WOODEN PLAYSTANDS

At last!   We have playstands!!

After looking at them for years, and wondering how we could make one that would fit into our little house The Daddy has come up with the design above.  We made this model from recycled pine that comes apart and stacks up into a much smaller space!   The heights of the shelves can be changed, and right now the playstand is in our lounge covered in cloths and will turn into a shop tomorrow (I tend to like playing shops!).  The little boys were climbing in and under the shelves earlier - that's not my sort of game.

I highly recommend this piece of equipment for anyone with a child or children - extremely versatile, fun, long-wearing and beautiful.

Within New Zealand they can be ordered from us - go to our website  www.willowcottage.co.nz

God Bless
The Mummalady

FIDDLY THINGS BOX

Another piece from my soon-to-be-published book

RAINY-DAY-OR-NOT-FEELING-WELL-FIDDLY-THINGS BOX

I’m using a medium-sized camphor box (like a miniature camphor chest) for our rainy-day-or-not-feeling-well-fiddly-things box.  I think it’s important that the box that contains the fiddly things is special and nice – it adds to the care the children take of the items inside.

Some children are extremely tactile and love to hold and feel things.  Other children are very orderly and like to sort and order everything they come across – both these types of children will love this idea.

In the bottom of our box I have cut a piece of purple fur fabric to fit so that everything sits safely in the box without sliding around.      If you have room in the box include a nice piece of black felt or velvet rolled up for your child to set the items out on.  

These are some of the items you might like to include in your box:

-          smooth glass shapes like marbles or glass sea-shells

-          acorns

-          chestnuts

-          bits of chain – various thicknesses

-          smooth or bumpy shells

-          wooden rings

-          bells

-          acrylic, enameled or wooden rings or bangles

-          deep sea shells

-          polished rocks

-          “sea” glass (bits of broken glass smoothed by the waves)

-          Beautiful old brooches (take pin out of back if children young)

-          Various old bits of beautiful costume jewelry (not junky!)

-          large beads of various shapes made from various things:

o        ceramic

o        acrylic

o        glass

o        wood

o        enameled

Another idea along this line is a button tin or button box.  It can take several years to collect items of interest to put in this tin, but it’s a lot of fun for a child to sort through the button tin, and it can calm a restless child as they look for all the dark blue buttons with the triangle shape on, or all the red car ones etc.

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God Bless

The Mummalady

"PARCSHAL" ECLIPSE

Our daughter was emailing her 2nd cousin to tell her about the "Parcshal Eclipse".  I love how she has a really good go at spelling new things!  She has confidence that I didn't have.

Before the partial eclipse our 17 year old gave our little ones a reminder about the sun, moon and earth - using a torch to represent the sun, a model of the moon that he got from somewhere in his room and the globe.   Our 10 year old understood the whole thing because it's not the first time she's come across this information.  Our 7 year old was listening and will remember some bits (especially as he is going through a "space/solar system" phase).  Our 5 year old was more impressed by the fact that we'd drawn the curtains and were sitting in the dark at 9.00am.  Our 2 year old was listening ... sometimes ... probably.

Our big guy had made us a couple of "cereal box viewers".  Just as well our favourite cereal was on special last week - we normally don't get the stuff in the boxes!

This is the image on the bottom of the box that we saw through the "viewing hole" at the top of the box - about 20 minutes after the partial eclipse started.

Our little girl had a go at taking a photo of the view (her pink camera still works!).

A little later - probably at the peak of the partial eclipse this was our view of the moon blocking the sun.


Did you know that when Jesus Christ walked on the earth as a man HE looked at the same moon we look at?

And He created it - because He is God.

God Bless you all who call on Him sincerely
The Mummalady

A NEW CAMERA

This is my "old" camera.  I love it.  It's pink.    :o)

But sadly it seems to have come to the end of it's very short life.

Most of the photos on this blog were taken with my lovely little pink camera - photos like:

However, the other day I went to take a photo and ... oh dear!   It was all WHITE!   I checked the settings, adjusted everything, went back to "factory settings",  got our 17 year old to check it - but urgh - look:

This is supposed to be a shot of some darling little purple gumboots.  The man in the shop tells me that THE END has come for this camera. 

However, every cloud .... silver lining and all that ... we had a family conference, piggy banks were emptied, pennies were counted, bank accounts consulted ... and now:

We have a new camera - one we can have a lot of fun with - not just a point and shoot.   I used to have a good camera before I had children - a proper one!  A Pentax!  And I loved photography.  But over the years other things have been more important, so I've been happy with whatever camera I could afford, and whatever would do the job.

But in this season with a smidge more time to spend on arty things we are going to enjoy our new camera A LOT!

 

I just need to keep reminding myself to take the LENS CAP OFF!  Keep watching this space for some more beautiful photos.

God Bless
The Mummalady

DOLL RESCUE

This poor little doll had terribly neglected hair with a stuck-in hair band,  and worse than that - she'd been left stranded in her underwear!

We bought her for $1 from the re-use shop then attempted to give her a  makeover.

Most modern dolls have hair that frizzes in a second, and is ruined forever.  However, we managed to brush this doll's hair, wet it thoroughly then plait it tightly.    We wrapped her fringe down firmly with a strip of fabric.  After the hair dried, we carefully unplaited it, and were very pleased with the result!  Even the fringe was behaving itself!

Although we are not talented seemstresses we managed to make a modest little dress for her, and now our $1 dolly is called Gwendoline.

We see a lot of unloved dolls in re-use shops or op-shops.  However, we are VERY choosy about which ones we rescue.   Some have distorted features, distorted body shapes or the look on their face is rather smug or knowing.   Others have pen all over them or limbs missing!   But when we see a nice one, we'll bring her home and help her out a little.  It's great fun!

God Bless
The Mummalady

NOT ALWAYS CLEAN

This gentle, natural home education thing isn't always neat and tidy.

In fact, children often get the most out of life when it involves a bit of mess, dirt, water, sand or all four.

I've been doing more and more research on gentle, natural home education.   "Mainstream" is doing so much damage to the children of the world.

"Alternative Education" is becoming more and more attractive to the discerning, caring, aware parent.

But there are dangers there too.

Research carefully, or ask me!

I'm no "expert" but I'm right there in the thick of it - and I've learned quite a lot.

Those little sandy feet are so cute - and they belong to an absolutely darling little boy that I am so blessed to be loving, teaching and raising for God.

God Bless
The Mummalady

WHIMSY

Have you ever had an idea for a craft, and you had a really good try at it, but it didn't work out like the picture in the book, and you felt deflated and useless?

I'm so glad my children don't have that problem.

Our 9 year old made the little fellow in the picture above - she designed it, embroidered the face, sewed it by machine then stuffed it.  And even though she knew he looked a bit odd, and figured out what she might do differently next time - she was still pleased with the result.

That's PRECIOUS!!!!


Please don't compare your projects with THE ONES IN THE BOOK!   The people whose work is put in books have been honing their skills for a long time - otherwise they wouldn't be in a book.  Would they.

And don't pass a bad attitude on to your children about comparing your work with THE ONE IN THE BOOK!   


Encourage them to be confident in having a go, trying again or moving on when they've had enough!


God Bless
The Mummalady