Mmmm ...Cake!

This is the lime and coconut cake that Charli and I were making earlier. Doesn't it look good? It tastes it too. Don't think it will last long. Mmmmm!

Baking With My Sister

 I don't get to see Charli that often, but every time I visit, we always do a little bit of baking.

She is a baking queen.

She's always making bread or biscuits or cake or some other tasty treat. I love it.

And I usually get sent home with something sweet and yummy too. Today we're making a lime, coconut and almond cake with a creamy lime frosting.

I'll try to post a picture when we're finished. But I'll have to be quick, as it may not last long!

School Holidays

I don't really think I have to say much more about this. But it makes me really, really happy to be on holiday. Especially after a horrendously busy 11 week term. I've spent my first day sleeping, gardening, playing games and reading magazines, It's been sunny and absolutely brilliant. Yeah for holidays!!!!

Orchid

I got a different type of orchid  for my mum for Mothers' Day this year and liked it so much that I thought I'd try to get one for myself. After a bit of random searching (when I remembered to look) I finally found one (or lots, and it was so hard to decide which one I wanted). Here it is. Isn't it pretty?

Lime Blossoms

I have flowers on my lime tree! I was out in my garden doing a little bit of tidying up and suddenly saw a few small flowers and quite a few buds. I'm so excited. Now, guess if I want some limes I ought to start feeding it again huh?

Robots

Okay, so robots don't make me happy all that often. But today they did.

One of my boys wasn't doing what he should have been doing. Which isn't all that great. But instead of doing his work, he was drawing robots. These were quite possibly the best robots that I have seen a 5 year old draw in a long time. And he was so excited about them. He spoke more about his picture of robots and what they could do, than I have heard him speak since he started school. They were really cool.

But the best thing to me is that I now know this boy a lot more. I know what excites him and what interests him. I got to see a whole other side to a little boy that I've been having a little problem connecting with. And I now have a way to switch him on to his learning...

...through robots!

Increase your life

Just finished watching one of the TED talks by Jane McGonigal. It was called "The Game That Can Give You 10 Extra Years of Life". In it she talked about the power of games and ways in which you can increase your life expectancy. One of the things she said (or I remember her saying) was that if you can think of 3 good things for every 1 bad thing you think about, then you can actually help increase your life.

And it made me think about my blog. No I'm probably not thinking of 3 good things for every 1 bad thing, but by trying to pay attention to the positive side of life, I'm definitely on the right track.

I got quite a bit out of this talk, so I'll probably be doing a bit more talking about it on my blog. It was really quite inspiring.

This Is My Best Day at School Ever!

One of my boys said this to me yesterday. His whole face was lit up and he was excited to actually be in school and learning.

I felt proud of him and a little bit humble all at the same time.

How often do we clue into what really fires children up to give them a 'best day at school ever' moment? How often do we feel that way ourselves?

Wouldn't it be great if you had children saying that regularly? I think so.

That Lightbulb Moment

There's nothing better than watching a child suddenly understand something they have been struggling with. It's as if someone has switched a light on. It makes all the hard work worthwhile.

Yesterday, one of my boys finally got the idea of forming a set in maths. He was having a great time and enjoyed showing me his new skill. He had this huge smile on his face and was so proud of himself. It made my day.

Pretty Flowers!

Some of my ranunculus have finally flowered. They're a lovely cream colour and they've got so many petals. I think they look a little like a crinoline petticoat upside down (or what I imagine an upside down crinoline would look like). So pretty!!