Template Number 1

As the title says this is my very first template to share.  I am sharing this as a follow up from last weeks blog post about recording your childs stay in hospital.

I have chosen to share a template from this page.

I chose this page because it has space for lots of journalling and a photo.  You could even get your child to decorate the paper if you treat it like a sketch.

Hopefully this link will provide you with the download.  Please let me know if it does not work as I am such a novice with this kind of thing.

Well I hope this will be of help for you. 

Wordless Wednesday 28 July

Here is my Wordless Wednesday photo.  My photo was taken last Sunday.

Have a great day.

Reading

Andre just arrived home and got straight on with his reading tonight.  Perhaps this enthusiasim has something to do with the fact it is a non fiction book.  Maybe this has got something to do with the fact that I did not work today and had a snooze...now feeling fresh.

Whatever the case I hope it last.  In my experience as a teacher, little boys tend to be more of a challenge to be inspired by reading.

Monday Menu 26 July

Here is the menu for this week

Monday  Steak and potato with green vege

Tuesday  Middle Eastern pizza

Wednesday  Salmon and rice patties

Thursday  Crockpot chicken casserole

Friday  Ham corn and cheese pasta pie

Saturday  French oinion soup

Sunday  leftovers

Creative Team work for Donna Duncombe

It is just a new thing but I am part of the wonderful Donna Duncombes creative team.  I was using the Summer Days kit found at Funkyplayground Designs

  The credits for this page can be found here

The credits for this page can be found here.

A Photo Book to explain hospital visits

This activity is a little less impulsive but none theless if your child is in hospital for a long stay for frequent stays then perhaps there is a story to tell.  So a story book with your own photos just might be the ideal solution.  This will take a little work from you but the results will be long lasting.  Over the next couple of weeks I will put a couple of templates that can be down loaded just to help you get started.

While I am working out how to create a template or two for you I thought that I would just share some of the pages I have created

1.  First up is this blog post.  Diagnosis and Recovery

2.  Here is another page and blog post about medication

3.  What about this one It's That time of the year.

I have taken ages to sort through my blog posts to find these links so now I need to work out a different menu system on my blog.

Dare to try Hybrid

I have an adverse response to any crafting activity that involves scissors.

This is very ironical considering that I started my digital scrapbooking journey through more traditional card making.  Now I wonder what I ever did without the delete or undo buttons on my faithful Photoshop programme.

I am seriously in awe of the incredible talent that hybrid artists have.  Take a look at The Hybrid Chick and you will what I mean just as a start.

Moving on and in conjunction with my budget managment refinement that I have been doing, I started by really liking the ideas of  Dave Ramsey.  This fitted really nicely with me because when we lived in Brunei there was very little access to any forms of plastic cash.  Cash was always necessary when doing the everyday shopping.  In fact I have been using cash for quite some time but this post just refined things a little more for me.

One thing moved to another, well really I just added Daves post to my favourites and stored the idea for a while.  Finally I was templeted to be more proactive when I discovered this project by Kelleigh Ratzclaff which came with a freebie, envelopes (how hard could they be).

Oh such lovely envelopes and I just had to make them.  I even have a stash of paper from my card making days sitting in the cupboard along with some double sided tape and a fabulous pair of scissors.  Oh yes I have the most lovely, accurate(except when I am using them) and sharp scissors just begging to be used.

So in no time I had 8 fabulous looking envelopes which I am particularly proud of.  I have no idea where I am going to keep them but my wallet is not suitable. 

Wordless Wednesday 21 July

Here is my Wordless Wednesday post

This is what life looks like after you have been out jogging the road with Dad and run full speed into a tree.

McKenzie was more sorry about how she was going to look than anything else.

Ode to my Daughter

So this is not an ode but something I have been thinking about in our house especially since my daughter will turn 10 this year and has been coming home from school talking about diet.  Now I know that there are plenty of dietry issues in our house as Hayden doen't eat enough caleries to sustain life so I am alway thinking these things.  This event with my daughter really got me thinking about things to be building into our life now so body image etc do not become issues.  So here is my list just randomly written as I thougth about them.

• As mum I am trying to be a positive role model.

• Listen hard to you as my daughter and help you feel valued

• Support you in all your sporting endeavours by becoming a hockey mum.

• I want to encourage you to take risks. Not just any risks but to climb trees, race go carts ride the waves etc etc. so that you have no need to take extreme risks later.

• I want to help you respect yourself as you grow into a young woman.

• I will be there to support you when you screw up,

• I will support you to develop postitive self esteem. Love who you are both in body and mind.

I even scrapbooked these thoughts so they don't get lost in cyberspace.

Here are the credits

Monday Menu 19 July

Again here we menu making.  I always link to the Organising Junkie so pop over there a take a look at some of the other magnificent menu posts.

Monday  Spaghetti Bolignaise

Tuesday  Sweet and Sour chicken

Wednesday  Steak, potato and salad

Thursday  Steak n Kidney crockpot (my own recipe)

Friday  Nachos

Saturday  Pumpkin and lentil Soup

Sunday  Leftovers

Paper Folding

As promised I would write a post about recycling all those bits of paper. You know the ones that your child has drawn on while stuck in their hospital bed. The ones that are not for pinning on the board or giving away. I always have plenty.

First up there is the the paper planes and helicopters.  I know that everyone has there favourite way to make these so instead of confusing you all I thought that I would challenge you to find a new one to make.  I am linking you to this fabulous site, The Best Paper Airplanes.  It has both line drawing and videos to help.  I love the table of the best to make.  It is linked.

Anyway, today I thought that I would focus on a couple of other simple but fun little things you can fold and make.

So today the children and I had some fun making a couple of these.

Jumping Frog

This jumping frog works really well.

Rabbit
This link also has a little story that goes with making the rabbit.  As you can see mine requires some decoration

Pirate Hats


I have linked this just in case you needed instructions but any technique will do.  In fact this link has a whole lot of variations for you try as well.  Imagination can come into play.  What about a firemans hat, a gardeners hat, the list is endless.

Here Baby (teddies name.....yup it is a long story one that Andre can tell some time) models the hat from todays play.  Well the one that is till in one piece.

and of course my children had to make their paper planes but they were so hard to photograph.  I will have to try another day.

Creative Team work for Lindsay Jane

So I just love this kit Water Fun

Here are my pages

I did this page for the Nuts4Digi Word Challenge.  This month the goal is to use the quote.  Credits for this page can be found here at Nuts4Digi

The second page is really me still catching up on all those fabulous summer snaps I took

I love the elements in this kit.  The credits can be found here

Favourite Free holiday Fun

So the photos say it all but my son thinks that this is his favourite part of the school holidays.

From afar this is the look but this is the best shot....

I hope your holidays found some free fun.

Wordless Wednesday 14 July

My 6 year old took this self portrait while wearing his fathers sunglasses at a theme park.

I love the shot.

Conversation with Hayden

I collected Hayden from Wilson Home, his home away from home in the form of respite care.  This was the little conversation that we had while sitting in a traffic jam.

Me   What did you do at Wilson Home Hayden?

Hayden   Hayden had fun at Wilson Home

Me  Did you go fo a ride?

Hayden  Hayden had fun at Wilson Home

Me  What things did you do outside Hayden?

Hayden  Hayden had fun at Wilson Home


I guess that says it all.  It doen't matter what Hayden did he had fun and that gives me great peace of mind.

Monday Menu 12 July

There is nothing like keeping my budget under control and that is why I menu plan.  Of course I also plan so I don't get to terrible thought "what shall I cook for dinner?' at about 4pm.  I now feel totally destressed in this area.  Ofcourse I link my menu up to the other planners at Organising Junkie

So now on to my menu

Monday  Frozen meal  (chicken casserole from last week)

Tuesday  Steak, potato and vege

Wednesday  Cutlet on rosti and steamed vege

Thrusday  pot roast with backed potato and vege

Friday  BLT

Saturday  chicken and vegetable noodle soup

Sunday  Leftovers.

Nothing very experimental this week

Just Delightful

I have been thinking about all the scrapbooking I do and thought that for one post each weekend I would post two pages I have been doing for one of the creative teams I am on. 

To start with the Just Delightful kit by the wonderful Digi Illusions (Debbie) from Nuts4Digi

The credits for this page can be found here at Nuts4Digi

The credits for this can be found here at Nuts4Digi.  You can even read the journaling.

P365 June 2010

I thought now would be a great time to post my pages for June.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

All the products are from the SS 6 kit from Weeds and Wildflowers

Colouring In

So colouring in is an easy and predictable  activity for hosiptal stays.  Hayden loves the idea of colouring in although he is unable to colour in between the lines he still loves the idea of this.  Of course the paper can be recycled in to something else which I will cover another time.

So here are a few of my favourite links for colouring in pages

Crayola

Playhouse Disney  (here you will get a copy of all the favourite and current tv shows with the matching pages to colour.

BBC colouring in pages

4KraftyKids

There are a huge number of other sites but these are the ones I frequent.

Please feel free to link me up to any others and I will add to my post.

With the selected pages I add to a zip lock bag colouring in pencils, a pencil to write with, some scellotape and a kiddy proof pair of scissors.

The Holidays

The holidays are always a time to recover so why is it that I feel so bad when I am not busy and just relaxing.  Infact I am so needy of some relaxing time I can't even concentrate on a book to read.

Maybe it is because I am really doing nothing. My excuse is because I am saving energy to weed the garden tomorrow.

Wordless Wednesday 7 July

Last night on my way home as the sun was setting.  It is winter here.

10 Smiles

I alway like to remind myself of things that make me smile.  It really makes me feel grateful for everything I have.  So here they are as a permanent reminder.

1.  I smile when I see my children achieving things they really have working for.

2.  I smile when the sun is shining and there is nothing pressing to be done.

3.  I smile when I see life just falling into place.

4.  I smile when the I can smell freshly cut grass on a spring day.

5.  I smile when I get 'that' perfect moment caught on camera forever preserved.

6.  I smile for every month that Hayden has no other reason to be at the hospital other than to see just one of his specialists.

7.  I smile when I am reminded of just how lucky we are in our life.

8.  I smile I hear my husband tell me he loves me and of course I love him.

9.  I smile when I am surround by my family.

10.  I smile just be cause I can that is a great thing to do.

Monday Menu 5 July

Here it is and the first day of the school holidays.  I am trying to be just a little easy on the menu so I can recover in time for the new school term in two weeks.

Monday  Spagetti and Meatballs  with salad

Tuesday  corn fritter with advocado and tomato salsa

Wednesday  BLT with wedges 

Thurdsay  Curried lentil and pumpkin soup

Friday  Hamburgers

Saturday  Spicy Steak Taco 

Sunday  Left overs

Bubbles to take to hospital

I am a little late with this post, I am sorry.

In my experence cheap and inexpense is the solution to entertainment at the hospital.

Firstly the mixture.  I use Morning Fresh dishwashing liquid, glycerol and water as follows

1.  450ml Morning fresh dishwashing liquid
2.  200ml Gycerol
3.  Water to add up to 2 litres.

(I know it make a lot but it keeps for ages)

I pour it into a very large water container for storage. 

As for the hospital container I use a small but easy to manage pot with a mouth large enough to poke a little blower in or lie it is.  Personally I love this little kit here from ELC as it has a bubble blowing tool just perfect for the new to bubble blowing child.

Of course all the necessary tool need to be kept in the zip locked bag ready packed in the 'hospital bag'.

Here is Andre with the bubble and one very successful bubble blower.

Still catching up with the posts.

So my Project 365 pages are still to be shown.  So here is the month of April.

As these are not posted anywhere the credits are as follows.  SS 5 kit from Weeds and Wildflowers is what has been used.