Busy making things

A while ago i went in search of a pattern that would turn my old long-sleeve t-shirts in to funky patterned leggings for Lani. In doing so i stubbled across a blog written by a lady who does some really fun crafts with her daughters. For example making paper out of loo roll (which is on my list for next summer)!

Also on her blog was a post about Kanzashi Tsumami, a traditional Japanese craft which uses small squares of silk to make flowers. The flowers adorn hairpins and hair pieces for Geiko (geisha) and Maiko. How i love Japan and thier traditional crafts! I have tried my hand at Kumihimo and a few others. So when i saw Kanzashi i thought 'I'm going to try that!'

A few months later i remembered the flowers and i found a few items of the kids clothes that i was getting rid of that would work for having a go.

They are 1" squares, i seriously underestimated the difficulty of of the craft!! I made one flower, it took me about 2 hours, and it's not great.

After i realised that i need something to cover the middle so i got out a 2mm crochet needle and made a mini circle and stitched in a few beads (my first time doing that too). I skipped a step in the flower making - i haven't used a base.

I have a list of things to get from the craft store at the weekend. Then I can make some more in the evenings.

I then decided that it could be fun for the kids, so i got out some food dye and paper towels. I had made some flowers with baby wipes and let them 'paint' them with the food dye (24 hours later and they still aren't dry). They used the rest of the food dye on the kitchen roll, we left them over night, and they weren't dry; so i stuck them in the tumble drier to dry them. Then i spent an hour this morning making 4 flowers.

Our coloured paper towels, they were Red, Blue and Purple, but the colours in the purple seem to have seperated creating the pale blue and rose colours:

Twenty 4 1/2" squares, sorted into piles of 5, I mixed up the colours so the flowers had some strong colours and some with less colour:

Flower petals folded and on the tread to make into a flower shape.

Three finished flowers.

I found some pipe cleaners poked them though the centers and bent them in the appropriate places:

Hayling Island

We went to the beach today, we picked a great day today. Picniced in the car, then went for a long walk. Lani wanted to go in the sea but it was too chilly. Kayne and I rode a roller coaster, i'm not sure he liked it much.
Picture montage;

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A windy day at the beach...

We went to Hayling Island today. It was windy and drizzly and great fun.

We went into a little cafe for some warm drinks and Lani was naming a few colours. Kayne points to the pepper pot and says 'look manky white'.

Child Beale 30/07/2008

On Wednesday Grandma took us to Child Beale. It was hotter than we thought it would be but it was very nice out. We rode on the train, Lani spent a while yelling 'Oh no stuck!' after we had shut the carriage door. Kayne enjoyed the ride but was a bit upset it wasn't a very long ride.
We walked past the big lake and Lani saw the Blue-pea fowl and was saying 'Duck duck' and then looked again and said 'no; Birdy'.

We sat in the park area to have lunch but niether of them were hungry, they were too busy;

Lani with the sand:

And for the first time ever Kayne managed to get 3ft off of the ground!

We had a nice time looking in the aviaries and every time she saw an animal or bird she started yelling and squealing. She saw a goat and started saying 'baa-baa' which impressed me as i don't think she has seen a goat before. We went into the small animal shed and she was ooohing and aaahing over the baby Guinea pigs, i said 'they are Guinea pigs' and she repeated 'ginny pig'. We went to see the little monkeys (i think they were spider monkeys) i hoisted Lani up and said 'what is that, Lani', 'ohoh ahah' was her reply. I put her down she wondered off; found a branch that was 1 1/2 times her height and ran off across a green with it.

We walked some more, and came across the Roe Deer at the pinic area:

We walked under a walk way and Lani started saying 'oh no ...' 'oh no ...' and i couldn't work the last word out. We looked at the Owls and then came back under the walkway, Lani was saying the word again. Grandma heard it and said 'sky'. She had noticed that you can't see the sky under the walk way!!

We got round to the play ground and they played happily in the sand, in the cars and houses. Grandma watched Lani whilst i sat down. Lani saw a puddle: and RAN!! 'PUDDLE!!' yelled Lani and jumped in before Grandma could catch her....;

And one of Kayne;

A bit of R&R

It was so hot today!! The car thermometer rested on 28c but i'm not sure thats true.

We walked to Waitrose for milk, and Kayne gave a running math quizz the whole way there and back. He was doing addition and subtraction, with 100s, 1000s, and going into negatives. Interestingly he didn't do any in the shop. We let him chose which charity to give our coin to. He choose the Keevil Unit again.

After lunch we went to The Chase for a shady forest walk. It was really nice, Lani picked up every stick and pine cone on the way round. She led in the grass.

Kayne was ok for 2 minutes then started quizzing me on things; 'its green, shaped like a leaf and is on one of those trees, what is it?' OR; 'it's a leaf, that is green, it's like a feather, is it on the first tree, the second tree or the third tree?'

Everytime lani wandered off of the path Kayne started freaking out about it, and asking 'why is she going in the forest?' and yelling at her (and daddy) to come back).

Kayne managed to trip over again, so when the giant scratch from grandmas has almost healed we gain a grazed elbow and knee, and 30minutes of hysterics and cries of 'i want to go home and get a long sleeved top!!'

I paddled in the lake for a bit and then we continued. Showed Kayne the crickets/grasshoppers in the meadow they were so loud. I can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday. I noticed on the way back that it was the canal boat festival, but i think it was way to hot to walk round there.

Our cakes

Kayne and i have managed to make cakes twice. He really enjoyed it, altough he didn't want to wait 20minutes to wait for them too cook. Here are pictures of our first attempt...

Week 2 of the Summer Holidays...

Lani has almost cracked crawling - i mean very nearly. she can move her arms forward and her legs but she doesn't get very far. But it will come with time. She gets very annoyed when things aren't going how she wants or when i leave her view. We have had some da-duh noises and some ai ai oi kinda things going on, so her vocal noises are increasing. She learnt to clap today in about an hour - she is so sweet. She also can play peek-a-boo with a cloth and pull it up and down over her face and she blows bubbles/raspberries sometimes. She gets bored very easily she will play with a toy for a few minutes and thats it for the day - So different to Kayne, who would play with things for 20 odd minutes at the same age.

Kayne is starting to get a bit stir crazy without nursery. We've got him the last of the Jolly Phonics books so we can have a go over the next few weeks. Also we are going to try and continue the 'number pairs' but i need to work out a way of making sure we do them properly/in a sensible way. We believe he can read/recognise 20-30 words now. I'm beginning to wonder whether he has a photographic memory. He doesn't seem interested in trying to use his phonics to sound out words he just wants to know what they say now. Maybe he doesn't know how to use them properly yet and also he doesn't know the doubles which makes it hard. I'm going to try and make him some books to learn to sound out the words. like 'fat cat on a mat' and 'dog on a log' Some thing kinda easy and also with things in it he likes.

Mark is off next week and we are hoping to to some things out and about. Go to the beach and maybe to the Didcot railway museum, just have family time and relax and getting Kayne happy with things of interest, to bolster him and his self confidence and do some 'home education' in the fun way.

Kayne the comedy boy

We were at grandmas today. He was playing with his Thomas track and he had Thomas and Percey going round and round a loop. He looks up after intently playing and announced 'Oh no i'm in trouble, i'm going round and round in circles'. He went to his 'Tidmouth sheds' and said 'grandma you come and play' grandma says 'Who will i be?' and Kayne as quick as a flash says 'the fat controller'.

Kayne put some things in grandads briefcase for his lunch tomorrow and said ' i want to go with grandad and have strawberry juice, crispys and nannarna' and about 2 hours later said, 'i want to got on a picnic with grandad tomorrow'

Gosh he can be so funny some times.

Lani has conjunctivitus her eye looks so so sore. 1-2 drops 4 times a day. Horrible horrible, my poor poor baby.
I love her so so much, i love her differently to Kayne but just as much. I'm so protective her and her emotions, i hope to the light that she doesn't get depression or ever feels like i can do. I think i was so in love with my easy and whimsical life when i was young that coming down to reality was so hard and horrible, i hate it now. I would love to be able to play with Sindy again, innocently like i can remember doing. My baby girl is so precious and beautiful i can't wait to see her grow and yet i don't want her too.

i am seriously considering another baby, when Lani is over 2. I want a home birth, and to breastfeed for atleast 6 months, but we shall see. Kayne wants another brother or sister.

Kayne wants a cat.

Easter weekend

well it was easter weekend. On Good friday we went to Mark's Mum's, and Kayne and Lani got toys from them from thier holiday. I did half an hour's driving!! I can go in a forward direction and reverse up a slope. I can't turn though! LLOL thats the next thing to learn.

On the Saturday we went to mum's and Mark got his hair cut - it looks fab. Didn't do very much at all. Was meant to do a bit more driving practice but we didn't.

On Easter Sunday we went to Paultons park, which was great. Kayne loved it, and we enjoyed every minute of it. He was fantasically behaved and i had a great time slinging Lani and getting loads of looks! Loved it.

Lani goes to sleep by herself in her crib - alone. i'm sure that it's to do with our more AP approach to her.

Me Slinging Lani