Last Thursday I picked up my youngest daughter from school and we headed straight to the museum – Te Papa – in Wellington. The museum is open late on a Thursday night and she’d been asking to go for a few weeks, so I finally made it happen. I used to spend so much time […]
It’s been a busy week in the household with the mid-year reports arriving home and parent-teacher interviews to coordinate for all three girls. Thankfully the reports have left us with no concerns and we’re really delighted at how our older two are doing; considering they had a good year or so gallivanting in the USA, […]
Twinkling in the winter sky just before dawn, Matariki (the Pleiades) signals the Maori New Year. Traditionally, it was a time for remembering the dead, and celebrating new life. In the 21st century, observing Matariki has become popular again. Heaven-bound kites, hot-air balloons and fireworks help mark the occasion. Credit: Full story by Paul Meredith […]
I have friends that would be shocked at how a person could go through nearly 12 years of parenting without a sewing machine in the house. I have often held friends that can sew (or knit or crochet!) in high esteem, as well as being in awe of the amazing things they create. When I first […]
Last week was a crazily wet one in Wellington (and much of New Zealand) and, with the short days of late autumn, there’s stark few hours for out-door fun after school; so we’ve been keeping dry at home and enjoying some drawing. Any parent with more than one child will concur; it’s a bonus when […]
I adore the downtime of the school holidays and the opportunity it gives my children to be creative without any constrains on their time. It’s also wonderful to see them create with the freedom to go with whatever is currently in their hearts and minds, rather than have to work on something within the guidelines […]
So many changes this year for our family of five. We have gone from having three children ‘unschooling’ whilst living in the USA for fifteen months, to having two children at school and one about to make her first school visit! Meanwhile, the amazing man of the house has returned to work (but not too […]
Our youngest daughter, Alice, age 4 (nearly 5!), spotted a very cool YouTube video on the iHasCupquake Channel, in her ‘Quake N Bake’ section, on how to make ‘Final fantasy Cactuar Cookies’. When Alice first told me about the Cacti cookies I had no idea what she was talking about. She woke up talking about […]
A tweet reminded me of this lovely ‘Linky’ (‘Mini Creations‘ by Kid GL loves), run by a couple of great kids, in the UK, to celebrate the creations our children produce. All too often I wish I’d taken a photograph of a particular creation – but then the moment has passed, the item has been […]
There’s a room in our home that I’ve always loved, ever since we first bought the house – back in 2006. It’s the laundry room, off the back of the garage, and is a sun magnet in the afternoon. It’s a large room and a space I’ve always filled with paint, paper and craft materials […]
