Finger puppets

This morning I finally finished making the last of the finger puppets I started a couple of months ago. Five farm animals; five jungle animals (I've made two sets). What think ye? I have seen ideas for a penguin, jellyfish, and a starfish, so might make a set of sea animals too....

My belly is certainly popping out now, and the kicks are becoming more regular! My bump is already as big as it was when I was about 23 weeks pregnant with Abigail or 20 weeks with Sarah, so definitely noticing the changes between subsequent pregnancies! My midwife appointment earlier in the week was long but straightforward, and I got to hear baby's heartbeat at the end (a healthy 150 beats/minute).

Today's plans all changed at 6:30am this morning when Jon received a few SOS texts from a man he works some gigs with, so instead of going to a men's breakfast at church this morning, he is in Ipswich hauling sound gear around. And instead of going out for some time to myself, I am doing the usual: child-minding/raising and housework! I have been told to think of something special to do tomorrow (either alone or together) so any ideas welcome!

Both girls are on the upside of their colds. Sarah only had a touch of a snotty nose, but Abigail is certainly making sure we're going through the tissues! All in all, a mild cold. I have tried to cut most dairy and sugar from their diet to help and it seems to have (dairy is mucous forming; sugar suppresses the immune system). And I've had batches of sauerkraut fermenting continually in my kitchen recently as we are going through it quickly - both girls and I like it, and it's great for immune and digestive systems. And cabbage is getting cheap again (supposed to be the most nutrient dense vegetable for price)! In my sauerkraut making experience, I've learnt to make sure the cabbage is weighted down well - it needs to have enough liquid brine covering it to keep all air out (otherwise it just tastes rotten and that's not very nice!). I follow this recipe. Another batch will be on my kitchen bench before the day is out (once bottled, it'll keep a good 6 months in the fridge - theoretically. My first batch only lasted a few days thanks to us!).

Over time I've had lots of gluten free baking flops, so I have made an effort recently to stop experimenting and pick a few reliable recipes to make. I have been making lots of this gluten/dairy/refined sugar free Date and Walnut Bread. I cut a loaf in thirds and freeze it, then pull out some when I want it. And I've switched back to making my own bread (yeast free recipes so I don't have to rise it first) in the oven as the bread maker wasn't proving reliable in it's outcome (gluten free bread is somewhat temperamental - even humidity levels affect it). Jonathan has been enjoying a fruit cake spiel; he has asked for coffee cake next so if you have a good recipe for one (it doesn't need to be anything-free, just a normal recipe) please share!

I sat down this week and made a rotating workout schedule for the rest of the year/pregnancy (if you use Google Calenders, I can share it with you). Here's another little workout (3minutes 51 seconds) I've come across for your triceps - you just need a chair/couch (if you can do it non-stop I think you're amazing; I have to take breaks throughout). I do it after my push-ups workout (I've been following the 100 Push-ups programme - I'm up to doing 8 proper push-ups at once. I don't expect to progress any further while my tummy grows, but hopefully I can maintain that number). It's always nice to have some little workouts up your sleeve for when you're tired or pressed for time.

And to end I will leave you with some pictures of the girls during water play this week. Abigail can now squeeze the hose handle and so I let her water my garden for me, then I put some detergent in a bucket and they play happily out in the sun. Washing each other's hair seems to be the favourite game (despite Abigail making a big fuss when we wash her hair!).

Some nights we find them snuggled up the same end :) 

This week has held lots of phone calls with family. I was having a 'really-miss-my-family' day earlier in the week, and got 3 phone calls from different family members that day! I often forget I have a phone link to family so it was really nice to have them ring me; my week looked up afterwards!

The girls have both got colds at present. It has been quite cold since we got back from camping - the first week was wet and cold; this week is windy and cold - so the runny noses were to be expected. It has made Abigail more inclined to have her day-time nap, so that's always nice :)

I became aware recently that I was neglecting to include the girls in the work around the house - finding myself instead shooing them off to play or occupying them elsewhere. "Train up a child in the way he should go...." came to mind, and I have been reading over Proverbs 31 a bit lately (in a few different translations) and verse 27, "she keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all busy and productive" also struck me. So I have been involving both girls more. Abigail now clears the cutlery rack for me, and folds the washers and tea towels; her and Sarah both help to put the washing away; I'm teaching them to put their toys/games away when they've finished playing with them; they help bring the shopping in and take the rubbish out, and so forth. It really helps me, and they really enjoy it. I look forward to the possibility in years to come that I've worked myself out of a job!

Proverbs 31 verse 17 and 27 speak of a wife setting about her work vigorously and not eating the bread of idleness. I had a few days where I didn't know what to do that day (and the things I thought of I didn't feel like doing!), so I have sat down and drawn up a 4 week rotating 'roster' of my housework focus for each day of the week. Eg:

I only loosely followed it this week, but my week was a lot of more focused because of it and I feel like I've gotten a lot done (my kitchen is very clean!). Just like my menu plans, it's nice to just do what the roster is telling me rather than having to come up with it everyday! 

Abigail is currently learning her letters - both upper and lower case - and their sounds. I give her a baking tray with a piece a paper that has different letters drawn on, and she matches the letter magnets to them. And we continue to do lots of reading; our fortnightly library trips are much enjoyed by the girls.

Sarah has become very attached to a golf ball recently. After her morning feed in bed with me, it's the first thing she looks for. 'Ball?' is often heard when it has rolled under the tv unit or she has lost sight of it. It goes everywhere - except on bathroom trips (it made it in the toilet bowl a couple of times too many!).

On a warmer day this week, I set a bowl of soapy water outside for the girls to play with while I did the dishes - I came out to find them washing each others' hair :) Abigail has been learning to do up buttons with a fun little button snake I made her; Sarah has been putting toothpicks back in their container through the little holes in the top - both activities to help them with their fine motor skills / hand/eye coordination (and to keep them happily occupied while I cook!).

I have been getting back into regular exercise again - walking to work with Jon in the morning's where possible, and doing various home workouts I've come across on Pinterest (this is a nice simple 3 minute one for the ladies that I've done a couple of times. Be warned, the chick is nuts!). My baby bump is beginning to grow - I can't get my jeans done up now (I could a couple of weeks ago). And I think I've felt bubs move a few times in the past week, so that's very exciting! My first midwife appointment is next week and I am looking forward to hearing bubs' heartbeat for the first time!

My cup of tea (I've switched from peppermint to chai since the temperatures have dropped) is finished, so I best be up while the warmth of it lingers. Have a nice long weekend those in Australia, and just a nice weekend to those elsewhere. Jonathan and I have dentist appointments in the morning so spare a thought of sympathy if you think of us! :)

Camping at Lake Somerset

Looking out from our campsite

A foggy second morning

Setting up camp

Breakfast in the bush

Our new camp stove; Abigail calls it 'the dangerous'

Monkey bar antics at the playground

On the weekend we went away for a couple of nights camping up at Lake Somerset. It was a much welcome break from an overload of housework for me and a couple of 6-day work weeks for Jon.We bought a camp stove and another air mattress, both of which elicited much excitement from the girls in the lead up to our going away, and amused them while away. In teaching them not to go to close to the camp stove, we explained that it was dangerous; now Abigail calls it 'the dangerous'. The air mattress made a wonderful trampoline.

The forecast was for fine days but cold nights, so we packed lots of duvets and warm clothes (a roof rack will soon be needed - it was a full car!). It got down to 2 degrees our first night; the second wasn't quite as cold due to fog cover (plus a jumper and second pair of socks!). The days, in the sun, were pleasant.

I did the cooking, Jon the dishes. Dinner (first night - sausages, onion, potato salad and coleslaw; second night - kangaroo steaks, boiled potatoes, coleslaw) was eaten by LED light out in the dark (it was pitch black by 6pm), and at such times we were visited by a rabbit and a possum - very exciting! It was incredible how many more stars we were able to see being away from all the city lights, so Jon and I spent some time spotting constellations once the girls were in bed. In the mornings, we sat in the sun to eat breakfast (bacon and baked beans, or poached eggs, on toast) and warmed up quickly.

Reading in the sunshine

There was a mini golf course and a kids playground on site, so we made use of those; walks along the lake; Jon took lots of photographs of the birdlife; and I enjoyed resting. It was so nice to be out of the city and surrounded by bush. Two nights wasn't long enough, but it certainly was lovely and relaxing. Abigail tells me we need to go camping again soon, and I agree.

Clean and Green

Sarah guzzling her green smoothie

It has been a busy week - lots and lots of cleaning and tidying! We had our second rental inspection yesterday morning, so I have been much occupied with making the place look it's best. I'm sure the rental agent wouldn't notice if the walls were clean of fingerprints or not and other such small details, but at such times such things seem glaringly obvious and must be dealt with just in case! And this weekend we are billeting a lady connected with Jon's work who is coming to a training conference they are having tomorrow (Jonathan is picking up 4 people from the airport as I type), so the beds have been rearranged (the girls are top and tailing tonight - very cute!) and our spare room prepared for her arrival tonight. I am thankful that we haven't had a rental inspection before now - I don't think I would have managed the all the cleaning up a few weeks ago; and having two occasions where a tidy house is needed right after each other is another blessing - thank you God for the timing of this!

I have passed the 12 week mark now and am feeling much better, but still feel quite unwell late afternoon/evening. Hopefully in a week or two all the nausea will have passed. I have had a salad addiction the past fortnight - I am devouring salads, lunch and dinner (my grocery shop this week consisted only of fresh vegetables and fruit and some salad condiments - olives and sun-dried tomatoes!). Hopefully the lettuce, kale, endive and pansy seeds I have planted in my garden will start growing soon, then I can simply pick my salad ingredients from the garden. I saw a few endive seedlings starting to come through this morning, so I have hope that there might yet be some green in my thumbs!

Sarah and Abigail have been enjoying lots of green smoothies lately, which I'm pleased with. I think green leafy vegetables are one of the best things for our bodies and smoothies are a great way to get them into my kids. I have to make sure to make a big blender full if I want to have any too or else it all gets begged from me!

Have a happy weekend - and don't forget to eat your greens! :)

Labour Day

We did go bush walking again over the weekend. On Monday we spent 2 1/2 hours wandering round a section of Karawatha Forest we hadn't been to yet; and we found 4 more caches along our way (one of them being the first ever cache hidden in Queensland - over 10 years ago!).

Signing the cache log!

It was a sunny day, but the first half of the walk was a bit boggy and slippery underfoot. Sarah slept that part while in the sling; Abigail observed the path from the pram. We passed quite an assortment of people on our way - a young couple, families with young children like ourselves, cyclists, runners - all sorts! Nice to see people out and about enjoying the bush.

On the way up a steep shortcut

At the highest point of the walk we stopped for refreshments -grapes and water- found the last cache on our journey, and came back down. I'm sure the path was much steeper than the photo shows! We passed a shorter steeper short cut further down the path -and because Jonathan likes to take the shortest route possible, I'm glad he hadn't known about that one earlier!

From here the girls walked and frolicked the rest of the way; it was nice to slow the pace down and not have a 11kg load on my back! As we neared the main path back to the carpark, we found a quiet shady parallel path that we decided to take instead. It of course did not take us back to the bridge we needed to cross but diverted around the wrong side of the creek. Thankfully we didn't have to back track too far before we found a little path joining back up to the main route. Across the bridge and to the car! (We had been late starting so it was 1pm by this time). 

Another fun adventure in the bush - may there be many more ahead! We will explore Australia yet!

May the Fourth be with you :)

On Anzac Day last week, we did some Geo-caching (GPS treasure hunting) at the nearby Karawatha Forest. We only did a 'short' walk, but it took us a couple of hours with all the off-road hunting we did for the caches. The girls seemed to enjoy themselves, despite coming away with various scrapes, and hopefully we'll get out this long weekend to do some more (Labour Day weekend).

We had a run of wet weather last week, so Jonathan brought the trampoline into the garage for the girls. It was great - they spent lots of time on it. Now that it's back outside, it isn't as fun of course! :)

As of the 1st of this month, Abigail is now officially weaned. We've been slowly cutting out each of her last few feeds over the past few months. Jonathan was keen to see her stop feeding and recently I decided I had had enough too. She happily accepted the dropping of each feed, and while she often comes up to me still asking for 'just a little bit', especially when she sees Sarah feeding, getting a 'no' hasn't and doesn't upset her. I am glad we took it slowly and I am pleased with how easily she gave it up.

As for Sarah, we are working on night weaning her. Sarah has fed 4-6 times a night for as long as I remember. Recently, during a cold spell, she cut back to 2-3 feeds (must be too nice and snug in bed to get up!). We are now working on cutting night feeding out altogether. As with Abigail's night weaning (around the same age), Jonathan is tending to her through the nights (for the most part); she goes back to sleep without fuss if Jonathan goes to her; she expects a feed if it's me and won't go back to sleep until she gets it! So hopefully over the course of the next month or so she will start to sleep through the night. The thought of getting a full night's sleep in the near future is suddenly very appealing (haven't had one of those since Abigail was born!).

Bean growing season is here and taking an idea I came across, I have made a tee-pee with beans planted at the bottom of each stake. In the next month or two, the bean plants should grow up the stakes and make a nice leafy tee-pee for the girls to play in. It is a bit flimsy (I joined bamboo stakes together with duct tape, and I've had to plant in pots), so try and find solid stakes and plant straight into the ground/garden if possible. I'm thinking of trying to grow some leeks next (love leeks!).

Happy International Star Wars Day - may the fourth be with you! :) :)