Last night it started to snow. It was the first snow of 2022 and of course, it is the week before it is officially Spring. Yes, you might have already guessed that it is still very very very cold here. Although still freezing we have had the odd day where it was warmer than before but still not hot…so for me, this was a nice sign that warmer weather is fast approaching.
I wonder if on the 1st of September it will suddenly be warmer? Will the weather know that it does need to suddenly be warmer? I do hope so. If it is miraculously warm then the universe must then instantly know that it is spring and I need to be warm.
If it is indeed warmer soon, I might finally be able to sit outside in the garden with a drink and enjoy the flowers.
So of course we were hit by another last-ditch attempt to still be in the freezing cold
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We visited Portland Night Markets in April and had a great time, there were plenty of stalls, craft fun for the kids, and also food trucks. The markets and silos are managed by the Foundations at Portland.
The stunning mural on the Portland Silos
While we were at the Portland Twilight Markets in April we did the following:
Looked at the stalls and bought things
Ate food from the food trucks
Looked around at the silos
Enjoyed a bit of music
My youngest had fun creating art at the kid’s corner
We are keen to enjoy the cracker and bonfire night at Portland Silos. It is freezing here already so we will need to rug up as it is really windy.
If you are going see the details below and maybe I will see you there.
Checking out the silos at the Portland Markets
At the markets early before it was night
Looking at the stalls at the Portland Twilight Markets
Creating art at the Portland Markets
June 11th is Cracker and Bonfire Night at Portland
June long weekend at the Foundations in Portland
“Fireworks, a massive bonfire, over 70 market stalls, food trucks, and more on the night.
Lounge Katz will keep you entertained in the markets while out by the fire, local musicians and performers will keep you entertained while you warm up. For the kids, the STEAMWorks Craft Corner will be back, and we are welcoming Fizzics providing exciting engaging shows for kids of all ages throughout the night.”
I purchased two Hot Wheels Jumbo Eggs for my little boy. He is obsessed with cars, especially Hot Wheels, and does not eat chocolate or like it so a different gift for Easter was needed.
While at BigW I saw that Hot Wheels had a few eggs with lollies and toys. I thought this was the perfect option.
Easter Sunday morning arrived and my little boy opened his Hot Wheel eggs. I did expect maybe a car due to it being Hot Wheels but no that was not to be. What do you think was inside the eggs?
Well once they were opened I discovered that each egg had exactly the same thing:
Bags of little jelly beans
Lollipops
Stickers
Spinning tops
Noisemakers (think that is what they are called)
What was in the Hot Wheels Easter Eggs – lollipops, stickers, spinning tops, and noisemakers
After my six-year-old opened his eggs I must say I was very disappointed in what was inside. No car???? It is Hot Wheels after all. Why spinning tops and noisemakers? Every Hot Wheels mad kid would have been annoyed and upset about not getting a car.
Hot Wheels Spinning Top
It didn’t need to be a great car, just a car, and yes I know that having a sub-average car might be something else to complain about but for the price point, I think a car of any sort would be better than no car.
As you will see my little boy has taken a sharpie to his big egg. He thought it looked cool, although as a mum I was sad about what it offered. I mentioned to hubby what was in the egg and he was shocked…. Hubby said, “Why didn’t it have a car?????” I said I don’t know and I agreed, I bought them hoping that it might have a car. I got two eggs to make sure if there were different toys we might have a chance for different toys. Little did I know they would be the same, exactly the same!
I think I paid $5 each for each egg and I did hope for at least a car in one of them.
Have you purchased a gift that you thought had something else inside to be very disappointed and upset at your purchase? Let me know.
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I love LEGO, my twin girls love LEGO and now my little boy loves LEGO.
We are also massive fans of Brickman. Who is also known as Ryan McNaught. Yes, his real name isn’t Brickman. And you probably wouldn’t be surprised to learn that I also watch LEGO Masters. Okay, so now you know it is a natural progression to have gone to the Brickman exhibit at The Australian Museum.
One exciting part of being in the city is catching trains. My little boy and I caught a train to Museum and the exhibit was a short walk from the station.
Alexander at Museum Station
Museum Station
Paddle Pop advertisement at Museum Station
Speedo Advertisement at Museum Station
We exited via Liverpool Street – Museum Station
Ready to go to see the Jurassic World Brickman Exhibit at The Australian Museum
Arriving at the Australian Museum
The exhibit was a secret surprise for my little boy, actually, it was a fun weekend with Mummy in the city.
About Jurassic World by Brickman
Dates: The exhibition is open until 17 July.
Location: The Australian Museum, Sydney, NSW 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 If travelling by public transport get off at Museum Station, it is only a short walk to the Australian Museum.
Tickets: Tickets for a family of 4 are $95 and you can book your tickets at Ticketek
Opening Hours: 10am – 5pm
The Jurassic World Brickman Exhibit features over 50 large-scale dinosaurs, props, scenes, and activities made from over 6 million LEGO® bricks. Plus, in a Sydney exclusive, the newest Jurassic World by Brickman® dinosaur will be unveiled. Weighing in at 400 kilograms, the Baryonyx is over 4.8 metres long and made up of 102,317 LEGO® bricks. Relive the magic of beloved stories and characters from the Jurassic World franchise, as you embark on a thrilling journey across the island – Isla Nublar.
Walk through the iconic gates of the park (all made out of LEGO) and experience the inner workings of the Jurassic Worldlab. Venture into the baby dinosaur enclosure, where a life-size Brachiosaurus weighing well over 1.8 tonnes awaits! Encounter incredible models of Triceratops, Velociraptors, T.rex, and many more.
There will be 2.5 million LEGO® bricks for you to show off your own building skills. Get hands-on with LEGO® brick paleontology, mystery mosaics, island-building, hybrid dinosaur creations, and much more.
Alex being cheeky touching the dinosaur
Run as fast you can! There is a HUGE dinosaur.
Run faster!
Alex is trying to run away… the dinosaur is still there
Running is not enough with this enormous LEGO dinosaur
More than two years and 10,000 build hours have gone into the creation of Jurassic World by Brickman®, making it the biggest exhibition the Brickman team has ever created. This is a not to be missed experience for kids and adults alike.
LEGO Jurassic Fossil
New Jurassic Film out soon
If you are a Jurassic World fan like I am you will be excited for the new Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainmentfilm Jurassic World: Dominion debuts in cinemas in June 2022.
Jurassic World Brickman exhibit at the Australian Muesum
We had a blast at the exhibition. The dinosaurs and the world that was created were amazing and all out of LEGO. It must have taken ages and been hard work to create the signs, doors, lights, and of course life-like dinosaur statues.
It was fantastic that kids were able to be hands-on and get totally involved by creating their own LEGO pieces as well. Alexander spent hours creating his version of a Pterodactyl as well as some interesting art that was meant to be a dinosaur footprint but ended up being an artwork.
Be prepared to stay for hours longer for your LEGO-obsessed child to play with all the LEGO.
Getting hands-on with LEGOSo much to create in the Jurassic World with LEGOAlexander added his art to the wallThe art and footprints on the wallAll the LEGOAlex is proud of his art creation in LEGOCreating his artwork
Would you like to meet Brickman? How about having breakfast with the man? I wish we could have done this as well… the exhibit was amazing. However, learning a few tips and techniques to make my LEGO creations more fabulous ( I can dream right?)
Ryan ‘the Brickman’ McNaught. Image from the Australian Museum website
You can join Brickman for conversation and a Masterclass with the only LEGO® Certified Professional in the Southern Hemisphere- Ryan ‘the Brickman’ McNaught. Enjoy a light breakfast in Hintze Hall before gaining insights and tips in the Masterclass, as Ryan answers your questions and takes you through a range of fun activities. Explore Jurassic World by Brickman® and snap a selfie with the Brickman himself.
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Tomorrow my little boy starts grade one and then the next day my twin girls start grade eight, yep they are growing up fast.
The last two years have been up and down with lockdowns and schools mandating learning from home. I do hope that schools stay open and that kids will have an unbroken school year. Not only is it a struggle when kids are learning from home, it is a huge strain to help kids learn while you are also working full time.
Getting ready for back to school
My children do much better when they are at school for face to face lessons. I am also not cut out for homeschooling anyone. Although last year the kids had four months learning from home, the twins got awards from school and glowing report cards. Even the youngest got awards too.
It is sad to say goodbye to the holidays and will be back to the weekly schedule yet again. There are a few things I do like when school returns, the quiet time during the day that will finally allow me to think and get a few things done. I also love the fact that all kids will be with friends, learn new things and grow.
One other good thing about kids going back to school is that they will be so tired and sleep well. Yep, too much info and to do, so mentally and physically exhausted. A win win for mummy!
The youngest is super excited to be entering stage one, now grade one. He is keen to see his mates but not keen to go to school. He told me that he wants to stay home and play with mummy. I do hope that he changes his mind and has a good day tomorrow.
The thirteen year olds were not that keen to go back but it has grown on them. They have a good group of fiends and are keen to see them again at school (although they have been hanging out during he holidays). The girls also have been lucky to get their first choices for their starter electives and are excited to experience these subjects and get a taste of what high school is really like.
The girls also have some good mates that are starting grade seven as well and I hope that they welcome them warmly to the new school and help them feel at home. When the twins started high school some of the kids that they were friendly with were not very nice at all, due to the twins being the older kids in their year they are the same age as some kids in the year above but now they are a year apart the kids in the year above didn’t want to be friends. Which of course upset my girls no end.
So as the girls know how it feels, I hope they don’t do the same to their mates that are the year below them.
As long as the schools can stay open and we don’t have homeschooling it will be a better year than the last two.
Are your kids looking forward to going back or starting school?
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Lately, I have felt frazzled. On edge, tired, annoyed, exhausted, overworked, too much to do, waiting for something to happen and then nothing does, upset, worried about money, worried full stop about everything, unable to do things I had planned, sad that I had to cancel plans that I was looking forward to and a lot of other things that I find I cannot name.
I think all these feelings have stemmed from the COVID Pandemic. As well lockdowns making sure that we are all stuck in a small house and the outcome means that there is no time for anything that I wish to do, or the space to do it, or the money to do it and when I might finally have time I am looking after kids and that means I cannot do my thing at all anyway, so I don’t bother. Yes, no time for me at all!
Sometimes I feel rather sad, miserable, and downright depressed. Sometimes I am feeling happy and upbeat, and then most of the time I am feeling downtrodden and ordinary.
I am getting up and doing what feels like five million jobs. I do a week’s work, and then do more work at night, to then have children argue with me about just helping around the house.
Normally I keep myself busy but for the last two years, I feel like I have been running a marathon non-stop and not getting a break.
Oh, what would I give for an all-expenses trip to a beach somewhere? On this beach, I would have a cocktail in my hand, and I would just be lying on the beach resting. Oh, there is that word, resting….
I have not had much of that lately. The good old downtime to rest. God knows when I have really rested. When I am resting, I am worrying about all the things that are yet to be done.
My weekends consist of being with kids and attempting to get a very messy house for the week ahead, and of course that comes with a tonne of clothes to wash, fold and ask that people put away, but they get added to the bedroom floor and then tossed around, thrown, and of course stomped on to then need washing again.
Geez…. Why can’t someone just do as I ask the first time!!!!!! Put the clothes away. Pick up the mess on the floor! C’mon you say, and all you get is yelling, moaning and doors being slammed in your face. So of course, you give up as all you wish to do is to rest and have a quiet house for a change, however that never happens.
Not sure if being frazzled is a medical term or a condition. Maybe it is a direct outcome of the COVID lockdowns and aftermath it has caused.
This is quite accurate.
You might have thought that it is all getting better in the world. Well, I thought so too. However, my car was recently stolen, driven terribly that it was practically falling apart and then set on fire. Yes, burnt everything down to the ground. If it hadn’t been for the weeks of non-stop rain the stupid horrible beasts and dickheads that took my car could have caused another bushfire. Yes, it was dumped and set on fire in the middle of the national park…. not smart but these are the idiots that steal cars so I guess they don’t think about that type of thing.
I bought the car before the four-month lockdown and have hardly driven it. It seems rather sad but also very ironic, that it is now gone. I did think that I caused the lockdown with my car purchase.
I am still very miserable about the loss of my car. I miss it. My car gave me independence, it allowed me to do whatever I wanted, and now it is gone. I have been fortunate to have good insurance so now I need to find a replacement. I just now need to do all the research I did the first time with my car that is no longer here anymore. Currently, I do have an idea of what I want but it is a bit out of reach now, and yes, another thing to be annoyed about!
Also, a new COVID variant making infections increase is not a good sign of what is to come. I do hope that we don’t have another lengthy lockdown. I could not handle work and home-schooling again. The only solution for this I believe is to lock things down again but personally, I don’t want that to happen either if we have too many more I wonder what the solution will be other than a lockdown?
Let’s just hope that we will still be able to travel in our state as the kids and I are really looking forward to visiting their Grandma and Grandad and also the beach. No offence to my in-laws but the kids, especially the youngest is hanging for the beach (they are excited to see their grandparents but the beach is the highlight at the moment) and I am right there with them. I think we need it after being cooped up not being able to travel.
My fix for feeling frazzled is a holiday (It would be nice to have a little holiday on my own as that would allow for less frazzle). A holiday where I can rest, not worry, just be and finally relax. However, this holiday is coming soon, it is still a while away yet and one that will be greatly welcomed.
I am sure I am not the only one feeling frazzled this year. Have you been feeling all mixed up lately? Is it a feeling of being frazzled and on edge? I feel like this year has just piled more terrible things on top of each other that you just shrug your shoulders and say, of course, yes it makes sense that would happen.
After I am done with work, I need to really focus on getting organised for Christmas. I have the gifts but need to wrap them and loads more to be all good to go for Christmas Day. I just want to be finally done for a bit and put my feet up for a bit longer than 5 minutes, I am sure you know what I mean.
So, as you can see 2021 has been a HUGE year, and I am sure you are in a similar situation. It would be nice to have a bit more luck in 2022 and for the car and holiday gods to smile on me in 2022.
I’ve now put my out of office on and I am officially on holiday! Let the relaxing begin.
Let me know how you are going? Have you been feeling frazzled too?
I don’t know about you but I have been struggling with working full time and kids doing homeschooling.
It basically has been a complete mess and a disaster in our house. For me the reason is clear, 2 kids are the same age and at the same level and 1 is not. The 1 who is not is the person who wants to play, have fun, not do school work or in fact anything he is supposed to do.
We are all keeping busy at home, what about you?
This means that the 2 kids that have work to do cannot do their work due to interruptions, tantrums and very bad behaviour. When this does occur I end up leaving my work to sort it out to then have to calm this child down and distract him from his sisters. However, this never lasts and there are many back and forth disasters that have to get sorted and then the kid in question wants you to stay with him and play. I would love to do this but I cannot due to the fact I need to work and get things done too.
We are approaching the end of the 9th week of lockdown…yes we have been in lockdown for 9 weeks! And have more to come.
It is not just homeschooling that I am having issues with, it is the fact that all kids are eating everything in sight (as soon as something is purchased it is gone in seconds, I kid you not!), not tidying up and arguing when they make a mess. It is a struggle and an argument to get them to anything you ask. Maybe this is their age or could it be lockdown is causing naughty behaviour? Please let me know. I do think it is an age thing as this was happening well before lockdown.
Today the NSW, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the back to school plan. I personally don’t think it will happen with the rate of infections but it does look like more and more are getting the vaccine so maybe this will let us reopen sooner. I do worry that if we open up people will go crazy and socialise and then we will be in lockdown yet again.
According to the ABC Website, this is what is going to happen or at least planned:
“A staggered return to face-to-face learning will begin on Monday, October 25. Students will return in the following order:
October 25: Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 12 (some Year 12 students have already returned to classrooms in a limited way, but they will be back full-time from this date)
November 1: Year 2, 6 and 11
November 8: Year 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10
Currently, all of NSW is in lockdown. If stay-at-home orders are lifted in any part of the state before October 25, students will return to school then too.”
Kids don’t have to be vaccinated but it is encouraged and today the government has added kids from 12-15 years of age have been added to the vaccine rollout. However, even with this update, I cannot book my 12-year-old kids in anywhere. The booking systems are not accepting kids this age and the doctors haven’t been updated on the change, when I rang they said to try next week. Although if you have an underlying health condition that would change the eligibility for booking a child from 12-15 years in for a covid vaccination.
Although some reports online have said by the end of the year all kids in this age group should be vaccinated. Let’s hope that is correct.
Teachers need to be all vaccinated and masks are compulsory for teachers and from what I have seen a requirement for high school and recommended for primary school kids too.
I watch other social media updates from other parents and see their picture-perfect kids that have magically done every last piece of work that was assigned to them from school. It makes me wonder if my kids have done everything they need to do, and then I think of the craziness that is my house at the moment and the answer is NO, they have done as much as they can and probably not everything.
It would be nice to post these types of posts but maybe this is not my family. It could be possible that there were a few arguments behind the picture-perfect posts too that I have no idea of.
My kids have been cooking and helping around the house, helping with their baby brother and just trying to not go insane with the fact we cannot go anywhere. Our only solace is that we live in a very large LGA (Local Government Area/Council) and we can take refuge in some lovely bush walks.
So I am counting down the weeks left of lockdown and we have 5 more weeks, so that will total 11 weeks, and I don’t believe that will be the end of it.
I am sure we will be in lockdown until all the kids go back to school, possibly another 2 more months till November.
Do you believe NSW will be out of lockdown at the end of September? Do you think kids will go back as the government has outlined today? Also, when do you really think kids from 12 years onwards will be able to be vaccinated.
Once kids from 12 years on can get the jab, will they be giving it to younger kids? My little boy will then be the only one not vaccinated and he is under the age to get the jab at the moment.
Being at home with everyone constantly is very stressful and I for one am keen for it all to end. I hope you are feeling okay if you are in lockdown too.
Take care and if you wish to chat about this please send me an email.
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We are about to enter our eighth week of lockdown. Yes, it will be nearly two months until we have been allowed to go anywhere other than our local LGA (council area).
Not only are we going stir crazy and getting frustrated, but it also looks like there is a huge possibility that the lockdown that was set to end at the end of August will be extended for another eleven weeks! However, this is not confirmed but has been a rumour, especially on Twitter.
So if it is true we have another few months of lockdown. It will end around the end of October or possibly be extended for Christmas and New Year, who knows at this stage.
A holiday at a hotel just for me!
It has been rather sad as the kids have missed out on their holidays as the lockdown started during the winter school holidays and it looks like the twins will celebrate their thirteenth birthday at home if we are still in lockdown in September.
I am sure I am not the only one that has missed alone time. With everyone at home there is nowhere to be and when you do finally stop working there is always something crazy going on with the kids that means that you are never truly relaxed.
I am living in a house that is constantly noisy, crazy with activity and with kids that don’t listen.
Not only is there no break but the kids have taken over my personal laptop for their school work, so that means that when I finally get some time for me, I cannot access my own computer due to the kids using it.
One thing that would make things much easier, is if all the kids could go back to school. It is a real struggle to get my five-year-old to do any school work and the constant arguments and negotiations are so draining.
After lockdown ends I know that many will be desperate to travel and I for one am one of those people, however, I have been thinking that after a huge lockdown trapped with family members that are making you frustrated, annoyed and making you feel like retreating.
I believe that holiday retreats for parents without kids or just the mum having some time out is what is going to happen. Bring it on I say!
I am drooling over the idea of going to a hotel all by myself. I don’t need to partake in all the services offered, however would be happy if the hotel of choice has a day spa. Mainly I would just enjoy the room on my own, sleeping in, watching my own tv and doing my own thing for a change. Oh and finally being able to not be responsible for the food and bedding would be awesome too!
Have you been thinking about the holiday you would take if you were not in lockdown? Currently, I don’t have to travel that far to get a nice hotel but as it is a huge cost staying at home is the cheaper option.
I am still getting emailed newsletters about holidays I can go on throughout Australia and also overseas, although with us not being able to travel at the moment, booking a holiday is not a good idea. I do spend a lot of time staring at the photos on the travel emails and wishing that I could go somewhere with the family or on my own. However, at this stage, it is not to be.
Wishing I was in the Maldives
Are you in the same boat? Wishing you could travel somewhere amazing? Are you also getting heaps of emails about booking your next holiday?
I know it sounds crazy that I wish to be alone after lockdown but with all the constant crazy energy I am seeking some calm time out. I am also wishing it would be nice to visit family and friends but mainly I am dreaming of a hotel room for just me.
Let me know if you are feeling the same.
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If you have ever wanted some new songs for your party, wonder no more. The below songs will make sure your party is a hit!
My five year old wanted to do listen to songs and dance.
Techno Chicken is another fun tune to get your dance on. I love the close-ups of the chicken, dancing and its head bopping along to the beat. This tune is a catchy one for your next dance party and I am sure if you had the video going it will put a smile on everyone’s face too.
He wanted to watch YouTube and told me that we should have a “Dance Party Mummy!” I then thought why not put YouTube on the TV and have a dance party as it was just my little boy and I and it would be a bit of fun.
These songs and dance moves are a bit silly but are a lot of fun and had my five-year-old in fits of giggles.
Pen Pineapple Apple Pen is a weird and catchy song, even if you think it is horrible you will catch yourself singing it later. Trust me, I have and you will be singing it too!
Stop looking, here are the perfect songs for your next party
You might have seen many other people on YouTube having dance-offs against the green alien and seeing who did the moves better? I must say that my five-year-old really did every move the alien did and thought it a giggle-fest at the same time. Have you had a dance-off with this green alien? If so how did you go?
When hubby and the twins came home they found both of us rocking it out to the green alien and doing the dance moves like he was. Alexander really has these moves down pat and loves it.
Enjoy and I hope you all have a great family dance off!
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I sit here looking at friends and families photos from Mother’s Day, these images are of happy families all looking like they have had a relaxing, fun and very happy day.
Mind you, these images are all posted on social media so maybe they are from 10 minutes of the day when everyone was smiling? Was it after the stunning stylish image that the kids continued their arguments? Did one have a tantrum to end all tantrums? Did the mother think “Why can’t my family just behave for a simple outing for lunch?”
Mums are always busy and Mother’s Day is the same.
After seeing all these carefully curated images, I then thought about my day.
There were a few fun and happy moments, but it was mostly exhausting due to kids arguing, one kid having several tantrums, kids not listening, no one doing anything they were told, when we finally got to lunch the youngest refused to sit on his chair and decided to be under the table and then decide to annoy his sisters and me. I just wondered why we bothered to go out at all during all this and that my thought of staying home seemed like a better idea.
Before we left the house all kids and hubby gave me wonderful and thoughtful presents in honour of Mother’s Day.
I don’t understand why everyone cannot behave for one day!
Personally, I would have preferred to stay home and do some things that I have not had time to do, being on my own would mean I can concentrate.
I did post some nice photos of the kids as they were having fun and I wanted to mark the day. However it would have been nice to have more moments that were photo worthy today.
I am a mother who is over all the drama, the crazy carry on of kids arguing and more! Would it still be Mother’s Day if I made the kids and hubby leave so I can have the day for me?
Have you ever had a Mother’s Day without the family? I know I would miss the kids, but the silence and calm might make me not miss them too much. Finally being able to do a few projects on my own would be so nice right now.
The kids did wish me a Happy Mother’s Day tonight before bedtime so that was rather sweet, and I gave them a cuddle and thanked them.
Maybe next year will be better.
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I love Dr. Seuss and his books. In fact, I grew up on them and so have my girls and now my little boy as well.
Ted Geisel, American writer and cartoonist, at work on a drawing of the grinch for “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
The attraction for me to Dr Seuss’s books is that he has a brilliant imagination, fabulous stories, funny rhymes and stunning artwork to add to his fun captivating stories.
Dr. Seuss I believe was ahead of his time. He wrote books that made reading fun for kids and many like me who have a strong connection to his books learnt to read with many of his most famous titles.
My favourites are: Horton Hears a Who, The Cat in the Hat, Oh the Places You Will Go, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Green Eggs and Ham, Fox in Socks, The Lorax, Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories and Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! (YES I have too many favourites…I did tell you that I really really like Dr Seuss).
Dr. Seuss or otherwise known as Theodor Seuss Geisel was also a person who believed in looking after our planet, less consumerism and wanted racial equality. Many of his books addressed these topics in a way that kids could understand.
“Geisel’s books express his views on a remarkable variety of social and political issues: The Lorax (1971), about environmentalism and anti-consumerism; The Sneetches (1961), about racial equality; The Butter Battle Book (1984), about the arms race; Yertle the Turtle (1958), about Adolf Hitler and anti-authoritarianism; How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957), criticizing the materialism and consumerism of the Christmas season; and Horton Hears a Who! (1954), about anti-isolationism and internationalism.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss)
I have fond memories of my mum getting stuck in his tongue twisters while reading me his books. I used to laugh so hard and beg my mum to read them again and again. I am now having fun reading them to my little boy as I did with my twin girls.
The Lorax
My childhood was composed of weird and wonderful childrens shows, HR Puff and Stuff, The Muppets and if you ever picked up a childrens book in the 1970’s the artwork is quite psychedelic compared to the books you get now.
I think this was the reason that many of these books and shows were a hit with kids and adults alike. They were fun, bright and colourful, did something different, made you think and used words that were made up and made you laugh in fits of giggles.
Dr. Seuss’s artwork is also amazing to look at, it is very detailed and just out there. He was a very clever man to write such fun and enjoyable books and to also illustrate them.
Thing 1 and Thing 2 from The Cat in the Hat
So imagine my shock to learn that a school in Loudoun Country in Virginia has decided toban Dr. Seuss from their annual Read Across America day. Dr Seuss books have been involved in this event for over 20 years, and now on his birthday has been banned.
“Dr. Seuss’s birthday is celebrated on March 2 and it celebrates both the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel and the National Education Association to endorse the importance of reading. A lesser-known fact about Dr. Seuss is that he created the word nerd.” (https://nationaltoday.com/dr-seusss-birthday/)
It is such a pity that the school in Virginia has made this horrible decision to ban such clever and inventive books. Have you ever come across writing like this from other writers, NO, Seuss was one of a kind!
The reason for the ban is that his stories feature “strong racial undertones.”
WHAT????? REALLY??????
I have never thought of Dr. Seuss books as being racist, hurtful or harmful in any way.
For me they let kids embrace the silly, the made-up and think that the impossible can be possible.
Dr. Seuss lets kids learn to pronounce weird and wonderful words and some words are just nonsense, but that doesn’t matter. Having the ability to read hard and funny words helps children figure out more words that are hard and then when they read the easier words it will of course be easy for them.
One claim against Dr. Seuss is that there is a lack of girls and women, and yes this is probably true. I am not sure what the answer here is, maybe Theodor Seuss Geisel created more male characters as they were stories written from the perspective of him as a boy, and therefore had more male characters. I think we need to reflect on the story, what it tells us and makes us feel before we jump on why there are not different races represented and also girls as well as boys.
Remember that these books were written a long time ago. You can clearly see that the years that Seuss wrote just a selection of the below titles:
The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, 1938
Horton Hears a Who! 1954
The Cat in the Hat, 1957
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, 1957
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, 1958
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, 1958
Happy Birthday to You!, 1959
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, 1959
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, 1958
Green Eggs and Ham, 1960
The Lorax, 1971
Personally, I never thought that Dr Seuss books were racist or horrible in any way. I always liked them for a giggle, fun and creative made-up worlds, words and characters.
It wouldn’t have crossed his mind that he was not including items and characters that we are now believing should be there. As a woman who is a massive fan of the Seuss books, I am not offended in any way that there might not be more girls showcased in the Dr Seuss books.
“As our graph shows. Trends are trending. This is good. Yet, nevertheless, the destination of the trendings is not simple to assess.
As of now, the Uppers are upping and the Downers are droobling down excepting on alternate Thursdays when it works the other way round.
And there occasionally are occasions when some Upper comes a cropper and bottoms out at the bottom. Then… some Bottomer is the Topper.
Consequently, on the other hand, I believe this can be said: you’ll be wise if you step gently whilst you tread on your neighbor’s head.”
As you can see Dr. Seuss was caring and wanted the best for the economy, the environment and the world around him. What he wrote in this poem in 1975 is also current in 2021.
COVID has thrown a spanner in the works to everyone’s plans this year. We have all suffered lockdowns, not visited loved ones, missed family and friends, and had to cancelled much-awaited plans.
Now we are in October and with Halloween approaching, there are questions around what we can and cannot do if you are trick and treating this 31st of October.
The girls a fews ago dressed up for Halloween.
Check out what you can and cannot do here, it lists all states in Australia.
It is advised to keep your celebrations local, so don’t travel to different areas
You are not to have lollies in a communal bowl.
We have also been told to not have people knock on the front door, to have lolly bags on the front fence, and also have hand sanitiser available.
No backyard festivities and if you are decorating just do your front yard.
Family groups must stick together, practice social distancing, and should not mingle with others.
A NSW Health spokesperson told 7NEWS.com.au that under coronavirus restrictions groups of children trick-or-treating would not be allowed to travel together.
If you have any symptoms of COVID-19 over Halloween, stay home, don’t receive Halloween visitors and get tested immediately
If you are self-isolating, don’t answer the door to trick-or-treaters
Make it a front-yard event, not at the front door of your house. Keep your celebrations outdoors and get creative in decorating the front yard
Only hand out individually wrapped treats
Don’t use communal lolly bowls. Consider other ways of distributing treats such as hanging them individually on your fence, front gate or up your driveway
Offer hand sanitiser at your front gate or fence
You may wish to avoid people knocking on your door by putting up a sign that says “We are home but due to COVID-19, we are distancing. Please take one, Happy Halloween”
Remember, you can only have 20 people on your property at one time.
This year I have decided to not take the kids trick or treating, and sadly to not have any lollies for anyone. I feel like it is too hard with the current restrictions.
Although we won’t be having things for others, I will do some fun things with the kids in our back garden and of course, create some Jack O Lanterns so we can have fun as a family.
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Make 5 – 6 different towers or more it is up to you
Decorate your towers with animals or other LEGO items
Get a small ball and then see how many skittle towers you can knockdown
If they break, build them again and keep on playing
Enjoy and have fun playing LEGO Skittles.
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Here are some super mum hacksthat will help you out and ones that are favourites of BigW too.
Maths class
Schools out for the Easter holidays, but it is still important to establish a routine, not just for working from home, but also for your kids. Keeping the kids educated and entertained during this challenging time is key and reminding them that daily chores are still on the agenda is important. So grab a Dry Erase Board, some Monopoly money and some tasty snacksand get those kiddies working for their maths class – trading chores for treats!
After paying for snacks with Monopoly money the kids will be experts in: counting change, knowing if they have enough for a certain snack and how much money they have left.
Whether you’re a rookie or a WFH veteran, creating structure and ensuring productivity is important. Setting up space in your home where you exclusively work and commit to working from each day, will make you more productive. So now you have found somewhere quiet, with a door and the least amount of distractions (including mess), grab some tape and large pieces of chalk and get the kid’s creative flares sparked with a DIY art class.
It is important to plan your daily breaks when WFH. With kids needing to be constantly entertained, fed and watered – even Mum needs a break sometimes. Sitting the kids in front of the TV whilst you take some time out never felt so educational (and entertaining) – simply switch on the mute button and chuck on some subtitles. Welcome to Mum’s English classkids!
Physical Education
While Super Mum’s navigate the new world of isolation and working alongside their kids 24/7, it’s still important to keep moving and remain active. While you may love going for a run or setting up some time for a yoga sesh, watch the kids stay active and learn how to ride a bike, sharing a little #fitspo-lation to other Mum’s these holidays.
These are great ways to help you get work done and at the same time entertain and help kids learn.
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You too can share the screen with a tiger, alligator, lion, snakes and many more.
Our friendly tiger decided to visit the girl’s room and hang out for a while.
Simply do a Google Search and then click on ‘View in 3D’ – Make sure to do this on your smartphone.
Below is the list of animals you can add
Alligator
Angler fish
Brown bear
Cat
Cheetah
Dog
Labrador Retriever
Pug
Rottweiler
Duck
Eagle
Emperor penguin
Giant panda
Goat
Hedgehog
Horse
Lion
Macaw
Octopus
Shark
Shetland pony
Snake
Tiger
Turtle
Wolf
How to add 3D images of animals to your photos?
Step 1. You need to use your phone to do this.
For Android users, Google requires an operating system of Android 7.0 or later, with internet access.
For iPhone users, you need to be running iOS 11.0 or later and also with internet access.
Step 2.On your phone open up Google to search for any of the above animals. Don’t search in image mode just use the all search mode for the whole internet.
Step 3. Now you have found your animal you were searching for, you then need to click “View in 3D”
Step 4. You might be asked to move your phone around. Do this and then your animal should appear.
Step 5. You can change the size of the animal/object. You can also move it to a different area of the image
Step 6. Take photos or a video and save it to your camera roll. Now share with friends and family.
How about a selfie with a tiger? With Google 3D Animals you can have one too!
I hope this helps you have some fun and create great images and videos. Perfect for staying at home and shocking the family with your latest adventures.
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Chinese New Year is nearly here, and one great way to get kids involved is with craft.
Example of what the Year of the Rat lantern looks like – download yours now
I’ve updated my printable Chinese lantern for The Year of the Rat! Yes now, you can have your house decorated with these cute little lanterns that your kids created.
All you need to do is to sign up with your email address, once confirmed your PDF download will be instantly sent to you. It’s that easy!
I hope you enjoy this printable.
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The idea came to Susanna after she saw how much time her eldest daughter Alexandra (5) was spent in front of a screen.
Now her two kids, Alexandra and Rocco don’t want to play with the iPad and favour the Rainbow Patch PlayBook.
The Rainbow Patch PlayBook comes with its own tote bag to allow you to take it anywhere and perfect for the holidays.
The Rainbow Patch PlayBook fits easily into the tote bag and allows you to take it with you everywhere.
The Rainbow Patch PlayBook is compact and doesn’t take up much room at all. Great for small spaces.
Did You Know?
“The Australian Bureau of Statistics recently found that young kids are spending over 20 hours per week doing screen-based activities”
This caterpillar is a multi-purpose page, learn to open and close many items and tie knots or bows.
The Rainbow Patch PlayBook is interactive, creative and has such stimulating activities for kids. Each page helps develop fine motor skills, like opening zippers with the rainbow zipper page, hanging clothes on the line with the clip pegs, tying knots/bows, opening and closing buttons, opening and closing clips, and opening and closing velcro.
Counting with the new Rainbow Patch PlayBook – This page has beads that count up to 10
“As a working mum of two little girls, I’m always on the lookout for screen-free activities that are fun, engaging and most importantly encourage independent play.” Susanna Polycarpou
Having fun with the rainbow zippers – Kids can open and close them, this helps with their fine motor skills.
What I love about the Rainbow Patch PlayBook:
It is very creative
Allows kids to be hands-on and to try things
It helps kids to get better with fine motor skills, opening buttons, tying laces/bows and lots more.
Is extremely well made and will hold up with the heavy-duty play from toddlers
Bright colours
Compact and able to take away on holidays or in the car – Ideal to keep kids entertained in the car…no iPad!
The monkey ate Alexander’s car… be careful what can happen with the Rainbow Patch PlayBook.
Pick some fruit and add it to your basket.
Did you know that monkeys eat cars??? Well, they do!
This quality playbook for kids is a fabulous present for Christmas, Birthdays, or just because. I’m sure your little one will love it as much as Alexander does.
Rainbow Patch playbooks are suitable for children aged 3+ and are available for purchase online for only $69.95. New fill-in pages are coming soon to the website.
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I’ve watched about a million hours of Rusty Rivets and Paw Patrol, and there is one thing that these shows have in common; they have kids that build or have state of the art technology, equipment, and space to have a large HQ (Head Quarters)
This also applies to PJ Masks as well. Three kids about 8-9 years old at the most, and they save the world or at the very least their town from Romeo, Luna Girl and Night Ninja. Greg, Connor, and Amaya become Gecko, Cat Boy and Owlette, they work at night to save the day. However, when an emergency or evil event occurs it is always in the day time and most times they are in a park or at school. Then they do there tagline about saving the day and pow they are all in their costumes and it is night time.
Doesn’t anyone notice that these kids are suddenly doing their superhero moves at school and during the day time? Does anyone wonder how these three kids have a HUGE HQ, Cars and other amazing equipment?
The kids that are in these shows are about 10 years old (or sometimes younger) and how do they have access to the following:
Mobile Lab with all the technology you need
Heaps and heaps of space for the recycled workshop to build any robotic creation you wish
Boats, submarine, fancy HQ that is all run by kids and no adults
Money to do all of the above
So it got me thinking??? Who pays for all this stuff?
Does Rusty and Ruby from Rusty Rivets have investors? Do they have parents that secretly fund their creations? It is hard to know as this information is never told to the audience.
So just in case, you have no idea what these shows are all about here’s a breakdown for you. Rusty Rivets – A boy called Rusty Rivest and his friend Ruby Ramirez who build and create a state of the art creations from recycled items. They have a robot called Botassuar and other robots called the bits.
When Rusty customizes or changes an item he says, “modify, customize, Rustify” and when Ruby customizes or creates something she says, “Rubify”
They end up out in the middle of nowhere nearly every episode and have their mobile lab which seems to have everything you would ever need to do anything. If they need something extra they use their iPad/tablet to call for the bits (their small robots) to come and help or bring them something that they urgently need.
How do these kids fix all these things and build such technical and huge creations???? I keep on wondering… Do you or is it just me?
Paw Patrol – Ryder and his pups save the town of Adventure Bay and any person when they get stuck, hurt, need help and everything in between. Ryder has a huge HQ that sits on the beach of Adventure Bay and they have boats, subs, vehicles and all sorts of amazing technology and equipment for the pups and Ryder too. How do they afford all this, again Ryder is probably just 10 years old and seems to be in charge of everything. No adult comes and helps, all the adults call Ryder and the pups to save them.
Who pays for all this? How does it get built? Is Ryder a secret adult? Is he independently wealthy? Maybe?
PJ Masks – Is about three kids that fight evil in their town and to save the world. Connor, Amaya and Greg are Cat Boy, Oweltte and Gecko. They are the PJ Masks, they do all their superhero work in the night time and apparently are in the third grade.
These 3rd graders have a massive and state of the art HQ, cars, technology and anything you could want and no one seems to know anything about it. This HQ looks like it lives in the city and in a local park from the many shows that I’ve seen.
Again how do three kids who are about 8-9 years old do all of this? Did they build and pay for everything themselves.
Or maybe there is a silent investor that pays for all of these kid organizations?
These tech-savvy kids could have approached venture capital firms for funding, I don’t know if they invest in this type of business as it doesn’t seem to have a return that I’m aware of, however, it could help keep the peace and in turn allow business to thrive, so maybe a good investment.
Do you know how these kids fund their enterprises and activities? One suggestion is that they have a secret illegal business that generates heaps of cash. I know this is not in keeping of the superhero way but it could explain how they can afford all these amazing items for their adventures.
Let me know if you have any other ideas.
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Skittles is so much fun and a great activity to keep little 
