Lego Lego and more Lego.....(sigh)

My boys are into their Lego at home moment. And I just have to say that even though I love them playing together, creating things and enjoying themselves, I am getting so sick of every morning the entire contents of the 60L container out all over the floor!!!  And then it remains there for most of the day! 
Its not just their bedroom,

its the lounge

and its the dining room!

Creative play is messy.  I know this.  But after so many days of this I am tired of mess. I know that having it spread out all over the floor makes it easier to find a " two white" or a "six blue" but REALLY the whole box!

They discovered a novel way of tidy it up it all up though!

My girls on the other hand, pulled clothes out of their drawers and dressed themselves to go for a walk.

I think someone is into pink -just a guess.

Skirt, tights, shoes, hat, hand-bag (one with a pony in it, along for the ride) and phone in hand!!!  Yes I did say phone!! I don't know where they got that from. I certainly don't dress like that when I go out for a walk!! Maybe I should I might have way more fun!!!

But they are so cute!!  They all are!!  And that helps me look past the mess (most of the time)

EMBRACING MESS TODAY

Bumble Bee Pie

I already know what you are thinking after reading that title.  Bumble Bee Pie?? What the hang is in that!! Kaitlyn (nicknamed Mouse/Miss Mouse) climbed on to my lap one morning and shoved my toast out of the way and asked if I could read a book to her. It was titled "Bumble Bee Pie".  Its about a wee girl and a boy who wonder if you could make a pie out of Bumble Bees and set out to try and bake one. (Where authors get these ideas from I have no idea!) 

Bumble Bee Pie??  I am thinking that a friend of mine made "Banoffee Pie" and called it Bumble Pie.  Ooooo I feel like Bumble Pie (without the Bananas, I hate Bananas)   "Hey lets make a Bumble Bee Pie of our own", (without the Bumble Bees of course) I suggest!  I, of course took the liberty of renaming it especially for the occasion.

So Bumble Bee Pie was born!  Kaitlyn was soooo excited as she just loves to bake and just loves to lick the bowl, spoon and scoop mixture out of the bowl even more.  Off to the supermarket we go (groan, I hate going to the supermarket)

Now I don't know about you but cooking with kids is a mission!  It is NEVER clean and tidy.  Flour goes everywhere, they want to taste test at every stage of the process and they fight over who is going to lick the bowl.  So with the boys busy outside we start....

Whizz the biscuits...

Melt the butter, mix into biscuit crumbs and press into a pie dish.
and then
Melt more butter, condensed milk and golden syrup..

and pour into a dish.

Welcome little sister into the occasion!

Whip up some cream, lather it on and crumble the remains of any chocolate you may have especially bought for the occasion but your children have taste tested/eaten most of it just in case its not right!

Wha-lah!!!  Bumble Bee Pie is born!

Could that be a bigger smile!

Half a pie, gone!

Yummy!!

Just the two of us....!

When you have more than one child, having quality time with each child becomes more difficult and often takes effort and pre-planning. Often it can be a trip to town, a story on the couch or a board game when the others are busy.   Sometimes you just have to do things 'on purpose'!   Lately Casey and I have had some really special times together.

I have banned him from growing as he is nearly taller than me and he is 10!

We were given some free tickets to a new movie theatre, something that is right up his alley and not mine.  We had a really neat time.  Usually Jamie is the one to take the kids to the movies because thats his thing and I stay home with the other kids.

Just recently I had the special priviledge in taking him to a all day 'five-a-side' soccer tournament.  It didn't matter that the day was wet, cold and muddy. It was a great day!

Pick Me!  Pick Me!

Just the two of us! With my undivided attention, my undistracted cheering, my ability to see every goal, every intercept and every skid in the mud!   It was great! 

I never knew soccer could be so intense and so exciting to watch.

I never knew how much of a 'soccer mum' I was.

Go Baracudas!!

It was a very tiring day. But it was a great day!  I will cherish that day forever.  Just Casey and Me.

Who wants to wash those socks!



Inhale Deep....smell it!

Oh I just love how things smell.  Ok not EVERYTHING, obviously there are somethings that aren't pleasant to say the least.

Things like containers filled of coloured pencils hmmmm inhale deeply… Now that reminds me of childhood and colouring in books.  

Hmmm Coloured Pencils

 Washing thats dried on the line in the hot summer sun has a definite summery  smell.  You know that summer is on its way when your washing smells like that.  OOOOO ‘fresh bed’ is another one, you know when you remake the bed straight from getting the sheets in from drying in the sun.  I literally get into bed and wiggle and wriggle and snuggle in and say “ooooo fresh bed!” 

 Freshly cut grass.  Freshly baked bread. (Thats a biggy of Jamies)

Hmmm Fresh Bread

  Books ooooo another one of my favourites.  I have been known to open up books and smell them.  I am so weird!   I love the smell of Cumin, Cinnamon, Basil and  roasted Fennel seeds. Sunscreen smells like the beach on a hot summers day.  I am madly in love with the smell of newborn babies!  My sister will tell everyone that I will stick my nose almost inside a baby’s mouth just to inhale their sweet milky breath (has to be a breast fed baby – formula just doesn’t have that same fragrance) 

 Autumn leaves. Just cut firewood and timber products. Childrens hair just after its been washed.   Freshly ground coffee.

Hmmm Fresh Coffee

 A deep red wine. Open it and plonk your nose on the cork. SNIFF!  And there is something about the smell of onion, garlic and bacon being sautéed together.

 Funny enough, I actually don’t care too much for traditional perfume type smells.  They give me a headache.  I don’t wear a lot of perfume. I don’t use fragranced washing detergent or fabric softener.  I just find the aroma of those so fake and plastic.   Perhaps someone should bottle autumn leaves and coloured pencils maybe then I’ll wear it!

Scents also hold so many memories too, like Playdoh, oil of olay, crayons and vicks...... OH I could go on!

Fathers Day!

Weekend just past was Fathers Day! The kids were oh so excited and had been counting down the sleeps like it was their own birthday.   They just love giving presents. (although secretly I think that they love getting them more)  Sophie and Kaitlyn bounced on the bed to wake him up and hauled him into the lounge with the promise of 'Pwesents'!  Yah!!

We LOVE presents! (even if it is socks)

We spent a lovely family afternoon in the sun down at the BMX track. All the kids rode up and down the hills (including Sophie on her Plastic Three Wheeled Foot Powered Trike) and of course she rode down the biggest one and announced at the end "Whoa that was freaky fun!"  I was thinking "Whoa that is super scary!"

 I don't bother freaking out loud now, as it just freaks them out and thats when they usually crash, fall off, spill something, smash something or jam fingers.  I just loved watching them all navigate the jumps and the hills, the corners and around the BIG boys who were hanging out down there too.

The T-Shirt says it all!

Fathers are super special and Jamie is one of the best. We are so very blessed to have him in our lives! He oozes energy and is made out of fun and laughter.  He loves his kids sooooo much and its evident in all he does.  I don't know of too many fathers that would play musical beds at night. Last night saw him in Sophies bed and Sophie, Thomas and later on Kaitlyn in my bed.  The other night he spent on the pull out couch with Thomas who was sick.  He makes huts inside out of anything and everything.

'Umbrella Hut'

 Plays endless games of soccer.  Allows himself to get pummelled, tackled and sat on, on a daily basis.   It's all memories and my kids are going to have a truck load and then some!  Heres to Jamie, the Greatest Dad in the World!