January 2014

January saw lots of time in the sun (when it was shining!) and lots of fun time together with friends.  I spent a LOT of time decluttering and getting rid of stuff we no longer need, and getting the garage emptied out.

Thanks to Grandma we found the perfect table for our computer station...

 Little Sister discovered lots of crafts I had put in the cupboard.. now she can find them!

 And Big Brother even got in on the act

 He was very excited to find this experiment in there - making a vitamin C detector with starch solution and iodine. 

 Tomato, Melon, Broccoli and Apple... the clearer the solution the more vitamin C.

 Big Brother and Little Sister have been enjoying Tree House books by Andy Griffiths, and the discussions have inspired lots of good ideas for drawing and writing. 

 They even got to draw and write on the wall, because it's about to be knocked down!

 More crafting from Little Sister

 And the official start of our school year

 This is my current plan for some degree of accountability while letting them make their own choices too... finish the pegs in any order you like, do some mum work, and some together work, and you can choose whatever you like for school after that :-)

December 2013

Last post of 2013.. in 2014:-)

December disappeared in a flurry of finishing school, field trips, fun and a little bit of sunshine... and culminating in the present-fest that is Christmas around here! 

 Starting with decorating the Christmas Tree

 And making some decorations

Big Brother had his final parade for Penguins.  He has so enjoyed the experiences he has had with them, and is looking forward to returning next year. 

 A ride on the recently reopened Christchurch Tram

 And a trip up the Gondola too...

 It was a stunning day. 

 The sun came out, and the kids got wet!

 And we set about the serious business of adding art work to our windows. 

 Little Sister sang and played in her end of year music concert

 And she also discovered the joys of brainbox electronics!

 Letters were written to Santa

 And he may have gone a little overboard.. heavy on the My Little Pony, Minecraft and Angry Birds this year.

 C was very pleased with his sonic screwdriver

 And this is what the room looked like after 10 minutes or so... it's amazing how much school stuff and "things they need anyway" Santa can sueeze into a Christmas stocking ;-)

 The Rainbow Dash wig was a huge hit

 As was the unicorn helmet

 A little stop for some breakfast of ham and fresh berries

 Then off for Christmas with family

 The three cousins together!

 These bubble blowers made the most amazing hug bubbles!

 Little Sister built her Christmas Lego (a Lego Friends Magic Trick)

 And Big Brother checked out his 3D drawing pad. 

 Little sister crafted her way through to the end of the year

 And Big Brother got in on the act with his bracelet loom

 This is one of many... we're all bracelet-ed now!

And that brought us to the end of 2013... now on to 2014!