t have to be a male vampire to throw a good punch in a fight. Written by the author when she was just thirteen years old, Risika’s story is one you’ll want to read again and again. Totally recommended.

Favourite character: Definitely Risika
My rating: 4.5 out of 5

Demon in My View- the second story in the quartet; High school student Jessica is a novelist who specializes in vampire fiction- but when new student Alex arrives at her school, Jessica swears he is one of her novel characters- but he couldn’t be, Jessica’s characters only exist in her books- don’t they? And as if that wasn’t enough to deal with, Jessica also has to deal with the mysterious Caryn Smoke and her apparent hatred of Alex.

What I thought about this book: A great read with an interesting plot and awesome characters. The ending was a little disappointing for me but all and the entire book was great and I would read it again.

Favourite character: Caryn Smoke.
My rating: 3 out of 5

Shattered Mirror- Sarah Vida is a vampire hunting witch and she’s after Nikolas, one of the only vampires ever to kill a witch in the Vida line. Christopher Ravena is a vampire...who doesn’t drink human blood and his past just happens to be connected to Nikolas’s.

What I thought about this book: BRILLIANT! Although I was disappointed with the ending in this book as well, I have to say this is one of the best stories in this quartet!!!

Favourite Character: Adianna Vida
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (would have been 5 but the ending)

Midnight Predator- Turquoise Draka and Raven Aniketos have never been the best of friends but when they are partnered up for a vampire assassination, they’re going to have to put their difference’s aside for their assignment just happens to be Jeshickah- the one time ruler of midnight, a vampire realm where is your human you’re either dead or a slave.

What I thought about this book: The best book in the whole quartet-even though Miss Atwater-Rhodes continued to disappoint me with yet another ending. But despite the ending, there’s nothing in this book I would change.

Favourite character: It’s impossible to decide between Turquoise and Raven.
My Rating: 5 out 5

***Epilogue***

Maddie and I happened across this one in the library a week or so ago. It was displayed with the new books in the YA section, and immediately drew us in with it's glossy black cover (art by Miranda Adria), which I thought was brilliantly done, but Maddie felt was a little too like Becca Fitzpatrick's, Hush Hush (art by James Porto), which is probably a fair call.

Although four separate stories, they are linked to one another through common characters and settings, which as well as being unique, was also quite satisfying and comforting as a reader. Sometimes it is difficult to embrace a whole new set of characters so soon after you have finished reading another story, so having at least (barely) met the characters earlier was nice. The first story is centred around Risika, a three hundred year old vampire, the second Jessica, an 'average' high school student (although how many 'average' high school students have published novels?), the third Sarah, a vampire hunting witch, and the final story is about Turquoise Draka, a vampire hunter.

What I loved about all these characters, as the mother of four daughters, was their fierce independence and strength, these ladies weren't waiting around for prince charming, they were kicking his butt! It was refreshing that none of the endings were tied up in happily ever afters, firmly ensconced in the bosom of the immortal hero who had saved the day. However, if I had one criticism of the main female characters it would be how similar they are, but perhaps that is more noticeable because they were published in one anthology, rather than separately as they had been previously.

My favourite character was Jessica, from the story called Demon in My View, mostly because she reminds me so much of Maddie, (though Maddie would never fall for Aubrey, of course *wink*), but my favourite story was Midnight Predator, the story of Turquoise Draka, and the rather gorgeous vampire, Jaguar. I just wish that story hadn't ended!

Averaging out across the whole novel, I'd give this one a 4 out of 5

MOTAT

2010-05-31T14:52:00.000+12:00

So, we went to Motat, thanks in part to Bree, and her mum, who provided us with the free ticket to go. It's a pretty awesome place, though the weather was awful, and Sienna was grumpy, so we didn't see it all. Highlights were the mirromaze, the whisper dishes, the simulator ride, which Maddie declined to ride, but was truly awesome, and the tram ride. Denver watched the driver like a hawk on the return trip, trying to work out how he rang the bell. When we stopped, we asked him, turns out it was with his foot. Then he let Denver and Sienna ring the bell, much to their delight! Here are some pics.

Into the future, one slow stumble at a time.

2010-05-31T12:25:00.000+12:00

So finally New Zealand has caught up with the rest of the planet, and Whitcoulls has finally released an eBook site. I cannot tell you how exciting this is for Maddie and I, who have been dreaming, drooling, desiring a Kindle ever since we heard the term eBook.
However, Amazon is still pretending NZ doesn't exist, and won't market the very sexy Kindle here, but Whitcoulls does have an alternative for those of us who can't even hope to afford any device that has a little *i* in front of it, the Kobo . In white or black, with a variety of font types and sizes, and 100 free books included (it holds up to a thousand), it's almost as cute as a Kindle, and will set you back $295, a still angst worthy price for those of us with a lot more sense than cents.
At the moment, as I do with any purchase over three figures, I'm waxing lyrical about how I can't afford it, that I can wait until the price drops or a windfall happens, but once I'm done with that, I'll be wrenching our reluctant, battered credit card from the Mr's wallet, and buying us a Kobo.

Until then, check this out. You can download the eReader application to your computer. Once downloaded you get five books (we got Alice in Wonderland, The Grimm Brothers Fairy Tales, Huckleberry Finn, Bram stokers Dracula, and Sherlock Holmes). Then you can browse other available titles, all ready to download for much less than you would pay for the actual books. The site doesn't have a whole lot yet, but Maddie and I already have our eye on a couple of titles, one of which isn't released physically for another two weeks. They also have a FREE classics section, where you can download titles like Jane Eyre, Moby Dick, War and Peace, to your PC for FREE! FREE! I downloaded Siddhartha. When you open the book a little book mark will appear showing you where you are up to. It's very cute.

Gingerbread Men

2010-05-25T16:09:00.000+12:00

I saw these in the supermarket on Sunday and thought they looked fun. I'm not a huge ginger fan, so usually when we make these type of biscuits we do shortbread. The recipe is easy, and they even give you a cookie cutter, but only one colour (white) icing, so we used our other icing gels.

Kyla decided to make a Justin Bieber one (of course).

Denver and Sienna just had loads of fun decorating, and Madi made a Sue Sylvester cookie.

(Notice red tracksuit, white trim)

Oh, and the eating of course!!!

Ky's Pics

2010-05-12T18:27:00.000+12:00

Kyla took off with my camera this afternoon. Here's what I found on my memory card.

Picture Perfect

2010-05-11T22:56:00.000+12:00

Bieber Fever

2010-05-11T22:53:00.000+12:00

Ever since a certain celebrity hit our shores a couple of weeks ago, a strange illness has overtaken our household, called Bieber Fever. (Maddie would like it to be known she has not had, or ever intends to have said fever). Kyla has, at last count, 22 pictures of him in her room, and spends most of her time listening to his CD, googling pictures of him, or staring at his videos on YouTube with this faraway expression. I had no idea it has also hit miss Sienna.

When I asked her about her picture she said, 'Its Justin Bieber. I love him.' Oh, right. Then she wanted to write his name, so I wrote each letter and she did her best to copy them.

Bathtime for Gilby

2010-05-11T22:46:00.000+12:00

Gilby thinks, Hey hose! Cool! I love the hose. Squirt me!

Gilby thinks, Um, hang on, this wasn't how I imagined it.

Gilby thinks, Wash away my dignity too, while you're at it.

Gilby thinks, Hey, maybe if I distract them I can escape.

Freedom!

Beados

2010-05-11T22:38:00.000+12:00

A couple of weeks ago Sienna was given some Beados as one of her birthday presents. She had always admred Kyla's set, so she was very excited to get her very own. It was a Disney Princess themed kit, and over the course of a weekend, she worked her way through the whole kit, one crown, castle, princess at a time.

Having finished the kit, she declared it necessary to go buy more beados, so she spent some of her birthday money on a new kit, puppy themed :)

Anniversary Dinner

2010-04-26T20:00:00.000+12:00

Among the quotes on my sidebar is this one, perhaps my favourite.

Emma Goldman -No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure.

Whilst it is always wonderful to see my girls achieve something academic, for me it is the development of their hearts that warm me more. Today the eldest girls surprised us by planning a dinner for Rog and I, in celebration of our twelfth wedding anniversary. They realised that lack of babysitters mean we are unable to go out for a meal, and they wanted us to have some way of marking the day as special (not that a trip to the doctors to syringe his waxy ears, or a weekly load up at the grocery store wasn't laden with romance :p ).

So they presented us with a menu.

Entree

Pancakes

Main

Gentleman : Sausages, beans, eggs and toast

Lady: Potato Wedges (Maddie had seen a recipe for these in one of her magazines)

Dessert

Gentleman : Sundae (which later morphed into a banana split)

Lady : Ice cream soda

Drinks

Water

Coke Zero

Milk

Lemonade

After some discussion it was decided that an entree probably wasn't necessary, if we were to fit in a main and dessert. The girls tidied up the table, which is in the garage right now, (due to no space in our teeny house), laid a cloth, utensils wrapped carefully in napkins, fancy wine glasses and salt and pepper. All this by 3:30pm!

At around 5:30pm they hit the kitchen.

Roger and I sat in the garage (he named it Le Garage), and reminisced whilst listening to music. The girls were very attentive to our needs, filling our glasses and trying to keep the little ones out of our hair.

They worked pretty well, though Maddie went into Gordon Ramsey mode a few times. But eventually, with a bare minimum of help, they plated up a couple of remarkably tasty mains.

Followed by our amazing desserts.

A wonderful, amazing evening. Better than going out to any restaurant. Thank you girls, we love you both!

Maddie

2010-04-12T13:24:00.001+12:00

I like to think of myself as a writer, even though it's very rare for me to actually write anything these days. There is a true writer in my house. The girl who cannot be within a metre of a pencil and paper without scrawling something across it. The girl whose room is piled high with used exercise books, and crumpled paper. The girl who has changed her name recently from Madi to Maddie (possibly only to annoy me). She is such an inspiration to me already, at only eleven years old. I wish I had her drive and persistence. I don't know if she will choose to be a writer when she is grown, but I know writing has already chosen her. Here are two things I found this week that she wrote for her sisters, and has let me share. All her own thoughts and words, unchanged by me.

(Written while watching Sienna draw)
When she draws worlds come alive. Slowly she goes over every detail in true artist fashion. She is a young one, this artist, but the concentration coming from her could rival even the oldest and wisest of humans.
And with each of her drawings comes an explaination, and with that explaination comes a new light to her art. Your eyes adjust to the drawing and you see the shapes in a different way. Two curved lines and four straight lines become a dog within seconds. That is how powerful her art is.
Throughout all of this she never once stops drawing, for she can no longer contain her creative outlet. She has waited long enough.
If I had my way, she would never have to block out her creativeness and drawings for as long as she lived.

(Written one night when she was feeling unusually affectionate towards Kyla)
The 10 things I love about you

1. How super sweet and caring you are.

2 Your originality, mohawk and the term 'emo' included.

3. Your creativeness. Your drawings are amazing, and you proved to me you don't need words to write a story.

4. Your ability to bounce back from critism. Unlike moi, you don't give those words much thought. I admire that feat.

5. How you are willing to play on the nintendos with me even when you're extremely tired at night.

6. Your wiseness. I know it sounds daft considering you're only ten years old, but compared to you I'm like a two year old, (which as you know is not the wisest person on Earth.)

7. The way you love animals even when they are gross, disgusting and scary, (which is practically all the time, but, well, that's not the point, is it?)

8. The fact that you are very optimistic and always make me look on the bright side. Except when your sunny side has a day off and your stormy side takes over, then it's just bad stuff.

9. What goes around doesn't come around with you. I can be selfish, mean, violent even, and you still don't give me back my own medicine. Instead you share with me, say nice things, and only ever pitch [a fit] when it's your sunny sides day off (see eight).

And of course

10. The fact that you are forever and always, my sister.

Crayon Crazy

2010-04-11T11:18:00.000+12:00

These days it's impossible to tear Denver away from the Nintendo or PlayStation for very long, as she has finally mastered the art of them. Madison too, is usually off reading or writing. But luckily I can still rely upon Kyla and Sienna to get excited about doing art activites.
Yesterday I showed them a few crayon art activities that I remember spending ages doing as a kid. This was a quick easy way for my mum to keep me occupied and out of her hair for ages. Of course my kiddos want me to do it with them, so no rest for this wicked one.

After that we decided to do some wax art. I grated some crayons and they sprinkled them between some sheets of greaseproof paper, then we ironed them.

It was a monster mash...

2010-03-27T15:00:00.000+13:00

Yesterday at the park Denver suddenly declared that she wanted to throw a monster party. We are the kind of people who throw random parties, so off we headed to the supermarket to grab some snacks, and home to set up. After blowing up loads of black balloons, we got down to costumes. Denver had decided already that she was going to be a ghost. Kyla decided she wanted to be a mummy, Sienna a BAD mermaid, and even Madi wanted to join in, as a vampire.

After the obligatory photoshoot, it was time for snacks. These included slime soda's, blood soda's, dinosaur cupcakes and shrunken brains (popcorn).

Then they watched their favourite Scooby-doo movie, Ghoul School!

Who do I thank for such a beautiful life as this?

2010-03-25T13:49:00.000+13:00

Road Trippin'

2010-02-15T23:19:00.001+13:00

On Sat afternoon Kyla and I packed our bags and headed off on a spur of the moment adventure to Rotorua.She took some pics along the way.

She turns ten tomorrow (16th), and she really wanted to do the Freefall.
After arriving and having dinner we meet Excalibur the horse, a friend of Nana Jens, and Kyla fell in love instantly.

Then Nana Carol took us up the Gondolas, to drink in the sights of Rotorua and dusk fell. We even got to ride in gondola number 10, which made the birthday girl happy.

Then it was back to nana's house for some sleep. Up early the next morning for a wander around the markets, and to feed the gulls lakeside.

Then it was the main event, the freefall! She was a bundle of nerves pre-flight, as she suited up and listened to the instructors.

She then went out and got familiar with the flight area.

And then...

She was amazing up there, and totally LOVED it. She is already saving for her next flight :)
We headed back to Auckland, making one last stop, at CANDYLAND! Yum :)

In the kitchen last week.

2010-02-15T22:49:00.000+13:00

Madi made four desserts last week. After the pavlova, we attempted profiteroles, which ended up pancakerolls (frowns), but tasted scrummy neverless if the fact that there were no leftovers is anything to go by! Maybe the homemade caramel sauce helped.

Then we broke out the chocolate and made Rachael Rays Black and White Parfait, which was Rogers fave.

(The oreos were our idea )

Finally she turned her hand to Chocolate Pistachio kisses, from Jo Seagars cookbook.

These were SO cute, and though the Mr found them a little chocolatey, they were a BIG hit with the girls.
Madi had fun in the kitchen, but she was happy enough to go back to her books :)

Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova

2010-02-09T20:19:00.000+13:00

Madi's turn in the kitchen this week and no prizes for guessing what's on the menu...DESSERTS!

Spaghetti with Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs by Rachael Ray

2010-02-09T11:10:00.001+13:00

Sorry for the delay in posting, my Picnik decided to play up for a few days, so I've been unable to edit the pics. But here we go, the final meal.

Spaghetti with Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs by Rachael Ray
Ingredients:

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs

1/2 cup milk or water

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, 2 smashed and 1 chopped

Two 400g cans crushed tomatoes

Salt

500g minced beef

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving

1 large egg

mozzarella cheese, cut into 20 (1/2-inch) cubes

500g spaghetti

Directions:

1.In a medium bowl, soak the bread crumbs in the milk.

2.In a large, wide saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season to taste with salt and let the sauce simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally.

3.Add the beef, chopped garlic, parsley, Parmigiano-Reggiano, egg and 1 teaspoon of salt to the soaked bread crumbs and stir with a fork until combined. Place about 2 tablespoons of the mixture in your hand and press a mozzarella cube into the center. Shape the meat around the cheese, forming a ball. Repeat with the remaining meat and mozzarella.

4.Stir the sauce and raise the heat to medium- low. Carefully place the meatballs in the sauce, submerging them completely. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook without stirring for 20 minutes.

5.Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti, cook until al dente, about 8 minutes, and drain. Toss the spaghetti with the tomato sauce and meatballs, sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve.

So, the boss was a bit...'meh' about this one, as he's not the biggest pasta fan. But he did appreciate the flavours and it filled him up. Frankly, I would have eaten it...YUM.

So here is his line up, 1 being his fave.

1. Ramsay's steak and hollandaise (we cooked it again for him on the weekend)
2. Jamie's *posh* ham chicken
3. Nigella's pork and mustard sauce...(he would have liked better if the meat was off the bone)
4. Rachael Ray's meatballs
5. Jo Seagar's chicken wraps.

Day 4 : Parmesan Chicken Breasts with Crispy Posh Ham by Jamie Oliver

2010-02-04T22:21:00.000+13:00

Ingredients
30g Parmesan cheese

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 skinless chicken breasts

ground black pepper

1 lemon

6 slices of prosciutto

olive oil

Chicken prep

Grate the parmesan and pick the thyme leaves off your stalks. Carefully score the underside of the chicken breasts in a criss-cross fashion.

Season with a little pepper, and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Grate some lemon zest over the top.

Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Lay 2 or 3 prosciutto slices on each breast and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Put some clingfilm over the breasts and bash them until they are about 1cm thick. Kyla really got into the bashing!

To Cook

Heat pan to a medium heat. carefully transfer the chicken breasts into the pan, prosciutto side down. Drizzle over some olive oil. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side.

Rog didn't skip a beat with this one...Jamie Oliver! Lol. He enjoyed it a lot, but found the lemon a bit different for his palate. Thus far it's his second favourite. One more night to go, and he's trying to convince us we need to do another week.

Day Three : Angus steak with basil hollandaise by Gordon Ramsay

2010-02-03T23:01:00.002+13:00

Actually the recipe was for Rib-eye, but I couldn't resist the cuts of Angus on special this week, as Rog loves his Angus meat. To be honest this was the recipe that was worrying me the most, I'd heard about how hard it was to keep hollindaise from splitting.

Ingredients (adapted to serve one)
1 thick steak
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove (in it's skin)
handful of thyme sprigs

For the basil hollandaise
100ml white wine vinegar
small bunch of basil, stalks roughly chopped
few peppercorns
2 egg yolks
250g unsalted butter, melted and
skimmed to give about 200ml

The first step was to chop the butter into cubes and melt it in a pan. When it foams, you skim off the white foam and scum from the top until it's clear. You should be left with 200mls or so. We left that to cool.

Then we put the steak on a plate and rubbed each side with the oil, and rubbed in plenty of pepper and rock salt. Leave it to marinate for ten minutes.

We put the oven on 180 C to heat up, then put a pot of water on to boil, and started heating up the frypan. This recipe called for some serious multi-tasking.

For the hollindaise, put the vinegar, basil stalks, and peppercorns into a small pot. Boil down to about 3 tbsp, then strain. Put the egg yolks into a large deep bowl, add 1 tbsp of cold water, and 1 tbsp of the vinegar reduction, then whisk until light and frothy. Then put the bowl over, but not touching, the simmering water, and whisk to a light, airy foam. Now gradually add the butter, little by little, whisking all the time to make a silky yellow sauce. Keep the sauce warm for up to 30 minutes in a bath of just warm water, then, just before serving add in some fresh chopped basil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Ours didn't split, phew!

Back to the steak. Add some oil, the clove of garlic and the handful of thyme to the hot pan. Sear the steak for 3 mins on the first side until well browned, basting with the oil and herbs as it cooks. Sear the other side of the steak in the same way. Brown around the edges and then transfer the steak and juices into the oven to roast for about ten minutes. Once cooked, leave to rest.

We plated ours with a couple of hashbrowns and an egg.

Rog thought this was absolutely delicious, he raved about it all night, AND he guessed correctly that it was a Ramsay recipe (Of course it's getting easier to guess now with only three choices!). He was torn between Ramsay and Jamie Oliver for a bit, then decided that it was probably a little fiddly for Oliver.
His only critism was that there wasn't enough, he's already ordered it again.

Doctor, Doctor, give me the news, I've got a bad case of lovin' you.

2010-02-03T15:24:00.001+13:00

A couple of years ago Kyla was really into playing doctors. We made her a kit full of plasters, bandages and what not, and she 'fixed' everyone. Seems Denver has caught the doctor bug, and yesterday we stocked up Kyla's old kit and they set about doctoring each other.

They make me laugh with the illnesses they come up with, but most commonly they are having babies :), or have been hit by a car.

That's a Tic Tac above!

After all that Sienna was cured!

Day Two : Nigella's Mustard Pork Chops and Gnocchi

2010-02-02T21:40:00.000+13:00

Nigella suggests that you serve the mustard pork chops with gnocchi, so first thing this morning Kyla and I made a batch of gnocchi. We then portioned it and froze it until we needed it this evening.

We cooked it just before we started on the pork, and kept it warm until just before serving. Here are the ingredients for the mustard pork chops.

2 pork chops
garlic oil
1 TBsp grainy mustard
1/2 C cider
1/4 C cream

Cut the fat off the chops and then bash them briefly, but brutally, with a rolling pin between two pieces of clingfilm to make them thinner.
Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and cook the chops over a moderately high heat for about 5 minutes a side. Remove to rest on a warmed plate.

Pour cider into the pan, still over the heat, to de-glaze the pan. Let it bubble away for a minute or so, then add the mustard and the cream, stir well.
Let the sauce continue cooking for a few minutes before pouring over each plated pork chop. If you are having gnocchi with it, make sure you turn them in the pan to absorb any spare juices before adding them to your plate.

Kyla discovered gnocchi for the first time, and tasted mustard. She is still really enjoying cooking the meals, she told me it was 'really fun' to cook.
As for Roger he loved the pork and sauce, but wasn't fussed on the gnocchi....give him a good ol' plate of mashed potato anytime he reckons! And nope, he didn't guess Nigella :P

Mini Masterchef

2010-02-01T23:27:00.000+13:00

Forget Gilby Goes Gourmet, this week it's Roger goes gourmet. Kyla and I have picked out five recipes from prominant foodies, and are cooking up something new each night. We get Rog to guess which chef it's from, and at the end of the week he'll rank them in order of yumminess.

Tonights dish was from kiwi Jo Seagar, and no, he didn't guess correctly.

Pasta Wraps With Chicken And Prosciutto
Ingredients
3 cups of shaved parmesan cheese
2 cups of cooked shredded chicken
6 slices of prosciutto
1 packet of fresh lasagne sheets
3 cloves garlic, crushed
300ml cream
2 x 400g tins of chopped or crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup of white wine
2 cups of button mushrooms
1 cup of mozzarella cheese, grated

fresh tomato and basil to garnish.

Method

Place a handful of cheese and chicken and approx one slice of prosciutto on top of a pasta sheet, covering all but a couple of centimetres in from the edge. Roll up the pasta sheet tightly and repeat with remaining pasta. Cut each pasta roll into 3 or 4 pieces and place in a baking dish, layer as necessary.

Place garlic and cream in a large frypan, stir over a medium heat, add the tomatoes, wine and mushrooms, then bring to the boil. Pour over the pasta rolls, and sprinkle the top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 180 C for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and garnish with tomato and basil.

Kyla had great fun making this, and was so excited to present the finished product to dad. She encountered fresh garlic cloves for the first time, and basil. She loves the little basil plant we brought because it smells so nice.

Roger is pretty pleased too ;)

Homemade Lemonade

2010-01-29T23:03:00.000+13:00

Kyla found some neglected lemons at the bottom of the fruit and vege bin today, and asked if we could make some lemonade.We peeled 6 lemons, and soaked the peel in 4 cups of hot tap water. Then cut and squeezed the lemons.

Then we added in two cups of sugar, and 4 cups of cold water. Mixed it, chilled it, DRANK it...mmmm. Now that's what I call summer.

Little Miss Kitty

2010-01-28T22:51:00.001+13:00

Sienna loves cats and dogs. Her latest game involves her being either a cat or dog, and us having to feed her in bowls. She even licks the water up.

Meow!

Surprise

2010-01-28T22:39:00.001+13:00

I hadn't seen Kyla for a while today, so I called out for her, and when she came to the kitchen, where I was cleaning out my snail tank, I asked her what she was doing.

'Making you a present.'

'Why?'

'Because I love you.'

Awww, sometimes I have the sweetest kids. First I got cards from Denver and Kyla.

(Kyla and I)

Then they both disappeared into the garage to organise a big surprise for me. They were in and out for most of the afternoon, eventually I was asked to cover my eyes and come in to see what the had made.

Ta Da!

A model mummy, and her very own sunshine!

As well as bathroom...

(Is the toilet adorable or what??!And yes, I always bathe with a zebra.)

And of course a bed...

Did I mention my kids are the greatest?

Shark Attack

2010-01-22T22:20:00.000+13:00

The past couple of weeks have been spent mostly in preparation for Miss Denver's 7th birthday. Kyla LOVES to create and plan and celebrate, so she really sunk her teeth into this one, and we have both been toiling away into the wee hours creating a birthday bonanza. Indeed, the night before the big day we were up past midnight filling the bathtub full of waterbombs.
The theme of the party was based on Denver's current favourite flick, Sharkboy and Lavagirl (in 3D!).
First things first, the birthday girl started the morning with chocolate chip pancakes and a pile of presents.

She even got her own copy of Sharkboy and Lavagirl from Nana, complete with very awesome 3D glasses..

Then it was time to change into her party friendly outfit, and the rest of the girls to join in

We got these tees from Postie Plus, then designed the logo and transfered them on. Denver was so surprised!

The first game was 'Cold Feet' which had us all standing in a tub of ice, the one who could stand the cold the longest was the winner.

The results are still under debate, as Madi will contend that she is the winner because I made her get out, just in case her toes fell off. Officially the results were

Denver - 1 minute

Sienna - 18 seconds...lol

Kyla - 2 minutes

Madison - 4 minutes17 seconds (because of being asked to get out)

Hay - 5 minutes 17 seconds (and suffered stinging toes for ten minutes, yikes!)

From there, we moved onto shark fishing. Kyla and I had made little cardboard sharks up, attached a paper clip to each and stuck pairs of Denver's favourite stars on the reverse of them; Lavagirl, Shaggy off Scooby Doo, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, Rob Pattinson and Alex Wolff. Denver and Sienna then used their fishing rods to fish up two fish at a time and see if they got a match.

Denver won, and got some submarines as a prize.

After fishing, it was time to whip outside and hunt for 'treasures' in the sandpit, aka some shark toys brought from Natures Own, and buried the previous night by Rog and Kyla.

Once all the sharks had been rescued from the depths of the sandpit, it was back inside to play Shark Attack! This game is easy peasy to set up, all you need is a balloon with a shark face drawn on and some music. Like musical chairs, they quickly pass the balloon between them, and when the music stops, whoever has the balloon is eaten by the shark, and thus, out.

Sienna won this one (carefully engineered so as to ease the green-eyed monster), and scored herself some playdough.

After all the action some nourishment was required, so it was cake time! A shark cake, of course, with a blood red middle to make it all the more authentic ;)

Washed down with our Sharkboy and Lavagirl cocktails.

After cake had settled in the tummy it was time for 'Splat the Shark'. Armed with water balloons, one person donned the special shark hat and became the target for everyone else. Much fun was had with this one.

After everyone had dried off, the 'bad guy' Mr Electric made an appearence, and Denver had to use some ice missles to defeat him, which she did, winning herself an Undersea Activity Book.

Then it was time for another hunt, this time to find the pages of Max's Dream Journal, something you will only understand if you have seen the movie. For a week or so beforehand, Kyla, Madi and I had been drawing the pages of the journal, and Kyla hid them around Denvers room. After she had found the pages, she was given the cover. She really loved this, especially as it had blank pages in it for her own creations. She spent some time later that afternoon drawing 'Lovegirl' and 'Lightning Boy'.

Next it was time to play 'Pin the Tail on the Shark'

And then, to finish up, a volcano challenge. We had painted some ping-pong balls up during the week to be lava rocks, and made a volcano from construction paper, which we'd hidden in Kyla's wardrobe.

After the games were all played the girls played, before cleaning up and heading out to Dinner at Denny's (because it sounds like Denver and she likes it), with the extended whanau. Miss Denver summed up the day, 'Mum, this was the best brithday ever!'

Happy Birthday beautiful! xxxx

Deception

2010-01-15T23:31:00.000+13:00

They say that children start to lie around four years of age. Sienna is now 3 years and 9 months old, and to my knowledge, hasn't lied yet. But yesterday something happened that made me smile, and speculate that my little girl really is growing up, her thinking, reasoning and planning are growing more complex.

I got an email from the library about two overdue books. One was in Kyla's name, and we quickly located it. The other was under Sienna's name. We looked everywhere. High, low, under drawers, beds, behind bookshelves, in closets. No book to be found. I decided to look it up on the net, so that we could get a picture of the cover. It was a small green book with a dog on the cover, called, funnily enough, Dog.

I went to check in Sienna's room again, and she followed me in. Kyla then said to her, 'Sienna, have you seen a green book with a doggy on the cover?' Sienna looked at her and said,

'Is it a cute doggy?' We laughed and Kyla said yes. Then Sienna replied, 'It's hiding in those drawers there.' Sure enough she had put it in one of the drawers in the bedside cabinet that the kids have their little TV sitting on. Much relief all around to have found it. I then asked Sienna if she had put it in there, and she said,

'Yes! I hided it because I didn't want you to take it back!'

I wouldn't have thought she would even think of doing that, and it made me laugh. What a clever chicken!

Discovery Labs - Making a battery

2010-01-12T11:33:00.000+13:00

Gone Fishing

2010-01-12T10:36:00.000+13:00

Not in the real sense of the word of course, in a family with two vegetarians, a vegan and three seafood hating carnivores 'real' fishing isn't something which is on the agenda.

Recently the girls have been enjoying the holiday season with one of their favourite treats, sparkling grape juice. We had the corks from the top of the bottles lying around and I tried to think of the best way to utilise them. To be quite honest, I'm not always into crafts for craft sake, I always feel guilty about loading up the environment with old paper mache pencil holders and the like. Instead, I like for whatever we make or create to have some sort of purpose, so it took me a while to think of a way to make corks useful. Then I though....a fishing set! So Kyla and I set to work.

She gave the corks an undercoat of white, then after they dried we decorated them in different colours, and sprinkled some glitter on them, because everything is better with sparkles. Then we put a little curtain ring in the top of each cork, to act as a point for our magnets to connect to.

Then it was time for the hot glue gun, to stick on the eyes and fins to finish off the fish.

Next we made rods. Just sticks of bamboo, (lucky I'm such a hopeless gardener that mine aren't in use), with string and a magnet attached to the end.

Then it was time to go fishing!

They really enjoyed themselves, of course taking it to an entire new level as they always do, creating a whole imaginary world where the fish all had names and they were their pets and elaborate scenarios were played out. They have also got the rods and fish out at least a couple of times a day since, which is satisfying. Now they want more corks to make sharks and other sea creatures, so stay tuned!

Write on

2009-12-09T15:54:00.000+13:00

Well, you might know that last month I undertook the mammoth task of Nanowrimo . Unfortunately I quickly found myself stumbling at the first hurdle. At 11 000 words or so I stalled completely. There was so much happening around me physically, that just making time to write everyday was impossible. I'd be up early every morning to exercise, run around after the girls all day, (typically they seemed to require my attention more than usual), negotiate the evening madness and then when the house was finally quiet, I found myself too exhausted to string three sentences together. And what I had written was awful! Terrible! Horrible! An assault to the eyes of anyone who attempted to read it. At least that's what I convinced myself. So I picked up Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer and decided to reread it. After that, of course, I had to reread Breaking Dawn. And before I knew it the month had almost passed me and my poor little abandoned novel by. I'd failed, miserably, there was no way I could reach 50 000 words unless they fell out of my head and into my laptop by osmosis.

December showed up and demanded that I start getting festive. Between decoration making and tree decorating I took the time to reflect on Nanowrimo. In reality I don't believe I had a chance from the beginning. For one, this was my very first attempt at a novel, and that is always going to be a huge undertaking, especially when the idea only occurs to you days before you start. For another, writing is something that I have never taken seriously. Sure, the ability to play around with words and make them pretty has always come naturally to me, but I'd never even considered actually attempting to write something with publication in mind. I'm a pretty careless typer, my spelling isn't the best and I wouldn't know a noun from an adjective. Yes, people tell me all the time I should write a book, but they are just being nice right?

I was prepared to shelve the book idea and leave the whole sorry saga behind me. What I didn't count on was that my novel would keep beckoning me. Plot twist and turns, conversations between characters, names and places, new scenes, rewrites for old ones, all of these would crowd around in my head waiting for recognition. So I did the only thing I could do, and returned to my novel. No daily word Talley's, no guilt trips for watching television late instead of writing, just a commitment to my story. If it wanted to be told, then I'd tell it.

So where am I? Around the 20 000 word mark, so about half way. The novel itself is for the young adult market, inspired my Madi, and though I had originally planned for 50 000 I'm told that editors prefer shorter stories for this age group, so 40 000 seems about right. Of course I'll use as many or as little words that it takes to tell the story, so in that respect word count is secondary to story.

Yesterday I got an amazing book out of the library yesterday evening, that I'd definitely recommend to anyone looking to write for children and/or young people.
It's called How to Write for Children - and get published. I found it completely inspiring and absorbing, and will definitely be purchasing my own copy, after I reread the library copy a few times. It is a UK book, so the links and advice won't be relevant to use here in NZ, but it's easy enough to find NZ guidelines. Like right here for example. I just have to share this letter that the author, Louise Jordan received with a manuscript.

'So please read and reject - for every rejection letter I've promised myself an entire M&S Victoria Sponge with Earl Grey on-the-side to commiserate with - so would greatly appreciate hearing from you. And in case you're thinking I'm gonna put on a lot of weight because the enclosed is just awful - plan (b) is to become the fattest (unpublished) writer in Tunbridge Wells! See - faultless planning!'

I do hope the writer got published....or maybe I don't!

Well, back to it,
Hay.

Going to the Birds

2009-12-03T16:00:00.000+13:00

Hmmm, quiet in here lately I know. Yet we are still as busy as ever, baking, cooking, crafting, learning, playing, listening, talking, watching.

Last night as I was preparing dinner for us Kyla yelped, 'Mum, a bird! Inside!' Sure enough a little sparrow had hopped inside to grab a stray piece of bread that one of the kids had dropped, like Hansel and Gretal. It kept coming back in, so we kept throwing more bread, and soon some more sparrows joined the first, and we had guests for dinner. The girls got so excited everytime a bird came inside, and soon Kyla was plotting the creation of a bird restaurant.

So this morning she dragged me out to the shop for supplies, and then we got to work. We wrapped a plank in red Christmas paper, as bird like red apparently, and Kyla designed a banner. She called her restaurant Bird Fuel, a play off her fave, Burger Fuel. I made up a batch of bird pudding, just lard mixed with seeds, nuts, fruit and bread and Kyla filled a pinecone with some peanut butter and rolled it in seed. Then we made some coloured sugar water, and Kyla made some fruit roll-ups, just some apricots and sultanas rolled in bread. Those actually proved to be the birds favourite things.

Kyla and I loved this mama and her baby chick, so adorable. We lay on the floor watching them eat.