se7en

Just for fun… I have three brilliant books to GiveAway this week. As usual I have to thank Christian Book Discounters who kindly supplied the book for this GiveAway…

Now these are story books published by Scripture Union and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. One often finds that stories that aren’t Bible stories, but are obviously Christian stories can be packed with blessed little thoughts and are really just a bit poofy. These one’s aren’t!!!

They are fun and funky they have a page of easy reading for the adult person and then an illustrated page with two lines of really easy reading for your beginner reader. Each story is based on a short passage from the Bible and the Bible reading is at the end of the book. I like that with the Bible verse from the New Living Translation there is a rhyming paraphrase for little kids – very nice! And a couple of sweet activities are popped on at the end of the book, just to help you unwrap the message of the book. These would be great for reading at home or in a class… The books are all in one lessons!!!

Here we go:

1. This story is based on Psalm 103:8-12 and is the story of a little girl, Xanthe, who feels bad about things she has done wrong in the past. Her mum explains that our forgiven sins are like balloons that float away out of reach… far far away never to return. Just like balloons they never come back!!!

2. The Diamond Girl is so Delightful!!! Especially since I have a girl who can not stop dancing and dancing and dancing!!! The story is another Xanthe story, about a girl who dances and dances and then stops to be the same as everyone else… and the ramifications of her not dancing!!! Turns out she is her Dads special dancing diamond and knowing that helped her to return to her own happy self. This story is from Psalm 139:13-18

3. Brilliant Bones rhymes!!! Gotta love a book that rhymes!!! It is the story of Harriet Carbuncle Petrifee Jones… who passionately gathers bones until she finds a marvelous treasure… and she sells all that she has collected for this one treasure. It is based on Matthew 13:44-46.

If you would like to win these books then go ahead and enter our GiveAway. The GiveAway works in the usual way, comment before the end of this coming Friday, 12 February 2009, and we will draw and publish the winner next week on Sunday! – I won’t respond to your comments as I do on our other posts because I don’t want to be included in our own giveaway.

Our GiveAway Books are open to everyone: If you have won a GiveAway before never fear – enter away. If you live on the far side of the world – enter away. Postage takes forever from here but eventually it should get to you!

Good luck and get commenting!

In the Spirit of BackRooms and Getting Things Done… I know I need to get to The Lab which has to be sorted before school begins again, into some sort of order. This is a little room off our kitchen, which no matter how hard we try always ends up as the dumping zone. It is called The Lab because when we moved into our home it was be the “computer lab” here we kept all our computer goodies… Turns out in the world of lap tops that this is the room where all things computorish get dumped… We also keep all sorts of school paraphenalia: science stuff, workbooks, and so on. And that’s just the stuff that is meant to be there… then there is the stuff that doesn’t fit around the house… that gets plonked there and before you have it there is a room where we cannot move around in… Gotta get to it!!!

This past week our car was in for repairs (another whole long story) so I decided to tackle every household project I could… Let’s just say that the rust was um so significant that we could no longer open the boot and if you own a Volkswagen kombi you will know if you can’t get to the boot then you can’t add water and oil and …. lets just say the time had come for repairs and we were literally at home the whole week while repairs were done. I envisioned huge amounts of house hold tasks being done. HUGE I say. By day one my mental To-Do list was totally out of control!!!

So I figured I should write a to-do list… I never write lists, I just start jobs and keep going but to be honest I was a bit overpowered by the work load. I realized as the week progressed I ought to write a to do list – always good if you have done a heap of jobs already and you can tick things off as you go!!! I should have known to just let it go when I couldn’t actually write the list – who knew that pens come with a tiny little cap on them… where have I been!!!

For me it is not about getting going I can do that! It is about all the other jobs that have to be done before you tackle the job you are intending: I want to clear a surface to work on, and I have to repair a pile of books on the surface first. Not to mention jobs beget jobs: Clear out the paper barrel and discover the ancient birthday list… time to write up the new one. And so it goes.

Now every application on my computer has a “help” button but much as I cry out for help these buttons are of absolutely no help when it comes to huge household chores. Sometimes you just have to get on with things…

This is what our TO DO List looked like this past week:

1. Kitchen Cupboards: This was easy, got the kids to unpack them one by one, clean everything out and pack it back!!! Took a morning and every kitchen surface. We had to eat, so had to pack it back!!!



Look at the junk drawer… room for more junk, but I won’t tell anyone!!!


2. Entrance drawers: These are fatal, they look great, in fact they are great and I keep all the crafty materials and things in there that we don’t use everyday… but they are also conveniently placed for stuffing: Stuffing when we need a quick tidy up… and as a drawer gets packed so we pack the next one… Until they are totally jammed. The time had come!!!
   

   

3. The hedge: Needed a haircut all around the house. I got some help!!!



4. The dresser:I have written about the dresser before and it was time for a total revamp. It had stopped working as an exciting spot for us and I realized that while I like perfect order to be creative my kids prefer a bit of chaos…

   

   So Revamped it was and I will write a whole post about it another time… but for now the task is done!!!



5. The book Mending: Same old favorites mended again and again and…!!!

6. The paper barrel: Now this was full of crafty project potential… I just looked at it jammed packed and couldn’t face it – now it’s sorted!!!



7. The laces: I always leave this project forever and it isn’t that hard to teach… make a tree, the rabbit runs round and into the hole, repeat… repeat… Done!!!

So I have a few To-Do’s for this week:

1. The Bougainvillea: This seriously needs the chop.



2. These cupboards doors: I have had a plan for them forever… We cleaned all the artwork off and scraped and cleaned all the tape and so on and everything is ready I just have to do it!!!



3. The Birthday Calendar: Our old one was crushed in the bottom of the paper barrel – I was elated to find it… and if you are a dear friend of ours and I have missed your birthday for the last three years… well I just found the calendar and I have a new one to mark up… And my very tardy birthday situation should be remedied.




4. The noticeboard: Well our family calendar is stuck in September… hmmm back when Hood #8 arrived – haven’t turned a page since!!! Time to get a fresh calendar up!!! And just generally update our noticeboard to a little more than just a corkboard.



5. The Mending: This is not mind blowing mountains of complicated stitching… it is a button on a perfectly good shirts and so on… wish I could do it while blogging, while nursing, well while anything else!!!

6. Gaming: I have in my head to play a game of choice with everyone this week, seriously it can be done… A few folk are madly into battleships right now and I would prefer it to Snakes and Ladders. Let’s just hope they all ask for UNO!!!
   
7. The Dolly: When your three year old gets a nighty for Christmas and it comes with a matching one for her dolly, trust me on this you need to make a dolly pronto and I have to do this this week… She is desperately patient!!!

Notice that cleaning out The Lab is not apparently on the To Do list… this week or last week… Interesting!!! And most of our tasks have nothing to do with declutter, my continuous fifteen minutes a day attack is finally paying off – I had only about five things to move along from the whole kitchen clean-out!!! So we are are beginning to win the clutter war!!! Never thought I would say that or write it down!!!

Our car is still in the repair shop this week and we are still “stuck” at home. Our school books are ordered and on a ship somewhere. Hopefully they will stay afloat a little bit longer because I just cannot face The Lab. Aspects of it, yes and whittling it down bit by little but might help… but this room needs a bit of a bigger boost than a little at a time!! And I have more important things to do: Stories to read, dreams to encourage, plots and plans to pursue, feasts to figure out… Bigger more important things to do than sort out The Lab!!!

The Sunday Snippet and a Fabulous GiveAway will be posted next…

There were two drops of spitty rain this morning… but the sun prevails relentlessly…

We had a week if heaps of: Getting Things Done… I went out of my way to get through all those itty bitty projects that my kids gather and I say later… later… well this was the week and did we get things done!!!

There were visitors:

There was scientific observation:

There was a massive kitchen clean-out!!!

And a garden frenzy of note…

Hood #3 has plied her way through Enid Blyton for weeks and months…

And has moved on to Margurite Henry – Good choice my girl!!!

So our books of the week are:

Most of our days are spent being enthralled by Hood #8.

Otherwise, this is what the Hoods got up to:

Hood #1: Did some inventing:

Not to mention lunch is under control… perfect rolls in size order!!! Big rolls for big lads and tiny rolls for a tiny sister!!!

Hood #2: Did some painting, and some “Potter-ing.”

Hood #3: Led the Zoob craze with: Zaprons…

And their was a counter-attack with Zarmour:

Hood #4: Did some arting, some baking…

And built a safety tower… (very very long long story)…

Hood #5: Mastered tomato, mozzarella and basil salad…

And then worked on his pancakes… I tell you it is tough living with a Celebrity Chef!!!

Hood #6: Is not a morning person:

But loves a project, and spins a great yarn…

And she did potting…

For instance, the reason she isn’t a morning person is because:

“Dem is out there first thing.”

“Everywhere, it is thafer to thtay in bed.”

I have a hard time with mornings myself and dem clowds aren’t even after me!!!

Hood #7: Two comes with molars and seriously no sleep, and then she lost her frog and lets just say… some weeks are a whole lot better than others.

And then she found her frog and had a cup of tea and we all might survive as a result of it!!!

Hood #8: When he wasn’t flapping on his tummy and about to take off, he made a discovery…

While waiting for his turn in the bath:

And even though they followed him everywhere they didn’t come after him… but they still could!!!

That’s us. Have a great week!!!

We had a good week for fun. In order to be a “Yes Mom” and in order to avoid an insane, self-imposed To-Do list I conquered a heap of projects with the kids that I have been putting off forever. All those crafty projects that they have pending for later… All those bits of baking they want to try. Well what better time than summer holidays!!! And summer holidays don’t last forever…

Here are se7en of my favorite things from around the blog world this past week. Hop around you are sure to find something that inspires you:

1. Ordinary Life Magic is having a Science Fair: And since we are about to do a week or two or three of science intensive I am sure we can manage a vague entry along the way… Especially since Hood #2 has been plotting and planning a Family Science Fair for the longest time. And I have been putting it off for even longer. Time to knuckle down and get working!!!
2. Memorable Birthdays at Puffin: Who doesn’t have a passion for Puffin Books? And they are going to be 70 this year!!! Here is a snippet from a couple of authors and their favorite or shall I say most memorable birthdays!!!
3. Gotta love this mural. I saw it on Ohdeedoh and headed over to Design Sponge for the Rest of the house… I just love the bird-houses and the door frame is totally to die for!!!

4. Celebrate The Boy in February 2010. If this isn’t the coolest thing!!! With impending crafts galore, I can’t wait!!!
5. A Worthy Goal from Camp Creek Blog: This just makes me want to fly, love the quote, love the photo. Just love it!!!

6. Free Stuff for Kids Valentines Carnival: If you don’t know Free Stuff for Kids then you should!!! And this link takes you to their fabulous Valentine Carnival.



7. Strut your stuff, from Somewhat Simple.com: Has a cool valentine carnival and I just loved the sign language photographs.

And the Se7en + 1 th Fun thing:

• LMNOP: If you don’t know this site and their free E-Zine then frankly you are missing the eye candy of a life time.

That’s Us!!! And Now it’s your turn to Link UP:

Link up a Fun thing you did with your kids this past week… I was so excited to get links last week – please keep them coming!!! Please, please link up your kiddie fun, books you have read, games you have played, crafts you have created, celebrations you have celebrated… any post you wrote this week and loved…

Here are the rules:

1. Anyone of our crafty/mom blog reader friends are welcome to join in.
2. Any of your kids who want to write a blog post and link it in are welcome to join in.
3. Please mention “Se7en’s Fabulous Friday Fun” in your post and direct the readers back to our Carnival. For example: “I linked this post to Se7en’s Fabulous Friday Fun” would work for me!!! Or pop our button onto your site. so that other readers can enjoy a couple of your favorite favorites… and get to meet all of you.
4. Make sure you link to your fabulous post and not your website, so that it is easy for readers to find your favorite… rather than wading through everything!!!
5. Enter a very brief description of your post in parenthesis in the Mcklinky line where you enter your name, so that we know what to expect when we get there.
6. Visit and leave comments on other folks’ posts who enter the Carnival – it is the nice thing to do!!!
7. Finally this is a family blog and remember some folks kids are reading it – please keep your posts appropriate. I reserve the right to delete any post that would not be appropriate for my kids to glance at.

Now last week we promised a GiveAway of a Bed Bug to one of you who either commented or linked up… But let’s be honest so few of you were half awake… or maybe nobody likes our bed bugs!!! No, now is not the time to have an insecure moment!!! We decided that if you responded then we will send you a bed bug… so:

• Afrika Fairy – thanks for linking!!!
• Jenny in CA
• Kari
• Stephanie from Ordinary Life Magic
• Susan at Improv-a-mama

We will be sending you all a bed bug… Hang in there we still have to make them!!! But in time you will receive them…

That’s us… Link Away, Comment Away and we can’t wait to meet you!!!

It is that time of year when everywhere is going heart mad and so today we joined the fray…

1. Scrap Heart: Because everyone needs something pretty. Make a heart shape out of florist wire (it is soft and bendy), cut fabric scraps into strips, tie them onto your heart frame, the more the merrier.




2. Bark Heart: Because everyone needs a little natural factual. Set my boys lose to carve some bark mulch from the garden.

3. Patch Heart: Because we are so into patches right now. Follow the link to find out how we make our patches.



4. Egg Heart: Because everyone needs breakfast. Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to remove the middle of the bread and then pop an egg into the heart and fry it like a regular egg – just for fun – eggs in toast!!!




5. Sweet Heart: Because everyone needs a little sweetness. Thread your sweeties onto a wire heart.




6. Jelly Heart: Because everyone needs a bite-size treat. Make your jelly using half the recommended liquid then use a small cookie cutter to cut the hearts out and stack up different shades of jelly.



7. Cookie Heart: Because everyone needs a bit of chocolate. Cream 1/2 a cup of butter and 1/2 a cup of caramel brown sugar and 1/2 a cup of sticky brown sugar together. Add an egg to the mixture. Beat in a cup of self-raising flour (plain flour + 1 teaspoon of baking powder if you don’t have any). Finally, tip in a 100g of good quality melted chocolate and beat the mixture. Bake at 180 degrees for five to ten minutes. YUM.

And in the spirit of Valentines here is a Valentines Round-Up for you:

• Se7en do Se7en Valentines… Se7en hearty crafts.

• A Valentines Party in Se7en Steps… Hearty Games, Hearty snacks… just a hearty party.

• Saturday Spot: Groot Constantia and a Hearty Hunt… Scroll down for our hearty hunt after a disastrous Valentines Day!!!

• Sunday Snippet: Se7en Valentine Bible Games… Quick and easy, zero preparation hearty games.

• Sunday Snippet: Best Relationship Books Ever By Shaunti Feldhahn… Because Valentines Day is all about loving!

That’s it – Have some hearty fun this weekend!!!

The next post is a Fabulous Friday Fun Link-up…

We have a Jam eater…

It is most likely my fault because I read this book to him so many times when he was a kid that it has become one of our family stories that I can “read” as we drift off to sleep with the lights out!!!

Now I have always been a bit weary of jam, I shouldn’t be!!! My mother made marmaelade from our citrus hedge year after year and I remember a vast pot on the stove, delicious aromas and trays of jars packed as far as the eye can see. When I looked at recipes online they had things like pectin, and bottle sterilizing. And it got so complicated so fast. But I live with a jam eater…

And we had a heap of plums:

So ignoring all advice about multiple ingredients and sterilizing jars to store up for the winter… um who are we kidding this won’t last a week!!! I set the Jam eater to work:

Let’s meet the Players:

• A pile of plums.
• A heap of sugar.

Let’s Play the Game:

1. First things first, weigh your fruit.
   

   Then measure the same weight in sugar.



2. Chop and de-pip… you needn’t take the pips out because they will float to the top. But a man must chop!!!

3. Add the sugar to your fruit.



4. Use a low hear and stir it to check nothing sticks, until the sugar is melted.



5. Let it boil and boil, stirring from time to time. We used a low heat the whole time, we didn’t need to turn it up high to get it bubbling.



6. After about 10 to fifteen minutes you will have a good froth on top, you can skim this off and the skins that will float to the top.



7. Let it boil away some more – at least ten to fifteen minutes. It is ready when the jam doesn’t slide down a cold plate (pop a plate or two in the fridge when you start boiling). Boil away until you reach the consistency of jam that you like. Be patient!!! You will get there…

And you are done!!!

Yum!!!

Bon Appetito!!!

How many times have I been asked what on earth do I do all day, stuck at home with my kids. All that free time. I must be so bored!!! In a world that is task orientated, where success is measured by ticking things off your to do list or worse by what you are earning. Even though these are not my measures they are pervasive in our thinking.

I have a list a mile long of things I need to be doing!!! Really I do!!! I need to be thinking about school especially. Summer unfortunately doesn’t last forever!!! I need to box up last years work and sort and shuffle and clear space and no this is not part of my usual routine.

So my to do list is lurking at the back of my mind and nothing is getting ticked off the list. Day after day the father person comes home and asks me: “How was your day?” and day after day I say: “I have done nothing.” I feel like I have done nothing and it looks like I have done nothing. The house basically looks the same as when he left in the morning…

That in and of itself demonstrates that I am not doing a whole lot of nothing … because if I was doing nothing the house would look like a bomb went off!!!

I didn’t do nothing: I made a number of meals, I did a mountain of laundry, I taught someone how to tie their own laces, I read a heap of story books, I took the kids swimming for ages and I listened to a million tales of wonder – that is probably the biggest thing I did… listened and listened as little people gave me the running commentary on their life. And at the end of it all they are happily tucked up in bed and fast asleep. The kitchen is clean and tidy and ready for tomorrow… and just at this moment the bathroom is clean as well. Todays tasks are done.

I should be thrilled, but like most moms there is a little nagging voice at the back of my mind reminding me that I am doing nothing… because on my ever growing to do list nothing got ticked. Actually I managed to mend some books and begin sorting through our school dresser. And yesterday the Hoods and I spring cleaned all the kitchen cupboards – unpacked everything, wiped the cupboards clean and put everything back.

That to-do list is not tick-free but I think when we look back on our day and we didn’t do more on the list. In fact not even half of the list was even considered… it is frustrating. It is frustrating to spend the afternoon nursing and reading stories on the couch… when I have so much to do… But I need to change what I am thinking… A chubby cheeked baby and chilled out kids who want to spend the afternoon reading isn’t on my to-do list. I should be changing what is going on to my to-do list, because I am certainly not doing nothing!!!

This Post was hammered out as part of The Thirty Minute Mom’s Challenge at Steady Mom. The photographs were taken from my flickr pool, so didn’t need load up time.