Well today the kids were going crazy with boredom ( we get to a point where they are hanging on curtains and ricocheting off the sofas and then it is time to do something...anything) and so we decided to go to an indoor softplay area. What new kind of hell is this...softplay in the holidays? Take a place, full it to capacity and then double it and that was Monkey Town in Breda today. The kids did not want to go and play..so, after dealing with an exploding nappy, extricating Cricket from underneath other people's table and from the legs of complete strangers, Tiger hanging on me moaning and pulling me to go play, losing Cricket five times, refusal to eat their toasted sandwiches, I put away the book I had taken optimistically with and packed it in for home. The kids continued being impossible in the car crying for drinks, spilling an entire drink into the car carpet and Cricket taking off his seatbelt on the highway. Once again being very optimistic, I have put them in their beds for a nap, but it is not looking good. For one thing Cricket's dummy is lost...we seem to now be down to one he does not like. I was hoping for a reset button aka nap...oh well, it could make for an interesting afternoon and makes me ask the inevitable question...why don't I have valium in the house?
Friday 15 February 2013
Thursday 14 February 2013
Valentine hand printing and Burd Fiedas
The kids have actually been really good today, probably because we have been busy.
I put out the Ikea roll of paper on the dining room table so that the whole table was covered and put out felt tip pens...the kids immediately dived in and started drawing. I had a bit of time to put out the red paint and brushes for the valentine hand printing. And then there were red hands everywhere, even on the chairs...thank goodness we opted for leather.
We also painted the milk carton for the birdfeeder. Daniel wrote a sign for it and it reads "burd fieda". These sweet writings that he comes out with really melt my heart. My favourite thing to do is ask him to write my grocery list...I say what I need and he writes it. The last list had the following: Juus, milk, sositez, mins, tjis, brokelie, pies, kebitz and a tuufbrash. Oh my word, too funny. Anyway, the bird feeder looks fantastic in the garden. I have seen this idea before of course, but what got me going was seeing that the kids at Cricket's nursery had all made one and about six of them were hanging in the tree all together and bright looking. Amazing! I just had to get in on the action.
It is snowing again today...lovely to see, but I am just longing for a warm spell. It has been consistently below freezing for a really long time now and I am tired of it. I have never been a soup maker, but lately have been in the mood. I made this one today for lunch...
Creamy Potato Soup
4 Tbsp butter
3 leeks sliced thinly
9 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
6 cups water
1 cup milk
1 cup cheddar cheese grated
salt and pepper
Melt the butter, add leeks with salt and pepper and saute till soft, add potatoes and saute a bit longer. cover and simmer for about 45 minutes. Add milk and cheese and serve.
I found this recipe in The Rhythm of Family book by Amanda Soule. I used cream instead of milk and added a chicken stock cube. Not as healthy as hers, but it was delicious! And the kids ate it with lovely buttery toast soldiers.
I put out the Ikea roll of paper on the dining room table so that the whole table was covered and put out felt tip pens...the kids immediately dived in and started drawing. I had a bit of time to put out the red paint and brushes for the valentine hand printing. And then there were red hands everywhere, even on the chairs...thank goodness we opted for leather.
We also painted the milk carton for the birdfeeder. Daniel wrote a sign for it and it reads "burd fieda". These sweet writings that he comes out with really melt my heart. My favourite thing to do is ask him to write my grocery list...I say what I need and he writes it. The last list had the following: Juus, milk, sositez, mins, tjis, brokelie, pies, kebitz and a tuufbrash. Oh my word, too funny. Anyway, the bird feeder looks fantastic in the garden. I have seen this idea before of course, but what got me going was seeing that the kids at Cricket's nursery had all made one and about six of them were hanging in the tree all together and bright looking. Amazing! I just had to get in on the action.
It is snowing again today...lovely to see, but I am just longing for a warm spell. It has been consistently below freezing for a really long time now and I am tired of it. I have never been a soup maker, but lately have been in the mood. I made this one today for lunch...
Creamy Potato Soup
4 Tbsp butter
3 leeks sliced thinly
9 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
6 cups water
1 cup milk
1 cup cheddar cheese grated
salt and pepper
Melt the butter, add leeks with salt and pepper and saute till soft, add potatoes and saute a bit longer. cover and simmer for about 45 minutes. Add milk and cheese and serve.
I found this recipe in The Rhythm of Family book by Amanda Soule. I used cream instead of milk and added a chicken stock cube. Not as healthy as hers, but it was delicious! And the kids ate it with lovely buttery toast soldiers.
Wednesday 13 February 2013
Nature journalling
Nature journalling...I so love this idea and did it on a small scale when Tiger was young. We went out once at the beginning of each season to collect things that related to spring or autumn etc.
These pictures are not good, but they show bits we collected along with a leaf rubbing, drawings of a leaf and a drawing of a piece of wood we found. I found these old scrapbooks in the cupboard and wondered why I wasn't doing the same with Cricket. They bring back such sweet memories and I am so happy to have kept them. Time to start again with the little one.
Here is another drawing that Tiger did after one of our walks to the park.
Hard to see, but it shows the canal, a bridge, duck pond with ducks, bread in the water, bull rushes, wild grass and rabbits.
I have just bought a book called 15 minutes outside by Rebecca Cohen. I am still reading it, but wow, this is amazing and so full of inspiring ideas. If anyone has kids who are stuck indoors and bored due to bad weather, then this is the book to get ...she advises to get outside every day regardless of the weather conditions. Her one observation was that the kids don't fight when they are outside on some adventure...they are just happy and invariably working together. Love it!
Here is another drawing that Tiger did after one of our walks to the park.
I have just bought a book called 15 minutes outside by Rebecca Cohen. I am still reading it, but wow, this is amazing and so full of inspiring ideas. If anyone has kids who are stuck indoors and bored due to bad weather, then this is the book to get ...she advises to get outside every day regardless of the weather conditions. Her one observation was that the kids don't fight when they are outside on some adventure...they are just happy and invariably working together. Love it!
Valentines Day
Tomorrow is Valentines day. So besides the other things I have mentioned we will be doing (sailing boats and planting seeds) we need to do some lovey dovey stuff. Things are piling up to do...this is not a bad thing! So far the plan is to bake heart cookies and maybe some hand printing in the shape of a heart.
We have done this before, so here is the photo. This is honestly the best recipe for soft sugar cookies out there. This time I might not do the pink icing and sprinkles just to cut down on the sugar content, but they are pretty and I got the idea from a blog called "a spoonful of sugar"
Sugar Cookie Recipe
2 and half cups flour
2 tsp cornflour
1 and half tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
149 g butter softened
1 cup sugar
1 Large egg
1 Large egg white
2 tsp vanilla essence
Mix butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients slowly. Refrigerate for 1 and half hours. Roll and cut out in shape of hearts. Bake at 180 deg C for 8-11 mins ...not till brown, but still pale. The icing was made from icing sugar, dash of milk, knob of butter and a small drop of red food colouring.
We have done this before, so here is the photo. This is honestly the best recipe for soft sugar cookies out there. This time I might not do the pink icing and sprinkles just to cut down on the sugar content, but they are pretty and I got the idea from a blog called "a spoonful of sugar"
Sugar Cookie Recipe
2 and half cups flour
2 tsp cornflour
1 and half tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
149 g butter softened
1 cup sugar
1 Large egg
1 Large egg white
2 tsp vanilla essence
Mix butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients slowly. Refrigerate for 1 and half hours. Roll and cut out in shape of hearts. Bake at 180 deg C for 8-11 mins ...not till brown, but still pale. The icing was made from icing sugar, dash of milk, knob of butter and a small drop of red food colouring.
Planning a trip home
We have just booked flights for a trip back to South Africa in July. I am very excited. So is Tiger..and of course Cricket is clueless as usual, poor chap. Tiger immediately started drawing the african animals that he could think of so we could send it to Granny and Grandpa.
I am sure from now until July we will be inundated with hundreds of letters and drawings about his forthcoming holiday. I am looking forward to seeing all of them. It is hard being an expat and far from family. Cricket only met Granny and Granpa when he was just born and therefore does not know them at all. Tiger has met them a few more times, but they are not close as just so far away. They are none the wiser, but I feel this loss for them.
I am sure from now until July we will be inundated with hundreds of letters and drawings about his forthcoming holiday. I am looking forward to seeing all of them. It is hard being an expat and far from family. Cricket only met Granny and Granpa when he was just born and therefore does not know them at all. Tiger has met them a few more times, but they are not close as just so far away. They are none the wiser, but I feel this loss for them.
Banana Bread Recipe
Cricket has been at nursery school today so lovely to spend some quality time with Tiger. He has not stopped talking since the moment he got up - and that was very early. We made a delicious banana bread together. This is the most exciting thing that can happen to Tiger apparently...baking and his all-time favourite cake. It is a useful one to know as we always have over-ripe bananas in our house and it seems a waste to just chuck them away. One thing is for sure, it hardly ever lasts more than a day in our house as the whole family tucks in.
Banana Bread recipe
heat oven to 180 degrees celcius and grease a bread tin
125g butter
1 cup brown sugar
(mix together till creamy)
4 small to medium ripe bananas ...or three large
tsp vanilla essence
tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
2 eggs
(mash bananas and add with other ingredients)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
(mix in with the other ingredients)
3 Tbsp warm milk
3/4 tsp bicarb of soda
(mix these two together and add, stir in well)
Bung it in the tin and bake for about 50 mins or until a knife comes out clean/
Viola!
Serve warm or cold and slathered with butter. mmmmm
Banana Bread recipe
heat oven to 180 degrees celcius and grease a bread tin
125g butter
1 cup brown sugar
(mix together till creamy)
4 small to medium ripe bananas ...or three large
tsp vanilla essence
tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
2 eggs
(mash bananas and add with other ingredients)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
(mix in with the other ingredients)
3 Tbsp warm milk
3/4 tsp bicarb of soda
(mix these two together and add, stir in well)
Bung it in the tin and bake for about 50 mins or until a knife comes out clean/
Viola!
Serve warm or cold and slathered with butter. mmmmm
mini gardens
A short while ago we made mini gardens. It is so cold outside and we miss getting out in our garden..the answer was to plant something to grow on the kitchen windowsill. My plan later today is to get organised for some herb planting. In the meantime we worked with what we had. Some left over grass seed in the shed, some potting soil and two small plastic containers.
The kids added some "trees" and blossoms made from squished up crepe paper.
The kids added some "trees" and blossoms made from squished up crepe paper.
Monday 11 February 2013
Moms Craft Morning
There was a mom's craft morning at my house on thursday. This is becoming a regular thursday thing with a lovely bunch of moms and their kids who are not in school yet. The moms craft (knitting, crochet and cross-stitch) and the kids play. This thursday the sun broke out briefly and so we downed wool and all dashed out for a short walk to feed ducks and let the kids run in the park to let off some steam. It was fun for the kids and a good laugh as there were a few tearaway toddlers in the group who were intent on going down the banks and into the canals. It wasn't long before the clouds arrived and the heavens opened. We dashed home in the pouring rain and then settled for some serious crafting with copious cups of tea and a large biscuit barrel.
Wednesday 6 February 2013
Introduction
As a complete technophobe, setting up a blog is a hairy business. I am sure it will be decades before mine looks like other blogs out there. Firstly, an introduction...my name is Jo and I am an expat mom from South Africa and living in the Netherlands. We have two boys, Tiger, aged 6 and Cricket, aged 2...not their real names of course. The main reason for blogging is to have an online diary for faraway family members and friends who are interested in what we are getting up to. Plus I am hoping it will motivate me to get things done in amongst the morass of laundry and other thrilling domesticated stuff. Mainly though it is just general musings or just putting the odd thing on that inspires me. A lot of it will probably be kids crafts in the hope that it will provide ideas to others.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)