Do your children grumble and complain when you want them to practice their sight words?
Mine do!
With school reading starting this week I’m sure you will be practicing with your little ones so that they can progress with their home readers.
It got me thinking…. Why not make it fun?
If it was a game the kids would be more inclined to want to practice. Maybe they would not even realise they are practicing their sight words, and just think it’s a game.
One bingo card for one of my girls
What is Sight Word Bingo?
Sight word bingo is like regular bingo but without numbers, it uses words. The words you select are aligned to your child’s level at school and reading.
How to play Sight Word Bingo
Each child gets a different bingo card. (When you print out your cards on Sight Word Bingo Creatoryou can tell it how many cards you need. It automatically creates each card differently for you.)
If the child/children are not familiar with the words take a moment and read them with the children. Let them get familiar and know the words before playing. If any child needs any help with the words make sure to give them an extra hand. This game is all about getting to know the words.
It is recommended that the adult/parent use the word in a sentence so that the child understands the word and how it is used. For example: “Mummy had to think about where she put her keys.” (This happens a lot, yes I know I should find a place and keep them there.)
You can play this game as many times as you like until your child/children know the words. Once they are confident with these words you can then move onto other words.
The parent or adult calls out the words one at a time. Once the child hears each word, they cover the word that appears on their bingo card with a marker. (If you don’t have markers how about buttons or bottle tops – cheap and easy to get a hold of)
Remember: Not every word is on every card. If every word was on all cards everyone would get bingo.
The words to read out for Sight Word Bingo! Let the games begin.
When the child has a whole row of words completed whether horizontal, vertical or diagonal they have won. To win you need to yell, “BINGO!”
The other bingo card for my other lovely girl
How do you create your own Sight Word Bingo?
To create your own Sight Word Bingo game, you need to go to the Sight Word Bingo Creator (see below image)
I selected two cards to be created as I have two children. You can select more if you need more.
I selected the Dolch Sight words and ticked the box for 1st Grade. As you can see there are more grades to choose from and different selections of sight words.
Once all selected and confirmed a PDF is generated that allowed me to save and to print.
I would recommend printing on thicker paper so that the Bingo Card lasts a bit longer and maybe laminating it so that it can be used again and again.
Have fun with your Sight Words Bingo and I hope this will help your little one learn more words.
Disclaimer:I was looking online and found the SightWords website. I was so taken with their free resources to help children read, and making these tools accessible is fabulous. I have not been paid to promote SightWords and had to share this great website as helping your little one read is very important.
Do you practice sight words with your child/children at home? Help at school for reading?
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Happy Valentine’s Day. Yes it is that time again where romance blossoms, you get wined and dined by your lover.
Getting romantic on Valentine’s Day?
I mentioned to hubby that this Saturday was Valentine’s Day and he looked shocked, upset and worried.
I have interpreted his reaction to mean; He had no idea, he was not planning anything, and he forgot.
In reality I am not that fussed and would appreciate the following:
“Honey, you sit in the living room. Here is a glass of red wine to sip while you watch your favourite show. I’ll organise dinner and don’t worry about the mess, I’ll tidy up as well!”
It is hard to get whisked out to a dinner or to a surprise event when you have kids. I suppose the kids could come as well and I am not opposed to this. However if kids did come it could cramp our style or not allow the magic romance to bloom if you get what I mean!
Valentine’s Day is a special day for me. It was the day I found out I was pregnant. I was under the impression that I was having one child at the time not two. I did not find out I was having twins until we had our seven week ultrasound. Now that was a pleasant shock!
I am not sure if hubby has anything up his sleeve… and it does not matter. Maybe a dinner or simple show of affection is okay with me.
What are you doing this Valentine’s Day? Got anything planned?
Let us know your thoughts. Why not continue the discussion on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
As you know the twins are in different classes for grade 1 and both seemed very happy with this when they left with their new classes, and from my last post you would know it was me that was the most seemed upset about this. I have been questioning why and I believe that I thought the girls would be more emotional by being apart than they were. In reality they were fine.
I was not opposed to separating the kids and believe that this will help in their development and confidence. However due to past behaviour and of course asking the kids what they wanted to do regarding school, I thought being together was the way to go. The girls both told me together and separately that they wished to be in the same class. So I thought that this would be the best way to go.
Last Thursday was the girls second day of school and one kid was very clingy and upset. She did not want me to leave. I stayed for a little bit and tried to remove myself from the classroom with little disruption to my girl and of course the classroom and teacher. My attempts did not work and she was hanging onto me very tightly and like her life depended on it. I was not sure if she was just a little sensitive that day or if she was missing her sister. She seemed okay to be in a class without her twin so I did not bring it up. I did not want to allow her to think that she cannot be in a classroom and develop by herself.
The twins first day of grade 1. Wearing their new YUUworld Bags.
When I left the teachers aide said that she could be the class helper. She sat near the teacher and was promised to help. I thought this was great as this was my queue to exit the room and when I looked back she had a smile on her face. My little one does love helping and doing things for the teacher and others.
My other little girl, was busy with her work in her class and did not look bothered. I waved her goodbye and she gave me a wave and a smile. All good I thought.
The girls are in a composite class of kids who are grade 1 and grade 2 students. The teachers and students are all learning about each other and understanding what level each child is at for work and learning names and so on.
The kid who was clingy was very upset on Thursday night and told me that she was not allowed to help in the class, that the older kids got different work and that she was doing Kindy work and it was boring! She told me she wanted to learn everything and do more and that the teacher was not allowing her to look at the bigger kids worksheets.
I sat down and listened to what she was saying and explained the following:
The class is made up of kids who are at different levels for work – she is in grade 1 while the other kids are in grade 2. The teacher gave each child different work due to their ability and year. It is not that she might not be able to do it, just due to getting to know students and finding out what kids can and cannot do. I also said that it is only day 2 of school and I am sure things will be harder soon and that she will be challenged by the grade 1 work as well.
The teacher is trying to get to know all the kids with some fun games and just because it is easy and similar things that they did last year does not mean that she will not learn new things. From what I understand the teacher is easing the kids into the week to then settle them and then coordinate the work in the weeks to come.
I asked her what she was not allowed to help with and she did not say, but said everything. I said maybe there was a valid reason for this. I said, that I am sorry that she did not help and that she was upset.
I also learnt that the older kids counted to 100 unassisted and by themselves and the grade 1’s did not. She and her sister can do it and she wanted to show the teacher how clever she was with counting and numbers, but was not given the chance.
I don’t know if I got a straight story about the day but I know the following things, she was upset, she was told she would help and then did not and could not show that she could do higher work like the grade 2’s.
Friday came and this was day 3 of the first week of school. I felt uneasy as I had to go and have a chat with one of my child’s teacher’s and it was only day 3 of the first week. I did not want to be seen as a problem parent or fussy mother, but I thought I should address some of the issues early on. If I left it and it got overlooked due to me not saying anything I would hate myself. I don’t want me not speaking up to be the reason that a child gets frustrated and does not try at school.
I told the teacher that I do understand that it is early days and just the first couple of days of school. I know that she is dealing with different levels in the classroom, I do understand that grade 1 kids might not get the grade 2 work and that is fine. However if a grade 1 child is clever and can attempt the grade 2 work why not let them.
I asked about the fact that she got upset that she could not help out in class after she was told she could. The teacher did not realise and said that she will make sure she can help next time.
I mentioned that my girls are the same age as some of the grade 2 kids due to the fact that they had their birthday at the end of the year so therefore were 5 before they started school. The twins will be turning 7 this year when a majority of grade 1’s are turning 6. Some are like the girls and are turning 7 but they are a year older than their year.
Due the kids not being able to be at school when they were 5, both had 2 years at pre-school and now kindy so they are bursting at the seams to learn and do more.
I just wanted to address the fact that she is bright, wants to do more and is getting upset that she is seen as a little kid who cannot. The teacher understood and I am hoping that if she does grade 1 work she might get the chance to do grade 2 or at least see it.
It is a new class, new teacher, and kids. I told the teacher that I do understand it is early days and it is a big change for the girls.
My immediate thought with the composite class was that they will learn so much. My fear now is that they will be stuck with grade 1 work even if they do well, above and beyond. I hope that they get exposed to more being in a class with grade 2 kids and with more things to learn.
I am worried it will be an impediment and they will get angry if they cannot learn more in this class (If they excel at grade 1 work that is; I would just be happy if they do well with what is offered in grade 1) Has this happened to you?
Our school is great and the teachers are amazing. I have done my part and mentioned how my little girl was feeling and what she is capable of. Let’s just see what happens in term 1. It is all new and a learning curve for the girls. Grade 1 is a big step compared to Kindy.
I must say that the start of grade 1 was more stressful for me than the start of Kindergarten. I was concerned about the kids being split up, the issue with one of the kids being worried and upset, and there is another issue; The school has had more enrollments and there will be another class of kids for grade 1. Gosh, will they split up the kids again?????
I had a word to the principal and mentioned that we are fine with the twins being in different classes, but thought that it might be a drama if they get moved again. I mentioned that if we can, can the kids stay where they are? I do understand if we have to move due to numbers and was told I will be consulted if this would happen (Not sure if it will happen but I have not received a phone call with any updates, so think all is well). I think due to the big change of different classes, and all different ways of doing things, moving kids again might not be a good idea. Have your kids been moved after settling into a classroom and a teacher?
Today is the start of week 2 for school and the kids have now been told of the new class for grade 1. Both kids are telling me they want to move to the new classroom…. oh the joys of grade 1 currently. I believe that it might take a while to adjust to the new way of doing things but all will be fine! It might take a good month to do this but it will happen.
How have your twins handled the start to school? Are they in Kindy, Grade 1 or another grade. Maybe in high school? Do they share a classroom or have they been separated for a while now. Let us know.
Does making school lunches make you cringe? It makes me wonder what I could add to the lunch boxes this year to keep little people interested and maybe try a new food or two. Yes I have two very fussy eaters. I never thought this would happen, as hubby and I are not fussy and try and experience different foods all the time. However my little ones don’t.
I have struggled to change this and I try and add a new food here and there to keep interest up and to add to their diet. One kid would like to be Junior Masterchef and I use this to get her to try more foods than she would normally. She does a test taste a few things due to me saying as a Masterchef she needs to know what they taste like.
So as you can imagine making two very fussy kids lunch boxes for school is a chore and I never know what to pack. I do try to make it healthy and a good mix of things. I normally have a sandwich of Vegemite/cheese/chicken/turkey, some piece of fruit either, watermelon, apples, pears, strawberries or a banana. I also sometimes throw in yoghurt, carrot and some other snacks. I do give a treat every know and then and that could be some biscuits, a cake we cooked at home or a square of extra extra dark chocolate.
Sometimes the kids do have a canteen lunch and I lived in hope that they would see things on the menu and want to give it a go. The school they go to has a very healthy canteen so if they order something it should not be too bad and crossing fingers might expose them to different foods and tastes.
“With nutrition at the heart of IGA’s lunchbox inspirations,the local grocer has worked closely with a local nutritionist to ensure the
recipeshave plenty of healthy options for parents to choose from, presented in a creative way for kids to enjoy.”
Are you like me and require some inspiration for kids lunches? IGA has some great lunch box ideas and I’m sure that you will be a lunchbox legend as well. Since school is going back next Wednesday in NSW, this might give a hand to make the first week back easier.
Tips from IGA to help you make some awesome school lunches:
Cut out sandwiches with a cookie cutter. Make it a fun shape that your child/children will love. I have done this and been very surprised it worked so well. I used hearts, cars, flowers and other fun shapes. The kids came home and said I loved my stars and hearts.
Create the “WOW” factor with colour. Kids love colour and this will keep them interested in their lunch box
Bake some healthy cakes/muffins/cupcakes. Store the left over-overs in the freezer so that they are ready for the school lunch box. They’ll stay fresh and be ready to eat by morning tea.
Pack the lunch box the night before. This help if you are rushed and feeling pressured to get it all done in the morning. I pack the twins lunches the night before and it saves a lot of hassle and stress. All I need to do is to get the lunch boxes in the bag and kids out the door and all is good.
If you child or kids love to help in the kitchen, get them to help and give a hand to sorting out their lunch box. This way they are more inclined to eat what they pack.
I will be checking out the suggestions from IGA as they look like great inspiration and ideas. As you already know dealing with fussy kids is never easy so any ideas that help is a good thing.
Did you know?
“Two thirds of parents are feeling the pressure from other parents, teachers or friends, and a quarter (28 per cent) that say there is even competition among other parents when it comes to preparing school lunches” IGA (Independent Grocers of Australia)
I am not sure if this has happened to me as no one has said anything and I really don’t care about what other parents do with their kids lunch boxes. I am more worried about my kids.
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post for IGA. I have decided to support their healthy stance on school lunches and due to my kids being fuss pots I am interested in anything that will make them eat good healthy food. I hope this helps you out and gives you some more ideas on how to get kids interested and for school lunch box ideas.
As you would know from part 1 of our adventure we traveled to the city to be there and to avoid a super early morning start. Staying at Darling Harbour was great. We had a great view from our hotel and the Maritime Museum was a short walk from where we were.
The girls were so excited and the main thing they wanted to do was go on a submarine. Yes we had not even got to the museum and they were telling everyone that they are going on a submarine.
We went to the museum on a Saturday to allow hubby to have fun with the kids and join in. I also met up with my sister, her partner and her lovely baby girl. Plus my mum, and step dad joined in the fun. It was a good family day out.
So what did we do there?
At first we got a map so that we knew where all areas of the museum were. There is a lot of things on display so you do need a full day to see it all. The submarines and ships are outside of course and if you keep your wristband on you can come in and out of the museum.
Firstly we saw as many displays inside the museum as possible. I was taken with the amount of information from first hand people they have, diaries, pictures, posters and more.
We looked around and I was amazed that there were personal notes from soldiers that were in World War I. I saw a hand written diary of a solider saying that they were awaiting orders to leave, and you can see this below on the date of August 4th 1915.
The Cabinet of Curiosities.
The kids had fun with The Cabinet of Curiosities. This is a trolley with items that the kids can touch and learn more about. The girls loved it. They were able to touch and learn about the objects on display.
All items in the museum were very impressive. The displays were thoughtful and very interesting.
A model showing many people at work and at play.The kids were able to press different buttons to have different light and times occur.
I was amazed that there was a helicopter in the museum as well as other items.
Navy Helicopter
Going Places
Going Places is an interactive exhibition that is on until the 22nd of February 2015 and allows kids of all ages to see how different transport works, planes, bikes, airships and cargo ships.
Voyage to the Deep
The exhibition of the Voyage to the deep was what we came to see plus the ships and the submarine. The girls loved the fact that they could play with everything and run around like made people. They had a blast and had so much fun. As you can see from the video I took below of the girls under the water at the exhibition.
Here are some more images of the fun that the kids had at the Voyage to the Deep.
Voyage to the Deep was a whole playground that was underwater. It allowed kids to just have fun and touch and play with all that was there. It is great to see a museum having things that kids can play on and touch that also fosters learning.
The Maritime Museum was a fabulous day out and all the family had fun not just the kids. You will need a whole day as there is a lot to see and do so get there early. We got to the museum at 10am and left at around 3.30pm nearly 4.00pm so it is a big day!
We went to the cafe outside near the ships for lunch and it was good and handy. It served yummy things for kids and adults alike. It was close so it meant that we could relax there and were still able to access the museum due to keeping our wristbands on for entry.
Have fun and I am sure your little one will just love the Maritime Museum in the holidays or on the weekend. It will keep everyone interested. I highly recommend the Maritime Museum as it is fun, educational and hands on.
Do you take the kids to museums? Have you been to the Maritime Museum? Did the kids love it? Let us know. If you have been, what was your favourite part?
Disclaimer: Thanks so much to The Maritime Museum for our family passes that made this all possible. We had an amazing time and it was a wonderful family adventure.
In 2015 I have decided to make things easier on me. Yes you heard that right, I am looking at solutions to give me more time and to stop some of the stress that goes with these tasks. Task number one is food shopping with kids. I can hear the sighs and ahhaa’s while I am writing this. I did do a couple of home deliveries last year but swore to keep it up and it did not happen.
Now we are in a new year I have just had my first home delivery of food products, and also a nice bottle of gin for my occasional refreshing mummy beverage. I was not worried about kids while shopping as I did it all from the convenience of my home.
Shopping trolleys will be a thing of the past with online shopping
I did not have to get changed or have a shower to go shopping. The best part of it was that the kids were not distracting me, from what I went to the shops for in the first place. I could focus on the task and get what I needed rather than every 2mins or less tell a child to stop creatively dancing in the aisle, or to get out of someone’s way, or that whatever they ask for it is going to be a NO!
Plus the other one that I keep on repeating, “Stop touching that, touching is not looking. You look with your eyes not your hands!” I am sure I am not the only one that has found the relaxing way to shop is online and it has definitely made me want more of this serenity while doing the food shop.
I would in all seriousness go clothes shopping than get the weekly shop for the house. Ladies I am sure I am not alone on this!
To go to the shops I would have to put two kids in the car, get them out, be a stressed out mummy while at the shops, get kids and shopping in car, get home, get kids and shopping out of car, and finally put shopping away but not before giving the kids something to do to allow me to get it all done. The kids do help with items that they can carry and help put away but once it gets a bit hard, I am on my own.
One thing that I noticed once I did the online shop, I thought that since I had ordered it they were in my kitchen. Yes very silly. However I had mentally gone to the shops but not yet received the product. Have you done this before? Or is it just me? Maybe I need more sleep?
Do you shop online for your groceries? Do you find it makes life easier and less stressful? I do, and I will be making sure the rest of the year I do more online orders. Spending hours at the shops for food when you could be doing other things is no brainer. I do understand that you might need to go to get the odd item and that is fine, but for big shops it is the way to go!
Next Post: My 2nd installment about our Maritime Museum Adventure
The kids are at vacation care today and the original plan was to have a full day to myself. However this has been changed due to our visit tomorrow to the Maritime Museum. Since we live a while away from the city, we are staying in a hotel close to the museum to make it easier on everyone. I have told the other family to meet us at 10am outside the museum so staying nearby will help to not make it such an early start. If we drove from home it might be a 6am or so wake up call, and that is not on!
Since I had already booked kids into care they are only having a half day and at the time of writing this they should be on their excursion to the pool. I dressed both kids in their swimmers and had all their things ready for their adventure at the pool.
I am doing some things at home and then will pick up kids. After I dump most things at home all of us will make our way to the station to catch the train to the city. Then we will get our connection to the light rail to go to the hotel.
Did you know?
You can purchase light rail tickets when you get your train tickets. YES fabulous….. and all organised before I start the journey.
I decided to get the train tickets before I pick up kids later (nothing worse than fussing around with kids and money at the station, while worrying about when the train will come) I went to the automatic machine and realised that I could also purchase light rail tickets as well. How amazing and I also got the family deal. One kid travels free! So I have got the train tickets and also the light rail tickets before we go anywhere. Talk about organised!
Do you stay somewhere closer if you are off somewhere special? Do you do it due to living further away or just as a treat?
The girls are smart and have figured out we are most likely staying in a hotel, but have no idea where and how close we will be to the Maritime Museum. I think the kids will be super tired from swimming, a train trip and then the light rail, plus a small walk to the hotel.
Hubby has the bags and other heavy things and will meet us later after he gets off work. We have used the kids new suitcases they got for Christmas as we did not need much for an overnight visit to the city.
I am hoping to be able to visit the kids playground at Darling Harbour after our time at the museum and have organised a change of clothes as there is water play and the kids will most likely end up wet. The last time we were there the girls had a blast!
Have you been to the Maritime Museum? Did you enjoy it? I will write a full and more in depth post after we experience everything tomorrow. Do you love the Darling Harbour Playground? What is your favourite bit of it? I love the fact that it is free, and for all kids of different ages. So great to see a city incorporate activities for kids that are accessible and fun.
Thanks to the Maritime Museum for the family passes to make tomorrow possible and I am sure we will have an amazing day.
I have wanted to post about our travels but have been either exhausted or off keeping the kids entertained.
We had great adventures while at Coffs Harbour. What did we get up to?
Traveling by Plane
Firstly getting to Coffs Harbour was a great adventure. The kids and traveled by plane without hubby and it was good that I can now take the kids with me without another adult. (When they were babies, I had to have another adult if I wished to fly. So this is good that I can travel with them if I need to)
The kids used the in flight entertainment and once they were involved with their shows it was hard to get their attention. It kept them occupied for the flight and they really enjoyed the service that was offered. We used the free Virgin App and connected to their wifi, aside from announcements the service was non stop. They paused it to make sure everyone heard any important messages.
Before we took off from Sydney Airport, the kids were busy with their in flight entertainment on the iPhone and iPad and then the alert to make sure you have your seat belts on sounded. Lillian yelled at the top of her lungs, “What is wrong! What was that!” I told her to stop yelling and that all was fine that it was just saying to keep your seat belts on. Julia signaled to me with an up arrow finger asking without talking if we were up in the air. I said no.
I was thankful the confusion about the seat belt alert did not start a panic.
The Beach
Once we arrived it did not stop raining and it was big down pours of rain! Yes we went to Coffs Harbour for a summer holiday and time at the beach to then have heaps of rain. We were lucky to work around the afternoon storms and managed to get to the beach about three times on our holiday.
I love the sea and it feels so refreshing to swim at the beach and makes me miss my childhood home, Queensland. The girls loved it and really enjoyed being in the water. The last time we were here, they did not know that the water was salt and drank some. This time they did not make this mistake. I was very pleased the kids enjoy the beach as much as I do.
Off to the Movies
Due to the rain, we all went to the movies as everything was soggy and wet. Grandma, Nana, the kids and I saw Big Hero 6 and it was a fabulous film. Very funny and entertaining. Adults will love it as much as the kids.
The kids with Baymax from Big Hero 6
Off course paying for tickets to the movies made the sun come out and we were able to go to the beach again. Yes more time at the beach!
One of grandma’s friends from work told us about a place called Spring Loaded. It is an indoor play centre with a difference. They have gymnastic like equipment and it is all safe with mats everywhere. You do have to sign a disclaimer when you enter, but I think as long as the kids are careful all should be good.
Indoor Rock Climbing
Solitary Islands Aquarium
The kids had a blast at The Solitary Islands Aquarium. They touched starfish and other animals. They caught fish and looked through a microscope. The guides at the aquarium were very knowledgeable and we learnt a lot from our visit. I had no idea that octopus lay so many eggs, thousands to be precise and that the male octopus give the sperm to the female octopus via a tube and from distance to ensure they don’t get eaten or killed by the female. Who knew!
The girls were very excited that we might see the fireworks. We stayed up and were lucky enough to see them from Grandma and Grandad’s balcony at home. How amazing was it that it was a clear night or not that cloudy to allow a better view. See the videos below as the kids enjoy the night.
Of course it was nice to catch up with the kids grandparents and to see my mum their other set of grandparents as well. It was a good trip and we all had fun. It is great to be home.
However I have a messy house as per usual to sort out, I have nearly done the washing but need to put things away and due to holidays have been trying to keep two kids busy and entertained. Yesterday we caught up with my sister and her baby. Nana and Opa were staying with them for a week so that was good that we could all catch up again. The day before due to a massive storm here I took the kids to an indoor play centre to run off some energy. Today is the only day home for a rest.
What have you been up to these school holidays?
Stay tuned for our next adventure at the Maritime Museum and our stay in the city on Friday night.
Today is New Year’s Eve. Hard to believe that it is the last day of the year. It only feels like yesterday that the kids started Kindergarten.
I am thinking of all the things I have achieved in 2014 and the plans that I put in motion that are yet to be seen and will be realised in 2015. YES big things are to happen, I just need to work more on them and I am sure they will produce great things! Personally and professionally.
What was your biggest achievement, personal, work related, to do with anything really. What is it you are really proud of?
What I am proud of in 2014:
That the girls did very well at school. Their first year of primary school went extremely well and I am a very proud parent. Yes add <Gushing and happiness here>
I finally got a groovy and fabulous new logo for the blog.
I worked with some wonderful and fantastic brands.
I did find a fab new theme for the blog but some other wonderful blogger took it, but due to this I have found an even better one. So very happy about this. New looking blog soon!
We had some great adventures as a family and had fun doing so.
Since I am on holidays I spoke to hubby via FaceTime on my iPhone..YES it is a great tool if you have not yet tried it. I love it. You can see each other and the kids can see daddy and tell them about their day. I ended our call with see you next year… talk about weird.
Some things on my to do list for 2015:
Change the blog to the new theme and update the site with all new things.
Work with more brands.
Start writing my books that I have been thinking about for a long time.
Lose weight and tone up. More exercise… yes I need to make it more of a priority.
Make the blog be my business. I have already adopted the mindset that my blog is my job. Although I don’t get paid for it. I do sometimes get the small paid job here or there. However like everyone I would like to make what I love more of a full time job. I hope that 2015 will make that happen. More work and letting me put my ideas into action will allow this I feel.
Maybe get a cleaner to allow more time for other things… I can hope. You never know right? If things go well, a cleaner would help me to create and be more. Fingers and toes crossed for this one!
Work on getting our new house done… sick of not having enough room!!!!!
More sewing and creating. Maybe something for me and not just the kids.
2015 is meant to be a great year for hubby and I according to Chinese astrology. 2015 is the year of the goat, but some reference it as the year of the green sheep. It is just like the book, “Where is the Green Sheep“, I have found it and it is next year, 2015 to be precise. However the Chinese New Year does not start until February 19th 2015. I like to think of the year as the Green Sheep rather than the goat.
What are you doing tonight to celebrate the end of 2014 and the soon to be new year, 2015? I am having both sets of grandparents for nibbles, drinks and to watch the local fireworks from the balcony of hubby’s parents house. I hope that the clouds go away to allow us to see the fireworks and all goes well tonight.
Hope you stay safe and have fun. May 2015 be a great year for all.
Let us know what you plan to achieve this year and maybe we can help keep each other accountable and allow each other to complete long awaited goals.
The kids cooling down with some fruit and being silly. They are having a great time on their holiday.
Let us know if you wish to share. Send in your comments.
We arrived safely in Coffs Harbour but the nice sunshine was not to be. It was non stop rain for the last two days and now today sunshine has finally graced us.
It seems a pity that the sunshine picked today to shine. Today is the day due to the non stop rain that we are all off to the movies. I was not too sure what to do with the kids in the rain, and thought that a film would be a nice filler due to it being so wet. I did think that as soon as we did it, paid for tickets we would wake to a lovely day.
The kids with Baymax at the movies
I will make sure to take swimmers and towels for later and hopefully we will fit in a swim at the beach today or at the latest tomorrow.
Have you gone somewhere sunny to then have bad weather. I am grateful that it appears that we will get to experience some good weather for some of the days. However I did note that the weather report before I left predicted rain all week. Maybe it has changed? I can only hope.
The twins are racing around everywhere and finding it hard to walk. I keep on telling them to walk not run, but I get the excuse, “We are excited Mummy!” Oh it is going to be a long week if I keep on having to tell them to walk instead of running. On the plus side we are having a fabulous time and the kids are enjoying seeing both sets of grandparents.
It is very warm here and a welcome change from the cool mornings and evenings of the mountains. Even though it is summer the mountains are still a bit nippy on some days. I miss the warmth of more balmy climates and being at the beach.
Are you having a great holiday or have you had to go back to work? Maybe you are off soon on a holiday in January rather than take it now?
I hope you are having a great time with family and friends. I have to go and get myself and the twins ready to go and see Big Hero 6 at the movies, they and I cannot wait to see the film.
Today the twins and I fly to Coffs Harbour to visit their grandparents and as luck would have it we can also see my mum and step dad as well! Yes, both sides of the family will be in the one place at the same time. AMAZING ACTUALLY! This was not planned and was just a fabulous coincidence.
We were all hoping to go and visit after Christmas but hubby has to work through and only has public holidays off, so not ideal for traveling far away. I asked hubby if he was okay with me and the girls flying there to see his parents and my mum and step dad, and if we had the money we would do it. We were lucky that the stars aligned and we managed to organise it.
The twins new luggage! All packed and ready for their trip to Coffs Harbour. They cannot wait to be on the plane and the fight for the window seat has begun!
Months back we booked the tickets and I secretly purchased luggage for the twins. Yes they now have their own luggage. Last year when we went to the Gold Coast they wanted their own luggage. I promised that the next trip we make I will get them their own suitcases. I packed up the luggage as part of their Christmas gifts and of course it was the first one that they decided to open. Once open, I asked, “Do you want to know where we are going on our secret adventure?” The kids screamed, “YES”, I told them that we are off to see grandad and grandma, and of course Nana and Opa will be there as well. They were so happy that we are going to see them! However the new luggage and news of going on a plane was high on the list also.
This is my first time of taking the kids on a plane with me, and just me! It should be fun. It is a short trip, only one hour flight so we will be there in no time. Once all our bags and extras are checked it will free up the hands to look after other things like colouring books and organising drinks and food!
As I will be flying out to spend time with family, I will not be blogging this week as much. Check my Instagram account to see what I have been up to.
Hope you had a Merry Christmas and are having a nice relaxing holiday!
No more school for 2014. Kindy over and now on Summer Holidays.Image courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
The kids are now officially on holidays. Yesterday was their last day at school. Also today is exactly seven days till Christmas and Santa arrives. Gosh it is getting exciting at our house. What about yours?
The twins have completed their first year at big school. Yes kindergarten is now done and dusted and they will go back as bigger kids entering grade one. The girls are so pleased with this and also some of their younger friends will be starting school next year and they are keen to look after then and show them around.
One thing that I did not predict was that the girls were very sad and cried a bit due to their older school buddy leaving primary to go to high school next year. It is sad but we can always see her at other times, and told the girls that one day they will also be leaving to go to high school. I know this is a way off yet, but it will happen in a blink of an eye.
I still cannot believe that they are six years old already, it only seems like yesterday they were babies.
So what have I learnt with the first year of primary school?
Notes from the school. You will find that you get a lot of notes. Don’t think your darling child will give you all these notes and some important announcements. You will need to go through their bag to ensure you have all announcements and notes from the school.
Keep some petty cash available for events at the school. There might be an excursion, stalls, fetes, cake stalls and so on. The kids need a bit of money to participate and if you have it at home it saves you going to the ATM or the bank.
Your child will lose some or nearly all of their uniform. Label everything! One of my girls lost a lunch box. Yes odd, but it happens.
If you can help in the classroom, I would do it. I loved helping the kids with their reading and assisting the teacher with this program. It was a joy to see my girls grow with their reading and be shown other things in class.
The kids school has an excellent canteen with very healthy food. If you have this option don’t worry about using the canteen for school lunches. They were cheap and gave me a break from thinking what to pack every so often. It was also a nice treat for the kids. Due to the fact that the kids go to school in the mountains and it is gets freezing in winter, having hot food options for lunches for winter is ideal and the canteen helped me then.
Change of Clothes. Due to the fact that kids are still young and in Kindy, I always had a spare pair of undies and socks in the bag. You never know if the child might have an accident or just walk in a puddle and get upset with the fact that they have wet socks. With the undies and socks, I also added a t-shirt, jumper and skivvy just in case the weather changes. In the mountains you never know so it is good to be prepared.
Hope this list helps some parents out there, my main point is to keep up with the news from the school. Make sure to read the newsletters and any updates. It is a whirlwind of info and events when you start but you become better at navigating what you need to do and where you need to be. I was also impressed that the teachers knew who each child was in the early days.
I did mention to the twins that due to the fact that the kids need to wear a uniform, teachers and others might find it hard to know who each person was. This was not true. Their teachers were amazing and figured it out. This was very impressive and made the girls very happy!
Now we are on school holidays and Christmas is fast approaching I have a number of things to get done. I have organised tickets to a film tomorrow for me and the twins, we are off to see the new Paddington film and I cannot wait. The girls have told me that they will help me tidy up a bit before Santa arrives and then the girls and I are off on a secret trip after Christmas…more info on this later!
How are you going now you are on school holidays? Are the kids super excited for the arrival of Santa? Have you got everything organised yet? I was lucky that I sorted hubby’s present yesterday, and yes I still need to wrap the kids presents but I have them.
However I just need to remember where they have been hidden throughout the house. Wish me luck I find them all!
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.
Hubby and I have survived our first ballet concert weekend. Yes there were two performances. One was at 6pm on Saturday and the other for 2.30pm Sunday. The Saturday one we had to be at the hall for 5pm and the Sunday one we had to be at the hall for 1.30pm. Saturday we did not get home until about 9.30pm and kids had a very late dinner of weet-bix and then collapsed in their beds and went straight to sleep. We are all very tired from Saturday but had to repeat the whole saga again for Sunday’s matinee show.
I know I said saga, it was not too bad. Kids getting hair and makeup on, plus the much needed glitter hair spray was a chore unto itself. Making kids sit still to put on hot red lipstick is hard to do. I find it hard enough to colour in the lines myself, let alone putting it on a moving child!
Oh well, I handled this and managed to have some success. See image of the girls and I below. We are all wearing makeup and ready for the kids to do their Sunday concert (well today’s concert)
The girls and I waiting for them to do their Frozen Ballet for the second time.
I volunteered to make cakes and some cupcakes to sell for the dance teacher. I made a frozen inspired cake for the first show. The cake was a double layered marble cake of chocolate and vanilla lemon, with a layer of freshly whipped cream. The cake was topped off by some blue frozen inspired butter icing and finished off with some icy sparkles and heart sugar decorations.
Frozen Cake. A double layered marble cake of chocolate and vanilla lemon. In the middle of the layers there was freshly whipped cream and topped off by butter icing and frozen inspired decoration.
I was told by many that saw the cake or had some that it was great, inspired and wonderful. I thought that this was very nice and was grateful for the fabulous feedback. I did want to create a special treat for the first performance and also wanted to see if I could tie it in with the twins performance with their class.
I wish I had a shot of what the cake looked like when I cut it up to serve. However I never got shots so you can only imagine. Sorry everyone. Next time I will make sure to get some done.
Cupcakes were created for the second show and you can see them here with the image below.
Here are my cupcakes that I made for today’s performance (Sunday matinee show). They were vanilla lemon cupcakes with choc chips. Finished with chocolate butter icing. However I accidentally added too much cocoa and it tastes more like straight chocolate than just icing. I used organic cocoa from the health food shop. This has given such a great outcome and tastes unreal.
The girls as Elsa from Frozen for their ballet concert. This was taken at the kids dress rehearsal. They looked amazing and all the costumes for all the classes were just stunning!
The girls great aunts made the trek to come and see the kids in their first ever ballet concert. The kids had a blast and loved the fact that their great aunts were there to share the fun of day. After the girls concert today which was the last one, we all went out to dinner.
I can’t believe that I am so exhausted after this weekend. I think I need a mini holiday to just decompress and relax. I know it might sound strange but racing everywhere and doing so much with noise and such energy all around you, I am keen for quiet and doing absolutely NOTHING!
How have you managed dance concerts? Do your kids participate in them? If they don’t is there something similar that has the same affect? A sport or a hobby that takes over the family for a bit? Let us know. Do you have any coping strategies that might help me or others if we do this again next year?
I am now off to bed for some much needed rest. Pity the kids have to go to school tomorrow, a sleep in would be nice. Yes silly me, if it was holidays they would wake up early wouldn’t they? I bet tomorrow I will have to wake them up.
The twins are very active and have been this way since babies. Both kids always want to be on the move, have the same toy or do the same things at the same time. Yes very exhausting! Not only this, they always want to do multiple things at once; watch TV, play outside, read a million and one books and of course draw and paint. As you can imagine this takes a toll on the house and tidiness. I make sure that they do one thing at a time or at least try to, and once done with that task we put it away or at least make it cleaner than it was once the mess was made.
The kids first go at Karate. They loved it and want to go again. I hope they stick with it. We will see.
I am sure that this type of behaviour is not unique to twins or just my household, but I do find that due to the kids being close and so intertwined they are super competitive. I have also witnessed one kid in particular getting frustrated and dealing with this with being aggressive to her sister. It is obvious that she is angry and finds it hard to communicate her feelings and wants, she then just reacts and gets upset when she gets into trouble.
I have tried time out, asking why this behaviour has happened, giving her more activity, I thought it was a an attention issue and spent more time with her, praised good behaviour and made sure to not reward bad, and so on. Nothing was working. We have tried over the years to put the kids into a sport due to them being so full of beans, but this never happened. I am not sure if they were just too young but everything I took them to they either cried, had a tantrum or refused to try.
We tried the following:
Soccer – they cried and yelled at me and fell on the floor. So we left.
Rock climbing – Drove to a far away centre on the promise they would give it a go. Screaming, crying and just no one wanting to give it a go. So we left.
Little athletics due to one kids love of running – no one joined in and wanted to leave the second we got there.
Tumbling (basic gymnastics) – Screamed, cried and just did not want to join in. So again we left.
Karate in 2013 to see if they wanted to join. No they just watched and did not want to join in.
Dance in 2013 – liked it then they got to a point where they don’t want to do it. However we are now doing dance for this term and kids love it. It might be due to the fact that they are doing a Frozen concert and the girls will be Elsa in the production.
Kids have been doing swimming lessons and love the pool, so that is a win there as well.
Karate in 2014 is now a hit and they love it and wish to go back! Finally we have success!
I am not pushing a sport on the kids but feel that if they have so much energy it is best to channel it into something positive, get fit and meet new friends as well. Since the kids have been to their first karate lesson their behaviour has really turned around. I am not sure if this has anything to do with it and have noted that they are very sleepy due to all the extra activity we are doing each week. Now we have karate, then dance, and then swimming. Mind you these are all on separate days.
I do think it is too early to tell if karate is helping them at home more…. time will tell and if they stick with it I will then know if it is a help and working for us.
My kids are smart, I am not saying they are geniuses but I believe they get bored easily. This leads to frustration and upset. I think this might be part of the problem with the twins. They need to be stimulated all the time to keep their bodies and minds active.
Have you had incidents where your kids are being so angry and upset at each other? Do they attack each other with biting, hitting, pinching or just anger? I am so over it and I know this is a stage and mind you being with each other all the time, might make you annoyed to. I have tried to give each child some alone time and I am hoping that this might help as well. It is probably a sibling rivalry issue and it will work out over time. I however don’t want one child to feel like she is the target of the others anger and of course would like it to be channeled in other areas, and for them both to learn techniques on how to deal with emotion and feelings. I know karate does not focus on emotion and feelings and I am working on this at home.
I am making sure that both kids have some quiet time like meditation, but not really. Just some time to rest, relax and to just be. They have done yoga at school and a bit of meditation so this is not new to them.
So next week we are off again to karate and the one kid that really wanted to do it was so happy. During her first lesson the teacher praised her for standing correctly and all her good work. She was all smiles.
What are your techniques to deal with anger or aggressive behaviour? Send them in so we call all learn.
Kids at school. Image courtesy of Vlado at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Last week some of the boys in the girls reading group were being silly and not nice to one of my girls. She then said very loudly, “My name is Lillian, not Lilly to YOU!” “You Can call me Lillian, Not Lilly!”
Wow! I have never heard her speak like this! The comments must have annoyed her no end and decided they are not allowed to call her Lilly as a punishment.
Sometimes people shorten my name but only people I know very well do. Others generally call me my full name. Do you do the same? I find it is a familiarity and something that friends do over time, shorten your name.
This order from Lillian to address her by her full name took the boys by surprise. They then said that they always call her Lilly not Lillian. She had nothing to do with the mutterings and insisted that she be called by her full name.
I told hubby and he said that she must have been very angry to have said this to the boys. I wonder if this is still the case at the school. Are the boys still having to refer to her by the full name?
What has your child or children said in anger or annoyance that you thought was funny or interesting? Let us know.
On the last weekend of the spring school holidays I took the family for a sleepover. A sleepover with a twist; we went glamping on Cockatoo Island.
Hubby and the girls at the accommodation office on Cockatoo IslandView of the tents on Cockatoo Island. Our tent was near the water. What a wonderful view!
I was so excited and so were the kids. I was looking forward to exploring what the island had to offer, relaxing at a cafe and later at our tent with a glass of wine watching the sun set and the boats go by. Some of this happened but not the way I had envisioned.
Getting to Cockatoo Island
As the name suggests it is an island and the only way there is by boat or ferry. We were lucky to park the car where hubby works so that saved with money for parking for the weekend, and then walked around the corner to the ferry. We had to take the ferry to one stop due to low tide and then get a bus to the next place to get the ferry all the way to Cockatoo Island. This was great for the girls as they loved the fact that we took a car, ferry, bus and then finally ferry again. A big adventure just to get there.
Cockatoo Island Wharf, Cockatoo Island. Sydney Harbour.The girls on the wharf waiting for our ferry back to the city.
What did we pack?
If you are staying on the island you need to make sure you bring everything you need with you. This is why I decided on glamping as it means we are not carrying too much with us.
We took the following with us:
Change of clothes for everyone. Basically just a shirt, shorts and other essentials
We all had one pair of shoes, however since it was 34 degrees for nearly both days we were there a pair of thongs could have come in handy
Food for dinner, we had a BBQ that we organised ourselves
Plates, cups, forks, knives, spoons and so on.
Weet-Bix for the twins and 5ooml of milk that was in a cool bag (kids are fussy and having breakfast for them was essential. Hubby and I waited till the cafe was open and had a bacon and egg roll)
View of the buildings and cranes on Cockatoo Island
What can you do on Cockatoo Island?
Explore the island
Get a tour by a guide or do a self guided tour
Learn about the buildings and the history
Kids can collect clues and colour in a book that you can get from the vistors centre
Relax with a nice drink and watch the stunning harbour view
Have a lovely BBQ
Camp and stay over on the island
What did we do?
After we arrived we organised our ice for our esky and then made sure we had wine for the evening. Silly to have to race to do this but the place to purchase wine closes at 4pm and we had a 2pm check-in. Once this was organised we relaxed a bit in our wonderful tent.
The tent and amenities that were provided were wonderful. The glamping tent came with camp beds, linen, towels, toiletries – soap, shampoo, conditioner and the like. It was a huge tent and I am glad I did not have to carry it or put it up. It was good to have it there and ready for us when we arrived.
After we sorted ourselves out we then went off to explore the island. We did get the self-guided tour (headphones that when you enter a number it tells you about a certain area or building), we just explored and had some fun. It was a hot day and the kids had fun running around and looking at the wonderful view.
The beautiful sunset that we saw on Sunday the 5th of October while on Cockatoo Island.
I wore my Fitbit Flex and I did the following steps:
17,480 Steps on Sunday (this was the hottest day and of course we did the most walking! The twins met a friend in the tent next to ours and ran around so they must have done well over 20,000 steps as they were running around like mad people)
9,987 Steps on Monday
So as you can see you do a lot of walking! So make sure to wear comfortable shoes.
What did we eat?
I went shopping and got some sausages, chops (otherwise known as roast beef on the bone), and some nice bits of steak for a BBQ. We also purchased some fresh bread rolls, salad and and drinks to take with us. I froze the drinks so that they would stay colder longer. This was a good help especially with a very hot day that I did not expect. The island has a wonderful kitchen facility for all that stay and we used this area to cook and eat our BBQ feast. Since we made friends with our neighbours we ended up having dinner with them as well. It was a nice evening.
BBQ, Kitchen and eating area for those who camp on Cockatoo Island.
Before I went to Cockatoo Island, I did some research and realised that the pizza place on the island closed at 3pm to families…YES silly really. The weekend we visited, it was the October long weekend, the start of daylight savings and also still school holidays. So why close a place where families can eat and enjoy the island from your cafe/restaurant. I was told when I emailed before our visit that the owner has it as an adults only area after 3pm and if we wanted to come back during the weekday, not school holidays or the weekends it will be fine. I did mention that we were visiting on the weekend and due to school holidays that being there on a weekday would not be possible. I also explained that we were there for a family outing so having children with us was a given.
This is why we chose to take food for a BBQ for our dinner on the Sunday evening.
Other areas that offered food were all closing at about 3pm or 4pm… weird? Why did they not stay open to at least 7pm or 8pm or later… it was of course an island, people were staying there and they in turn could make more money. Strange if you ask me. You are stuck on an island where businesses could earn more if they stayed open and catered more for their customers.
Not sure if there is a reason for this but we could not understand it.
If you are thinking of staying on Cockatoo Island it is a wise idea to bring your own food if you have kids. Most likely places will not be open or if they are your child might not like what is on the menu. It is not like you can go down the shops to get what you need when you are in the middle of Sydney Harbour.
There is a fire pit and the ranger on the island lit it for the evening.
Things that need improvement
More family friendly businesses. Families with kids go to Cockatoo Island for something to do and they are prepared to spend when they are there, even more if you are staying on the Island. To not have venues happy to accept families was a major disappointment. I was so looking forward to sipping a cocktail while having dinner and looking at the harbour. This was not to be due to the fact the only place to do this did not cater for families. I spoke to other families and they said the same thing. Families with kids are being discriminated against and this is a big negative for a fantastic venue like Cockatoo Island.
Open longer and provide places for kids to be while parents are allowed to eat.
We tried to rent a boat to go around the island but when hubby tried to do this he was told to call a number to organise. He said that if he had known this we would have done it before we arrived. However the website said it can all be arranged from the island. We did call the person on the number we were given and the person called back and then found us to discuss renting a boat for all four of us. He took one look at the twins and realised they were tiny. He asked how old and we told him they were six. He said that it depends on life jackets for the kids as we all had to be safe. He came back with the smallest life jacket he had and tried it on one of the girls. It was too big and that meant we could not go on the boat. We understood this and don’t want to not be safe. However if we were able to organise this before we got to Cockatoo Island maybe we might have been able to rent the boat and have this experience. This also means that the money for the boat hire, about $100 was not earnt and this person lost out on the money. Better organisation would mean a better experience and more money in the businesses pockets. A win, win really.
Staff argued with us when we questioned why they took the lids off our bottles of wine when we purchased them (Having staff that don’t argue might be a good idea). You are not allowed to take alcohol on the island and we did not. You are only allowed to purchase it there and drink it in certain areas. The cafe/bar where you buy it, or say your tent or BBQ/Kitchen area. We made sure to purchase ice for our esky that was provided and not having any lids on bottles of wine made it hard to fit everything back into the esky. We were told that not having any lids on the wine is for our safety. Really why is not having a lid something that makes it safe?
Not having a lid makes it more easily spilt, or drunken by other people that are not supposed to have it. Having a lid on a bottle of wine is from my understanding safer than not having a lid on it.
Cockatoo Island Promo Shot from their website. It shows a lid on a wine bottle although this is not allowed for your safety of course.
Seagulls are everywhere, and they are feral! I don’t know what can be done but they need to try and remove them or at least make it easier for the vistors to the island. When we were doing the clue finding with the kids we had to leave many areas as the seagulls were nesting and had eggs that they were protecting. They were getting rather upset and some were looking like they might attack. All they need is a kid to be attacked or something bad to happen and then there might be a major issue. We were fine and left them well alone, however the kids did point out that the island should be renamed, Seagull Island rather than Cockatoo Island.
As you will see the promo image from the Cockatoo Island website shows that you can sit at your tent with a nice glass of wine with a lid on the bottle no less. However when you get there for the same experience, lids were confiscated and the top of the bottle was stuffed with kitchen paper to make up for the missing lid.
Looking at the fire while the sun sets on Cockatoo Island
What to pack if you wish to stay on Cockatoo Island
Food if you wish to have a BBQ or if you have kids with you
Lids for wine or anything that might have lids taken away from you
Cups, plates, knifes, forks, spoons, bowls,cups, glasses, and so on if you are bringing food
Change of clothes, change of shoes if it becomes cool. We just brought walking shoes and as it was hot did not have thongs or sandals
Hat
Suncream
Toilet paper. The ladies toilets were fine and always had adequate paper but hubby said the mens did not. So we were lucky to have some with us.
Note: there is no power for electrical items so make sure you charge your phone and devices ahead of time. My iPhone 4s died early into our first day there so that was not good but to be expected. It is an old phone that has a battery that is on its way out. I am hanging for the new iPhone.
Games for the kids. Card game, a ball or maybe a board game for something to do after you are back at your tent
Enjoying the fire and outdoors on Cockatoo Island
Did we enjoy Cockatoo Island?
We had a great time but some of the things that we expected made the trip for hubby and I not as great as we hoped. Just a little more work on what they offer from hours and accessibility for families to services, and customer service side would have made it fabulous. From my perspective, Cockatoo Island needs to think about who visits their island. It is most likely families who come for a day or stay over, that said they are there to have fun and spend money. It is hard to do this when you cannot due to businesses not catering for families who are prepared to spend when they are there. Think about returns that they have lost due to such silly decisions to close a venue off to families at 3pm.
I loved camping, being somewhere different and it was great as it was a holiday without having to go to far from home.
Relaxing at our tent on Cockatoo Island
The kids loved it and enjoyed racing around and exploring everything. It was the first time for the kids to go camping or really glamping. I did tell the kids that normally we would be camping in a sleeping bag not a bed setup with all the bed made for us.
We would definitely go back. Now we know what we need to do for our next stay or we could just do a day trip. Hubby would like to learn more about the buildings and one day we will go back to learn more.
Have you been to Cockatoo Island? Did you stay over? What did you think? Did you have fun?
One of the girls got a worm farm for their birthday and the other an ant farm. Last Friday we started to set up the worm farm. The kids were very excited to do this earlier, however we needed one essential ingredient. WORMS! And I had none! Luckily I went to my Nana (the girls GG) and Aunty’s for lunch last Thursday, they had worms from the compost so we took some home with us. I hope the worms like the fact that they are now in the mountains.
Worm Farm ready to set up
What you need
Dirt
Of course worms
A clean table to set up the farm
I got the dirt from our backyard and found a few extra worms also, so that was a bonus. One worm that we got from my aunty was huge and the girls have called him “The King”
Checking out the worm farm. Very happy kids!
I followed the instructions for the worm kit however I left one thing out. The privacy screens. Who knew worms needed privacy? The reason the kit has it is you can take off the plastic edges of the farm to see what the worms are doing. Without the screens the worms get a lot of light that they don’t like. If they had the screens they would be spared the annoyance of having the light shone in their faces. I just now have images of worms not wanting to be next to each other and are upset that I left off the privacy screens. I realised too late and the only way to fix it was to take all the dirt and worms out of the kit and start again.
So sorry worms, no privacy. You will just have to get along with your neighbours.
You might have noticed the yellow and red dirt or sand. It is so that when the worms build their tunnels you can see where they have gone. Easier to see if it is a different colour than just black dirt.
Make sure you wash your hands and any surfaces that you used to help create the worm farm.
Happy kids with their new worm farm.
One thing that was said after I completed the worm farm with the twins, “Thanks mummy we now have worms as pets!”
Gosh if the kids are happy with worms as pets, wait till they get a cat when they are a bit older. We are hoping to have a kitten for the kids when we have our new house. Maybe while we wait we could get the girls fish to look after. This might be a little better than pet worms? What do you think?
The girls are getting more involved in scientific exploration so that is why they got an ant farm and a worm farm. Along with it both kids got a magnifying glass as well, they have used it to investigate the garden and all that is miniature that needs to be explored.
Have you set up a worm farm with your kids? How did it go? Were they fascinated? Let us know.
Now I need to find a whole bunch of ants for the ant farm. Send suggestions on how to collect some please! I have had a few so far but have not put it into action.
