Easter time!

I am so excited!

The biggest most anticipated long weekend of the year is only 4 more weeks away -- Easter! We have so many beautiful memories since having our first child of this time of year. Having made so many traditions - Easter brunch, new pjs, class gifts, dyeing eggs to list a few - its even more exciting every year it comes around as they are just a little older. The kids seem to understand more of the story and reason we celebrate, it makes the whole season wonderful as I see they are 'getting it'. They are just so much more aware of everything and makes the whole thing even more fun!

We love to have a count down to Easter with a little advent like activity and treat a day along with reading our favourite Easter story.

I love to collect as many Easter books as I can from the library in the month leading up to it and we read all kinds of funny bunny stories, stories about eggs and chicks and spring and new life. It is such a lovely feeling and we are all so excited everyday for the Easter Bunny to arrive with all the glorious chocolate of course!

I found these cute egg hunt signs this week at Target for only $5 -- there was a whole stack of good things but this was something I didn't want to walk away from. Defenitely something to keep in my Easter box of collections.

Happy celebrating and preparing and dreaming of mountains of chocolate ♡

x

Extension work

I recently discovered this website with simple curriculums for the primary school years. It's fantastic with guiding you to know where to start with extra learning at home in addition to what's happening in the classroom.

http://www.cambridgeschool.eu/en/curriculum-learning/documents/

I don't know why but I have known our eldest needs more then just the basics when it comes to learning - he thinks differently and stretches further then most children his age. Sounds like I'm just a proud parent but I have notice this difference in him since he was about 15 months old when he could look at something he had never seen before - like a television - and work out how to turn it on/off without anyone showing him where the buttons were...and so many other little things he could work out before he was even previously exposed to them -- huge complicated puzzles at 20 months old and matching and memory games which became too easy for him and boring by the time he was two. He was talking in full blown proper sentences long before his toddler peers (and his later born siblings) then learnt how to ride a bike without any coaching at all - he just got on it and started riding - then it was the same with swimming...just one day figured it out without one lesson ever.

I guess this is just normal and everyone is different but with all of this I have really wanted to present extension activities to him -- sometimes this has caused me stress, it all is a lot more work then just doing the bare minimum day after day - ie turning the tv on and leaving it at that.

So now that he has started school, I am trying hard to keep on top of the extension activities he could be experimenting with. Right now life feels like I'm just keeping my head above water -- 2 other little ones at home and lots of sickness running through our familiy lately has worn me out. Just keeping it together is usually the feeling we are experiencing. So one day I found this awesome website with the curriculum for each primary school year. It is simply described and basic enough for parents to explore with their children. We hope to follow these curriculum pages with Asher and seeing whatever he is interested in.

All you need is LOVE

In the name of all things L O V E we had a little conversation around the dinner table tonight about what we love in eachother... its cute to hear what a 5 and 3 year old has to say about their siblings and lovely thoughts on their parents --

Asher loves how daddy surprises him and picks him up from school sometimes and takes him out

His favourite day ever was when he picked him up early and took him to a movie just the two of them - this happened a while ago now and he still thinks of this special day together

He loves how dad takes the boys fishing -- its the best thing ever!!

Asher loves how Jet gives him the tightest hugs everyday when saying goodbye to him at school and anytime around the house he is feeling especially happy

Jet loves how Asher lets him hold his fishing rod

Jet loves how daddy takes him fishing

Jet loves how mummy always wants cuddles and smooches

Asher loves when mummy gives him kisses and my smiling face

Asher loves how Sariah gives kisses - its soooo cute and he asks her to kiss her all the time!

Asher loves how cute sariah says "mummy, mummy, mummy" in her own funny way that we all know

Daddy said that he loves Jets cuddles and lovely kindness

Daddy loves how Asher is so helpful and is a good listener when he asks for his help

Daddy loves how thoughtful mummy is (my list of things i love about Daddy is too long for this blog ha!)

Mummy loves how Asher eats almost anything put in front of him and how much he helps her around the house.

There was a bit more I have forgotten but this little moment was happening all while eating dinner and in between "can I please have some..." and "I'm just gonna get a drink" so it was a bit of focus at the same time with lots of interruptions - but hey they are two crazy 3 and 5 year old boys.

We all felt lots of good feelings as we left the dinner table and headed for books and cuddles before bed.

As I was reading to little Sariah before bed, I had a moment of "oh no" this is nearly all over. It was like years flashed before my eyes of her now being all grown up and it made my heart sink just for a moment. She was sitting on my lap and totally engrossed in her favourite books "Sally's Secret" and "Rhymes for Annie Rose" -- baby girl will seriously sit in total silence as I read these to her with her eyes looking all over the pages. They are the sweetest books written and illustrated by Shirley Huges. A seriously good investment for your childrens library.

What a lucky girl I am to have all this love and the sweet little babies that I have been given 💗