Gaming with the grandparents!

   

Poppa and Oma came down for a long weekend over the last few days and we were so excited to have them.  I love spoiling them when they came, so I made sure I had lots of yummy home baking in the cupboards, some of my tastiest dinners planned and was fully stocked on teabags!   With kids and work keeping us busy these days, they had no choice but to slot into our daily routines, complete with school drop offs and swimming lessons. But that didn't stop us having a nice time.  

We hit Anderson Park with the scooters and hot pies on Saturday, followed by a stop at the Silky Oak Chocolate Factory for chocolate in the most liquid form - coffee (chocolate fluffys for the kids were a big hit)!

We discovered a new thing about Poppa and Oma while they were here - they tapped into a new hobby - the gaming console!  I had borrowed a dance mat for the PS2 to test it to see if it was appropriate for the kings kids gaming night I was planning...of course I had to have a go myself first! After watching a few rounds, Oma got in on the action and did 28 songs before she was done with her workout!  The girls had a blast watching.  

Later that night, I pulled out the Wii games and we all had heaps of fun competing against each other in basketball, pool, darts, archery and a bit of sword fighting.  I was in hysterics when I was setting them each up with a "mii" character - they really got into the spirit of the simulated persona. Who says grandparents aren't into gaming consoles?!   I was just going to give them a basic setup, but they wanted to choose the shape of their nose, eyes, face...every detail had to be considered carefully.  I told them with a giggle that they would LOVE my Sims game if they enjoyed this!  In all fairness, they did manage to create some cute "mii" people that look surprisingly like them. 

Oma Mii (with Poppa, Nikki and Marty Mii behind)

The Battle is on! 

All in all, we had a lovely time together.  Watch out though, Poppa and Oma....I'm gonna work on my archery skills until you come back for a rematch!  

Letters to treasure

I can't keep every card the girls make me, but I can take a photo and record it for future smiles.

When the girls came home from a weekend in Palmerston, they presented me with these darling cards handwritten by each of the girls:

"To mummy.  I love you because you're so clever at the computer.  Love from, love from Kate".

"To mummy.  I hope you have a good day and I love you and I like your clothes.  Thank you.  Love from Jaimee".

ANZAC day

I attempted to explain to the girls the other night why we have "ANZAC" day, not an easy thing to explain to a 4 and 5 year old.

I told them that "a long time ago, soldiers from New Zealand had to fight hard to keep our country safe, and lots of people died.  We have this day to remember them". I figured that was enough of an explanation just now, and knew Jaimee was having a school assembly the next day where she would hear more anyway..and to be honest, my own history knowledge is rather lacking on details.

Marty told the girls a story about his granddad, who fought in the war and was injured by a nearby bomb when picking grapes, where a bomb was hiding amongst the grapes and went off when picked. I then piped up and told them that my grandfather wasn't allowed to go to war as he had an important job, he had to stay in NZ and make bombs (casements).  Unfortunately, these two stories create a bit of confusion when told side by side to a 5 year old who thinks bombs are only made by the "bad guys"!!

On Tuesday afternoon, she came bouncing home telling me that she had had porridge in her class today.  "mum, to make it...it's just rolled oats and water!" she exclaimed in surprise.  I assume that this had something to do with diet in war times, who knows.  This is what stood out for her from the assembly when I asked about it:

"The soldiers ran through the rivers to get washed, and they slept in tunnels so they weren't seen and they had to be wet all night"....

"Instead of poppies in this weather (country) we have autumn leaves".....

....."If you go to a service on ANZAC day, or if you watch the TV, you will see the soldiers who fought in the war and they are died" (I had to assure her that we would see the soldiers who lived, not died!!!!)

I read her the only war based kids story we have in our home, "The Bantham and the Soldier" this morning.  When she spotted the picture of the injured soldiers on stretchers with bandages on, she asked about what happened.  I reminded her about ANZAC day, and how lots of soldiers died or got hurt in the fighting to protect our country.  Jaimee looked a bit sad as this visual image sunk in, and she said to me "we didn't hear about that bit at assembly".

Perhaps next year we will go along to the dawn service, I have never been before and think it would be a good education for all of us.  This year, we have remembered as best we can.

The Sound of Silence

Marty is very clever really.  He knew that I would grumble a bit about being left with all the kids for the weekend while he went and did a 160km bike ride (why anyone would choose to ride that distance unless necessary I will never understand)...so he arranged to take them with him to his sisters house, leaving me with just the baby.  A cunning plan, and an opportunity that won't crop up again quickly as Aunty is soon to have her own child to keep her busy!  So I am sitting here, enjoying the sound of silence and contemplating whether to read my book, do a workout or watch a movie next.  Bliss.

Last night they left in a bundle of happy noise at 6pm, and I managed to give myself a facial, watchTWO movies and a couple of TV shows and still was in bed by 10.30pm (Luke was in bed by 5.30pm yesterday, hence the long evening!).  I wish I could say I was relaxed and chilled out completely, and I certainly tried my best, but I am still not that great in the house alone in the evenings.  After 8 months of living with major anxiety and panic attacks and a horrid neighbour that was relentless in making my home a place of frayed nerves, I am still healing from that experience 3 years later.  I spent half the evening wondering whether some party was going to start up, and if it did, how was I going to deal with that with no car to escape in and without the option of my ipod to help me sleep - I can't exactly block my ears and tune out when Luke might wake up and need the only adult in the house.  Thankfully, the street was silent and tiredness won out, I fell asleep quickly.

I forgot what having one child in the house is like.  I slept until 8.15am (OK, Luke woke at 6am, but he went back to sleep after a feed) and got Luke up.  He pottered quietly around the house while I enjoyed an omelette and coffee, before I gave him a nice quiet breakfast and sung to him.  We read books in the sun together after breakfast.  No girls bickering over who gets to be the teacher next, or asking for food.  No husband watching horse races on trackside.   The sound of quiet and the slow pace of the morning was like a long hot bath...utterly blissful.


I remember watching an episode of comedy "The Middle" a while ago where the mother of three had asked for a mothers day alone and totally being able to relate to the plot.  Dad took the kids out for the day, and she was so excited, thinking about all the things she was going to do - read a book, paint her nails, have a bath.  But as she sat down, one thing after another kept jumping out at her to do while she had a moment, and she ended up spending the entire day doing chore after chore.  When the kids came home with dad, happy and bubbling after a nice day out, she burst into tears because she had worked her day away!

Well, I had a similar moment this morning.  I had just had a shower, and was popping the smoke alarm back into place in the hall (I had taken it down so that I could leave the door open to hear Luke who was crawling around), when I realised that it was filthy with fly poo.  Gross.  I will just grab a wet wipe and clean that away....there....oh no, wait...now the light shade next to it looks awful...I will just clean that too....hmm...while I have a cloth in my hands, I wonder how the rest of the house looks...

After cleaning another two shades, I realised that I was the mum in "The Middle".  I was going to spend my day doing chores if I wasn't careful.  STOP NIKKI.  SIT DOWN.

So I am going to force myself now to make a coffee, sit on my bottom in the sun and read my book.  I will enjoy this day, even if I have to force it on myself by sheer will!

Beautiful friends

Jaimee made Kate a bookmark today while she was at work with me, being school holidays.
This is what it says:

"To Kate, this is a book mark and it is a way (to show you) how I love you because you are a good friend.  This bookmark is for you Kate and it can be for your books.  Love you.  Love from Jaimee xxxx oooo"
...Once again, my daughter melts me.


And here's a few photos of my kids all wrapped up in winter coats for the first time this year, I couldn't resist a photo or two, they look so precious all snuggly.

The Sleepover

Brianna

Jaimee has been asking to have a "staying-all-the-night" party for a couple of years now, but we weren't quite ready to venture down that road - but these school holidays, I finally invited her 6 year old cousin (and one of the girls favourite people) Brianna to stay all the night.  This was a first for Brianna too, but both us mums agreed that staying at a cousins house is probably a good first step down the road of sleepovers!  All the girls were very excited about this arrangement.  Jaimee and Kate prayed each night during the days leading up to the sleepover that Brianna would feel comfortable and safe at their house, it made my heart smile, it was so precious!

Finally the big day came, and we went and picked Brianna up after lunch.  Brianna was most excited about painting her nails, and from the moment she arrived was asking when this big event would be happening, as she had brought along her best nail polishes!   I managed to do a baking project with them before caving and painting all their nails (hands and feet) a lovely bright pink - the perfect shade in the eyes of these 4,5 and 6 year olds! This was a big treat for my girls, especially Jaimee who is not allowed to wear nail polish during the term due to school rules.
Well, we had done the baking and nails - and there was still hours to go until bedtime.  The girls were so excited about the sleepover, they were asking when it was going to be dark from about 2pm.

Fairy Dancing Lessons

We all had a go (yep, me too) at dancing along to "The Fairies" DVD that we had borrowed form Granma, before the girls started to wilt a little.  They didn't admit to this, but I noticed that they took turns sitting out each dance with a casual "I don't feel like doing this one".  A quick snack gave them a second wind, and they were off to practice their handstands and bar work outside, before working together on a beautiful picture of the three of them, followed by board games 'Candyland'and  'Pop-up Pirate'.  My thoughts: This was great!  I was able to whisk up a cake and a brownie while they played happily.  

Luke got lots of attention from his cousin too, who was loving having a little baby around and kept commenting on every cute move he made with glee.  

Finally it was dinner time: hot dogs and homemade chips with a side of vegies in cheese sauce.  I figured that was pretty kid friendly..and sure enough, they ate it all up.  They were so excited to finally get into their PJs after tea, and the giggles began.  A few tears because Brianna brushed her own teeth (we do our girls teeth at night), but all was well when Uncle Marty sat them down for a few rounds of 'Skip-bo' after tea.  We had the comment "we don't do this at our house" a few times when we did our usual routine of reading stories and saying the bedtime prayers, but no tears...so far so good, and we had them tucked up tight by 7.30pm.   

Hmm...now let the fun begin.  I wonder how long it will take them to settle down?   I wonder if we will have a midnight trip back home?  Although I was armed with a few tips from mum and granma (leave a light on and try CD stories if she can't settle down), but Brianna is still only 6 and a first trip away from home is a big deal.   

Well, turns out that Kate was our little ratbag! At 4 years old, she was showing off, giggling loudly and climbing out of her bed and onto the big kids beds.  By 8pm I had moved her (lots of tears) into our bed, where she promptly fell asleep.  I popped on the MP3 player with some fairy tales for the girls, who looked like they were both wanting to go to sleep by now..and within 15 minutes they were both out like a light.

I was most impressed by Brianna, who only woke once in the night and quietly came into our room to inform me the cat was on her bed.  I was woken at 7am by the sound of three very loud and giggly girls wanting coco-pops for breakfast.  Why not? Its a sleepover after all.   Brianna and Jaimee took great delight in wearing matching dresses (I had gotten them each one for their birthday's last year).  When three little girls ran in to greet Luke, he looked very confused, giving Brianna a slight frown as he tried to work out this third girl in his house!

There were a few dramas by about 10am as the novelty started to wear off, I was running out of planned activities and the girls had just about had enough of each other.  Kate felt left out as the big girls didn't want to do what she wanted them to do and burst into tears loudly.  Of course, both Brianna and Jaimee are wonderful negotiators (or manipulators?)as both of them have younger siblings and have also survived the school yard for a while now.  Kate is just that wee bit younger and only knows one tactic - tears.  In the end, I took her away with a quiet word about how that doesn't work, it just makes the girls want to play without her!  I settled her inside with a craft activity she got for her birthday, and all was peaceful...until the big girls decided Kate's activity looked way more fun then the game they were playing!  They pulled out the old "sweet-talk-Kate-and-let-her-feel-like-she-is-in-total control" trick and managed to get her to share the mosaic she was working on.   Kate lapped up the attention and power as she was able to tell the girls what to do next - I wonder if she will ever clue on to this 'big sister' trick?!  

Finally, it was time for our picnic in the park where we would hand Brianna back to Granma.  When we told Brianna what was happening, she paused and said..."But after the park, can I come back here?!!"  Aww...guess she has had a good time, she also told me she wanted to stay another night (or 10,000 were her actual words)!

When the girls got home, they began a big pretend game of 'sleepovers' because "we just loved having a sleepover with Brianna and we miss her".

Brianna, Kate, Jaimee and Jakob (Brianna's brother)

I have a feeling there may be more sleepovers to come - and after such a positive experience, I am fine with that!

10 of my favourite things...

I am so in love with my Luke.  He is just way too cute, I can't get enough of him!  The poor child gets smothered in kisses and loves all day long..and not just from me either, I am constantly telling Jaimee and Kate to put him down.

These are just a few of his favourite things to do at the moment that demonstrate his utter adorable-ness:

1.  He loves to rip pages out of the telephone book, then lie on his back shaking the paper furiously, while shaking his arms and legs at the same time.

2.  When he spots us watching him when he is on his way to a room he knows he shouldn't be aiming for, he giggles and crawls away at top speed with his little head down in speedy determination and cheekiness!

3.  He loves to play "row, row, your boat" and "Round and round the garden" - he knows these songs so well now, that he will start rocking his body furiously to prompt you to keep singing..and with the garden song, as soon as you grab his little palm, he gets uncontrollable giggles.

4.  Luke can stand up now with a bit of effort..not for very long, but long enough to peer into drawers and pull out all sorts of things.  He has also worked out how to open the plastics cupboard in the kitchen, and spends ages opening and shutting the door, pulling things out....sometimes things fall out unexpectedly and give him a fright though, making him burst into tears - what did I DO mummy?!


5. The way he sings just makes my day.  If I start singing to him he starts dancing (swaying his head) and singing (ahhhhh)....watch this video, I am sure it will make you smile just as much as it makes me melt:

6.  I love the way he grins at me, and then buries his head in me, before peeking back up at me with another grin.  What a cuddly mummy's boy he is, and I am loving every snuggle.

7.  Luke likes to play 'peek-a-boo' at the highchair too, it makes him giggle (and I secretly love that he giggles much more when mummy plays boo then when his sisters try the game).

8.  The way that he sucks his thumb and puts his head on my shoulder and just relaxes.  I inhale his baby smell, its the yummiest thing ever.

9.   I love how he adores his sisters and they adore him.  Luke completes our family, he is the perfect addition and I can't imagine life without him in it.

10.  Just look at him.  Who wouldn't fall in love when living with this face every day, the cutest thing ever!  I just can't believe he is one next month...this year has gone WAY too fast.  Pause just another day for me Luke!

Closet Computer Geek

Hi, My name is Nikki, and I am an addict.  

I am a closet computer game geek.  

I normally keep this side of me under careful control - and by control, I mean that I only ever brush the dust off my favourite games and start 'em up about every 9 months or so.  Because I know myself.  When I start, I can't stop for a good couple of weeks.  I must conquer my goal, build my empire, finish the game.  The problem is that the games that I like to play don't really end.  Ever.  So they stay safely on the shelf, and I stick to safer activities like reading or card making in my spare time.  

The Sims, Zoo Tycoon and Rollercoaster Tycoon are my favourites - anything where I can build a lovely little world where everything is in the right place.  I like placing the camels next to the elephants and the polar bears next to the penguins.  I like making sure there are toilets next to the pirate ships and that i am making a profit with my food stalls.  Yes.  I am a computer game geek.  

I was that kid who used to knock on the neighbour's door and ask if I could please tidy up the toy box and sort out the shelves.  I delighted in assisting my not-so-tidy brother with sorting out his bedroom every few months.  I was NEVER told to tidy my own room of course.  So when I discovered games where I could arrange, plan and sort till my heart's content, I was hooked. 

I am reliving my childhood in a whole new way.

        

On the Sims, I can be a 8 year old girl again, playing with my dollhouse.  I am playing a grown up version of lego as I build houses and towns from scratch.  I then move on to grown up barbie dolls,  choosing outfits for every occasion and creating personalities for each 'sim'.     Not only am I reliving my childhood, I am living a fantasy dream.  I can take a trip to Egypt or Paris, build a four story mansion with an indoor pool, or climb my way to the top of the corporate ladder.  I can be a beautiful celebrity with paparazzi chasing after me or be a fat tattooed slob if that's what I feel like.  

So, while Marty has been on holiday from work this week, I have been having myself a wee holiday too. Now don't get me wrong - the housework has still been done, the kids are fed, we have had daily outings and I even tackled the weeding...

But I admit I didn't bother baking this week and we have had some rather hurried unplanned dinners as I lose track of time - BIG thanks to Marty being around to help out,as I have been able to put my feet up and my screen on during the day between family outings and housework! Luckily, the girls are just as hooked by my dollhouse as I am and enjoy watching over my shoulder.

Marty is taking me out on a date tonight, guess where we are going? A golf simulator!!  You see, he is even worse then I am, although he plays boring manager games that I just don't get.  But tonight, we will combine our interest in computer games and golf and whack some golf balls at a screen.  It should be fun.  

Next week, I will have to pop the game back on the shelf as Marty goes back to work and I resume my parenting responsibilities, but for today....game on!!

Addictions !!!!

The girls had been hounding me all weekend to make them waffles for breakfast.
So today I finally made them waffles for breakfast. As I am putting the first bit of mixture into the waffle maker. The questions start coming "Is that my waffle ?" says one, "Is that my waffle ? says the other. And then the argument starts "I'm having the first waffle!" "No, I'm having the first waffle !"
My girls are best friends and generally they play fantastically well together - but when they fight its war. I am SO NOT looking forward to them being teenagers and they start fighting over boys. I think we have to seriously consider sending them to different high schools (maybe boarding schools at opposite ends of the country).

Anyway we get through breakfast and I'm thinking to myself its a lovely day - we have been cooped up indoors for who knows how long now, its probably a good idea that we go out as a family and enjoy the sunshine. I suggest this to the girls and both respond with "Can we go to Cornwall Park ?" "Sure no problem" I say.  At this point the tears and tantrums start but eventually we get "Mummy" off the computer - Yes that's right folks...I said "Mummy" ...not me!! The girls and I had basically drag her away from the computer to get her to come with us. (EDIT - hey, I was keen for the park too you rascal, even if I did take my time to get going).

Now I know you are thinking "Hey Mummy deserves a break - she can have the morning off"
Well people - Mummy has been on the computer since Sunday afternoon. The girls and I spent Sunday afternoon playing various kinds of games from pop up pirate to skip bo. Then I got all the kids bathed and dressed for bed, gave Luke a bottle,  made the dinner which Nikki gulped down in 3 minutes flat and disappeared from the table so she could get back to the new sims expansions packs she had brought.
Which she then spent all night on. I cant complain to much I was able to chose what to watch on TV which is a rare thing in this house, apart from Tuesday nights but that's only because Nikki is at bible study that night.
She eventually came to bed sometime around midnight maybe later. And then as she soon as she woke up she was straight back on to the computer and playing sims and letting the girls eat chocolate at 8am in the morning while they waited for me to get home from bike ride to make them waffles for breakfast. Now back to the park.

We get to the park and Nikki jokes "I could have brought the laptop with me!!" I can only shake my head and laugh.  We have a fun time running around kicking the ball at the park - girls are laughing and giggling - Luke is having  fun too - especially when I'm swinging him so that he kicks the ball. And even Nikki runs around as well (!!!!) Luke was so funny on the swing - he looked bored until we started pushing him really high, then he loved it!

Now normally I'm the one dropping hints about when we should go home but this time it was Nikki's turn.

So we managed to spend an hour and half at the park.  Within 2 minutes of getting home Luke is put into bed and Nikki is back on the computer (EDIT - Hey, I did feed the kids lunch first!) where she has been the last 2 hours - its now 4:30pm and I'm thinking to myself I am probably making dinner again tonight so I better go get that organised otherwise my kids are going to go hungry. I suppose at least I get to chose what to watch on TV tonight. I am not sure how she will cope tomorrow - we are supposed to be taking the kids to the Onekawa pools for a swim and then I have organised us to go the driving range so the girls have a bash with the new golf clubs that Gramps has brought the grandkids.

I might have to organise one of those intervention thingees they do for addicts. Which reminds me the girls and I are going down to Palmerston on the weekend of April 20th. I may need someone to come around and check that Luke has been fed - I'm worried my addicted to computer games wife might forget to feed him.






EDIT FROM NIKKI:
He can talk ......I would have called this post "Role Reversal"!!  Now he knows what I feel like most days.  


But seriously, somebody stop me, this is why I don't even open the games I have normally, because when I do, I can't stop playing them until I have 'finished the task'..the last time I played The Sims was 2 years ago because I know what I am like when I start!   I blame my "task orientated-must finish this project" personality.  I love 'dollhouse' games - zoo tycoon, roller-coaster tycoon or the Sims...anything where I can release my inner little girl.  


Oh, and FYI I did dress and feed the kids, and clean the kitchen up before turning the game on....and Luke and Jaimee both slept after the park - I can't pass up that opportunity can I?! So there.  

 
hehehe....now, must get back to my game.

Practising some soccer skills....

So tired after all that play, she fell asleep on the floor!

Our cosy bubble

The rain has been relentless for days.  The ground is soggy and full of puddles, the roads are full of cars, headlights shining in the middle of the day against the bleary gray landscape.  The wind whips the rain straight past your umbrella and into your face that squints as if that can keep the rain off you.  Nobody wants to go out in this.

It is 6.30pm in our home and we are zipped up in our cosy bubble against the rest of the world.  The curtains are shut against the weather, the central heating gives the whole house a snug winter's night feeling.  All is well.

We have all just finished a relaxed meal of chicken burritos, laughing because Jaimee ate more than daddy did tonight.  Everyone is in high spirits because it is the start of the holidays.  Marty grins at the thought of a whole week off work with no agenda at all.  Jaimee bounces because there is no school for two whole weeks - this seems like a lifetime at 5 years old.


Marty and the girls are at the table, playing a game of cards together, first skip-bo and then go fish.  He coaches them to think carefully about their next move, giving little happy hints to help them along.  Luke is playing with the toys in his room, giggles occasionally coming from his direction.  Occasionally he speeds past me in the hallway, crawling at top speed just for fun while giggling at his own cleverness.  It is peaceful here.  I fold the washing, enjoying the quiet sounds and considering my lot in life.  I am happy.  All is well.

A weekend to remember

Whew, it has been one of those weekends where we were go, go go!  I have even allowed Jaimee a day off school today to rest up.  

On Friday night, It started with a night out with the girls....not on the town, but hanging out making cards!  My, how I have grown up.  I had a lovely evening and made these cards for my collection, and as always, came away from the evening with lots of things to add to my wish list of card making supplies.  We all agreed that this should become a regular monthly gathering, something I am looking forward to - not often that I get a night out to enjoy MY hobbies! 

On Saturday, I was delighted to wake up to blue skies, I had finally managed to pin Marty down to a day to help me weed the gardens, and the forecast had been for rain, so this was a bonus.  After a leisurely breakfast of french toast with maple syrup that was delivered to me in bed with a coffee (thanks Marty!!!) and a good "Windsor Pilates" workout session, I set to work.  Marty joined me after doing a few errands and then sorting out the girls with lunch (As he pointed out, they would be unlikely to eat if he didn't do this, as he knows that once I start gardening I don't stop for trivial things like food).

Things didn't quite go to plan at this point.  We had just got through the vegetable garden which now looked quite empty but tidy when my lovely in-laws showed up to help Marty change a lock on our door.  This is something that had been on the agenda for a while, and we couldn't pass up the opportunity to have the help and experience to do this job.  It was just bad luck timing for my garden plans!  I had to relinquish my husband's help...ah well, at least it was to do something constructive with his time.

Meanwhile, I was aware that I looked a fright after my morning tugging weeds in my workout clothes.  I had mud everywhere, gumboots and yoga pants on, my glasses were smudged and my hair looked like a frizzy bird nest.  Just the way I like to present myself.  Oh dear, my reputation for dressing tidy no matter what just went down a notch or two!  Never mind.  After an hour of chatting to my mum in law and playing with the kids outside in the sunshine, I realised that Marty was not going to be coming back to gardening today, the lock was a big job.  I got back to it alone, might as well finish what I started.  My niece and nephew joined the party towards dinnertime (as Granma and Grandad were babysitting that night and were still busy here with that lock) much to their cousins delight.

Marty quietly suggested that we have everyone stay for dinner as a thank you for their help today.  I looked down at my dirty clothes and tried to ignore my aching muscles. "Sure thing".  I went and got cleaned up then made Jaime Oliver's chilli-con-carne recipe for everyone.  After dinner, I set to the fun and nearly impossible task of attempting to get my kids ready for bed while their cousins are there.  Good luck mummy!  With PJs on and teeth brushed, I grabbed the closest book I could find.  "STORY TIME!"  I yelled in an attempt to calm down this gaggle of giggles.  Ahhh...peace.

After church the next day, I took mum up on her offer to have the girls for an art lesson.   When faced with the question whether she should do this with one girl at a time or two girls together, I was quick to tell her that two is definitely the way to take them (nothing to do with the lesson, everything to do with the way I get quiet in the house while Luke sleeps)!  Excellent!! With the girls at Granny's house and while Marty set up for that evening's meal at church (read on...) and Luke slept, I was able to curl up on the couch and finally get around to watching "An inconvenient truth", a docu-movie about Al Gore's campaign to address global warming.  My mouth dropped as I watched the statistics presented.  Wow, what an eye opener to the way that man has wrecked the earth over the years.

Meanwhile, the girls were having their very first art lesson with Granny.  I had already lectured them about trying hard and not bursting into tears if they couldn't do something (a common reaction by miss Jaimee)...and a stern reminder that if they were good, Granny might actually want to have them back for more art!

I was so impressed with the detail on the fruit pictures that came home.  Granny had taught them to really look at the fruit, to think about the different specks and lines on it.    The fish that are pictured were done without help much to my amazement.  I seriously thought that Granny had done the outline, but she assures me that they did these without her help.  She had taught them how to link shapes (squares and triangles etc) to create a shape of a fish.  Well done Granny, what amazing pictures they produced.

Next on our agenda was a traditional Jewish passover dinner at church - something we have never done before.  We were so excited to experience the same meal and ceremony that Jesus shared with his disciples -  This is part of our bible heritage.


Although I don't think I would recommend horseradish on unleavened bread to anyone in a hurry, I found the whole thing really interesting.  We had to eat a boiled egg dipped in salt water, and learnt the significance of a chicken bone on the plate.  We chanted our part of the lines and listened to 'the father of the house' say his.  Eventually, after much ceremony, and FIVE cups of grape juice (I am sure that if it had been the traditional red wine, we would have had a whole different atmosphere at the church!!) we were finally able to tuck into the lamb we had been salivating over all evening.  Yum...I had four helpings and was practically rolling home, I was so full.  I even managed to beg some leftover bits and pieces from the meal, and made some rather scrummy muffins with the haroset (an apple and nut based recipe) the next morning!

All in all, it was a chaotic yet fun weekend to remember.  The kids didn't get to their beds until 8.30pm on Sunday night after the meal (that is 9.30pm in un-daylight savings time) so I treated Jaimee to a day off school today.  Something that seemed awesome as we all baked together this morning and then the girls did lots of crafts together...but something I am regretting right now as I listen to the girls bicker with each other.  Back to school tomorrow Jaimee!!