A morning at Essendon Traffic School

Last week on Friday, Oliver's kindergarten arranged an excursion for each of the groups to head to Essendon Traffic School. We spent two whole weeks counting down the sleeps until traffic school. We were so excited that we could hardly contain it! 

Finally Friday of last week arrived. We woke up, we looked out the window, and our excitement was squashed. It was cold, it was grey, and it had been pouring rain all night with no hope of it stopping. We packed our lunches though, ready for anything and off we trotted to kinder only to be met with a big sign saying that traffic school had been CANCELLED!!  It was a relatively tragic moment for a certain little boy who had been desperately awaiting the excursion. But the cancellation didn't come as a surprise to his mother who had assumed such would occur.

Thankfully, the excursion was re-scheduled for Monday, so for Oliver, all hope was not lost, and it meant only three more sleeps until we were able to go. 

It was a LONG weekend...

Monday morning arrived, and the sun was shining! Excited and ready; off we went to kinder, put on our name badges, jumped on the bus, and headed off to traffic school!

It was blisteringly cold. But we listened to the instructor tell us all of the road rules we needed to know, and went on a walk around the track to practice them. We learned that when we get to the side of the road, we need to stop, look, listen, and think before we cross and we learned that when we are in the car, there are special rules we have to follow with the different signs and lights.

We were then fitted with helmets, or at least Oliver was, and chose the deadliest tricycle in the whole place to ride around on for a while.

We forgot that you have to ride on the left hand side of the road, and we forgot the right way to go around the round a bout, but we remembered what all of the signs meant, and also had lots of stops for petrol too.

 

Thankfully there was tea in the shed too, so nobody's mum froze in the icy cold wind. 

We all then got back on the bus, very tired, and drove back to kinder. We were so glad for the rain staying away so that we could have such a wonderful morning out. We had a wonderful time, and would really recommend it to anyone who is thinking about going. It promptly rained tiny little razors of ice on us however, as soon as we stepped off the bus; soaking us through and leaving us in need of two minute noodles and tea to warm us up. Along with dry clothes and underwear!

We're now counting sleeps until the crazy hair disco. Two to go!

Catching up

Do you ever have that feeling that the world is moving really fast, and that all you can do is attempt to keep up? That's how I feel at the moment.

It's been a really huge, very busy week here at our place and I knew I was at risk of falling off the grid again, but somehow running, organising, and keeping things going was more important. A few things that we have been up to this week?

Miss Ruth had her first comp for the calisthenics season. Her team did really well, and we are all very proud of their amazing efforts.

I finished that beanie I started a few weeks ago.

I cast on, and started a pair of fingerless mittens for myself. I am really enjoying knitting and it is slowly becoming quite an obsession. I told you I would become a good knitter!!

Finally, I spent lots of time studying as it is the end of the study period and there are plenty of assignments due. I cleaned off my desk, and then 10 minutes later this is what it looked like again...

What have you been up to this week?

Children and housework

I have a confession to make. I am a mean "mean mother", and I make my children help with the housework. 

It is my belief that, as a parent, it is my job to teach my children everything that they need to know to become fully functional members of society. One of these lessons is that, unfortunately, housework is not optional!

I should mention, my kids are not mopping floors, or scrubbing walls; although when Ruth was younger she wanted to play Cinderella, and asked to scrub the grout, I didn't say no... I choose jobs that my kids are capable of, and let them know that this is their responsibility.

I thought that today I would share some ideas about getting your children to help you out with the housework.

1. Your kids want to do what you are doing...

I was told when Ruth was very little, by my health nurse, that your kids just want to do what you are doing. So from a very young age, both of my children have helped with things like dishes, folding washing, cooking and dusting. 

2. Make cleaning fun...

My kids love helping me clean because I turn on music and I blast it through the house. If I send them off to their rooms to tidy up, music blaring is the most important part of it. If cleaning is fun it feels like less of a chore for everyone, including you!

3. Be realistic...

You need to be realistic about what you want your kids to do. I make my kids clean their own rooms, help stack the dishwasher, and put away their own washing. Ruth has recently started folding her own. They will also clean the bathroom with supervision, but I generally do most of it. Ruth often asks to do the vacuuming too.

4. Be patient...

Your kids are not going to be awesome, professional level cleaners. Oliver's idea of folding socks is shoving one inside the other and folding them in half (always funny when you pull them out of the drawer). You really need to pick your battles with kids and cleaning. Think about it, is it really SO important that the shirts get hung all the same way and in rainbow colour order?? The idea is that you get them started, that you get them motivated, and eventually they will need less supervision, and be able to do things on their own.

That's it!! There is the motivator of pocket money, if you are so inclined and we often will sweeten the deal for the kids cleaning up something in particular by paying them.


Do you make your kids help with you with the housework?
What kind of tips do you have for getting children motivated to help around the house?

what to do on Tuesday...

More specifically, what do do with an almost 5 year old who is constantly wanting to learn more and more and is exhausting your stores of interesting knowledge, or more importantly, exhausting you?!?!

On Tuesday mornings we have been heading down to our local library for story time. Our main local library has activities for pre-schoolers every morning at 10.30am. This is PERFECT for little boys who just desperately want to be learning and playing and just being out of the house in general. We have made lots of cool things, and over the holidays we even made space dioramas! Really engaging and really fun!

When our local library does story time, the stories are generally revolved around a theme. This morning was a farmyard theme and at the end, the activity was to colour in a pig picture. 

As soon as I saw the picture, I said to Oliver, "Let's make a mask out of that!" He agreed that my idea was wonderful. So he coloured in his pig mask with all of the rainbow colours that took his fancy.

And then we cut it out. Once we got home, I found some elastic amongst my sewing things and stapled it to the outsides and... TADA...

Super Piggy!!

Oliver is so excited about his mask that he actually hasn't taken it off. In fact, every activity that we go to down at the library, he ends up super excited about whatever he has made and never wants it to leave his side.

Does your local library hold sessions for children? Why not have a look?

they're here!

The school holidays that is! We are super excited about being on school holidays after an 11 week term at school. Oliver was so excited about school holidays that he did a little dance. The first thing that we generally do for school holidays is sleep in. But today we had to head out to the airport bright and early so that Ruth could head off on a plane to visit her dad. What an adventure!

Oliver was less than enthused about losing his play mate for the week; but we made promises of playing games together, going to the library lots and having plenty of cuddles. Plus, the planes started taking off which was very exciting.

You'll have to excuse the photo quality - I only had my phone with me and he was wriggling like a maniac. We did have fun taking photos and pulling funny faces while we were waiting though.

Gosh I love this kid - well both of my kids - they are so beautiful, funny and cuddly. Now, we have some serious fun to be having so until tomorrow....

new arrivals

I have been very busy the last few days, there are the assignments that are all due next week, on the same day, at the same time. But I have also been spending my spare time knitting up a little scarf for Oliver as I said the other day.

I finished it off last night, and someone was so excited this morning when they found out that it has not left his neck since. Even though it is not really very cold today here in Melbourne. I will have to take some better photos and post them at a later date.

I also mentioned the other day that I am keen to learn how to knit in the round and make some things that are not scarves this winter and that I had ordered a few bits and pieces to get me started. 

Well - when the postie arrived today he brought me a few little gifts which someone was super excited to open.

Some pretty coloured balls of wool from Bendigo Wool Mills and a set of circular knitting needles. Now when I purchased the needles, I grabbed the 40cm ones; I then realised that they come in different lengths as well as gauges so I am hoping that they are just the right size for everything I could hope to make. I know I am dreaming, but I hope they will be fine for the things I am thinking of making in the near future.

I also borrowed this book the other day...

It's called Circular Knitting Workshop by Margaret Radcliffe. I stumbled upon it at the library when I was doing some research for my assignments and I thought I would check it out and have a bit of a read. Its got some very good tips on how to cast on for different projects and knit various things. So I am looking forward to reading it a bit more closely once I have finished all of my looming assessments. I am also hitting up YouTube big time on how to knit in the round and earmarking some easy projects to start me off.

What is your favourite easy knitting pattern?

not going to be little for long

Something that is really important to me is making time for my kids. I study full time, which is a huge job with a house and a family to look after, but taking time with each of my kids individually is a big deal to me. They won't be little for long (if you ask them, they already aren't little anymore) and I want to cherish the time that we have together before I am too uncool to hang out with.

My little man Oliver is getting so big so fast. He is so excited about starting school next year and it is still six months away! He loves to count and do sums. He is also learning to read on reading eggs now which he thinks is just ace. I think it is exciting that he is filling his mind with understandings about the way the world works. He thinks so too. 

Thursday is our day. Usually, Oliver and I head out to do the grocery shopping, but today we opted for a pyjama day, cleaning the house, changing the beds and walking to get Ruth from school in the afternoon. 

To Oliver, walking to the school is a grand adventure. He makes up stories that we are walking through the jungle and where the path has cracked and there is a deep hole to jump over or else we will fall in. The roads can be raging rivers that we have to pretend to swim over. Everything is full of monsters and danger and adventure. I love it.

We will take time to sit on the benches along the path because we need to re-charge our compasses (the strings on the beanie that point the way). And when it's time to go again there is a spring in our step and a smile on our face.

We do our exercises on the equipment that is set up along the path. Usually this is because we have been challenged by a evil king and we need to do the exercises or they will keep our princess captive.

Best of all, we hold hands most of the way and that reminds me that one day I will be too uncool to hold hands with. For now I am cool enough though, and it makes me feel so proud to have such a gorgeous, caring, intelligent boy holding my hand as we go on our adventures. This just makes my day.