How to Make Alfoil Balls (Kids Craft Fail...)

art. house. mum.

I struggle with kids' DIY projects on TV.  There, I said it.  I really don't like how neat their crafting is.  The stress-free environment makes me feel like my kids are dysfunctional, and  the prescribed finish of the crafts seems to leave little room for imagination.  But to be fair, kids do learn a lot by copying...

Anyway, we were visiting some people with pay TV last week and a kids' craft show came on.  The setting was deceptively simple.  The craft looked deceptively easy.  And they didn't mention that fact that it had all been set up and cleaned up by paid professionals.  Or that it had been edited...

I watched with growing unease as my kids stopped what they were doing and turned their full attention to the TV.  Princess crowns, no less... the only thing missing was a mermaid tail...

"All you need is some cardboard, glue, alfoil, scissors and some decorations..."  

At home the next day their enthusiasm was unleashed.  I succumbed to their optimism.  All I had was some cereal boxes, dried up glue stick (the rest have all been eaten by Little Hands), but we did have scissors and alfoil. 

The glue didn't stick, the cardboard was too short, and Sammy's enthusiasm with the scissors was worrying.  So we tried wrapping smaller boxes in alfoil.  But even with a heavy dose of optimism they were less than average.

Then there was a lightbulb moment.  "I know... let's make alfoil balls!"

My Treasures were impressed.  And so was I.  Aren't they great?  You should try it some time... minimal clean-up.  And it encourages physical play... and co-ordination development.  Craft win!

g

Islanders for a Day

art. house. mum.

We started this week exhausted.  But you can't regret an adventure.  Especially one that involves a whole lot of new things for every member of the family. 

The kids had never been on a boat.  So we decided to daytrip down to a bay outside Brisbane for the day.  The bay is totally sheltered by Stradbroke Isand so there was no threat of wild waves.  And we were given a perfect day to enjoy the wonder of the water and islands.

It seemed almost too perfect when on the way over we sighted dolpins just metres away from the ferry.  The sheer delight that the kids showed just simply in being on a real boat that first trip was priceless.  And of course, the beautiful irony of family life is that the kids, who just lapped the whole trip up, travelled at no charge. 

For a day of island hopping adventure with no car we looked a bit like we were going on a week long holiday.  The borrowed double pram was a life-saver.  Sam took his nap in it and the girls rotated piggy-backs and pram whenever there was need to do a bit of walking.

And at the end of the day (well, the end of the island bit... still dinner and a two hour drive home...) we made sure that we found ourselves on the only sandy beach that we'd seen.  The kids splashed in the water, we sat and talked... then splashed in the water too.

At the jetty of the same island, Karragarra, there was a lovely display of community identity in the strange but beautiful potted flowers... bouganvilia and others that I didn't know.  The bright colours were so cheerful and at the same time so out of place.  The kids just loved them. 

It was also nice to see one ferry passenger picked up by her husband in a golf buggy, and one lady who we'd seen working on a larger island commute home on a kayak.  Surely that's a better way to wind down than in a car... weather permitting.

And while I'm pretty sure that the girls will remember this island day for many years, I'm not sure how much Sammy will remember.  But what he loses in specifics, I'm confident he will retain in general knowlege.  He now understands the meaning of "going on a boat" in a way which he never would without stepping off solid ground.  And for the moment, he hasn't forgotten the boats at all.  He has barely stopped asking when the next boat is coming since we got home...

I have a feeling that a (more organised) island daycation may be in order in the not-too-distant future...  The ocean is just good for the soul.

g



I'm a Bit Chuffed...

art. house. mum.

I'm a bit chuffed about this one. I just my copy of the latest Better Mums magazine... complete with a growth chart designed by yours truelly. 

The magazine can be ordered here..  And not only does it come with my growth chart (on the other side is a really nice growth chart designed by Ben Sanders), but it's also full of articles aimed at encouraging Mums to be the best mums that they can be.  Perfect.

Cath from Squigglemum is the editor of this good read and she's done a great job.

Isn't it great that there are so many new things to keep on learning in life.  My respect for graphic designers grew enormously with this project!

Hope you had a good weekend,

g

The Pink Craft Box

art. house. mum.

We aren't too far off having to face up to birthday cake(s?) again. 

Last year for the girls' birthday we hosted a simple party.  I'm not good at head-counting but some of the girls' favourite people were able to come... and some were kept away by distance and illness. 

For the party I prepared a simple craft for the kids (and thier parents) to complete and take home.  All the ingredients for that craft were prepared and stored in a pink plastic tub.  When the party was all done and packed up I just left everything in the tub and filed it somewhere out of reach.  For a while...

I think that the kids never forgot about the tub full of little shiny stars and foam sheets and glue and unsundry.  They started to ask for it about six months ago and I would pull it out for spot of crafting here and there.  Then it found a new home in the kitchen much closer to the crafting spots.  And now it is a frequent part of our home days.  I've added a few extras over time as they have appeared... coloured paddle-pop sticks and foil wrapping paper.  So that now we have trinkets stuck to paddle-pops stored in most of the containers round our house.  Some of the creations are ingenious and some are confusing.  The kids have learnt that they need to pack up the box if they want to use it and I love seeing their ability to translate ideas into creations grow along with the ability to see potential in the materials with which they are presented.

Isn't that a brilliant thing to think that our kids are learning... What will you find in your pink craft box today... and what can you turn it into?

g

The Good Thing About Our House...

art. house. mum.

The good thing about our house is that there are tonnes of dirty patches at just the right height for a bunch of pre-schoolers to have a go at with a spray bottle full of water and a cloth. 

The kids worked so hard (if a little flightily) at spraying every surface with water that I nearly expected the place to look better once they were done. 

Instead, now there are patches of clean in the middle of dirt which just serve to highlight the overall smudge which runs roughly at Little Hands' hand-height right across every stationary surface in our home. 

But then, life is messy.  Especially the best bits.  So I'm in no hurry to dream of white walls...  And the kids were so united in their mission of cleanliness that I felt that the more important aspects of this exercise were things like co-ordination with a spray bottle and cloth; learning little things like that by holding the spay bottle a little back from the surface you cover a greater area with spray; and that if the bottom of the feeder straw is out of the water in the bottle then it won't spray... and that's why you have to hold the bottle upright to spray.

So, then I'm puting this activity in a new category.  It wasn't a terribly successful Cleaning activity but it sure was a great catalyst for simple discussions and hands-on modelling of a few Science principles.  Isn't a messy house a great place to learn!

g

Melting Moments...

art. house. mum.

This card was for a friend who I've know forever.  What a priceless treasure that is!  

I've had a weekend away taking a "moment" to re-focus.  Things like finding a rock to stand on; a team to join with; a job worth doing... these are the things that matter.

g

I Can't Believe that We Parent with Fairies...

art. house. mum.

Getting kids to sleep can be tricky.  Or worse.  

Lately Little Hands has been struggling to learn the skill of winding down to go to sleep in a room with other kids.  The twins hardly know anything different.

Not that bed time has always been clear sailing with them.  In fact, some old friends of theirs have had to make a return visit to help out Little Hands long after I had farewelled them for what I assumed was forever.

Strange to say, we have fairies that live in our house... or at least, they visit at night time.  You can hear their little fairy bells is you lie still enough in your bed at night.  And if you pretend to be asleep you just might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them when they think you are asleep and come to dance in your bedroom.

They started visiting our girls' bedroom when Hope and Miffy were about two and they were beginning to take turns in staging stand-offs at bed-time.  Mostly over irrational issues like the placement of their beds or the colour of their sheets.  We tried a number of different tacks first and we were getting into behavioural pattern of needing an adult to be in the room until both kids were fast asleep.  It was eating into our evenings and didn't feel healthy at all.

So the fairies, after breaking the worst and most irrational stand-off to date, started to visit and with them emerged a few rules which helped our family settle into a bed-time routine which still stands strong.  The fairies wouldn't come if there was an adult in the room, so we would tuck the kids in then rush out of their bedroom with whispered reminders that if we were seen there by the fairies they might get scared and not come.  Then when the initial "magic" started wearing off we began encouraging the girls to be quiet so that they could listen for the fairy bells... and when there were no bells around, the scurrying of elves' feet up and down the walls.

So many nights after this short routine, which was markedly devoid of tantrums and conflicts, I would collapse on the couch next to Matt and say Oh if the fairies and elves left us a bill for the work that they do, you know, I think that'd I'd pay it.  No questions asked.

And gradually over time, without any of us noticing, the fairies and elves stopped visiting.  The girls started listening to CDs at bedtime and family life moved on.  

It's with genuine surprise then, that as a last resort to settle a restless Sammy I encouraged him to listen for the fairy bells which had worked wonders with his sisters at the same age.  You would have thought that he had read the script... his response to the fairies (despite his older sisters' rather unsubtle participation in the charade) has been nothing short of breathtaking.  

I remember reading an article a long time ago suggesting that sometimes using irrational reasoning to settle irrational behaviour might be a valuable tool in a parent's toolbox.  I never thought that I would parent with imaginary creatures.  But, well, all I can say is that for us the fairies have been a priceless way to cement good winding down routines at night.  

Thank you fairies!

g

Three Things

art. house. mum.

Have your weeks started flying too?  The days are beautiful and hint at Spring... though we all know that there's a lot of cutting winds and cold cloudy days to get through before the real warm sets in for good.

I'm feeling lucky when we find pockets of time to do craft and finish projects.

The kids are finding ways and means to keep learning... counting coins; counting to keep turns on the trampoline fair; singing the alphabet to an old CD in the car; and making birthday cards for their beloved Grandad, Popo.

And every flower is a promise... and a reminder to get outside and get ready for Spring.  We are trying to get a head-start on the weeding before the growth-spurt of Spring leaves us in an uninvited jungle.

Stopping to think about the garden I'm a little excited to see what it will become this Spring.  Sometimes it feels like we neglect it and sometimes it feels like an overwhelming task... setting up an acre of garden.  But when I stop and think, we have in fact, had a productive year of planting here and there and slowly learning about how to care for and use this small slice of creation.  How's your garden?

g

I found her! Now she's gone...

art. house. mum.

It took nearly a couple of months to get this girl, but it has been a really nice process of consultation with her new owner.  We were trying to get a painting that played with the juxtaposition of a well dressed lady off to work or a date or who-knows-where on her trusty Vespa.  Not very Australian, but some of us carry a bit of Europe in our hearts.

As I've gotten more and more comfortable in my own skin (isn't growing up nice) and more comfortable with my own art I've really started to enjoy the process of working with clients on commissioned artworks.  Hearing their ideas and trying to translate that onto canvas is a great way to open up to trying new things and going further than I would have on my own.  

And as in this case, it's a great chance to get to know some really nice people just a little bit better.  Thanks!

If you would like me to paint anything specific just send me an email at arthousemum@gmail.com and we can start by talking about your ideas.

Wishing you a lovely week, 

g

Starting Out

art. house. mum.

It's a treat to watch these little minds learn.  And so easy to get excited at the thought of the things they might conquer and the journeys they might take and the things they might create in the years they are given to live...

I remember the intoxication of creating simple things for the first time on the sewing machine and I remember begging our mum to sew clothes for us when we were in late primary school.  We were so proud of the matching shorts which she made for us and I am eternally grateful that she took the time to sit with me at our little sewing machine and open the door of that wonderful craft with me.

So it was a treat this week to sit down with my girls in stages and stolen pockets of concentration to begin their first sewing project.  It was slow and sometimes stressful with periodic visits from Little Hands but I have to hold my excitement in as I think about the things about sewing that I want to teach them.  And even more than that the things which they will learn about other things by seeing sewing projects through.  Things like being able to think 2-Dimensional shape into 3-Dimensional objects.  And having the joy of wearing something that they made themselves.

The project continues slowly and the learning I pray will never stop. 

g

Big Rock Candy Mountain

art. house. mum.

It's funny the associations which stick in your head (and heart).  Big Rock Candy Mountain, the new CD from ABC Music featuring Catherine Britt and Jay Laga'aia, is a running list of strong associations from my childhood...

On Top of Old Smokey will always be On Top Of Spaghetti, sung at top volume on Brownie camps.

She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain has me sitting on the floor at Kindy.

I've Been Working on the Railroad brings back piano practice in my parent's kitchen clunking away laboriously for my designated 20 minute timeslot.

You are my Sunshine sees me on a bus somewhere headed to a camp with a bunch of kids... parents and teachers trying to control a load of over-excited kiddies.

Cotton Eye Joe is being pumped out of speakers at a uni dance in a big tent in a carpark

and Big Rock Candy Mountain I'm afraid will always be tied to O Brother, Where Art Thou?

How did all these American folk songs come to be so tightly woven into the fabric of who I am?  And how exactly do I know all the words to Home on the Range?  Perhaps it's just that they are a bunch of time-worn easy-singing songs...  Songs that I've already begun singing with my kids and which I expect they'll learn in all sorts of settings in the coming years.

This is one CD which I'll be keeping away from the stack of night time settling CDs... it's a toe-tapper... I think this one can live in the car.  Perfect for that last bit of driving when everyone wished we lived 20 minutes closer to wherever we are headed.  When singing the ABC and playing eye-spy with people who can't spell has started to wear thin.  When we all need our spirits lifted and to keep the driver safe.  Yes, this is a family car CD for sure!

The views expressed in this review are mine.  I was supplied with a copy of the CD, but there is no other renumeration.

The Balloon Kid

art. house. mum.

I had the chance to slip up to the studio a few times this week to work on a couple of commissions.  The easel which I inherited from my grandpa also underwent a few improvements so that it holds canvases much more safely now.

On the easel is the first of the paintings ready to go.  We affectionately referred to her as "The Balloon Kid" and you may have seen her in a rougher sketch for another project earlier in the year.

Hope your weekend was refreshing.

g

Heros & Weddings

art. house. mum.

For some reason this week has seen a lot of role-playing round our house.  And not just role-playing, but dress-ups.  The two themes have been Heros and Weddings.  Sam has been prancing round shouting "I ERO!" in a way that rallies his sisters to join him.  And because there are only two super hero capes (or perhaps because she is a defiant girly-girl), one always opts for being a fairy hero.

I've had the pleasure of witnessing a number of weddings... I don't think that anybody really knows who is marrying who, but there is always some remarakably beautiful footwear and on a good day some flowers to pull apart and throw on the ground.

I really don't know what this kind of play is doing for their little minds, but it is obviously important! And between you and me, I reckon that it's got something to do with emotional growth and strengthening and identity building too... not just minds soaking up knowlege.