rainbow rice

This is a great little activity to have up your sleeve when your children are bored-bored-bored, and want something different to do. You can use the technique below to dye pasta as well, which can then be used for a multitude of things- sensory tubs, crafts, threading necklaces...

A few quick notes:

*If you use hand sanitiser, be viligant about watching that it doesn't end up in any little mouths, and make sure hands are thoroughly washed afterwards.
*There are no specific measurements- the 'wetter' the mixture, the longer the drying time.

Divide your rice/pasta among large ziplock bags- one bag per colour of food dye. Add in a few squirts of liquid hand sanitiser, or a little white vinegar {about a scant tablespoon}, along with your  food colouring- a few drops or the equivalent gel-{if it helps, the pink in the picture above was cheap liquid food dye from the supermarket, the other three colours were Wilton Gel Pastes}.

Close the bag, and use your fingers to rub and scrunch the colour through, until it's evenly distributed among the rice/pasta. Spread onto a sheet of baking paper until it's dry to the touch, and then let the fun begin.

surviving the tired days.

I'm currently curled up under a blanket with my laptop, caffeine coursing through my veins. Scarley's gone into a toddler bed, out of a cot- and switched rooms to boot, and she's not taking it well. My head is swamped with that hazy-sleep-deprived feeling that leaves you unable to do anything but consider what overprocessed carbohydrates might give you a hit of energy to shake the desperate tiredness.

What follows, then, is a guide of sorts to getting through those exhausted days relatively unscathed.

-First step. Look after you. For me this means dry shampoo, lip balm, and forcing myself to drink loads of water. I normally also keep containers of cut-up vegetables in the fridge for a quick, easy lunch {paired with some crackers and white bean dip}, but of course, I don't have any today, do I?

-Get the basics taken care of with your child/ren {breakfasted, dressed, clean faces and teeth} and whatever done in your house that you need to do to make it liveable for you. For me, it's beds made, curtains and windows opened, and breakfast mess tidied away. Now is not the time for rigorous cleaning.

-Make a little checklist {mental or otherwise} of low-effort, low-mess activitives your child/ren can do that day. Be realistic about what you can cope with. Some easy ideas: making pikelets, drawing, Lego, sending them outside to find butterflies/ladybugs/beetles, water play {either with a water tub or with measuring cups and plastic containers in the bath}, drape a sheet over your table for an instant cubby- just add pillows and blankets and books.

-Some slightly more adventurous activities: set up a simple obstacle course outside, paint fingernails and toenails, draw a road on the driveway with chalk, play a board game, make necklaces {with string, cereal, actual beads, or pasta}.

-Tell your child/ren that you are tired. Ask them to amuse themselves for a little while.

-Use the television. Put on a movie and give them a snack. There is no limit to how many Peppa Pig episodes you can tolerate in one day.

-Give yourself a snack, when you need it. A snack, a drink, and putting on some music {that you like, not a Playschool CD...unless that's your thing} can be oddly helpful.

-Lower your standards. Does it really matter if you still have a child in pj's at midday, eating instant noodle omelettes? Ahem. {If you're wondering, to make instant noodle omelettes, cook, drain, and cool instant noodles- I omit the sachet and just cook in a little Massel stock. Add in a lightly beaten egg or two, and cook in a pan until golden, then flip and cook the other side}.

-If you can, use your village. Ask, bribe, beg someone to take over for even an hour while you get some rest. If your child/ren are old enough to be bribed rewarded, give them tasks to do in exchange for stickers/stamps/pocket money/whatever.

-Do not underestimate the brilliant cleaning power of baby wipes. Ten minutes walking around with a few baby wipes, or even five minutes, and the house feels a lot fresher. {They're particularly satisfying to use on bathroom countertops and smudges/handprints on walls}.

-Remember that this will pass. It won't last forever.

-

circus for a day

Well, yes, my house is a circus- that much feels true.

Today, however, driven to depths of school holiday boredom I didn't know were possible, we hosted our own circus. The possibilities really are endless, but given my loathing of going to the supermarket with three small children, we worked with what we had on hand here.

Cardboard and crayons did nicely to make some circus tickets, and the dress-up collection- along with some leftover face paint and hair chalk from Halloween- took care of the costumes.

A small ladder, laid horizontally along the grass, made a perfect tightrope. Socks for juggling balls, though obviously there are better substitutes. Hoola hoops, balloons {both for decorating and for balancing on noses}, and ribbons for twirling. I seem to have an overpopulation of pom-poms at the moment, so they went on to the trampoline for extra-fun bouncing. The bubble machine went on {you can pick them up really cheaply, and they're well worth it}.

We attempted some acrobatics- somersaults, handstands, and cartwheels. It appears I can still cartwheel. Yes, I'm amazed too. They created their own circus tricks. Like, riding their bikes with no hands and trying not to crash. Or jumping off the couch.

Then came time for some circus snacks for the hungry performers. Apple slinkies, popcorn, and the 'rice bubble bars' {known to the rest of the human population as rice krispie treats}we'd made that morning.
All in all, easy, inexpensive fun that cured boredom. For a little while.

'my real earrings'

So, yes....my 'baby girl' now sports a pair of earrings.

She's been asking for her earrings since she had the vocabulary to- which was, from memory, just before she turned two. {And pink hair, since before she turned three. And yes, I am terrified of her teenage years}.

I have said to her many a time that when she was big enough to a) understand that there was a needle involved and it did hurt for a few seconds and b) help to take care of them by letting Mummy clean them and not play with them, she could have earrings.

That time came last weekend.

She asked, yet again.

I sat her down and we watched some carefully selected videos where girls had their ears pierced {top hint: search 'ear piercing no tears'}. We talked about the needle, and how it hurt like a needle at the doctors. We talked about the aftercare involved. We talked about how they did one at a time, and it was important to get the second one done too, or people may mistake you for a pirate.

And she still wanted them, so off we went.

I thought she might change her mind when they had no pink earrings to pierce with {and truth be told, she did consider it}. I thought she might change her mind after they drew on the dots.

But she sat still, and smiling. {Later, that night, as we were curled up on her bed reaind a book, she whispered "I nearly cried", and I whispered back "I know."}

She is so, so pleased with herself. And just proud as punch.

And we'll be shopping for pink earrings for her birthday.

do it yourself.

Being out of action has made me realise a few things.

Crutches are a pain. Figuratively and literally. I think they're purposely designed to take the focus off the pain elsewhere by giving you excruciating pain in your underarms.

I must spend far more time than I realise wiping counters, putting agway toys, and vacuuming, because the house has descended into a sticky, crumby mess.

On Friday, I had a moment. I was exhausted. I was sore. And my small ones were being naughty in the way small children sometimes do when they know that Queen Mummy Fun Police is out of sorts and it's the end of the week and they're bored. The mutiny had me so frustrated that when it came to lunchtime I placed bread, butter, cheese, knives and plates on the table and told them to make their own sandwiches.

They couldn't do it. Not wouldn't- they actually thought it was fantastic- no, they couldn't grasp how to spread the butter on without tearing holes in the bread, how to cut their sandwiches without their plate sliding all over the table.

And I realised that I need to stop doing things for them that they can do themselves. Levi-pie loves cooking- they all do, but him particularly- and he's perfectly capable of making himself a cheese omelette with only a little stove-side assistance from me. He adores doing it, and wants to at least once a week. There's no reason he can't make a sandwich. Or make his bed. Or pick his jarmies up from the floor. Or feed his dog.

The same, of course, applies in differing amounts for the girls.

Operation: Basic Life Skills begins as soon as my knee has healed up.

the bright side

So, the inevitable happened. I'm on crutches, and a bucketload of painkillers, having done more damage to my knee than I initially thought. The coordination is strong in this one.

The bright side is this: the abundance of support that's come my way. Being a mother of small children, and being on crutches is Just. Not. Fun. And when my patience fails, my compassion fails, or physically I fail to deliver what my children need, other people in my village have stepped in.

My mother has done a crazy amount of babysitting for me, sleepovers included. It's her I message when I need help. She's had the girls for sleepovers. Had Scarley more than I have this week {getting up and down off the floor, say, to change a nappy, makes me bite my lip and sometimes cry- literally}. Called me just to ask how I am. Driven me to the chemist and the supermarket. I'd honestly just not have managed without her.

Shan has made school lunches {no puzzle sandwiches though}, entertained the small ones while I stay in my blanket fort with icepacks, and is currently out gathering lunch.

My sister-in-law, who's taken Levi to kindergym, and then out to the park and for icecream and to watch the airplanes. Levi himself has been so wonderfully kind and helpful that I've repeatedly told him how proud I am of him, and have given him a $10 note. {My Bee girl, unfortunately, not so much. And by not so much, I mean not at all. It's really shaken her to realise that it is possible for Mummy to be hurt, to be out of action, to not be able to captain my ship as per usual and organise everything and provide lunchboxes packed with puzzle shaped sandwiches and carrots cut into snowflake shapes and do the thousand things I do day in, day out. The result is some pretty intolerable behaviour on her part}.

The kindy staff, who insist on helping, who ignore my 'no, I'm fine' and thrust pillows under my knee during parent meetings. People in the supermarket carrying things. Friends giving medical advice. My little kitten, who curls up on my chest and purrs.

I've also been consciously giving myself a break. Microwaveable steamed rice and steam fresh vegetables have made an appearance like never before. Crumby floors are being ignored {with the exception of Friday, when I smashed a glass on said floor}. Lots of resting, and a lot of letting go- as long as teeth are cleaned, meals are reasonably nutritions {beans on wholemeal toast and a glass of milk absolutely fall into that category}, and intolerable behaviour is dealt with, the rest can slide for a while.

how to: make flour tortillas

This recipe, like most food for me, comes with a story.

Before I went vegetarian, and then vegan, fourteen years ago, Peking Duck was one of my absolute favourite foods. Fourteen years later, I've learnt to make flour tortillas- you'll see in the recipe below that depending on the oil you use, these are perfect soft, warm tortillas for Mexican...or beautiful, fresh, Chinese pancakes just begging to be used in Peking Tofu. I've been making a batch a week, on average- and once I even made two batches in the same day, to gift a batch to my sister-in-law. I use the recipe from this chef, from her Chloe's Kitchen cookbook.

You'll need-
*2 cups plain flour, plus extra for dusting
*A pinch of salt
*1 cup boiling water
*Olive or sesame oil, for brushing

In a large bowl, stir together all of the ingredients except the oil, and as soon as it's cool enough to touch, use your hands to knead into a smooth, cohesive dough. Cover with cling film and leave for twenty minutes.

When the twenty minutes has passed, cut the dough into two equal pieces, and roll each piece into a log shape- cut each of these into eight pieces- so you'll have sixteen total.

On a lightly floured surface- little tip: use a large cutting board, it's far easier to wash at clean-up time than an entire kitchen bench- press each piece of dough with your palm to flatten, and then roll into a thin circle {or something resembling a circle, if you're anything like me}- add more flour to your surface and rolling pin as necessary. Set aside {I use a long strip of baking paper for this purpose} while you finish rolling out your tortilla rounds.

Turn a non-stick frypan onto a medium high heat. If it's plain flour tortillas you're after, brush the surface of each dough round with olive oil- if you're making Chinese pancakes, use sesame oil. Cook in batches until all done, brushing the uncooked side with oil and then flipping over when they bubble up.

To keep your tortillas/Chinese pancakes warm, fill a saucepan with a few inches of water, turn on to a simmer, and place a plate on top. Stack the cooked tortillas/pancakes on the plate, covering with a large metal bowl while you cook the rest.

Makes 16.