Building Bears & Bowling......week-a-boo.

Saturday afternoon called for hot cocoa. It was rainy, dreary & muggy. It was definitely not cold.....but the look of the evening just yelled "Hot chocolate weather!!". So, my girl & I enjoyed a mug of sugary goodness. And it was gooooood. 

I'm totally over this rain! It has rained almost non-stop since the week of Ella's party. Our backyard is a sludgey mud pit, the local park is almost a swimming pool & when we drove past the beach yesterday; instead of seeing the usual horizon of aqua blues & glittery silver waves.....we saw a mush of chocolate coloured wash. Everywhere & everything feels damp and getting washing done is, well.....not really happening! OVER IT!

On Saturday, I was just about to loose it. I had cabin fever & it felt like the walls of our living room were closing in on me. Most of the time, I like the balance of homey weekends, where we do puzzles & make messes & squeeze in nanny naps in the afternoons. But not at the moment, I feel forced inside & I hate that. I really did not feel like doing yet another Dora puzzle or round of Princess Bingo for the 15th time.

Then Chris's parents called & said they were dropping in for lunch. Thank goodness! It broke up the afternoon perfectly & my cabin fever nicely dissolved. We enjoyed wine at 1pm.....because we can :) It was nice!

Somone wants to roll.

Sunday, we braved the wet, slippery roads & headed out as a family of 4, for our 'Annual Build A Bear Day'. We've been doing this around Ella's birthday every year since she was born.....a little tradition that we'll continue until she's too old & too cool for stuffed bears :)

Four Years - Four Bears.

It was kind of sad & kind of exciting at the same time, to see how much Ella has grown....even since this time last year. She hardly needed our help this time. She chose the toy, followed all the steps with little assistance & even typed the details onto the Bear's Birth Certificate at the computer! I guess that's another cool thing about traditions.....even though you're doing the same thing over & over again, it's still different; you get to see it in a different light, at a different stage, a different feel. It's refreshing & reassuring all at the same time. I love creating traditions & memories with my family.

Stuffing the bear, putting her heart & voice in and stitching her up. All while little brother looks on from his pram.

Grooming the new bear.

Creating the birth certificate.

The finished product.

Introducing our latest 'build a bear' member....CANDY!

And Ella paid for her herself, using some birthday present money :) Thanks Pa Ken!

Hmmm.....Mummy needs to iron more often I think :)

We then went upstairs to the Cavill Ave Timezone. It's basically a buzz of serious over-stimulation & chaos.....but a lot of fun, especially on a rainy day of forced inside play.

Chris got right into it :) Ella was a little overwhelmed by the noise at first, but then sister relaxed & had a blast! Ryder just looked around & took it all in from his pram....this boy likes to chill & observe :)

We played away the rainy blues!

And bowled.....

Not sure what's going on with these last 2 photos.....they were a nightmare to upload on here & now they look all blurry! Ah well. You get the general gist of the bowling experience. 

I love weekends :)

Now, to get ready for the busy week ahead.....sister is off to 3 full days of Kindy this week, Chris is having surgery on Wednesday, I've got some invitation & print orders to complete.....and a photo/blog project I'm kicking off on Wednesday :)

*******

Talking of prints.....

Have you seen my 2 new ones in the 'rainbow range'?......

Both available to buy HERE in my webstore.

Have a great week everyone.

5 Things We Do On A Rainy Day.

It's Wednesday today....I'm usually at work on Wednesdays & Ella at Kindy. But....we're home today! She's still not 100%. She had Rotavirus. She's definitely on the mend.....but an annoying runny nose is still lingering and her asthmatic little chest is not sounding too good! We can't visit anyone due to her condition & I don't want to head out & about being our usual busy selves....at the risk of exhausting her {and me} even more! BUT.....it's raining! And...there's only so much TV/movies a 3 year old will sit through & only so many books & puzzles I can get through without going a little batty!

It's days like these when I have to put on my 'creative-Mumma' hat & find some more interesting ways to entertain the little Miss, buy the time.....and sustain my sanity :)

5 Things We Do On A Rainy Day:

1. Have a TEA PARTY! Ella dresses up in jewels & bling. We set the table pretty. We even use the good china. The sandwiches are cookie-cuttered. We invite her toys. We sometimes bake a sweet treat to enjoy. We sit like 2 little old ladies, enjoying the tea {apple juice} and food delights whilst chatting :) It's nice!

2. Play Super Hereos! We rescue injured animals. Climb huge mountains. We fly. We fight off pirates & 'naughty people' {in Ella's words}. We hide in caves from growling bears. Hey, we even battle crocodiles & sharks in the 'rushing river'. It's a tough life being SUPER GIRL!

I bought this cape online from Pip & Bean.....but a sheet/blankie/towel also does the job perfectly!

3. Who said rain meant staying inside all day? Go on a gumboot walk :) Umbrellas, boots, puddles, mud.....the kids will be heaven :)

4. Craft & Create! I know some parents are not keen at 'arting' & 'crafting' with their kids, but there are some simple things that you can do to keep the kids happy that don't involve paint or sewing.

5. Make a Cubby House! All you need is blankets, sheets, pillows.... and wahlah! Set up the portable DVD player in there for a move session....have afternoon tea inside.....hey, even have nap time in there! Cubby Houses can bring hours of fun!

{Above: Check out this cool one I found....image from here}

So, there you have it! 5 things to embark on when your house bound due to rain or illness! Do you have any more suggestions? I'm always on the hunt for new activities to engage in with Little Miss 3!

Have I told you that I'm doing the 31 Days To Build A Better Blog over at Aussie Mummy Bloggers?! We're on Day 2....and today's project was to write a LIST POST :) I'm loving it already....it's great to 'meet' other bloggers, chat on the forums, read Darren Rowse's ProBlogger Book & get feedback.

Wordless Wednesday......{Dancing In The Rain}

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, but about learning to dance in the rain!"

If you love that quote that I've featured above {it's one of my favourites!}, you can buy it as a large wall print here....in any colour!

I'm playing along with WORDLESS WEDNESDAY over here!

I hope you have a 'dancing in the rain' kind of day :)

Wordless Wednesday......{Girls Just Wanna Have Fun}

Playing along with WORDLESS WEDNESDAY over at Faith, Hope & a whole lotta Love!

Happy Hump Day!

Week-A-Boo.......{She's nearly 3, inside play & rainbows}

Yay, Week-A-Boo is back on track & kicking off for the first time in 2011! Another weekend....come & gone! And yep....it still rains here! This weather is just crazy! I'm over it.....where's my long, warm summer days of beach-going, swimming, salty-crusted skin & picnics in the park?? I think Coolum is hogging all that summery-fun, coz back here on the Gold Coast....it is STILL raining!!!!

So....we've been enjoying plenty of {forced} inside play! The girl LOVES puzzles at the moment & she's really digging the ABC's too :)

{above: this one is her fave....she's on a constant 'E' hunt....spotting them out everywhere we go! "There's my name Mummy....see "Eh" for Ella....that's me!!!"}

{BELOW: Here she is in her ABC glory......she cracks us up!}

Oh....And, she's LIP GLOSS obsessed! Ooops, she got that one from me :) I have way too many lip glosses & rarely leave the house without some! Santa left her a new range of fruity lip glosses & her new 'thing' is: "I'm a lady Mummy, and you have to come to me & say "Please Lady will you paint my lips pretty for me!" Ok Mummy, do that!" And I oblige....and we do that repetitively for about 10mins until my whole face is sticky & glossy :) 

In between holidays, shopping sprees, mammoth de-cluttering missions & rainy days, we've been preparing for a certain little someone's upcoming 3rd Birthday!!!! THIRD......O.M.G! THREE years old!! In just 16 days, I'll be the Mother of a 3 year old.....where the heck did those 3 years go???? Many months ago, Ella asked if her next party can be RAINBOW theme....and EVERY SINGLE DAY {without fail} she has mentioned this rainbow party!!! So.....in a couple of weeks......A RAINBOW PARTY WE WILL HAVE :)

{the invitations, designed by me!}

On Saturday night, I enjoyed a night out with a few girlfriends.....just chilling, eating, drinking, pigging out on ice-cream, laughing, eating some more.....you know...the usual relaxing girls night out :) 

{excuse the orange tinges......it could be due to my uselessness at taking photos in anything other than natural light.....but for now, we'll just blame it on the ugly orange lighting of the restaurant :)}

{My gorgeous friend, Jackie {on the left} is expecting her 1st child.....13 weeks into the pregnancy! I'm so excited for her!!}

The weather forecast looks pretty glum this week, so I guess we'll be doing more of this:

But that's ok....I was quite content hanging in my pj's til 1pm today....doing art n craft, movie watching & puzzles :) Keep posted tomorrow.....I've made a few new print designs & exposing them tomorrow :) Scissors Paper Rock is open for business again as of tomorrow....I enjoyed my break....but am now looking forward to getting back into the swing of things too!

So....tell me, what did you get up to this weekEND?

Please, share your link below! I can't wait to pop in to see what your weekend entailed! 

Week~A~Boo.......{sequins, soccer & sugar}

Every December, our year's worth of dance lessons & rehearsals rolls to an end with our annual concert! Always my favourite time of year....and has been since I was a little girl....all blushed face & proud in my tutu's & hair nets :) Now, at 28yrs of age....I still rock out a face of blush & glitter with not-so-many tutus, but....still up there on stage....doing my thing'. 

On Friday night we had the first show....it wasn't perfect....but still a lot of fun! Then on Saturday we filled the day with 2 concerts & I'm pretty sure we nailed them!! Let's just pretend Friday was a dress rehearsal LOL!! By Saturday night I was completely exhausted, completely glittered out & completely sick of the sight of sequins! But also sad, to know that dancing for 2010 has come to an end :) Bring on next year I say :)

{me & my bestie...about to go on stage for our first dance ~ Seven Nation Army!}

{our street tap dance}

Today, Sunday was yet again SOGGY!!! This rain just won't ease!!!!!! But we still had plenty to do :) One of Ella's best buddies, Jet, had his 3rd Birthday Party today! Ella has known him since she was 5 weeks old & I just love watching their friendship blossom!! He is soccer mad....so the theme of the party.....SOCCER :) Ella wanted to dress up to suit the theme.....but Ella, being Ella.....the most girliest girl in the world, insisted she wore a "soccer dress that twirls when I spin". So.....Grandma came to the rescue by whipping up this gorgeous dress, teamed with some soccer socks & her Nikes....and we were ready to P A R T Y!!

The kids were on the BIGGEST sugar high by the end of the party, but boy oh boy, they were happy & loving every moment of it! At one stage Ella even said "This is the bestest party FOREVER!" And I was happy, surrounded by hypo children, smiling faces, gorgeous babies & beautiful friends!! The rain didn't put a damper on this birthday bash!

Ok, I've gotta say it.....THE GIRL'S A FREAK!!! But a clever freak! A freak I love way tooooo much! 

Every time we wrap a present & write in a card, I ask her to draw a picture inside the card for the recipient! This morning as we wrote Jet's card, I slipped it her way & asked her to draw a picture for Jet! She sat there in thought....I suggested she drew Jet playing soccer or a fish or a whale! "No Mummy, I'm going to write my friend's names!!" "Ok" I reply, watching her scribble away in true toddler style.....UNTIL....she writes her OWN name!!! I have to put my Mumma-bragging-cap on for this one.....she's 2 years old for Pete's sake!!! And, she was pretty proud of herself when Jet opened it....and I was proud as punch too :)

To wind down the evening we headed down to Chris's parents house for sushi & wine....the perfect way to spend a Sunday rainy evening!! And we hung out with Gumby:

Later this evening, we received a phone call to say that my 2 yr old niece was in an ambulance on her way to The Children's Mater Hospital to undergo emergency surgery on her bowl! We're worried sick about her and hanging out for the call to say it all went well & she's recovering perfectly!!! Off to visit her tomorrow afternoon if all goes to plan :( If you're religious, please say a little prayer for her....or just some sunny, positive thoughts will have more power than not!! THANKS xo!

Please, tell me....WHAT DID YOUR WEEKEND ENTAIL?

I'd love to know what antics you got up to.....and with only 1 week til Christmas, I'm sure you had an interesting one :)

Add to the linky below if you're a blogger! Have a fabulous week my friends!