Enjoying the simple things

Camping at home.

After heading to the camping shop today to purchase a table in a sale for half price, and with it being such a beautiful day, Ella asked if she could have her tent put up when we got home

There is alot to organise to get the full camping experience at home, but a quick rest is essential!

Then it was time for a game of cards. Infact they played so many games, it kept them quite all afternoon.

Then as I was finished up sorting out the camping gear in the shed and some gardening it started to rain, so they moved the tent closer to home!

Then there was a bit more sunshine, before it set

The girls wanted to eat dinner outside at the new table (we still need bench seats, but will wait until they are on sale) and use the camping plates and cups

Then they had a bath and back into the tent to play cards (again!)

They finished off with Phil making them a hot chocolate in their mugs.

Well so I thought. The tent came inside too. Now they are sleeping in it. Well lets see if they last all night. (It's still a bit cold inside)

Good night girls!

Yeehah!

After today we'll be out enjoying things like this, while we have a day at the Perth Royal Show!

We are so looking forward to the break! Roll on 3pm!

Sunshine

Finally after days of rain, wind, hail and just about everything else but nice weather, we have a break from it all. There are still some clouds about, but mostly it is a good day. A good day to get the washing dry out on the line.

Gordan loves the sun too!

All that rain has made the plants grow like crazy!

the carrots need thinning

sweet Livingston daisies

rainbow chard has love all the rain

the tomato and capsicum so big now

I hope the sun is shining wherever you are today!

Ballet

the tutus will sit up better once they are ironed

The girls' brought home the first of their costumes for their dancing concert yesterday. Aren't they just beautiful! They are both in the same ballet class (Bronze Medal) hence the same costume. The concert isn't until the end of November, so we have to keep these nice until then :) The dancing school purchased them from the USA. The girls' are in their 4th year of ballet. They wore pink the first year, then purple and last year was green. It's nice they so far have had a different colour every year. The girls' are already getting excited (costumes will do that!) but it's awhile to wait yet.

I need to replace the elastic on Ella's pumps for ribbons (again!)

Well done to Kate!

 

My beautiful clever talented daughter Kate :) came home with the offer of an Indonesian Scholarship at a high school up in the Perth Hills. 

Only 2 Year Five's from her class were selected

Kade was the other one

these are the same two kids who were chosen earlier in the year to attend this

The classes will cover Indonesian of course, plus other languages that are taught by the teachers at the high school. There are two other local primary school involved as well. The scholarship runs until they finish primary school. (Even though Kates school goes upto Year 7, she will finish in Year 6 and start high school (private) at Year 7. So these classes will run on a Monday morning from Term Four until the end of 2012. Kate is super excited and I'm so proud she has been recognised as the high achiever that we know she is!

Medicine Box

photo source

When I got up in the middle of the night to find some Paw paw cream for a sore on my face I got really frustrated that my first aid kit was such a shambles.
So I decided to empty it all out and check what we actually used and what was expired and narrow it down to what we really need inside. I also have one in the car that has things like bandages, a sling and a blanket in it. I don't keep all those things inside as they are not needed regularly, and the girls would always be playing doctors and nurses with them and I would never know where they were.

These are the must haves at our place:

invaluable - so many uses, very gentle for babies and sensitive skin

a must have for all scratches and cuts

great for chests and stuffy noses

the only pain relief I use now, fantastic for migraines

the night strength one

bandaids - of course

pain relief for the kids. I found Panadol never worked when Ella was small and having multiple seizures and I needed to get her temp down

the best relief for a sore throat

for muscular and joint pain

a thermometer is a must have - especially if you have kids

we grew up with this and now we have some, so many uses

great for indegestion

emergency night time relief, for something like earache

must have for cold sores

cream for coldsores

this stuff is wonderful for coughs - great for kids and adults

Please share what your must haves are in your medicine cupboard, you never know what other useful lotions and potions are out there!

Last week of Term

The girls' are really tired now as the end of Term Three looms. We are all looking forward to the 2 week break, no dancing classes (Kate has a competition on the first day of the hols) no school uniforms, no packed lunches to make, no rushing out the door at 8:20am, earlier dinners (sometimes it's 8pm before we eat) no homework, and just relaxed and happy kids.

Hopefully the weather will be kind to us and the girls can enjoy lots of these

We will have more time to catch up with our favourite little man 

and of course his beautiful sister

and there is always alot of this going on during some downtime as well as board games to play!

and as already mentioned, Kate has a Troupe Comp on the first day!

What do you have planned for the holidays?