Today the girls have their presentation at school. The kids have been practicing for weeks and weeks, singing songs, and getting everything just right. I am so excited for them and cannot wait to see what they have been preparing and practicing for.
My wrinkled invite to the twins kindy presentation. It was in their bag, and crumpled.
So what is the presentation about? Well it is the end of Kindy for the twins. Yesterday I got their final report for the year and they did so well, hubby and I are so proud of them.
I have been told that they will be singing songs and from teachers I have found out that they get a certificate for completing Kindergarten. Although not technically over, it is close. The last day I believe is the 18th of December so I have another week or so left of the kids at school. Then we are on holidays! I dream of sleeping in but I fear that they will be more inclined to wake earlier.
Why is it that I have to wake them from deep sleeps to get to school but this is not repeated on weekends or holidays?
I have tidied up my iPhone a bit to help me have some room to take video and pictures of the kids at their presentation day today. Hubby is unable to be there due to work commitments so I will have to take enough footage to help him be there when he watches it.
I cannot believe how much the girls have grown up this year. I do see my little kids still but they are such big girls. Yesterday there was a Christmas Stall at the school so the kids could purchase pressies for mum, dad and other relatives without them knowing what it was. Most came home wrapped but Lillian had one that was not. She was so excited about her purchase she was practically telling me what it was. I still don’t know what it is, other than it smells nice and it is purple. So I am happy to wait for the surprise on Christmas Day.
I gave her Christmas paper, scissors and sticky tape to wrap her secret gift. She then locked herself and her sister in the living room to do the secret wrapping business! The kids pressies to us are the only ones under the tree at the moment. It is wonderful that they are so excited and grown up now to get gifts by themselves.
What have you been invited to at the school due to the term ending? Do you help out? Has it been a nice lunch or tea for a thank you? Let us know what has been happening with you. How is your kids faring with the year ending? Are they excited to move to the next grade? Mine are and of course more excited about Santa coming and the holidays, but grade one is a big deal.
Do you sometimes think you are not being a good parent. I do. I sometimes stop and think I am not fun, being terrible and so on. However for the most part I think I am doing an awesome job. Everyone has moments in their work life or any role that they doubt what they are doing or have done. The below quotes are great to help you have the pick me up you need. It will inspire you and give you an injection of ideas as a parent.
These parenting quotes will inspire you to be an amazing parent & to stop doubting yourself. You are doing an amazing job!
On Monday the 1st of December I got the Christmas tree and all the decorations ready to put up with the kids. However this did not happen due to a missing foot on the base. I had 3 of them but needed the 4th. If I did not have this last bit the tree falls over due to the weight of the top of the tree. Not good at all!
I could not find it and of course did not know where to start looking. I looked where we normally put the tree up in the living room to see if it was under something. No not there! I looked in the shed where the box for the Christmas tree lived before I got it that afternoon. No not there, although the shed is a mess and it might be there and not seen yet.
So I had two angry and upset kids who were very much looking forward to putting up the Christmas tree. I explained that I was very sorry and I have done my best to find this missing piece for the tree. I had some bad behaviour from one girl and she was sent to her room for some time out.
I told both girls that I will sort out the issue of the tree and we will find something.
Yesterday I managed to find a Christmas tree at Vinnies and it was only $5! Yes how amazing. Other tress that were from the shops were going for nearly $100. I did not want to spend that much and could not afford to on a tree.
So now kids are super happy and we have a Christmas tree. I still want to find the missing part of the other tree, but now I am glad that I have a replacement, kids are happy and I can find it when I can.
After they saw the tree they were so excited! I got cuddles, kisses and a lot of thanks. I hope this nice behaviour lasts. It was so nice to do this and I was very thankful that I was able to and found something.
Have you managed to create a bit of magic at your place lately? I think it was magical that this happened. I was in the right place at the right time to get the tree we needed. I have made the kids super happy and this will make Christmas extra special for the kids.
“The best way to make children good is to make them happy” Oscar Wilde
Both girls have been telling everyone about our new Christmas tree. They are even asking if Santa will notice the new tree when he visits.
Having the excitement of the Christmas tree I realised that it is the small things and being present that really count. Being with your child and sharing the little moments are what is important. I try and do this and don’t worry about the housework or other things that will take me away from the kids. If I am here with them, I am being with them.
Kids having fun at vacation care. Image courtesy of photostock at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Do you use vacation care? I only used a day here or there, but the last school holidays I sent the twins three days in a week. It has been a god sent. Yes me time in the holidays. Who would have thought, being relaxed in the school holidays. I was not meaning to have them in for three days in one week, however the vacation care provider has great activities to do during the holidays. One in particular was drumming and music and the other was a craft day that was themed and of course carried over to another day.
Due to the kids love of music and of course creating as much artwork that is humanly possible I thought they would love it. It would be a win for me and them. They would have fun with kids, some their friends from school and new kids. While at care the twins will be taken to excursions or otherwise known as different activities for the day. You don’t have to sign up to these excursions but it is only a little bit extra and it makes the day much more fun for the kids.
I realised that I was much more relaxed due to having more me time and also less stressed. In hindsight I did the last school holidays all wrong. I was run off my feet entertaining the girls. Although I enjoyed it I am only one person with limited resources. A care facility can and does organise so much better events and excursions than I can.
Next school holidays I am doing it smarter and booking the kids into a few days of care.
Other mums commented on how relaxed I looked and it was like I went away on holiday. NO holiday on a fancy island or resort. Just the simple thing of having some time for me. Quiet time to allow me to do whatever I wanted. Sewing, blogging, resting, catching up on TV shows, going to the shops that are far away (yes having the kids in care allows me to travel down the mountain and to go to the shops. Fancy going to a dress shop without the worry of kids touching everything!)
So come the next holidays I am going to do it the right way this time. I cannot afford too many days of care, but a day here and there is a great help and allows me to do my own thing. It is a holiday after all. I find it sad that it seems like it is just a holiday for the kids. When is it my holiday time? Yes I know very rarely, but you have to try and find time for you and your mini holidays.
Do you use vacation care? Has it been as amazing for you? Do your kids love it? I love it, but it is mainly due to me being able to do whatever for a day. A full day rather than a school day. YES!!!! I hear you say, where do I sign up.
Centrelink also gives you a subsidy for care so you pay a certain amount but this depends on the percentage for your rebate. If you are interested you can check with Centrelink. This does make it cheaper and more accessible for all.
Do your kids love Yo Gabba Gabba? Mine do and in fact they are rather obsessed with the show and of course the characters. When the girls were about two we took them to see Yo Gabba Gabba at the Opera House. They were so happy and hysterical when their favourite characters graced the stage. At the time Lillian’s fav was Foofa and it has remained. Julia loved Muno, and still does but now is wanting everything Toodee.
I of course was online and fell across an advertisement saying that Yo Gabba Gabba was going to be in Sydney. Yes another show! It was going to be at Luna Park and we were all lucky to attend last Saturday the 28th, and how amazing it worked in being the first weekend of the school holidays.
So what do you do for your very obsessed kids who want to look the part when they attend the concert of their dreams? You make each child a t-shirt with their favourite character on it. Yes that is what I did! What a nice mummy I am.
Sew Yo Gabba Gabba Shirts in 5 Easy Steps
Here are the instructions on how I created these super wonderful shirts that would make any child obsessed with Gabbaland amazingly happy. Trust me, the twins thinks they are amazing.
What To Do:
Disclaimer: I am not selling these shirts or profiting by the Yo Gabba Gabba characters. I am just a mum that wanted to do something special for her kids.
Step 1: Pick shirts that are similar colours for the character you are wanting to add to the shirt/long sleeve top. I made sure to pick a bigger size as I did not want to do all this work and have the girls grow out of them too quickly.
Step 2: Find a picture of the character that you would like, Muno, Plex, Toodee, Foofa, Brobee, or DJ Lance Rock. I found that having just a head shot and limiting it to just top shoulders was best. This allowed me to Just focus on the face and spend time getting that right.
Once I had the picture of the character I made the image bigger in Photoshop. Once I had this image the right size, I then printed it out. I found printing with Microsoft word gave me the right alignment on the a4 sheet better than just printing the image itself. To make it easier I created a word doc of each character and then all I had to do was print.
I used these pictures, but you can find them all online if you do a simple Google search.
Step 3: You will need to print the same character several times. The reason for this is so that you can cut out all shapes that go into the character, eyes, pupil for the eyes, body, nose, mouth, teeth, whiskers, flower and so on. Think about what you need for each material colour and cut it out accordingly.
All the bits to make Foofa out of material. Getting there.All the bits to make a material Toodee. Looking good so far.
NOTE: Make sure to wash your fabric before use. You don’t want to spend all this time to then wash it and it shrinks or the colour in the fabric runs. I used cord for the dark pink on the Foofa shirt and it is fraying more than the Toodee shirt. Next time I will pick just plain cotton material and make the patch in that before I sew it on the shirt.
Step 4: Sew the bits to make the character. Do all the creating before you attach it to the shirt. It can get a bit fiddly but stick with it. You will be amazed at yourself when you are done. Trust me!
Step 5: Once you have your character all finished, pin to the shirt and sew it on. Now you should have finished shirts or one if you just making one. I have to do things in twos.
See the finished product
Here are the girls before the show at Luna Park wearing their new shirts mummy made
Happy girls with their new Toodee and Foofa shirts.
Here are some pictures of the day at Luna Park
Amazed and happy to be at the Yo Gabba Gabba ShowThe girls took their toys that we got at the last Gabba Show with them. They wanted Muno and Foofa to be there with them. While the kids were dancing Foofa and Muno had a rest.
DANCING TO MUSIC IS AWESOME!
How cool to be so close to DJ Lance Rock and all the characters from Gabbaland.We had a 4pm show at Luna Park and when we left it was dark. The ferry trip was amazing for the twins. They loved seeing the city lit up.Managed a great shot of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and city while on the ferry. Hubby did a great job with these shots.
My mother treated the girls and myself to a day out at Sydney Aquarium yesterday. The day was nice and sunny, the kids were so excited to see all the different animals. Previous to going I emailed mum a link that said that you can get a family pass for $60, but of course there was fine print to say that this deal was not available in school holidays. Mum was fine with this and purchased the family pass at the higher rate as it is school holidays.
The girls and I arrived at Darling Harbour ahead of time which was great planning. We parked the car, got our stuff and proceeded to walk to the Aquarium. When the twins and I arrived at the Aquarium there was a huge crowd, kids and families everywhere. Well it was holidays, so it was to be expected. Since there was heaps of people the line to get in was huge. I decided to queue in the pre-paid ticket line to help us get in sooner. Mum and my sister arrived in time as the line was moving quite quickly.
When mum arrived she told me that she had learned that adults were being charged at kid’s prices. When we approached the desk the man behind the counter refused to give back the extra that mum had paid as she was firstly denied the deal of the $60 family pass due to school holidays, then to find out that adults could get in cheaper on the day and to then pay more was just rude. Oh well, we all went in and proceeded to have a great time.
The girls were amazed at all the fish and animals that were in the big tanks, they loved seeing the clown fish and all kids at the tank yelled, “There’s Nemo!” it was so funny!
Searching for NemoFound Nemo!Here is a close up of one of the Nemos
My girls were worried as they could not find Dory but did find one so relaxed after that. Phew!
It was nice that they were able to get up close to creatures like sharks, dugongs, star fish, sea horses and many more!
It was not until we got to the penguins that Lillian told me she needed to go to the toilet. I looked around and could not see where there was a toilet. There was no signs anywhere, just the green exit signs. My sister the girl’s aunty needed to go also so we all went off for our search for a toilet. We wandered around aimlessly in our search but could not find one anywhere. My sister is pregnant and I had a five year old child with me so it was lucky that we all made it without an accident.
We ended up asking a girl behind a counter where the toilets were, she then told us to go through a door marked, “Staff only”. I told her why would we venture there as it was not where we should be going. She then said to go through the first door on the left. We got to that, and it was locked, we then continued down the corridor to another “staff only” door and that was open. All of us went through this door to finally come out to the area where the food was. Finally there was signs saying where the toilets were. We all went, I made sure to go as I had no idea when I was going to get back there next.
The next drama was to then find my mum and Julia, there are no signs to let you know how to get back to any of the areas in the centre. So we left them in the penguin area, but we had no idea how to get back there. It amazed me, and my sister how a place that is full of kids, parents and a lot of people cannot have signs to where the toilets are, and of course directions for where the sharks are, or where the tropical fish are. What happens if you would like to go back for another look?
Finally mum answered her phone and we met up with them. Phew!
I am not having an overall whinge about the place. We had a great day at the Aquarium aside from a little drama. The kids got to see great creatures, and have a wonderful experience.
Some things that I think could improve the Aquarium:
Signs to show you where each areas are and arrows to indicate how to get back if you wish to.
Signs to the toilet. Essential I think!
Make sure that ticket price includes all shows.
If you have deals on the day you should honour them and refund what the customer has paid. Don’t change the rules that it is suddenly cheaper. As I have said we tried to get a cheap deal but was told due to school holidays we could not. So think that they should have helped mum on this one. Oh well, we had a wonderful day and it was great that mum took us all out.
After the aquarium we had lunch and then went off for the kids to run around a bit. Darling Harbour has some great things for kids to play on, there is a playground, water play area, slippery dips, merry go round and other rides.
The girls went on the merry go round, then got totally soaked in the water play area, then had a bit of fun in the sand pit, then they went off for fun on the big slippery dip.
Both girls were super brave on this massive slippery dip and went down head first and did all sorts of tricks. They are action kids and had a blast. There were tears and tantrums when we were leaving as they were having so much fun.
As you can imagine both kids were very tired and slept in the car on the way home. I am so glad that we got to spend the day with my mum the girls Nana and my sister, the girls Aunty. It was a lovely day and it did not matter about the little upsets that we experienced.
The kids cannot stop talking about the aquarium and the fun they had at Darling Harbour. At the Aquarium shop I got the girls some Octonaut thongs (these are shoes in Australia), they love them.
Have you been having great adventures these school holidays? Where have you taken the kids? Is there somewhere that has been exceptionally great? Let us know.
My mother treated the girls and myself to a day out at Sydney Aquarium yesterday. The day was nice and sunny, the kids were so excited to see all the different animals. Previous to going I emailed mum a link that said that you can get a family pass for $60, but of course there was fine print to say that this deal was not available in school holidays. Mum was fine with this and purchased the family pass at the higher rate as it is school holidays.
The girls and I arrived at Darling Harbour ahead of time which was great planning. We parked the car, got our stuff and proceeded to walk to the Aquarium. When the twins and I arrived at the Aquarium there was a huge crowd, kids and families everywhere. Well it was holidays, so it was to be expected. Since there was heaps of people the line to get in was huge. I decided to queue in the pre-paid ticket line to help us get in sooner. Mum and my sister arrived in time as the line was moving quite quickly.
When mum arrived she told me that she had learned that adults were being charged at kid’s prices. When we approached the desk the man behind the counter refused to give back the extra that mum had paid as she was firstly denied the deal of the $60 family pass due to school holidays, then to find out that adults could get in cheaper on the day and to then pay more was just rude. Oh well, we all went in and proceeded to have a great time.
The girls were amazed at all the fish and animals that were in the big tanks, they loved seeing the clown fish and all kids at the tank yelled, “There’s Nemo!” it was so funny!
Searching for NemoFound Nemo!Here is a close up of one of the Nemos
My girls were worried as they could not find Dory but did find one so relaxed after that. Phew!
It was nice that they were able to get up close to creatures like sharks, dugongs, star fish, sea horses and many more!
It was not until we got to the penguins that Lillian told me she needed to go to the toilet. I looked around and could not see where there was a toilet. There was no signs anywhere, just the green exit signs. My sister the girl’s aunty needed to go also so we all went off for our search for a toilet. We wandered around aimlessly in our search but could not find one anywhere. My sister is pregnant and I had a five year old child with me so it was lucky that we all made it without an accident.
We ended up asking a girl behind a counter where the toilets were, she then told us to go through a door marked, “Staff only”. I told her why would we venture there as it was not where we should be going. She then said to go through the first door on the left. We got to that, and it was locked, we then continued down the corridor to another “staff only” door and that was open. All of us went through this door to finally come out to the area where the food was. Finally there was signs saying where the toilets were. We all went, I made sure to go as I had no idea when I was going to get back there next.
The next drama was to then find my mum and Julia, there are no signs to let you know how to get back to any of the areas in the centre. So we left them in the penguin area, but we had no idea how to get back there. It amazed me, and my sister how a place that is full of kids, parents and a lot of people cannot have signs to where the toilets are, and of course directions for where the sharks are, or where the tropical fish are. What happens if you would like to go back for another look?
Finally mum answered her phone and we met up with them. Phew!
I am not having an overall whinge about the place. We had a great day at the Aquarium aside from a little drama. The kids got to see great creatures, and have a wonderful experience.
Some things that I think could improve the Aquarium:
Signs to show you where each areas are and arrows to indicate how to get back if you wish to.
Signs to the toilet. Essential I think!
Make sure that ticket price includes all shows.
If you have deals on the day you should honour them and refund what the customer has paid. Don’t change the rules that it is suddenly cheaper. As I have said we tried to get a cheap deal but was told due to school holidays we could not. So think that they should have helped mum on this one. Oh well, we had a wonderful day and it was great that mum took us all out.
After the aquarium we had lunch and then went off for the kids to run around a bit. Darling Harbour has some great things for kids to play on, there is a playground, water play area, slippery dips, merry go round and other rides.
The girls went on the merry go round, then got totally soaked in the water play area, then had a bit of fun in the sand pit, then they went off for fun on the big slippery dip.
Both girls were super brave on this massive slippery dip and went down head first and did all sorts of tricks. They are action kids and had a blast. There were tears and tantrums when we were leaving as they were having so much fun.
As you can imagine both kids were very tired and slept in the car on the way home. I am so glad that we got to spend the day with my mum the girls Nana and my sister, the girls Aunty. It was a lovely day and it did not matter about the little upsets that we experienced.
The kids cannot stop talking about the aquarium and the fun they had at Darling Harbour. At the Aquarium shop I got the girls some Octonaut thongs (these are shoes in Australia), they love them.
Have you been having great adventures these school holidays? Where have you taken the kids? Is there somewhere that has been exceptionally great? Let us know.
Thanks to Queensland Tourism the family and I were lucky enough to get tickets to Dreamworld. It was so nice that they extended their hospitality to the bloggers who came to Problogger and the Gold Coast this year.
The girls and I at Dreamworld
We arrived a couple of days early for the problogger conference, I wanted to spend time with the hubby and kids before I was surrounded by presentations, talks and just wonderful information to absorb.
So what would we do the day before the conference? A day exploring Dreamworld was perfect. The twins were super excited and had no idea what the surprise was. Once we arrived at the park they were very happy and looking forward to the surprises that awaited behind the gates.
MAD Jungle Jam
It was a nice hot, sunny and great day for being out and about. We were very lucky that the weather was good and behaved for us.
So what did we get up to at Dreamworld? At first we did the normal things, got a map, looked at what shows that might appeal to the twins.
We started at Dreamworks experience and went to all other areas that are appropriate for kids. The girls played in the water garden in front of the Kung Fu Panda’s statue. The girls loved MAD Jungle Jam they had a fun time trying to hit mummy and daddy with the balls in the machines.
Hubby went on Tower of Terror II, and he loved it! I don’t like such scary rides, and was grateful that I had to mind the twins while he went on the ride. If you like the big thrill rides, there are plenty to go on.
We did go on a couple of family rides with the kids and everyone enjoyed them and wanted to go on it again. So that is a good sign! The issue we had was that the girls are not yet 110cm and most kid rides you have to be this height.
The two rides that we did as a family were, the Thunder River Rapids Ride and Rocky Hollow Log Ride. While on the Rocky Hollow Log Ride, we saw a triceratops growling. The girls were a bit worried about it. I did explain that we are far away from the dinosaur so all good. We were safe.
However seeing a dinosaur reminded me of an episode of Peppa Pig. The episode was the one where the family visit the theme park called, “Potato City”, Edmond Elephant pointed out that there should not be dinosaurs living in the same period as they did not exist when the other creatures were living. He then trumpets and announces he is a clever clogs.
Just a warning, be careful of dinosaurs and their bones. It gave the kids a fun thing to look out for and both were on the look out for dinosaurs and their bones.
We had an excellent day out and the twins were so tired after a long fun filled day. Thanks so much to Queensland Tourism for allowing us to visit the park while we were on the Gold Coast.
If you are visiting the Gold Coast, why not visit Dreamworld, it is a good family day out.
Have you had a blast at Dreamworld or at the Gold Coast? What did you get up to? Send in your comments.
Today is the last day of term 1 for pre-school. I must say that I have really enjoyed the time to myself on these three days, and I am looking forward to the holidays. However, I am also going to be counting down the days when school starts again.
Before we could leave the house, I promised the girls that they could get some fake tattoos of some Yo Gabba Gabba characters. Lillian wanted Toodee and Julia wanted Foofa (The tattoo was the character and their name). To my great surprise Lillian recognised nearly all off the letters in Toodee’s name aside from the e. Once the girls had their tattoos, I was able to put their hair up (the girls have taken to not wanting their hair up, to an annoyed mummy), so this was a fantastic.
After I dropped the girls off at school, I did two laps around Catalina Park, the weather this week has been so lovely, sunshine, warm weather and just divine. I know it is just great weather, so who cares. Well, when you have had nonstop rain for months this is just wonderful. How I missed having a summer.
I am feeling great that I have done more for project slinky and will try and get more done each day. Now need to focus and get stuck into my assignment for university or I will be in trouble, the plan is to do some now, tonight, tomorrow and Friday night, and hopefully all done so then can submit on the weekend.
Last day of school
Do you get upset when school goes on holidays? Is it just me that is feeling like this? I know holidays are good and fun, however my holiday is when they are at school. Send your comments in.
