Documenting Delight: Day sixty

Wild thing, you make my heart sing.

Documenting Delight: Day fifty nine

An afternoon at Playgroup.

Harper hasn’t noticed the vintage typewriters placed in the home corner before. Today though she saw Finn tapping away at them and exclaiming when he spotted a letter he knew “An F! Just like my name!”, and sat down for a little tinker. Funny to see the kids playing with and trying to figure out a piece of equipment that has become obsolete – hello technology!

Documenting Delight: Day fifty eight

{Seriously, what is this thing?}

Harper and her innie belly button meeting again.

Documenting Delight: Day fifty seven

Balloons: best inexpensive toddler toy. Ever.

Documenting Delight: Day fifty six

“Daddy, do you like the butterfly painting that I did-ed?”

Documenting Delight: Day fifty five

Do you have a quotable kid? I do. The crazy/funny/sweet things kids say just need to be documented. When Finn says something that makes me laugh or highlights the unique way he looks at the world I jot it down. I am glad I do because usually by the time Lach comes home and I go to recount the classic Finn line for the day & my memory fails me. So I go to the book.

Finn is a serious lad; sensitive, inquisitive and quite funny all at the same time. He talks like a little old man, punctuating his sentences with thoughtful pauses and “Well, actually”’s. He comes up with explainations and solutions that I just couldn’t make up myself. Today’s quoatable moment was no exception.

On the way home from a visit to the park I needed to stop off at the local shop to buy some bread. It was a hot morning so I bought the kids an iceblock for the trip home. Once home the iceblocks were dripping everywhere so we headed out to the deck to finish them off. Harper was oblivious to the river of iceblock juice running down her face but Finn on the other hand was frantically try to control the iceblock leakages. It was dripping on his shirt and shorts and he wasn’t happy. He was panicked. I grabbed him a teatowel but this didn’t suffice. It was then that Finn came up with a solution. With all seriousness he turned to me and said:

“I think it would be best if I ate the iceblock with no clothes on.”

Oooookay then.

So it was. Finn sat completely nude (except for his shoes and socks of coarse) and ate the remainder of his iceblock.  

My funny and quotable kid, Finn. Bless him.

Documenting Delight: Day fifty four

{Bike talk with Daddy. Serious stuff.}

Documenting Delight: Day fifty three {Making zucchini fritters}

Two little helpers in the kitchen, calling out “Look Mum we are sharing!” while simultaneously trying to wrestle the whisk out of each other’s hands.

I do love cooking with Finn and Harper but only when I keep three things in check:

1. Being prepared for mess

2. Remembering to get all ingredients and equipment needed out before we start

3. Acknowledging that at some point one of the kids will dip their hands in the mixture and proceed to lick said mixture off hands.

Tick all of these dot points off and we have fun. For me it is tempting to get a bit of home cooking done while the kids are playing happily. It’s quicker and I have control of the clean factor. But a couple of times a week I put aside these obvious positives and get Finn and Harper involved. Passing on a love of good food to our kids is very important to Lach and I. What childhood doesn’t have strong food memories attached to it? We want these memories to be about enjoyment, experimentation, knowledge and most of all about sharing time with loved ones. I love it that when Finn sees Lach get out the pizza stones he knows that Sunday night pizza making has begun or when Harper stares at the kitchen timer patiently waiting for our baking creations to be ready. This is what food is about in our family, more than just nourishment but time spent together.

{Cutting the chives with steely focus}

Today the recipe was loosely followed, flour coated our kitchen floor and corn kernels were found hours later in the strangest of places, but we had a good time and the fritters were yummers!

{Raw zucchini? Harper is willing to give anything a try!}

{the end product}

Documenting Delight: Day fifty two

{a morning by the lake}

Documenting Delight: Day fifty one {15 fun facts about my kids}

Early this morning I read a post titled 15 fun facts about my kids in a blog I follow, The Feminist Breeder. I thought it might be an interesting idea (to copy) for  post of my own. As our day together unfolded I watched Finn & Harper and jotted down 15 facts about my two little ones. It further reinforced what polar opposites they are, how funny and quirky they appear at times and the level of joy and happiness they bring to our home.

So here they are, 15 fun facts about my kids:

1.    Finn begins most questions to me with “Do you think it would be ok if I......?”

2.    Harper’s most prized possessions are her Playschool soft toys (Humpty, Jemima x 2 and Big Ted). She calls her collection her “Playschool friends.”

3.    Finn wears the same shoes everyday, his Puma joggers. Everyone in our family has a pair of Puma joggers. If another family member is wearing them he refers to them  as being “Puma buddies”. If everyone is wearing said shoes, we are deemed “The Puma Family” by Finn.

4.    Finn + Harper are adventurous eaters. They weren’t blessed with the sleeping gene, but by golly they can eat. Current food favourites: Lychees, pomegranate seeds, sugar plums, cherry tomatoes and honeydew melon.

5.    Harper isn’t a fan of shoes, prefers to be barefoot. Walking barefoot f.r.e.a.k.s Finn out.

6.    Finn falls asleep most nights reading books. Each night I move a small mountain of books from his bed back to his bookshelf.

7.    Harper is fearless in the water. This is both exciting and nerve-wracking for me.

8.    Finn has just learnt to dress and undress himself, although he would prefer that someone else does this for him.

9.    Harper hasn’t been away from me for more than four hours at a time since she was born.

10.  Finn can turn any piece of furniture in our home into a car, a truck or a plane.

11.  Harper adores her big brother, always inviting him to play with her. “Want to dance with me Finn?” is one of her most common phrases.

12.  Finn believes that tomato sauce should accompany every meal.

13.  Harper’s favourite CD is Justine Clarke’s ‘I like to sing’. Finn's is The Panics ‘Cruel Guards’. The boy has good taste, and by that I mean he likes the same music as me ;).

14. Finn is resourceful and creative. If he doesn’t have specific toy/prop for his imaginative play he will make it from craft materials. This week’s creation: earmuffs. Out of egg cups and pipe cleaners.

15.  Finn and Harper create games with their Dad. The current favourites are called “Bridge Collapse” and “The noise and not noise game”.

Documenting Delight: Day fifty

{Always quietly watching the world}

Documenting Delight: Day forty nine

First week in her big girl bed.

The cot has been pulled apart ready for her cousin to use when he/she is born. Harper really didn’t spend too much time in there over the past two years so I don’t feel emotional about this transition. I am guessing that our co-sleeping babe won’t be spending too much time in her new bed either. I bought a pretty quilt to throw over it, so at least it has some sort of decorative purpose. That’s gotta count for something, right?

{Today's outtake: Wrinkly toes and feet hanging off the bed}

Documenting Delight: Day forty eight

Curls get the girls.......

well, that’s what your Dad keeps telling you ;)

Documenting delight: Day forty seven (Water beads sensory play)

Afternoons in our household make me a little anxious. The kids become increasingly tired, dinner needs to be prepared, sibling disagreements erupt and the magic moment of Lachie walking through the door almost seems like a life time away.  Recently I have been feeling that I have been doing a little too much clock watching (“No way, It’s only 3pm. It can’t be!”) . Every moment doesn’t need to be filled with excitement but I acknowledged that this dragging of time was getting me down. Things needed to change. Expectations needed to be lowered. A clean house by dinnertime? Not going to happen each day. Aiming for sibling harmony around crazy hour? Stop dreaming Amber. I also wanted to start engaging the kids in some focused play in the afternoons. Something hands on, something that would hopefully reduce the fighting and tears. So this week each afternoon we have been playing together. I have been putting aside the little household jobs that usually swamp me and have been planning a small activity that we can all enjoy. Today’s inspiration comes from my friend Kate. I had seen water beads being used for play on Pinterest before but it wasn’t until Kate wrote a blog post about her experience with them that I was committed to giving them a go.

{tiny, tiny beads waiting for tiny hands}

{everyday equipment for exploring the beads}

Water Beads are tiny water-retaining polymers that start off as tiny balls and expand as they retain the water they are soaked in. They come in 10g packets, with each packet making 1 litre of beads once hydrated. I purchased six packets from Ebay but today only used four packets divided into two buckets. This was plenty for my two to play with. While the kids ate their lunch I set things up outside. I gathered together a collection of kitchen/play equipment that I thought would help with pouring/scooping/experimenting with the beads and filled the buckets. I put it all on top of a large strip of old material. Wise move. Harper, rather than keeping the beads in the buckets opted to pour them on the ground, having the material underneath meant that we could easily tip the escapee beads back into the buckets.

{Precise by nature, Finn worked hard to pick up just one bead}

{Scooping & collecting the beads}

{getting up close and personal}

{The ice-cream scoop was a hit!}

I loved watching their intial reaction to the beads. Harper launched right in, almost dunking her head into the bucket to get closer to the tiny beads. Finn carefully dipped his finger in to touch the beads. I knew this activity was going to push him. He doesn’t like to get wet, at all. Harper on the other hand, well I was just praying that she wouldn’t ingest a mouthful of those tiny suckers.

{feeling the beads and watching them grow}

{huh? the beads won't go through the funnel}

{Finn loved talking about the colour of the beads: "Which colour do you like best Mummy?"}

{Whoa! Feet in the water. Big step for Finn}

As the afternoon went on I moved between standing back and watching & listening to getting involved and running my hands through the squishy, smooth beads (it was very relaxing!) They both got so much from the activity but approached it in very different ways. Finn asked lots of questions and created a range of mini experiments (“What will happen if I pour the beads in the funnel?” “How are they getting bigger Mum?”) Harper explored the beads mainly by pouring them from one container to another, alongside pretending the beads were foods she was cooking up (“I made you a salad.”)

{As the beads expanded Finn discovered that the beads bounced when you poured them}

{Stomping on the beads}

{A bead bath for Barbie- so relaxing!}

{trying to the pick the beads up with tweezers - very tricky!}

What can I say? For $10 it was money well spent; it was fun, educational, messy (but not too messy) and I didn’t look at the clock once this afternoon.

I’ll leave the final word to Miss Harper though. When we were packing up I asked her what she thought of the water beads. Her response:
“Dey cool!” (Translation: “They were cool!”) Yes they were.

Documenting Delight: Day forty six

{My tiny dancer}

Documenting Delight: Day forty five

{an artist at work}

Documenting Delight: Day forty four

{"I'm just like Daddy!"}

Documenting Delight: Day forty three

A quiet moment from Harper during today’s birthday party. She was in heavy brownie eating mode so I don’t blame her.

..And an outtake from today. After not being able to get through the whole brownie, Harper offered it to me...or to my camera.

Documenting Delight: Day forty two

Serious brow, a little grunting and a lot of concentration: This is how Harper gets things done.

Documenting Delight: Day forty one

Mum, I think it's for you.

Documenting Delight: Day forty

Second day back at Playschool and Finn fell straight back into the routine. As this was a transition week parents were asked to stay for the entire session. This time last year I sat nervously during mat time, watching Finn look disinterested. This morning I watched with a smile on my face as Finn answered questions and told his teacher about his new Puma shoes which he loves so much. My Finn; Calm, confident and happy.

The next little anecdote may seem like a little “story” I have created if it is read by anyone who knows Finn. Cross my heart, it’s not.
At the dinner table each night we recount our day and we each talk about our favourite thing from the day. Finn usually says something along the lines of “I liked making a tow truck out of boxes” or “I loved it when I saw three trucks when I was in the car.” So it was a bit of a surprise when this conversation unfolded tonight:

Me: What was your favourite part today Finn?
Finn: Mummy, did you go to Playschool with me today?
Me: Yes I did.  

Finn: That was my favourite part.

Heart melted. Right there.

Documenting Delight: Day thirty nine

A thumbs up for the first day back at school.

Finn began his second year at Playschool (pre-preschool for 3-4 year olds) today. My wonderful friend Kate wrote about her daughter’s first day at the same preschool this week. She did a brilliant job of explaining what this special place is all about, she’s high on details (unlike me) so if you want to read more about it, head over here.

It was a calm morning around here. It is a new year however Finn is very comfortable in his Playschool environment and the fact that no big adjustments are needed this year makes for a settled start for everyone in our family.  What a difference this is to last year’s first day of Playschool for Finn and myself. Finn’s birthday is close to the ACT school cut off date and this means that we had to decide whether to start him in Pre-school this year or in 2013. At the beginning of last year Finn was one of the youngest in his class, and noticeably so. Combine this with never being in any sort of formal daycare before starting this structured program and you had one rattled little boy. The transition was slow, emotional and had me questioning whether I had made the right decision to enrol him at all. With the support of his amazing teachers by Term 2 he was happy and enjoying the new challenges in and outside of the classroom. The remainder of the year went smoothly and Finn’s confidence rose and I fell in love with the school.

When the Pre-school enrolment period approached I knew that Finn wasn’t ready to move onto the next level. On a skills/academic level he showed readiness but his social confidence was lacking. He was wary of change, rarely noticed his classmates and to me the gap between him and the majority of the children who were moving on was still substantial. Being a Kindergarten teacher, I knew from experience that in the beginning some of the younger students found school an uphill battle. Most of them by mid year were settled and caught up to their peers but did I really want Finn to enter school not feeling at ease, a little out of his depth until he finally coped? Not a chance. If our decision to hold him back would help him enter school with confidence and a little social awareness under his belt we were going to do it.

There are a lot of parenting decisions that I agonise over, but this one wasn’t one of them. It was one of the first “big parenting decisions” where I felt confident that we made the best decision based on the needs of our child, no outside influences, just us trusting our judgment. That felt good.

I can’t wait to see what this schooling year holds for our Finn. He really couldn’t be at a better place.

Documenting Delight: Day thirty eight

 

Aisle after aisle:
“Um, I’ll have dat one!”

Documenting Delight: Day thirty seven

Finn your interest in letters and in particular how you form letters is huge. It has been building for some time now but really it’s only been over the past month or so that you have realised that these letters which you are fascinated with can be written on paper. And by you no less!

Today you asked me to write Harper’s name so you could copy it underneath. You had the ‘H’, ‘r', ‘p’ and ‘e’ undercontrol but the ‘a’ really threw you. I am trying hard not to slip into my pre-kids Kindergarten teacher role, stopping myself from actively “teaching” you but then I see how much you are directing your own learning and asking to be shown. As I watched you get increasingly frustrated I drew the letter in the air saying the words “around, up and down” to help with the formation. I hope that I am striking a balance between letting you discover things for yourself and giving you guidance when you request it?

Seeing how reading and writing begins at home has been a real eye opener for me. Being a Kindergarten teacher (in a past life ;) ) I rarely saw what happened in these areas before my students began formal schooling. It really has highlighted how much learning, planned or unplanned, happens in the home environment, years before a child’s schooling days begin.  

Any surprising/exciting pre-school learning happening in your home?

Documenting Delight: Day thirty six

After Finn had written his name on the chalkboard:

“I draw a name just like Bim Bim (her nickname for Finn)”

Documenting Delight: Day thirty five

Bless him, Lachie took the kids grocery shopping this morning so I could have a Saturday morning sleep in.

When they all returned Harper promptly started unloading all the items from the green bags. I was a little stunned. This is coming from my baby girl, for whom getting to pack up/help around the house is not dissimilar to pulling teeth. Again just a reminder that for Harper to happily help out, it has to come from her, rather than someone commanding her to do so.

Placing each item on the kitchen bench she explained what they were : "Look Mumma! I bought you some mushies (mushrooms)! “and “Look, I got you some cheese!” Thanks baby girl and thank you for helping out this morning.

Documenting Delight: Day thirty four

Indoor attractions/playcentres, I bow down to you on rainy Canberra days. Today our choice was Questacon, an interactive Science Museum located in the City. We bought an annual membership to this gem of a place last year and it has been worth every cent.

While Harper roams and randomly presses all the buttons within the exhibitions just for a bit of fun, Finn is at the age where he is taking it all in and thinking about science behind the hands on tasks. His Dad is a scientist and I can already see that Finn has acquired his logical and ordered brain.

Within the foyer of Questacon is a machine called the “Gravitram”. Finn is captivated by this moving sculpture. I am certain that I could allow Finn to sit in front of it for a good hour and then say "Ok mate, we're heading home" and he wouldn't be fazed that we hadn't actually stepped inside of any exhibition rooms.

Watching the excitement and wonder in Finn's eyes was beautiful to see, and a pleasure to photograph.

Documenting Delight: Day thirty three

Oohhh I adore this little scrunched up face you make, eyes closed to add extra effect. You use it when you are waiting for a response “Mumma, go in pool outside?” (*insert scrunched up face*). I interpret it as your “Come on Mum, say yes” face. Hmmm, it usually wins me over.

Documenting Delight: Day thirty two {Lachie's Birthday}

Today was Lachie’s birthday, the one before the big 4-0. Having a birthday on a week day the kids and I tried to make sure the hours before and after his working day were special and fun. Lachie rides his bike to work so I knew that while a big breakfast of bacon and eggs would be super yummy, it would weigh a little heavy on the stomach as he was tackling the hills.  His standard breakfast is muesli with fresh fruit so I scoured our Bill Granger cookbooks (king of Sydney breakfast, need I say more?) to find a homemade toasted muesli recipe and wouldn’t you know it, it was so simple to organise the night before and a nice little surprise for Lach to wake up to. Lachie opened his presents while eating breakfast as Finn and Harper were bursting with excitement.  Finn: “What do you think is going to be in the big one Daddy?” (a DVD player) and Harper before the wrapping paper was off a smaller present “Look it’s CDs!”

While Lach was at work we had time to bake a birthday cake and make a few little decorations to hang up. Ahhh the cake. I needed something easy as while there are some days with Finn and Harper that run smoothly, I knew that doing anything elaborate may come under fire if the kids weren’t having a great day . All was going well until I assembled the Kit Kat wafers around the cake. Damn it, I didn’t have enough Kit Kats. We were edging close to the meltdown time (4-5pm. Know of it?) and I knew that a trip to the shops wasn’t an option so the cake didn’t quite have the same effect as the pictures I had seen all over Pinterest. It’s not a complete cake wreck but it does look like someone has pinched a substantial amount of the Kit Kat bars nonetheless.

We picked up Lachie from work and went out for dinner, just the four of us. We found a restaurant that opened at 5.30pm as a way to make sure we didn’t inflict two tired and hungry children on the normal dinner time crowd. It worked well. Finn and Harper were happy to share a ham and pineapple pizza and graze on our meals. Plus the novelty of having juice with their dinner kept them focused and at the table.

On the way home Harper turned to each member of the family and asked “Did you like your meal?” Love that girl, always being interested in others.

At home we sang Happy Birthday to Lachie and had a decent sugar hit with the Kit Kat cake.

We hope you had a wonderful birthday Lachie/Daddy!

{Bill Granger's Toasted Muesli with dried blueberries}

 {Pressie time. Showing Finn the photobook I made Lach, 'Good times with Daddy'}

{Dinnertime}

{Finn was captivated by the light above our table}

{Maybe he was worried it may fall on him?}

{I could photograph Harper's varied and funny facial expressions all day. Oh wait, I do!}

{Kit Kat cake}