balloon tent - tresure

I am not in the greatest mood today but i don't want my mood to contaminate the boys so i came up with this for Eli. This is a simple but sweet idea, its perfect for my 1 year old. I have a play tent (if you don't have one a fort made from blankets would work great too) i filled it with a packet of balloons. The balloons weren't filled up heaps to conserve my breath, a packet can give you a bit of a head spin its a lot of puffing. I confess i was checking face book while blowing them up.

 Eli sat in the tent while i shoved more and more balloons through the little doors. Giggles, bit of clapping and a lot of 'ha ballloooon' from Eli. He sat there for a while with a very content smile on his face, he also had a lollipop as a reward, we had just got home from his swimming class, and so he thought he was the cat that had got the cream.

this is blurry white becauyse i was looking through the little window at the top of the tent.

balloons and lollypop = cheeky bliss face

I reminded him that you can bat balloons into the air, he then went a bit bonkers, scattering balloons every where stomping on them (falling over) and lastly leaping into the tent, adrenalin junkie with no regard for his own safety tile floors are not your friend little guy. Sweet and simple, in a few days time I'm going to ind sad shrivelled floppy fish balloons everywhere. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend love sassy .

Mr think im invincible!

its oh so quiet - only human

i am having a wonderful and quiet half hour, Flynns at kindy, Eli is asleep, my house looks its chaotic self but i don't mind because its quiet and i deserve a lunch break every now and then. I'm taking in big breaths of fresh sunshiny air after days and days of rain. One night this week i was worried the house was going to flood we had water right up to our front steps, our cars were parked in knee deep water and it didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon. I'm happy the water subsided quickly and that today the sun has graced us with its hot presence once again. We are blessed with beautiful sunshine most of the time and hot humid days, but when the wet season rolls around and the mould begins to grow on your bathroom ceiling you question your choice of home. Why this place? When we know it can have big cyclones, yesterday the people who suffered the loss of their homes in cyclone yasi were on my mind. I wonder how those people are really going and how many chose to move away and how many chose to stay and start over. Australia can be harsh weather wise no matter where we are, in recent years its been hit with cyclones, terrible floods and massive bush fires.

So personally why Australia?  and why cairns in particular? its my home, i grew up here, i have lived in other places and i know how big and fascinating the world is but there is a comfort and a joy in this place i know so well. I love the big paddocks of sugar cane, though they are disappearing, i remember when they would be set on fire the drama of the flames and the ash was so beautiful. My boys love the huge tractors at harvesting time these days. I love how the mountains seem to rise straight out of the sea. I love the beaches with space on them to sprawl out, the sea may be filled with jellyfish but I'm happy just to sit on the sand and look at it. Its so green here vivid veridian green, everything hums with life (that would be the crickets, frogs and bugs and hundred of different birds). Whilst this town grows and shifts in small ways claimed by that horrid thing 'progress', it hasn't really changed its still a regional outpost at the top end of this country.

I am ONLY human!!! my house has been overtaken by man flu

There is nothing like the three men in my life getting sick at the same time, it's only been with colds thankfully, but even so im a little frayed around the edges. I am greatful that i didn't get sick but im tired and with nothing interesting or exciting to talk about im going to share some pictures. I have taken my boys out a bit this week, its been wet, flynn has been home from school (kindy) i needed the fresh air as much as them, so inbetween rain we have been upto this.



i gave Flynn a bag for collecting things this is "the biggest leaf in whole world"

all the stuff washed up on the beach because of the bad weather

Alphabet picklets - finds

Making name picklets was a promise made to my big boy at bed time, i like to give him something nice to think about at bedtime to help him go to sleep. So Saturday morning was tasty and fun.

Where do i find most of my food inspiration, taste.com.au, and here is the pikelet recipe

I did make the two n's in Flynn's name as well

this works well in our house as our kids have short names!
you could get a lot of pancakes if your name was say christopher

kids art conversion - tresure

What to do with all the art your child makes, the colouring in the paintings?
I posted this puppet on a stick idea for colouring in, and today i had a stack of kids artwork i was tiding up and wondered what to do with it all. I put some up on their bedroom walls, and some into a special folder for them to keep and the rest, well today i chose a couple to turn into cards. I cut out rectangles from an abstract painting and colouring in drawing that Eli and i had done together, it was too nice to throw away, a bit random to put on his wall but perfect for cards. I buy blank cards from a cheap store and keep them to make cards, i just glued down bits and voila ready for nice letters or birthday's. I also took one of pepper pig and makka pakka and cut them out, glued, perfect for little friends birthday's.

When they are dry i will put them in a draw and then they are all ready the next time i need a card it's sorted. Easy Peasy and if your feeling up to it you can let your kids so the cutting and pasting, creates another activity.
love sassy

moments

Ice Eggs with a surprise - thinking cap

Ice Egg Surprise

You will need, balloons, cheap cleaning sponges, food colouring and glitter and a little funnel will help too. Cut Some shapes out of your sponges, if your stuck for ideas you can always draw around cookie cutters.

Put 2 fingers into the balloon and pull in open with other hand shove the little sponge shape (or 2 shapes) in. Then if you want a bit of colour and glitter put the balloon onto the funnel and drop in the colour and glitter. Then fill with water until you have an egg shape, tie knot. Put them in the freezer till they harden up.

I took 4 out at a time and placed them in a plastic tub. You can give your kids some water to help melt the ice, or some tools to smash them. My boys loved the magic of discovering what was in their eggs and they enjoyed figuring out how to get them out. Then once hatched the little sponge shapes become water toys that they can continue to play with. Enjoy the fun and beauty of surprise ice eggs, were going to do this again for Easter with chicken and rabbit shaped sponges.

love sassy

Pet + kids - friday finds

Hi, most of the people we know with kids also have pets. Personally i loved growing up with lots of animals and it helped me to learn a lot of life lessons. My hubby is very much an animal person too and so we have got a number of pets, whats really important is the relationship between my boys and their pets. They have to be kind and gentle with pets, their pets all have different personalities and the kids have to learn that too. They have a friend whenever they need one, griffen will always soak up a pat, Jett is always keen for a game of ball or a jump on the trampoline, he even has the odd slippery slide with the kids. Zephyr is very tolerant of squashes and he will happily be hand fed bikkies. And the fish? they are always pretty to look at.

Growing Up With Pets

 I found this great site to help me with some of the questions and things involved in raising kids with pets. One of the things I'm keen to try out is walking the dog with 2 leads so the kids can help you! Flynn is always busting to walk Jett and be in charge, i think this could really work for us. I also really liked the printouts. Hope its useful for you too, love sassy. (ps, my boys are watching puss in boots very appropriate )

5 furry babies - only human

So Griffen appeared on Monday night to have her dinner, i took one look at her and "omg shes had her kittens!" hubby "what how do you know?" me"look how skinny she is! where do you think the kittens are?" followed by a rushed check of all rooms and backyard, shed and garage...no sign of the kittens. So we got the boys down from the dinner table, they had long finished and were desperatly shouting at us that they had finished their desert. I look at Griffen again, by this time she too has scoffed her dinner and Zephyr's (don't feel bad for him he was sharing the dogs). Ok well maybe its like when i was preggers and the baby dropped into position? maybe? clearly I'm an expert of cat birth. She was showing a bit of blood (sorry) so we agreed that she would definitely be having them tonight.
We resume life as normal, bath the kids, get the kids out dried Flynn about to dry Eli, i tell Flynn "go to your room find a pair of undies and put them on" like i tell him every night. Off he goes followed by his daddy, "MUMMY MUMMY COME LOOK!" frantic excitement as this is repeated very fast again and again. When Eli and i walk into Flynn's room Hubby looks at me and says "She has had her kittens alright!". There in Flynn's wardrobe inside the plastic tub full of undies and socks is Griffen and 5 little kittens.

I understand that Flynn's undies tub meant she didn't have to bother making a nest it was already taken care of, and i get that it was a nice dark, often air conditioned choice. But really Flynn's room it's not ideal to have kittens in a 4 year olds bedroom he is not going to leave you alone! and you know at some point i will have to re-locate you! However that little boy was so incredibly touched and grateful that you chose his room to have your babies in, he is now calling them his kittens, clearly they were born in his room so they are his. He was also incredibly sweet as he leaned over the tub and told Griffen what a good girl she was and followed it with this "hello little kittens, my name is Flynn whats your names...pause...oh you don't know your names do you? i will just call you Griffens kittens" the last bit went up a little shrill as he got so excited just thinking about them. bless his heart. Awesome job Griffen, 5 babies in one go my hat goes of to you miss. love sassy

youve got mail - kids write letters

Sending Mail

Every one loves to get mail ( except bills ). I am thinking the best way to get mail sent to us is to send some mail ourselves. So i got both boys and we made some little notes for some friends and family i left it up to Flynn to choose who he'd like to make notes for. We used some of the fun foam stickers they got for Christmas and some cardboard shapes grandma gave them. i let them decorate the envelopes with stickers too and told them all about putting addresses on so the post man could find their friends houses.

We know that our friends enjoyed receiving the mail and posting letters notes or cards is something we try to do regularly but id like to do it more often!

Receiving mail

I printed out some colouring sheets from the web of some of the boys favourite shows. Then i popped them into an envelope when they weren't hanging around, addressed them and used a stamp pad and stamps to finish them off. I placed them in our letter box and after Kindy Flynn was so surprised and excited to get mail. Eli was happy with his In the night garden pictures. As it happened Flynn also received a parcel from his aunt this week, for no reason just because she can. Again very very exciting and made him feel really special. So receiving mail boosts their self esteem, I'm going to send them mail more often x x x

Beautiful you - friday finds

Beautiful women out there these are a few fashion type sights that i like, bit of inspiration never hurts.

the beauty department


fox in flats


trinny and susannah

a jumbly jam of birds - thinking cap

One of my son's  most favourite books of all time is The Nickle Nackel Tree by Lynly Dodd. He has loved it from about 6 months of age, maybe because i make a lot of bird noises? maybe because its a counting book, or maybe because of the colourful pictures. The story rocks, i love it too. To celebrate my love for it were making some birds!

you will need to keep some toilet rolls or rolls from the alfoil or baking paper ect. I took a piece of baking or grease proof paper and cut slits into it stopping 3/4 of the way up(depending on the size of the cylinder you have. )  i then did the same with some coloured cellophane, tissue paper, wrapping paper would also work. Put the 2 kinds of paper together, then wrap them around the toilet roll, sticky tape into place.  I then taped on some feathers for wings and a bit of cardboard for a fave and beak. Draw on some eyes, there you have it a fun bird to send into the sky. My son loved the rattly noise of the tail and he immediately threw it like it was a paper aeroplane. I attached a string to it so he could whoosh it and run with it. We then made a few more using whatever materials we could find. (they look like they belong on playshool )

tweet tweet love sassy