Homemade kitchen play food for fun!

A couple of weeks ago I sat at my laptop, tired eyes not yet fully functioning in the morning with coffee in hand while the munchkins were already greeting the day with energy and enthusiasm.

My early morning routine of flicking on face book while having a much needed coffee was very inspiring on this particular day... as I sifted through my news feed and peeped at my friends updated album's I saw an activity so simple, creative, delightful, fun, inviting, educational and a bonus of being on the very cheap side of play tools for children.
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It was then that I decided to go to the shops to pay that bill that I had been staring at for over a week, just for the fact that a visit to the art/craft shop nearby the post office would be very convenient :)

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My friend Vanessa had posted some photo's of her son (20 months) playing beautifully with some homemade play food
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what you need= wool, felt and some utensils that you will find in your kitchen!!!

So simple and full of good points: .

• interesting textures for little hands to feel and explore
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• a choice of colour's to aid in visual appeal and colour recognition
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• enables you to shape your own food using a creative and/or imaginative outlook
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• You can size your felt foods accordingly, to make the foods safe for the child's needs - making it age appropriate
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• an introduction to the cooking world and food prep in the kitchen
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• object recognition through different foods represented.

Vanessa, your a gem!!! as you can clearly see for the photo's above my kids had a fab. time with their new play foods, making dinner for the whole family and serving it up.
I'd like to take this opportunity to let you know just how creative my friend Vanessa actually is...and invite you to take part in her crafts and crafts from others, all lovingly made to go to an awesome cause.
Go check out the face book page she created a few weeks back here :
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Crafts-for-Funds-Pakistan-Flood-Relief-2010/154998587853414
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This initiative has been launched to raise funds for the victims of the recent floods in Pakistan. These floods hit close to home for Vanessa and her family as her in laws live in Pakistan, although thankfully not the affected area.
After Vanessa visiting Pakistan herself last year it's feels close to home and she can imagine how the scenario has affected many people.
The lack of attention that the media if giving the Pakistan floods simply made Vanessa feel that no one cares and/or knows about the devastation of these floods.
So Vanessa is doing all she can from her home in Australia to tell those she can and gather support for those who need it.
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It began with a few Pakistani handcrafted shawls and is growing thanks to friends who are donating crafts of their own to be sold for the cause. Further contributions are needed, as this is a cause that will be ongoing.
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The face book page above also shares photo's, links, video's, news articles and facts in relation to the Pakistan floods.
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Simply go have a peek for yourself and see the fabulous crafts that are on offer!
If you would rather make a donation directly to the cause then you can do so through Paiman Alumni Trust at this
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http://www.paimantrust.org/DonateNow
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All money raised through this page with go to Paiman Alumni Trust to be used for flood relief.
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Or simply contact Vanessa through the Craft for Funds Pakistan flood relief face book page if you have any of your own crafts to donate for the cause :)

The face book page even made it to Vanessa's local
newspaper to share the love-
http://www.greaterdandenongweekly.com.au/news/local/news/general/group-has-flood-aid-all-stitched-up/1958595.aspx
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Before life as a Yummy Mummy Vanessa was a childcare worker hence her wonderful idea's for play spaces/ toys. This theme also flows into her crafts that are available from the face book page- soft sensory hand made baby rattles, kitted baby/infant toddler clothing, custom baby mobiles and I'm sure there is much more to come in the near future so it's worth the look!
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lastly please take a minute out of your day to thank God for the things that you have and think about those in Pakistan who are in dire need as you read this.
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thank you ox

Bringing the outdoors in

I'm sure we all have those days where the weather is not kind enough to make it a good outside play day, weather it be rain, wind or heat.

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In most cases this situation gives children the crazies and everyone seems to verge on insane!!
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....well this is what happened to us last week, the rain was thumping down on the roof and it was windy, of course all my munchkins wanted to do was plead to go outside so I made a bargain.....we all got to get dressed in wet weather clothes to make a quick trip outside to collect a selection of leaves to be the subjects of our art morning.

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We selected different shaped leaves, each with their own texture and character. Spiky, smooth, fury, long, thin, fat, strong, fragile, light etc

On arrival back in the house after removing wet shoes, shaking umbrella's and drying off with a towel we got to work. Carefully drying our leaves while we examined them closer.

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The paints and paper came out and I demonstrated how if we paint a leaf all over and put it on the paper giving it a firm but gentle push, when we take the leaf away we can see a leaf pattern on the paper.

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Well their eye's lit up and they wanted to have a go, Thalia needed a little help of course but Declan enjoyed exploring the different shapes and patterns he could make with the leaves.

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Our morning turned from insane ranting and pleading to
happiness and fun as we brought outside in to play :)
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The munchkins were also very pleased when a few days later they spotted some big new spring flowers in the garden. Declan was quick to tell us that they had grown bigger and bigger because of the rain and had decided to pop out and say hello.

too cute sock puppets

Sock Puppets - a fun, creative, imaginative activity that is cheap and affordable and very very much loved!

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Secretly I have a stash of Funky looking socks brought from a cheap store waiting for the perfect day....a day where noses are running, the weather is not so bright and the house is starting to go just that little bit insane....Volla..."come on kids lets make some silly sock puppets, who want's to help mummy" :P

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The munchkins had great delight when Mummy got out some of her special button containers, lots of "ohhh's" and "ahhh's" as they picked out the perfect eyes and nose for their puppets.

It was Declan's idea to use ribbon to make a mouth, so out came the ribbons and the selection was made.

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They were eager to play with their puppets and see the finished result of their faces, off the went to prepare for puppet play, getting excited each time mummy sowed on another button.

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Thalia decided she wanted a "happy" puppet and Declan thought hard before he let me know his puppet was "going to be be crazy".

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Mummy arranged the mouths accordingly to the puppets personalities and no sooner were they taken away to be the objects of play for the afternoon...reading books, sharing kisses and cuddles, picking up things in their mouths, talking in extra special voices with help from little imaginations, introducing themselves to special toys, having tours of the house and so on.

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The puppets now live with our other special toys and both my munchkins take much joy and pride in wearing their special friend on their arm for a play date! :)

Daddy wearing Thalia's happy puppet as Thalia shares her book

kisses x

posing with her puppet

Declan and his crazy friend! :P

First trip to the Zoo

Our family was privileged enough to share a wonderful day together at Australia Zoo not so long ago in August.Okay I hear you, it might of been a while ago but better to blog later than never...and trust me it's well worth a blog post.

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It was the first time both Declan and Thalia have got to experience the Zoo....although there are many times that I'm sure we live in the Zoo in the very walls of our own home :P

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We spent most of the day and somehow managed to take a peep at most of the animals, Declan simply loved everything about the Tigers and Thalia was more taken with the Elephants (go figure, I just think she might eat as much as one!).

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I brought along 'safe' food that I had packed earlier for snacks/morning tea during the day but thankfully we were able to buy 'safe' lunch.

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I rang the Zoo the day before to see what we would be able to eat if anything on the menu's, they rang back later that day with a list of foods, one of them being hot chips...yay.

I knew Declan and Thalia would enjoy a treat of hot chips so my mind was at ease and off we went without Mummy having to pack all the lunches..phew

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It came to lunch time at the Zoo and we headed towards the food court, I proudly told Declan he would be able to have safe chippies for lunch. We got in line and as I reached the serving station I let the lady know Declan's allergies to nuts and eggs before I ordered just to double check.

The staff member let me know that the chips wouldn't be safe after all, even though the chips themselves didn't contain eggs and/or nuts they would be fried with other things that were not safe, hence making the unsafe :(

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A very upset Mummy who had a excited toddler looking forward to his chippies was not happy! I let the staff member know that I had phoned and been told that the chips would be safe - after waiting a fair while and having staff members having quiet 'chats' about the situation I was greeted by the lady who I spoke on the phone to.

She was very nice and apologised and showed me a list that she had worked out would be safe for Declan, so it ends up that the kids had Cheese pizza and sausage rolls for lunch.....thankfully the kids we still chuffed and Declan understood when I explained that the chippies were not safe for him.

Definitely an experience to make sure I really do my research and double check before eating out.

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We all had such an enjoyable day and because we went in August we got a free pass for the rest of the year due to a special they had on at that time.

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So we are now looking forward to more trips to the zoo, looking at the things we didn't quite get to see, visiting the animals we loved and exploring all the different aspects that make the Zoo experience!!! :D

Here are some of my favorite pic's from the day:

Thalia's favorite animals of the day, the elephants - showing us how to be a team and link together with friends to find our way :)
although this photo is of poor quality,I love it.

Declan showing Mummy how he is just like a Tiger !! ROAR

Decaln chillin with his Kangaroo buddy


Thalia showing her true colours- life of the party :P

Exploring the Big Crocodiles teeth

King of the Croc's

Declan lapping up his time with the snakes....following in Mummy's footsteps :)

Glorious Garden Goodness: Poppy's Corn

Corn Corn glorious Corn! but not just any corn...

it's Poppy's corn!! :D

Since moving house late last year onto a property that had an established orchard, fruit trees and lots more potential our family has embraced the way of growing our own food where possible.

There is nothing like going out into the garden and snapping of a snow pea, pulling out a carrot, twisting off an orange of the tree, picking some herbs, smelling the mango's

growing and all the things we now get to experience before we eat our own produce.

When my parent's moved onto the property earlier
this year they brought with them the wisdom and knowledge that comes along with 'a veggie patch'.- something that was lacking somewhat in our garden.

My mum grew up in the small country town of Stroud in NSW where her father (Pop) grew all manner of garden goodness...Pop has such a passion for garden life
and many look to him as master of the garden.

I may be a little bias but Pops produce was 'THE BEST' and simply could not be beaten, he shared the fruits of his garden with locals, family, friends and always gave to the local nursing home.

One of the things I always looked forward to when visiting Nan and Pop was to follow Pops footsteps around the garden as he tended,picked, groomed and showed me how it all works
.Nan simply was the icing on the cake as she magically turned Pops garden to a feast for your eyes and music to your mouth as the food headed towards the kitchen
Every meal was prepared with love from the seed, then harvesting, the food preparation and finally becoming a melody of tastes before you at the table.....taking every step on it's journey with the utmost care.

Without a doubt my favorite thing that Pop grew in his garden was 'Pops corn' - known my many ...I'm sure that if you asked anyone that had at least one cob of Pops corn "So what was it like?"...an instant warm smile would appear on their face, remembering that unique sweet juicy taste they will simply never forget.
Sadly Pop doesn't get out and about in the garden anymore as he is now a resident in a nursing home and Nan has moved house into a retirement village, but believe me the memory lives on.

I remember the last time I had Pops corn was on a visit to Newcastle in March of last year....Mum, Dad, Andy, Declan and I were seated at the table for dinner and mum in a soft voice announced that we were about to have the last of Pops corn, instantly I was excited, sad, happy, salivating and not wanting dinner time to end.

Excited: that after quite a few years living in Brisbane without such a treat :O
Sad: that Pop could no longer get his hands dirty in the garden :(
Happy: to share the experience that is 'Pops corn' with my hubby and toddler :)
Salivating: at remembering that very distinctive taste

These memories will always stay with me and the experiences very dear to my heat.
I hope to create similar experiences of garden life in my own children, planting, watching the garden grow, the excitement of harvest time and having fun in the kitchen with our own food.
The garden is such a great place to get dirty, explore, create, design, teach nutrition and learn about the world around us.
So far this year my children have really grown to share the passion of the garden and love going around observing and actively helping in the garden.

Since Dad, their own Poppy has moved and created the veggie garden- they have dubbed him Teacher of the garden.
Poppy's garden (the veggie patch) grows all manner of yummy: zucinni, carrots, lettuce, beetroot, beans, capsicum, snow pea's, tomatoes, broccoli, shallots and many more to come.
The munchkin's always ask when dinner is served if it's Poppy's broccoli or Poppy's zucinni and so on...I must say that their is a little disappointment when the answer is no.

Mum seems to have taken on Pops passion and way of garden life...everything has to be done the way Pop did it back in Stroud, the seed packets have to be placed on the wooden stick standing at the end of the row of seeds, the wind must be verbally abused at when it blows of the blossoms of a fruit tree while the shaking of fist is practiced and so on
It's beautiful to see Pops passion living on through my own parents and passing on these experiences to my own children.

This morning Mum called on the intercom letting me know that a very excited 'Pop' would be coming up to our house soon to collect the munchkins for a good corn picking....knowing that Declan just looooves his corn on the cob Pop felt it very important that Declan be present when the picking was done.
When Pop arrived at the back door and told the muchkins what was going on I don't know who was more excited, the kids or him...lol

Off they went with Mummy in tow with camera...they picked the corn along with some other goodies munching a few snow pea's as they went.
On Nana's request Poppy then showed Declan how to strip the corn of it's husk to prepare for steaming, Declan was filled with excitement and happiness that I'm sure the next block in the neighbourhood would have heard :P

Tonight I added 'the corn' to our dinner and the kids just loved it, Declan finished his off and just kept rotating it hoping to see another kernel magically appear. On seeing that Daddy had left a few kernel on his, Declan gave Daddy a big smile and slyly asked with him puppy dog eyes if he may have it...Daddy handed it over and Declan made sure it was all gone.
At the end of dinner a gorgeous phone call was made to Poppy himself Thanking him for the yummy corn!!!

It seems my own children will have a very similar love of corn as Mummy does, but with their own special Poppy!! :D