Child safety gate

Fail.

Potty, crafts, and cookies

It has been grey and foggy, a little bit rainy.

Well, it was a little bit rainy after I put the pushchair into the garage.

For the hour I forgot it outside, it poured.

Out came the craft tubs, and books. We have a lot of arts and crafts stuff.

Quite possibly enough to open a shop. Seriously. 

Anyways, my hoarding and lack of organisation is another post entirely.

One hatchling made up for my lack of indulging her shoe shopping habits...

another made elephants,

and one little left handed mermaid, made a mermaid of herself. Completely on her own, because left handed scissors rock.

This little guy had his first store bought cookie, because he has two teeth now, and well, he grabbed it right out of his brother's hand as he ran past.

A stolen cookie. 

See that concentration: It is intense. As he takes in all those cookie flavours for the first time.

Aren't babies wonderful?

One little hatchling has decided to begin playing relay race with the potty.

He says, 'Need da toilet.' and then tries to run through every room in the house twice before heading to the bathroom... and making a mess on the floor.

When I remind him, only poo in the potty gets a treat, he picks it up and tosses it in the toilet.

I told him doesn't count if it didn't get there first try.

He says, 'Awe man! I got poo on mine hand and everything.'

Sigh. 

One great thing about this being number four, I am just so over getting wound up about these things. 

(insert hysterical laughter)

Rice krispys

In this house, cereal is a rarity.

The hatchlings take turns picking out a box, which then sits in the cupboard, sometimes for months.

Until mama gets sick, or morning sick, at which point out comes the cereal.

Easy breakfast, I can almost stomach smelling in the first three months of pregnancy.

A gentle treat on poorly hatchling tummies when a stomach bug goes through the house.

Typically, cereal has been stored away in the top cupboards.

Yesterday, I needed a box, to send a parcel, to someone dear to me.

So, I stole the Rice Krispy box, and shoved the bag in a bottom cupboard.

Mistake.

This little guy has never been shy about helping him self.

He wakes up from a nap, and scratching the back of his head, he heads straight into the kitchen and opens the fridge.

It has never occurred to him that all food was not specifically placed there for him.

So, when I looked up from bathing the baby, and heard him saying, 'Mmmm... not bad. Little bit crunchy.'

I was not surprised.

When I found him here -

I was not thrilled, but not surprised. My bad. 

When I saw this, I thought I better forewarn you.

We left your boots by the shoe rack.

Sorry.

But forewarned is forearmed, right?

Makes my heart sing

This is the field across the road.

Swaying in the wind.

It is hypnotic, and peaceful.

The secret to happiness

When the world gets you down,

try a brownie to lift that frown.

Don't believe me?

Then try my turtle's brownies...

Turtle's Brownies

Brownie layer

1/2 cup butter melted

200 g dark chocolate melted

3 tbs cocoa

3 large eggs

2 tbs less than 3/4 cups of plain all purpose flour

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 cup of caster sugar

Bake at 200F for 25- 30 minutes.

Until the middle is still a little gooey... it will set, and brownies are better a little fudgey.

Once the brownies are cooling:

Pecans

Spread a generous layer of freshly toasted pecans over the top. About 1 cup.

Then make some caramel.

Caramel

1 tin condensed milk

1 tbs butter

2 tbs dark brown sugar

Stir together in a pot until it is bubbling for about 2 minutes and has thickened slightly.

Pour over those pecans.

More chocolate

Then melt another dark chocolate bar of about 150g.

Pour that over the caramel.

Then let set.

Serve with double cream.

Happiness on a spoon.

Road side flowers

All along the roadsides, in the ditches and fields, there is such an abundance of colour and texture.

A rich bit earth.

The hatchlings bring in handful, after handful.

We have cups, and bowls; teapots and a barbie bath tub, filled with wild blooms. 

I went to wash the bathroom, and found even my toilet bowl is full of purple clovers.

To smell pretty, apparently.

Hatchling no2 asked me, 'Why do flowers grow?'

I thought about waffling on about pollination, but truthfully, I think it is simply to make the world beautiful.

Kind of inspiring isn't it.

Today, I am thankful for beauty all around me.

And I hope I can try to live a little more beautifully myself.

Pizza night

Pizza night is sacred.

One night a week we make fresh dough and roll it out in semolina.

Bake it on a hot stone, and curl up together to watch a movie.

Genuine soul food.

Pizza dough 

500g bread flour

1 sachet dried yeast

1 tbs olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

75g semolina

325mls warm water

1. Add sugar to warm water and then stir in yeast.

2. Add water mixture, oil, and salt to flour.

3. Knead for 10 mins.

4. Leave to rise until double.

5. Roll out in semolina for that dominos like crust.

6. Top with anything yummy and bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Summer days

Can you believe it is August? 

I can't.

The days whip past in a blur.

It is almost that time again.

Time to get out the pens and pencils.

And books.

I love books.

I have read so many other home educating families' plans for their upcoming year.

And I am catching the buzz.

It is so exciting, being a part of this learning and growing journey with my children.

This year we are focusing on 8 core subjects. 

We will probably bounce in the odd focus study, or lap book, but we are going to keep it simple. 

(Read, let's not burn out.)

Latin

Music 

Language arts (Reading, writing, dictation, spelling and grammar)

Maths

History

Science 

Basic skills (Sewing, knitting, cooking, and crafts)

Faith/ Family Values

We love art, which I am sorely tempted to add in, as one hatchling is currently deep in study of different painting techniques, but I won't. Sometimes, it is better not to have a formal category. It sort of limits learning so we don't study art, we just do it.

Happy new school year everyone!

Nature vs Nurture

Is it a case of a bad egg? Or is a chick influenced by its early experiences?

We had one egg hatch out of the clutch our broody hen has been sitting on. One poor little chick which required rescuing when I found him/ her being carried about by a toe in the garden by a different hen. 

Into the house I brought this little chick and popped it into the brooder with the fire brigade. The fire brigade welcomed the chick.... until they noticed it's dark purple toe. Even to me, it looks like a mealworm. For the little chick's sake, I separated it again, hopeful something would come of the Welsummer eggs that were due to hatch. 

Now, this chick has friends, and what does it do? It pecks at their eyes, tries to drag them around by their toes, and tosses them over by their beaks. It is violent and thuggish and wants to eat them. 

I live in a society that believes that we all can be helped behave a little more neighbourly with some detention... should we be the violent thug type. So, in the name of justice, this cute little birdy is serving time.

(The yellow chick is a Buff Sussex, and the multi coloured brown chicks are Welsummers.)

Hopefully, a little rehabilitation, and some good company will teach him to be an upstanding chicken.

I get knocked down, then I get up again...

How bad does that date me, eh? Chumbawamba was singing that on the radio when I was still in elementary school. Anyways, there hasn't been a whole lot of blogging going on over here, just in case you noticed, due to some them health issues. Mastitis, a kidney infection, and a vomiting bug decided to gang up and kick my sorry butt. Thankfully, so so grateful am I, that I am now getting back up again.

I also owe some of my hatchlings an extra big hug and thank you for all the help they have been; taking care of the animals, and just generally making sure nothing dies of thirst while their mama has been barely capable of moving ten feet. They have absolutely amazed me with just how much they are capable of and how genuine their good spirits are in wanting to help.

So on this Thursday, I wish everyone the best of health.

And to the sun, that shone beautifully all the days I was ill, come back soon the hatchlings have more than earned a day at the beach.