String paintings

I have a secret... I feel like being lazy today... Not much planned at all. But as we all know 3.5yr olds don't do rest days! So it will be a day of crafts, play room, books and most likely playing under the patio on her "race track" (chalk drawn lines on the pavers). easy activity - string painting. very very easy - string, paint, paper, child!

Getting teh paint onot the string

we made 3 painting, and then she decided to add the string ... may need to find the glue..

Saturday drive to O'Reilly's

I have a half weekend off! after a big week, family time was in order. We decided on a drive to O'Reilly's for a picnic and a walk.

We did an easy peasy picnic. After the picnic we checked out the plane (http://www.oreillys.com.au/docs/bowerbird/newletter_-april-2012.pdf ). To check out the bird feeding - where a kind gentleman allowed Lumpy to use his paid for bird seed and feed some birds!

Lumpy saw some older kids doing a balancing rope walk and had to give it a go... She did well untill the wind started and she lost her balance!
Next it was off to the tree top walk (where i was worried that Lumpy would freak at the height, and thankfully did not). When we finished the tree top walk, we went into the gardens - where we decided we would follow the leader and allow Lumpy to pick the paths. She loved it! (so many paths! you could easily get lost for hours) While walking around the gardens Lumpy asked if we were walking to the cafe, Yep, that's my girl.

checking out the tree, looking for tinkerbell

Starting the tree top walk.

the gardens

We followed the leader

Reading the plaques

Smelling the flowers

Finally the cafe!

BYOB

Was looking for a fun easy (I was exhausted) dinner idea. Build Your Own Burger!Budget friendly (as opposed to having take away on the nights when you really can't be bothered)

Lumpy set the table - 2 knives for one and 2 forks for the other...

Bread (the bakery bread slicer was broken - so had to cut my own thick slices) end of the day bread 2 loaves for $6, cheese - home grated, pineapple, beetroot, patties pack of 4 from grocery club $2.99 (cut one in half as 1 is too much for lumpy), eggs - home grown, haloumi, salad, sauces! Yummy
Lumpy had to make a bbq sauce smiley face!

Dinner was followed by do your own dessert.

As we packed up, we made lunches with the left overs! easy, fun and yummy meal idea.

Peg dolls

Friday have become a regular play date day with a very wonderful friend and her son (+ her daughter when on holidays) I absolutely love this!.
This last friday we did some craft - Peg dolls!
I found the pack of peg dolls when replenishing the craft supplies (9 pegs for $2), cut up fabric from my offcuts/scraps bin, cut up some left over ribbons. Some glue and some felt pens and then let the kids go!

the pegs and fabrics

Lumpy picked a green dress to start!

Some of the finished dolls the children made!

mmmmmmmmm cupcake!!

New wall hangings

I confess, I have been pretty slack with craft lately, which i bad because Lumpy loves it, it keeps her entertained and developes skills.
 This weekend I went and replenished our craft supplies - grabbed some new and more age appropriate items. As soon as we got in from work and day care Lumpy decided we would craft!
Today's activity was to use 2 cheap canvas and make new wall hangings for her room. We paint inside on the lounge floor, hence the drop sheet.... paint in grout is hard.

Start with the canvas, We used some plain clear tape to add a little something extra.

We used some paint rollers

The finished products!!

Lunch box inspiration

Trying to pack daycare/school lunches can get boring... And expensive.
Last week Lumpy requested no more sandwiches for a while! Instead she had left over "green pie" - which is spinach and feta, we had some muffin sized ones left from the weekend and she took one everyday!
I forget that sometimes I need to mix thinsg up. SO this is a little post I will update more often with what we send to lunch - Please feel free to add comments and suggestions!!

This week there is sandwiches! It was requested for sandwich with vegemite and square cheese,
In the first compartment is a fruit mix (paw paw, strawberries (which we picked) blue berries and rockmelon)

Second compartment was an egg - cheap as we have chickens (except we used all the eggs for baking and tonights dinner so collected some from my mum) (some facilities have a no egg policy due to allergies, make sure yours is safe)

third compartment is sultana banana cake/loaf which Lumpy and I made this morning, using some turning bad bananas

final compartment is yogurt from the 1.8kg tub we got from our roadtrip yesterday, her sandwich with vegemite and square cheese (yes, I do use cookie cutters to "cut" her sandwiches), home made air popped pop corn

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greem pie, mandy, yogurt, fruit

This weeks lunches will look like this - left over "green pie", yogurt sachets (12 pack for $2.99 from grocery club), watermelon and grapes, mandarin (after this photo was takes, we ate dinner there was left over sausages and Lumpy asked if she could have one for lunch, so one was added)

A scone that Lumpy and daddy made while I worked

Dried apricots (good for iron and to assist with bowels)and craisins

Cheese from the block, tomato, fig & multigrain crackers
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7/10/13

This week is a short week - Labour day public holiday. So only 2 lots of lunches for Lumpy.

Dried apricots and sultanas, with home made jelly fruit "cups"

Vitaweatlunch slice and baby roma tomaotes

Good old boiled egg

Last nights left over dinner - salad with beetroot, corn and cheese with little chicken balls, and a container of yogurt. I have since added a slice of wholemeal bread with the salad just for a complex carb.

Saturday Road Tripping Adventures!

It's the weekend! As i work most weekends, when I do have one off we like to make the most of it! Today we decided to head to Borumba Dam for a picnic, do a 4wd track that the daddy one had read about and would take us to Kennilworth... where the best cheese and yogurts are made. Well, it didn't go exactly as planned, but what an AMAZING day!

Saw  these cute hey bales on the way to Borumba dam!

Today's picnic lunch was very easy - basic fruit salad, some bread, peanut butter (no we don't use butter/margarin with peanut butter), pre cut cheeses and crackers, bananas and apples. keep it simple and stress free - also makes it budget friendly! There were lots of tables - under cover- and up away from waters edge, also a few bbq's with great condition plates.

An easy picnic!

Little Miss Independent

Our view!

After Lunch, we headed out to do the 4wd track, only to get 3km in and find that parts of a bridge had been washed out in one of the floods! So back out to the main road it was! Where we saw a camel - Lumpy didn't see it so Daddy turned around and went back so we could show her (awesome photo op!) 

Finally! Kennilworth cheese factory! when we got into Kennilworth, we realise dpretty quickly that it was teh Kennilworth show and rodeo! After our yogurt purchases we went and checked out the show.

Trying the newest flavoured yogurt!! YUMMMMY

There is a Kennilworth celebration on from next weekend, and there seemed to be a lot of scarecrows and little statue type things.

On the drive homewe decided on a sponatneous strawberry pick! lots of places to pick your own strawberries!

Great day, very long but such a great family day <3 enjoy your weekdend!