We eight kids like to potter around productively...Mama wants to remember these delightful days when we have all grown up and left home, so we are creating a record for her.

Friday, August 3, 2007

do you have any trees that need chopping?

...coz M4 has a chainsaw to chop them down with.


He might need to learn a few safety tips before he's let loose with it though - he's insisting it should stand upright!


......and then who should come toddling up the stairs, but T3?
"Please may you take a photo of me an my twee-cutter-saw to put on da blog"


But that wasn't the end....L6 arrived with yet another one...we'll be needing a whole forest!

Monday, July 30, 2007

I wanna be dangerous

By K10

I wanted to make a catapault from The Dangerous Book For Boys that I got for my birthday, so I asked Mama if I could and she said, "Yes". I drew a plan, which I followed. Here's the end result:

I used chopsticks (which I got told off about), a bottle lid and copious quantities of wool.

Friday, July 27, 2007

lovely kiwis


The lovelies at Lovely Blogs are going to make us famous! Heehee.
You can see us in the *kids with blogs* section or just scroll down past a handful of other lovely photos and you'll come to our interview. It's very short! And lovely!!

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

How To Make Fabulous Felt


1. Tear up 100g of carded wool into strips. Then pull the wool out so it fluffs up.
2. Lay the wool so that the grain of your first layer (I did five layers) goes all up-and-down. Lay the next layer on side-to-side, the next up-and-down and the next side-to-side.
3. Now you are ready for one last layer of wool. We did fancy coloured wool.
4. Mix together three cups of boiling water and a squirt of detergent, pour this slowly over the wool and start to gently squeeze the wool. You will have to wear rubber gloves as it will be very hot!!!
5. Keep adding more water and keep squeezing until the fibres all matt together.
6. Turn the piece over and repeat the process on the back. The longer you work the wool, the tighter it binds together.
7. Rinse the piece of felt.

If you want to speed up the process, you can place your piece of felt in a pillowcase and put it in the washing machine. Just remember to use hot water and a wee bit of washing powder.

ER (14mo) can see

"Before" shots are never enhanced, are they? So we didn't wipe the snotty nose or airbrush away the lunch remains from the chin.

Look, I know what to do, Mama. And please straighten my fringe up a bit.

"After" is so much better. Even if I don't exactly look happy!

The first lock....

And where it came off....it's not as precarious a seat as it looks - I have my teeth brushed here twice a day and I haven't fallen off yet!

Thursday, July 19, 2007

sandpit sunshine


Mama lent out the window by the front door to take this shot without disturbing the happily playing littlies. More zoom would have been good, but that's A Wee Bit Technical.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

it never rains - it pours

By Mama


Having impressed me with their origami skills, the boys asked to try out their Dangerous Book for Boys constructions.....
"Can I throw it out the upstairs window Mama?" J11 pleaded.


Why, oh why, would I say NO to that request?
What else would you do with a water bomb?