Not rocket science...

Luckily both our kids like fruit.....but I have struggled a little getting Fraser to eat it while at school. He does have a "crunch and sip" time but his 1 piece of fruit would bounce back home in the lunch box each day.

He would then eat it right before bedtime...

So in an effort to create some more interesting lunchboxes and get the piece of fruit eaten during the day, I had a light bulb moment.

Take two pieces of fruit (most days it is 2 pieces of fruit and 1 vegetable). 
Cut into random bite size pieces. 
Place in a zip lock bag......or fancy little bento container.
Add to the lunch box.

......and just like that 2 pieces of fruit and 1 vegetable eaten a day. ( and still the piece of fruit before bed eaten too!!)

The psychology of cutting up bite size easy to eat pieces of food.

We are trying the more "bento" way of packing our lunchboxes...we just haven't quite managed to get the true lunch containers yet but none the less our lunch boxes are looking way more exciting this year.

Here is a great local to us company selling all things "Bento" if you are interested.

Enterprising buisness

So we are nearly at the end of the first week of school for the year.

We have enjoyed the fresh routines and are trying a few different ones to last year....one of them is preparing lunch boxes the night before so that we have a better perspective on what goes in the lunchbox...instead of the rush to throw one together as they are running late.

Now my guys have always been lunch box takers.....we have not been big canteen patrons at all. They both have really been happy with taking thier lunches so who am I to complain?

This year both the Primary school and High school have made the decsion to close thier canteens. I think the number one reason is they are not finacially viable or maybe it was the lack of volunteers to run them.....either way they are closed.
Now this doesnt  affect us at all as we dont do canteen lunches...but Meg came home today with a story....

Some enterprising young men at the high school decided to take matters into their own hands and begin a little pop up lunch supply buisness. Apparently they used live social media to promote there whereabouts on the campus and they were swamped....
Sold out of many items. Even Meg said she thought it was cool and promised to buy a juice box tomorrow if they had them.

I am sure the "powers to be" will intervene but really, kids taking iniattive and moving in where there  is a market is pretty ingenius. They are obviously well priced as they had no problems selling their stock.

Maybe they will rethink the canteen concept and find a way to make it work for the many kids that do rely on it for sustenance. 

 

First of the lasts

These two nutters set off today....both for the first of thier lasts

Last year of high school and last year of primary school

....and neither of them needed me today!

Oh well...they know where to find me if they do..

Hope your first days of school are smooth sailing and you get better photos of the occasion than I did!

School Ready

It's time to become school ready for us.  School returns next Monday.

With that in mind I thought I should at least have a look at what the kids need.....they are not the only ones in denial about returning to school!

Luckily not too much more than what is tucked away in the stationary overflow cupboard....if you have been a school family for more than a couple of years you probably have the overflow of school supplies that builds each year too.

But  a new pencil case was required. So I set off to Spotlight with the boy to choose his own material.

They are really simple to put together...here's a tutorial if you need one 

15 minutes at my sewing machine and all done.

So now we are a little more school ready for next week......Now just to get our heads around the idea.

Last day of school

Tomorrow is the last day of the school year for us......and with it comes....

....finally the opportunity to take the teacher her gift we so lovingly made...

....the bag full of books and papers that have accumulated in the desk arriving home.

...the pencil case full of blunt and small pencils along with the dried up textas accompanying the books and papers.

...the anticipation of which teacher will you get next year and which of the friends will be in the class.

...the sadness of saying goodbye to this years teacher.

...coming to terms with no more children in the junior end of the school.

...the excitement of no more lunches to pack for the next 7 weeks.

...the longing for the relaxed routines.

...the realisation that Christmas is less than a week away.

Everyone is very tired in our home....so bring on the holidays and the festivities of the season.

Happy end of the school year  to you all.

Teacher gift for Mrs Hawkins

In so many ways I am not at all prepared for Christmas....except.....

The little guy's teacher....... 

 We did it together....and now it is sitting waiting for the last day of school....which I am so glad is not for another three weeks........

(Apparently it is not cool to make gifts for high school teachers....I am sad for them...as a teacher it was always a great time of the year for lovely gifts)

Maybe I will stop procrastinating and figure out what everyone else is getting.

Joining in with Show and Tell

This Week.....

This week I am loving.....

* Thank you for all the very special messages you left for my family on my last post. 

* Soaking up the beauty of where we live on a extraordinarily lovely Spring day....

* While gardening finding that we had indeed had a peach on our tree....

* Burning some calories hitting the garden for a Spring tidy up....

* Gazing up at the spectacular tree we have in our garden ....and wondering which bits to get the tree surgeon to remove....

*  Letting the girls out for a run and forage.....

* One excited little guy on Sports day....

* Hearing all about his successful running and team playing.....

* Playing detective after a secret admirer note was found in the little guys school bag....he has asked a few of the girls in his class and has no luck......

* Gifts received in the mail from someone who never forgets our "Big Girl"  

* Ending the week with a picnic in the sun.....lunch time at a work conference.

It is the weekend but I am having to complete another full day at conference...so the weekend is going to be short.....lucky the week was full of lovely things to ponder as I go.

Joining in with Cat for Things I am Loving,

Monday Monday..

Today was not just an ordinary Monday.....

It is the Monday after our visitors left...

It is the first Monday of two weeks "in school" swim lessons.....

Need I say more....

It is winter......how am I supposed to know where the goggles are or the rash shirt or the bathers for that matter......

We did find them....packed the spare underwear, towel, found goggles and plastic bag to house the wet clothes...

Walking up to the classroom..."Fraser do you have your bathers on???"

Look of horror..."NO do you have them mum?"  what the!

Not wanting to do the whole lesson teaching thing first thing in the morning...I trot back home and gather bathers.....

Remembering that none of his clothing is labeled and most likely to be lost in the flurry of year three boys changing after swim lesson... quickly mark all his clothing with his initials...

Being a home day for me I took the opportunity to wander over to the aquatic centre to watch his lesson....

Upon arrival I am told it will be $ 1.80 to enter for the half hour lesson and sit on a seat...usually a wet one.....what's with that...clearly I was not going to be using the facilities... when did a parent ducking in to watch an in school time lesson warrant payment....

well I'll be at work the rest of the week...so let's hope we are all a bit more organised tomorrow as there will be no trotting home to collect forgotten items....

Oh and let's not mention the wet washing every night that needs drying for the next day ...

Back to school 2013

Well, they went off today....WITH smiles......

No too many changes expected this year which made the little guy a little easier about heading off.....

 

I can't believe the summer holidays are over already and another year is beginning....

have you any new plans for the new year? 

Checking off the list....

Teachers gift done  CHECK

School finished for the kids  CHECK

Annual dinner with friends CHECK

A neighbourhood walk to visit the Christmas lights  CHECK

Mischievous elf antics up to date     CHECK

Christmas cards written 

Christmas Cards posted 

Handmade presents for the littliest members of the family 

Presents all wrapped

Grocery shopping sorted

An understanding of my food contribution for Christmas and Boxing days

House cleaned and sorted

.................. 

Oh it appears i have more on the "undone list "than the "done list"

How many days do I have left again??????? 

Things I am Loving

Things I am loving this week.......

Today was the last day of the school term...

The little guy's school finished with their annual "mini fete"

School closes at 12pm and then parents are invited to spend the afternoon with the kids enjoying the fun of the fair.

Each class is responsible for running a little money making  fun stall.
I gave Fraser some money and let him spend it how he chose......great lesson in a little wise spending.....

Sizing up the game plan for........

......"sponge the teacher"

 Taking aim at.....
"dart the teacher"  sadly he got three out of three........

Luckily we moved onto more sedate ways to spend his money......

Paying for the privelage of plunging your hands into goo......

Who would have thought that was fun???

It was a lovely afternoon......Fraser had a fantastic time running around with his mates.

A little sad when the money came to an end and there was oh so much more fun to be had.... 

Who needs the very expensive "Royal agricultrual show" when you can have so much fun and support your school at the same time?

I am so loving that we are now on school holidays for two weeks.... 

Joining in with others over here 

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something you can be thankful for..no matter how simple it is.

Things I am Loving - Book Week edition

 It's Friday ....again...

I am loving that Book Week has come and gone and was successful for all concerned....except if you ask the little guy who said he was beat in the parade competition by an ELF.....he was not happy.....oh dear and I thought it was all just fun and games......

Anyway..... Pirate this year was the request...

so pirate it was......

 I had a few other great ideas but when the little guy has an idea and after all he is the one wearing the costume.....I let him lead the way.


So I am loving that this year there were clear ideas and they were executed days before the event.. my only rule is that we have to create the costume from what we have or can create....harsh...maybe but I am sure the whole point was not to go and buy an expensive dime a dozen costume.

 So here's to another year of Book week costumes and that fun was had all round......

 Joining in here with other today.


I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something you can be thankful for..no matter how simple it is.

Off to camp...

 We are one less in our house for the next few days.....

Year eight camp has started.....

She is in for a cold one......

I am sure she will have an awesome time....

She'll be missed around here.....

"CASP er "

 Meg is enrolled in a

Creative Arts Specialist Programme 

and they had there first public performance today for the parents.....

 they dramatised 

THE RAVEN    by     Edgar Alan Poe

I am thinking that she is in her element and hopefully will have a great time for the next three years.

 

Awarded

Meg came home today having received this award at school.....

It has always been our most favoured kind of award for our children to receive......

Proud mummy moment! 

Homework

The routine of homework has begun......

The challenge is to make it interesting enough for my Year Two little guy to participate willingly.

He is given a list of spelling words to revise. Each night we have tried to find a different way of learning them.

Tonight we reached for the letter tiles from our "Bananagrams" game or you could use Scrabble if you have it.

Apart from not enough letter "k's" he really enjoyed the exercise.

I'll share other ways as we discover them.

 

My View Today

My View Today  - Photo a Day 

 

 Today was all about getting these two off to a good start of the new school year......

Meg off to High School and Fraser into Year two.....

Neither were really up for breakfast....but after a little coaxing we managed to calm some nerves....

The more encouraging messages they received  about their day ahead the more they became a little nervous...

I must admit I was a little nervous watching the high school gathering which consisted of 600 Year eight and nine students....

{Yes I did walk my "high schooler" to school and class - I promised her it would be the first and last for the year!}

But pleased to report at this end of the day...

 

all is well and reports were favourable and heading out the door should be quite smooth tomorrow.

Oh how did they both become so capable ready to tackle this new year?

28/366

The Good Thing:  Keeping things calm and slightly organised for the first morning back at school for the year.

The Good thing for :   All of us.

Nature

Nature - Photo a Day

Just a snapshot of our garden......

I'll tell you the story of our "Fairy Garden" one day..... 

25/366

The Good thing:Making the most of this sunshine we've had and combining it with the little "super ingredient"..that is Bicarb Soda and giving my shower curtain a much needed clean.....

The Good Thing for: Our Bathroom and  my domestic goddess status.!!!  

26/366

The Good Thing: Today was about gathering the school supplies, applying names to every book , pencil and marker ready for school return on Wednesday.

The Good Thing for: My kids