414 + 310 Weeks

I just sat down to write this blog and began to think about our past week, but my mind went completely blank.  I could not think of a single thing that we did.  Then I scanned through the photos, and realised we did so much!  The weather has been amazing, not like winter at all, so we have been making the most of it.

On Friday we took the kids for a play at Narrawallee park.  It was surprisingly crowded for a Friday, and then we figured out it was because there was a mother's group there and the park was crowded with little kids.  This made Arley quite unsettled and out of sorts, so we just had a short play, and then I walked the kids to the headland.  Once there he calmed right down, watched the ocean, climbed the rocks and collected shells.  It is so beautiful out there, I think the angriest person would find peace.

On Saturday the kids went to their friend Dusty's birthday party, which was held at Funland.  The kids had a blast, but Funland always gets Arley amped up and overstimulated.  He came home out of sorts again, but I think he thought it was worth it because of the fun he had at the party :)

Sunday was the warmest winter day ever, so we took the kids to Collers Beach so Bella could have a run around.  All the surfers had come out to play, because the waves were amazing, so we sat and watched them for ages.  We then walked across the beach and around the headland to go fossiling, and we found five fossils!  We also started collecting ants, because last week the kids and I built an ant house that they got for Christmas.  It turns out that collecting ants isn't the easiest thing to do!  Jeffrey and I finally got our technique down, and captured seven ants.  We actually got more, but I accidentally killed some of them.  So now we have a few pet ants.  They're not quite the kittens the kids are longing for, but they are pretty fun to watch.  We are supposed to have about thirty ants for our ant house, so tomorrow we are going on another 'antventure'.

Monday was a public holiday, so I took the kids bowling with their friend Aska (who used to be a homeschooler but sadly started school this term), and their other friend Yenje.  Carmie actually won, which is a huge turn around from the last time we went bowling and she lost.  We had horse riding on Tuesday of this week, and the kids were fantastic.  They have started jumping, and they are doing so well.  Right after horse riding we raced off to meet some friends at the aboriginal cave at Burrill.  We had the best day.  We had a fire going, the kids roasted apples, painted with ochre paint that they made themselves, and made up all of these amazing imaginary games.  They explored the bush and played with fire and reconnected with friends they hadn't seen in a while.  Carmie also scared the life out of me by climbing this very high tree trunk.  I made her come down quick smart, but not before I got a photo :)

The kids had a joint horse riding lesson this morning, and they left all smiles.  We had a great day afterwards, watching tv and a documentary, playing Sushi go with Jeffrey after dinner, and Arley wrapped up presents for all of us and gave them to us.  I got a $2 coin, he gave Carmie his toy dagger, and he gave his dad a juggling ball.  Today was a calm and happy day which was a great ending to a busy and happy week.

Here is a video of Carmie and Rocky jumping:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDWxuB153tg

And a video that Milea, the kids' horse riding instructor, took of the kids this morning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlGE1vI7Wkk

 At Narrawallee

The scariest kangaroo ever

 Dusty's birthday party

 Collers Beach

 Bowling with friends

 At the cave

 Can you spot Carmie up there?

 This morning's lesson

413 + 309 Weeks

Well, the wrath of Arley seems to have come to an end (fingers crossed!).  We have had three days now of relative calm from him, with just a few incidents here and there.  He is still sick (I actually think he is on round two of this awful cold we have all had), and I am trying to kick the end of my cold, so I am actually both thankful and surprised that he is not still a terror.  But I'll take it!

Winter has well and truly set in. We had two really miserable days this week, just freezing.  We spent one really lovely morning lazing around the library and then eating lunch while reading at the library cafe.  It was such a nice way to spend a cold and rainy day.  We also continued with our Australia project, and the kids made fairy bread, the easiest Aussie treat ever.  They have been bike riding (Arley loves it now!) and they spent a day at their grandparents'.  Wes their carer took them out today to the trampoline pillow and park in Conjola, and they came home all smiles.

I have been getting paperwork together because the AP (the registrar for the education department) will be coming out soon to check on us and hopefully give us two years of registration.  While we don't have much schoolwork to show, I think we will pass.  Tonight I gave the kids a reading test, and Carmie's reading age is 12.4 years, and Arley's is 11.9 years!  Big brains on these little guys!  Not bad for my 7 and 5 year old :)  

They also had their best horse riding lesson ever this week, both kicking butt.  Arley has trotting down (but he is too scared to canter yet), and Carmie aced her full arena cantering.  So good!  Videos below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgJPj-sDsIo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK1ompjogC8

 Making fairy bread

 Loving fairy bread :)

 Arley has been painting little canvases lately

 Delivering my latest commissions to the owner's house

 Winter afternoons

412 + 308 Weeks

We had a big weekend this week, with a family trip to Bowral to stay at my sister's house.  Oma and Opa came down to stay too, and then we met up with my aunt and uncle for lunch and dinner on Saturday.  It was a lovely family meet up, and so nice to have the kids in the same house with their grandparents and cousins and aunt.  Arley was a little out of sorts, because he really thrives on routine, and pretty much everything was different during our time away.  We relaxed on the kids' diet,  their screen time, their exercise time and their bed time, and I could really see the difference.  In fact, Arley still hasn't returned to his pre-trip self.  He is still quite disregulated and ornery.  I think we just have to face the facts that if we do anything out of the ordinary, it will disrupt him, so we had better make it worth it!  Luckily it was a worthy weekend :)  The kids had some good cousin time with Zach on Sunday morning, and Opa's belated birthday dinner on Friday night was really nice.

We have all been sick this week.  We came down with Arley's cold - first Carmie, then me and then Jeff.  We are all on the mend now, but the cold winter weather has finally set in, and that just makes the aches and pains feel even worse!

Despite the cold, the kids and I made it out today to meet Arley's new friend Ben and his mum.  We went down to the rock pools at the harbour to hunt for fossils (and we found some!).  Luckily the weather really warmed up, but then I had massive pile of jackets and sweaters to carry with me.  I didn't get too many photos from today because both Ben and Carmie ended up stripping down naked to go fossilising, as you do!

The kids continued with their horse riding lessons this week.  They are such little stars up there on their horses, they make me so proud.  They also had another sleep over at their Lolo and Dida's, however Arley was scared by all of the wind, so I had to go pick him up at 9pm to sleep at home.  And then he woke me up bright and early the next morning to drop him back off at Lolo's so he didn't miss a thing.  I was able to get a full day of work in on Wednesday, which is lucky because I am behind schedule.  But that's pretty standard for me!

Fingers crossed that Arley becomes more regulated and next week is a little easier.