B.M.W.B 2 - The Book Bucket

Last year for my birthday Deb gave me this gorgeous fabric bucket which I promptly used for the Christmas books in December.

But when the new year rolled around I decided to use it to be a bot more intentional about how we read our books. We have a lot of books for the boys and it's easy to get into a pattern of reading the same ones and forgetting about some of our favourites. I also suspect that we may have grown out of some of them too. So this year I am intentionally taking a stack at a time out of the bookshelf and filling the book bucket with them.

Whenever we feel like a story we grab one out and when it has been read to both boys it gets replaced with another one from the shelves (some of the new ones might stay in there a bit longer!). This way over the course of months we will have read every book in the shelves and re-discovered some old favourites.

Lots of our books are second hand some were second hand when I got them as a child but that is the great thing of books - most give many, many, many!! years of good service and the sharing of these stories together forms the language and sounds of childhood.

I'd far rather my children knew every intonation of my voice than Mickey's or some other TV programme.

What have you been up to with your kids this week?
What are you loving about parenting??

Becoming the Mama I want to be is about taking time to enjoy the journey of parenting, to honour it's value and to hopefully inspire and encourage each other. I'd love to have your linky if you are keen.

You can grab the button code on the right if you'd like to :o)

Simple. Acheivable. Intentional: becoming the mama I want to be

If you'd like another wonderful book for your shelves do check and enter the giveaway here.

for more about B.M.W.B

We Recommend and a Giveaway

You know how I feel about books and how I feel about supporting artisans.

This is the latest book to hit our shelves - Mr Whistler by Margaret Mahy and illustrated by Gavin Bishop

Sadly New Zealand lost Margaret Mahy last year but her lasting gift was a huge collection of imaginative whimsical stories think:
Down the Back of the Chair
The Lion in the Meadow
The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate
The Witch in the Cherry Tree
The Seven Chinese Brothers

She actually wrote more than 100 picture books, 40 novels and 20 collections of short stories. (Can anyone say prolific??)

This story is no different. It's a story of a man who has a song in his head and dance in his feet trying to get himself on a train. As a woman who frequently has a song on my lips and some groove in my step I love Mr Whistler - he's the kind of person the world needs more of.

He also has great dress sense right down to his underwear (how can I not love him?!?!)

The story is illustrated by Christchurch's own Gavin Bishop (who wrote and illustrated another of our favourites Mrs McGinty and the Bizarre Plant - a classic which features some wonderful Christchurch scenery. The boys adore it. We have a copy from the 80s that is falling apart.)

His illustrations in this are so engaging - it's very hard to convey movement - particularly dance in a non-stylised way. But these pictures just dance. The clothing is also fab and the story is set in the 40s so it's rather stylish.

We really like this book the boys laughed at and engaged with the story. It's well written and beautifully illustrated - it's a keeper.

I was thrilled to receive this in the mail from Gecko Press - publishers committed to bringing us all books worth keeping and they kindly said I could have another copy to give to a reader too.

So if you'd like this book on your shelves leave me a comment here I'm interested to know either:
 your favourite children's author
or your favourite illustrator

Happy to send this anywhere in NZ - your chance to win closes Saturday 27th of January.

Friday Thoughts

This week we've had some classics.

During our family night The Atlas and I both immaturely lost the plot when we were talking about what you could do if someone was being unkind. Flip said, 'I would just stand really still, then I would fall over and they might think I am a skunk'. The Atlas and I tried so hard not to laugh but we couldn't hold it together. Not quite the 'I'd choose to include the person in the game' or something similar.

I love the way these boys play together - being a chrysalis - so funny

Bounce made me laugh this week when I asked him why sushi was his favourite dinner, "Because a circle is my favourite shape and they are round"

Awesome date with The Atlas - the boys organise their own overnight stay with Ma n Pop so we went out for tea and came home and curled up to DVDs together. He is such a great guy.

We had a beautiful morning at Halswell Quarry for a blogging picnic that the lovely Juliet organised. Watching the children all roll down the hill was a total highlight.

And also the fabulous Christchurch bloggers who are coming to together with hope in their hearts and great enthusiasm trying to organise a bloggy get together for y'all this year - check it out over here lovelies - come won't you???

look at this beautiful mama reading to her boys and mine

Other people will hearts full over here.

What's made you laugh this week.

Show and Tell 2 - an iPad case

The very first 2 things I made this year are actually for someone else but as she hasn't seen them or tried them on yet I guess I can't show you them!

The Atlas gave me an iPad for Christmas which was a complete shock and he got a keypad with it so I could blog so I needed to make a case which accommodated both but meant I could just use the pad without taking the keyboard out too. I used this gorgeous green doily to function as a pocket on each side.

Just as I was about to finish it The Atlas told me I needed a pocket for a cleaning cloth so I included that too.

The zip around the corner is a bit wonky but I love the fabrics and the doily was another advent gift from Leonie.

I've also added a cute zipper pull tag which is a necklace pendant of a saint carrying baby Jesus through the water.

This was made entirely from stash I didn't purchase a thing! So I can officially tick 1/12 for things made from my stash this year.

Joining in for show and tell and creative spaces.

Have you made anything so far this year?

To find other things I've made

Wardrobe Wednesday - Working a Single Piece

Hello lovelies

This week I am enjoying the sunshine and playing around with a beautiful tulle petticoat I was given by Leonie in December. This is the first incarnation of it.... I'm playing with different looks like to use it. I've even set up a pinterest page with tutu ideas.

I absolutely love this petticoat but I know there are ways I won't be able to work it with my figure. (sadly I don't have legs 5 metres long and pencil width! ;-) )

So this week I put it under a dress I've made from an old curtain and an old sheet.

I'd really like to make it more of a feature and not just a full petti because it is so pretty.

Have you ever been given a beautiful piece of clothing or bought a special something and felt like you need to work out how to make it work?

Outfit:

Dress - Handmade by me

Petticoat - gift handmade by Leonie

Shoes - about 7 years old from Primark

Pearls - also from Leonie

So what is Wardrobe Wednesday?

• It's a chance to take some time once a week to peel off the polar fleece trackies (I have a pair too!!) and put on something that gives you a chance to have a 'play' in your wardrobe, to make yourself feel pretty/ stylish/ like a woman or at least not slummy!
•  It's a time to celebrate and hopefully to embrace your body however you find it - post baby, young or old your body is lovely and functional and precious and I want this place to be a place for you to see other women (ordinary, beautiful women) who don't live in designer homes on designer budgets with designer bodies.

How to play?

1. Link in your specific blog post not just your general blog

2. Link to a post about clothes - that's what we're here for

3. Please add a link back here so other people can come over and see people's clothing posts too - the old fashioned way or grab a button

4. Be encouraging and visit people - leave a comment now and again too everyone loves to get encouragement

Here's the button copy and paste away

<center> <a href=" http://createhopeinspire.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Wardrobe%20Wednesday"><img border="0" src="http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o516/CreateHopeInspire/WWbutton.jpg" width="160" height="160"/></a></center> Thanks for being part of the Wardrobe Wednesday party x

Tasty Tuesday No.1

This year I want to try a new recipe from one of my lovely baking books.

This week it was Cheese Straws from Little and Friday - a beautiful New Zealand cookbook.

Cheesy, pastry, rosemary goodness..... I only got a before photo.... they look a lot better baked

Sorry about that :o)

The Atlas loves them, he's a savoury kinda guy

 

B.M.W.B # 1 - Sock Bubbles

I love the way the holidays afford spontaneity - the other day I found this great idea on line so I asked the boys and we rallied around finding the bits and pieces

knee stockings from the pile to the op-shop, 2 plastic bottles from the recycling bin, no duct tape so we used some sticky paper stuff from the craft bag instead.

and then with a little water and some dishwashing liquid we were away. **** please, please remind your children not to breathe in when blowing!!! **** Wee Bounce was not pleased with the taste of dishwashing liquid.

I had to offer some water and a biscuit to get rid of the taste. When he saw it was another yo-yo and not the chocolate chippie biscuit he was hoping for he said - No mama that will not comfort me - he's so articulate - I love it!

Aside from the ingestion of bubble mix we had a wonderful time make streams of bubbles and adding food colouring to make rainbows.

On Sunday afternoon the boys bought some of those water squirter things and The Atlas set us up with a station each to refill from and we went for it.

By the end of it we were all soaked (you know the proper kind right through to your undies!!) and full of laughter.

Becoming the Mama I want to be is about taking time to enjoy the journey of parenting, to honour it's values and to hopefully inspire and encourage each other. I'd love to have your linky if you are keen.

You can grab the button code on the right if you'd like to :o)

Simple. Achievable. Intentional :becoming the Mama I want to be